Closure by Kyra Storm

Chapter #1 - Prologue

The young woman stepped out onto the balcony. She was petite, but there was power and strength underlying in her movements. She seemed almost regal standing in the approaching night in a colored evening gown that matched the fading light of the sky. Her pale gold skin and honey blonde hair contrasted warmly with her shimmering gown. The beaded flowers on the skirt of her dress caught the lights from inside and sparkled as she walked forward to the railing. Absently setting down a glass of wine on the table beside her, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, enjoying the feeling of the warm night air. As the last lingering light left the sky, she could almost feel the summer stars above her beginning to blink on. She grasped the balcony tightly as if to anchor herself, she threw back her head, closed her eyes and a smile came to her face as she let the night wash over her. The night brought with it the thoughts of him. She let the memories come, filling up the empty hole inside of her. She remembered the emotions he evoked in her, the coolness of his touch, the way his voice sounded whispering words of love in her ear, the smell of leather and tobacco that seemed to permeate his skin, the taste of his lips against hers, the depth of feelings dancing in his eyes. She remembered HIM. There was no grave to mark his passing and no one, not even the ones who were there really understood the sacrifice he made for them. She tried not to let her regrets color the time she spent out here remembering him. He didn't deserve her regrets, he deserved remembrance and honor. She opened her eyes and stared at the stars, not even aware of the tear that ran down her cheek. She searched the night sky for any sign that he was Ok, that he knew how much she missed him, how much she loved him. The sound of an owl deep in the forest was her only response. Her eyes closed again in pain for a moment and a small whimper escaped from her throat before she could stop it. Resolving herself she opened her eyes and continued what she had come out here to do. She said the same prayer she said every night, for him to be at peace and happy. She had done this every night since Sunnydale was destroyed. Some nights she would sit outside for hours and talk to him, other nights she would just take a minute, but she never forgot. He had done the same for her when she was gone. However, she had come back... "147 days yesterday, 148 days today. Except today doesn't count does it?" Piercing blue eyes staring at her with wonder... She shook her head to dispel the apparition before her. Her hands were clasped tightly together in front of her, remembering the last time she had touched him. She could still feel a tingling in her hand that had remained since the cavern. It was a constant reminder of the part of herself that she was missing. "Right then, let's go be heroes." Sounding so resigned, and defeated. She had thought there would be time later. She never thought she would lose him, her steadfast dark knight. But there wasn't a later. He was gone and he wasn't coming back. As her body started to shake with grief and pain she bowed her head trying to fight the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her. Across the night her voice came, no more than a whisper, sad and lost. "Spike"

Chapter #2 - Suprise

It was little over a year since Buffy had stood at the edge of what used to be Sunnydale and watched the sign fall into the pit wondering if that was a little bit of Spike sending her on her way. Then she turned and saw the other's looking to her for what would come next, when it hit her full force: SHE WAS FREE!!! She could do anything now; go to college, get a real job, go to the beach or the mall; she could enjoy the daylight hours. Finally, she could have the normal life she always dreamed about. She quickly realized as she surveyed her friends the first thing they needed was some serious down time. Everyone needed to heal and recover from the ordeal they had just survived and she personally needed time to grieve. She had moved her wounded army to Los Angeles, to Angel. It seemed through some turn of events that no one could properly explain, Angel, now was in charge of the a multi-million dollar law firm, that was part of a huge evil empire. Giles was extremely reluctant to accept help from anyone connected with Wolfram & Hart, but with the Watcher's Council destroy and what few Watchers that remained scattered about the world in hiding Angel was their best hope at receiving aid. After a week of recovering the original Scoobies and Faith had dinner with the original gang from Angel Investigation to compare notes and Apocalypse stories. During the dinner, after a few too many glasses of wine Willow had come up with the idea of School for Slayers/Reformed Watcher's Council. Buffy had laughed and told her she had seen Harry Potter one too many times, then she noticed that she was the only one laughing. Turned out not everyone was as eager for a normal life as she was. No one else even considered it an option, really. Even the gang from Los Angeles wanted to be involved and offered their support. So the second week after the destruction of Sunnydale everyone was focused on finding a new home for their school. So much for Rest and Relaxation. Eventually, through some old contacts of Wesley's family, they located an old run down Wiccan Retreat on a large piece of land in Northern California. The last of the Coven who owned it had died a few years before, leaving the property to fall into neglect. The property was located not far from the protected redwood forests and had a huge mansion on it with several dozen small cabins spread out around the 400-acre property. Willow, Wesley, Dawn and Giles had gone up first to look the place over. When they got back, Willow and Dawn were ecstatic about what they had found. "Its perfect for us." Willow had told the others excitedly. "The can be renovated and turned into dorms for the Slayers." Dawn chimed in, just as excited. "And the house is so huge we can use it live in and turn the extra rooms into classrooms." Willow told everyone. "Oh my god the house is just AMAZING!!" Dawn interjected. "It almost feels likes its alive or something. Well not really alive, but you can tell its all magical and stuff." "So the house is magic?" Buffy asked her doubtfully. "Uh, we don't have too much luck with magic houses guys." Xander spoke up for the first time. "Scared, Xan-Man?" Faith teased him. "I thought you were the Might Zeppo." "Not scared. Just pointing out we don't have too much luck with houses of the haunted variety." Xander replied indignantly, while puffing himself up to show his manliness. "I seem to remember Buffy getting really lucky in a magic house." Willow answered with a sly smile, reminding them of the time Buffy and Riley went into heat in a Frat house thanks to some evil poltergeists. "Huh?" Dawn asked, lost in the conversation. "She's talking about the time I defeated that house easily, Dawnie." Buffy answered Dawn, all the while glaring at Willow. Willow tried to look sheepish, but failed miserably so she just looked down to hide her smile. "Yeah, I'll buy that." Faith said rolling her eyes at Dawn. "Excuse me." Xander got everyone's attention again. "Still wanting to know about the magic house here." "Its not really the house and its not really magic." Willow was getting exasperated trying to explain it to them. "Its just natural energy, a by product of all the old trees in the area. The house was built to harness that energy, it gives some natural barriers which actually serve to protect those who live in it." "So the house is actually like a big guard dog?" Faith asked. "No." Willow snapped finally losing her patience with them. "Look you guys you just have to come and see for yourselves." So the Scoobies made the long trip up to see the property. They found that Willow and Dawn had been right. The main house was amazing. There were 2 large fully functioning kitchens, a large formal dining room, a library, an indoor pool, a billiards room, numerous parlors, dens and living rooms. There were also about 30 bedrooms, 25 suites, and at least 10 bathrooms, that weren't attached to the suites. Buffy could feel the energy in the house as soon as they drove up the driveway. She understood what Dawn had meant when she said it seemed almost alive, but she didn't feel threatened by it in the least, in fact it felt comforting to her. Buffy had gone off by herself to explore, only slightly worried about finding her way back to the others in the maze of hallways and rooms she meandered through, when something seemed to pull at her. She followed the phantom urging up some stairs in the back to the top floor. At the very top of the stairs she found a large heavy wooden door in front of her, to her right was a door next to a large picture window looking out into the forest. To Buffy's left was a small hallway leading to another stairway going back down. She opened the door to her right and walked out onto black wrought iron balcony. There were flowering vines growing all around the tendrils of iron. The smell of summer blossoms hung heavy in the air. She was eye level with the canopy of the forest and she could see squirrels playing in the boughs of the trees. Butterflies danced through the air, drinking from the sweet blooms on the vines. She walked along the balcony until she came to another door set of French doors. She opened them, walked inside and knew immediately she had found a home. She had gone back downstairs, not even getting lost once in her search for Giles and the others. When she found them in the library she simply looked at them and said, "We're taking it." All of them had been amazed, but no one argued with her, they all felt the same way. As nice as the house had been there had still been a lot of work to do. The cabins need major restoration if they were going to be used as dorms. They also built a large Training Facility, with the latest in gym equipment. Money had not been an issue for them. Giles had managed to stage a small coup among the surviving Council members. Not a difficult feat considering he was the only one in contact with the newly awakened and the veteran Slayers. Since he now had complete control of the Council he also had complete control over there considerable assets. As the summer went on, the school had slowly begun to take shape. Xander had been in charge of the construction and repairs on the property. His work crew consisted of newly awakened Slayers. He swore their ability to lift heavy objects and get the whole lack of stupid male testosterone forever ruined him from working with another human work crew. Obnoxious laughter managed to float up the five flights of stairs and out onto Buffy's balcony, interrupting her reverie. She frowned at the sound. Only one person had a laugh that could carry like that. Kennedy. Buffy kept trying, for Willow's sake, to like the opinionated young girl, but most of the time she just wanted to gag her and stick her in a closet some where. Thankfully, Kennedy and Rhona had gone to Cleveland not long after they moved into the house. Giles had found a Watcher he trusted to watch over the two young girls as they took up their position of watching the last active Hellmouth in the Continental US. Willow had been depressed at first, but didn't really have too much free time to dwell on her separation with her girlfriend. She practically set up the entire computer system; from the computer in the classrooms used as teaching aids, to the clerical computers in the office, to the computers in the library that were networked directly into the Wolfram and Hart data base and library. She also spent many hours each day involved in deep meditation learning to control and utilize her powers. Even with all of Willow's projects, Buffy managed to get in some quality Willow time at least a few times a week. They would go out shopping, to the movies, or sometimes just sit and get a cup of coffee, usually Xander would accompany them. The three were best friends again; all the wounds from the past were left there. No one ever brought up the night they turned their back on Buffy, not wanting to relive that memory. Buffy could hear Faith downstairs ushering Kennedy and her noise into the ballroom. Faith and Buffy had become close over the past year. Buffy had helped Faith understand her responsibilities as a Slayer, while Faith had helped Buffy come to terms with the darker side of her Slayer nature. Training together had given them an edge to their fighting skills previously unheard of for a Slayer. Buffy had stepped aside early on in the school's creation and let Faith take over the role of lead Slayer. Faith had really come into her own since her unofficial appointment, gone was the doubt and self-hatred, in its place was a confident leader who understood what it meant to be a Slayer. Everyone had their place in the new school. Everyone except Buffy. As much as she loved her friends and their new home, she didn't want to stay here. She had tried the normal life, but it hadn't worked out quite the way she thought it would. Turned out "normal" wasn't all it was cracked up to be. When her normal life didn't work out, Buffy had returned to the school. The young Slayers that now populated the school had made her extremely uncomfortable, looking up at her with stars in their eyes. For a while they would seek her out to hear the tales of her 'adventures' until she would either hide in her room or out in the miles of trees surrounding the house. It was there, wandering through the woods on the property she had found a peace she hadn't known before. Truths that she once feared seemed much less frightening under the sunlit canopy of leaves. She found comfort and strength in the sounds and smell of the Old Forest. She knew she was a different person than she had been seven years ago and she was finally able to look back and actually see where she had come from and what she had become. She had come to terms with the fact that her power was rooted in darkness, that she was no better than the creatures she was created to Slay. It was up to her to control that darkness and use it to help her in her fight. She also understood now that there really were no absolutes. No absolute good or absolute evil, it really was all about the balance. Buffy thought about traveling the world a lot. I mean she had saved it countless times. Now she wanted to see what all she had saved. She just wasn't sure how to do that. The world was a pretty big place for her to go exploring all by herself. Not that she was scared...more like intimated. Again the voices from downstairs raised in volume, carrying out onto her balcony as more guests arrived. Tonight they were going to have a celebration. They were celebrating the first year of the school and its success. They were also celebrating their new lives away from the Hellmouth. Giles had also invited all the former members of the Watcher's Council, even the ones who refused to rejoin with Rupert Giles as the Head Watcher. He was determined to impress them with what he had done in such a short amount of time. A tingling in her spine startled Buffy out of her musings. She knew that only one Vamp ever made her skin tingle LIKE THAT. Then she heard a voice. She sighed; it had only been wishful thinking on her part. It was only Angel. When they had first got to Los Angeles, Angel seemed to think that she was coming for him. He had believed that they were going to pick up their doomed relationship from where they had left it. She had tried going out on a date with him, but it was awkward and completely uncomfortable. The evening had thankfully ended early when they were alerted to a demon they needed to go take care of. She had also tried going out on a few jobs with Angel while she was in the city that had been an even bigger mistake. Angel didn't really understand the whole team concept, unless he was the team leader. Instead of letting her fight at his side like she and Spike used to do he relegated her to back up. He also seemed unable to realize she wasn't the young barely initiated Slayer he remembered. It was a relief for her when the gang left Los Angeles to move into the school. Since then, she tended to avoid Angel as much as possible. She had meant it at the time when she told him sometimes she saw them together in the future, but now she didn't really see that anymore. Things that were once endearing about him, now she found irritating. She had actually run into him, literally, last week. He had come to talk to Giles about something and she was running late for a movie date with Willow and Xander. They had exchanged pleasantries and like everyone else he inquired about what her plans for the future were now. She had told him a bit about wanting to travel the world. It was all pleasant enough, but as she excused her self to go meet her friends he got this look on his face. It had almost haunted her since then. It was desperate and nostalgic, yet resigned and so filled with love and pain. She never found out what he talked with Giles about and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Buffy figured if it had anything to do with her they would have told her. She and Giles and made a pact to never keep secrets from each other again. Giles was still the same old Giles even though he was now head of the Council. He had chosen the suite directly attached to the library to make his home. He spent almost six months going through all the texts they now had access to through Wolfram & Hart. It took Buffy a while to feel completely comfortable around Giles again. She had a hard time reconciling the fact that she disappointed him; while at the same time he disappointed and betrayed her. Eventually, though she had come to realize that Giles did view her as his daughter and even parents made mistakes in wanting the best for their children. While privately he still treated her like an errant child, he viewed her ideas and opinions the same way he would an equal. Buffy brought her thoughts back to the present. She was out here for a reason and she needed to get on with it before the others came looking for her. She picked up the wine glass she had set on the table when she walked out onto the balcony. "I'm sure you would prefer this to be whiskey or scotch, but its a special occasion tonight." She smiled as she looked up at the stars. "I miss you, Spike." She said sweetly to the night. "I still love you." She held up her wine in a toast and drank it down quickly. "BUFFY!!" She jumped up startled. She relaxed when she turned and saw Clem standing in the doorway looking at her excitedly. "You have to come and see what Angel brought us. You have to come. HURRY UP!!" With that he turned and ran back down the stairs, well as close to running as he could come. Buffy shook her head and smiled. It didn't take much to get Clem all excited. The last time he told her to 'hurry up' it was to see the new Dawson's Creek box set he got from Andrew. Buffy had run into Clem while out on a job with Angel. She had broken the news to him about Spike and the two of them spent the night doing shots of whiskey, while remembering the bleached vampire. It was the only time she ever really got to grieve for him. When the Scoobies left LA to start work on the school, Clem had offered to come along and help. Giles was more than a little reluctant to accept the help from a demon, but with both Buffy and Dawn insisting, Giles really didn't stand a chance. Now Clem was the school's resident expert on Demon Behavior. The Slayers loved having him as a teacher and Buffy knew he loved being here. "BUFFY!!!" Dawn's scream cut through the air as she ran up the stairs two at a time. Buffy could see the huge smile on her face before her sister even made it to the top of the stairs. "What is it, Dawnie? What's going on?" Buffy was really beginning to wonder what had both Dawn and Clem so excitable. Dawn was in charge of the Watcher research department for the school. She had impressed even Giles with her quick mind and the way she picked up not only foreign and dead languages, but demon languages as well. Buffy heard him say more than once he wished she had been as attentive as her sister in the reading/researching department. Buffy figured it was the mystical key part of her that allowed her to translate such difficult texts. Dawn was growing into a beautiful and competent young woman. Buffy was constantly amazed with how in charge and grown up she was. There were times she looked at her and didn't even recognize her baby sister. "Angel brought us a surprise." Dawn ran up and looked her sister over quickly. "Yo-you have to fix your hair, you were letting it blow all around out here. Plus you need to fix your eye makeup its all sorts of smudgy." Dawn tried to straighten out her sister's hair with her shaking fingers, but she only succeeded in pulling some out. "OUCH!!" Buffy yelled, stepping back away from her. "Enough with the torture, just tell me WHAT is going on?" Dawn stepped back and took in the light silk dress her sister had on. It clung to her figure like a slip, with spaghetti straps and a deep-scooped neckline that could almost be considered scandalous. She looked good Dawn thought. Dawn giggled, when she thought of the reactions her sister was going to get. It was then that Buffy noticed what her sister was wearing. "Are those my hand painted silk pants from China?" Buffy demanded. "Dawn, we've talked about this. You can only borrow my clothes if you ask me first. And I know you didn't ask me about those, because I would have said 'no'. I haven't even worn them yet." "Oh, please. You got them over two months ago, someone needed to break them in." Dawn told her defiantly, momentarily forgetting her excitement in her irritation with her sister. "You better not spill anything on them." Buffy warned her. "Fine, whatever, no spilling. Got it. Now come on!!" Dawn grabbed Buffy's hand and started pulling her off the balcony just as Giles and Angel were climbing the stairs to them. "Buffy are you planning on going downstairs now?" Giles asked as he reached the top step. He looked rather worried and his voice came out nervous. Angel also had a worried look on his face. Buffy suddenly thought back to that day when Angel had disappeared into library with Giles. Her eyes narrowed as her temper started to flare with suspicions. "Actually I thought I might go downstairs with out planning first. Live dangerously." Buffy answered her Watcher sarcastically. The two men just exchanged nervous glances. "What is going on guys? Why do you two look like you're about to attend a funeral, while Dawn and Clem are about to float off to Cloud 9?" Buffy was really trying to hold in her temper, really she was. "Don't mind them Buffy. Its not like someone conjured up a weird happiness demon..." Dawn told her calming slightly in her bouncing. "Well, that would almost be preferable..." Giles muttered into his scotch. "Giles." Dawn turned to him. "Don't start that again. You can't, not after everything that's happened..." her voice trailed off as she looked at Giles and Angle almost pleadingly. "Its like a miracle." "I'm well aware of everything that has happened, Dawn." Giles snapped at the girl. He stopped realizing how harsh that came out, took a deep breath and a long drink of scotch. When he continued his voice was more calm and reserved. "I just don't know if this is really the best for everyone involved. We still don't know what all the repercussions are for something like this. Not to mention the last time something like this happened there was nothing but trouble. And on tonight of all nights..." Giles removed his glasses and proceeded to try and clean them while balancing his glass. Angel glared at him and almost growled as he spoke. "All the tests we did indicate it isn't some sort of evil." He smiled bitterly. "It must be a 'miracle'. Not a miracle for me, but..." "Oh, bloody hell." Giles muttered as some scotch splashed onto his sleeve. He put his glasses back on and looked over at Angel. "As far as doing it tonight, well, it wouldn't wait any longer." "Fine." Buffy snapped, by their look of shock she could tell they had forgotten she was standing there. "You three stay up here and talk in code. I'm going downstairs to find out what's going on." Buffy moved to step around Angel and go downstairs when he grabbed her hand. She looked up into his eyes and saw that lost look again. "Buffy, can we talk a minute first?" Buffy would have screamed in frustration if it weren't for that damned look on his face. She forced what she hoped was an understanding smile on her face. "Sure, Angel." She turned to walk back on the balcony she had just left, grabbing Giles' glass on her way. "Welcome to my balcony" She said gesturing for him to follow her. Angel turned to Giles and Dawn. "It may be a good idea to do this up here. I don't know how she's going to react." He said quietly. "What are you talking about? She is so going to freak." Dawn told him as she turned and hurried down the stairs. Giles took off his glasses that he had just put back on and started cleaning them again as he slowly followed her. "I believe that was his point, Dawn." He commented dryly. "Oh dear." Came floating back up to Angel as they disappeared down the stairs. Angel swallowed hard and prepared to talk to Buffy. Angel stepped out onto the balcony and saw Buffy staring up at the stars with a small smile on her face. He wondered briefly what she was thinking of to make her smile like that, before deciding it was probably best if he didn't know. "You look beautiful tonight." He commented softly, pulling her out of her thoughts. Her smile faded as she shrugged off his compliment. She didn't want to go there with him right now, especially not here. "That isn't what you wanted to talk to me about." She told him pointedly. "No, its not." Buffy turned to face him as he moved further out on the balcony, standing next to her at the railing. For the first time Angel noticed how different the woman before him was from the girl he once knew. She was still beautiful, of course, but gone was the innocence that he once thought was the core of her beauty. He remembered the guileless way she used to look at him, the softness of her face, the easy smile that would come to her at the slightest provocation. Now there was a cloudiness in her gaze. The softness in her face was replaced with lean determination. There was also an aura of wisdom and sadness about her, the wisdom that only came from loss and pain. 'How much of that was caused by me?' He wondered to himself. 'Angelus or me, it doesn't make too much of a difference now.' He looked away to try and ignore the guilt and regrets that were building up inside him. She didn't want to hear those now. "Cordelia is gone, Buffy." He finally told her. Buffy watched him closely while she waited for him to continue. She knew that Cordelia had been in a coma and not expected to wake up. No one could really explain how Cordelia had come to be in a coma, but they had hinted that she and Angel had been involved. While Buffy and Cordelia had never really been friends, she had been a part of Buffy's life from her first day in Sunnydale. It had been weird to see the once vibrant cheerleader, lying motionless in the hospital bed. It was even stranger to think of her as gone. The tingling feeling Buffy had felt when Angel first arrived suddenly came back, stronger than before. She felt anticipation inside her similar to when she was getting ready for a big fight. The air around her felt charged, electric. "When?" She finally spoke, when it appeared Angel wasn't going to continue. Her voice came out dry and she took a large drink from the scotch, forgetting what it was causing her to choke and cough. "About a month ago. She didn't actually die. The Powers called her back up to the Higher Planes." The air felt so heavy, like it did before a large thunderstorm. Buffy reached out to grab onto the railing, only instead of using it to anchor her, this time she used it to hold herself up. The tingling inside her grew stronger until she thought she had to be physically vibrating with the force of it. "They needed someone to take over receiving the visions from the Powers." Angel continued on, not even noticing her anymore, he was so lost in his own thoughts. Buffy's breathing was getting shaky, she couldn't seem to get enough oxygen with the air like this. "They needed a demon to be able to handle the visions. Since there aren't any demons alive, that were volunteering to go to work for the Powers, they kind of went...outside of the box." "ENOUGH ALREADY!!" Buffy exploded, gasping for air, that didn't seem to be there. "I've had it with these cryptic clues, Angel. Don't you think we're a bit beyond that by now? If you have something to tell me, then just tell me already, enough with these games." Her voice sounded panicked even to her. Buffy stopped and forced herself to take some deep breaths and calm down. Angel just watched her sadly. "I will always love you, Buffy." He told her intently. Frustrated and more than a little wigged out, Buffy turned to walk inside... and froze. She felt the world start to break apart around her at what she saw. The glass in her hands slipped out of her grasp and shattered on the floor. She smelled the leather and cigarettes moments before the voice came. "Hello, Luv."

