Title: Living In Danger
Author: MSKBSwedish
Rating: Mature
Summery: Set four years after the first story 'Midnight Sun'. Buffy and Spike's daughter Linn is now four years old and it's up to Spike and Buffy to protect their little girl from demons and other sorts of evil when the word gets out that the Slayer and the Slayer of Slayers have a child together. Set as M for heavy adult themes at times.
Note: I own nothing of the Buffyverse.

Chapter Three – Fragile

Buffy woke earlier the next morning. Her legs shook when she moved them. It had been a while since She and spike had their intimate escapades lasting till early morning hours. It made her body slightly sore but it was the sort of work out she needed to relax her body.

Lately, the slayer had been feeling things that worried her. Her slayer senses had tingled which meant something bad was coming her way. She needed last night to take her mind off of those feelings for a little while. It was the only thing that relaxed her, that would put her at ease, even if for a moment. She needed it for her own sanity.

Slowly, she pulled herself from the bed, leaving Spike to sleep. Buffy walked out of the room and into the bathroom to take a hot shower and get ready for the day.

Once she was out of the shower, Buffy walked back into the bedroom to get dressed. Still Spike stayed asleep on his side, covered from his waist down. She never understood how the vampire could sleep without being beneath the blankets like she had to be. Then again, his sensations of cold and hot were not as high as her own.

Buffy got dressed and was putting earrings on when she heard a little voice coming from the direction of her door.

"Mummy? Daddy?" Linn called out softly.

Buffy turned just as she adjusted the second earring and secured it on her ear.

"Linn, sweetie. Shh. Daddy is sleeping." Buffy whispered. She hurried over to the door to gently guide her daughter from her parent's bed room.

Buffy bent down to scoop up the young child into her arms.

"Mummy, I'm hungry." Linn said as she laid her cheek against her mother's shoulder.

"Okay, baby. Let's go downstairs and get some breakfast." Buffy said just as she got to the stop of the staircase.

Once in the kitchen, Buffy kept Linn on her hip while she began the process of warming up the synthetic blood they used to feed Spike and Linn.

"I just wan' my juice today mummy." Linn said when Buffy walked back to the fridge to get normal food.

Buffy paused and took a deep breath. "You need to eat something too. You can not just have juice."

"But mummy I'm so firsty." Buffy looked down at Linn to see her face had shifted just as a vampire's face would look. Suddenly her teeth were bearing into Buffy's neck.

Buffy bolted up right in bed gasping for air. She began to pant as she pressed her palm to her chest. Within seconds, she felt Spike's cool hand against her back.

"What is it, love? What's wrong?" Spike asked alarmed. He jolted awake when he heard Buffy gasping for air and felt the bed shift quickly.

Buffy turned her head to look at Spike before realizing it was just a dream. She threw her arms around Spike's shoulders and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Buffy? Buffy what's wrong? What it a bad dream, pet?" Spike asked once more. It had been a long time since Buffy was plagued with nightmares and just like their daughter's nightmares, her's were becoming more frequent as well.

Buffy nodded and shut her eyes tight. A few tears still slipped out of the slits of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Do you want to talk about it, darling?" Spike questioned further.

Buffy shook her head in response. "No." She whimpered quietly.

"Mummy? Daddy?" Linn's voice suddenly rung out through the room.

Buffy jumped and looked over at Linn. Spike looked between his lover and daughter. The look on Buffy's face was that of pure fear.

"Mummy? Wha's wrong?" Linn asked as she walked closer to the bed.

Buffy was frozen in fear.

"Buffy? Buffy what is it?" He watched Buffy's eyes follow Linn. "It's just Linn, love." Spike said calmly.

When Linn reached the bed, Spike picked the child up into his arms and smiled.

Buffy backed away slowly. Linn could sense something in her mother which caused her to become sad.

"Buffy, you're scaring her." Spike said sternly. Something in that dream scared the shit out of Buffy.

"Did I make you mad, mummy?" Linn asked, looking down at her hands almost looking upset herself.

