Must be a Buffy/Spike fic.
Set after Crush but Buffy doesn't reject Spike.

Must include three or more of the following:

*One of the scoobies in bad situation.
*Spike saving the day.
*Riley upsetting Buffy and Spike running to her side.
*Kendra (the slayer after buffy died) coming back with a very important message, prophacy or vision.
*The whole gang at a movie night at Buffy's house.
*Food fight
*And very big demon Good/Bad it's your choice.
*Dawn's birthday party.
*A night alone in a locked up school ONLY Buffy and Spike.
*A soppy love scene.
*A phone call from Angel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title: Make a Wish
Author: Babygirl
Rating: PG-13
Category: Humor/Fluff
Classification: Buffy + Spike
Feedback: Yes, please!
Spoilers: Takes place after Crush, but Buffy didn't totally reject Spike. They're on good terms.
Summary: Buffy throws Dawn a birthday party.

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

Dawn's fifteenth birthday party seemed more of a hassle than Buffy had imagined. Did she really listen to this kind of music when she was a teenager? And how much food could a handful of highschoolers actually eat? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea afterall...

"Here, Buffy... I made out the list," Dawn said, interrupting her thoughts.

Buffy took the piece of paper from her sister's hand and only needed to glance at it to realize there were at least fifty kids on the list.

"Uh-uh, Dawn. This is way too many. Our house wasn't built for fifty hormonal, wild animals."

"How sweet of you to compare my friends to creatures at the zoo."

"Sorry, but Mom said no more than ten."

"Ten?! C'mon, Buffy. Mom's not even here... that art auction will for sure take up the whole weekend. She doesn't even need to know."

Buffy took a deep breath.

"Listen, Dawn --"

The phone suddenly rang, causing Buffy to jump.

"I'll get it!" Dawn said, leaping from her chair.

Buffy nodded and leaned back in her seat. What had she gotten herself into? She picked up her sister's invitation list and began to read through the names. None of them she recognized, until she reached the bottom.

Xander
Spike
Willow
Tara
Anya
Giles (maybe)

Buffy sighed and set the paper back down. So, she was inviting Spike. It's not like things were bad between them. Sure, maybe a little uncomfortable, but not bad. His declaration of love had her wigged for, oh, at least a week, but she got over it. And she didn't exactly reject him either, which had her questioning her own feelings for the vampire. After a period of time had gone by of avoiding him, she decided that she was only being immature. So she marched over to his crypt and told him that she accepted his feelings and that she wouldn't mind being friends. She told him that there wouldn't be a relationship and that she didn't return his feelings, but that didn't mean she didn't want him out of her life. He was great to have around and she always felt like she could be herself around him. He agreed and all was settled. They would be friends.

Although, Buffy hadn't expected the weird fuzzy feelings she got in the pit of her stomach everytime she was with him. She usually just brushed it aside, figuring it was only his good looks finally growing on her. Nothing more. But she couldn't shake the odd sensation that she was growing closer to the blonde vampire in more ways than one.

"You have GOT to be kidding me! That BITCH!"

Buffy jumped out of her chair and ran towards the kitchen, to see what all the commossion was about. She found Dawn with tear-filled eyes leaning against the counter, the phone to her ear.

"Dawn, what is it?" she asked.

Dawn looked at her sister and then back at the refridgerator.

"Listen, Lisa, I got to go. Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, bye."

She slammed the phone down. Buffy just stood there, waiting for an explanation.

"You're not gonna believe it, Buffy... it's horrible!" she told her, on the verge of some serious crying.

She walked up to her sister and put her arms around her.

"It's alright, Dawnie. Tell me what happened."

She held back her tears and proceeded to tell her sister the news.

"You know that girl Kirsti I was telling you about? How she's always giving me a hard time? Well, it turns out she got a hold of the news that I was having a party. And guess what? She's throwing one on the exact same day! And everyone's going to hers instead!"

Buffy looked into her sister's pained eyes and her heart reached out to her. Poor girl. First, she finds out she's not even real, not two weeks ago, and now her party gets cancelled.

"Dawn, don't worry about it. They'll be lots more opportunities to have a party."

"But --"

"Trust me. It's not the end of the world."

"It is for me! Do you know what it's like to be a teenager and a Key at the same time?! It's hell, Buffy, and it's not fair!"

Buffy placed a gentle hand on her sister's head, and smoothed out a piece of her long brown hair.

"Tell ya what. How about it's just you, me, and the Scoobies this year? We'll stay up late, watch some movies, maybe play a few games. How does that sound?"

Dawn looked down at her feet.

"Sure, whatever," she said, and left the room.

Buffy heard her footsteps running up the stairs, later to be followed with the slam of the door.

Guess she wasn't the only one with cursed birthdays.