Chapter #3 - Happy Reunion

The world had stopped for Buffy. He was there in front of her. She could see him clearly. He was leaning against the doorframe in that familiar cocky way. He was wearing a black suit, with a black shirt underneath. His ever-present duster hung over his lean frame, slightly throwing off the effect of the suit. His lips curved up into a small smile. His eyes seemed to drink her in. She could see the love and desire shouting out at her in his gaze. Time started again, only it seemed to be moving in slow motion. She tried to breathe, but found herself gasping again. She looked over at Angel to see if he saw what she did, but he was still just staring at her with that sad look in his eyes. ‘Oh, god.’ Buffy thought to herself hysterically. ‘This isn’t real. I’m just hallucinating again. Not this, anything but this.’ Her knees gave out from under her and she felt herself begin to fall under the tsunami of emotions rolling through her. She looked back at the Spike vision as time speeded up and the floor rushed to meet her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Angel reach out to catch her, since he was right next to her, but before he could even touch her the Spike vision crossed the balcony with a speed unnatural even for a vampire. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her up and to him before she could hit the floor, growling at Angel for his attempt. Angel lowered his hands and back farther away from them. At the feeling of Spike’s arms holding her, sobs began to escape Buffy. He was solid. He was real. She clutched his coat and pulled him tighter against her crying wildly as her emotions completely overtook her. She was never going to let him go again. ‘If this is a dream, please don’t let me wake up. I can’t take losing him again.’ Buffy could feel him rubbing her back, comforting her. As her sobbing slowed she could hear his voice in her ear. “Shhh. Its ok, Pet. I promise, its all ok.” After a few minutes, Buffy slowly pulled herself together and became fully aware of what was going on. Over Spike’s shoulder she could see Dawn, Xander, Willow and Clem standing in the doorway looking at her happily. A few feet behind them was a very worried looking Giles, with a new glass of scotch. Angel was now on the far side of the balcony, watching them, his face thoughtful and pensive. Suddenly, she pulled back from Spike’s arms sniffling. She used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her face as she stared into his eyes reassuring herself that this was indeed her Spike. “Spike?” She questioned quietly. He smiled at her warmly. “Yeah, Slayer.” “You’re real.” “Yeah, I believe I am.” “But are you really here…to stay?” His smile grew bigger. “For as long as you want me. And probably a few days after that.” She smiled back at him so sweetly, so very sweetly. He was lost in her. He never saw the fist coming for his face. He flew backwards through the picture window next to the door and onto the ground. For a few seconds he lay there stunned, before that was replaced with the outraged anger she knew so well. “What the BLOODY HELL was that?” He growled at her. She stalked towards him, her face a mask of rage. As she approached him voices filtered through her red haze. “Uh Buff, you break it, you fix it!!!” Xander nervously was saying. “Buffy, stop…” Dawn’s voice pleading with her. “Should I stop her?” Willow uncertain as to whether or not she should use her magic here. “Oh, Bloody hell.” Giles probably worried about what the Council was thinking of the loud crashing noises. And off to her left, the sound of chuckling. Buffy stopped and turned quickly to face Angel. “You want to tell me what is so funny right now Angel?” Her voice came out cold and deadly. The amusement on his face quickly disappeared at the daggers that were shooting out of her eyes. She walked over to him standing right in front of him, only a few inches away. Her eyes bored into his. “How long?” She demanded. He didn’t even have to ask what she was talking about. “Last month, when they called Cordelia back, the left HIM in her place.” He explained bitterly. Buffy sucker punched him in the stomach. As he doubled over in pain she looked over and met Giles’ gaze. He stepped back at the anger he saw directed at him. “You knew.” Her voice came out at a growl. “Yes.” Giles told her. He sounded defeated. “I wouldn’t let him tell you, Buffy.” Angel’s voice came weakly from behind her as he struggled to stand upright again. She was going to dispense more of her anger at Angel when she noticed Spike standing again in the frame of the broken window. When her gaze turned back on him fully, he evidently decided he didn’t want to be that close to the broken wood and stepped back into the house. “Slayer…” He began. Before he could finish she lifted the skirt of her dress out of her way and leaped over and kicked him in the chest. He flew into a wall. "That's for waiting a MONTH to tell me you were back,” She yelled. He was getting seriously pissed. Damn, stubborn, hotheaded woman, if she would just stop and listen. Of course, her stubbornness was one of the things he loved most about her. Even still she could have at least heard him out. "Now listen here..." He began. Another fist came at his face. He dodged it and tried to grab her, but she spun away doing a maneuver he didn't know. She grabbed his arm swung him around into the wall face first this time and punched him again in the ribs. "Oh I'm sorry,” She said sweetly. "I've been spending the last year training while you were busy playing dead." She got another punch in his ribs. "That's for getting 'terrified' and bailing the first chance you got.” He sensed the fist coming and managed to duck before it could connect with his skull. He spun around just in time for her knee to connect with his groin. He hit the ground with a moan. "You even got to play the part of the martyr so I couldn't be mad at you!!!" She pulled him up by his shirt. "I couldn't get out." He managed to yell trying to get past the haze of pain. "You knew there was no getting out of there for me. I was already on fire Luv." He almost pleaded with her. "Remember your hand?" She hesitated for a split second. He moved instantly, he tried to pin her hands so she couldn't attack him again. She got away from his grip easily. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRY!!!" She looked at him and he backed up against the wall frozen at the rage and pain in her eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if she was going to pull a stake and send him back where he came from. Wouldn't that just be his bloody luck? By now the rest of the gang had come slowly up the stairs. Buffy was aware that everyone was watching them as she stood in front of him. He seemed to have given up the idea of trying to fight her and just watched her warily; head cocked to the side, to see what was next. "This is for telling me I didn't love you." She whispered and smacked him as hard as she could with a closed fist across his jaw. All of her pain and anger went into that blow and he flew to the ground. "What?!?!" He asked incredulously as soon as he could speak again. He looked up at her, his eyes wide, blood running down his chin from a cut lip. He knew he couldn't have heard her right. He slowly pulled himself up, wiping the blood off his face. Instead of answering him she looked back at the others who were still watching them as he stood up. All of them looked concerned, but no one made a move to get in between them. "Spike..." She turned back to him. He flinched a bit away from her, but his eyes never left her. "William" She said only loud enough for him to hear. She watched his face carefully. "I...love...you." She yelled it loud so everyone, even the ones who weren't the whole way up the stairs could hear her. He stared at her in complete shock. "I am telling you in front of my friends and family. I love you. Do you believe me now?" Her voice broke and last part came out as a whisper, but he heard it. “I love you.” Her head dropped down, when she looked up again there were tears in her eyes. "I thought you only said that because I was dying." He said finally, his voice sounded raw with emotion, his eyes were wet with his own unshed tears. His face was confused and hopeful and so scared all at once. "You really are an idiot, you know. I told you that because I loved you." She said looking into his blue eyes that she never thought she'd see again. They searched her eyes, looking for the truth of her words. She answered him with all the love in her heart. "You know I love you." He said with a smile. She smiled back at him. She reached out and gently wiped the blood that started welling up again off his lip. "Well I love you, too." She told him All of a sudden his hands were on her waist lifting her up and spinning her around while he laughed delightedly. She put her hands on his shoulders and laughed with him while he spun her around. Their eyes never left each other. Angel felt his heart break at the sound of their laughter. It was a sound that would cost him his soul, the sound of true happiness. He knew now that he and Buffy would never be together again. Willow smiled at him sadly as he walked off the balcony towards her. She squeezed his shoulder in sympathy and he nodded his thanks at her concern. He turned back to look at the two of them still spinning. Just for a second Angel thought he saw a glowing, silver wrapping around them and down in between them. As soon as he registered it, it was gone. He figured it was just a trick of his eyes seeing her blonde hair and his black coat floating out from behind them. Then he looked over a Willow who had a thoughtful look on her face. Spike put Buffy down before they got too dizzy. He held her close to him as they stared at each other then pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. She fell into his kiss as the world around them flew away. Dawn, Clem and Andrew clapped their hands and cheered. Willow and Xander smiled at each other as Willow wrapped her arm around Kennedy's waist. "So was that some kind of Slayer mating ritual?" Gunn asked Wesley. Wesley just shook his head. "I think they're sweet." Fred said smiling up at Wesley who squeezed her hand lightly. Buffy's entire body tingled. She was more aware of him than she had ever been before. His hands were on her waist holding her close to him, while his lean body was pressed up against her. Her hands were flat on his chest and she could feel his muscles beneath them through the layers of clothing that covered him. Spike's lips were soft on hers and yet demanding. She had refused them her love for so long and now they were greedy for it. Kisses between them in the past, when she allowed him the intimacy of kissing her, had always been an angry, violent duel between them. This was something else entirely. She explored his mouth with her lips like she was kissing him for the first time. She could feel their cool texture. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue lightly over his lips needing to savor the taste of him. She heard as well as felt him growl in his chest as he opened his mouth and tangled his tongue with hers. Almost moaning Buffy wrapped her arms around his head pulling him closer to her. She felt like she could just melt into him. She tangled her hands in his hair as his hands held her tightly to him. Both were lost, completely oblivious to all her friends. Then she Faith's voice cut through into her desire filled bubble. "Way to go, B. He said you had it in you." Blushing Buffy pulled away suddenly feeling light headed at the loss of contact. She saw the feeling reflected back at her in his eyes. His lips were parted slightly and he was breathing rapidly, forgetting that he didn't need oxygen. Announcing to everyone she loved him was one thing, this was another. "Uh, guys could you leave us alone for a few minutes?" As she turned around to face her friends she took a shaky step towards them. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist again and pulled her back into him. Her voice had come out very breathy and she shivered at the feeling of his strong arms around her. Faith laughed at the sound of her voice as she descended the stairs. "All we need now is Anya here to comment on the situation." Buffy said wryly knowing she was blushing. Spike chuckled in her ear. Xander nodded and laughed having also heard her comment. "Actually, Buff, by now she would probably be pulling me into our room after that show." He said. She blushed even harder. "Just so you remember, Buffy...” he said as he turned and walked down the stairs with Willow and Kennedy. "I know if I break I have to fix it." She recited in a sing-song voice, wishing they would all just go away now. “Yep, and you can get started on that window tomorrow.” Willow turned back and gave her a big knowing smile. "We'll see you guys soon, right?" “The sooner you guys go, the sooner we’ll be down.” Buffy told her. “Right. Of course.” Willow said. Angel walked slowly over to Giles. Buffy felt a small twinge of sympathy for him, but she wouldn't dwell on that now. "Does she have to make a production out of everything?" She heard Kennedy ask Willow as they descended the stairs. Buffy rolled her eyes and resisted the temptation to push a heavy marble statue down the stairs after Kennedy. She looked over at Dawn and the sisters exchanged an evil grin, knowing they were both thinking the same thing. "Buffy, er, I didn't mean to keep this from you..."Giles began awkwardly, interrupting her Kennedy hating. "Giles," she said firmly, "You and I will talk about this tomorrow, not tonight, Ok?" "Yes, perhaps that’s for the best." He said as meekly as a school child in trouble. "This is really all my fault, Buffy." Angel said quietly. Buffy sighed impatiently, ready to push them down the stairs. "I don't really care right now guys. Tomorrow." Angel looked at her for a moment. "We want you to be happy, Buffy. More than anything that's what we want." Buffy felt the twinge of sympathy for him again; this couldn't be easy right after losing Cordelia. She softened her tone. "I know. Can we please just leave it for tomorrow? Please?" She practically begged. He nodded and he and Giles headed downstairs together leaving Dawn and Clem still bouncing excitedly at the top of the stairs. "Don't think you two are going to stay up here all night and miss the party." Dawn said suddenly serious. "You can have sex anytime..." Buffy felt Spike freeze in shock at Dawn's words. "...but tonight is our celebration, of, well, everything." She grinned the cute Dawn grin at them quickly, and then it faded as she looked sternly at them. "And you both will be there." She finished firmly. "We will be, now go." Buffy said turning back towards Spike. "And Spike later on we can catch up. I'll tell you what you've been missing on Passions and about Dawson's Creek. Did you know it ended last year?" Clem added. "WHAT?!?!” Spike’s shout of outrage made Buffy look up at him, irritated that he just yelled in her ear, but he didn’t even notice. “No more Dawson's Creek? What happened with Joey and Pacey? Or did she choose that idiot Dawson?" Buffy’s irritation soon changed to amusement listening to him rant over his show. When Spike noticed Buffy and Dawn's amused looks he quickly tried to cover. "Right. We'll be downstairs soon I promise..." He finished shortly. Dawn and Clem finally turned and reluctantly headed down the stairs. He chuckled again in her ear. "When did your sister get so unbelievably scary, again?" He asked her. She smiled. "I don't know. I blame some of her childhood influences." She said, looking pointedly at him. He had the sense to duck his head sheepishly. "If you two aren't down here in 20 minutes..." Dawn’s voice called up to them. "Dawn, if you go now you can raid my closet for the next week without asking." She didn't even turn around to yell back at her sister. The sound of heels running down the stairs was her answer. "Come here" She said, laughing as she pulled him through the doorway back onto the balcony. "Are you going to hit me again?" She laughed. "I would say 'no', but this is you we're talking about." She closed her eyes and let the warm night air blow over her skin. She could feel the summer stars above her shining brightly. She held on to the rail of the balcony tightly as if to anchor herself and leaned back against him as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "So...." "So..." "You're the new walkie-talkie for the Powers?" "It seems that way. Haven't had a vision yet. From what I hear they aren't too much fun, but it can't be worse than that bloody chip." "How did this happen?" He laughed quietly. "Well, I died, again, as you may remember." He rubbed his jaw, which really ached. She gave him an almost apologetic smile. He just shook his head at her and continued. "Then who do I meet up with but Darla and Cordelia in the afterlife. That was just a barrel of fun, let me tell you. They got to drag me all around reality and back to cleanse me of my past misdeeds and a bunch of other nonsense and had way too much fun annoying the piss out of me along the way." Buffy looked pretty amused at that. "So that's why you were gone for so long?" "Yeah, I had quite a lot of misdeeds to atone for as I'm sure you can imagine." He said. She didn't even bother to respond to that. "I had forgotten what a pain Darla was and that, Cordelia, wasn't too much better. Bloody Angelus and his high maintenance women." At her tensing up he realized what he said. "Oh I didn't mean you, pet." He said apologetically. He continued wonderingly as he stared at the trees ahead of him. "You're a Queen; beautiful, commanding, powerful. They are just whining, spoiled princesses next to you." He finished derisively. She turned and looked up at him wide-eyed at what he just said. 'Bloody William and his poetry', Spike thought. "Uh right," he continued, relieved he couldn't blush at least. "Once I was forgiven and purged of my sins and all that rot it was time for me to move on with Darla, not to hell mind you, I got a get out of hell free card, at least. It was like some sort Purgatory, working for the Powers, like a civil servant. Cordelia was to come back and do her job here as walkie-talkie. Only your then your mum steps in and makes some appeal on my behalf to be allowed where she and Glinda were on the higher planes." "My mom. You saw my mom?" Buffy turned in his arms to watch him as talked. "Yeah. Evidently she, Glinda, and a couple of others somehow got together to try and help me." His voice was wondering as he remembered his surprise that anyone would care enough about what happened to him to stand up for him, much less Joyce of all people, especially after what he had done to her daughter. "Your mum told me how proud of you and Dawn she is. She's been watching from up there. She kept me up to date on what you two were up to." Buffy smiled thinking of her Mother with Tara on the higher planes watching over them. Spike paused for a few moments and studied her closely. "She told me you made a point to talk to me every night." She smiled up at him and nodded "but I thought that was just your stupid Slayer nobility", he continued "not because you actually missed...OW!!" He exclaimed as she leaned forward and bit him hard on his chest. "Sorry, but you were being stupid again." She smiled up at him, cheerily. "You didn't want me to hit you." She added innocently, blinking her eyes as if to further her proof. Her eyes widened when she felt him harden against her and realized just how much she preferred these dress pants to his usual jean. "If you have any hopes of us making down to that party, luv, I would recommend we not resort to biting." He almost purred in her ear. She was suddenly aware of those hands on her waist; his thumb was rubbing her hip through the light material. Her own hands were moving slowly and softly over his arms up to his neck. One hand came up to lightly stroke his cheek as she looked into his eyes. Now wasn't the time. She shook her head to clear it and took a step back. "My mom..." She reminded. "Your mom?" He asked his voice still low. He was still caught up in that energy. Not really believing at that moment he wasn't in heaven. Buffy was standing in his arms looking at him with such love. "Spike." She used the exasperated tone she knew would get his attention. "Your mum!! Right, thanks. Um, she's on the higher planes with the others, in a good place and she thought I should be there with them. The Powers seemed like they might agree with that when suddenly the Cheerleader gets all bent out shape and starts crying about not wanting to go back after everything that had happened to her and how it wouldn't be fair for them to let me move on Yada, yada." "What happened to Cordelia?" Buffy interrupted curiously, she really wanted to know what the back story was there. "That's not really my story tell. Its between her, Darla, and Angel." "Fine." Buffy said, trying not to get irritated. 'Someday I really want to know what went on there.' She thought to herself. "So wait", suddenly she realized where he was going with this. "The Powers made you come back instead of moving on? They made you replace Cordelia instead of being in heaven?" Her eyes began to tear in pain for him. "I'm so sorry, Spike." "Made me?" He snorted. "Hardly. The wankers gave me a "choice", but if that opportunity hadn't come up I would have found another way to come back." "What?" She asked surprised. "You could have moved on and been at peace. Hello, heaven? Why would you want to come back?" He didn't answer her, he pulled out of her arms and walked to the railing and looked out at the dark woods. "This place is really beautiful. I never spent too much time in these parts." He said trying to change the subject. Buffy came over and put a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. He looked down at his feet. "I never even considered it, you know." He said quietly, "It wasn't even an option. It wasn't going to be Heaven for me, it couldn't. Not without..." As his voice trailed off he looked at her, his eyes wet with unshed tears. It hit her, what he was saying. Tears welled up in her eyes and she took his face in her hands. She pulled him towards her and slowly kissed him as the tears ran down both their faces. As their kiss deepened, she remembered that they were on a time limit and Dawn would be up soon. With a groan she pulled herself away abruptly. He whimpered as he felt her step away and went to grab her back to him, but she danced out of his reach. "Now, I want to know why you waited a month, before seeing me or telling me you were alive." She switched the subject to a topic that wasn't going to make her want to kiss him. He gave her a wry look. "When I first got back they weren't quite sure what to make of me. Angel wasn't exactly jumping for joy that I replaced Cordelia. Also there had been a bit of trouble last year when she came back from the higher planes, part of that other business..." "Which I can't know about..." She interrupted frustrated. He continued on as if he didn't hear her. "They wanted to make sure I wasn't going to pull a repeat." "And we're going to get to the part about not telling Buffy when?" "They didn't want to tell you until they were sure they weren't going to have to kill me again. They didn't want to put you through that. I didn't argue too much because I knew that I wasn't evil and I knew from your mom that you were Ok and happy. If anything happened to change that Angel would be one of the first people to know and I could be here quickly if you needed me." He frowned. "Plus Peaches seemed to need the time to adjust to the situation. It wasn't like I was expecting any of this when I saw you again. I figured you had moved on to have your normal life, with a normal guy." "So if you weren't expecting this, why would you choose come back?" Buffy asked him confused. "It's where I belong. I told you I would never leave you." He shrugged helplessly. If he didn't stop being so sweet she was going to forget the party and probably scar her little sister when she came up to get them. Time to change topics again. Something that wouldn’t make her think about him naked. "Since when do you care about how Angel's feeling?" She asked him. "Its one of the bloody side effects of this soul. He pouts and I actually feel sorry for the Poof." Buffy wondered for the millionth time what had happened to Angel. She knew they had grown apart, but evidently she missed some very critical things if even Spike was worried about him. Maybe she should try and talk to him later. "Its alright, luv." He said, reading her mind, it thrilled her he could still do that. "He'll be ok." She could see he was trying not to look concerned. She smiled when she realized she knew exactly what he was thinking. "I know. He's my friend, though, and I'm worried about him." She put emphasis on the word friend. She remembered when he told her that she and Angel would never be friends because of their love. "Buffy?" He asked quietly. "I love you." She answered firmly. He moved closer and put his arms around her again. "I think it may take a while before it sinks in and I believe you." "Well, I'll just have to work on convincing you then." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her close and bent down to kiss her. She tensed in anticipation of feeling his lips again. "Ok you two, times up." Buffy glared over at her sister and Clem. "I'm sorry guys, I didn't want to interrupt you, but she said it was our duty to make sure you made it to the party." Clem explained. Buffy sighed in defeat and looked at Spike; he shrugged at her in response. "Ok Dawn, we're ready to go to the party." "Not like that you aren't. Your hair is a mess again, plus your eye makeup is even more smeared. You need to fix yourself up." She walked over and looked at Spike. "You should take off the coat and stay a while." She said sarcastically. Spike smiled down at her. "You know Nibblet, you are getting to be as beautiful and as bossy as your sister." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I seem to recall it was 'commanding' a few minutes ago." Buffy teased him about his poetic slip earlier. "Although, I have to agree with her on losing the coat and staying awhile.” “You weren't planning on going anywhere were you?" Buffy asked him. "Not unless you are." He answered her. "Come on you put you coat on the couch." She pulled away from him and walked over to the doors leading to her living room. She tried to ignore the feeling of loss that went through her when she let go of him. She walked into her living room and heard Spike gasp at the opulence of her suite. Buffy grinned at him. "Like my new home?" "God, pet, this is all yours?" "Yep, I had to redecorate it of course. Before it was filled with all this ancient, gaudy stuff from like the Victorian era." Spike gave her a side glance. "So, you think the Victorian era is ancient, then?" She remembered at that point that that was actually the time period he had lived in. "Well, not ancient, ancient. Not like Ancient Egypt of anything." She tried to cover lamely. He smiled, amused at her attempt. "I need to go fix my hair." She ran off to her bathroom. Dawn and Clem had immediately sat themselves on one of the large black leather couches and started playing some car game with bad 80's music playing in the back ground. While Spike laid his coat on one of the sofas and wandered around looking at Buffy’s home. "Dawn, where did your sis get the money for all this stuff?" Spike asked her taking in the living room. It was quite large with high ceilings and tall windows. It had several overstuffed black leather couches sitting on a plush deep green area rug. A flat screen plasma TV hung on the wall with some Bose stereo speakers. There was a large entertainment center filled with game consoles, a DVD player and a state of the art stereo system as well as another TV for games. In the corner was a large desk with a computer set up on it and a telephone. "The Council paid for it." Dawn said smugly. Spike shook his head and laughed imagining how Buffy had managed to convince Giles to shell out all this money for her rooms. Spike moved into the small kitchen area that was set off to the side of the living room. It was equipped with a refrigerator, stove, a microwave and an island with barstools around it for eating. He opened the fridge hoping against hope to find a beer, but all that was in there was a half empty bottle of wine, some cans of Diet Coke and some yogurt. Not even a crumb of any sort of real food. This was definitely Buffy's kitchen. “I see she still hasn’t grasped the concept of cooking.” He commented. Dawn laughed. “Actually, she has gotten better. She can now make instant macaroni and cheese, and instant hot chocolate without a large disaster.” She told him. “That’s something at least.” Spike muttered. “I wouldn’t recommend eating the Mac & Cheese, though.” Clem told him. “The last time I did I was sick for days.” “That’s because she decided it was too bland and tried to fix it with various spices. Ginger, Cinnamon and Dill really shouldn’t be used together.” Spike just shook his head imagining Buffy opening up various containers, sniffing them and then dumping random amounts in a pot. “She’s good with the hot chocolate, though.” “Yup, just add water, not even she could mess that up.” Spike wandered to the back of the living room, past the black lacquer dining table. There was a small half bathroom for guests and a short marble staircase. He wandered up the ten stairs to find Buffy’s bedroom. The room had been done in a Moroccan style with deep blues, purple, reds, and greens. A large king sized bed sat to the left of the doorway draped with sheer curtains that had a metallic paisley design imprinted on them. There were two small tables on either side of the bed where her alarm clock sat and what he assumed was the charger for her cell phone. There were three walk-in closets that Buffy had filled to capacity (thanks again to the Watcher's Council he assumed). Off to the right was another small, dark narrow stair that went up a few feet before opening into her bathroom. It had rose-colored marble floors and walls. A marble tub sat sunken into a pedestal of marble in front of a wall of windows facing the trees. There was a fancy new shower, the kind with several jets at varying heights and angles. There was a long vanity with two sinks running along a wall of mirrors. Buffy was in the bathroom standing there facing the mirror, with a happy smile on her face. She didn't seem to notice him yet so he moved further into the bathroom, coming up behind her. Buffy looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. The hair was definitely in need of some help and her eye make up had that always-fashionable raccoon look. However, her eyes glowed with happiness, she didn't know she had. Her smile widened as she felt a presence next to her in the bathroom. She watched in the mirror, as her brush seemed to float off the counter and start running itself gently through her tangled hair. She giggled at the sight. A small shiver ran through her as he lightly brushed some of her hair back away from her neck. "Happy, pet?" "On a scale of one to ten, I'm at about 50." "Well come on then, lets go celebrate, then we'll see if we can't make that up to 100." "Hello, I can't go like this. I need to fix my makeup first." She picked up a towel off the counter and turned on the sink to wash the offending make up off her face before applying a fresh batch. "You look perfect to me." She smiled at the compliment. "Yeah, but you have to say that." She told him before splashing water on her face. "So what do you think of the place?" She asked over the now running water. "Its beautiful. I can't believe you convinced the Watcher to buy you all this stuff with the Council's money." She gave him a sly look. It had irritated Buffy to no end how much money the Council actually had, considering they never offered to pay her, instead making her slave in that grease trap after her mom had died. Well she made sure that they made up for it when she decorated her suite. "Oooh." Suddenly he understood. "You didn't ask did you, pet?" "Originally I had full access to the accounts to fix this place up and buy myself a few things." "How long did it take for you to lose that access?" She giggled impishly before starting to wash her face off. He loved the way her laugh sounded. He always dreamed of being around her when she was happy and relaxed so he could hear her laugh this freely. "It was right after they delivered my Italian, Marble, Jacuzzi tub," she rinsed the soap off her face before continuing, "but believe me that tub is more than worth the price of the Wrath of Giles." She said after she wiped her face dry with the towel. The image of her soaking in that tub naked almost made him dizzy for a moment. Then another image came unwanted to his mind, from another bathroom, another time. The sound of crying filled his brain and he felt dizzy again for a different reason. She was reapplying her eye make up in the mirror so she didn't see his face blanch as he took a step away from her in sudden fear. He turned and walked out of the bathroom quickly to regain control over the memories and their accompanying emotions. He walked over to the windows in her bedroom and stared out into the darkness before him. He swore to himself again and again that he was going to be good. There would be no sign of his old cocky, evil self. He was going to be good for her. He would be the perfect gentleman. He had another chance with her and he was determined not to mess it up this time. "I know I went kinda Jessica Simpson with all this stuff." She continued their conversation as she entered the bedroom, make up now back to Buffy standards, completely unaware of the internal struggle going on within him. "I mean who really needs 77 pairs of shoes.” She gestured towards the stairs leading down to her living room. “I don't even know how to work most of the stuff in the entertainment center. Dawn and Clem use it more than I do." Then she noticed him standing quietly by the windows and realized he hadn't heard a word she said. She walked over to him and put a hand on his arm. "Hey Bleach Boy, are you OK?" She asked softly. He turned and smiled what he hoped was a carefree smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." She narrowed her eyes. She could tell he was lying, she just wasn’t sure if she should press him or not. "I'm just thinking these rooms of yours have a lot of large windows and the only 'curtains' are around your bed." She gave him a look that clearly said she knew that wasn't what he was thinking about, but she let it slide for now. "Well it isn't like I have to worry about anyone seeing in, unless they are of the fluffy-tailed squirrel variety." "I was thinking more of crispy fried vampire." "Oh." She said understanding, and then her eyes lit up. "Well that is something you don't have to worry about." She gestured to the windows in front of them. "These and all of the others are coated with a special no-frying vamps coating." When he just looked at her confused she explained further. "You know like Angel's office at Wolfram & Hart." She moved to wrap her arms around him when he stepped away from her. Surprised she looked up at him and saw what seemed a lot like anger in his eyes. "And you have this on the windows in your bedroom and bath because...?" His voice came out tight and quiet. "Because every window in the mansion has the same coating." She said defensively, getting slightly angry that his thoughts led him to that conclusion. "Oh." He said, cursing himself for not remembering his promise just a few moments before to not act like an arrogant ass anymore. "Yeah, oh." She said turning around to walk down the stairs. "Buffy." He called out to her desperately, terrified by the sight of her walking away. She turned at his voice, saw the fear in his eyes and immediately melted. "I'm sorry, luv. This is all just kind of overwhelming. I don't know what to think. I guess it’s just easier to believe nothings changed, really." She smiled at him reassuringly and held her hands out to him. He stepped forward quickly and took her hands in his, holding them tightly. "For us everything has changed." She said soothingly, looking into his eyes willing him to see that. She could see the fear, doubt and love looking back at her. "Let's just get through this party tonight, then we can spend the rest of our lives getting used to it, Ok." She told him softly. His heart soared at her words. "I love you." He whispered. The smile that lit up her face at his words was like watching the sun come out. "I love you, too." It was like music to him, a favorite song he wanted to play over and over. She leaned forward and lightly kissed him. "You two better not be having sex up there." Dawn's voice came up the stairs pulling them apart. They groaned at the interruption. "I really think you let her spend way too much time with Anya." Spike told her laughing. Her patented eye roll was his only response. "We're not having sex, Dawnie." Buffy yelled down to her sister trying to use her best 'mom' voice. "We're coming now." She sighed resigned. She took one of her hands back from Spike and turned to lead him down the stairs into the living room. He had other ideas and didn't move with her instead pulling her back against him tightly. "Not yet, but later we will be." He whispered in her ear before releasing her to stroll down the stairs. "Hey! That's just mean." She whined as she followed him.