"You didn't make mummy mad, Linny. Come on. Let's go give mummy a minute. She's tired." Spike eyed Buffy suspiciously before getting up to take Linn out of the room.

A few fresh tears fell from Buffy's eyes as she sat there still in fear almost frozen in time. She put her hand over her mouth and brought her knees to her chest before laying her forehead against her knees.

When Buffy was able to collect herself, she went for a shower. She had to remember that it was just a bad dream. It was just a dream. She was worried about Linn and it was showing in her dreams was all. She didn't have to fear her baby girl. That's what Buffy kept telling herself.

While Buffy was dressing, the door opened as Spike stepped into the room. He shut the door quietly behind him.

"Where's Linn?" Buffy asked.

"Downstairs with Dawn." Spike said flatly. For once in a long time, he looked angry with the slayer and for once in a long time, he was.

"I'm sorry." Buffy apologized quickly. She turned to look at Spike as he looked around in the dresser for a shirt for himself seeing that he was only in sweat pants.

"Say that to our daughter." Spike's words were dripping with bitterness. He turned quickly and glared at the blond. "You know I don't know what the bloody hell happened in that dream of yours but you have upset our daughter. She thinks you are pissed off with her. Poor git." Spike shook his head and turned back around to pull a black t-shirt over his torso.

Buffy sighed and walked toward Spike. "I said I'm sorry and I will be more than happy to explain that to our daughter but I need to tell you something." Spike hadn't turned around to look at her. She put her hand on his shoulder to force him to turn. "I can't do it with your back to me!" She shouted at him. When Spike turned he snarled at the slayer and gripped her wrist tight in his hand. His face was shifted over to his vampire.

"Don't." Spike warned her.

This wasn't the first time the vampire had showed his vampire over their daughter and Buffy knew it wouldn't be the last.

Buffy quickly pulled her wrist from his grasp. "Fine. I won't bother telling you then." Buffy growled back before storming out of the room to go find Linn.

Spike snarled one time before shaking his head and putting the vampire away. He felt guilt immediately. Being a father brought out some sort of primal, animal instinct that he never had before. When it came to Buffy or their daughter, it was easy to instantly feel the need to protect them. He just wished he could keep that instinct from turning on Buffy at times.

Downstairs, Buffy found Linn sitting on the couch with Dawn watching cartoons.

"Hey, Dawn." Buffy smiled at her little sister.

"Morning, mama." Dawn said with a smile.

Buffy looked over at Linn who sat with her arms crossed and looking very displeased.

Walking over, Buffy knelt down in front of Linn and put her hands on Linn's legs. "Hey, baby. I'm sorry about this morning." Buffy was hoping that apologizing would take the evil pout off of her daughter's face but it wasn't going to be easy. "You know how you had your nightmares?" Buffy asked the small child.

Linn didn't look at her mother but she did nod her head.

"Well I had one too last night. It really really scared me. Thankfully daddy was there to protect me and make me feel much better." Buffy said, trying to reason with Linn.

The child's pout had ceased when she heard that her mother too had a bad dream. She looked up at Buffy, her face changing to concern.

"I fought I made you mad, mummy." Linn took a deep breath. Buffy was upset by seeing that her daughter was so worried that at four years old she was taking a sigh of relief.

Shaking her head, "No, baby. You could never make me mad." Buffy smiled a little. "Come here."

Buffy put her arms out and Linn instantly moved and wrapped her tiny arms around Buffy's neck to hug her tight. Buffy wrapped her arms around her daughter's tiny body and smiled.

"Do you forgive me?" Buffy asked her daughter.

"'Course, mummy!" Linn giggled.

"Mm. I love you so much, moonshine." Buffy said before kissing her daughter's head gently.

Moonshine had become one of Buffy's favorite nicknames for Linn since she was a baby and loved to sleep with the moon shining down on her.

Linn giggled again. "I love you too, mummy!" Linn pulled back from the hug to give her mother a kiss. Buffy returned the peck and pulled her up into her arms.

"How about we go get you some juice?" Buffy asked her little girl.

Linn nodded her head and laid her cheek against her mother's shoulder.

...TBC...