* * * * *

A week passed, and Dawn seemed to get over the fact that she wasn't throwing the party of the century. She actually seemed pretty pleased that it would just be the group celebrating her birthday.

Buffy suddenly heard the doorbell ring and took one last look around the house before answering it. But, Dawn beat her to the door.

"Willow! Tara! Hey, come in!" she squealed, noticing the presents with her name on them.

Buffy smiled and gestured for the witches to place their gifts on the table by the couch. Not long after, Xander and Anya appeared at the door, followed by Giles. The group just chatted and laughed for a while, before Dawn questioned if Spike was coming or not.

"I'm sure he'll be here, Dawn," Buffy told her. "I talked to him earlier today and he said he'd stop by."

Dawn raced to the door, practically tripping over her own feet, when she heard the doorbell ring. She whipped open the door to find Spike standing there with a cigarette in his mouth and what must have passed for a present underneath his arm. Buffy liked to call it a beat up box thrown together in a matter of five minutes.

"Spike! You made it! Come on in," she told him, excitedly, her eyes never leaving her gift.

"Thanks, Nibblet," he replied.

He took one last drag off his cigarette and tossed it to the ground, squishing it with the toe of his shoe, before stepping inside.

Dawn lead Spike to the living room, where everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats when they saw him.

"Don't worry, won't be stayin' long," he reassured them.

"No, it's alright," Buffy told him, rising to her feet to take Dawn's gift. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want."

Dawn's face lit up and Spike nodded with a smile.

A moment of silence passed, before Anya suggested they watch some movies she brought over.

"I have Sex, Lies, and Videotape, The Opposite of Sex, and a few episodes I taped of Sex and the City," she said, casually.

"Sounds good to me," Spike replied, raising his hand.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"How about not... Dawn, what do you wanna do?"

She grinned and dashed out of the room.

"Okay, then."

Dawn appeared a minute later, a jar in hand. She set it down on the table and everyone looked inside. It was filled with a few slips of paper.

"I had filled this with a list of things we could do for my party," Dawn explained. "There were a lot more, but since there's eight of us, I left eight things in there. So, I figure we can all draw one idea and do that until the next person goes."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"Here, Buffy, you can go first," she said, handing her the jar.

She sighed and reached inside, grasping a small piece of paper and pulling it out. She unfolded it and read it's contents aloud.

"Twister? Dawn, you have got to be kidding."

Everyone exchaged weary glances with each other.

"Well, I just thought --"

"You know I'll kick everyone's butt here."

Dawn let a smile spread across her face and ran into her room to get the game.

"There's no bloody way I'm playing," Spike grumbled, shifting in his chair.

Buffy looked up at him.

"Scared of losing?"

"Hell no! There's just no way I'm gettin' on all fours and entwinin' myself with you people."

"Then why are you here?"

"Not to play Twister, that's for sure."

Buffy stood up, placed her hands on his knees and leaned over him.

"You're playing."

Spike looked her in the eye and gave her a half-smile.

"You're on."

* * * * *

"Buffy, Spike, you guys are up," Dawn told them, holding the spinner in her hands.

"This should be interesting," he said under his breath, as he approached the colorful, polka-dotted plastic.

Buffy stepped up to the mat and faced the vampire. She rolled up her sleeves and gave him a quick grin. Why was she feeling so excited?

"Right foot, green," Dawn began.

The rest of the Scoobies sat on the couch, watching the vampire and the Slayer take part in the very physical game.

"Left hand, red."

"This isn't so hard," Spike whispered to her, now bending over.

"Not yet."

"Um... oops, it's on a line. Okay, left foot, yellow," Dawn announced.

They repositioned themselves and turned so they were facing each other.

"Right foot, red."

Almost an hour went by, and Buffy and Spike were still going at it. Dawn yawned, as she spun the spinner.

"Can one of you fall, already?"

"Just spin the thing!" Buffy shouted, practically losing her balance.

They were both on the verge of laughter, as Buffy placed her foot between his legs to the opposite side of the plastic.

"Give up?" he asked, smiling wickedly.

"Never," she replied, her eyes glistening with determination.

Buffy was facing upwards, both hands behind her, holding her up. Her right foot was to the right of Spike's left foot and her left foot was bettween his legs. Spike was on top of her, a hand on each side of her and his feet spread out.

Buffy glanced over at her friends, but they were no longer engrossed in the game. Xander and Anya were making out, Willow and Tara were talking about a new spell they had been working on, and Giles had fallen asleep in the chair.

"Right hand, blue," Dawn said.

Uh-oh.

Blue was on the other side of the mat, and if Buffy spread her arms out any further, she was sure to collapse. And it didn't help with Spike on top of her, weighing her down. How did they manage to get into that position anyway?

"You heard the girl, Slayer. Right hand, blue," he said, easily placing his hand onto the blue circle.