Chapter #4 - Celebration

After fixing Buffy's hair and make up, the four of them entered the crowded ball room. There were easily a hundred people in the room, most all of them members of the Council that Angel found. Classical music played over the stereo system that had been set up for the occasion. Waiters walked around with trays of drinks. Everyone looked very nice and it all seemed very cultured and polite. Buffy was disappointed, a celebration this was not. Buffy spotted Faith as soon as she walked in. She had on a tight black velvet dress that clung to her every curve and had her practically popping out on top. Faith looked bored, but when she saw Buffy she gave her a sly grin and a wink, that earned her a glare in return. "Spike?" Buffy remembered something she heard Faith say upstairs. He looked at her in answer. "What did Faith mean when she said 'He said you had it in you.' upstairs?" His eyes got very wide, both Buffy and Dawn were looking at him with a look that had to be a genetic. He quickly looked around the room for an escape. "No clue, Luv." He said. "I'm going to go check on my favorite forehead, he’s probably off brooding in a corner. I'll find you in a few." With that he gave her a quick kiss dashed off quickly with Clem trying to keep up. He risked a glance back at Buffy and knew by the look on her face that he was going to hear it later. He smiled as he turned back around, that was ok. She loved him. That fact made anything bearable. Even this stupid party. As he picked his way deeper into the crowd he began to feel eyes following him as he moved. He looked at all the uptight Council jerks, suddenly noticing that they all seemed to be studying him. Most were subtle about it averting there eyes quickly when he looked at them. Some were more obvious openly staring at him, curiously. The way a few of them watched him reminded him of the Initiative blokes who would come and study him in his cage. He grimaced at the memory. He continued to make his way across the floor to Angel, but he paid more attention to the conversations around him. "...killed two Slayers..." "...that's the second vampire she's..." "...the records are unclear; some say Angelus, some say Drusilla..." "...the four of them were an unholy force..." "...she trusts them?" "...shouldn't be allowed..." "...they both have souls?" "...had a chip..." "...couldn't feed..." "...in love with both of them..." By the time he reached Angel he wanted to kill something. "I've been trying to shut it out myself." Angel said knowing that look on Spike's face. He took a long drink out of his glass, before Spike grabbed it from his hand and finished it. "You would think with all their research on vampires they would remember the sensitive hearing." Spike snapped loudly. Some of them had the manners to look embarrassed, all of them moved away from the two. "You always did have a way with people, William." Angel said smiling. Clem had finally caught up with Spike, Xander and Andrew followed closely behind. Over the summer Xander and Andrew had become like brothers. They had their mutual love for comic books and all other things nerd-like, but what truly connected them was Anya. Andrew never stopped wondering about the young woman who had essentially died for him. Xander looked out for him because in a way it brought him closer to Anya. It didn't stop Andrew from being annoying, but most everyone was getting better at tolerating him. "Some of these humans are so rude. One of them actually stopped me and used me as a visual display." Clem complained as he walked up. "Luckily I was able to step in and rescue him before they started the actual dissection." Xander said proudly. "Deadboy, Deadboy Jr." He acknowledged Spike and Angel. Xander was still Xander even with only one eye. Not only was he the in charge of the upkeep and construction around the school, he was also a counselor for the girls. He had helped more than a few of the more experienced Slayers through their nightmares and fears since their last fight with the First, not to mention helping Buffy on those occasions when, no matter how hard she tried, the pain and regrets came slinking into her mind and she would go to him and cry on his shoulder. He was the only one she confided to about what all had happened between her and Spike. Surprisingly he didn't ever judge her or even scold her for her actions. He would comfort her and tell her it would be alright, and then make her laugh in that way only Xander could. "Xander when are you going to stop calling me that?" Angel asked tiredly. "Probably never." Spike snickered. Just then Robin walked up. He gave Spike a cold impassive stare. "Xander have you seen Faith anywhere?" "No. Have you checked the largest collection of handsome men?" Xander wasn’t sure what the relationship was between Robin and Faith. They both insisted they were only friends, but at the same time, they were very rarely apart. "She was by the door when we came in. Buffy and Dawn are with her somewhere now." Spike answered Robin. Robin turned his eyes back on Spike. For a long moment no one said anything brown eyes met blue levelly. Finally Robin looked away first and scanned the crowd for any sign of the two oldest Slayers. "That won't be good. I know Faith was complaining of boredom when I left her." Robin said. "You better go find them. Bored Slayers are dangerous Slayers, especially Buffy and Faith." Xander quipped. Robin glared coldly at Spike before moving on to find Faith. "I'm going to go too and see where Dawn went." Clem said following Robin. "I didn‘t realize you and our new principal were so close Spike." Angel‘s tone of voice asked the questions his words didn‘t. Spike looked uncomfortable. "I can't believe he and Buffy dated." Andrew said staring after Robin, oblivious to any other conversation going on. "Oh" Angel said with knowing smirk. "He doesn't know?" Xander asked Spike. "I would've thought one of you Scoobies would regale him with that tale while I was gone." Spike said stiffly. Xander didn't reply to that. Spike sighed. "Do you remember Nikki?" Spike asked Angel. "Nikki?" "The Slayer I killed in New York." "You know her name?!" Angel's voice was surprised sarcasm. "She was his mum." Angel was shocked. "He tried to kill Spike last year. Locked him in a garage filled with crosses and weapons, then used some mind control implanted in Spike from the First to call out his Demon and proceeded to beat on him." Andrew excitedly filled Angel in. "What?!?! "Angel asked angrily, Spike was his Childe after all and nothing about that sounded fair. "He and the Watcher teamed up to keep Buffy from knowing and said they were taking me some place 'safe'." Spike added dryly. "I don't blame the bloke for trying or wanting me dead for that matter. I just wasn't about to let him kill me." "I thought you and Buffy weren't together last year?" Angel asked. "Huh?" Spike looked at him confused. "We weren't. What brought that up?" "Why else would Giles have wanted you dead? You had a soul." Spike didn't answer, his mind was contemplating what Angel had just said. "Yeah but he was killing things." Andrew broke in unwanted "He broke through a wall to try and kill me. Of course that was because the First made him. That was also before we went on our top secret mission together and became friends." Angel and Xander looked amused. "Do you think now that you are back from the dead they'll send us on any more secret missions?" Andrew continued on before anyone else could and change the subject. "It could be like it was before. Do you still have the Hog? The two of us back together like Batman and Robin." Angel broke out laughing. Spike smiled slowly. "Hey Andrew, remember that story you told me on the way back from our mission to make sure I didn't fall asleep?" "Oh! You mean the one about how I first met Buffy up until the point where we were on your motorcycle." "That's the one.” God how he wished he could forget it. “I told Angel a bit about it and he's been dying to hear it first hand." He heard Angel choke behind him. "Great. I can even tell him what's happened since then." Andrew walked over to Angel and began talking excitedly. “It started about 9 years ago…” "I think I'm going to get another drink." Angel said, defeated as he walked to the bar with Andrew following behind barely even pausing in his story for breath. After watching Spike disappear into the crowd Dawn and Buffy headed over to talk to Faith. "Hey B, didn't expect to see you again so soon." Faith greeted her as they walked up. "Yeah, well Dawn wanted to make sure we were present for this bowl full o'fun." "I know. What's up with this? I thought we were gonna have a party and instead we have a bunch of old dusty people making with the chit chat." "I blame Giles." Buffy said. “Who else could turn a happy celebration into this.” Faith agreed with her. Dawn had been looking around at the guests, not really paying attention to Buffy and Faith, she noticed that many of them seemed to be studying the girls. She thought she heard the word 'key' mentioned more than once. "Guys," She interrupted Faith and Buffy. "Do either of you notice the stares we are getting?" Buffy looked around and saw several sets of eyes glance away from hers as she scanned the room. "Its been like that since I got here. For a while I tried to listen to some of their conversations, but I didn't like what I heard too much. A few have come up and asked me some stuff, trying to be all polite and crap. They are real interested in us. Some grilled me about being locked up, some wanted the scoop on Wes and Giles, and more than a few asked about ‘The Key’. But B and her boyfriends, both past and present seems like a favorite topic." Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Hey, don't give me the evil look, girlfriend, I put them in their place, but it doesn't seem to have fazed them too much." "I am not going to spend the night being studied by a bunch of Watchers. There are other things I could be doing right now." Buffy said angrily. “Like getting to know that blonde hunk of yours?” Faith asked her. Buffy only gave her a sly grin as response. "So we're going to ditch the party?" Dawn asked sounding disappointed. "No." Buffy answered. "Not yet, I have an idea. Faith, go round up the girls and our gang, meet me by the back of the ball room in 5. I'm going to go find Lorne." Faith grinned. "So I take we are going to have a little back room private party for ourselves?" "If you'd rather stay here and be a lab rat for Council Curiosity, be my guest." "What can I do, Buffy?" Dawn asked. "First, go upstairs and find us some real music, then find Spike and Clem and make sure they know what's going on." She paused a moment. "Actually you better find Spike and Clem first." "You mean before Spike eats some curious Council member." "That's the general idea." Dawn turned to walk away. "Hey brat, if you see Robin..." "I'll let him know where you are Faith. Although, he should appear any minute, its been a whole 10 minutes, you two usually aren't apart that long." Faith glared at her back as she walked away. "Ok, lets do this." She said to Buffy. The two girls set off on their respective missions. As Spike watched Angel and Andrew walk away with an evil grin he became aware that he was left alone with Xander. He looked over at him and realized he couldn't be considered a "whelp" anymore. He had grown up in the past 5 years. There was a calm about him now that he didn't have before. Spike hadn't ever known any humans long enough to watch them change as they aged. A strange discomfort came over him as he looked at the young man before him seeing how much he had aged. "Harris." He said feeling that Xander had something on his mind. "We need to talk Spike." Xander said seriously. In his head Spike groaned. He knew it was going to happen eventually. He had hoped to have a few days before the threats started. "Look, Harris, I know this diddy. If I hurt Buffy you are going to stake me. You may just do it anyhow on principle. I am an Evil Undead thing." He intoned as if reading from a script. "Hey! Wow that was pretty good. We trained you well." Spike fought not to growl at him, the boy evidently still hadn't learned any manners. Xander nodded at Spike's face, but continued anyway. "Actually I was going to say Thank You." Spike felt his jaw drop and he gaped at Xander. "I remember that you were the one who pulled Caleb off of me that night in the winery. If it weren't for you I could be completely blind right now or worse. With the whole crazy apocalypse thing I never got to thank you." "Yeah, well, the only reason I did that was because they Slayer would have been real upset if she lost you.“ Spike told him honestly. "That's the other thing. I know that you won't ever do anything to hurt her because you love her too much. I trust you with her; I know that you don‘t ever want to do anything that would hurt her." Xander looked away out at the crowded ball room. Spike didn't think his jaw could drop any farther. "I mean after the THIRD time you got tortured for her I figured you had to love her. No one could be that twisted." He paused "Please tell me you're not that twisted, are you?" Xander half-joked uncomfortably, looking back at him. "As hard as all this is for me to admit," Xander continued after getting no response from Spike. "those stupid faces you keep making make it a lot easier." Spike snapped his mouth shut and clenched his jaw. "There you are!!" Xander said with a small grin. "Look, Buffy has been doing great all year, better than great. She has been more alive and happier than I have ever seen her. She got her fire back and she let go of a lot of the pain and guilt she was holding onto. Yet there always seemed to be something missing in her. A couple of times she woke me up in the middle of the night, knocking on my door with tears running down her face. I would hold her until she calmed down, then we would talk. She finally told me everything that happened between the two of you." Spike swallowed and waited. "She told me that when we first brought her back that you were the only one she could stand to be around. She told me how you listened to her and made her feel like she wasn’t some sort of freak. She told me that she treated you horribly and you still loved her and wouldn’t leave no matter how hard she tried to make you hate her. She said without you she probably would have found a way to die in the first 3 months.” Xander watched Spike as he told him this, he didn’t want to say these things to him, but in all honesty Spike deserved to know. “She told me, without you, she would never have had the strength or the courage to defeat the First. She said that your love and trust in her made her face what she had to do. You were the only one who believed in her and were there for her after we...uh...we... "Threw her out on her arse like a bunch of ingrates." Spike finished for him. "Not quite what I was going for, but ultimately true." Xander paused, shifted his feet and looked around the room. Spike watched him. Finally Xander fixed his eye on Spike. "Look, you should know she's been trying to live her life without regrets, she said everything that has happened has made her who she is today and taught her something. The one regret she couldn't let go of was that you died not believing she loved you and the time she wasted because she should have told you before." Spike turned around quickly and walked over to look out of a window. He was not going to let Harris see him with tears in his eyes. Soul or no soul there had to be line somewhere, he couldn't go completely soft. Thankfully the boy understood that and let him go. He hoped there weren't going to be anymore revelations tonight, he wasn't sure he could take much more of this. He swore again that he was going to be a stand up man for her. He was going to be as good as gold, the perfect gentleman. This time he wasn't going to muck it all up. He would be perfect... what she deserved no matter what it took. He got himself back under control and walked back over to Xander. Angel and Andrew had just gotten back and Angel looked miserable. He reminded Spike of one of those animals ready to chew off its own limb to get away. Gunn approached quickly from behind Xander. "I don't want to interrupt your male bonding session here guys, but this you must see." "What's going on?" Xander asked. "I can't even describe it you just have to see it for yourselves." They moved to follow him along the wall of the ballroom avoiding the stuffy party guests. In the far corner there was a doorway that led into another room. Gone was the classical music and stuffy Council members. They were in a large living room that opened up onto a large patio in the back. Off to the right was the poo,l closed off by a glass wall. There were 5 overstuffed sofas in the middle of the room, on the left wall was a fully stocked bar. Loud dance music pounded from behind the bar where Lorne was obviously enjoying his role as DJ and bartender, several young Slayers danced close to him. "Hey guys. Where have you been?" He called to them over the loud dance music. "You have to go check out the scene on the porch. Pure magic." They made their way through the crowded room. Everywhere there were young Slayers giggling and talking having fun. Wesley and Fred were with a few of the more progressive Council members talking on the couch. "Hey. How come everyone else was here having fun while I was stuck with Nerd Boy and the Undead Twins?" Xander complained. Gunn didn't answer and the others chose to ignore him as they followed Gunn out onto the patio. Spike noticed Robin standing just outside of the doorway staring intently at the large group dancing on the patio. Andrew quickly ran out and joined Dawn and Clem cutting up and laughing at each other's cheesy disco moves. A few of the young Slayers with them Spike recognized from before. Willow and her little girlfriend were moving slowly together unaware of the world around them. In the middle was a sight that made his knees go weak. Buffy and Faith were wrapped around each other dancing seductively together. Both girls had their eyes closed lost in the rhythm of the music. Faith was behind Buffy facing her; she had her hands on Buffy's hip guiding her as they moved. Buffy was leaned back into Faith both arms raised, pushing her chest out enticingly. Her hands were holding on to the back of Faith's neck as she moved along with her. Her iridescent dress looked alive and liquid in the moonlight. She was so beautiful free and wild like that, completely lost in the music. He quickly looked away and tightened his fists trying clear his head. Then he noticed the look on Angel and Gunn's face. He looked to his other side and saw Harris wasn't in much better shape. As the music surged the girls broke away from each other spinning and moving to the music before coming back to each other moving together, up and down on the dance floor. Buffy grabbed Faith's shoulders as Faith again pulled Buffy to her by her hips. Blonde and brown hair flew wildly around as the girls lost themselves together letting go completely. For several seconds Spike saw nothing through his haze of jealousy and lust. The urge to grab her, take her and claim her as his was overwhelming. He wanted to show all these other men exactly who she belonged to. No!!! He shook his head quickly trying clear it. He fought to keep his demon under control. In his head he heard crying; he could see Buffy pain and fear on her face laying on her bathroom floor looking up at him. He stepped back at the pain exploding in his chest. His demon shrank back at the memory of hurting Buffy. He noticed the music had stopped he was struggling for control. He was shaking slightly from the effort it took to control his demon, his hands and jaw clenched tight. He looked over at Xander then Angel both had dazed expressions on their faces, neither had noticed his struggle it seemed. Gunn had a huge smile, only Robin looked unaffected by the scene. Noticing a bench behind him Spike dropped down on it suddenly feeling exhausted from his inner battles. Xander and Angel followed his example. "I can die happy now." Xander said in awe, both Angel and Spike glared at him. Xander didn't even notice. Spike looked out at the girls and saw that they were all standing there talking and laughing, acting for all the world like they didn’t know they just had every man in the room captivated. Feeling his eyes on her Buffy looked up at him. Her face lit up in a warm smile that came unconsciously to her face as soon as she saw him. She seemed to float over to him and he was again shocked by the thought that she loved him. She loved him and he could see it clearly on her face. Everything else flew out of his head and he felt himself grinning at her foolishly, feeling like a school boy. She sat down on his lap and he felt a shiver of pleasure go through him at the contact, he was pleased to note a similar shiver run through her. They exchanged a knowing look. "Hey Buffster." Xander said weakly. "Those were some dance moves out there." Spike glared at him again, but Buffy just laughed. "Sometimes after Faith and I would patrol we'd be wound up, so we'd go out dancing." She explained. Spike’s hands on her waist clenched unconsciously, again, at the thought of all the men that had watched her dance like that. She looked at him curiously, but he kept his face blank. Xander whistled his mind on the same track as Spike‘s. "I bet you made a lot of men cry in their beers." He said. Buffy shrugged "Most of them were fine and left us alone." Buffy said simply. "The ones who didn't learned their lesson the hard way." Faith added walking up to them with Willow and Kennedy, as always Robin shadowed her. She and Buffy laughed together. "Hey you two, no teasing and terrorizing locals, you keep that up and we'll have to send a chaperone along with you next time." Willow scolded "Something tells me B is going to have an alternative method to blow off steam from now on." Faith said with a grin. Buffy blushed and looked up at Spike as Kennedy started rambling about how she and Rhona didn’t need to go out to let off steam. Spike was looking through her at something only he could see. His eyes were stormy and his fists were still clenched in the fabric of her dress. "Hey there, Space boy, come back to Earth." She teased getting his attention, his eyes were definitely not happy. "Didn't you like my dancing?" Buffy asked innocently, batting her eyes coquettishly and smiling up at him. "About as much as every other man here. Oh and apparently Northern California, as well." He growled at her. Buffy looked at Spike amused as she leaned forward and affectionately hugged him. "Yeah, but you get to have the knowledge that you are the one I'm thinking about when I'm dancing like that." She whispered softly, making sure not even Angel could hear her. She pulled back and laughed low when he inhaled sharply enjoying the effect her words had on him. She caught sight of Giles walking up to them quickly, looking much stressed. "Hey Giles, that's a raging party you've got going on in there." She said as he walked up. "Yes thank you, Buffy." He said distractedly. "Um, Willow I need to speak with you, right now, please." With that he turned and walked quickly back inside. "Ok Giles." She shrugged over at Buffy and Xander who looked at her in question and turned to follow him. She had to almost run to catch up to him. Buffy looked over at Angel suspiciously. "Hey don't look at me. I don't know anything." Buffy bit back the comment that came into her mind, but he saw it on her face. "Buffy!!!" Dawn's nervous voice caused her to jump slightly in Spike's lap. "We should take Angel and Spike to that place in the woods where we sat and talked that day. Remember that place? We should go there. Now." "Hey Brat, you been drinking Espressos again?" Faith asked "Faith!! Oh!!” Dawn’s eyes widened even further. “You should come with us on our walk. A walk would be good don't you think?" Xander stood up and put his arm on Dawn's shoulder to hold her still as she shifted nervously. "A walk in the woods...at night...in the dark...in evening wear..."Xander asked her incredulously, and then he caught sight of something inside. "...sounds like a good idea to me. We should definitely go for a walk." Robin and Faith noticed Xander's gaze and turned to look. They saw Willow, Giles, Wesley and Fred talking to a young couple with their backs to them. Buffy got off Spike's lap and walked over to her sister and her friend. "Are you two feeling all right? You're acting all wiggy." She asked concerned. She saw Xander frantically signaling her with his good eye. She shifted her eyes in the house and turned to Spike and Angel quickly. "A WALK.” She said loudly as she caught sight of what had Dawn and Xander so frazzled. “A walk does sound refreshing. " "Slayer, what’s got your knickers in a bunch?" "No knickers bunching, not at all. And really you need to get some new expressions. Just have excess energy. Know what's good for that? A walk. Or a swim. Did you know we have a pool? Let's go look at the pool." She stepped forward to pull Spike and Angel up. They moved together away from the door while Dawn and Xander grabbed Faith to pull her along behind the others. Just then Giles and a guilty looking Willow walked out the patio door with the young couple. Faith gasped when she recognized the young man. "Oh shit." She said. Angel and Spike turned to look back and froze. Defeated Buffy let go of the vampires and walked over to the newcomers. "Hi Riley, Sam." Buffy's voice squeaked out nervously. Riley's face was stone as he noticed Angel. Then he saw Spike and she saw his eyes flare with hate. Trying to act like that wasn't what she was doing Buffy moved in between Riley and Spike "Buffy." Riley said he took her hand and stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek. Angel and Spike both stepped closer at that. "You look lovely, as always." He said smoothly. "Thank you, Riley. You look good, too." She hugged Sam lightly. "Sam, you look beautiful." "Thank you Buffy. It's great to see you again." She smiled, warmly at Buffy, but she was keeping a close eye on her husband who was still eyeing Angel and Spike warily. "You remember Dawn and Xander." Buffy stepped out of the way as they came forward putting more people between Riley and the two vampires. Xander and Riley greeted each other and Dawn and Sam hugged. "This is Willow's girlfriend Kennedy." Kennedy smiled and waved, Buffy fought the urge to roll her eyes. "And this is Angel and Spike." Sam smiled politely and held out her hand to them. Riley tensed, but didn't say anything. "It's nice to meet you." Spike said as he stepped up next to Buffy and shook her hand aware of Riley watching him. Angel repeated his actions and stood on the other side of Buffy. Faith was trying to slip away unnoticed behind them, but Robin stepped forward cutting off her escape and introduced himself. "I'm Robin Wood." He said to Riley "I'm going to be the school's principle." "Riley Finn. It's nice to meet you." Riley noticed Faith looking at him from behind Robin. "I'm sorry. I'm Riley" he said. Robin moved out of the way and Riley stepped forward with his hand out to her. Buffy spoke before she could stop herself. "Oh you've met her before Riley. You remember Faith, don't you?" She said sweetly. Riley quickly withdrew his hand. Sam's smile faltered. Faith looked like she wanted to crawl away. Willow finally broke the awkward silence before things could get any worse. "So, um, I've been e-mailing Sam about our adventures. You know keeping them updated and all. Turns out the government is interested in our school and would like to form some sort of communication agreement. Remember Buffy, Giles told us someone from the government contacted him. Well anyhoo, they decided to send Sam and Riley to initiate that because of all the history." Willow's voice got higher and faster as she talked. "I don't mean HISTORY, history. Not bad history anyhow. History as in stuff from the past, it doesn't have to be bad." "Willow." Kennedy said stopping her rambling before it got worse. "Thanks, sweetie. Although you are supposed to stop me before I get to that point." She whispered loudly to her. "I know. You're just so cute when you get all worked up and your face turns red." "What kind of agreement?" Buffy asked Riley ignoring the two girls. "I'm not sure about government involvement in this. They didn't handle things too well the last time." Angel said at the same time. "Well of course this will be something we'll have to sit down and talk about at great length, not tonight." Giles soothed Angel. "Well, I should be getting back in to the REAL party. There are guests I must see to." He shot a glare at Buffy and Faith, who looked at the floor. "I will need all of you to come in soon, there is going to be a presentation of sorts." "OOOOOH. Sound like even more rockin' fun G-man." Buffy answered back teasing him. Giles just sighed and walked away muttering to himself about insufferable children. “Is it me or is he getting MORE English in his old age?” Buffy joked trying to interrupt the glaring match between Angel and Riley. “If by English you mean stiff, proper and way too uptight that would be a definite yes.” Xander jumped in an attempt to help Buffy. “Uh, excuse me you two, English, not uptight, standing right here.” Spike cut in. Buffy gave him an apologetic shrug. "Is there something you don't want the government to know?" Riley asked Angel. Buffy and Sam both winced at his tone and Angel clenched his jaw. Then he smiled coldly remembering how good it felt to hit this boy. Riley responded by tensing perceptively, his eyes hard and challenging. Spike recognized Angelus on Angel's face and realized he was going to have to be the one who took charge of this situation. He really wanted nothing more than to hit the boy himself, but he had to be good for Buffy. "Come on Peaches. I need another drink and a smoke. Let's hit the bar." Buffy looked up at him surprised but grateful as he grabbed Angel's arm and steered him into the living room to Lorne and the bar. Faith used this as her chance to escape and followed quickly behind the two. "So Sam," Dawn said, trying to lighten the mood. "Have you been any place exciting lately?" "Actually we just got back from Thailand." Sam answered regaining her smile finally. She started telling the others about their latest adventures in Thailand moving away from Riley and Buffy. Riley stared at her for a moment. "Thank you for your help last year." She said quietly. "Willow told Sam he died." "He did. The Powers That Be sent him back. I just found out tonight." Riley shook his head and laughed bitterly at that. After a moment. "Are you happy Buffy?" "I am." She said with a genuine smile. She looked behind him and saw Spike gaping at a red faced Faith while Lorne laughed. "Riley, I'm going to go inside. This is just uncomfortable for both of us." "They should probably send someone else to be the main contact between the school and the government." He agreed. "No, you could do that. I don't think I'm going to stay here." She told him. "Your not?" He was surprised by that. "Nope. I want to travel the world. See some of these sights you and Sam talk about." "Is HE going with you?" Riley asked, not bothering to try and hide the bitterness in his voice. Buffy paused. "I don't know I haven't asked him. Or told him I want to go. Like I said tonight is the first I've seen him since..." her voice trailed off as she watched Spike. He was watching Angel tease Faith about something a relaxed smile on his face. Her chest swelled with happiness as she realized again that he was really back. Feeling her watching him he raised his eyes to meet hers. She felt an overwhelming need to go touch him to make sure he wasn't going to disappear. "Excuse me, Riley." She said absently as she headed inside. He grabbed her arm as she moved to walk past him. He spoke urgently to her. "Part of me will always love you Buffy. While I don't approve of your choices, I want you to be happy. If you ever need me I will be there in an instant." He let go of her arm. "I also hope one day it won't be so uncomfortable." She smiled genuinely at him. "I hope so too, Riley. Excuse me." Spike had pulled Angel inside and quickly guided him to the bar. "Two whiskeys." He told the bartender. Faith came up beside them. "Make that three." She said. "What's with these faces mi amigos?" Lorne asked. "Didn't anyone tell you this was a party?" When they ignored him, he looked at Spike. "You can tell this is your Childe, Angel. He seems to have that brooding thing down." "I don't bloody brood. I'm no Nancyboy like the Peaches here." Angel didn't even take the bait. The drinks came and all three took a long drink. Angel spoke first. "I don't like that guy." "What guy?" Lorne asked. "Wanker." Spike agreed with Angel, lighting a cigarette he had got off the bartender. "Riley." Faith answered Lorne. "B's token human boyfriend." "Aah" Lorne said understanding. "He staked me once." Spike commented. Angel raised an eyebrow at him. "Plastic stake." He explained. "Told me if I touched Buffy he would come back and use the real thing." "I see you listened as well as you always did." Spike grinned smugly. He looked past Angel to Faith. "So, what did you do that upset Captain Cardboard so much?" He asked her. "Remember the first time we met, when I was wearing B's skin?" He nodded smirking at the memory. "Well you weren't the only stop on the tour and that ride was a bit more involved." Spike stared at her wide eyed. "You took her body and shagged Captain Cardboard?” “OUCH!!! Remind me to stay on your good side." Lorne laughed. "You shagged HIM? Seriously. He didn't notice you weren't Buffy?" She gave him a look. "You didn't notice." Angel and Lorne both swung around to look at him now. "I bloody would have if it would've gotten to that point." "Right. You were so gone on her even at that point; you would have just thanked your lucky stars." Angel looked back at Faith. "She wanted to kill you when she came after you in LA." "Yeah and I'm sure you sending her packing helped that." Spike snorted at him. "Bloody Idiot" He muttered, picking up his drink when Angel glared at him. All three took another drink. "So Faith," Angel said conversationally "what's with you and our new Principal." Faith choked on the whiskey. When she recovered she tried to make a cocky grin, but couldn't. "Nothing. What are you talking about?" She asked defensively. 'Shit!' She thought to herself Angel grinned at her. "Oh, come on, you two are never more than 10 feet apart for more than 15 minutes. When you are together you fight like an old married couple. Don't even get me started about the looks you give each other when the other isn't looking." Spike enjoyed the girl's apparent embarrassment. She was an attractive girl, definitely wild. Had they met up when they were both still evil they probably could have done some damage, both to each other and the world at large. She couldn't hold a candle to his Slayer though. He smiled thinking of her. He looked up and saw her staring in at him from outside. The look in her eyes made the rest of the room disappear. He watched as she said something to Riley and made her way to him. "Hey." She said coming up to him. She hugged him tightly. "I just wanted to make sure you were still real." She said pulling back and looking up at him. Just then a strange looking waiter walked towards them. He was an older man, slightly balding with glasses on, but it was the look in his eyes that made him seem strange. He didn't look like an ordinary waiter. He walked up to the two of them and held his tray out. "Cheese?" He asked. Buffy turned pale and her eyes widened with shock, confusion and some fear. She looked around the room wildly for a moment. "No. No cheese. No thank you. No cheese." The waiter just grinned at her and walked away. Spike looked at her unsure as to what just happened. Finally she relaxed and turned back to him. "This night is getting awfully surreal." She said. "You're telling me." He answered thinking of his earlier conversation with Xander. "Hey guys." Clem said walking up. "Giles said to get everyone into the ball room he's going to give his speech and do the whole ceremony thing."

Chapter #5 - Complications

As they moved towards the ballroom together, Buffy and Spike got caught up in the flow of people. Buffy quickly laced her fingers through his to make sure she didn't lose him in the crowd. Rationally she knew she was being silly, it was only about 35-40 people, but she just had this feeling that if she didn't keep a tight hold on him she would look up to find him disappearing right before her eyes. As they neared the doorway, they had to move closer to each other as the guests filed back inside. Spike felt an electrical current running through him every time she brushed against him. He couldn’t wait until they were alone and he could just have her in his arms without being interrupted by any nosy Watchers, or friends. He inhaled deeply, just to savor the scent of her. Buffy leaned farther back into him, when she felt him sniff at her hair. As soon as they were through the doorway she pulled him off to the side, out of the way of the other guests. He saw her grin at him impishly for a second, before she leaned forward and kissed him deeply. His surprise only lasted mere moments before he kissed her back hungrily. Just as quickly as she attacked him, Buffy pulled back, turned and started pulling him farther into the ballroom. Spike was too shell shocked to do anything, but follow her dumbly. “I just realized that I can do that anytime I feel like it.” When she looked back at him her eyes were dancing. Spike’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Anytime? He immediately began to look for a darkened corner he might be able to entice her into. When Buffy glanced at him again she saw the evil glint in his eyes as they prowled the ballroom, searching for something. "What are you up to?" Buffy paused to let him catch up to her so she could ask him quietly. "Not planning on tormenting the stuffy old Watchers, I hope." She had felt their eyes on her since they had entered the room. Most of them weren't even bothering to hide the disgust on their faces at the sight of a Slayer holding hands with a vampire. All in all it made Buffy think an adolescent gesture was necessary, like making out with said vampire in the middle of the floor. She bit her lip and her eyes lit up at the thought of kissing him again. Spike's voice interrupted her little fantasy. "Not too concerned with what a bunch of stuffed shirts think, luv. I was actually jus' thinking’ about pulling you off in a dark corner while everyone else is listenin to Rupes." He gave her his best sexy look, running his tongue over his teeth and raising an eyebrow at her. He was really only teasing her to get a rise out of her, he knew Buffy would never agree to something like that. "Actually, I know where the back staircase is that leads right up to my suite." She told him, imitating his look down to the eyebrow. Spike stopped short and turned to her. She was willing to skip out on all this Watcher junk to be with him? The images it conjured in his brain had his demon growling within him. "I mean who stays after the speech? Especially one of Giles'. We can always catch the highlights later from Will and Xander. Probably be way more entertaining." The fact that he wasn't saying anything was starting to make her a little bit nervous. Maybe he wasn't as anxious as she was for them to be alone together. Except this was Spike, he always wanted her didn't he? Was she being to pushy? Then he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him and she could immediately tell how much he liked the idea of being alone with her. She really was loving these dress pants. The close contact took her breath away and immediately drove out any of the doubts that were floating around in her head. "Why, Slayer, are you actually suggestin' we sneak out of this nice Watcher shindig?" He spoke low and deliberate right in her ear. "Just so I can see if you actually wore any knickers under your fancy suit." She answered him right back, running her fingertips along the waist band his pants. She felt him shiver at her words and was delighted in the power she had over him. Spike pulled back and was about to tell her to lead the way, when he caught sight of Riley. He was moving farther into the ballroom, glaring right at the two of them standing there. Now it was Spike's turn to resist an adolescent urge; he wanted nothing more than to thumb his nose at Riley or yell ‘Nyah, nyah‘. 'He never could have gotten the Slayer to sneak off with him,' he thought to himself. 'No, Riley wouldn't have ever thought of something like that. He wouldn‘t have ever tried to pull Buffy off into the dark with him.’ Spike wasn't sure where that thought had come from, but it was like a glass of cold water was poured over him. He thought back to the night in the Bronze where he told Buffy she belonged in the dark with him. He had been so wrong. He pulled out of Buffy's arms determined to do the right thing. He promised himself he would be a good man for her. Sneaking off to have illicit sex was not being good. It didn’t matter whether or not she loved him now, it wasn’t the right thing to do. He had to be good for Buffy. He had to be worthy for Buffy. Inside him the demon started screaming, the torment of being close enough to touch her, to smell her, to have her willing and yet still be denied was winding it up into a fury. He tried to calm down and get himself under control before he wound up vamping out in the middle of the Watcher’s. He never had so much trouble controlling the demon inside of him. Spike heard the crying again in his head, Buffy yelling ‘no‘. She was hurt. He had hurt her. The demon retreated immediately, the image of hurting Buffy enough to give Spike the edge he needed to control it. The dizziness he felt outside returned, only stronger this time. He swayed for a moment before regaining his balance. "Spike?" Buffy's concern brought his attention fully back to what was going on around him. "Spike are you Ok? What's wrong?" She sounded so nervous and scared. Spike forced a polite smile on his face. "Its nothing pet, just been a long day I guess." The playful smiled returned to her face and he felt himself relax slightly at the sight of it. "Then I believe its time for us to get out of this place and put you to bed." She said teasingly. His smile faded, as he remembered again the promises he made to himself. "Maybe we should stay and hear the Watcher. Its the right thing to do.” Ok now Buffy was confused. One minute he couldn’t wait to be alone with her the next it seemed like he was afraid to be alone with her. Since when had Spike ever cared about what was the right thing to do, especially when it came to the Watcher's Council? Unsure of what was going on, but not wanting to push this issue right now, Buffy relented. She stopped rubbing on him and stepped back away from him, noting that he relaxed slightly when she backed off. "I guess we could stay for the speech, that way we won't miss anything." She hesitantly reached for his hand, feeling slightly better when he took it immediately and squeezed it. However, the look of relief on his face when she said they could stay there made her heart ache. There was something wrong here, Buffy was certain of it. She just didn't know what it was. However, the unsettling feeling inside her that she was losing him, was growing. Just then Willow came up to the two of them and bounced nervously. "Hi guys. How ya doin?" She asked them. "Uh, fine Will, how are you doing?" Buffy asked while watching her friend bounce on her heels. "Pet, have you noticed every time one of your mates or family start bouncing like that one of your ex's appears." Spike asked her, both of them now watching Willow as she bounced nervously. Willow seemed to have forgotten they were even there. "Yeah, but I'm out of ex's now.” Buffy considered for a minute. “Hey, maybe Will got in touch with Harmony?" The look Spike shot her was so full of horror she had to laugh out loud. The noise seemed to remind Willow where she was. "So Buffy, I'm sorry about the whole Riley thing. I didn't mean for that to happen. I know how awkward it is when your ex shows up right when you are trying to rebuild your relationship with your girlfriend. Who you love very much, by the way." "Hey, who you calling a girl, Red?" Spike asked her, indignantly. Buffy just looked at them both confused, then she saw him walking up to them and it all made sense. "Oz, Oh my god." Buffy quickly walked up and hugged him. Since her back was to Spike she never saw his eyes start to glow, nor did she hear his warning growl to Oz. Willow noticed and jumped back away from him towards Oz. “Buffy?” Willow asked her she tapped Buffy’s arm to get her attention. "Buffy, its good to see you. You look good, for one of the formerly dead." Buffy just laughed at the typical 'Oz' compliment. She turned back to Spike to reintroduce them, she hadn‘t noticed Willows agitation yet. "You remember Spike don't you, from all the times he tried to kill us? Don’t worry, he's all soul having now. Only his is more permanent than Angel." Oz's eyes glowed for a moment before he lowered his head indicating he had no desire to challenge Spike. Again Willow was the only one who noticed since Buffy was now facing Spike. The two men nodded at each other in understanding. "I didn't know you were coming tonight, Oz." Buffy commented turning back around to face Oz, but her eyes landed on Willow for a second. Long enough for Willow to understand the unasked question. “Well, Willow e-mailed me and invited me. I liked the idea of seeing you guys again.” Spike could hear Willow’s heart beating a mile a minute. Spike hoped it was because she was nervous about seeing her Wolf Boy again and not about what she had seen him do. When Oz had first walked up and Buffy had gone to hug him, Spike's demon came forth with out him even having a chance to try and stop it. It felt threatened by the Werewolf touching what it considered HIS mate. Thankfully, Oz seemed to understand and instead of making an issue of it, just placated Spike’s demon by acknowledging it as a Master. Spike knew Willow had noticed their little display, but he didn’t want to explain in front of Buffy. He didn’t want to give her any excuse to think he couldn’t be trusted. He had to be good for her. Inside his head was pounding, he never knew it was possible for vampires to get stress headaches, but all of this was beginning to take its toll on him. He had no idea it was going to be this hard to be right for Buffy. "Buffy, luv. I need to go get a drink." Spike said, feeling the need to get away for a few minutes and clear his head. "Ok, I'll come with you." She told him. He fought the urge to sigh. "Great." He said. "Nice to see you again, mate. Red." With that they turned and walked off to the bar. Willow immediately turned to Oz. "Um, Ok what was up with the little 'Grrr' display?" Willow asked confused. "Vampires, like werewolves mate for life, or unlife in their case. However, if the demon chooses its mate, but hasn't had a chance to claim her yet, it tends to get slightly possesive of any males that could challenge it for the female." "Mating? So is mating like siring or turning? Should I be worried about him with Buffy?" Willow was already worried. Oz hastened to reassure her. "Its not a bad thing. Its like a marriage in the truest sense of the word. You share your life with someone else completely. There is a psychic connection that comes with it too. I’m told its similar to the sire-childe bond, only mates are much closer because they actually choose to be together." "So is he going to have to bite her to mate with her?" "With two vampires, they bite each other to mark each other. Since Buffy is a human, well, not a vampire anyway, I don't really know how that would work." "But wait, Angel already marked Buffy a long time ago, remember when Faith poisoned him and he bit her?” “Yeah, but she didn’t return his claim, right?” “No, he left right after that. He broke her heart by just walking away from her like that.” Willow found herself staring in Oz’s eyes remember the feelings she once had for him. She remembered all the little things about him she found so endearing. The best part of being with Oz was that he loved her for all her little quirks, as well. Willow looked down at her hands nervously to break that train of thought. "So, uh, do werewolves get this psychic connection too?" "Yeah. One old couple I met in Siberia barely spoke out loud to each other they just didn't need to. They had been the elders of their tribe for almost 70 years. They always said their love made them strong." Oz looked at Willow trying to get her to meet his eyes. Finally he just sighed. "You know since YOU invited ME here, I kinda thought you would be, I don’t know, Ok with me being here." "I am ok with you being here. Its just that I e-mailed you and e-mail you isn't really like you, you. I just didn't realize the in person you would be so you, you." Oz just raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. Willow whimpered slightly, she couldn‘t even begin to explain her way out of that one, it was time for a tactical retreat. "I need to go find Kennedy before she thinks I've run off on her. Not that she would ever think that because we are happy together." Oz still didn't say anything, although his lips twitched slightly. Just then a strange looking waiter approached the two with a tray of sliced cheese. He held his tray in Willow's face. "Cheeese?" He asked, seeming to draw out the word cheese longer than necessary. Willow's brain tickled with a long forgotten memory, but she couldn't pull it to the surface. "No. Thank you." Her tone implied the 'Go Away, you creep me out' she was too polite to say. After watching the strange cheese man walk away she looked over at Oz and felt a shiver run through her. A shiver that no good lesbian should have for someone not a girl. "I have to go now." Willow said determined. "I have to go find my loving girlfriend, who I love in return." With that she turned and marched off to find her loving girlfriend, Kennedy. Kennedy, her loving girlfriend, who she loved in return. It would all be ok if she just kept telling herself that. "Yep she wants you." Oz turned his head to see a large demon that kind of reminded him of a big, tan dachshund. "What makes you say that?" Oz asked him curious. "Well, you see, with these Scooby women, the more they yell at you and insist they don't want you, the more they actually do want you." "Is that so?" "Believe me I've seen it before. Now Willow was still pretty calm so she isn't head over heels yet, but you are definitely under her skin." When the demon nodded his head his ears flopped all over. "Well, we'll see what happens won't we?" Oz said partially to himself and partially to the demon next to him. Oz had figured after his last trip to Sunnydale he and Willow were done for good. However, he loved getting her e-mails, they were one of the highlights of his days. And it felt so good to see her again, he hadn’t realized how much he missed the sound of her voice rambling on nervously. He turned back to the Dachshund Demon. "I'm Oz, by the way." The demon shook his hand vigorously. "Clem. Nice to meet you." "I didn't expect to see any demons here tonight." Oz commented. "I'm a teacher, here at the school." Clem puffed up whenever he told people that he was a teacher. He still couldn’t believe he had a real job, just being himself, his mother would be so proud of him!! "Really? What do you teach?" Oz asked. "Demon Behavior." "That makes sense." Spike and Buffy had just gotten their drinks when Giles started to speak over the microphone. “Attention, Attention. Everyone, if I could have your attention please, I promise to be brief.” Somewhere off to her right Buffy heard Faith and Xander start laughing at that. “If you give me your attention, I promise this will only take a few moments.” Everyone finally began to quiet down and give Giles their attention. “Thank you. I tried to write a speech for tonight. I wanted to say something to give you an idea of all that we have accomplished and endured for the last seven years. It finally occurred to me that it simply wasn’t possible to adequately describe the past seven years with mere words. I can tell you that I have been blessed, unlike any other Watcher in history, I was able to watch my Slayer grow from an impulsive and willful young girl to a beautiful young woman. I also had the good fortune to work with some truly extraordinary human beings. Even though they had no demon hunting experience, they never once backed down from a fight. This small group of people saved the world for time and time again. I know there were times they wanted to quit just walk away and pretend none of this existed, but they always came through in the end. It is to these people that we owe a debt of gratitude. Willow, Xander, Buffy? Would you three come up here please?” Buffy gave Spike a quick peck on the cheek before moving forward to meet Xander and Willow on there way. All three looked nervous and embarrassed to be singled out like this. They stood behind Giles looking uncomfortable. “These are the true heroes from the Sunnydale Hellmouth.” Everyone in the room burst into applause. Buffy and Willow turned red while Xander took a bow, then feeling silly the girls started bowing as well. “Would any of you like to say anything?” Willow shook her head ‘no’ emphatically. Xander took the microphone from Giles and smiled winningly at the crowd. “I would like to thank Big Bird for teaching me that sometimes those imaginary friends you have aren’t so imaginary. I would also like to thank my first dog Pepe, for teaching me…” At that point Giles took the microphone Xander ignoring the shouts of protest from the younger crowd as he did. “Yes, thank you for that Xander. Buffy, did you have anything you wanted to say?” Buffy looked uncertain for a moment, before stepping forward and taking the mike. She looked out into the crowd in front of her. She could see all the younger Slayers looking at her, waiting anxiously to hear what she was going to say. She could see the Watcher’s getting out their notepads to make sure they got it all down. She saw Faith off to one side making faces at her in attempt to make her laugh. Buffy took a deep breath and began. “Someone once told me…” She stopped, that wasn’t right. She scanned the crowd again, searching. Then she spotted him standing towards him towards the back. She didn’t know how she could’ve missed him with that bright white hair. He gave her an encouraging smile. She smiled back at him and began again. “Spike once told me that the reason I lasted as long as I did was because my friends and family kept me here. As Giles already pointed out my friends helped to save the world time and time again, even before they had any special abilities. They did more than that, however. They made me laugh, when I needed to. They were there for me, for no other reason then they were my friends and they wanted to help me. They stood by at times, when I didn’t even want to stand by me. Its pretty easy to be a hero when you are a Slayer, that’s what we are made to do. They chose to risk their lives, to me that makes them much more heroic. We also need to take a moment and remember those who couldn‘t be with us today, but are no less heroes.” Buffy slowly recited the names to the crowd. “Jenny, Kendra, Tara, Anya, and my Mother.” Buffy stopped for a moment and wiped at the tears threatening to run down her face. “Its thanks to all these people, and several more who I didn‘t mention, that I am able to stand before you. They’ve given much more than my life, they’ve helped give me the opportunity to LIVE my life. Thank you, guys.” With that Buffy started crying. Willow and Xander quickly ran up and hugged her. Dawn also ran up on the stage and hugged her sister tightly. Giles stood off to the side, tears running down his face as well before Dawn and Buffy pulled him into their group hug. The potentials burst into applause, shouts and whistles. Some of the Council members even joined them in the accolades. As the applause died down people seemed to sense that the speeches were over. Most of the young girls started leaving and heading back to their respective dorms. While school was out for the summer, most of them had to get early tomorrow for training. People surrounded Buffy and the Scoobies, some were old friends, others were strangers just offering their congratulations. Buffy looked everywhere for a glimpse of Spike. Then again she knew he wasn’t too big on the whole group hug concept. Buffy began to edge her way out of the crowd, when Giles grabbed her. “Buffy some former members of the Watcher’s Council would like to meet you.” “Do I have too, Giles? Don’t I get any brownie points for actually STAYING for the speech.” “Yes, you get oodles and oodles of brownie points, but you still must come meet these gentlemen.” Giles lowered his voice so only she could hear him. “These gentlemen were some of the Senior Officers on the Watcher’s Council. They were removed to safety as soon as it became apparent that the Watcher’s were under attack. Having their support would mean a great deal of difference to our cause.” “Not too mention the fact you would finally be able to show up the guys that never invited you to their secret meetings?” Buffy asked him. “Well, yes there is that.” Giles answered with a small smile. “Lead on, Giles.” Buffy briefly thought about finding Spike and letting him know where she was going, but then she realized there was no way Giles was going to let her go at this point. She followed Giles out of the ballroom and down the hallway to the Library. Giles paused before they entered. “Buffy, do try and polite.” “I’ll try, but I still think they are scary and horrible.” As they entered the library every hair on the back of Buffy’s neck stood up. She went on immediate alert. None of the Watcher’s that had joined the school ever made Buffy feel like this. The men before her watched her closely as if she were a lab rat. “Hello Miss Summers. So nice to finally meet the legend.” A small distinguished looking Indian man gestured for her to sit across from him at a table. Standing behind him were two younger Indian gentlemen, who Buffy assumed to be his body guards. “Buffy, this is Mr. Isaac Milton. His family has been with the Council for almost 250 years now.” “I guess that save on those ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ questions?” Buffy said, not sure how else to respond to that. Mr. Milton didn’t seem to be too offended. He just laughed. “Quite. Please do sit down.” Again he gestured to the chair. Buffy smiled and eased uncomfortably into the chair indicated. “So you are the Oldest Slayer on record. Are you teaching your techniques here at the school now?” He asked her. “Um, no, I’m really not doing anything here with the school. I’m kind of taking a break from the whole ‘Slaying’ gig.” “I would think your expertise would be invaluable to these young girls.” He pressed her. “Possibly, but Faith is more than capable of teaching them. She is actually much better at dealing with the girls than I am.” “So you are going to school, then, learning some sort of skill?” “I tried a couple of different types of schools. I didn’t do so well there. I had trouble relating to your typical college student.” Buffy kind of shrugged and looked embarrassed. “I see. Well then, Miss Summers do you have any plans for the future? Or is the Council just going to support you for the rest of your retirement.” “Mr. Milton, I assure you the Council is not just supporting Buffy. She has made great contributions to this school. And lets not forget that without her there wouldn’t even have been a school.” Giles interrupted trying to stick up for Buffy. “Actually,” Buffy spoke up hesitantly. “I was thinking about traveling. Giles was always telling me about the different fighting styles there are around the world. I was hoping I could go train in some different places and see the world.” For the first time he regarded her with something other than bored disinterest. “So this ‘break’ you are taking? You are planning to continue on with your training?” “Sure, training, sight seeing, shopping.” Mr. Milton chuckled dryly. “Are you planning on taking your vampire with you when you go?” “If you can’t even be bothered to call him by his name I don’t see what business it is of yours.” Buffy’s voice immediately got cold. “Really? The most experienced Slayer the world has known, running off with the only vampire to ever kill two Slayers, isn’t my business? Go ask Mr. Finn, Miss Summers, if the American Government would let its best CIA agent just disappear with a member of the KGB.” “Ok. Newsflash. We aren’t the government and you chose not to be a part of our Watcher‘s Council, so I don‘t have to tell you anything.” “You are right, you don’t. Well then, Miss Summers, as I said earlier, it was nice to finally meet you. I don’t want to keep you any longer.” Buffy and Milton stared each other down, before she nodded her head. “Fine. Giles, I’m sorry, I tried.” With that Buffy walked out of the library. Mr. Isaac Milton turned to look at Giles. “Sit down Rupert, we need to have a chat.”

