All characters belong to Joss Whedon, The WB Network, and 20th Century Fox. I am just a fan.

No lights, no phone, no TV. Buffy's life was over.

She slowly walked down the hallway, floorboards creaking beneath her feet. A shiver ran down her spine as she made her way through the dark.

A Vampire Slayer afraid of the dark. That gave irony a whole new meaning.

Buffy sighed and continued to feel her way to the bedroom. She had a stash of candles underneath her bed that proved quite useful in times like these.

"Ow!" she yelped, bumping into a bookcase.

She rubbed her aching shoulder and scolded herself for sending Dawn away to a friend's house for the night. She was in desperate need of company at the moment.

Then again, how the hell was she supposed to know that there was going to be a power outage?

Groaning in frustration, Buffy reached under her bed and snatched a couple of candlesticks from her box of clutter. She then proceeded to search her drawers for matches. Finding a pack, she lit them and made her way back to the living room. The candles cast an eerie glow throughout the room, as shadows danced around her.

Buffy set the candles down and closed her eyes, forcing the ridiculous images out of her mind.

Just then, a loud tapping came from the door, startling Buffy. She jumped ten feet and spun around. Her heart thumping in her chest, she moved slowly towards the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, and quickly whipped it open.

She let out a sigh of relief when she recognized the blonde vampire standing before her.

"Spike," she said, still trying to steady her racing heartbeat. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought you and the Nibblit might like some company. You know, with the power outage and all. S'always nice to have a man in the house protectin' you from the big bad dark."

He gave her a half-smile.

Buffy rolled her eyes and moved to the side, allowing him to step in.

"First of all, Dawn's not home. Second of all, I'm not afraid of the dark." Buffy told him.

"You're not, are you? Well, you should be."

Buffy closed the door and turned around to face him. What little of him she could actually see, that is.

Spike picked up a candle and brought it to his face.

"Planning on catching yourself on fire?" she asked. "Well, good. I'll be over there. Tell me when you turn to dust so I can get the vacuum ready."

She strolled over to the couch and sat down. Spike followed and set the candle down on the little table next to her. He then proceeded to throw himself onto the couch beside her and propped his feet up on her lap.

"Spike, what the hell are you doing?"

"Makin' myself more comfortable."

Buffy rolled her eyes and shoved his feet from off her legs. He sat himself up with a sigh and leaned back against the couch. After a few moments of silence passed, Buffy stood up, grabbed the candle, and headed towards the kitchen.

"Do you want anything?" she called out.

"You got any of that hot chocolate with the marshmellows your mum used to make for me?" he asked.

Buffy smiled to herself.

"Yeah, gimme a sec."

A few minutes went by and Buffy returned with two mugs of hot cocoa and some blankets. Why she was letting Spike stay, she had no idea. All she knew is that she didn't want to be alone.

She sat down next to Spike on the couch and tossed the blanket at him.

"Thanks, pet," he said, taking the the hot chocolate as well.

She nodded.

It was very quiet for a while, until Spike spoke.

"So, uh, got any good scary stories?"

Buffy gave him a strange look.

"Yeah, actually," she replied. "How about 'An Autobiography' by Buffy Summers?"

Spike chuckled under his breath.

"Suit yourself," he said.

Buffy paused for a moment before going on.

"Do... you have any?"

Spike grinned at her.

"Plenty."

Seeing the horrified look on Buffy's face, he pulled her to him, so she was laying across his chest. She struggled to break free from his grasp, but he held his arms tightly around her.

"Too much for you?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

Buffy relaxed and shook her head.

"No, go on," she told him.

"Right then."

Buffy lay still in his arms as he proceeded with his story.

"So," he continued, "I --"

He was interrupted by a loud crash of thunder that echoed through the house. He felt Buffy jump a little, as she held onto his shirt. He smiled at the thought of the Slayer being scared of some thunder and a story.

"Maybe you should get some rest," he suggested. "We could finish the story another time."

Buffy went to protest, but thought better of it. Her eyes were already drifting off to sleep, as it was. Maybe it was a good idea.

Spike felt Buffy nod against his chest and she snuggled up against him. He pulled the blanket over her and wrapped his arms around her. After listening to her breathing for almost an hour, Spike finally closed his eyes.

Dawn walked through the door, later that night, in search of flashlights.

"Buffy, there's a power outage and Michelle's flashlight went out. I need to --"

She stopped when she noticed her sister and Spike sleeping peacfully on the couch. She smiled to herself, staring at the Slayer resting in the vampire's arms. She tiptoed over to them and readjusted the blanket that was hanging off the side of the couch.

Buffy shifted slightly, holding onto the vampire tighter.

"Spike," she whispered in a groggy tone.

It took all over Dawn's willpower to supress her giggles, as she took in the Kodak moment.

She bent her head down and whispered into Buffy's ear.

"Sweet dreams," she said, and walked off, leaving the vampire and the Slayer alone to sleep.

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