His Worth

Xander helped Spike pack his meager possessions into several sturdy boxes. After his makeup with Buffy, he had told her he was going to go get his stuff and be back in a few hours.
When they were finished, they carried them out to the beat up old black Desoto Spike had recently purchased at a used car lot.
“I still don’t whatwhat you see in this big boat of junk.” Xander shook his head.
“Don’t talk about my girl that way, whelp. She is a classic” Spike commented.
You know how when people move and leave a place they have spent so much time in, how they look around and reminisce before they leave. Spike didn’t do that. He never once looked back.

Buffy almost floated around her kitchen. She was attempting to make Spike a home-cooked meal for when he returned with his things. It would have helped if she could cook but she figured she had to learn sometime.
She reconsidered after setting the smoke alarm off and burning the lasagna beyond recognition. Sighing she went to the phone and dialed a number.
“Hello, China King. How may I help you?” came the voice on the other line.
“Yes, I’d like to place an order for delivery” Buffy answered.

Xander was bouncing in his seat the whole ride over to Buffy’s. He appeared even more excited than Spike was. You’d have thought it was him moving on up to the east side.
“Will you sit still, whelp. You’re driving me crazy” Spike snorted at him
“Sorry man…can’t help it. Hey…this Buffy…she won’t be mad at me tagging along will she? I don’t want to start any shit between you guys.” Xander asked nervously.
“Nah, its a’right, mate.” Spike replied. “I met her friend, Red the other day so figure she can meet mine, eh?”
“Yeah but I’m going out on a limb here and figuring her friend doesn’t suck cock for a living.” Xander pouted.
“Well, she was very cute. You never know” Spike grinned to which Xander slapped him on the shoulder.
“Look, Xan...I did that for a living too and Buffy knows and accepts that. You’ll be fine” Spike said while leaving out the details of his and Buffy’s past financial relationship. No one else needed to know how they came to be together but them.
“We’re here” Spike said as he pulled the Desoto up to the curb outside the huge Victorian house.
“Merciful Zeus!” Xander exclaimed. “Jesus, this place must cost a fortune. Buffy’s loaded, I take it? You old smooth talker you Spike. Never took you for a gold-digger before” Xander teased.
Spike however took it personally as he was oft to do and reached over and grabbed Xander by his collar.
“It ain’t like that, you ponce. And don’t you say anything like that in front of Buffy” he ordered.
Spike was upset and ashamed and it pissed him off to be accused of using Buffy for money especially knowing she HAD paid him before. It hit home too hard.
“Please don’t hit me, man” Xander tearfully said. “I didn’t mean it.” He looked at Spike with such fear in his eyes. Spike sighed and let him go. He should have known better. Xander had been beat on a daily basis by his biological father then tossed around from foster home to foster home before eventually ending up on the streets. That’s where Angel had found him and took him in, then pimped him out. Anlikeliked to hit too and Spike figured Xander saw him as a substitute for his father.
“Sorry Xan. Lost my ‘ead for a minute there. I’d never ‘urt you, you know that, right?” Spike inquired.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry I freaked.” Xander answered. “Hey! Is that a Chinese food delivery guy?” Xander’s gaze was directed at the delivery boy currently knocking on Buffy’s front door.
Spike rolled his eyes. “Come on Pillsbury dough boy, let’s go”

Giles fidgeted nervously the entire drive over to Buffy’s place. Willow thought he was going to spontaneously combust from the explosion of emotions inside him. He was overrunning her with questions, most of which she couldn’t answer herself.
“Rupert, please! We’re almost there and then you can ask Buffy. You might remember her. She went to school with me at UC Sunnydale. I know she isn’t a book person like me but she was bound to have to go to the library sometime throughout her 4 years there…I think” Willow gave a cute smile.
“Buffy…ahh yes, Buffy Summers. I’ve never met another “Buffy” so it sticks with you. She talks funny. Didn’t seem too bright either.” Giles’ snobbery shown through for a moment.
“Well she was smart enough to land a job at Travers, Morgan and McDonald Brokerage Firm.” Willow replied.
“Wow, hmmm interesting indeed.” Said Giles.
“Willow, just tell me how he looked. You can at least tell me that” Giles pleaded.
“Well, he bleableached blonde hair. He was wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt that looked like he slept in them. Oh and he had an old leather coat on. Looked like there was a scar by his eyebrow. He looked kinda thin. Rupert, no offense or anything but like I told Buffy, he looked, well, rather trashy and vulgar.” Willow stated.
Giles sighed, “That sounds like my William. Here I had hoped things might have changed after this long”
“Oh and Buffy was calling him Spike, not William” Willow informed Giles.
“Yes, he asked me to call him that ridiculous nickname when he was 16. I never would” Giles replied.
“Are we almost there yet?” Giles asked Willow.
“Almost” she said.