Buffy glared up at him, as she slid her hand across the mat. He gave her an evil grin and pressed more of his weight on her, and she felt herself on the verge of some serious falling.

No, she had come this far, she wouldn't let him win. Giving up most definitely did not come with the Slayer package. She propped herself up as much as she could and managed to reach the blue dot without collapsing.

"See? No big," she said, smiling up at him.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

They were then suddenly interrupted by the sound of Giles snoring. She glanced over at her Watcher, who was slumped over in the chair, his glasses crooked and congested snores protruded from his half-open mouth. Buffy let a smile creep up to her mouth and she instinctively looked up at Spike. She could see a grin play across his lips and that's when she lost it. She didn't mean to and certainly didn't want to, but it happened. What started out as a huge smile, ended up being a serious case of the giggles that couldn't be stopped.

Spike watched her laugh and had to laugh himself. Not because Giles' snoring was a big riot, but because he was getting a kick out of the Slayer. He rarely saw her smile, let alone laugh uncontrollably, and he found it rather amusing.

Buffy couldn't help herself. She was laughing so hard, she thought she might cry. Her body was shaking with giggles and she knew that her balance was weakening.

"Oh, crap!" she shouted, when she felt her arms give way.

And then she was falling. She collapsed onto the mat, still raked in laughter and Spike fell right on top of her, crushing what little air she had left from out of her lungs. He was still looming over her, when her laughter subsided and her giggles were replaced with something else. Her smile faded and she locked eyes with his. He then bent his head down, so their lips were almost touching.

"You lose," he whispered.

Buffy couldn't help but smile again, as she pushed the blonde vampire from off of her. She stood up, feeling a bit dizzy, and stretched out her sore arms.

"Sorry, guys," she said to her bored friends. "I guess the game went a tad bit longer than I anticipated."

"Whatever," Dawn replied. "Who wants to go next?"

She held out the jar and Anya raised her hand, enthusiastically.

"Here ya go," Dawn said, handing it to her.

"This is so very suspensful," Anya announced as she reached into the jar.

She pulled out a slip of paper and read it.

"Presents," she said. "For me, right?"

"No, for me."

Dawn squealed and dashed over to the table and threw herself onto the couch. The rest of the gang followed. Anya, Xander, Willow and Tara took the couch, while Dawn slid onto the floor. A tired Giles appeared from around the corner and sat down in the living room chair.

Buffy looked over at Spike to catch his reaction, when Giles entered the room, and he was looking over at her, smiling. She smiled back, remembering her laugh-attack only a few minutes earlier.

When the furniture was all taken, Buffy and Spike sat down on the floor next to Dawn and leaned against the side of the couch.

"Which one do you want to open first?" Buffy asked her excited sister.

"Here, open mine," Anya told her.

She handed her the present and Dawn took it thoughtfully.

"A stuffed bunny collection... just what I always wanted," Dawn replied, forcing a smile.

"Well, Xander had them laying around the apartment. They're rather disturbing, if you ask me. So I thought, 'hey, maybe Dawn would like them!'. Just don't take them to bed with you. They'll give you nightmares, consisting of horrifying bunny-like images."

"I'll, um, be sure to remember that. Thanks, Anya."

She then proceeded to open the rest of her gifts. Willow and Tara got her a spell kit that she was overly excited about. Buffy gave the witches uncertain glances, but they reassured her that it was nothing. Xander got her her very own stake and Giles gave her some books on vampire mythology. Buffy got her a new diary, a photo album, and a makeup set. She then began to open Spike's gift.

"Are you sure we shouldn't run for cover before she opens it?" Buffy asked, sarcastically.

But, she was too late. Dawn had already ripped open the box and pulled out its contents. She had an awed expression on her face and Buffy leaned over to see what it was.

"Wow... Spike. I - I don't know what to say..." she told him.

Dawn held in her hand a silver-chained necklace with a little cross pendant at the bottom. It looked expensive, although Buffy figured he must of stole it, intead of paying for it. But, she had to admit... it was beautiful.

"No biggie, sweet bit," he said.

Buffy turned her head to look at the vampire sitting beside her, shoulder to shoulder. He gave her a warm smile that made her insides melt. She looked away.

"I love it, Spike. Thank you!"

Dawn then stood up and threw her arms around Spike. He hesitated at first, but then hugged back.

"Just thought you might like somethin' to keep the baddies away. Vamps and crosses don't really mix so I figured, what the hell."

She pulled away, giving him a kiss on the cheek and strode back over to her spot on the floor.

"Thanks so much, guys. All of you."

"It's no problem, Dawn. You deserve it," Willow told her. "Do you want to look through some of those spells now?"

"Maybe later," the teenager replied. "But, for now, let's bring out the jar."

She picked it up off the floor in the ajoining room and brought it into the living room.

