"Sir?" one of the tree lot workers said behind him. "You've been
walking around for a while. Not to sound rude or anything, but
if you're not going to buy a tree you should probably go."

"I'm waitin' for someone, mate," Spike told the pimply college
student.

"Oh," he shifted uncomfortably. "Could you wait in front then?"

"Wanna surprise her," Spike shot the college guy a look.

"Oooh," the guy nodded understandingly. "Hope she shows soon
then."

"Me too," Spike muttered, going behind another tree.

There. He caught sight of the car Buffy drove and walked
behind a row of trees, watching her pull around and park. She
climbed out with Joyce and Willow. He smiled, creeping closer
to them until he walked right around behind them.

He grabbed Buffy's arm as she passed and planted his mouth on
hers to prevent her from shrieking. As soon as she realized who
it was she pulled away and looked up at him. "You're okay," she
breathed. "You're okay!" she hugged him tightly. "Oh god...I
was so worried about you..."

He returned the hug, realizing how much he'd missed her then.
He stroked her hair. "You all right, luv? Everything all right with
your mum too?"

"Everything's fine," she sighed. "Where are you staying?"

"Nowhere right now," he kicked his duffel bag lightly. He'd set
it down next to him before he had grabbed Buffy.

"Come back home, please," Buffy pleaded quietly. "Liam's leaving
you alone now, right?"

"Far from it, princess," he traced her jaw lightly.

"Tell him you don't want to do it. Just turn him in, Spike," Buffy
told him. "Give me your cell phone. I know you have it. I'll call
the police right now and anonymously tip them off."

He dug his cell phone from his pocket with one hand and gave it
to her. After dialing information, she called the police and deepened
her voice, "Check out Liam McDowe for the missing diamond." Then
she hung up. "Now come home."

Spike groaned and rested his forehead on the top of her head. "He's
gonna think I did it. He's gonna think I bloody tipped 'em off, Buffy!"

"No he won't," Buffy looked up at him. "He won't."

"Buffy?" called Joyce. "Buffy? Where'd you go?"

"I gotta go now," she kissed him lightly. "I'm sorry. Bye."

Spike held onto her hand lightly until her fingertips slipped from his
hand and he looked at the ground. He shook his head and sighed,
picking up his duffel bag and migrating to the back of the lot.
***

"I saw him," Buffy whispered to Willow.

"Saw who?" Willow whispered back.

"Spike. I saw him," she told her best friend. "He won't come back
home. He says Liam's still after him, so I tipped off the police about
him, and Spike thinks Liam's going to go after him."

"Maybe," Willow shrugged. "I mean, who knows how he works?"

Joyce looked back at them. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Spi--" Willow started, getting elbowed by Buffy. "--ies. Pies."

Joyce rolled her eyes and smiled. "How about this tree, Buffy?" she
pointed out a not-too-large, not-too-small, not-too-thick not-too-
thin tree. "I think it's perfect. I wish we had Spike's judgement
though. I wonder where he went?"

"I think it's perfect too, and I know Spike would like it," Buffy
nodded decisively.

"Then we'll have it. Go see if you can find someone to get it for
us, Buffy," Joyce smiled.

"Sure," she returned the smile and left, trying not to hurry. She
didn't know what was wrong with her--she'd kissed Spike twice
already tonight, and she was anxious to see him again. She was
supposed to hate him, right? He was an obnoxious, smartass,
sexy jerk--wait, how did sexy get in there?

"C'mon, where are you," she murmured, peering between every
row of trees.

"Boo," Spike said from behind her.

She yelped and spun around. "God! Don't *do* that!"

Spike chuckled. "Hey. Couldn't wait to see me again, hm?" he
folded his arms behind his head and walked with her.

"No," she stuck her tongue out. "Mom sent me to go find a
guy to get our tree."

"There's zitface over there," he motioned to the attendant wandering
around. "You 'n' him would pro'ly hit it off--"

She smacked his arm. "Oh shut up."

"I best be goin' then, princess," he told her regretfully. "Leave you
to your tree and your mum--tell Red I said hello and tell your mum
I'm okay."

"Are you sure you just can't come back with us?" she held onto his
arm.

