Title: "Don't Call Me Goldielocks!" Author: Pattyanne snapkik@yahoo.com Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. Feedback: Yes. Please. Thank you. Summary: A little rewrite of "Gone" the way I'd have liked it to be. Rating: This part is rated R, but the good stuff is on it's way. ******************************************* The Middle..... Buffy sat on the edge of her bed, trying to collect her thoughts and group them into proper categories. The surprise inspection by the county social worker had gone amazingly well. Mrs. Kroger had looked around the house, and checked the contents of the refrigerator and pantry, making sure that nutritional needs were being met. This had worried Buffy, since she hadn't been to the market for three or four days. Willow had apparently heard what was going on, because when the fridge door was opened, it was fully stocked. Mrs. Kroger had looked it over, then turned with a smile and told Buffy that she was a thoughtful shopper. When she'd gone upstairs to see Dawn's room, Buffy had yanked open the fridge door and stared in surprise. There was a gallon of milk, orange juice, a dozen eggs, cheese, and several cartons of yogurt. The meat keeper contained chicken, two pounds of ground beef, and a huge pot roast. There were apples and pears, celery, carrots, avocados and a bag of salad greens in the vegetable drawers. Opening the freezer, Buffy had found chocolate ice cream, frozen juice bars, pot pies, bags of broccoli, corn and french fries. Adding a nice little touch of realism, Willow had conjured up leftover pizza in plastic wrap, a few cans of soda, a bag of chocolate cookies, and a half eaten mold of cherry jello. It was only an appearance spell, and even as she'd watched, it had begun to dissipate and reveal the true contents of the fridge. Buffy had closed the door, silently promising herself to go to the market and bring home every item Willow had magicked up. As she'd followed Mrs. Kroger into the living room, she spotted Willow and Tara at the top of the stairs, looking anxious. Buffy had given them a quick thumbs up, and mouthed a silent "thank you." Another brief moment of panic struck when Mrs. Kroger had asked to see Dawn's last report card. Fully expecting the woman to shake her head disapprovingly, Buffy had been surprised to be told that it wasn't unusual for a child's grades to slip a little after an emotional trauma, such as the death of a parent. Buffy had quickly assured the social worker that Dawn had already started to buckle down at school and show some progress. Then, over a cup of coffee, the women discussed finances. With Willow's help, the slayer had finally managed to track her footloose father and had bullied him into sending her a check every single week. No longer feeling any kind of closeness for the parent she hadn't seen in years, she'd had no compunction about reminding him that Dawn was still a minor and he had certain obligations that must be met. She'd said all this with a unspoken but clear threat of possible legal action, hinting that if she had to seek help from the court system, he'd quite possibly be told to pay all the back child support he'd racked up after years of ignoring the existence of his daughters. Buffy had felt no guilt at forcing him to cough up money for a child that was technically not his own. Her memories of Dawn were still intact, which meant that his were also. As far as he knew, Dawn was every bit as much his child as Buffy herself was. And even if he knew the truth of the matter and didn't feel he owed Dawn anything, he definitely owed Buffy, and one way or another, she was going to collect every last dime. After subtly warning him not to disappear again, she had hung up the phone with a triumphant smile, quite delighted that she'd thrown a monkey wrench into her father's carefree, pleasure seeking, roaming the world lifestyle. Four days later, the first check had arrived. Buffy's satis- faction had been somewhat muted by the fact that the envelope contained only a check, without so much as a note..not even a scrap of paper with a few lines scribbled on it...asking how they were getting along. Although she'd been hurt, she'd not been surprised. What could you expect from a man who never even bothered to call, let alone show up, when the mother of his children died, a woman he'd been married to for fifteen years? Any possibility of reconciliation had also died that day as she stood by the mailbox, a painful lump forming in her throat. At that exact moment, for the first time, Buffy had truly felt like an orphan. Running back into the house, she'd thrown herself face down on her bed and burst into tears, crying for everything she'd once had that was now gone forever. Mrs. Kroger had listened grimly to Buffy's unhappy story and promised her that if push came to shove, the courts would most definitely become involved. She would make sure of it. Buffy would be given full, legal guardianship of her sister, and Hank Summers would be footing the bill. ********************************************************* She stared at herself in the mirror, examining her face, and wasn't displeased with what she saw. Although she had changed greatly in the past few years, shedding a little baby fat from her face and figure, her hair was beautiful, even if she did say so herself. Well...not JUST herself. Spike found it beautiful, too. At this time, it was the longest it had ever been. She'd stopped forcing it to be an unnatural shade of blond some time ago, and her own color...a rather pleasing shade of honey and golden brown...had taken back over. The night she had spent with her latest demon lover, he hadn't been able to keep his hands out of it. He had stroked it and played with it in their quiet moments, and had pulled on it savagely, forcing her head back and making her arch her throat during their tempestuous lovemaking. She blushed when she remembered one particular moment. She had been on her hands and knees...a brand new position for her that she had absolutely loved...and Spike had been mounting her from behind. Using language that wouldn't be out of place in a XXX rated movie, he had gripped a handful of her hair and pulled it taut, making her keep her head up. Her eyes had glanced to the side and she'd been shocked to see the shadow they were casting on one wall, caused by a wash of moonlight. It was one of the most erotic sights she'd ever witnessed. Her heart rate had kicked into overdrive and her body had released a rush of fluid so copious that it had trickled slowly down her thighs, mingling with Spike's ejaculate. When he had brought her to one of the most satisfying orgasms she'd ever had...all of which had been with him that night...he had pounded into her so hard that she had scraped her knees trying to keep herself anchored. After he came, he had pulled her up onto those sore knees and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Burying his face in her hair, he had told her over and over again how much he loved her, how perfect and beautiful and special she was to him, how he would never love anyone the way he loved her. Just thinking about it was beginning to get her worked up. She desperately needed something to take her mind off of... "What shall I call you then?" ....that smart ass, irritating, big mouth! "Pet? Sweetheart? My little goldielocks?" Who never knew how to quit when he was ahead! "I love your hair. So soft...such a pretty color.." And who needed to be put in his place! "You know you don't want me to stop." Big know-it-all vampire! Thinks he knows ME! "Don't play games with me, little girl." Ha! As if she would! "That's not what you said the other night." Yeah...well.... "You were begging me..." In your dreams, blondie! "Say it...say it just once..." No! "I'll take you to bed and do things to your body you've never dreamed of." .....no. "When are you gonna stop being so bloody stubborn and admit that you want me, love?" When HELL freezes over! "See you around, goldielocks." Oh, yeah? Well, maybe you just won't like what you see! With a scowl of fierce determination, she grabbed the scissors from her drawer and raised them to her long tresses. ************************************************** TBC.... Comments? Dish 'em out.