"Well?"

"Here, Dawnster. I'll go," Xander replied.

He picked out one of the folded notes and read over it with his eyes.

"So, who's hungry?" he asked.

* * * * *

The whole gang entered the kitchen a little while later, after Buffy brought out the dinner she had made herself.

"I'm just warning you guys... after you've experienced Buffy cookage, you'll be praying that dessert consists of a bowl of Pepto Bismal."

After the nauseated looks she got from her friends, she added, "Topped with whipped cream, of course..."

"How quickly the hunger just fades away," Xander said, pulling out a chair at the table and having a seat.

"Sorry, didn't mean to induce up-chuck. Just preparing you all."

With a sigh, she finished carrying all the plates and dishes over and scattered them about the kitchen table. Dawn had made name cards, so everyone looked around for their assigned seats.

"Xander, you're in my seat," Dawn told him.

"Dawn, was it really necessary to make name tags?" Buffy asked as she approached the table.

"Sure," she replied and sat down.

Xander smiled and walked over to the head of the table.

"Don't I feel manly? All head of the table and --"

When he realized no one was listening, he finished," -- and shutting up now."

Giles was at the other head, with Buffy at his right and Spike at his left, so the two were facing each other. Next to Buffy was Dawn and next to her sister was Anya. On the opposite side, Willow sat next to Spike, while Tara was at her left.

"Spike, you can sit down, you know," Dawn told him, when she noticed him standing off to the side.

"Right," he replied, taking a hesitant step towards the table. He sat down next to Willow and looked up at Buffy who seemed nervous about her cooking. She gave him a small smile and began lifting the lids off all the dishes. They consisted of spaghetti, mashed potatoes with a little bowl of gravy, peas, and apple sauce.

Xander eyed the array of food carefully.

"Looks good, smells good... I'd say all's good."

"Yeah, well, taste would be a key factor in this case," Buffy replied.

Anya joined in the conversation.

"I'm sure it will be extremely tasty and make my stomach full and uncomfortable," she told Buffy, smiling cheerily.

"Thanks, Anya. Anyway, dig in, guys. And be honest."

She thought about that for a moment, before changing her mind.

"Forget that last part."

Everyone began serving themselves and silence washed over the room, while they ate. Buffy could hardly touch her food, and instead watched as everyone else ate their's. Their reactions seemed rather positive, so that calmed her nerves, but she was still unsure. She had never cooked for anyone besides her and Dawn, and even then, their dinner usually consisted of frozen pizzas and TV dinners. With a sigh, Buffy poked at her peas with her fork. Still in her own little fantasy world, she accidentally poked too hard, and the pea went flying across the table, hitting Spike in the eye.

"Bloody hell!" he yelled, rubbing his eye.

"Oops, sorry," was Buffy's sheepish reply.

Everyone looked up from their plates, but decided to ignore the little quarrel.

"Um, the food's delicious," Tara interrupted.

Buffy smiled at the witch, still embarrassed.

"Thank you," she told her.

Suddenly, Buffy felt something kick her from underneath the table... hard.

"OW!" she squealed.

Spike had a grin on his face, and she knew immediately who the culprit was. Noticing the confused glares from her friends, she tried to explain herself.

"Oh, um... cramps," she said, clumsily.

They shrugged and continued to eat. A few minutes went by, and Buffy tried to ignore Spike's continuous glances.

Deciding to get her attention in a less subtle way, Spike put a pea in between his lips. Trying all the while not to laugh, he quickly shot it at the Slayer. He saw it smack her in the forehead, but immediately looked back down at his food.

Startled by the incoming pea, she shot her head up, but nobody seemed to notice. She narrowed her eyes at Spike, but he refused to look up from his plate. She groaned silently in frustration and returned her attention back to twirling the spaghetti with her fork. Not a minute passed before she felt a second pea bounce off her nose.

That's it, this was war.

"Hey, Spike," she called to him.

When he looked up, she took a hunk of mashed patatoes on her spoon and flung it in his direction. It landed right between his eyes. She let a huge smile spread across her face as she watched it drip onto his plate.

"Buffy!" Giles scolded.

In response, she did the same to her Watcher.

"Sorry, Giles, couldn't resist," she told him, innocently.

Dawn burst into giggles, when she saw the glob of potatoes smeared all over his glasses. The rest of the Scoobies had shocked expressoins on their faces and Giles looked none too pleased. Spike, on the other hand, appeared totally up for a round of food flingage.

"That the best you got, Slayer?" he asked, rising from his seat.

Buffy held his gaze with the same determination as he.

"No," she replied, and proceeded to pick up a wad of spaghetti and toss it at the vampire. It landed in a perfect pile on his head.

"That's it, you're goin' down!" he threatened.

The whole gang stood up and backed away from the table.