Chapter #6 - Doubts & Drunkeness

Spike stepped out onto the porch. He had to get out of that ballroom. At the sight of Buffy in front of all those people, graciously accepting their praise he came to a startling realization. Much like Xander, Buffy had changed so much since he had first seen her seductively dancing in the Bronze. The baby-faced girl replaced, by a beautiful woman. He had never really noticed before because he hadn’t ever been away from her long enough to notice her changing, but she was. She was aging, getting older. At that thought he felt the demon start to rage again inside him at the thought of his Slayer doing something so mundane and beneath her as to age. It wanted to turn her, to spare her the indignity of such a human frailty. He was still in shock over what had happened upstairs, not only her declaration of love and the intensity of her lips on his, but also the vivid flashbacks that had started in her bathroom. He knew that it was just his subconscious trying to keep control of the demon inside him. His demon was screaming inside of him in a way it had never done before. It wanted to possess her, to turn her, to mark her. It knew she belonged to him and it viewed Buffy's acceptance and return of his love as her agreement to let him mark her. Spike, however, wasn't about to let that happen, he knew that a good man would never do anything so terrible as to bond an angel to him for eternity. Spike had never believed Angel's story of the demon without the soul being different than the demon with the soul. Spike always thought of himself as one creature even with the soul inside him. Yet he had never completely ignored the demons desires before. Even when he had the chip it wasn’t him defying the demon. For the most part the two halves inside him had always wanted to same things, now for the first time he was trying to pen in his demonic urges and he was finding much harder than he ever imagined. He was so lost in his thoughts he almost missed the sound of the heartbeat that had appeared on the porch behind him. When he did notice it he spun around expecting to see one of the Scoobies coming out to look for him. Instead he came face to face with Riley. It took all of his effort to keep the demon under control and not to rip the boy apart. The two eyed each other coldly for a few moments. Finally Riley broke the silence. "It really makes me wonder. How could the Powers that Be let someone like you out of going to hell like you deserve?" Riley asked him. Spike reminded himself one more time of the promise to himself to be the perfect gentleman for Buffy. He called up everything he could remember about being William so long ago, hoping to use him as an example of how to behave. "It isn't for me to question the Powers judgment." Spike told him trying not to sound antagonistic. Inside him the demon was chanting for blood and violence. Riley gave him a small smile. "Kind of makes me wonder if it really was the Powers that let you come back." Riley told him. "The way I figure it there should be no way a creature like you could earn a second chance. So I was wondering what kind of deal you made to get back and with who." "Believe what you want." Spike told him, his jaw clenched tightly. "It really makes no difference to me what you believe, Farm Boy." Maybe a little antagonism wouldn’t hurt. "Your right it doesn't make any difference what I believe. The fact is you are back.” Riley paused dramatically. “Back to destroy Buffy." "I would never hurt her." Spike immediately snapped. He was shaking now with the effort it was taking to not unleash upon Riley. "Really? So what do you see the future being like for the two of you? Married with two kids? Oh wait you can’t give her children, can you? Growing old together? Oh wait, you get to watch her age and die, while you stay young. Off to see the world together? Too bad she'll only get to see it by night." Spike closed his eyes briefly in pain and Riley just smiled at him coldly knowing he scored direct hits. "Of course maybe she won't mind the fact she'll barely get to see the sun, never have children, or look like your mother in 20 years. But how do you think she is going to deal with the way the Council views her choice of companions? I've heard them talking about you two since I arrived and they seem to be very concerned about this relationship she has with you. Not even Giles seems to be too happy about the fact that you are back. How long will it take before she has to choose between her relationship with the Council and her relationship with you? All of her friends are members of the Council now too. How long before they will have to do the same?” Riley started to walk around, unable to contain his excitement at being able to hurt Spike. “That's a life to look forward to. No friends, no home, just a demon as her companion in the dark." "That's enough." A voice growled from the darkness at the edge of the porch. Riley turned surprised to face Angel. Riley recovered from his surprise quickly to give Angel the cold smile he had focused on Spike. "You know it's the truth. That's why you left her in the first place wasn't it?" He informed him. "This isn't any of your concern, BOY. From what I understand you were too busy being a snack to bunch of vamp sluts to pay attention to Buffy." Angel told him. "I would suggest if you want to see your wife again you leave now and go find her." Riley snorted. "Such examples of virtue, threatening me for telling the truth." With that Riley turned and stormed back inside, not ready to deal with two angry vampires, but upset that his tormenting of Spike had been interrupted. Spike turned back to face the woods again after Riley went back inside in an attempt to ignore Angel and the conversation he would want to have about Riley's comments. "We need to talk, Spike." Angel told him wearily. "Not now." Spike growled at Angel. "Now. I know what you're feeling. I know why you're feeling it. I've been there, remember. Riley was right about that." "Not something I really want to think about, but thanks for reminding me. Would you please piss off now?" Angel grabbed his arm and turned him around so Spike was facing him. "No. I'm not going to piss off now and you are going to hear what I have to say." Spike glared at him hatefully, then his eyes widened as he focused on something behind him. Angel turned to see what had captured his attention. Buffy had come out onto the porch, Angel released Spike's arm not wanting to upset Buffy. Buffy completely ignored Angel, however, her gaze focused firmly on Spike, a small smile on her face. Buffy knew she was interrupting something between the two vampires, but she didn't care. Angel wasn't going to do anything to ruin this night for her. She had dealt with all of her obligations to Giles and the Council and the only thing on her mind now was being with Spike. She slowly walked up to the two, not even glancing at Angel, she insinuated herself between the two of them. As soon as she was within arms reach of Spike she felt that electrical current that had been running through her since he arrived. She looked up into his eyes and decided she wanted to get lost in them forever. "Dance with me." She said quietly to him. "Dance, pet?" He raised one eyebrow at her. "You do know how, don't you?" She asked him teasingly. "You mean DANCE, dance, to music and all?" He looked a little dizzy at the suggestion. She put her arms around his neck and pressed her body close to him. "Dance, as in your arms around me, holding me close while we move slowly to the music and just get lost in each other." She whispered. Soft music began to gently float out to them. Angel, completely forgotten now, left them to go inside. He didn’t look back once, knowing that what he saw would be too painful for him. Spike's hands moved to her waist, savoring the way the silk moved over her skin, and the fact that she wasn't wearing anything under the dress. Music began to float out onto the patio as he pulled her closer to him. They began to move slowly to the rhythm of the music. Like had previously happened upstairs, the rest of the world faded away until they were only aware of each other. Buffy's fingertips moved lightly, caressing the back of his neck, her eyes locked on his. She felt as if she were falling into him, losing all sense of her self. She was surprised to find out that that thought didn't terrify her; instead it seemed so right. To lose herself in him, in his eyes, in his arms, she felt that only then could she be herself. Like she wasn't whole until that happened. Spike still couldn't believe that this was real. He was standing under the silver moon, dancing with this angel who was looking at him with such sweet love. One hand caressed the smooth skin of her back while the other wrapped around her waist as they swayed together to the slow beat of the music. He wanted to stay in this moment forever. Her touch calmed all the internal battles within him, it soothed the demon, and all of his doubts were quiet for the first time since they had come downstairs. He felt safe here if only he could hold onto her forever, lose himself in her. Their soft quiet song ended, but the two didn’t move away from each other. They continued to sway gently together, not speaking, just taking comfort in each other. Buffy raised her head a bit farther and brushed her lips against his. He teased her, by avoiding direct contact with her lips, kissing the corner of her mouth, or just her top lip, until she grabbed his head and pulled him to her. All pretenses of dancing stopped. They started to devour each other hungrily. Buffy slid his jacket over his shoulder and down, letting it fall to the ground. She then moved her hands up to undo the buttons on his shirt, while Spike’s hands had moved down so he was now caressing her bottom, using it hold her against him. They probably would have made love right there on the porch, but then came a voice. “Geez, you two, don’t you have a room you could take this to?” Kennedy’s voice traveled across the porch, cutting through their passion. Spike immediately raised his head and growled at the girl. “I can’t believe the Council puts up with the two of them like that.” Kennedy continued, closing the door to the outside. “Can we please kill her now? Could we at least send her back to Cleveland early?” Buffy’s voice came angrily. “Sounds good to me. She’s probably right though; we should find a more private spot for this. Don’t want to upset those Council members Giles is trying so hard to impress.” “Don’t worry, I already took care of upsetting them.” Spike just raised an eyebrow at her. Buffy shrugged pulled him inside, “But I do like the idea of taking you upstairs, finally.” Back inside the library Giles sat down in front of Isaac Milton wearily. “I know that Buffy was a tad short with you, but she really doesn’t have much trust for the original Council members, since the trouble with Quentin.” Giles tried to explain. “Frankly, Rupert, I don’t care what she thinks of me. However, I do think you need to rethink the way you are running your school? I also think you need to get control of the girl, immediately, before we are dealing with another apocalypse.” “What on earth do you mean? Yes, Buffy can be impulsive and stubborn at times, but she would never end the world.” Giles protested. “As she grows older the demon part of her will grow stronger. She will have to work harder to keep the darkness inside her.” “Yes and she has made great strides, towards not only accepting that part of herself, but towards utilizing and controlling it.” “What if she decides to Mate with her Vampire?” Giles stood up outraged. “That would never happen!! Yes, Buffy cares for him, but she I believe she still dreams of the normal life and that is something Spike can never give her.” “And if you are wrong and she mates with him? Her strength would then be unmatched and how would it affect her growing darkness? She will then have the demon of the Slayer inside of her, she will be linked to a vampire and have access to the strength of the demon inside him and then there is the other factor.” “What other factor?” Giles demanded leaning on the table to look into Isaac’s eyes. “The First Evil.” “We defeated the First Evil.” Giles waved off this idea. “You are so arrogant as to actually believe you defeated the First Evil? Wounded yes, but you can’t defeat it. Did you forget, Rupert, its linked to your Slayer.” “Oh Dear Lord.” The realization suddenly struck Giles that they were right. “Now we need to take measures to make sure Miss Summers, stays under the Council’s influence and we are probably going to have to take measures to separate her from that vampire.” "Oh Buffy, you're just in time." Willow exclaimed as they entered the parlor. From the slight slur in her voice it appeared that Willow had quite a bit to drink. She was sitting on the floor next to Oz. Kennedy, surprisingly, was no where to be seen. "Just in time for what?" Buffy asked, anxious to get upstairs and away from people. "We're taking a stroll down memory lane, B. Reliving the good old days." Faith sat on the bar next to Angel sipping on a drink. Buffy noticed that they all seemed pretty drunk right now. Even Dawn seemed to be three sheets to the wind, giggling on the couch between Xander and Andrew. “So much for sneaking off, yet.” Spike muttered. Buffy sighed, resigned. Buffy looked up at Spike and said dryly. "I think I'm going to need more to drink for this stroll." Spike nodded. "Well, that can be arranged, Buffster." Xander said getting up and moving behind the bar. "I'll take a whiskey while you're up Harris." Spike said sitting down on the couch. Xander gave him a look, but didn't say anything. Buffy sat on the floor between Spike's legs, in front of Willow. He reached forward and absently played with her hair. "Ok so where are we in memory lane?" Buffy asked Willow "We just finished up talking about how Faith tried to kill you and Angel." "Oh those good old days." She shot Faith a look. "Hey, I'm reformed now. I'm not the only one who's tried to kill you here." Faith paused and looked around a minute. "Actually, B, who here HASN"T tried to kill you at one point or another?" "I havt." Dawn slurred from her position on the couch. “Ok, who here besides the little lush?” Faith persisted. “Well its not like Buffy hasn’t tried to kill us a few times.” “Hey” Buffy protested. “I wasn’t in my right mind then.” “Really?” Faith asked. “Well, except for you.” Buffy thought a second. “And Angelus…and Spike, but that was in self-defense.” "Here's your drink Buffy." Xander handed her something that looked like coke, then handed Spike his whiskey. Buffy sniffed it experimentally then took several large drinks. "Uh, easy on that Buffy, its pretty strong." "It doesn't taste strong. It actually tastes pretty nummy." She took a few more drinks. "It's a Long Island Iced Tea, and I would really take it easy. I don't want to deal with Cave Buffy again." Xander told her. "Oooh. Cave Buffy I forgot about that." Willow laughed. "Hey! It wasn't that bad." Buffy protested. "Then right at the end when you knocked Parker out. He had no idea what to think after that." Willow gasped with laughter. "I still say it wasn't as bad as Hyena-Xander." Buffy said defensively, trying to get the subject away from her. She realized her drink was almost empty. She was going to need another one, soon. "I don't remember anything that happened then." Xander immediately said. "You don't remember trying to kill me?" Buffy asked sweetly. "Are you sure he was trying to kill you? I thought he was trying to..." "I think it was a little of both actually." "I don't remember anything." Xander said again. "I think he doth protest too much." Oz said calmly from his seat on the floor. Buffy and Willow both dissolved into giggles. "I don't need any help from the werewolf department, thanks Oz." “You never really tried to kill Spike.” Angel muttered from the bar. “Excuse me?” Buffy asked him irritated. She had been trying to ignore him all night because she didn’t want to deal with his brooding self-pity, but he seemed determined to make an ass out of himself. “Between your ‘truces’…”Angel started. “That came about because you were such an obnoxious, ass Angelus. Hell I would have teamed up with just about anyone at that point to take you down.” Spike snapped at Angel. Angel continued on like he hadn’t been interrupted. “Then you let him go after he kidnapped your friends.” “You’re right Angel.” Buffy said. “I really should have just let Cordelia bleed to death for my vengeance against Spike. Although wasn’t it you who told me I shouldn’t kill for vengeance after what Faith did to me. Instead you two were cozied up at your place in LA.” Dawn started laughing at that. “Sheez gotcha there peeches.” Spike howled at Dawn’s drunken comments. Buffy elbowed him. “Don’t encourage her.” She told him. "And Dawn, go to bed before you throw up on my silk pants." Buffy told her firmly. "I's fine. Not silk, or sick." She giggled drunkenly falling onto Andrew. Buffy sighed. She needed to put Dawn to bed. She started to get up, but Faith stopped her. "I'll take care of her, B. You stay here and hang. I'll come back after tucking her in." "Ok. That works for me." Buffy told her. She knew Faith was uncomfortable about being the object of an argument between her and Angel again. "Just make sure those pants get hung up. Don't let her just throw them on the floor." Faith rolled her eyes as she hopped off the bar and over to Dawn. "Come on brat. Last call for you." She pulled Dawn off the couch and half dragged, half carried her out of the room. "Nigh, guysh." Dawn mumbled on her way out of the room. "Who do I have to thank for turning my sister into a drunk?" Buffy asked sharply. "On that note I think its time for me to turn in myself." Andrew said. "I have lots of important things to do tomorrow." Andrew practically ran out of the room to avoid the Slayer's wrath. The others had remained quiet during Buffy’s conversation with Angel, but now they were relieved to have a change in conversation. Willow giggled. "I really don't think it was his fault Buffy. You know how much she bosses him around. Besides she was here with us, its not like she out somewhere driving." Willow and Buffy had their heads together on the floor. Spike just sat there and watched them giggling, enjoying the sight of Buffy relaxed and having fun with her friends. She looked up at him as if she could hear his thoughts and leaned back into his legs wrapping one arm around his knee. He smiled down at her and leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of her head. None of them noticed Angel quietly slip out at that point. "HEY!!" Buffy said suddenly, the alcohol was beginning to work on her. "Yes, luv." Spike said. "No. Hey, to Willow." She turned back around Willow seemed to be playing with Oz's shoes. "Will? WILL!" Willow looked up at her and smiled drunkenly. "Yeah Buffy." "Have you counted all of Xander's demon girlfriends?" "That's really not necessary guys." Xander tried to interject. Willows eyes widened comically. "No!! Do you think we should?" "Its more fun than talking about all the times you guys tried to kill me." "Not for me it isn't." Xander tried again. Buffy giggled and stood up unsteadily, almost knocking over her now empty glass. She fell over Oz and landed on the couch, partially on Xander's lap. Spike picked up her glass and started carrying it to the bar. Oz moved away from the couch to avoid getting kicked or stepped on. "Of course we do, silly. Its for prosperity." Buffy told Xander seriously. Willow stood up and sat on Xander's other side mainly on his lap. "I think she meant posterity." Willow whispered loudly. "Whatever." Buffy rolled her eyes. Then Buffy noticed Spike carrying her drink away. "Oooh are you going to get me more of the Ice tea stuff?" "I think you've had enough, pet." He answered setting her glass in the sink. "I don't fancy you ruining another pair of my boots." Buffy managed to pout and look indignant at the same time, something Spike was certain only she could actually manage to do. "What do you mean? I'm not drunk." To illustrate her point she tried to stand up, but wound up falling down again on top of Willow and Xander. Xander grunted at the impact, but Willow and Buffy just giggled. Spike walked over and took her hands and pulled her off of Xander. Xander looked at him gratefully. "Come on, luv. Can't have you girls crushing the whelp." He pulled her to the other couch when he sat down she immediately lay down and put her head in his lap. She smiled up at him happily. "Ok, Xander's demon loves," Willow continued tormenting Xander as she crawled off the couch and over to where Oz had moved to. "There was the mummy girl." "He almost mated with a mantis." Buffy again dissolved into giggles at her own cleverness. Willow paused in her crawling to join her in her laughing fit. "Hey its not like you two have had the most normal of boyfriends." Xander told the two girls. "What do you mean?" Willow asked indignantly. "Yeah, I think I resent that." Buffy agreed. "You mean resemble that." Xander corrected. At her glare he gestured towards Spike. "Um, hello, evil undead." Spike raised an eyebrow at him. Xander then gestured to Oz. "Let's not forget Wolf boy over here." Oz mirrored Spike's reaction. "Last time I checked vampires and werewolves weren't exactly in the realm of normal." Willow and Buffy looked at each other for a minute. "Yeah, well, but at least they weren't trying to kill us." Willow finally said triumphantly. "Yeah." Buffy agreed. Then she stopped. "Oh, wait..." Xander snorted. "Yeah. Uh, Spike how exactly did you find out you had a chip in your head. Wasn't that when you were trying to feed off Willow?" Spike winced. Buffy patted his knee. "Right. Sorry about that Red." Willow waved her hand dismissively. She had finally made it over to Oz then fell rather ungracefully next to him. "Its ok. You were actually kind of nice to me, once you found out you couldn't perform. You tried to make me feel better and everything." "Yeah, then she made us think we were engaged." Buffy said, as the giggles came again. "And turned Xander into a Demon magnet." “See what happened after you left me?” Willow wagged a finger in Oz’s face. Gesturing towards Willow, Xander asked. "Remember the Ghost in the Machine? And Buffy..." "Demon." Willow interrupted. "What?" Xander looked confused. "It was a Demon in the computer." Willow told him. "Not a ghost." "Sorry. That makes it so much better." Xander told her sarcastically. "Fine, I give up. Xander, just because all of your girlfriends and dates your entire life have either, been part demon, full demon, or just trying to kill you that is no reason for us to think you have bad luck with women and make fun of you." Willow said tiredly from her spot on the floor. “Did that make sense to anyone else?” "Thank you." Xander said. "Besides, Xander," Buffy said from the couch where she lay looking up at Spike. "You don't have the worst taste in women; there is someone with much worse taste than you." "Really, who?!?!" Xander was excited now. "Yeah, who?" Willow was almost mumbling her head on Oz's shoulder. Buffy reached up a hand to cup Spike's face. He smiled down at her lovingly. Then she looked over at her friends and grinned wide. "The one who put up with Harmony." She practically sang out. Everyone laughed, even Oz chuckled at that. Spike just glared down at Buffy for a minute, then he shrugged, it wasn't like he could really argue with her.