Spike nodded. "I wanna protect you, not put you in danger. Have
a merry Christmas, princess."

She pulled his head down and kissed him lightly. "Merry Christmas,
Spike. That's my gift to you."

He slipped a small box in Buffy's pocket and nodded. "Merry Christmas."

Buffy shoved her hands in her pockets and watched him walk off.
She turned around and walked over to Pimple Guy. "Hi. I have a tree
I want..."
***

Buffy waited until she got home to run upstairs to her room and open
the box Spike had slipped in her jacket pocket. What she found was a
thin silver chain with a heart-shaped locket pendant on it. Engraved
on the inside was, "To My Princess; Love, Spike". That nearly made
her cry right there. Spike loved her...*her*!

And she was usually so awful to him.

"Mom?" Buffy called, running down the stairs two at a time. "Mom!"

Joyce looked up from the box of ornaments she was sorting through.
"What is it, Buffy?"

"Do we have any small pictures of Spike?"
***

The night before Christmas Eve found Buffy, Willow, Oz, Xander,
and Cordelia at The Bronze's Christmas Party. The only two nights
a year the Bronze was closed were Christmas Eve and Christmas
day, so they always held a party on the night before Christmas
Eve.

Xander caught sight of the silver locket around Buffy's neck and
peered at it curiously. "Where'd you get that, Buff?"

"What?" Buffy looked down. "Oh. This." She fingered the locket
and sighed. "It was present."

"What's inside?" Cordelia asked. "Or...who?"

Reluctantly, knowing the others would freak out when they saw
who it was, she took the locket off her neck and set it on the
table, opening it.

"'To My Princess; Love, Spike'," Oz read. Then he looked at the
picture. "Good picture of him."

"Thank you Oz," Buffy smiled. Then she looked at the slack-
jawwed Xander and the giggling Cordelia, and finally looked at
Willow, who was studying the locket curiously.

"Do you know if this is stolen?" Willow inquired. "'Cause he
steals a lot of stuff--"

"I wouldn't give my princess a stolen locket," Spike piped up from
behind them, leaning on the back of Buffy's chair.

"Hey you," Buffy smiled warmly at him and leaned back against
him. "Didn't think you were gonna be here."

"And miss the biggest bash this town ever saw? Never," Spike
grinned. "Hey Red, Odd, Whelp, Cordelia."

"Oz," Buffy corrected, "and Xander."

"Odd, and Whelp," Spike repeated.

"You're hopeless," she groaned.

"Nah, you're my only hope," he kissed her neck, causing her to
giggle. The rest of the people at the table gawked.

---
The snow is fallin'
The city is white
Your eyes are shinin'
Like diamonds tonight
---

The guys, Spike included, took their girls, Buffy too, out on the
dance floor.

---
And we're all alone
There's no one home
You're finally in my arms again
---

"Fittin' song," Spike murmured, holding Buffy close to him.

She wrapped her smaller arms loosely around his neck. "No
kidding. Too bad it doesn't snow in southern California..."

---
The night is silent
And Christmas is here
And I couldn't ask for more than having you near
'Cause I love you girl
I always will
---

Oz smiled at Willow and twirled her around once. "I think I
love you, Willow."

"I think I love you back, Oz," Willow grinned and wrapped
her arms around him, letting her head fall on his chest over his
heart.

---
And now I know the moment is right
The moment is right
---

Xander kissed Cordelia briefly. "How long have we been going
out now?"

"Officially? About two weeks. Unofficially? Since I moved
here," Cordelia answered. "Why?"

"Because I'm just wondering why I feel like I've known you all
my life," Xander replied, resting his forehead on hers.

Cordelia smiled and kissed him.

---
'Cause I've been waiting to give this gift tonight
I'm down on my knees
There's no better time
It's something to last for as long as you live
Tonight I'm gonna give you all my heart can give
---

"You're wearing the locket I gave you," Spike observed. "I
didn't think you would."

"Why not?" Buffy asked, barely even swaying with him as she
rested her head on his chest.

"'Cause I thought I mighta scared you off," Spike chuckled
lightly. "Big, intimidatin' fella like myself not tellin' you face-to-
face that I love you."