"Where do you think you guys are going?" Buffy asked.

Her question was followed by a wad a mashed potatoes, directed at Xander. They hit him on the side of the face. Looking angry, but entertained at the same time, he repeated the gesture and hit Buffy in the mouth.

Momentarily distracted, Buffy was oblivous to the gravy being aimed in her direction, by a certain peroxided vamp. She felt the slimy substance before she even saw it coming. It splashed her in the chest and oozed through her shirt, making her extremely unconfortable.

The action was followed by Dawn shouting "food fight". And in no time at all, the entire kitchen had turned into zoo. Food was being flung left and right, while Anya remained perfectly still and just screamed. The wiccas were smearing potatoes all over each other and Xander was engaging in some spaghetti flinging with Dawn. Giles even joined in from time to time, by tossing a series of peas in everyone's direction.

But no one was going at like Buffy and Spike. They were almost unrecognizable in their guck-covered state. But it was only the beginning. Buffy grabbed the entire bowl of gravy and started to approach him. He backed away, a faint smile dancing across his lips.

"C'mon, Slayer. Give it to me," he dared her.

"If you insist," she replied and began to toss it at him.

But Spike quickly whipped open the refridgerator door and ducked behind it, causing her action to backfire and the gravy to splash all over the fridge instead. Buffy's eyes opened wide with shock, realizing she was going to have to clean that up.

Spike was still ducked behind the door, and decided to make good use of it. He searched around and noticed a big bowl of left over tomato sauce. He contemplated just leaving it there, for he knew she would most likely stake him, but he grinned anyway and picked it up. Armed and ready, he stood up and looked over the door at the Slayer... but, she was no longer there.

"Planning on using that?" the familiar voice asked from behind him.

Spike spun around and Buffy dumped the bowl of applesause onto his head. It sat there like a hat and it's contents dripped into his eyes, blurring his vision. Nevertheless, he could still make her out, bent over in heavy laughter.

"Actually, I think I am," he said and splashed the red tomato sauce all over an unsuspecting Slayer.

She froze, her mouth open wide from shock and looked down at herself. Her entire being was now covered in red slime. This time it was Spike's turn laugh.

Buffy wiped the gook off her face with her hands and charged at the vampire.

"Bloody hell!" he shouted, as the two crashed to the ground.

Buffy held him down and proceeded to wipe the tomato sauce from off herself, and smear it all over his face. He retalitated, by pushing her back over, so he was on top, and reaching into the still-open refridgerator. He grabbed the first thing he could find. To his delight, it was a bottle of chocolate syrup.

"Hey, that's for dess --"

Her sentence was cut off by the cold substance being squeezed onto her face. She spit and struggled, but Spike held his grip and kept on squeezing. She finally was able to lift her leg and she kneed him in the groin. He doubled over in pain and just as Buffy was about to jump back onto him, newly armed with the bottle of syrup, Giles grabbed her shoulder, stopping her mid-squeeze.

"Giles!" she whined.

"Buffy, enough," he said, out of breath.

She looked up at her Watcher and immediately burst into a fit of giggles. He was covered, head to toe, in what looked to be mashed potatoes and gravy. A few peas stuck to his clothes and spaghetti hung from his hair. She was laughing so hard, she slipped on some tomato sauce and fell onto Spike, still giggling uncontrollably. Normally, Spike would have loved to have the Slayer sprawled out on top of him, but now really wasn't the time.

"Alright, off you go," he said, and rolled her off of him.

She was still laughing.

Spike took a look around at the food covered Scoobies and let a smile surface.

"Well," he said, still analyzing the horrific scene before him. "So much for leftovers."

* * * * *

The gang had stuck around a little longer to help clean up, but then went home to take showers and change. Xander said he and Anya would stop by the video store on the way back to pick out some better movies to watch later. Spike stayed a little longer than everyone else to help her scrub the floor, mainly because it was partially his fault. Which it was, even though she had started it. And the thing that really made her question herself, was that she didn't regret a thing. All the cleaning and scrubbing was worth it and she wouldn't give this night up for the world. It was pretty scary that she had actually enjoyed herself and had one of the best times of her life.

She sighed as she continued to wash the grime out of Dawn's hair. Dawn had insisted Buffy get cleaned up first, because she was hardly recognizable. And it was the truth. When Buffy looked in the mirror, she was about ready to slay herself because she looked so much like the horrific creatures she killed night after night. It was disgusting. Still, she couldn't help but smile to herself.

"Are you having sex with Spike?" Dawn suddenly asked.

Buffy stopped what she was doing and looked at her sister with a wide-eyed expression. Where the hell did that come from?!

"What on earth would possess you to ask such a crazy question?" Buffy demanded.

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"It may be crazy, but it's not stupid. And I'm certainly not blind. You two have been all over each other all night, Buffy. And you've been liking it."