Chapter #7 - Enough Already

Buffy sat on her bed crying. Never in a million years did she imagine that her first night with Spike was going to end like this. She punched the pillow she was holding trying to let out some of the pain she felt, but it didn’t do any good. Finally she got up and put on some gym shorts and a T-shirt. She needed to talk to someone, she hoped Xander wasn’t asleep yet. One Hour Earlier: Spike helped Buffy up the five flights of stairs to her rooms. Thankfully Buffy had been right and all of the windows in the house had been treated so he didn’t get scorched in the rising sun. Buffy was laughing and giggling trying to engage him in some sort of playful banter, but he seemed to be very distant. Something she was quickly losing patience with. Finally they reached her rooms. As soon as they entered the living room she pulled him close to her and started kissing him desperately. Insider the feeling that she was losing him was growing by the second. She needed to feel him against her to convince herself that he was still with her, that he still cared. He pushed her away from him. “Buffy, we can’t do this.” Buffy looked up at him amazed, the fear inside her was starting to boil over. “What do you mean we can’t do this? I thought this was one of the things we do best.” “You’ve been drinking, luv. I don’t want to take advantage of you then have you regretting it in the morning.” “Uh, Spike,” She gestured to the morning light pouring through her windows. “Its already morning and the only thing I’m regretting is that we didn’t get up here sooner.” She moved to grab him again, but he danced away from her, putting a couch between them. Buffy’s fear gave way to anger. She wasn’t about to chase him around her living room. She didn’t want to fight with him either, if he was uncomfortable doing this now, she could wait. “Ok fine, I’m going to get this dress off and get ready for bed.” She tried not to let her hurt anger show in her voice. “Right then. I’ll be going then.” Spike walked over and picked his duster up off the couch. “You’re leaving!!” Buffy couldn’t keep the emotion out of her voice. “You don’t have to leave do you.” “Its not like I’m going far, luv. I’m just going to hole up in a spare room for the day.” “But…” Buffy didn’t know what to say the she knew she was going to lose him, she just hadn’t realized she wasn’t even going to have the chance to have him first. “Spike..” She hated how desperate and needy her voice sounded, but she continued on anyway. “Can’t you just hold me? I really don’t want to sleep away from you. Please, I just want to feel your arms around me.” Spike looked away for a second. He looked so hurt. Since when did her wanting to be with him, hurt him? “I don’t think I could just sleep with you, pet.” His voice came out at a whisper. “Then you could sleep here. The couches fold out into beds, they’re really comfy too.” “Its fine, pet.” For a second she thought he was agreeing with her, then he looked at her and she knew he was going to leave. “I’ll only be right down the hall. You can come find me when you wake up.” Buffy turned her back to him so he wouldn’t see the tears about to brim over in her eyes. “It’s the right thing to do.” He told her. With that he walked out of her suite. Buffy walked down the hall to Xander’s room muttering to herself. “Right thing to do. Everything has to be the right thing to do. Someone spent way too much time around Angel for the last month.” God she hoped Xander was up. As it turned out Xander was up. He had left the parlor a little before everyone else and headed up to his rooms on the third floor. Just as he reached the landing on the second floor on of the wait staff from the party was coming down the steps with a tray of sliced cheese. Xander looked at the guy, he kind of reminded him of something, but Xander wasn’t sure what. “Cheese?” The man offered him as Xander tried to get past him. “A world of ‘no’.” Xander said, he felt the need to run the rest of the way up the stairs to his rooms. He had finally changed, showered and was ready for bed when a knock sounded at his door. When he opened it he was surprised to discover a crying Willow in front of him. “Will, what’s wrong?” Willow hugged him crying on his shoulder. Xander pulled her into his room and sat her down on his bed. “Talk to me, Will. What is it?” After a few more minutes of sniffling Willow pulled back and looked at him. “Kennedy and I just broke up.” She told him tearfully. “Really.” Xander realized how happy he sounded when Willow gave him a look. “I mean that’s too bad. What happened?” “When I got back to our room this morning, I thought she was going to be mad at me because I spent the whole night out on her first night back. I thought she’d be really mad because I spent it with my ex-boyfriend. Instead, she barely noticed I wasn’t around. She and Rhona spent the night telling all the younger Slayers about their adventures on the Hellmouth. They were all still there when I got in. It was so weird, she kissed me and put her arm around me and then went right back to telling her stories.” Willow’s tears had stopped by now and she stood up and began to pace. “I felt like…” She paused trying to find the best way to explain it. “Remember in high school all those big football players with their trophy girlfriends.” At Xander’s nod she continued. “It was kind of like that. I was just the cute, needy girlfriend and she was the big man.” Willow blushed. “Not that that was the way it always was… I mean, uh” Willow threw up her hands in exasperation. “When the other girls finally left I tried to talk to her about how she made me feel and she just basically told me I was worrying ‘my pretty little head’ about nothing. I know you guys never liked her, but it was so flattering to have someone chase after me the way she did. Then, after Sunnydale was destroyed, I thought maybe things weren’t going to work, but then she left for Cleveland and it seemed like our relationship got better.” “Maybe that should have told you something, Will. Relationships usually don’t get better when there’s a continent separating you.” “I know. Honestly, I’m not even that upset that we broke up, I’m more upset that I spent a year and a half of my life lying to myself about how I felt.” “It was just a transition thing, Will. Everyone has them. Whether they are beefy Army guys in between vampires, loud obnoxious lesbians, or demons determined to suck your brains out.” “Which one was that?” She asked him. “I was just making a point.” Xander looked at Willow trying to decide whether or not to bring something up. ‘Oh well, the worst that can happen is she’ll use her magic and turn me into a frog.’ He thought to himself. “What about Oz?” He asked her gently. “What about Oz?” She asked sharply. “Well, I noticed you two seemed to be getting along pretty well and I thought maybe since you and Kennedy haven’t been really together in a while…” “Xander, I’m gay remember. I only like girls. Like Tara.” “Right, but most girls aren’t Tara. Actually no one I’ve ever met has been as special as Tara.” Willow felt the tears welling up in her eyes again thinking about her lost love. “Look, Willow, I’m not downing being gay. That’s fine with me, all I’m saying is maybe you fell in love with the person, not the gender. I just don’t want to see you deny yourself happiness because you are afraid that being with a guy would betray Tara.” Willow started to cry harder at that. “She would have wanted you to be with whoever made you happy. Just think about it Ok?” Willow nodded and Xander stood up and hugged her again. “I wish we had a real relationship like Buffy does now.” Willow told him, her voice muffled from his shoulder. “I know, I bet she and Spike are really enjoying their alone time right about now.” Just then there was a knock at his door. “If that’s the weird cheese guy, Will, I may ask you to transport him somewhere. The guy scares me.” “Cheese guy?” Again Willow’s brain tingled with some memory, then Xander opened the door to find Buffy on the other side. “Morning Xander. I’m not waking you up am I?” Buffy asked cheerily. “No, Will is here, we were just talking.” Xander told her motioning for her to come in. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?” Buffy wandered around the room with a nervous energy. “No.” Willow assured her. “Kennedy and I broke up, Buffy.” “Really!! I mean, that’s too bad.” “Its ok. We weren’t really together for a while, I was just too stubborn to admit it.” Willow watched Buffy go back to her pacing. “What up with you is everything Ok?” She exchanged a worried glance with Xander. “Everything’s good. No better than good. I mean what could be wrong? Spike is back from the dead. Everything is great.” Buffy stopped and looked at them. One look at their faces and she knew they weren’t buying a word of it. Her face crumbled into tears. "Everything's a mess.” She cried “Its like he's hiding something from me or like he's acting around me. At least I hope he's acting, he's polite and nice, barely sarcastic, and he seems obsessed with doing the right thing... "Sounds horrible." Willow said. "It's not Spike. I know Spike this isn't him." "Because he's being the perfect boyfriend?" Xander asked her. "He sleeping in one of the rooms down the hall." Buffy wailed. "Ok, not what I was expecting." Xander commented. Willow slapped him. "Buffy, maybe he doesn't want to rush the whole physical thing. I mean you said that's all you had before." Buffy sat down on the floor sniffling "What if he realized he doesn't love me?" she asked pathetically. Xander exploded. "Does he really love you?!?! Buffy, even I know how much he loves you.” "Buffy, this is souled Spike. Wasn't he all Victorian and stuff, really stiff and proper.” Xander nodded. "Like Wesley when we first met him, only worse!!" "You mean, this is him, this ’do the right thing’ guy?" Buffy asked. "You have a problem with doing the right thing?" "No. Its just...OH I don't know." She whined and buried her head in her arms. When she brought her head back up all of her fears came pouring out. "What if I only want what I can't have? Or what if I don't love souled Spike? What if I was really only in love with evil Spike? What if I just like evil men or men who are bad for me?" She was working herself up into a frenzy. Xander cut her off when she pause for breath. "Ok first of all...no more Cosmo for you. As far as you not really loving him. Only you know what’s in your heart, Buffy." He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it lightly he continued. "But I will say, that last night was the happiest I have ever seen.” He laughed. “For a minute there I thought you two were glowing silver or something.” Willow shot Xander a startled look. “Oz told me that Spike’s demon was acting really possesive. He said it wants to make you its mate. So believe me, he still loves you maybe he’s just confused.” “Mate? What does that mean?” Willow only shrugged, not sure whether she should explain or not. Have you even talked to Spike about any of this, Buffy?" "No I just sorta turned into panicky girl. You know me when it comes to men." "Well try talking this time. It makes a world of difference,” Xander told her “take it from someone who didn't." "You're right, guys. I'm an idiot." "Yup, but we still love you." Willow spoke up. “I’m going to go wake him up right now.” Buffy said standing up. Just then there was a slamming of the door and a very agitated Faith came in. "Red, good you’re here. Does your girl know any hot single lesbian chicks?" Faith didn’t even bother with hello to the others. “Well since she’s not MY girl anymore, Faith, she IS a hot, single lesbian chick.” Willow told her. Faith seemed to consider for a moment. “Nah, she’s probably even more annoying during sex.” "Not that I’m not enjoying mental images this conjures up Faith, I feel the need to ask what brings on this new way of life?" Xander questioned her. But Buffy already knew. "Robin." She told the others smugly. "Dude, I can't figure the guy out. He hasn't touched me in over a year, then last night after he saw us dancing he asked why I would need to blow off steam. So I tell him I need to work out my frustration since I didn't have any other outlets. Then he asks me if he was the last guy I slept with and I told him 'yeah.' Then he kisses me and just walks away like nothing." She crossed her arms over her chest and plopped herself down in a chair. She noticed Willow and Xander staring at her with open mouths, Buffy just looked amused. “What?" She asked, annoyed. "You, ah, I mean, ah YOU ah." Xander stuttered, not sure quite how to proceed. "I think they are a little shocked at your chastity." Buffy said. "Buffy, abstinence,” Willow corrected her. “virgins are chaste." Faith snorted. "I'm definitely no virgin." "So basically, your problem is Robin left you all hot and bothered again." Buffy said dryly. "Well considering I ran into your boy coming out of a room on the second floor, I'd bet I'm not the only one." Faith returned smartly. "What?" Buffy voice was sharp. "Yeah, I'm meeting him in the training hall in 20. We're going to spar. I'm hoping to get some payback for the last time." She cracked her knuckles at the thought. "What!?!" Buffy said again, her voice getting higher in pitch. "Chill, B, its only sparring. If its that big of a deal I won't do it." "Its fine." Buffy said coldly. "All right then." Faith said as she got up to head out the door. She knew that Buffy wasn't fine with it at all, but after what she did to her last night with Riley she was going to let her worry a bit. Buffy sat for a moment after Faith left. “Guys, I need to go figure some stuff out. I’ll talk to you later, Ok.” “Buffy, I really think you need to talk to Spike.” “I will, Xan. I just want to get some stuff straight in my head first.” “If you need anything, we’re here for you.” Xander told her as she slipped out the door. “I’m going to go too, Xander. Its almost time for my meditations. Thanks for listening.” Willow stood up to leave also, but before she left she placed a kiss on his cheek. “Any time, Will. Think about what I said, Ok?” “I will.” With that she was gone. Xander laid down on his bed and put his hands behind his head. “Just once could you send a woman into my room because they are actually looking for me?” He said to the ceiling. Spike hit the mat hard. Faith looked down at him confused and angry. “If you weren’t even going to bother to try you shouldn’t have agreed to spar with me.” She shook her head at him disgusted and walked away. Spike just stayed on the floor for a few minutes, listening to the now constant howling in his brain as his demon clawed inside of him to be let free. After Spike left Buffy’s room he was going to take one of the empty rooms down the hall, before he decided even that was too close to her right now. He thought that leaving her just then was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. Only once before had she openly asked for him to stay with her, but that night she had just needed comfort. Today she had wanted to be close to him. He was just so afraid that if he relaxed around her for a moment he would lose control of the demon inside of him and do something to scare her, or even worse hurt her. He wondered down stairs looking for a place to crash for the day when he found Faith on the second floor. The girl had been a ball of tension about something, but she practically reeked of Robins cologne. He had offered to spar with her thinking that would kill some of his demon’s aggression and she had quickly agreed. However, when she actually showed up he realized his mistake. There was no way he could fight with her without letting the demon out at least a little and in its frenzied state he couldn’t guarantee her safety. Frustrated beyond belief he stood up and started pummeling on the punching bag, finally letting the demon out and letting all his thoughts and worries go in a cloud of violence. He had no idea how long he was there take his aggressions out on the bag, but it had long since crashed to the ground and been ripped apart. "Um, I think you killed it." A pleasant sounding voice came from behind him. Spike turned and growled menacingly, still in game face to find Clem looking at him with a bag of Doritos in his hands. "Ok,Ok, I could be wrong there could still be something left in it." Spike shifted back into his human face, the first time in hours he didn’t have to force his demon back and looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry mate. I was just..." His voice trailed off. "Just destroying school property?" Clem asked. Spike shrugged and looked away. "What's wrong, buddy? Why aren‘t you off somewhere with Buffy?" Spike didn't answer. "Oh, Ok then. I'll just leave you alone." Clem turned to leave, when Spike exploded. "How in the bloody hell can she be in love with me?" "Let me guess we're talking about Buffy again." Clem sighed loudly. "I'm confused. I thought you wanted her to love you? Isn't that what you spent years trying to get her to do? Isn't that why you got the soul?" "When I died I knew where I stood. She didn't love me, but she treated me with respect." He smiled bitterly. "She even let me help her, be there for her. She let me into her life. Now I've come back and suddenly she's in love with me." "I'm still not seeing what's wrong here. You don't want her to love you?" "I don't know how to be a boyfriend or how to be what she deserves. I've been trying to be good, like Captain Cardboard or the Poofter, but she just keeps looking at me like I've gone bonkers. Which I feel like I am going bonkers trying to keep this demon under wraps." "Um, didn't she break up with those guys?" Spike wasn't paying any attention he was staring off, then suddenly with a shout of frustration, he spun and punched a hole through the wall. "I'm a vampire dammit. The soul didn't change that and even if she is the Slayer, she's still only human." Clem stared at his friend more confused than ever now. He was used to his friend ranting about the Slayer, but this time he didn't understand what the problem was. So he just stayed quiet and let his friend rant hoping to understand. "What kind of life can I give her? She wants me to show her the world. How can I show her the world? I can't even go out during the day. 'Sorry, luv, the Louvre doesn't open past 7pm.' Or 'Over there is the pyramids, they are the big black things blocking out the sky.'" "Does Buffy even like museums?" Clem asked, only to be ignored once again. "Meanwhile I have to watch her get older!!! She could get sick, she could get hit by a car, or..." He didn't even finish. "Oh!! So you're scared." Clem said matter of factly, relieved to finally understand what was going on. Spike froze and looked at him. "Scared? I am not bloody scared!!" Clem gave him a very skeptical look. "What do you call it then?" "What do I have to be scared of? I've faced just about every kind of demon there is without flinching. I've gone up against a hell god, I've even face the First Sodding Evil. So what is it you think I'm scared of?" He approached Clem menacingly. Clem was unperturbed. "A real relationship," he paused "with Buffy." Spike stared at him. "You said it yourself, you never thought she'd love you, so you never had to worry about the fact that she was human. For the first time in your existence you have the chance for a real relationship. You have the chance to share your life, or unlife with someone. Not the co-dependent killing spree you had with Druscilla and not the sex only relationship you had with Buffy and you don‘t know the first thing to do.” "Fine, mate, since you seem to know so much all of a sudden, what am I supposed to do?" Spike asked sounding defeated. "Well, it may seem 'kinda crazy' but did you ever think about talking to Buffy about how you are feeling?" Spike chuckled humorlessly. "Right, cause talking has always been our strong suit." He snorted. "About our feelings, no less." He rolled his eyes. "So you can get tortured for her, get a soul for her, die for her, but you can't talk to her about how you're feeling or about what‘s going on inside of you?" Spike looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's about it, yeah." Clem gave him a disgusted look. Spike's eyes widened with indignation. "Oh, its not like she responds well to me opening up to her. Usually I get my nose broke for trying. Just because she thinks she loves me doesn't mean that's changed." Clem finally got angry. "Thinks she loves you? I remember the night she found me and told me you were dead. We got drunk together on your favorite whiskey. Man, that girl can’t hold her liquor. She told me repeatedly that night how you didn’t believe her when she told you she loved you, sobbing the whole time.” Spike winced suddenly. Xander had told him the same thing, but in all his worrying about being “good” and “right” for her he had forgotten. Clem continued on not even noticing Spike anymore. “And you were right, she always loved you she just couldn't admit it to herself because of who and what you were. I know because she told me.” Clem threw up his arms completely exasperated now. “You know you are a real idiot. After everything that has happened and everything that you've been through, you are going to let petty insecurities and fears keep you apart. If you can't see how much things have changed and see how much she loves you, then maybe you DON”T deserve her." Clem finally stopped and took a breath. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell. I don't like to get angry." Spike just stared at him open mouthed for a few seconds. “Uh, Spike, are you mad at me for saying all that stuff.” "No, you're right mate.” Spike said slowly. “You are absolutely right. When did you get so smart?" "I've always been smart you just usually don't listen because YOU’RE too busy ranting." Spike laughed. "You really need to talk to her." "I will, I need to clear my head first." "Well, that shouldn't talk too long." Spike gave him a small smile. "Suns down, I think I'll take a walk." They both walked out of the training building together. "Ok, but could you stop destroying school property please." "What is it with you and the school property?" "Well since I'm a teacher here, I feel as though I should set some kind of example." Spike gaped at him. "You didn't know I was a teacher." "No. What do you teach?" Clem smiled big and proud. "Demon behavior." With that Clem turned and headed off back into the house, planning on finding Buffy and sending her out after the stubborn vampire before he forgot everything Clem just told him. Spike just shook his head and turned to walk off into the woods. It seemed that in the time he was gone everything had changed. Clem was right he was letting petty insecurities get in the way of his chance with Buffy. They had faced some of the Biggest Bads in the universe together, there had to be a way they could get through this. He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice the figure shadowing him into the woods.

Chapter #8 - Confrontations

Buffy found herself wandering through the house. She had no idea where she was going, she just put one foot in front of the other, while her brain was lost in thought. She could almost feel the struggle going on within Spike, she just didn’t know what he was struggling with. Then she felt guilty that she didn’t instinctively know what was wrong with him. He always seemed to be able to read her. He could take one look at her and tell her, her deepest thoughts and fears. Why couldn’t she do the same for him? Buffy wondered if it was just the soul that was making things hard for him? She knew that last year he struggled with the guilt and the memories, but he seemed to be able to look past them as time went on, or did she just miss that he was struggling? Maybe the trip Cordelia and Darla took him on had triggered something new. Buffy’s mind wandered to Angel. He was so different with the soul than without, unlike Spike. Spike was the same only more subdued. Was it because the soul was forced on Angel while Spike made the choice? Buffy knew that Spike had changed a lot before he had the soul. If he hadn’t he wouldn’t have felt the need to get the soul. Maybe sitting down and telling him she knew how much he changed before the soul would make him feel better. She never told him before, she was too busy beating him up and putting him down. She stopped suddenly. What if that was it? What if she hurt him so much the year they were sleeping together that she took his confidence away? Was it all her fault? They never talked about what had happened between them the year after she came back. She had been afraid to bring up the past because she didn’t have the words to apologize for her behavior and she was afraid that if she brought it up he would leave again. Buffy, finally looked up and noticed where her wandering had brought her. She was in a part of the library that was hidden to most of the occupants of the house. Willow had put a glamour over some shelves in the back of the library, only certain people would be able to just walk past the security measures that were in place. This was where they kept the scythe Buffy had used to defeat Caleb as well as any texts unsuitable for young Slayer eyes or just texts that might have information dangerous to them or their allies. Buffy couldn't understand why she would come here. Yeah, she had been looking for peace and quiet, but Buffy and reading really didn't go hand in hand. She walked through the room slowly, running her hands over the bookends as she moved among the shelves. “You must be lost.” Dawn’s voice startled Buffy out of her thoughts. “Nope, just looking for some peace and quiet. How are you feeling this morning, sis?” Buffy grinned at her evilly. “Definitely not drinking again for a while. I slept curled up next to the toilet. I was convinced there could be no place more comfortable than that. And yes, I hung up your pants, or Faith did.” Buffy nodded sympathetically. “Yes I remember when I thought the toilet was the best pillow ever.” “So what’s up with the early afternoon library trip. I figured you would be off somewhere with Spike for the next couple of days.” Buffy just turned back to the shelves and shrugged. “Oh, please.” Dawn just rolled her eyes and shook her head. “When are you two going to get your act together. This is worse than a soap opera.” “Thanks, Dawn.” Buffy’s voice sounded so sad, Dawn realized that her sister didn’t need grief right now. “I’m going to go leave you to your peace and quiet, I just wanted to see who was back here.” She turned to leave, then she remembered something. “Oh, yeah. I found this the other day and thought you might like to see it.” Dawn walked over to one of the shelves and pulled out a small report, type document. “This lady wrote her thesis on Spike. She actually seems to have all her facts straight. The funny thing is you can totally tell she has the biggest crush on him, but she is supposed to be this Watcher and everything. Its still interesting though.” She handed it to Buffy who studied the cover. “Thanks Dawn. Do you have any books on vampire behaviors?” Buffy asked her thoughtfully. “Behaviors?” Dawn asked unsure of what she wanted. “Like rituals, or um, how they live with each other and stuff?” Buffy didn’t want to ask her sister for a book on vampire mating. Dawn seemed to have an idea of what she was asking for because she got a glint in her eyes that seemed to know too much. “I don’t have many in English.” Her sister turned and walked over to a shelf. “Oh wait, here I think this what you were asking for.” She handed her sister another book. “If you need anything else Buffy, just let me know.” Buffy looked at the other book. It was simply titled ‘Vampyre- English Translation’. “That’ll work.” Buffy muttered to herself. She flipped it open and read down the list of chapters. It was Chapter 14. Vampire Mating- Rituals And Results. Buffy settled in and began to read. “Hey, Buffy are you still back here?” Buffy looked up at the interruption. “Yeah, Dawn. What’s up?” “You do know, its like almost 7pm, right?” Dawn told her. “No!!” Buffy looked at the books regretfully, “Guess I don’t read so well.” “Did you find what you were looking for?” Dawn asked her. “I think so. Now I have to go find Spike. Have you seen him anywhere?” “Nope, but I know Giles has been looking for you all day. He seems really uptight.” At Buffy’s nervous look Dawn reassured her. “I’ve covered for you so far. What are you in trouble for now?” “I think I upset some Council members.” Dawn just laughed. “That’s no big. Go find Spike. Giles can wait until tomorrow. Andrew was just here, he said Faith and the other’s are in the back parlor, by the pool. He’s probably with them.” At her mention of Faith, Buffy’s eyes narrowed. “Thanks, Dawn.” Buffy ran out of the room quickly to go make things right between her and Spike. Buffy found Faith in the Parlor with Wesley, Fred, & Gunn. Unfortunately, Faith didn’t know where Spike was, but she did tell her about the disastrous sparring session they had. Buffy was about to go search upstairs, when Clem came in from outside. “Buffy, you need to go talk to Spike.” “Do you know where he is? I’ve been looking all over for him.” Buffy practically tackled Clem in her eagerness. Clem stepped back from the over anxious Slayer, he knew from experience that could get painful. “He said he wanted to clear his head.” Buffy gave him a look, but didn’t say anything. “I thought the same thing you are, but he went for a walk outside.” Outside there was the distant rumbling of thunder. Everyone else in the room exchanged a glance. As Buffy went to run outside after him, Faith stopped. “I’m going to go with you, B.” Buffy turned to tell her it wasn’t necessary, but Faith cut her off before she could get out word one. “There may be a problem.” Buffy looked at her confused. “Come on. I’ll explain on the way.” Lightning flashed outside as the two girls headed out. Spike wandered through the forest wondering how he could approach Buffy with what was going on inside his head. He was afraid to tell her about his fears for her, he didn’t want her to think less of him for being so skittish about this. He barely registered the display of lightning in the sky above him. He also didn’t know how to tell her about his problems controlling the demon. What if it just confirmed her fears of him being a monster? He came to a small clearing in the forest. He looked up at the sky just as a huge bolt of lightning raced across it. Thunder rumbled through the air. Spike spun around at the presence behind him. There stood Angel. His face lit up momentarily from the display above. “Its time we had a talk, Spike.” He yelled over the loud thunder. “I told you before, I’m really not interested.” Spike told the larger vampire as he moved closer. He went to go around Angel and head back inside, but Angel grabbed his arm and pulled him into his face. “You can’t seriously believe you can stay with her.” Angel looked into his eyes. “I told you before, Sod Off. This has nothing to do with you, Peaches.” Spike tried to push Angel off of him, but Angel just threw him on the ground with disgust. With that the sky broke and rained poured down soaking them both in seconds. Lightning pulsed violently, while the thunder seemed to shake the trees themselves. “I’ve seen what you’ve been going through. I’ve seen you struggling to control the demon. How long can you keep it up? What happens when it gets out?” Angel grabbed him and pulled him back up. “Are you ready to watch her grow old? Are you ready to pull her into a life of darkness?” Spike shove him away angrily. “You don’t fucking know what you are talking about.” He snarled. He was breathing heavily, even though he didn’t need to breathe, fighting back sobs that threatened him from the pain inside. “Really. Why exactly did you feel the need to go off and get your soul then? Don’t you remember what you told me? You almost RAPED her.” Spike turned away at the truth of Angel’s words. “You thought that would be enough to control the urges didn’t you?” Angel turned him back around to face him. “We’re vampires, a soul won’t change who we are.” Angel unknowingly echoed Spike’s words from earlier. The two face each other, yelling in the pouring rain. Desperation, anger and pain was almost crippling Spike and driving reason far to the back of his mind. “I’ve had years to learn how to live with the soul and I still almost killed her when I drank from her. I wanted to turn her more than anything. I wanted to turn her and take her away and forget fighting for good, forget everything but her.” “How long until you try to turn her? Could you even live with yourself afterwards?” Spike couldn’t take anymore of Angels words. His let his demon free and attacked him. Buffy and Faith had barely made it outside before the rain hit. They both started running deep into the woods, Buffy seeming to know instinctively which way to go. They arrived at the clearing a few moments after Angel did. “You don’t fucking know what you’re talking about.” Buffy heard Spike yell and she put her arm out to keep Faith from alerting them to their presence. Faith followed her lead and they watched the two vampires argue. When Spike attacked Angel, both girls moved forward. “I’ll get Angel, you grab Spike.” Buffy ordered Faith. They ran out to where the two vampires were both rolling on the muddy ground wrestling. Buffy grabbed Angel by the back of his neck and threw him off Spike, he landed on the ground several feet away. Buffy walked over to where he lay. “Where do you get off advising anyone on my love life?” She yelled at him. Behind her Faith struggled to keep Spike from tearing after Angel, especially since he could see Buffy standing by his side. “One question, Angel. Suppose Angelus had me on the ground hurt, unable to fight back, would he have let me go when he realized her hurt me? I tend to think that would make the rape that much more exciting for him.” Buffy’s eyes stared at him, he could see the judgment in them. “Spike is nothing like you, he never was and he never will be.” “B, look out.” Faith yelled behind her. Spike had broken free of her hold and was heading straight for Angel. Buffy stood directly in his path and when he reached her she just grabbed onto him, not letting him get any further. “Spike.” She said loudly in his ear. “Stop. That’s enough.” Immediately the vampire stopped struggling to get to Angel. She let him go and he stalked back in Faith’s direction. Buffy turned back around to Angel. “Here’s the main difference between you and Spike, Angel. He loves me. All of him. The demon as much as the man. Angelus never loved me. He doesn’t know how to love. I wonder if you do?” "Take him back to the house Faith, make sure he stays there, or at least away from us." She told the other Slayer. "No prob, B. You sure you're gonna be Ok here?" Faith looked over at Spike, still in game face, concerned. Buffy just nodded absently. She had already dismissed them, her attention focused on the vampire in front of her. Listening to Angel had finally filled in the final pieces in her brain. She was certain she understood what was going on with Spike now. While she didn't want to hurt him, she had done that enough already, she was pretty sure that was going to be the only way to get through to him. "Spike..." She began. "Look, Buffy, I didn't mean to do it. He just wouldn't shut up, I'm sorry I know I shouldn't have done it. I just lost control. I'm sorry, luv." He was almost pleading with her. Buffy just shook her head. Now he was apologizing for beating Angel when Angel deserved it!!! Enough was enough. "This isn't going to work." She said coldly. "Wha- I'm sorry. I'm trying so hard to be a good man for you." The pain on his face made her want to run and comfort him, but she couldn't he still didn't understand. "I know I told you I loved you, but I was wrong." He sank slowly to his knees, his whole body was shaking. 'Come on Spike,' she thought to herself 'I know you're in there somewhere.' Buffy knew that if she couldn't get through to him, that there was a real possibility she would destroy him, and in doing that destroy herself. "I mean look at you," She continued derisively. "Pathetic doesn't even begin to cover it. You're worse than Riley and Angel put together." His head came up at that and there was a flash of anger in his eyes. 'There we go' Buffy thought excitedly. "Isn't it strange, the one who was never going to be 'Nancyboy' is now more insecure than Riley and broods more than Angel?" She taunted him. He was glaring at her now, that familiar look of hatred stemming from hurt. Just one more push. "Even William was more of a man that you are." She made a sound of disgust and turned to walk away when he leaped. She sensed him coming, but instead of moving into a defensive position she just braced herself for the impact of the snarling vampire. When he tackled her they both went down to the ground. Her shirt ripped as he pinned her beneath him, eyes glowing yellow, demon in full control. "You heartless bitch," he growled at her, his eyes were almost insane with rage and pain. She didn't even flinch, but he didn't notice. "I came back for you. I wasn't asking for declarations of love, you offered those freely. So I've been trying to be good for you. Tried to be a stand up guy. I've tried to keep the demon tight under wraps." He yelled right in her face, his hands held her wrists painfully tight above her head. He still didn't notice that she didn't move or struggle, just watched him. Not once did the demon really try to hurt her physically, even though it was almost mad with rage and frustration. "I tried to be someone you could be proud to be with." He sneered down at her. "But as always, Buffy Summers doesn't know what the hell she wants. Just wants to jerk me around on her chain like always." He threw up his arms in frustration. "I'm done with this whole sodding mess. I am through getting thrown around by you." Suddenly she attacked. She moved so fast, he didn't even realize it until he was looking up at her. She now had him pinned to the ground. "I know exactly what I want." She told him calmly staring into his yellow eyes. "I don't want a 'good' man. I don't want a polite man. I don’t want someone obsessed with ‘the right thing’ all the time. I don't want William." "I want Spike." She paused and just looked down at him. "I love you. I am proud to be with you. I trust you completely." He stared back up at her shocked, still in game face. "I love all of you, souly parts and demon parts." She leaned forward and kissed him softly, teasing his lips. His anger had faded at her words and when her lips touched his he felt fire run through him. He lifted his head to try and capture her lips, but she moved away. “You were the one who always said I needed a little monster in my man.” He opened his mouth and moaned as she shifted so she was right over his quickly hardening cock. He moaned again when she rubbed against him sensuously. She grinned at how well she knew his body when she felt him go rock hard at her movements. She kissed him again, no teasing this time, she opened her mouth and wrapped her tongue around his, moving it with the same motions she was using to grind against him. Then she purposely ran her tongue over one of his fangs. At the taste of her blood he arched his hips into her in desperation. She released his mouth, breaking their kiss for air. Around them the downpour had slowed to a steady drizzle. Creating a mist through their little clearing. Neither one noticed that outside the clearing the storm raged as fierce as before. She kissed one corner of his mouth, then the other before slowly kissing her way down his face to his neck. He moaned loudly when she started sucking and nibbling her way up and down his neck. "Buffy, gods." He moaned. Her hips never stopped their slow movements above his crotch. He tried moving under her, trying to get her to speed up her movements or press harder, but she would just raise up at his attempts. He was almost whimpering from her assault on his neck and her torment of him. She started alternating sucking and nibbling on his neck causing him to moan louder. She could feel the tension running through him, all she wanted was to let go of his hands and give in to both their need, but that wasn't what this was about. His moaning and whimpering was getting louder, just when he thought he couldn't take anymore of her torment she bit down right over his vein as hard as she could, drawing out his blood. He screamed her name as he came, arching up into her almost throwing her off him. When he came back down she let go of his neck that she had been sucking and sat up looking down at him. The sight of Buffy above him, his blood on her lips, made his eyes widen with realization and shock. "Buffy?" He whispered. Looking down into his eyes, now back to the blue she loved, she whispered one word. "Mine." He couldn't move, couldn't speak. He just stared at her, completely stunned. "I can live without you. I've done a pretty good job of it this past year." She looked down at him seriously. "The thing is I don't WANT to live without you. We've wasted too much time already, Spike, and I don't want to waste anymore. We could both be dead again in a few hours. I love you. I want to share my life with you for as long as they let me. I told you before I was sick and tired of the mixed signals and the angst." She smiled sweetly. "I just want to be with-". She was cut off as he pulled her down to him and kissed her passionately. The electricity between them flared up at the contact. Every nerve in her body pulsed and hummed for his touch. Her torn shirt was quickly ripped away from her. Her bra disappeared before she even realized her shirt was missing. She pulled away from him to take breath, noticing for the first time her current state of undress. She was amused that he managed to get her half naked without hardly trying. Then all thoughts left her as his hands reached up and cupped her breasts, fingers rubbing lightly over her nipples. "Mmmm." She practically purred. Her eyes closed and her head fell back as she arched into his hands seeking more contact. It had been so longs since anyone had touched her like this. It had never felt this sweet before. "God. You are so beautiful." She heard him whisper. He sat up needing to be closer to her. As he did she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. Once that barrier was removed they melted together again, their mouths meeting almost desperately this time. He moved his mouth down over her jaw to her neck kissing and sucking alternately on the way down. His hands still cupped her breasts kneading them while pulling on her nipples with his fingers. She could hear him murmuring words of love and adoration in between kissing. "Love you so much." "Taste so sweet." "Absolute bloody perfection." Before she would never allow him such declarations, too afraid of his feelings. Now she savored them as much as she did his kisses and touch. They washed over her skin making her even more excited. "So strong. So-" His voice hitched as he ran her hands down over his chest lightly, caressing and stroking his muscles. "Yours." She finished his sentence for him. He stopped his movements at the sound of her voice. "Make me yours, Spike." Her voice sounded needy even to her own ears. He moved and ran his tongue over the vein on her neck making her whimper in need. Her hands were busy trying to undo his jeans, but her mind couldn't seem to understand how to work them. She finally just ripped off the button and pulled down his zipper, freeing him. She quickly grasped his long, hard length, still sticky from earlier. He hissed at the feeling of her hot hands stroking him, before returning to kissing and sucking on her neck. She sensed him change into his demon form, yet the Slayer part of her didn't register any type of threat coming from him at all, having already recognized him as her mate. She tensed in anticipation. He hesitated for a moment, hoping this was the right thing do. "Please" She whispered hoarsely, unable to speak any louder than that. That was all he needed, he knew he couldn't stop now if he wanted to. He gently bit down into her flesh and the blood came pouring into his mouth. The taste and power of her causing him to come all over her hands. Buffy had started to come as soon as she felt his fangs enter her neck. It seemed to go on and on crashing over her in waves that seemed to be timed with the motion of him sucking in her blood. She arched her neck so she could reach the mark she left on him. She moved her mouth over it and began sucking on it drawing out more of his blood.