Buffy was mortified when she opened the door to greet Spike. She had donned a silky and lacy number to surprise him with after the delivery boy had dropped off the food.
“Hi big boy, do you have a delivery for me?” she had said as she posed herself in front of him. It took a few seconds to realize that he was not alone. There was the shaggy brunette man standing a bit behind him carrying a couple boxes.
“Oh my God!” Buffy squeaked and slammed the door in their faces, her own flaming red in embarrassment.
BANG BANG BANG
“Buffy, come on. Let us in. These boxes are heavy.” Spike called out through the door.
Buffy ran to her bedroom to grab a robe and threw it on herself.
On the porch, Xander was grinning like a madman and pestering Spike with calling him “big boy”.
“Can it, whelp” Spike ordered.
She returned to the door and cracked it open a few inches.
“You need to open it more than that, luv for us to get through” Spike smiled, noticing the pink tinge of her embarrassment clearly on her cheeks.
“Oh, sorry. Come in” she pulled the door wider. The two men carried their boxes in and set them down against one of the living room walls.
“Buffy, this is my best mate, Xander. ‘e ‘elped me pack and move my stuff over.” Spike explained to her.
“Hiya Buffster” Xander smiled goofily at her.
She blushed even more and shook his hand. “Sorry about the...uhh...before.I thought Spike was alone.” She stuttered.
“No problemo. Not everyday I get to see a pretty scantily clad lady” Xander teased.
“Don’t you be ‘itting on my girl now” Spike warned teasingly back.
“I’m going to go… umm…get dressed. I’ll be right back” Buffy almost ran out of the room. “He called me his girl” she smiled as she searched her dresser drawers.
She donned a pair of shorts and a baby doll t-shirt and returned to the living room.
“You call that getting dressed, pet? You’re barely covered” Spike’s eyes raked over her.
“This is perfectly acceptable outer wear.” She bit back at him.
She turned to Xander. “So…are you guys hungry. I had Chinese delivered and there is plenty to go around. I wasn’t sure what Spike liked so I kinda got a bit of everything.”
“I thought you’d never ask” grinned Xander. “Show me the way”
“Better be careful Goldilocks. The whelp here is bound to fall in love with you if you feed him” Spike followed them into the kitchen.
“Now Spike, big boy...you know I’m already in love with you though” Xander batted his eyelashes at Spike.
Spike groaned and picked up an egg roll and stuffed it into Xander’s mouth.
Buffy laughed. She liked this Xander. He was a bit strange and goofy but she could tell he had a big heart. He was like a stray puppy dog that had been mistreated and kicked around. She was glad Spike had him for a friend.
Buffy realized she had left the front door standing wide open.
‘Be right back. Have to go close the door” she told the two men who were shoveling in moo goo gai pan and beef broccoli.
Buffy started to close the door and noticed the huge black car sitting behind hers on the street.
She closed the door and went back to join Spike and Xander.
“You won’t believe this but there is this huge hunk of junk out on the street by my jeep.” She took a bite of sweet and sour pork as Spike started to choke on his chicken.

Willow turned the corner and saw Buffy’s jeep and some other black monster of a car sitting by it in front of her place.
“This is it” she said to Giles.
She pulled up and parked in front of Buffy’s jeep.
Giles got out of the passenger side and followed Willow up to a very nice Victorian house that looked to be separated into apartments.
She knocked on the door and turned to Giles, “Her car is here so she should be home” she told him.

Buffy was having a genuine good time. Xander was a clown and watching him and Spike joke with each other was highly amusing. She had never seen this side of him, all laughter and smiles and she liked it.
They all heard a knock on the door. Buffy jumped a bit.
“Expecting company, pet?” Spike questioned her with a raised eyebrow.
“Nope. Let me go see who it is. Stay here” she warned him, fear creeping up her back at the thought of it being her father. How stupid could she be to not think he would stop by unexpectedly? And what about Spike’s things? How could she explain them? She hadn’t really thought too hard about all the ramifications of his moving in with her.
Buffy cracked the door and gave a sigh of relief when she saw Willow. She opened the door and then noticed the older man with her. Hey, wasn’t he the stuffy old British librarian from school, she thought. And what was he doing here with Willow her mind raced.
“Hi Buffy” Willow smiled sweetly.
“Willow. I wasn’t expecting you and uhh…your friend” Buffy replied.
“Oh, he isn’t my friend. He is Mr. Giles. UC Sunnydale’s librarian. Remember?”
“Thanks Willow. Nice to know we’re not friends” Giles replied dryly.
‘Oh, I mean…well yes he is my friend but he is the librarian too…umm…I’m babbling aren’t I?” she asked.
“Are you two…an item?” Buffy asked incredulously.
“WHAT?” Giles raised his voice a bit
“HUH?” Willow replied in turn. “No….NO…no items here. Geez Buffy he is old enough to be my…” Willow stopped as she saw the expression on Giles’ face.’
“Yes, now that we have established my oldness, unfriendliness and librarian status can we please get on with it?” Giles said stuffily.
“Buffy, Giles is looking for his son, William. He needs to find him and we think you can help” Willow explained.
“And how can I help?” Buffy asked wondering what in the world was going on.
“Willow tells me you know my son, William” Giles spoke up.
“I’m sorry but I don’t know any William…” Buffy began.
“What’s taking so long, pet? Everything O.K.?” Spike asked as he walked up behind her ignoring her request to stay in the kitchen after she had not come back.
Buffy turned around, ‘I told you to stay in the kitchen” she gratingly whispered to him.
She turned back to Willow and Giles, “Like I said, I don’t know tWillWilliam and I’m kinda in the middle of…”
“William!” Giles gasped, his eyes landing on his son standing behind Buffy, for the first time in over 10 years.
“I told you it was him, Rupert!” Willow chimed in.
“Huh? What is going on? Spike? Do you know Mr. Giles? Spike?” Buffy tried to bring Spike out of his daze.
She had her answer when Spike looked at Giles and said in a cold detached voice, “Hello Father.”

A/N: Coming Soon: Chapter 9- Fathers of the Year