"First of all, we have so not been all over each other --"

"True, but your food has. And I dunno if that makes it better, or more weird."

Buffy glared at her sister.

"And second of all, even if we were, I would never like it."

"Also true," Dawn agreed. "You would love it."

"What do you know?"

"I know that your scrubbing my hair so hard that I think you're actually pulling it out of my skull!" she winced in pain.

"Oh! Sorry... sorry," Buffy apologized.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm not saying it's wrong... well, okay, it's wrong. But it's not bad. I mean, I'm cool with you and Spike hooking up. And I totally see where you're coming from. Spike's like super hot."

"Right. Super hot in the 'icky vampire whose heart I want to drive a stake through" kind of way."

"Please, that's so old, Buffy. If you wanted to stake Spike, you could of done it already."

She had a point.

"And what's your point?" Buffy asked, trying to cover up the truth to her sister's statement.

Buffy finished washing her sister's hair and handed her a towel.

"My point is that you're having sex with Spike," she replied casually, and skipped out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

* * * * *

The doorbell rang about a half an hour later and Dawn ran to get it. Buffy was still putting the last of her makeup on, when Dawn called her down the stairs. She entered the living room to find Spike and Dawn on the couching drinking sodas and chatting about God knows what. Spike's hair was still damp from the shower he had taken and was slightly touseled. She had to admit... the guy had sex appeal.

"Buffy! You're here," Dawn said, smiling widely. "I'll, uh, be upstairs and let you two... well, whatever it is you guys do these days."

Buffy glared daggers at her, but Dawn just gave here the 'what did I do?' look, before heading back up the stairs.

"What was that all 'bout?" Spike asked, still focused on the stairway.

Buffy stood up and sighed.

"She thinks we're having sex," she told him.

Spike practically choked on his drink.

"And what did you tell her?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"24/7."

The doorbell rang before Spike could reply, but he figured she was joking. Well, obviously she was joking, because he didn't think he'd forget something like that.

"Hey, guys," Buffy greeted, as Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya, and Tara all entered the house. "I'm surprised you actually came back."

"Of course," Giles exclaimed. For these fun-filled festivities of twister and food fights. I just couldn't say no."

Buffy smiled and lead them back towards the living room, where Spike was still sitting. She hoped he hadn't believed her.

Dawn came down the stairs shortly after everyone arrived.

"So, who's next to pick from the jar-o-fun?" she asked, excitedly.

"Dawn, I think we're just gonna hang out and watch movies for a while and then call it a night."

"Yeah, it's almost ten o'clock," Willow agreed.

The teenager had a disappointed look on her face.

"Please? Fine, just one more," she insisted.

Buffy looked at her friends, who seemed to be okay with.

"Alright, one more."

She smiled brightly and held out the jar, as if it were up for grabs.

"Here, Nibblet. I'll give it a go," Spike told her.

She handed it to him and he pulled out the slip of paper.

"Music and dancing," he said. "Sounds worthy."

"Great," Dawn replied, snatching the jar from him. "I'll go get the stuff."

Dawn scurried out of the room and Buffy plopped down on the couch beside Spike.

"Remind me never to do this again," she said out loud in an exasperrated tone.

"Well, the bite-size one looks like she's havin' fun," Spike replied. "I'd say it's worth it."

She smiled as Dawn ran back into the room, CD's and her stereo in hand. She hooked up the stereo, popped one of the discs in, and dimmed the lights. And in no time at all, Britney Spears was blasting throughout the room. Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara all got up to go dance. Giles left the room to make some coffee and Dawn proceeded to sort out all her CD's. That left Buffy and Spike with the couch to themselves. After a few moments of awkward silence passed by, Buffy finally started a conversation.

"Um, I kinda forgot to thank you for the necklace to got Dawn. She loves it."

"Yeah, well, it was nothin'. The Nibblet deserved somethin' nice. She's been through Hell and back, afterall."

"I know. But, still, you didn't have to... even if you did steal it."

He glanced over at her, but her eyes were focused on the wall.

"Steal it? Says who?"

She finally looked back over at him.

"Spike, I know you didn't pay for it. It was too expensive."

He shook his head.

"No, Slayer, I didn't steal it. I actually paid for it with some money I had lying around the crypt. And come to think of it, some of it might of came from you."

She chuckled and continued to watch her friends dance. A slow song came on and Buffy suddenly felt uncomfortable. She glanced nervously and Spike and he immediately looked back at her. She turned away. There was no way he was going to ask her to dance. And even if he did, she would never say yes.

"So, uh, Slayer... wanna dance?"

"Um, sure."

Okay, so she was wrong.