Chapter #9 - Mates

Angel and Faith ran back to the house while around them the rain pounded in sheets. When they finally got inside everyone was staring out the windows amazed. “Where are Buffy and Spike?” Xander yelled at them when they got inside. “They are still out there trying to work things out. I had to bring Angel inside because he didn’t want to play nice.” Faith said disgusted. She looked at Angel. “What the hell did you think you were doing? Its up to them now.” Angel sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. “I thought I was doing the right thing.” He said mournfully. “Its time you realized that B is a big girl who can take care of herself. Its time to let her go.” Faith told him. She shook her head when he didn’t respond and turned to look out the windows at the storm. “Think they’ll be ok out there?” She asked. “I hope so.” Fred said. “I’ve never seen a rain storm this fierce before.” “Its not a normal storm.” Willow answered from the doorway. Her eyes had electrical sparks flying through them similar to when she had sucked up all of the power from Rack. Everyone stared at her in shock. “Will, are you ok?” Xander asked fearfully. “There’s so much power and energy in the air right now.” Her breathing was heavy and she leaned on the doorway heavily. “Something big is happening.” She licked her lips and sort of swooned at the feeling of power all around her. God, how she wanted to tap into it, she wanted to feel it running through her. Oz walked over to her. “Will.” She tried to focus on him, but had difficulty doing so. “Come on, Will. I got you.” He told her quietly. He led her over to the couch they had fallen asleep on the night before. He sat her down and wrapped his arms around her petting her hair. He met Xander’s worried gaze above her head. “Its going to be ok.” Images flooded Buffy’s mind moving faster than she could process. Places, people she had never seen before zoomed by in her minds eyes. Emotions pounded at her in cadence with the images. Finally she realized what was happening, she was seeing Spike’s or William’s life through his eyes. She saw Anya’s friend Halfrek and felt his heart fill with love then despair as she cruelly rejected him. She saw Drusilla come into view and felt William die in her arms. Then there was blood, killing. She saw him turn his mother, then kill her. Spike involved with Darla, Drusilla and Angelus in ways she never could have imagined, images almost as violent and bloody as the killing, many of them done immediately after the killing. Years of murder, torture and mayhem flew past her. She wanted to make it stop, these horrible images along with the feelings of power and euphoria. Years flying by. Then she saw something she recognized. She saw herself, dancing at the Bronze. The images were easier to follow now that she knew most of the events first hand. She saw Glory. She saw first hand the agony Glory put him through. Buffy watched herself fall to the ground off the tower. She felt the grief and pain inside him, much worse than what Glory had inflicted upon him. She felt his joy and awe seeing her walk down the stairs the night she came back. She could feel his hopeful, eagerness when she began talking to him about things she couldn’t tell her friends. His desperation at her rejection of his kiss. Their first night together in the house, then the next morning. When the night she beat him in the alley came into view, Buffy couldn’t take anymore. She came back into herself, and wrenched herself free from his arms. She lay on the wet grass, softly crying. When Spike’s fangs broke Buffy’s skin, he thought he would pass out from the pleasure. Then he felt her lean into him and pull softly at her bite mark with her lips and everything faded away. Images hit his mind and he knew immediately what they were. Buffy. Buffy’s life. He watched her grow up with her parents and Dawn. He saw her get called. He was mildly amused at her choice of high school boyfriends. Especially Pike. He watched her arrival at Sunnydale. Her desperate love affair with Angel. He saw the bright young girl get slowly forged into the warrior she was. Then it all ended abruptly. He was sitting on the wet ground watching Buffy curl up on herself crying. Instantly he knew what had happened. She had seen his life. She saw all the things he had done since he was turned and couldn’t bear to be with him. The pain bloomed in his chest. He wanted to reach out and hold her and comfort her, but that would probably only upset him more. He couldn’t contain the tears that ran down his face as he watched the woman he loved cry her heart out. “Buffy…” He tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse. What could he say that would make it better anyway? She looked up at the sound of his voice and her soft crying became a hiccupping sob as the sight of him and she quickly lowered her head back down as if she could bear to see him. He didn’t think the pain could get any worse but it did. He had to get away from her before he caused her more upset. He tried to move, to push himself away from her when she spoke. “How can you love me?” He froze and just stared at her. She raised her head and looked directly at him. “How can you love me after all I did to you? You tried so hard and all I did was hurt you over and over again, deliberately?” Her voice broke as she once again broke down into sobs. Spike still didn’t know what to say to this, but he finally understood she wasn’t upset about what she saw him do, she was upset at she saw herself do. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his hands stoked lightly through her hair as he murmured softly to her. “Hush now, luv. Its alright, all in the past now. We’re all ok now.” “No, its not ok.” Buffy insisted shaking her head buried in his chest. Her sobs slowed to sniffles as she pulled back far enough to look into her his eyes. “Spike, I’m sorry for the horrible things I did and said to you after I came back. There was so much you were right about, so many things you did for me that I ignored. I hurt you so much over and over again and no matter what I can’t take any of it back now. All I can do is say I’m sorry, but that doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Her voice broke down with tears again. “Buffy, I wasn’t the perfect person either. Telling you that you came back wrong, trying to convince you join the dark with me, that comment about ‘the only thing better than killing a Slayer…’. It wasn’t like I didn’t deserve what I got.” Again Buffy shook her head. “No, you didn’t deserve that. You had already changed so much at that point Spike. All you needed was a little encouragement, not beatings and insults.” Her eyes unfocused for a few seconds as she seemed to see something beyond him. “I had to believe that I was above you. I had to keep believing you were nothing more than a soulless demon, otherwise you would be able to sneak into my heart and I was afraid that once that happened, once you had that power over me, you would be able to hurt me. So I kept telling myself that I felt nothing, that I couldn’t feel anything for just a thing. When the truth was you were the only one who could make me feel and all I wanted to do was be able to let go of everything else and get lost in you. But I couldn’t do that. Slayers can’t fall in love with soulless vampires. I was too worried about what everyone else thought to worry about what I really felt. Instead I just hurt you again and again. That’s why I broke up with you after Riley left, being with you and not being able to let myself really be with you was killing me. It was all so out of control.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Well then, seems like we’re both a right pair of jerks. We must be made for each other.” Buffy just looked at him dumbfounded before she started giggling through her tears. “You just might be right.” She laughed. He snorted at her. “Might be my arse. Of course I’m right, and if you have any doubts about us being made for each other, its too late now, because YOU are MINE.” He purred into her ear, sending all sorts of delicious shivers through her. “My mate for all eternity.” He pulled her to him and kissed her lips. “Forever.” He kissed her again on her neck above his mark and listened to her hiss in pleasure. “And Ever” He then kissed the other side of her neck, wishing that he could cover up the previous marks on her neck. “That won’t work.” Her voice interrupted his contemplation of her neck. “What’s that, luv?” He asked distractedly. “Forever, that won’t work.” He looked up at her worried now. “I want more than forever. I want at least forever and two days.” “Forever and two days, huh?” The amusement was clear in his voice. “Yep, that gives me time to bind you to me for another forever.” Buffy and Spike were so caught up in each other they never noticed the streaks of light that were now falling to the ground instead of rain. They never saw the iridescent figures that appeared in the background until one of them spoke. “What was sundered and undone, behold the two made one.” Buffy and Spike jumped apart and stared in shock at the three figures before them. “Um, isn’t that from The Dark Crystal.” One of the figures asked. “Yes, but that’s a really good movie, except for the scary large bunny creatures. They never said the blessing had to be original.” “We all know originality wasn’t your strong suit, don’t we dear.” The third figure spoke. “Halfrek, I was above you the entire time we were demons so I don’t want to hear it.” The figure turned and looked at Buffy and Spike. “Buffy I never really what cute pert breasts you have. You’re never going to need a lift, that’s for sure.” Buffy gasped and threw her hands up to cover her chest. Spike jumped across the grass and gave her his shirt since he accidentally destroyed all of her clothes, while zipping up his own pants. “Anya.” Tara’s voice sounded disapprovingly. “What? She does have nice breasts, mine were never that nice. Tara just sighed, before focusing on the two standing before them in shock. She smiled at them. “I’m sorry to interrupt you two, but we were sent to Congratulate you.” “Not that I’m not happy to see you Tara, but a card would have worked, too.” “Then who would tell you about all the new powers the two of you are going to get?” Anya asked them. “Powers, what new powers?” Buffy asked looking at Spike to see if he had any idea what was going on. He just shrugged. “You are both going to be stronger now. You can also borrow strength from each other if you ever need it. Buffy, you are no longer a mortal. You will still age, but very slowly, about the same speed as a souled vampire.” “I’m going to age?” Spike sounded nervous about that. “You haven’t noticed Angel again over the years?” Tara asked him. Spike shrugged. “I just thought he was getting soft.” “You also are going to receive visions for Buffy now. Angel is no longer going to be the Champion for the powers. They aren’t sure if they are going to be able to trust him for much longer.” “So we’re the new Champions?” “Yes, you two have been their goal for many years now. When you died Buffy, you weren’t in heaven you know. When you jumped, the forces at work in that gate would have destroyed any sense of self you had. Your consciousness was sent someplace else, someplace safe for you. It was supposed to have been a break for you, the Powers were going to eventually explain everything and bring you back after explaining everything to you. No one counted on Willow and no one counted on how your violent return would effect you. After Willow brought you back, the Powers thought all their plans had been for nothing. Spike was supposed to change a lot more before you two got together. And you were so damaged they didn’t think that you would ever be able to control the darkness inside of you to become the warrior they wanted. However, you two battled through your own demons and managed to surprise all of the Superior Beings with your strength and determination.” Tara turned to address Spike now. “That you sought out a soul on your own earned you a place of honor, even if you and Buffy hadn’t found your way back to each other. Everyone underestimated you, Spike.” “I didn’t really think I was choosing a soul. I thought I just wanted the chip out so I could kill her.” Spike felt the need to finally confess the last worry in his heart. He had been so torn up and confused when he had gone to that demon. The demon’s rage and anger had been crying out for Buffy’s blood. “That may have been what you thought, but it wasn’t what you really wanted. You were dreaming of her love, of being good enough for her, even then.” Tara turned and focused on Buffy again. “You didn’t come back wrong, Buffy. Your death was needed for the Slayer side to grow. Unfortunately, the way you were brought back had some consequences that will make your journey together that much harder, but it is believed by the Powers and other Superior Beings that after all you’ve been through those challenges will be nothing more than inconveniences to you. The two of you are the perfect combination of demon and humanity, the perfect warriors to fight for the balance. You are going to be the Chosen Ones.” “So what? Are you saying ‘m a Slayer now?” “No. You are a vampire mated to a Slayer and Buffy is a Slayer mated to a vampire. Nothing more. But the two of you together are going to be one of the most powerful forces in all of the realms.” “I bet you never thought you’d come this far all those years ago, William.” Halfrek’s said in a smug voice. That was when Buffy realized exactly who she was. “You goddamn bitch!!!” Buffy yelled at her. Halfrek looked at her clearly offended. “Excuse me, there isn’t any call for such horrible language.” Spike was also shocked at Buffy’s words he had never heard her talk like that before. Before he could say anything however Buffy was up and in Halfrek’s face. “You are so lucky you’re all see-thoroughly or I’d kick your scrawny ass all the way back to the higher realms.” Halfrek looked down on the tiny blonde woman standing in front of her. “You should actually be thanking me. Without me William would never have gone with that Druscilla. I set the whole thing in motion.” She told Buffy, obviously pleased with herself, this only angered Buffy even more. “I at least realize that I treated him badly after I came back. You seem to think it was nothing to drive a young man to his death just because you were a bitch!!” Halfrek just sighed, although she was more than a little upset at Buffy’s outburst. “Well, perhaps I was a bit harsh. You don’t understand what things were like back then, appearances were everything and peer pressure was awful.” Buffy just rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. You want to talk about keeping up appearances and peer pressure try attending public school in Los Angeles.” Halfrek frowned at her inability to understand how embarrassing it was to have the sniveling dork, William fawning after her all the time. “Fine then.” She said to Buffy, before turning to Spike. “William, I’m sorry I was so mean to you when I rejected your advances. I just needed to make sure you dropped the silly fantasy of ever having a chance with me.” Buffy snorted derisively at her “Apology”. Spike just smirked at her horrible apology. “Got your message loud and clear, luv. Thanks.” Honestly, he couldn’t care less about what Cecily had done to him back then, but he was getting a real thrill watching Buffy stand up for him. No one had ever really done that for him before, well except Clem, but he wasn’t nearly as ferocious as Buffy could be. Halfrek was disappointed he wasn’t more grateful to her for her apology. Evidently she needed to make some gesture too. She thought a moment, her eyes focusing on the annoying blonde in front of her when suddenly it hit her. “I know just what I can do to make it up to you.” “Not necessary, pet. It was a long time ago.” “No.” She insisted. “I want to do this.” She sounded almost evil when she said that and the smile on her face could only be described as conniving. Before Spike could again refuse her offer she reached out to Buffy’s neck. “Ouch.” Buffy yelled and Spike saw a flash of light. “What the hell?” Spike was up in a flash and next to Buffy, he had her in his arms and pulled her back away from the ex-demoness. “What the fuck did you do?” He growled at the apparition, game face out and snarling. Halfrek just let out a tinkling laugh and gestured to Buffy’s neck. “See for yourself.” Spike inspected both sides of Buffy’s neck but saw nothing but his healing mark. He looked at Halfrek confused, but she just grinned as did the others. Then it hit him. There was nothing on Buffy’s neck, but his healing mark. Spike started to laugh, a truly happy laugh. “What?!” Buffy demanded. “What did that bitch do to me?” “You’re all mine now, luv.” Buffy looked at him blankly for a moment, then her eyes widened with realization. “You mean…?” She whispered up at him, amazement in her voice. “They are gone, pet. Angel’s, the Master’s, Drac’s. Not a mark on your neck but mine.” The smile she gave him was almost shy, but so tender and sweet. Her eyes got shiny, with tears of happiness. “Well, I think our work here is done, ladies.” Anya said. “All you need to do to complete your bond is to go give each other great orgasms. Which we both know from experience Spike is very good at…” Buffy and Spike just stared at her incredulously. “Anya, you’re right its time for us to go.” Tara interrupted her before she could get started. “Its bad enough I can’t have any anymore, now I can’t even live vicariously through them.” Anya complained loudly as she started to fade away. Halfrek grinned at Buffy and Spike proudly. Buffy still had the urge to smack her face repeatedly and that grin did nothing to help, but she too faded from sight. Last was Tara. She just looked at them for a moment before speaking. “I’m not supposed to do this, but I can’t stand to see Willow in pain. Tell her to follow her heart. I know she loved me, all she can do now is live her life and be true to herself.” Tara smiled softly. “Tell her we will be together again.” With that she faded from sight as well. “Well, its almost sunrise and they aren't back, yet, one of us should go look for them." Willow was saying. After the storm had passed Willow had been able to relax without the seductive power running all over her. They had all moved into the library to research what could have possibly happened. Willow insisted that nothing about it felt evil, but she didn’t have any idea what could have caused it. "One of us who isn't Angel." Dawn advised, shooting Angel an evil look. The others had filled her in on how he tried to make Spike abandon her sister in the same way he had. She had never really liked the unhappy vampire, but she never thought he would try something so cruel as to play on Spike’s insecurities. "I'll go." Xander volunteered. "I'm going with you. That way if they are caught out in the sunlight, maybe I could conjure some protection for Spike." Willow said. The two walked out of the library down the hallway and into the ballroom, with the intentions of going out through the parlor in the back. Willow saw them first and froze in the doorway. Xander, not noticing her stopping walked right into Willow. "Geez Will, signal when you're gonna stop like that ok?" She didn't answer him and he looked up to see what she was staring at. They had obviously just come in from outside. There were still drops of moisture on them from the drizzling mist outside. Buffy appeared to be dressed in Spike's shirt, his Duster over that to cover the rest of her. Her arms were wrapped around Spike's waist, her head resting on his chest right under his armpit. Since Buffy was wearing most of his clothes, Spike had only his black jeans on. One arm was wrapped around Buffy holding her close while the other hand rested on her arm around his waist. From the rain and moisture outside his hair had escaped from the slicked back gel that usually held it in place and in its place were unruly curls. Willow was reminded of a statue she had seen outside of a church once as a child. The statue was a woman kneeling down in front of an angel looking up at him with such peace and love. The angel had his hand on the woman’s cheek a look of rapture captured on his face. That haunting image had stayed with Willow for many years. She had wondered if there could really be a moment so pure as to cause that look of innocent ecstasy or if it only existed in an artist's imagination. Now she was seeing that look on the face of her best friend and the beauty of it brought tears to her eyes. The irony of comparing a vampire to an angelic figure was not lost on Willow. However, with the curling hair and smooth features, it was an easy comparison to make. The couple moved across the ballroom towards the back stairs not noticing Willow or Xander staring at them in awe. Willow's senses were on overload. She felt the tears welling in her eyes spill over at the powerful sight of the love between the two. She could feel energy rolling off the two, but it was like nothing she ever felt before. It seemed so pure and natural, but supercharged, making her feel all tingly, kinda like last night. "OH!!" She said loudly, realizing that the episode last night must have been from them. Her voice called the couple's attention to them. Buffy and Spike stopped and looked over at Willow and Xander who were still staring at them open mouthed. Willow quickly wiped the tears from her face. "Uh, Hey Buff." Xander said awkwardly, feeling like he was a caught peeping tom. "Are you guys ok?" Buffy looked up at Spike and the two smiled at each other lovingly. Willow got the impression that volumes were communicated through that smile. "We're fine." Buffy finally answered Xander. Her voice came out soft and feminine. She giggled. "Although, Will, if you have any transport spells, I really don't want to walk up all those stairs to my room." Willow found her voice again, sort of. "No, no spells that transport. Sorry." She managed to get out, her brain was still trying to process the feeling of power she was getting from them. Spike chuckled low behind her, watching her with amusement. "Too tired to walk, pet?" He asked her. Buffy looked back at him and shrugged. "It was just a thought." Without another word he scooped her up into his arms cradling her to him. Her arms slipped around his neck and she nestled her head into his neck, a contented smile crept across her face. When she leaned into him her hair fell back from her neck and both Willow and Xander gasped in shock at the very obvious bite mark they saw. Willow looked at Spike and saw what could only be a human's corresponding bite mark on his neck. ‘Its like a marriage in the truest sense of the word. You share your life with someone else completely.’ Oz’s voice echoed in Willow’s mind. Willow looked over at Xander, but he was just standing there opening and closing his mouth. Thankfully, no sound coming out. "I thought you guys were going out to look for Buffy and..." They both jumped at the sound of Angel's voice. They hadn't realized he had followed them out of the library. He didn't finish his sentence as his eyes caught sight of the couple in the middle of the ball room. His immediately noticed their Marks. "Buffy?" His voice almost broke with sadness. He took a couple of steps towards them, but stopped when they both turned to look at him. Buffy and Spike both looked at him curiously, happiness shining on both their faces. For the first time, Spike didn't seem at all threatened by Angel's presence. ‘Why should he?’ Angel thought bitterly, ‘She belongs to him now.’ He tried to close his eyes at the sight before him, but he could still see them shining behind his eyelids. Buffy's eyes were clear, the cloudiness that had lived in them for so long was gone. He opened his eyes again and smiled at the two. "Congratulations on your Marriage." He said, trying to mean it. The answering smile from the two of him made his heart soar with happiness for them. He couldn't deny them this amazing happiness they found in each other. "MARRIAGE?!?!" Xander exclaimed, he could finally speak again. "HOW? WHAT?." He looked helplessly at Willow. "Will?" "Later, not now." "But Will, married?" He was pleading with her to make this go away she knew. At her warning look he just stepped back finally realizing she was going to make him wait. "My head hurts." He whined. "Whose getting married?" Dawn asked coming up behind Angel with Faith and Andrew. Just then the morning sun hit the windows of ball room and lit the room up with light and color. With the morning light and the colors dancing around the room, they almost didn't realize the silver glow coming off of Buffy and Spike who had gone back to staring at each other lovingly, Buffy still cradled in his arms. There was a silver chord connecting the two where their hearts would be. "Uh, why are Buffy and Spike glowing and what‘s that silver cord shining around them." Dawn asked. Everyone was too caught up in the sight in front of them to answer her. “Duh, it means their soul mates.” Andrew told her. Everyone turned to look at him surprised. “What?” He asked. “Its in all the romantic fairy tales.” “Those are just stories.” Dawn told him dismissively. “So is Dracula, to most people.” He argued back. "Guys?" Dawn pleaded. "It’s OK, runt." Faith put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "I'd say B, finally got that reward she was always promised." Buffy and Spike still hadn't noticed the glowing or the chord. They really didn't seem too aware of anything for very long aside from each other. He felt a shiver go through her and realized she must be cold with the few clothes she had on still damp from the rain outside. "Right then," He suddenly spoke for the first time. "We need to get you warmed up and into bed." She raised her eyebrows at him, the smirk she wore was totally Spike. “Mmm. I like that idea.” She murmured in his ear. She turned her head to address her friends who were still staring at them amazed. “Um guys, its been kind of a stressful couple of days, we're going to bed and sleeping for about 24..." Spike whispered something in her ear. "36 hours." She corrected her smile widening. "You know B, why don't we just say 48 hours. We'll even leave you some food outside your door every 8-12 hours or so." Faith offered, knowing all too well how much she would need the nourishment. "Thanks, Faith." Buffy gave her a nymph-like smile. "I'll make sure to get some blood for your bleach boy there." Spike looked up at her briefly and smiled in appreciation, acknowledging someone other than Buffy for the first time since they came inside. "Right then, bed time, pet." With that he turned and carried her out of the room leaving the others standing there, most of them with their mouths hanging wide open. Willow turned at took in the looks on the faces of her friends. "We better go get Giles and break the news to him." Willow had a feeling Giles wasn’t going to take this news too well.

Chapter #10 - Over The Hump

Spike carried Buffy up the flights of stairs to her rooms. He quickly crossed the living room, up the marble staircase and set her down on her bed. She made a noise of disappointment when he let go of her and stepped away. "Where are you going?" She asked, sounding like a small pouting child. "I didn't say you could go anywhere!" He turned back to her and grinned at the plaintive sound in her voice. "I'm just going to run you a bath so you can warm up." "I guess that's ok then." He turned and walked into the bathroom. He studied the tub for a moment wondering just how the damn thing worked before her voice called in to him. "Just turn the knob on the left to start the water, it takes about a couple hours to fill, but it sounds a little bell when its ready." He just shook head. Technology. He turned on the water and found he didn't even need to adjust the temperature. He debated lighting some of the candles in the room, but decided to wait until the tub was filled, no sense wasting the wax. A very lurid image that popped into his mind when he thought of candle wax and his Slayer as he straightened and walked back into her bedroom. She had moved off the bed and was standing at the windows looking out at the forest in the early morning light, her back to him. Suddenly he felt choked by fear, afraid he wasn‘t worthy of this gift he had been given, afraid that now in the light of day she would have changed her mind, afraid of losing her, afraid of the emotions that were running so strongly through him he felt like he may drown in them. "You know," he said quietly, so she couldn't hear the shakiness in his voice. "They said the bond isn't permanent until..."She had turned when he started speaking and just watched him as his voice trailed off, no expression on her face. "If you don't want to do this we can find a way to reverse it." He finished quickly and put his head down, he didn't want to see the relief in her eyes. Buffy could feel the fear and insecurity running through their bond. She knew he was hurting. She was mad at herself for not taking the time to talk to him like her friends advised her to. She thought that her actions would clear up all the misunderstandings between them. Instead, even though they were almost bonded together for eternity, he was still so afraid. He heard her cross the room, but didn't look up to watch. He could fell the regret inside her, and he didn’t know what to say. He felt her hands take his lightly. "Spike?" He didn't look up, he didn’t want to see her face as she told him it was all a mistake. “Right. I should just go then.” He tried to sound tough, like it didn’t bother him that she was again pushing him away. “You’re not going anywhere.” She told him. He gave a short laugh. “I can feel your regret, Buffy. That’s the neat thing about this little temporary bond we have. You can’t lie about what you are feeling.” He turned and walked quickly down the stairs, Buffy ran after him. She caught up with him and spun him around. “Would you please just listen for a minute. Yes, I have regrets, but they aren’t about what we did, just in the way I did them.” She sighed and let go of him. She sat down on one of the couches and motioned for him to join her. He watched her, not sure of what was going on. Seeing his confusion she continued. “Look, I could feel that you were struggling with something. You seemed so tormented and at the same time it felt like you were slipping away from me. I didn’t want to lose you again, I didn’t think I could take it. Willow, Xander, they told me I needed to talk to you. They said that would be the best way to figure out what was going on. But I’m so not good at the talking thing. I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. So instead,” Buffy looked down, sheepishly. “Instead of actually talking, I just jumped on you and bit you.” Spike tilted his head to the side not sure what to say here. “I’m sorry, Spike. I guess I was looking for a quick magic fix, because I didn’t know how to deal with communicating.” He sat down next to her on the couch reassured by her opening up to him. She did mean it when she marked him and she didn’t have any doubts about loving him. The rest they could work through. “So what happens now?” He asked her. Buffy didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she jumped up. “Wait, I know. Stay right here, don’t go anywhere.” She ran off into her kitchenette. When she came back a few minutes later she had to steaming cups of hot chocolate in her hands. “What’s this then?” He asked her with a laugh. She sat down on the couch next to him and smiled at him. “I propose we drink hot chocolate and do something we’ve never done before.” “And what’s that, luv?” He asked her seductively. “Talk things out.” Buffy said. His smile grew as he took the offered cup. “I’d like that.” Downstairs in an office, a telephone call was made. “I would like to speak to Isaac Milton, please.” There was a pause, then a voice came over the line. “This is Isaac Milton.” “Mr. Milton, it seems the worst case scenario had occurred. She mated with the vampire last night.” “Yes, we were aware, thanks to the reality storm.” “Reality Storm?” “Yes, when something that big occurs there are echoes that ripple out through reality. Hence the large storm you witnessed, only it occurred all through the known universes.” Mr. Milton gathered his thoughts before continuing. Are you ready now to take the necessary action?” “I am. Just tell me how you want it done.” “The true assassin is already in place within the school, although it isn’t currently active. We didn’t want it prematurely setting off the houses defenses. You will need to activate it with some key phrases.” “That shouldn’t be too hard. Are you sure it will be enough to take out both of them?” “This creature is a human golem, its strength would match that of a real golem, only it can blend in easier. A Slayer, even one as experienced as Miss Summers is no match for it, and her vampire should go down even easier.” “This should work out nicely then.” “It has also come to our attention that we should get rid of the former ‘rogue’ Slayer as well. She is too independent and I don’t think she would be too receptive to our ideas.” There was a slight pause on the line. “That isn’t a problem for you is it?” “No, not at all, Mr. Milton.” “Good.” Two hours later, Buffy sat on her couch in absolute amazement. She and Spike had finally straightened out their confused emotions and had moved on to comparing notes on what they had been up to while away from each other. That wasn’t the amazing thing, however. The amazing thing was she was falling head over heals in love…with Spike. She had loved him before, she knew she had, but this was something else. She loved him when he laughed. He got these cute little crinkles around his eyes and the way in ran through his chest made he giddy. She loved the intent way he looked at her when she told him a story, as if she were the most important thing in the world. She loved his intuition, how he seemed to hear the things that she didn’t say as well as the things she did. Spike was currently telling her the story of how Angel had been turned into a puppet. Inside, Spike was almost certain that the Powers didn’t let him come back. He almost believed that they had let him move on to the Higher Planes, because this sure felt like heaven. He was leaning up against the armrest of the couch, Buffy had settled herself in between his legs and was leaning up against him, her face half turned so she could watch him tell his story. The early afternoon light was filtering in through the windows and seemed to light up Buffy’s eyes, which were wide with amusement at his tale. The best part was he could feel her love for him deepening and it was creating this warm glow within him. “So, in the end, puppet Angel kicked your ass?” She asked him. “How could you let a puppet, much less puppet ANGEL, kick your ass?” Even though he loved her more than anything she could still be annoying. “Well, you see, puppets are smaller than anything I’m used to fighting with. Its not as if I make a habit of beating up things that are smaller than me, so I wasn’t used to those kind of fighting techniques.” Buffy just looked at him doubtfully. “Oh, all right, Angel made a vicious wee puppet man and he kicked my arse fair and square. Happy now.” Buffy burst into laughter. Spike couldn’t stay mad at her, in fact he found her laughter contagious and joined her in her hysterics. As their laughter faded their eyes locked on each other and he felt the heat inside him build into a flame of desire. They moved closer to each other, their lips almost but not quite touching, just enjoying the pull between them. “Spike.” She whispered, her breath tickling his lips. “Yes, Buffy.” "Make love to me...please." He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. Emotions overwhelmed him, it was too much. Buffy, his Slayer, sitting practically in his lap wearing nothing but his shirt, asking him to make love to her. He had dreamed of this so many times, but he never thought it would actually happen, even once it did, and he never thought it would feel this sweet. He felt her lips on his cheeks kissing away tears he wasn't even aware of falling. He opened his eyes and immediately got lost in hers as they captured him. "Buffy." He whispered. "I love you." She answered. He still didn't move to touch her afraid if he did, she would disappear. "Are you going to make me beg?" She asked, amusement in her eyes and voice pushed him into action. "Not quite yet." He said flashing her a cocky grin before bringing his mouth to hers. As soon as their lips met all the everything melted at the taste of her and he knew any fears he had were gone for good. Her tongue wrapped around his sensuously as her hands ran over his chest causing him to moan. He moved his hands down to clutch her hips as he pulled her closer to him. The feeling of her pressed up against him driving him wild. She whimpered into his mouth as his hands moved to start pulling the shirt over her head purposely moving over her breasts on the way up. Her nipples were already hard, but he could feel them tighten even more at his light caress. He broke their kiss as the shirt went over her head onto the floor somewhere. She turned so she was now straddling his lap on the couch. She moved her hands down and started undoing his pants. As soon as he had her shirt off he moved his mouth to those nipples that were almost in front of him. He pulled one into his mouth, sucking lightly while he used his fingers to lightly pull on the other one, mimicking his sucking. Buffy moaned at the feelings he created in her. She gave up on trying to undo his pants, unable to think at all while he did that, and proceeded to just grind against his jean covered erection. He growled deep in his throat, as a surge of lust ran through him at the wetness he could feel through the denim of his pants. He pulled away from her breast and reached down in between them to undo his pants. Buffy’s hands quickly went to work at pulling them down as soon as he had them unfastened. She looked down at him, naked for the first time in so long. God, she missed him. She ran her hand up and down his length, familiarizing herself with his size and feel again. Meanwhile, Spike ran one hand down her stomach to the curls in between her legs. He ran one finger in between her lips, just to verify for himself how wet she really was. “God, Buffy, you are just dripping wet aren’t you.” She whimpered and ran her hands up to the head of his erection, smearing the precum around the tip. He moaned at the feeling of her hands and pushed the finger he had between her legs up into her. Buffy threw her head back in ecstasy and Spike thought he would burn up. “Christ, luv, you’ve never been this soft and wet before. God, I can’t wait to be inside you.” At that Buffy pulled up away from his fingers and released her hold on him with one hand. Using the remaining hand to hold him steady she looked into his eyes as she lowered herself down onto him. They both threw back their heads at the feeling. Buffy could feel his cool, hard length stretching her, filling her. It had been so long it almost felt like it had the first time he entered her, but this was so much sweeter. For a long moment neither one moved. They both knew that they wouldn’t be able to hold back once they got started. They stared into each others eyes, enjoying their connection together, feeling the pleasure echoing through their bond and amplifying it. Spike reached up with shaky hands and cupped her face. “I love you, with every part of my being.” His eyes were flickering between blue and gold.” Buffy smiled at him. “I love you.” That was all it took to break their control. Buffy started moving up and down against him unable to be still any longer as the pleasure built and built inside her. She felt like soon her body wouldn’t be able to hold all the pleasure she felt inside her. She tilted her head to the side and brushed back her hair as Spike changed into game face. They dove for each other’s necks at the same time. At the sensation of teeth against skin the wave of pleasure that had been growing within the two crested. Only instead of then ebbing downward, it exploded farther into rapture, leaving their bodies behind. Down in the kitchen, Xander, Faith, and Dawn were arguing about who was going to take the tray of food up to the newlyweds. “Well, we can’t just leave it outside the door. They won’t know its there.” Dawn was saying. “Fine, then you take it inside, if you’re so worried they won’t hear a knock.” Faith told her. “Ewww, no. That’s my sister, besides I’m way too young to see what’s going on between those two.” Dawn answered back quickly. “Shouldn’t they be upstairs in her bedroom anyway?” Xander asked. “They should be.” Dawn said considering. “You should take it up Xander, since you are certain they won’t be downstairs.” “No thank you. I walked in on Spike once before doing naked push ups. I don’t want to see him doing anything else naked ever again.” “Naked push ups?” Dawn and Faith exchanged a disbelieving look. “Yeah, I went to his crypt when Buffy went all invisible, to see if he had seen her…” Xander stopped. “I’m an idiot.” “Pretty much.” Faith told him. “So does that mean you’ll take the tray up.” “NO!!” Xander said emphatically. “It was your idea so you should take the tray up.” Just then the strange waiter came in the kitchen with his tray of cheese. “Here’s our answer.” Faith said. She walked over to the waiter. “Hey, buddy, we’ve got a job for you.” “Cheese.” The waiter asked shoving the tray in her face. “Um, no thanks on that. Hey shouldn’t you refrigerate that at some point?” The man just looked at her as if he didn’t understand. Faith took his cheese tray away from him and gave him the covered tray with the food and blood for Buffy and Spike. “You need to take this to the 5th floor. The first door you, at the top of the stairs you knock real loud. If no one answer’s you go inside and put the food on the coffee table, then leave.” “I don’t think he’s going to follow all that, Faith.” Dawn told her. “Fifth floor, first door, knock, then go in, put tray on table.” The waiter repeated back to them. “Ok, maybe I was wrong.” With that he took the tray and left the kitchen. “Giles really needs to stop hiring the cheapest staff he can find.” Faith said watching him move down the hall. “If he was just here for the party why is he still here?” Dawn asked. The rapture gave birth to an awareness in Buffy. She could no longer tell where she left off and Spike began. They weren’t two beings any more. There were no more demon parts, souled parts, human parts. There was just the one entity, in control of two bodies. The entity floated, feeling complete. It could feel the combined strength running through both of its bodies. The power with in would make any demon an easy mark. All of its senses were heightened to a level it had never thought existed. It could sense all the other beings in the house. It could hear their heartbeats even from this distance away. Slowly the entity broke apart as the two beings separated and returned to their respective bodies. Buffy and Spike sat staring at each other in shock. “I guess that was some of those powers they were talking about.” Spike said unnecessarily. “Does that mean we have sex while we’re on patrol?” He then asked hopefully. Buffy gave him a look. “I think we’re supposed to learn how to do that outside of sex.” She told him. “Yeah, but it’s a lot more fun with the sex.” He said pulling her close to him and kissing her. When they pulled back Buffy studied him closely. “That’s what I thought heaven was.” She said quietly. “I know. I recognized it through your memories.” He answered her. They didn’t say anything for a few moments. “I love you.” She said. “Damn right you do.” She rolled her eyes as she stood up off of him. “Here comes the ego.” He just laughed. “So you think we should work on that joining thing?” He asked her as she took their hot cocoa mugs to the kitchen. “Not today. There are other things I want to work on with you.” She gave him an evil smirk before she disappeared into the kitchen. “Besides its not like we’re going to need it today.” On the third floor the waiter stood attentively while a man spoke in Sumerian to him. As he finished the waiter’s eyes glowed a silver color. “I await your orders, Master.” It said.