All too late Spike realized the words that left his mouth. He
sighed. "Sorry...didn't mean to say that...wasn't--"

Buffy silenced him by placing a finger over his lips. "Hush. It's
okay. I'm pretty sure I love you too."

---
I thought I'd give you something shiny and new
I tried to find something worthy of you
And I realized
When I looked inside
There's something that money can't buy
---

"You...you do?" Spike whispered, almost fearfully.

"Yeah," Buffy grinned. "What, couldn't figure that out on
your own? Why do you think I keep kissing you? Why do
you think I've been letting you?"

Spike mumbled something about being the rebound guy and
held her to him tightly. "Guess I'm just blind."

---
I feel the magic whenever you're near
---

Oz kissed Willow and spun her again.

---
I feel it even more this time of the year
---

Xander dipped Cordy and twirled her around lightly, kissing
her when she stopped.

---
'Cause I love you girl
I always will
And now I know the moment is right
The moment is right
---

Spike and Buffy kissed the other gently, and proceeded to
make out standing there on the dance floor.
***

Spike couldn't help himself and came back to the house on
Revello Drive to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with
the two most important women in his life--Joyce and Buffy
Summers.

"Are you going to stay here for good now, Spike?" Joyce asked,
handing the boy a cup of hot cocoa and Buffy one as well.

"I don't know. But do you mind if I stay here for tonight and
tomorrow mornin'?" he asked.

"Of course not," Joyce replied.

"I really wish you'd stay," Buffy curled up next to him.

"I really wish I could," he murmured to her.

"Just out of curiosity," Joyce said amiably, "when did you two
become so..."

"Touchy-feely?" Buffy supplied.

"I was going for lovey-dovey but that works," Joyce
shrugged.

"Remember when we went to the Christmas tree lot?" Buffy
asked. "Y'know, on Thursday?"

Joyce nodded. "I remember."

"That was when," Spike told her as Buffy situated herself on
his lap.

"I see," Joyce nodded, satisfied. She glanced up at the
clock. "Well, we'd better go to bed. It's almost ten."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Okay. To bed we go."
***

Spike woke in the morning to find that sometime during the
night, Buffy (in pajamas, people--shirt and a pair of boxers)
had crawled into bed next to him. He looked at her, not
daring to move or say anything.

In a matter of minutes she woke up though. "Morning, Spike."

"Mornin', princess," he sat up and stretched his arms. He
walked over to his closet and took a robe off the hanger, one
of the only articles of clothing he hadn't taken with him. He
wore a pair of black sweatpants and tied his robe closed.

"Merry Christmas," she smiled sleepily at him.

"Merry Christmas," he replied. "I'll get your robe and we'd best
go downstairs--sounds like your mum's already awake."

"Sounds good to me. Presents!" she grinned.

He left and came back moments later with her robe. As soon
as she put it on she attached herself to his arm and he escorted
her downstairs.

"Hello sleepy heads," Joyce said, sitting on the couch and sipping
a cup of coffee.

"Mornin' Joyce, Merry Christmas," Spike replied.

"Good morning Mom," Buffy added. "Let's open presents!"
***

Spike didn't get any presents besides a kiss from Buffy, but Buffy
got quite a few things--a couple of CDs, a new pair of headphones
(the ones she'd thrown at Spike never quite worked the same after-
wards), a new sweater, and a new skirt with matching top.

Joyce had gotten mostly clothes as well, and Buffy made Christmas
breakfast too as a present.

It was a very satisfying Christmas for all of them. Spike got all he
wanted at the Bronze two nights ago, and Buffy was very happy
with all the things--and the person--she got. And they figured even
criminals took Christmas off.

Which meant Spike didn't have to worry about Liam, or Darla, or
Drusilla--who had seemed to mysteriously vanish.

So Joyce went out to buy some milk at the grocery store--they
ran out when Buffy made breakfast and needed some for dinner--and Spike and Buffy cuddled on the couch.

"When are you going to come back?" she asked softly.

"When Liam's behind bars," he replied, stroking her arm comfortingly.

"And if that never happens?"

"It'll happen. I'll make sure of it."

Bad Night