They both stood up and walked to the front of the room where the rest of the gang was dancing. Buffy looked into his eyes and smiled, almost sheepishly. She hesitantly placed her hands on his shoulders and his arms instinctively circled her waist. After a few moments went by, the little distance between them, was filled as Buffy placed her head on his shoulder.

Surprised by the affectionate gesture, Spike pulled away, slightly. She lifted her head.

"Oh, sorry," she said, embarrassed. What was she thinking, anyway?

"Don't be sorry, love. You just surprised me is all."

He then placed his hand on the back of her head and rested it where it had been on his shoulder.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. And for some reason, she was content. Why? She had no idea. She should be disgusted by the thought of even being within a foot of Spike, let alone in his arms. Let alone snuggled up against him and thuroughly enjoying herself. She sighed and tightened her grip around his neck, trying to get as close to him as possible.

Spike couldn't believe what was happening. Did he really have the Slayer in his arms, all cozied up against him? He felt her warm breath against his neck and rapidly beating heart pressed up against his chest, and he knew that he did. He closed his eyes and slowly moved his hands up and down her back. She stirred and rubbed the hair on the back of his neck gently with her fingers.

Oh, she was really loving this. Too much in fact. She prayed that the song would hurry up and end, all the while wishing it would last forever. Having Spike so close to her was making her feel things she never thought she could feel again. She knew that she wanted him. She couldn't help herself, but she falling. Hard. And at that moment, she wanted him to know.

"Spike..." she whispered into against his neck, her voice filled with longing.

"What is it, love?"

Buffy melted, as the sound of his velvety accent coursed through her veins.

"I --"

"Jeez, are you two quite finished yet?" Dawn suddenly interrupted.

Buffy quickly raised her head, her cheeks flushed.

"Wh - What is it?" she asked, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Um, the song's been over for like five minutes. Haven't you noticed?"

She looked at Spike and then back at Dawn.

"Where are the others," she questioned, noticing that her friends were no longer and the room, and also trying to change the subject.

"In the kitchen. They're getting the cake ready."

"Oh, right. Cake. Birthday. Gotcha."

Realizing she was still holding onto Spike for dear life, she pulled away, giving him the faintest smile and stepped back.

He took her hand in his and gave it a soft kiss.

"Thank you for the dance," he told her, and strolled into the kitchen with the others.

* * * * *

Buffy carried the cake out of the kitchen, fifteen candles lit, and set it down on the living room table. Everyone gathered around and Dawn kneeled down in front of it. The glow of the candles were casting eerie shadows across the darkened room and the whole gang patiently waited as Dawn blew out her candles.

"Make a wish," Buffy told her sister.

Dawn hesitated for a moment and then looked up at Buffy.

"No... you. You make a wish."

She could make out the confused look on Buffy's face and she pushed the cake towards her.

"Dawn, you're the one that's --"

"I want you to do it," she simply said.

Buffy looked at the faces of her friends and they just smiled at her. She then glanced over at Spike. The candlelight accented his features and Buffy couldn't help but realize how beautiful he was.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Dawn just nodded and smiled warmly at her.

Buffy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She made a wish and blew out the candles. Everyone clapped and cheered, as Willow ran to hit the lights.

"What did you wish for?" Dawn questioned.

"If I tell you, it won't come true. You know that."

Dawn shrugged and stood up.

"How 'bout a movie?"

"Sounds like a plan," Xander replied, taking the videos he had rented out of a bag. "We got the Scream trilogy, as requested by Dawn."

"Yippee!"she squealed, and ran to give Xander a big hug.

"Xander," Buffy interrupted. "She can't watch those moives. It's 'R', isn't it?"

"Oh, c'mon, Buffy!" Dawn whined. "It's not like I haven't seen that stuff before. I mean, really. Our life is like a scary movie. And if you're talking about the sex scenes - which I don't think there are any - but if that's what you don't want me seeing, well, I've pretty much heard enough of you and Riley to prepare me for the real thing."

All eyes turned to Buffy, whose face turned red from embarrassment. Spike just rolled his eyes and stood up to put the movie in, taking the attention away from a humiliated Slayer.

"Nibblet, why don't you run along and make some popcorn," Spike told her.

She shrugged and left the room.

"S-Sorry about that," Buffy apologized. "I think she's had too much fun for one evening."

"Don't fret, love," Spike said, taking a seat beside Buffy. "Just enjoy the show."

She smiled to herself, knowing Spike was trying to make the situation a little less awkward. Although, she had figured he would be the most disgusted...

The movie came on, just as Dawn entered the room with the popcorn. Giles was in the chair, the rest of the Scoobies were laying on the floor, and Spike and Buffy had the couch to themselves. Dawn handed out the bowls of popcorn and jumped onto the couch right in between her sister and the vampire.

"Dawn!" Buffy shouted. "What? Am I interrupting something?" she asked, innocently.

Realizing what her sister was implying, she glanced over at a grinning Spike and let out a sigh.