Chapter #11 - Powers

Xander walked into the library where Willow and Oz were researching Vampyre Mating for Giles. Willow looked up and smiled as Xander walked in. “So, who, finally had to take the tray of food upstairs?” She asked him. “Actually we sent it up with that creepy cheese waiter. Man that guy freaks me out.” Xander told her. “He’s like something out of a bad dream.” Oz agreed. “Oh my goddess. Oh no.” Willow jumped up excitedly. “Xander, why didn’t you remember?” “What? Will, what are you talking about?” Xander was alarmed at her behavior. Just then a high pitched whine started echoing throughout the library. The noise was so high pitched it began to affect Oz, who started to Wolf out. “What’s happening?” Xander yelled. “It’s the houses defenses letting me know something evil is inside.” Willow yelled. “Grab some weapons, we have to get to Buffy.” Faith had just run in the door at the sound of the alarm and heard Willow. “Grab me something, Xan. And you probably want to grab something for B, I don’t think she’ll be too happy at being interrupted.” Buffy walked back into her living room from the kitchen. Spike was still lounging, naked, where she left him. She resisted the urge to jump on him, and instead set about finding her shirt. “I’m getting hungry. Think they’ve left us any food yet?” She asked him. “Haven’t heard anything, luv.” Spike was just enjoying the sight of her bending over naked. “Not that I mind the sight, but did you lose something?” She shot him a half embarrassed look. “I was looking for your shirt to put back on, actually.” At that he grabbed her and pulled her back down onto his lap. “Now why would you want to cover up this delicious body?” He nuzzled her hair. “Hmmm.” She murmured at the feeling of his skin against hers. “I don’t WANT to, but if I don’t get something to put in my mouth soon, it won’t be good.” “I have something you can put in your mouth.” He practically purred in her ear. She slapped his roaming hands away. “I meant food.” She sounded annoyed, but he could sense her amusement and her arousal through their bond. Just then a loud gurgling noise erupted from her stomach. She turned beet red and buried her face against his shoulder, moaning. “Feed me.” Spike sighed. “Oh all right, I’ll go. But you have to stay naked.” She nodded vigorously. He slid her over the couch so he could stand up. When he was standing before her she ran her hands softly up his thighs. “I thought you wanted food.” He accused her, his voice taking on the husky quality it did when he was aroused. “I do. I just couldn’t help myself.” She blinked her eyes up at him innocently, while she moved her hands around to the back of his thighs. She moved them up and cupped his ass, using that to pull him forward she placed soft kisses over his stomach and hips. “Have I mentioned how much I love being able to do that?” “You know you can do more than that right?” His voice sounded so hopeful, and she could see how much she affected him. It was staring her right in the face. She pushed him away. “Food first, then we’ll see.” She handed him his pants. He growled as worked at pulling them up. “Thanks, pet. This makes it so much easier to put on pants.” “I’ve seen you do it before.” “Glad to see it took you such a short time to make me your willing slave again.” She stood up and put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. “You do this for me and I’ll be your willing slave when you get back.” The look he gave her was pure evil and it sent a shiver of excitement all through her. “Too right.” With that he walked quickly to the door and opened. He saw the waiter coming up the stairs from the floor below. “Oi, looks like I don’t have to go anywhere Slayer, here comes your food now.” Spike stepped out to meet the waiter. He heard Buffy yell “Yay, food.” as he closed the door behind him. No need for this git to see anything he shouldn’t. “Thanks mate.” Spike crossed the small hallway and met the man at the top of the stairs, directly in front of the now fixed window Buffy had thrown him through the day before. “You saved me from having to leave my lady.” He told him as he took the tray from him. “She’s worked up quite the appetite…” Spike didn’t finish his sentence, the next thing he knew he was flying through the air and smashing into the wall behind him. The tray and the food went all over the floor. Inside Buffy heard the loud crash when Spike hit the wall. She quickly located the shirt and ran out the door. She found Spike on the floor right outside the door, food and blood, from the his lunch, splattered all over the hallway. “What happened?” She asked, alarmed. “I think he figured he wasn’t getting a tip.” Spike told her, a little groggy, from that hit. “Buffy, Spike!!” Willow, Oz and Xander ran down the hall from the opposite direction. Willow stopped in front of them and started to chant a spell. It seemed to bounce of the man as if it was water. “Its not working.” She yelled as he advanced on her. Before the others could get to her, he picked Willow up and threw her down the stairs. “Willow.” Oz yelled as he dove around the intruder, after Willow. “Here, B.” Faith threw Buffy a sword as she and Xander ran past her at the creature. Xander held a large hammer he tried to swing at the creature’s head, but the creature just caught the weapon and used it to throw Xander threw the window. Light came pouring in and Spike rolled quickly to avoid becoming flambé. Faith tried attacking the creature’s legs, in the hopes of it losing its balance and falling down the stairs. It caught her by her hair and just threw her to the side. It focused its gaze back on Buffy and Spike and advanced slowly. Buffy was standing in front of Spike holding the sword out in front of her. “You do know you’re interrupting my honeymoon, right?” Buffy asked angrily. She attacked with her sword, but it bounced right off the creature. She moved quickly to avoid its hands as it tried to grab her. “Not to mention the fact, that my lunch is now all over the floor.” She tried again to injure the still advancing creature, again, it seemed impervious to her attacks. “I just fixed that window.” Xander yelled from behind. He brought the heavy hammer down on the creature’s head. It turned around and grabbed him by the neck and threw him on top of Faith who had yet to get up. The creature turned back to Buffy and Spike. Spike was now standing next to Buffy, game face out and snarling. Buffy looked at him. “Its too strong, our weapons aren’t even effecting it.” She told him desperately. “Then we need more strength.” He growled. “Its not like he’s going to wait for us to go have sex right now, Spike.” She told him exasperated. “We don’t need to have sex.” Spike grabbed her and ran further down the hall away from the creature. The creature didn’t speed up after them, just followed at a steady pace. Spike looked at Buffy. “We can do this, pet. I mean its our gift now, right? Concentrate with me.” He told her. “Concentrate on what? Not getting killed?” She yelled at him. “No. Concentrate on being in me. Concentrate on the bond, on our connection.” Buffy closed her eyes and did as he said. She tried to ignore the blood thirsty creature bearing down on them. She focused on the love she felt pouring into her from him. She could see him through the bond, she followed it in her mind’s eyes as he came forward to meet her. The creature moved steadily closer to them. Willow and Oz and now made it back up the stairs and Oz took after it at a run. He leaped on its back, claws out attacking and ripping at its skin, but even his razor sharp claws had no effect. The monster threw him back down the hall without even a backwards glance. Then Buffy and Spike turned back to the creature. Their eyes glowed a bright teal color. They stepped up to the creature and began punching him. With their combined strength they began to drive him back down the hall where it had come from. They didn’t break its skin, but they succeeded and driving him back. The others who were trying to regroup at the end of the hall noticed the turn in the fight. When they could clearly see Buffy and Spike they were shocked. Not only were their eyes glowing, but they seemed to be moving in perfect synchronicity, down to their steps. “What is that?” Xander asked, slightly punch drunk. “I’d say that’s what happens when you interrupt a Slayer on her honeymoon.” Faith answered him. “Is that a side effect of the mating?” Willow asked Oz. “I’d go with yes.” He told her. By now Buffy and Spike had backed the creature almost the entire way back the hall. Neither one noticed that the light coming in from the broken window had no adverse effects on the vampire. They hesitated unsure of what do to next, giving the creature and opportunity to grab both of them by the throat and lift them into the air. They both growled dangerously and slammed their hands into the creatures chest with all their combined might. The creature went flying back a few steps and his arms came out of their sockets when he didn‘t let go of them fast enough. As soon as the arms lost contact with the main body of the creature, they crumbled like stones to the ground. Buffy and Spike both dropped to the ground when they were released from the creatures grasp. Buffy noticed she landed on the tray that once held her lunch. She picked up the tray and rushed forward, slamming it completely through the middle of the creature. His legs crumbled as his torso hit the ground. The torso and head appeared to still be alive as Spike came forward and ripped its head off. As the last of the creature crumbled apart, Spike walked back to Buffy. They checked each other for injuries as the glowing in their eyes slowly faded to their normal color. By now everyone in the house had heard the commotion and the hall and stairs were suddenly filled with people. There were excited shouts coming from all around as people tried to figure out what happened. Spike led Buffy back to Willow and Oz. “Red, can you lot figure this out without us?” He asked her. “Spike, that thing was after us. We should try and figure out who sent it.” Buffy protested. “We are on our honeymoon, or probably the closest we’ll ever get to one.” He told her seriously. “Red is going to put up some extra wards on this floor and only Clem is going to be allowed up here to bring our food. Right Red?” Willow nodded. “He’s right Buffy. We have a house full of people who can research this. You guys enjoy the time you have right now. If we find out anything urgent we’ll let you know.” “Are you sure?” Buffy asked hesitantly. She felt like she was abandoning her friends with her problems, but at the same time she really just wanted some quality Spike time and 5 hours really didn’t cut it. “I’m sure. I’ll go tell Clem to bring you up some more food now, Ok.” Willow assured her. “Thanks, Will.” Buffy said wearily. “Are you sure you’re ok after that flight down the stairs?” Buffy asked her concerned. “I don’t even think I had the chance to land before Oz was there.” Willow smiled fondly at the werewolf standing next to her protectively. Spike and Oz shared a nod, anything they had to do to protect the ones they loved. Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike. “Yeah, these super human guys come in handy.” She said. “Buffy, what was that thing you guys did with eye glowing and everything?” Willow just had to ask, her curiosity eating at her. “I don’t know, just something we can do now. It doubles our strength and its like we’re inside each other, only there isn’t any ‘each other’ because we are one.” Willow just looked confused. “I really don’t know, Will. Sorry.” “That’s Ok. We’ll take care of this you go relax now.” Spike took Buffy upstairs right away. “Am I going to have to run you a new bath?” He asked her when they reached her bedroom. “No, it has a heater to keep it warm.” She said. “Good. You go put yourself in the tub. I’m going to go get you some food and I’ll be right back.” Buffy nodded at him, she really was too worn out to think. As she sat soaking in the tub she realized she really hadn’t slept for over 48 hours and she had barely eaten anything at all. She could feel Spike through their bond, he was annoyed at her for not taking better care of herself. That brought a smile to her face. She could feel him inside her, even without him being right next to her, she could feel him. She was never going to be alone again. She could feel him coming closer, she heard the door downstairs open and close. Then he was standing in the doorway with a tray of food for her. “Red and your mini Slayers are cleaning up the mess outside. Harris is whining like a girl at having to fix that window again. No one has any leads on who sent Mr. Cheese man.” Buffy just watched as he knelt beside the tub and uncovered the tray. “What do we have good?” She asked excitedly. “We have a hamburger and fries. If you are good we have chocolate cake for desert.” “Oooh. Chocolate Cake please.” She demanded, more than asked. “Not until you’ve eaten all of this.” He scolded her. “You are going to start to eat more regularly.” Spike proceeded to feed her everything on the tray, making sure she ate every last bite. When she finished up everything he stood up to go down to the kitchen. “I’ll be right back with your chocolate.” He said. “I don’t want the chocolate right now.” Buffy said. “You don’t want chocolate. Are you feeling alright?” Buffy nodded. “I want you in this tub with me right now. I’ve gone too long without being able to feel your skin next to mine.” “Well in that case…” He slid his pants down and hopped in the tub behind her. For a while neither one spoke, they both just stared out the window at the forest, enjoying the feeling of contentment they got from being close to each other. “Spike,” Buffy broke the silence. “Did you notice when we were, uh, joined and fighting that thing, that the sunlight didn’t effect you?” “No, I was too busy fighting to notice.” “Do you think its only when we’re like that?” She asked hesitantly. “Probably. I mean I am still a vampire. When we’re like that its like all of our strongest attributes come out. I think I would still fry in the sunlight.” “Oh.” She said. He could feel the wheels turning in her brain. “Buffy are you sure you’re ok with all this?” He asked her hesitantly. “Ok with all what?” She turned in the water to face him. “Me not being able to go out during the day, no children, all the rest?” “How can you still doubt me after all this?” Buffy asked incredulously. “First of all who says I want to have kids. I mean I’ve spent the last few years of my life taking care of teenagers and I gotta tell you I’m not that interested in taking care of anyone else for a long time. As far as the day light goes, I figure that gives me prime shopping time, while you’re asleep.” He laughed. “All right then.” But Buffy could tell there was still something on his mind she could feel it clearly, however, she realized he would have to talk to her about it when he felt comfortable. She didn’t want to push him. “We should get out before I turn into a prune.” “You’d be beautiful, even as a prune love.” They got out of the tub and dried off before he swept her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. “I must say I like the décor you have in here. Very Mid Eastern.” “I want to go there some day.” She said stretching out on her bed. “I think it would be fun to dress up in the saris and all the jewelry, maybe learn how to belly dance.” She told him. “Well, that will definitely be someplace we go then.” They lay on the bed for a few moments, Buffy could tell he was still distracted. “Spike, I know there’s something on your mind. You can tell me, whatever it is.” She said, she ran her hands lightly over his arms. “It isn’t something I wanted to say. I was just wondering…” He stopped unsure of how to continue. “Talk to me. Please.” She looked into his eyes urging him. “When we were in the woods and I saw all your memories, and you saw all mine…” Again he stopped unsure of how to continue. What was he looking for? Her acceptance of him killing, raping, and torturing people? Did he want her forgiveness? He just didn’t know. Buffy however seemed to understand. “What did I think of your life? Did it color who I see you as?” She asked quietly. He nodded. “Honestly, there was so much coming at me so fast, that a lot of it I didn’t get to process. There were some things I wish I hadn’t seen, I didn’t want to look at them too closely.” Internally she cursed herself for focusing on events that had to do with her, instead of seeing the total picture of him. “That’s probably for the best then.” He told her, but she knew he didn’t mean it. He was afraid for her to look too deeply, as much as he wanted her to see him. “No, it just means that now is the time for me to see.” He just looked at her with trepidation as she closed her eyes and began to access his memories now stored in her mind. “You don’t have to do this.” He said, nervously. She opened her eyes briefly. “Yes, I do.” Then she was silent as she let the images come. She saw him as a young boy watching his father walk away and blaming himself. Very much like she herself had done. He never let his mother see those thoughts, however, he just devoted himself to her comfort and care. He never wanted to see his mother sad or wanting for anything. She saw him sitting alone in a room pouring over his poetry wanting to convey all the light and beauty he saw in the world into words. She saw his hopeful, love stricken face watching Cecily cross the room, just waiting for the right moment to talk to her. His heart obviously hanging on his sleeve. She saw Cecily’s painful rejection of him. She could feel how it tore him apart that she refused to see him. She saw the stubborn determination of a young vampire who refused to let Angelus break him, no matter what. She saw Spike stand up to him again and again, never backing down even after being beaten, tortured and raped. Even more amazing was the fact that he had remained sane in spite of the horrible treatment. She saw the vampires rampaging through Europe and was going to shy away from those images when she noticed something. Spike never took part in the torturing, at least not after the first incidents with the railroad spikes. The feeding and the murders, yes, but the torture wasn’t something he cared for, unless Angelus was demanding. She could feel his excitement at facing the Slayer in China, the challenge of a worthy opponent, the one all vampires were supposed to fear. She saw his pain when Angel became souled and abandoned them, then Darla followed after Angelus. Once again Spike blamed himself, thinking it was his fault for not being the vampire Angelus was, but he never let Drusilla know as he took care of her. She watched the Master Vampire come into his own over the next century. Caring for Dru with a tenderness unheard of in vampires, yet still dangerous and cold enough to dominate any minions they had around at the time. She saw the determination again when he escaped the Initiative. She saw him make the decision to live and come to her, even knowing she would probably dust him before giving him a chance to explain. The images ran through her head coming faster and faster, finally she saw it all, she understood completely who the man and demon she was mated to was. With a shiver and a gasp, her eyes opened wide to look at him. Spikes eyes were filled with trepidation and fear for what she had just seen. As much as he wanted her acceptance for who he really was, he had very little confidence she would be able to get past the murdering demon that he was. He watched her intently for some indication of what was going on in her mind now and was surprised to see the shocked delight on her face. “Buffy?” He whispered, confused. She moved up and kissed him deeply, staring into his eyes wonderingly with such desire and love. He could smell her arousal coming off of her, the sweet smell surrounding him. It almost drugged him with its sweet smell. Her voice purred to him, husky with desire. “I saw your determination.” Her hands lightly stroked up and down his arms, sometimes kneading his leans muscles. She brought one of his hands up to her face and stared at his fingers for a moment. She seemed to fascinated by the sight of it. “I saw your strength.” She whispered softly. She rubbed her cheek against his open palm as she said this, her eyes closed in pleasure as she took in the sensation. The smell of her desire, combined with the look in her eyes and her actions caused an intense reaction in Spike. He wanted her as much as he always did, but along with that was a warmth that reached deep inside his cold, dead body filling it with something close to life. The desire to be buried deep inside her was so sharp within him it was almost painful. At the same time the sheer eroticism of her actions made him unable to move. All he could do was to stare at her, throat dry, cock hard and pounding against his stomach. He was reminded of some Opium induced games he and Dru used to play, but this languid experience left those memories in the dust. Then Buffy started sucking his fingers into her mouth, moving her tongue sensuously around each one as if tasting him. The heat inside him flared bright, and he moaned her name loudly. He finally got some control over his muscles and he moved the hand she wasn’t suckling on up to her breast, moving his thumb over her nipple. She moaned around the finger she was currently tonguing. Suddenly she grabbed his hands and pinned them down at his sides. Surprise flickered through his eyes, but pleasure quickly replaced surprise as she just shook her head and lowered her mouth to his neck. “I’m your willing slave, remember? Let me service you. Let me show you how much I love all of you.“ She murmured against his neck. He purred deep in his throat when her mouth moved over the spot where she marked him earlier. She nibbled over that spot just hard enough to break the scab that had formed over it, licking up the drops of blood she spilled. His body jerked up at the sensation of her pulling at his neck. Buffy put her knees over his arms to hold them down as she moved her hands up to caress his chest. Her warm hands moved over him as if memorizing his form through feeling. His hands gripped the sheets as he fought the urge to grab her and just plunge up into her. However, as unbearable as this torture was, he never wanted it to end. Her hot breath tickled his ear. “I saw your love, your dedication, your passion.” Her hand moved over his crotch, her fingers danced over his erection in cadence with her words. “Buffy” He whimpered. Her eyes were locked on his as she carefully avoided any direct contact with his cock She moved her body down so she was straddling his thighs instead of his chest. Her eyes never left his. She licked her lips in anticipation before lowering her gaze to take in the sight before her. “Mmm, baby.” She moaned out as her eyes took him in. “You are so beautiful.” His lust was raging out of control now, he could feel the wetness from her dripping down onto his thighs. He could also feel her excitement echoing his own through their bond. Her scent completely surrounded him and his mouth watered for a taste of her sweetness. His eyes begged her to let him move, let him touch her, taste her, bury himself in her. She just smiled slowly at him and ran her eyes down over his body watching as he arched up to meet her gaze. His skin was flawless as marble, each lean muscle was clearly defined on his chest and stomach like he was chiseled out of some fine stone. When her eyes reach his slender hips she bit her lower lip, squeezing her legs together. She felt a surge of lust just thinking about running her mouth over the spot right above his hipbone. She loved the feeling of his soft tender skin under her lips. His flat hips framed his manhood that stood straight up from his dark silky hair surrounding its base. Her mouth began to water at the sight of his cock. She thought of all the different times he was inside her, how perfectly he filled her. She watched it jump and twitch under her eyes. She could feel need and desire running through him. She looked up into his eyes. “And you are all mine.” Her voice was so husky with lust her words came out as a growl and he moaned as they almost physically washed over him. Then she lowered her head and licked around the head of his cock. The sensation had him begging and pleading with her. She ignored him completely just continued on intent on bathing every inch of him with her tongue. She lightly traced the veins running up his shaft with her the tip of her tongue before going back and licking him up and down like a lollipop. His entire body tensed and began to shake with his impending orgasm, but before it could come she moved off of his cock and started licking and sucking on his balls. He lost all coherent speech at this point and just moaned continuously. Then she purred in her throat and he almost lost consciousness for a moment. She moved on again, moving lower worshiping his lower regions with her mouth as she moved. Her hands grasped his ankles and moved them up to his ass, spreading him open for her. She ran her tongue down the crack of his ass and nibbled her way back up to his balls. Waves of pleasure had him shaking up and off the bed through all this. She released his ankles and held his cheeks apart and steady for her. Animalistic cries and pants rang out through the room when she started rimming him. Unable to take any more of this torment his hands moved to grab her shoulders and haul her up so he could bury himself in her, but again she grabbed his wrists and pinned them, never even pausing the movements of her tongue. Once she had his hands back under control she raised her eyes to his face. His demonic face was out and he was mindless with lust, his face was contorted with pleasure, his eyes squeezed shut. She moved up so her mouth was over his cock, while letting one hand slip down his ass. He gasped and his eyes flew open when he felt her finger moving over his tight hole where her tongue had just been. “Do you want to come, baby?” She asked him, her voice thick with her own arousal. He wasn’t capable of any speech and he couldn’t even nod his head because he was shaking too badly. He could only convey his need with his eyes. “My beautiful, sexy love.” She murmured, then quickly swallowed his entire length at the same time she slid her finger inside of him. She sucked and swallowed mercilessly with moving her finger in and out of him rapidly. He howled loudly and his cock twitched violently in her mouth as he came harder than he ever had before. Her body shuddered as she came along with him, the feeling of his cold seed all she needed to send her over the edge as well. She raised the hand not buried inside him to his mouth. He immediately grabbed it and bit down on her wrist swallowing her blood as she swallowed him prolonging their mind blowing orgasms. When he shot his last spurt into her mouth she carefully cleaned him up with her tongue before sliding up his body and taking him in her arms, his head pillowed on her breast. He was still shaking lightly. The intense physical and emotional experience had brought tears to his eyes. She had seen it all now and she still loved him, not only did she love him, but she accepted him. He squeezed her tightly. “Mine.” He whispered. She squeezed back. “Mine.” She answered. She kissed the top of his head. “I love you, Spike.” She felt him smile. “I love you, Buffy.” Together they drifted off into a blissful sleep.