"Just sit still and be quiet," she said.

Spike raised his arm up so Dawn could lay down. She placed her head on his shoulder and instantly became engrossed in the movie. Spike's arm was resting above the couch and around Dawn and his hand was right by Buffy's head. Every so often, she could feel it brush up against her hair and she had trouble concentrating on the moive.

Get a grip, Buffy! she scolded herself.

With a deep breath, she continued to watch. Overall, the movie was no big. The gutting scene had a been a bit elaborate, and once in a while she would hear a gasp or squeak come from one of her friends, but she knew her life was a hell of a lot scarier than any movie. She looked down at Dawn to see how she was dealing, but she had fallen asleep. She lay across Spike's chest, her breathing steady. Buffy let a small smile creep up her face and she looked up at Spike. But, to her surprise, he was sleeping as well. His head rested against Dawn's. Buffy just stared at the two for awhile, taking in the adorable scene, until she realized the movie had ended. Willow was the first to stand up, followed by the rest of the gang. They all yawned and stretched. Xander was about to speak, but Buffy silenced him by pointing out that Dawn and Spike were sleeping. Everyone couldn't help by smile at the image before them. It's not everyday you see a little girl fall asleep in the arms of a vampire.

After a few more moments passed, Buffy carefully stood up and lead her friends to the door.

"Thanks so much for coming, guys," she whispered. "It meant the world to Dawn."

"It was our pleasure," Willow replied, equally as quiet.

She smiled and sent her friends on thier way. When the last Scoobie had finally left, Buffy approached her sister and Spike once again. Unsure of how to handle the situation, she just stood there. They looked so peaceful and almost decided to leave them there, until realizing Spike had to get home by sunrise. With a silent sigh, she leaned over him and whispered into his ear.

"Spike," she breathed.

He stirred slightly, but didn't wake up.

"Spike," she repeated, a bit louder.

Again, nothing.

"Spike, there's a purple, three-headed, poisonous demon standing in front of you. It's going to eat you, if you don't wake up."

He groaned a little, but his eyes remained shut. Buffy was becoming frustrated.

"I'm about to rip off all your clothes and make sweet love to you. I don't think it's something you'd want to sleep through."

"Yeah, yeah, ye- huh?" His eyes shot open.

She laughed softly.

"Get up," she told him.

Spike began to rise to his feet, but realized something was weighing him down. He looked over to find the bite-size one sound asleep in his arms. He couldn't help but smile.

"Should we wake her?" he asked quietly.

Buffy thought about it for a moment and finally shook her head.

"Maybe you should carry her up," she suggested.

He nodded and proceeded to carefully scoop up the teenage girl. Buffy walked over to Spike's side, in case he needed help. Obviously, he didn't. They walked up the stairs in silence and Buffy suddenly felt her heart start beating faster. She wondered why.

They reached Dawn's room and Spike gently placed her in her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. Buffy watched in amazement as Spike tucked her sister into bed. She rarely saw this side of him, and she had to admit... she liked it. He turned around to face her in the dark, when Dawn was silently tucked away. They just stared at each other for the briefest moment, until Spike broke the silence.

"So, uh, you should get to bed too," he told her. His voice was barely a whisper.

"Yeah," she agreed.

They were standing so close to each other, their bodies practically touched. Buffy felt a shiver go down her spine and she looked down, breaking the eye contact. As soon as she did that, she felt Spike's hand reach under her chin, and tip her face upwards.

"Do you want me to tuck you in too?" he asked, the smallest smile playing across his lips.

Buffy's breath caught in her throat and she felt her knees become dizzy. She almost thought about accepting his offer, but common-sense refrained her from voicing her answer. She was about to back away, when suddenly, Spike grabbed the back of her head and brought her face to his. Their lips weren't touching, but if Buffy moved a fraction of an inch, they would be.

"I don't want this," she breathed against his mouth.

She saw his eyes flicker with disappointment, but understanding at the same time. He let go of her head and took a step back.

"Sorry, I just --"

"I want this."

And with that, she pulled his mouth to hers. Their lips crashed together and everything she had ever felt for Spike ignited with this kiss. She pulled him even closer, wanting to get all of him. He immediately responded and tangled his hands in her hair, holding her face to his. When they finally pulled apart, Buffy was breathing heavily and her face was flushed with desire.

"This is what I wished for..." she said, still trying to catch her breath.

He simply smiled at her and moved in for another kiss. It didn't last long though, before Dawn interrupted. They had forgotten she was even in the room.

"God! Can't you guys take this elsewhere? I'm trying to sleep!"

Buffy and Spike exchanged surprised glances, but decided to take Dawn's advice. They quietly left the room and shut the door behind them. As they walked down the hall, hand in hand, Buffy smiled.

Wishes really do come true.

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