Chapter #12 - A Present Arrives

Buffy woke to the light of the setting sun pouring in her windows. Spike was sitting up next to her, his arms tight around her, while he watched her lovingly. “Hey you.” She murmured sleepily. “Hey, yourself.” He said softly. “Is everything ok?” She asked him. She could tell there was a lot going on inside him. She knew she could just look deep enough into him and find out what was on his mind, but she really was beginning to enjoy this talking thing. “Well, lets see. In the past 24 hours, you’ve beaten me up, announced you loved me, I’ve been almost ripped apart between my soul and demon, got into a fight with my grandsire, got mated to the woman I love, made love to the woman I love for the first time, almost been killed, then I was seduced by previously mentioned woman in ways I never thought she knew about.” Buffy giggled. “So you’re saying you’re kind of shell shocked?” “Actually, I think the most amazing thing has been getting to wake up in your arms and how beautiful you look when you’re asleep. Especially with the light coming in the windows like this.” She smiled at him as he lowered his mouth to hers. Then the faint sound of knocking came from downstairs. She pulled Spike closer trying to ignore the noise. He gently pushed her away, got out of bed and pulled on some pants. She whimpered when she realized he actually intended to answer the door. "I'll be right back, pet." "Just ignore it. They're supposed to be leaving us alone." She whined. He didn't answer her, instead made his way downstairs. She sighed and sat up. She walked over to her closet and grabbed a pair of boxer shorts. She ignored all of the comfy shirts in her closet, instead retrieving his shirt from the pile on the floor and pulling it over herself before making her way downstairs. As she got to the bottom of the stairs she saw him standing in front of the door with a nervously, babbling Fred in front of him. "...of course I'm disturbing you. Its your honeymoon. But you asked me to bring it to you when you came downstairs earlier to get the food for Buffy. I thought about just leaving it with the food, but then I got worried that someone would take it." Her eyes widened. "Not that I think anyone her is a thief, but you never know right? I mean who would’ve guessed you would have been attacked up here. Anyway since it was so hard to find in the first place I just thought I should make sure you got it..." Spike finally had to interrupt her. "So do you have it then, luv?" He tried not to sound impatient, but he was anxious to get back to Buffy. He was hungry for her again already. Fred stared at him blankly for a moment, then she remembered why she was there in the first place. "OH. Oh, of course." She reached down behind her brought forth a bag that had a brightly wrapped package inside. "I wrapped it in Valentine's paper thinking it would be romantic. That was before I knew about the whole marriage thing..." "This is fine, pet. Thanks." He said interrupting her again, before she could even take a breath to start talking again he closed the door on her. He shook his head and turned to lean on the door. He heard her move away and head down the stairs. He looked up and noticed Buffy standing across the large room at the foot of the stairs watching him curiously. "What are you doing out of bed? More importantly what are you doing with clothes on?" She smiled brightly at him, her eyes were eager. "Is that a present?" He shook his head and chuckled. He dropped the bag on the couch as he crossed the room, towards her. "Its too bad Fred is into blokes, she and Red would make quite the pair." Buffy watched as he dropped the bag on the couch. When she moved across the room towards the couch he met her halfway and pulled her into his arms. She gave him a look. "Will is having enough trouble figuring out what she wants with Oz." She got an amused look on her face. "But could you imagine the two of them babbling together." She giggled and looked up at him. "Is it a present for me?" She asked excitedly. She moved as if to go around him, but he kept a tight hold on her and they wound up going around in a circle. He smiled at her innocently. "I don't know, pet. It might be. We'll see later." He told her, amused at her child-like behavior. Out came the lower lip as she pouted up at him. "Later, why later? Later's bad. Now. Now is good." "That isn't going to work on me, luv." In response her lip came out even more, she widened her eyes and blinked up at him pleading. She almost made him cave, but he shook himself and laughed at her. "Come on, you brat, back to bed with you. Maybe if you're a good girl, I'll let you open your present later." His voice lowered seductively. He moved towards the steps, pushing her with him. "What do you mean IF I'm good? I think I've been very good, don't you?" She sounded slightly indignant at the implication. "You've been bloody amazing, as I think I mentioned. You showed me thing I didn’t think you knew.” He ran his tongue over the back of his upper teeth, “but I still think you can be better." He teased her. She could see his desire and hunger twinkling in his eyes. "Really? Well all right then." With a quick movement she grabbed the band of her boxer shorts and dropped them to the ground. She turned, and moved back towards the stairs. She turned her head back to see whether he was following her or not. Spike stood there staring at her bare bottom swaying as she walked towards the steps. Seeing his distraction, Buffy made her move. She twisted around, ducked past him giggling and dashed for the couch. With a growl he lunged after her, catching her around the waist and tackling her to the ground. "Now, now Slayer. You call that being good." He whispered in her ear. Her shirt had come up as they fell to the floor and the feeling of her bare behind rubbing against his chest as they struggled made him rock hard. He moved one of his hands down between her legs and cupped her sex firmly. Her giggling abruptly cut off and another sound came out of her throat. "Mmmmhh" She purred at the contact. He pushed her down onto her hands and pulled her back against him, rubbing his denim covered erection against her. Even through the denim he could feel her heat. He let one finger slip inside her. "Oh Spike." She breathed out. She undulated against him. He could feel her juices start flowing as her internal muscles started grasping at his finger. "What, luv? Did you want something?" He ground the palm of his hand against her clit as he pushed his finger deeper inside of her. "Unh. Mmmm. More, I need more, please." She tried to rub her self against his hand, against his jeans, which were starting to get wet from her overflowing juices. He removed his hand and rose up behind her. She cried out at the loss of contact and moved to turn around. He put one hand on her lower back and with the other he grabbed her neck and faced her head forward again, holding her on her hand and knees. "Oh no. My little girl needs to learn some patience. Not to mention that little stunt you just pulled." Keeping the hand on her neck firm, but not painful, he took his other hand and ran one finger down the crack of her ass, along her lips and stopped right before her clit. "How wet do you think I can make you before I let you come?" He asked her huskily. "How long can I keep you on the edge, baby?" She made soft noises deep in her throat, but surprisingly made no moves to escape him. "You're already so wet. God, I love how wet you get for me." He ran the tip of his finger lightly around her clit, taking care not to touch it in any way. "Please, please." She gasped. "Oh please." "Please what, Buffy?" God, how could he make even her name sound so erotic. "Please. Touch me, rub me. Please, oh god, I need you." "Begging already? We've barely gotten started." He moved his finger back to her tight entrance and ran it the outside. "Oh god please, put your fingers in me. Put your cock in me, fill me up." "Not yet, remember patience." His voice was thick as he struggled against the urge to plunge into her. The scent of her arousal was thick, it almost made his mouth water. He lowered his head and licked along her lips gathering the moisture there onto his tongue. He let her sweet taste roll around his tongue. "I never thought that anything could taste as sweet as your blood." He bent his head down for another lick make her moan. "but this may actually be sweeter." His jeans were becoming almost painful. He brought his hand back and spread her lips. He blew lightly into her watching her twitch from the cool air. She was gasping for air in front of him. Small mewling cries escaped her throat with her gasps. "I can see you getting wetter. The sight of you, the smell..." He bent his finger and stuck his knuckle in her tight hole, twisting it around, he could hear a faint wet sucking sound at his action. Buffy let out a long moan. He knew she was totally lost in her need for him. "I'm going to release you, but I want you to stay just where you are. Don't move a bit, I want to look at you. If you move or turn, I'll keep you on edge that much longer." He let go of her neck and sat back on his heels taking in the sight before him. Her skin was flushed and pink, her breath was still coming out in little gasps. The lips of her pussy were swollen and slick with moisture. "You are so beautiful, Buffy." His words ran over her body like a caress. She felt her internal muscles clench in response to the sound of his voice, so sensual and filled with lust and love. "You make me so hard." She heard him pull down the zipper on his pants and remove them. Her body tensed in anticipation. He knelt back down behind her on his knees. "Do you want me, Buffy?" She swallowed hard as she tried to remember how to speak. He grinned as he watched her try to find her voice. "I guess not then." He started to back away. "Nooo." She moaned. "No, you don't want me?" His voice teased her. "No. Yes." She cried desperately, not sure what the right answer was anymore. "I want you, I want you so much." Her voice shook with her need. He positioned the head of his cock right at her opening, holding her steady with his other hand on her hip. He inserted the head of his cock slowly inside her, but he held himself back from going deeper. Her cries were getting desperate now and he wouldn't be able to hold out too much longer. "Oh wait. You still have to be punished for that little stunt you pulled." He moved the hand on her hip over and down between her legs stopping with the tip of one finger resting right at the beginning of her slit. He waited until her panting slowed, then he moved quickly and smacked his fingers on her clit. "Unh" She moaned loudly and tried to push back on his cock. He held himself back making sure only the head was inside her. "You like that baby?" He did it again harder she moaned louder and tossed her hips against him. He began rapidly spanking her clit making her dance on his cock head. Her cries, the sight of her bouncing around desperately seeking her release and her pussy trying to hungrily pull him in was just too much. "FUCK." He yelled and buried himself deeply inside her. She screamed loudly and her muscles immediately started clamping down on him. He reached out and grabbed her hair pulling her head up so he could see part of her while she came long and hard. He could feel himself spurting into her wildly, his yells echoing her scream. She ground her hips back against him trying to pull him in deeper. Then she knew what it was she needed. "Bite me, I need you to bite me." He pulled her head up higher as he vamped. The feeling of his fangs on her sent her right into another orgasm much deeper than the first. "Oh god, yes, oh god, Spike." She cried out in pleasure. Wanting to bring him along with her she instinctively began squeezing her internal muscles tightly around him while he was buried in her. He gasped and raised his head at the feeling of what she was doing. "Buffy? What...? Oh god baby." He came again in long spurts inside her which sent her over the edge in pleasure. Her arms and legs gave out and she collapsed beneath him. They landed in a tangle of limbs, convulsing together in ecstasy. Five minutes later the last of the waves and their aftershocks had stopped and Buffy managed to catch her breath. She turned her head slightly and nuzzled Spike. He opened his eyes and let out a contented purr. ((I love you so much.)) He didn't speak, but she heard his voice clearly. ((I love you, too.)) She answered him. They smiled at each other. He slowly moved off of her and rolled over onto his back next to her. "So does that mean I can have my present now?" "You can have anything you bloody want." His voice said in awe. "Does that mean I was good, baby?" He just looked at her incredulously. "Those muscles, god, yeah." "Ok. I'll take the lack of a coherent sentence as a 'yes'." She felt a wonderful pride at being able to reduce him to this. When she stood up she noticed she still had his shirt on. She went to pick up her boxer shorts and put them back on, but a hand on her ankle stopped her. "One thing, luv." She paused, looking down at him. "No clothes. I rather fancy seeing you naked on that leather couch again." She raised one eyebrow at him amused, before pulling his shirt over her head. He rose to his knees and place a kiss right over her mound. "That's much better." He nuzzled his nose in between her lips before sending his tongue in to lick up their spendings as they ran out of her. She began to moan again as he twirled his tongue inside her. With an evil grin he removed his mouth and got to his feet. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply. She could taste both of them on his tongue with the faint coppery taste of her blood. She clutched his shoulder and pulled him closer as she ran her tongue over his. They broke apart only when she pulled back needing air. She moved to the couch anxious to see the present he got for her. Spike followed her nervously. He hoped she liked it. He also hoped she wasn’t expecting much. He cleared his throat. “Buffy, it really isn’t anything spectacular. I mean it isn’t jewelry or anything like that.” He told her. Buffy just looked at him amused. “I’m sure whatever it is I’ll love it.” She assured him. He didn’t look to confidant though. She took the box out of the bag that Fred had put it in. It was wrapped with little hearts on the wrapping paper that said ‘Be Mine’. “I think this paper she picked out was perfect for us, don’t you?” She asked him. Spike sat on the edge of the couch and just watched her to uptight at what her reaction was going to be. Buffy almost giggled at his nervousness, but she didn’t want to piss him off. She ripped through the wrapping paper like a seven year old on Christmas morning and dove into the box eagerly. What she saw there made her freeze. She looked up at him in surprise. “How did you…” She didn’t know what to say, tears came unbidden to her eyes. “God I didn’t want to make you cry!!! I thought you would like it.” He was clearly upset, at her tears. If he had bothered to look inside himself through their bond he would have been able to tell they weren’t tears of sadness, she was just so touched. Buffy reached into the box and pulled out the stuffed pig that was nestled inside. “Mr. Gordo.” She launched herself at Spike knocking him back into the couch. “Oh Spike, I love it so much. I didn’t know that you knew about Mr. Gordo.” “How could anyone love you and not know about Mr. Gordo, luv.” He told her laughing, then added sheepishly. “Plus I spent enough nights outside your window listening to you talk to that stupid pig.” “I didn’t think you got to take him with you before our battle with the First.” He further explained. “No I didn’t think it would look good to the younger girls me going into battle with my stuffed pig by my side.” She admitted. “How did you find him?” “Fred helped me. She spent days with me on Ebay and Amazon. You can get some crazy things online. Some git was actually auctioning off the chance to watch him cut off his hand!!!” “Spike this is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you so much.” “I’m just glad you like it, pet.” The two snuggled on the couch for a few minutes. “Fred didn’t by any chance bring any food with her did she?” Spike just started laughing. “No, but there should be some on its way soon. There’s also the chocolate cake in the fridge.” “Chocolate, Mr. Gordo and a naked Spike!! This must be heaven.” Willow sat at a desk in her suite, searching online for any explanation on what might have triggered the creature to attack Buffy and Spike. Oz sat on one of her chairs a few feet away reading through some old texts. They had figured out it was a Golem of sorts, but instead of being created from a statue, it had been created from a man. It wouldn’t have registered as evil until someone programmed it. That was what had Willow worried, so far she couldn’t find any way that the Golem could be remotely triggered which meant someone here at the school had done it. The thought that they had a traitor in their midst scared her. Giles had gotten extremely upset at the situation and had locked himself in his office making phone calls. Willow wasn’t sure what was going on, but he had been acting strangely since the party. He was really upset with Buffy she knew, he asked every two hours or so if she had emerged from her rooms yet. “I can’t find anything here.” She said out loud. Oz looked up at her. “Maybe its time for a break. You’ve been up for over 24 hours now and you also go thrown down a flight of stairs earlier today. You could probably use some rest.” Willow stood up and walked over to him. “I guess you’re right, I just hate the thought that someone here is trying to kill Buffy and Spike.” “Any thoughts on who would do something like that?” Oz asked. “Well, out of all the people here, Riley is the one with the biggest grudge against Spike I think. Plus he has the ‘demons are all bad’ attitude. Then again Angel was pretty upset about the whole mating thing, but I don’t think he would kill Buffy. Actually I don’t think either one of them would kill Buffy. They both loved her before.” She sat on the floor in front of him. “You have anything?” She asked hopefully. “You mean from the books?” Oz asked. “Well from the books or from your Wolfy sense?” “Nah, there are a lot of people here who aren’t too happy about what happened between Buffy and Spike, but I can’t tell if any of them actually mean them harm.” Willow laid back on the floor and closed her eyes. “Goddess, why is this so hard.” Oz just watched her with a smile on his face. Feeling Oz’s gaze on her Willow opened her eyes for a peak. “Why are you looking at me like that?” “I was just remembering, before we actually met how I kept seeing you everywhere. I knew I had to meet you.” Willow smiled, remembering. For a moment she felt a pang of guilt at the feelings she was having towards him, but then she remembered Xander’s words about Tara. “So do you have the wolf under control now? Could you stay here at the school with us?” She sat up and looked at him trying not to sound or act to hopeful. Oz just shook his head. “It really isn’t about controlling the wolf, its more like learning to live with it. I can call it up at will now, but as it gets close to the full moon, I just let it run wild. That’s why I was staying in Siberia and then the wilds of Canada. There are a couple of packs up there I can stay with.” “Oh.” Willow tried not to let her disappointment show. “You could always come and see the places. Lots of the others there have spouses or people that aren’t werewolves. With you being a witch you could probably find a way to come with me when I run wild. There is nothing like seeing the moon reflecting of the snow, knowing that there isn’t a trace of civilization around for miles.” “I can’t leave the school. My place is here. Especially now, since Buffy’s probably going to leave, I think I need to stay.” “Oh.” Oz tried not to sound disappointed. “I guess we already had our chance.” She said sadly. “Yeah, and then I messed it up.” Oz, showed the first hint bitterness, she had really ever seen in him. “If that hadn’t happened, Oz, I would have never been with Tara and I can’t regret that.” “No,” He said. “I don’t ever want you to regret that. I made a mistake though, I want you to know I am sorry.” He stood up. “I better go. You need to sleep.” She stood up as well. “Yeah, gotta get back at this research tomorrow.” They both looked at each other awkwardly. “Well…” They said at the same time, then they both laughed. “Good Night, Willow.” “Good Night, Oz.” As she walked him walk away, it hit Willow. She remembered the first night she hung out with Buffy, the night that changed her life forever. “Carpe Diem” She whispered to herself. “Oz.” She called out to him. He turned around and she walked over to him. He didn’t say anything just watched. She stood before him uncertainly, for a moment, then she grabbed him and kissed him. Oz wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back passionately. Giles sat alone in his office drinking some scotch. He had had quite a bit of scotch in the last 24 hours. All around his office were texts he had acquired from the Wolfram and Hart library on the First. While they had a much more extensive collection on the First, none of it was anything on how to defeat it. A knock sounded at his door. “Come in.” He yelled irritably. Robin Wood poked his head in. “I’m not disturbing you am I?” He asked entering into the room. “No, I wish you were. I haven’t been able to find anything of use to me.” “I just thought I should let you know I received a call today. There seems to be some trouble a few towns over. It maybe vampires or something more. They weren’t really clear.” Giles took off his glasses and chewed on them thoughtfully. “Do you think it might be whoever sent the Golem today?” “I don’t know, but I think someone should check it out.” “Well, I suppose it shall have to be Faith, since Buffy seems to be on leave in her bedroom.” There was no mistaking the bitterness in Giles’ voice. “Should we send her tomorrow?” Robin asked. “No, I think she has classes tomorrow. See if you can find out anything more and we’ll send her the day after.” “Ok then.” Robin nodded and turned to leave. “Good luck with your research.” “Yes, thank you.” Giles already had his nose back in the book in front of him. After Robin left, Giles raised his head and looked blankly at the wall for a moment. “What do you have planned next, Isaac?” He asked the empty room.

Chapter #13 - A New Mummy

Buffy woke up right before dawn the next morning. She usually didn’t sleep for more than 4 hours at a time, so this was one of her favorite times of day. She would often go work out before any of the students were awake to gape at her. Sensing her movements Spike woke a few minutes after her, but neither moved for a while they just enjoyed the quiet of the predawn. “I think I prefer this to getting kicked in the head.” Spike said as they lay in each other’s arms watching the suns ray slowly come over the house and light up the forest in front of them. When Buffy turned to Spike with a twinkle in her eyes, he almost didn’t need the bond to know what she wanted. “Fancy another go then, luv?” He drawled at her. “Only if you think you’re up to it.” She drawled right back. “Well, then let’s have at it.” An hour later they were both changed into work out gear, facing each other warily in the training center. “Do we really need weapons for this?” She asked teasing him. He grinned. “Makes me feel all manly.” Buffy tucked and rolled, coming up almost behind him, she tried to sweep him down but he jumped her leg and used the momentum she already had to throw her away from him. “You can do better than that right, Slayer?” He taunted her. “I thought you had all these nice new moves to show me.” She rolled out of the throw and up onto her feet, immediately doing a back flip and kicking Spike, so he went down. She was on him immediately. “Hi, honey, I’m home.” She said with a smart grin. He threw her off him and rolled to his feet. “We about done with the warm up, then?” He asked her. “How far do you want to take this, pet?” “Oh, all the way, Spike. Its been too long.” He changed into game face. “I couldn’t agree more.” The two warriors raced at each other. An hour later Faith led her class into the training facility only to be shocked at the ferocious, but somewhat beautiful battle going on before them. Both Buffy and Spike sported various wounds of the non-threatening variety. Buffy was soaked with sweat and from tumbling with her on the mats, Spike wasn’t much better off. Watching them move was like watching poetry in motion. The matched each other almost perfectly. One would contract and the other would expand, it was like they could read each others minds. Faith found herself once again jealous of the blonde Slayer, that she found a companion that she could share this part of her life with. About that time the sparring was getting a little more touchy-feely than was appropriate for the young Slayers. They weren’t old enough to learn about that side of their nature. Faith blew her whistle loudly, getting their attention before either one of them could lose clothes. They both looked up startled. “Hey guys.” Faith said. “I don’t mean to interrupt, just thought you should know you have an audience here.” Spike quickly turned and walked away from the young audience before they could get an eyeful. Buffy stood there taking deep breaths to calm her raging hormones. Faith walked over to Buffy and spoke softly. “Damn girl, aren’t you all worked up. I’ll take the sprouts out for a run, while you two get yourselves back to the privacy of your own rooms.” Buffy swallowed and nodded, licking her lips. Faith just shook her head and walked off laughing. “Ok, enough of this lounging.” She yelled at her young charges. “Everybody outside. Time to see how fast you can run." Spike came up to Buffy as soon as the Slayers left and started kissing her, game face still intact. Buffy forced herself to back up. “Faith’s right,” She said panting, "We need to take this upstairs." They dashed the house together. Once inside they made it to a bathroom, out of the way on the first floor. From there it took them until late afternoon to make it the rest of the way upstairs. Mainly because Spike ripped Buffy’s top again and didn’t have one to give her this time, so they had to keep ducking into vacant rooms to avoid people. The other problem was since Buffy was topless, they usually spent more time than necessary in the vacant rooms, making it that much longer until the reached her rooms. Once they made it upstairs, they fell on the bed together, too tired to even shower. Willow walked into the kitchen to find Oz already there, freshly showered, making breakfast. “Hi.” She said shyly. “Hey.” He answered with a small grin. “So, how are you today?” She asked cringing inside because she didn’t know what else to say. “I’m good. You?” “Oh I’m good.” “That’s good.” “Yeah.” Oz shook his head and walked up to her and kissed her. A small tender kiss grew deeper until they had to pull away for air. Oz smiled at her staring deep into her eyes. “Morning.” He whispered. Just then Kennedy and Rhona walked in to the kitchen. Kennedy took one look at the scene before her and started laughing. “You know if you wanted to break up with me to get back with your ex-BOYFRIEND, you didn’t have to go off on all that stuff about me not treating you right.” Kennedy told her, using her best rich girl voice, making sure to put emphasis on the boyfriend. “Its people like you that give lesbians a bad name. You probably didn’t even really care about Tara, being gay was just a way to be trendy for you.” She finished snottily before turning to walk out of the kitchen with Rhona. “Freeze.” Willow’s voice was filled with power and Kennedy was rooted to her spot. “Turn.” Willow commanded again and Kennedy turned woodenly to face her, unable to fight her compulsion. “Listen to me very carefully, little girl. You don’t have the depth of feeling to understand my relationship with Tara or my relationship with Oz for that matter. I don’t ever want to hear your opinions on my love life again. Are we clear on that?“ Kennedy nodded stiffly her face was embarrassed and angry all at once. “I think its time you went back to Cleveland. I’ll talk to Giles about sending the two of you back this afternoon.” Willow glared at her. “Release.” She waved her hand and Kennedy was back under her own control. She glared at Willow, but left without saying another word. Rhona followed close behind her. Oz looked at her curiously. “So, why were you with her again?” Willow just shook her head. Buffy woke up slowly and stretched languidly. She looked over at Spike next to her. He looked so peaceful and content. She could feel his presence inside of her even in his sleep. She slipped out of the bed and stretched, when she looked back she realized that she could see herself still asleep next to the vampire. This must be a Slayer dream.' She thought. 'Uh-oh. I wonder what kind of trouble is brewing this time?' Just then she heard someone talking. She followed the voice out of the bedroom and down to her living room. The voice was definitely female. It sounded like she was almost singing, the way she was talking, and she sounded very familiar. As Buffy crossed the living room to the door to the balcony she started to make out what the woman was saying. "Look how warm and golden the sun is in the Slayer's dream, Miss Edith. It doesn't hate and burn like the sun outside does. Can you feel the nice light on you?" Realizing who it was Buffy walked quickly on the balcony and there was Drusilla and one of her dolls sitting at the little iron table having what appeared to be a tea party. "Drusilla," Buffy almost growled her name. "You have 2 seconds to tell me what you are doing here, before dream or no dream, I stake your ass." Drusilla giggled at her words. "I miss my Daddy. How is Angelus." 'Oh god,' Buffy thought 'I so don't want to know what brought that up.' She studied Drusilla, trying to force her brain from the dark track it had started down with Drusilla's comment. Drusilla didn't even look up at Buffy, she just continued to pour tea for her doll. Her clothes were the same, still outdated and Victorian. Her hair was pulled up in cute ribbons, making her seem so child-like and innocent, until you looked into her eyes and saw the insanity there. Vampire or not, Buffy didn't think many people could look at the madness in her eyes and not be afraid. Buffy wondered at the strength in Spike to have been so close to her for so long and not be affected by her. "Now, now Slayer, is that any way to greet your new mummy?" Dru's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Great. Glad to see you've gone from crazy to completely deranged." Buffy snapped. "How's that working out for you?" She feigned interest, while looking around for a weapon. Since she was in the safety of her own suite she didn't have one stake on her and everything out on the balcony was iron except for the vines running over it. Buffy found herself wondering if a vine would be considered the same as wood, since technically they were both plant material, but she gave up that idea at the image in her head of trying to stake Drusilla with a small vine. "You married my William. That would make me your Mummy-In-Law." She answered sweetly. Buffy gaped at her, she had her complete attention now. "Ok. Didn't see that one coming." She muttered, more to herself than Drusilla. "So what Drusilla, you sensed that I took your baby boy away from you and decided to stop by to spread your usual pain and torment? Haven't you caused us enough pain? Haven't you caused him enough pain?" Buffy was getting angry at the thought of anyone trying to come between them, especially now. She stepped farther out onto the balcony her body tensing readying itself for a fight. Drusilla finally looked directly at Buffy and Buffy saw her eyes were, for the moment, clear of her insanity. She laughed humorlessly. "I would say of the two of us, you have been the one to cause him the most pain and torment, wouldn't you?" She said sweetly. Buffy glared at her hatefully, wanting nothing more than to deny what she had just said, but she knew it was the truth. That Drusilla knew it to was not something she really wanted to deal with. "Last chance Drusilla, WHY ARE YOU HERE?" She ground out through clenched teeth. "We came to offer our congratulations, and a gift for my William." "Congratulations?" She snorted derisively. "Right. Tell me another one." Drusilla's eyes were far away and glazed again, obviously off in her world again. "My sweet William, my only Childe and my love. You should have seen him the night I turned him, the colors and visions flying around him. As soon as I saw him I knew, the pixies showed me." Buffy watched Drusilla cautiously, as she seemed lost in her own world almost unaware of the small blonde girl standing before her. Buffy was unsure of what to do. This was a dream, so she didn't know whether or not Drusilla presented any real danger to her. She heard once that dying in a dream could cause you to die in reality. "His fire, he was glowing with it, his mind full of dreams and things no mortal would ever know. The pixies told me to help him, help him become what he was meant to be." The crazy woman continued on more to herself and her doll than Buffy. "Drusilla?" Buffy was paying very close attention to her again. Had Drusilla known what was going to happen? Did she realize then all that would transpire? Drusilla was looking at something over her shoulder now. "Isn't that right my love? Have you shown her your dreams?" Buffy turned and saw Spike standing in the doorway watching Drusilla, eyes wide. "Dru, pet, what did the pixies tell you that night?" He asked gently knowing that she liked to be coaxed to give up information on her visions. He glanced over at Buffy who was looking from him to Drusilla nervously. Unsure of how happy Dru was with their relationship he sent her reassurance through their bond instead reaching out for her physically like he wanted to. She smiled softly at him and he felt her return his love. "Now that's not nice. Miss Edith and I came for tea and you shouldn't be whispering over our heads. Miss Edith gets upset when she feels left out." Spike knew that when Miss Edith got upset things tended to get a bit bloody. "All right, we were just going to sit and have tea with you, luv." He motioned to Buffy and they sat down at the table with Drusilla. "Will you please tell me what the pixies told you about me?" "I saw your pretty blonde angel floating above you. I saw lightning coming out of you head. I saw the silver cord that would connect you before he even knew." "Which is why you left me for the chaos demon?" Spike asked angrily. Buffy tried to remind herself that he was reacting to memories not to the way he felt now, so she wouldn't get upset. She lightly reached out and touched his hand. He seemed to remember himself and gave her an apologetic look, but she felt him relax slightly. Drusilla continued as if he never spoke. "I saw you on fire, a pretty bauble on your neck. Little girls running around screaming." She giggled. "They looked like fishies with their mouths hanging open like that." Buffy gasped. "You saw that the night you turned him?" Drusilla smiled knowingly. "I see many things. I see him flying through the air like a black bird. I see him dancing with a white light. I see him standing in the sun at the end of the world. I see him walking worlds that aren't are own. I see him standing with the pale dark man, with stars in his eyes." "What does that mean?" Buffy asked Spike. He just shrugged helplessly. It meant what she wanted it to mean, they weren't going to figure it out until it was time. Suddenly Drusilla lunged forward and grabbed both of them. "The woman in black likes stories. Her cross won't burn you, but you must tell her a story or everything you have will be gone. No worlds, no angel, no more." "What woman in black Dru?" Drusilla stood up and grabbed Miss Edith in her arms. She wandered to the edge of the balcony and looked out into the trees. "If you saw us together back then, why did you come to Sunnydale to get him back, Drusilla?" Buffy asked her, remembering the night the vampire was chained across from her in Spike's crypt. He winced at the memory. She gave him a smile that said, well you did, and patted his hand. "Souless, evil demons can't love. We aren't capable of it. Nothing more than trapped breakfast." She practically sang her version of Buffy's own words back to her never turning to face her. "Trapped breakfast?" She mouthed at Spike. "Serial killer in prison, luv." "Oh" She winced at the memories. "They never thought you would make it this far. A demon choosing humanity for love? A slayer in love with a demon." She spun and faced Buffy pointing a finger accusingly. "Have you learned yet that demons can love?" Buffy nodded slowly. She moved closer to her, her fingernail almost touching Buffy over her heart. "He is my only Childe, I made him. He is a part of you now as you are of him, which means you are also a part of me." Buffy tried to conceal her shiver at the smile on Drusilla's face. This was the Vampire who killed Kendra, tortured Giles and Angel. She was insane, she was evil. She was her...mother-in-law. She could feel the tension in Spike sitting next to her, ready to spring at Dru should she make a move to actually hurt Buffy. Instead she leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Welcome to our family." Buffy looked over at Spike, who looked as stunned as she felt. "I would wish you both happiness, but you already have that. Please remember, my Sweet William, my wedding gift to you: stories, the woman in black will need a story. Either that or you will lose your new queen." Buffy sat up in bed gasping. Spike shot up next to her. They looked at each other amazed. "Was it real?" She asked shaking from the intensity of the dream. "I think so." "So is she here? Is she even close by?" "I think if she was close by she would have come in person, instead of pulling us into that dream." "I didn't know she could do that." "I don't even bloody know half of what she can do and I spent over a hundred years with the daft chit." "It does say a lot about you that you handled her for that long and you aren't completely 'daft' yourself." He gave a small chuckle at her attempt to mimic his accent. "I don't know pet, I'm married to you so I can't be too sane." He grunted when she hit him in the stomach. Then he pulled her in his arms need to feel her close to him after that. He didn't want her to know how frightened he was when he found her on that porch with Dru. She had no idea what could have happened to her, even in a dream. "What about the Woman in black? What about the standing in the sun at the end of the world? What about you leaving to walk in other worlds?" Buffy asked she could hear the panicking in her voice. "I don't know luv, we might not find out for another 50 years knowing Drusilla." Buffy sighed, frustrated. "So what do we do now?" "I have an idea. Stay right there." He quickly left and headed into the bathroom. He came back a few moments later with a bottle of scented oil in his hand. "How is that going to help anything?" "Since you never let me give you a massage before, I'm going to ignore that." He answered sitting back down on the bed. "Now on your tummy." "Spike!!" She said exasperated. "We have to do something about this, this, dream-Drusilla thing." "Buffy, first of all something like pulling us into a dream that strong will have exhausted her for days. Second of all, if she was near by its still daylight out so she won't be out. Third we are in a house with two vampires, one mighty powerful witch, a demon, a watcher, two slayers and several mini-slayers. Don't mistake crazy for stupid. Fourth of all," he sighed, "I believe her, that she was just here to offer her congratulations." Buffy was looking at him doubtfully, she wanted to believe that she didn't have another enemy out there stalking her because she took her favorite toy. He was pouring some of the oil out and onto his hands, rubbing them together to warm the oil. "We'll tell your Watcher when we have to leave this room." He glanced over at the clock. "In another 17 hours." She was weakening, he could tell. "Trust me, please, you don't have to worry about this now. Someday, probably, but not now." That did it. She did trust him and no one knew Drusilla better than he did. "All right, but this massage better be good, because I gotta tell you, dreaming about the ex-girlfriend on our wedding night...not a good thing." "You know you're the only one I want." She flopped onto her stomach. "I don't know, I think I'll need some convincing."

Chapter #14 - Truths

Buffy and Spike entered the library nervously the next morning. Buffy had whined and pleaded for another 12 hours of solitude, but Spike had feared an angry, suspicious Watcher with a crossbow. Not surprisingly, Willow, Oz, Xander, Dawn, Angel, Fred, Wesley and Faith were all present. Angel, Fred and Wesley were off in a corner pouring over some old texts. Buffy assumed they were investigating the attack the day before yesterday. “We’re here for moral support.” Willow told her friend. “Except for Angel, we think he’s here hoping Giles stakes Spike.” Dawn said quietly to Buffy. “Pretty much.” Xander agreed. “I’m just here cause I wanna see somebody else be the big screw up for once.” Buffy nodded and grimaced. “Thanks, Faith.” Buffy ignored her sister and Xander. “Do we really think I’m going to need moral support?” Buffy asked Willow, her voice came out very nervous and child-like. “Do you really think the Watcher could take me?” Spike asked Xander. Buffy just gave him a look. “You’re staying out here, until I have a chance to go in and talk to him.” Buffy tried not to look worried. “Just in case.” Spike snorted at her. “Please, luv.” “Look Spike, seeing you and Giles get into some kind of pissing contest is not something I really want to see today, so please just let me talk to him first.” “Right, sounds good. That’s what I would suggest we do, too.” Spike backed off at her tone. Xander and Dawn started snickering and he threw them a glare and a very obscene gesture. “So tell me the truth, Will, how bad is it?” Buffy asked gesturing helplessly at Giles closed office door. “Its pretty bad, he hasn’t left his office since I talked to him, except to come out searching for books. I know he found some books Dawn said you were looking at in the” Willow looked around suspiciously for moment and lowered her voice. “back room.” “After that you could hear him swearing and throwing things.” She continued. “Just be prepared, its been quite the shock for him, I think.” “Great. Good. I’m sure it will be fine. Really.” Buffy was trying to convince herself as she walked slowly toward the door. Before she got too far Spike grabbed her arm and spun her around. “If you need me, I’m right here.” He said putting his hand over her heart. She smiled and kissed him. “Thank you.” She said earnestly. “Just please let me handle this, no matter what you sense, don’t come rushing in unless I call you, Ok?” Spike watched her for a moment. He really didn’t like the thought of the Watcher’s ignorance hurting Buffy, but he knew she was right. The last thing the situation needed was him arrogantly flaunting their relationship. He nodded. “Ok, luv, but don’t hesitate to call if you need me, you don’t have to do this on your own, you know.” She smiled up at him bravely and turned to walk towards the door. Spike went over and sat on a table next to Faith trying not to fidget nervously. “Man, I wish I would’ve brought popcorn for this.” She told him excitedly. He just shot her a look. “I thought you had an out of town job today, Faith.” Dawn reminded her dryly. “Yeah, some town is reporting trouble of a ‘supernatural’ nature. She shrugged, “I’m going to go check it out and hopefully kick some ‘supernatural’ butt.” “Are you taking Robin with you, since Buffy is unavailable.” Dawn teased her. “Nah, he has too much going on. I thought about taking Rhona or Kennedy so they could get some field practice while they are here, but turns out they’re headed back to Cleveland tonight.” Spike smiled. He wondered if the fact Red and Oz were covered in each other’s scent had anything to do with that. Buffy knocked on Giles door, before stepping into the office. He looked up at her entrance, he looked horrible. It was obvious he hadn’t changed clothes or slept in several days. There were dark rings around his eyes and his hair was in all different directions. His eyes darkened with anger when he saw it was her. “Hey Giles.” She said softly. “Buffy.” He acknowledged her, turning back to his book and marking his page before giving her his full attention. “Look, I know what you’re thinking…” She began. “Really, Buffy. Please, tell me what it is that you believe I’m thinking.” Buffy swallowed nervously. “You’re thinking that I threw away my shot at having a normal life, but Giles I really don’t think I’m meant to have a normal life.” She pleaded with him to understand. Giles shook his head and removed his glasses. “Actually, no I’ve been sitting here for 2 days now just wondering at your stupidity for jumping into an ETERNAL commitment without taking the time to even consider what the repercussions might be.” He snapped. He stood up and put a finger in her face. “You have behaved extremely foolishly. How can you even justify taking such a risk?” He demanded. “Giles, I really do love him. To me losing him was a bigger risk.” She tried again to make him understand. Giles slammed his hand down on the book laying open on his desk. “Damn you and your romantic notions! How many times have you ‘followed your heart’ as it were, leading us into situations that would never have occurred it had you gone about things sensibly? How many times has your impulsive recklessness led to one of us having to come rescue you?” Giles looked into her eyes and she flinched at the anger she saw directed at her in his gaze. “What happens if Spike’s demon goes back to its old ways, or he loses his soul?” “Spike changed before he got the soul, that’s one of the reasons he went looking for one.” Buffy tried to explain. “This was when he tried to rape you, correct. Would that be the change you were referring to?” “Look, Giles you have to trust me on this…” Giles barked out a bitter laugh. “Oh I trust you. I trust you to get your heart broken when this goes bad and leave the mess for someone else to clean up. Just like after Angelus killed Jenny,” Buffy stepped back with tears in her eyes as Giles continued. “Just like I had to do with Ben.” “Buffy all the power you have at your disposal that could be corrupted and used against everything we stand for and you go and make a decision like this.” He turned away from her in disgust. “What do you mean ‘like you had to with Ben’? What did you do with Ben?” Buffy’s voice had a command in it that stopped Giles cold. “Er, well, he couldn’t be allowed to just run off until Glory got her strength back and returned.” Giles voice took on a slightly uncomfortable tone and Buffy’s eyes narrowed. “So, what, you had Glory bound within him somehow?” Buffy asked. “Um, no.” “You had him incarcerated someplace where she couldn’t get out?” “Buffy, this isn’t the issue right now.” Giles snapped at her. Buffy just stared at him horrified. “Oh my god. You killed him, didn’t you?” Her tears broke and she turned and walked out of his office. Giles followed her. “Buffy, it was the only way to guarantee Dawn’s safety. I did what needed to be done, what you couldn’t do. Under the circumstances I believe it was the right thing to do.” He defended himself. Everyone was watching the argument taking place in front of them. Faith felt bad about wanting to see Buffy be the black sheep for once, she hadn’t realized it was going to be this brutal. Spike could easily feel Buffy’s hurt, it cut through him. He wanted nothing more than to go comfort her, but he told her he’d wait until she asked for him. She needed to do this on her own. “If you were so certain it was the right thing to do, then why didn’t you ever tell me?” Buffy yelled at Giles. He didn’t have an answer for her. She turned and looked at her friends assembled before her. “Anyone else? Huh? Now’s your chance?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Anyone else have any secrets they want to share with the group. I mean I’ve just been informed that my impulsiveness has cause you all to make decisions in my place. Any one else have anything they want to tell me?” Buffy looked at each one of them, but no one said anything. “Angel, I believe you have a mighty big secret you’ve been keeping.” Angel’s face was tortured misery. “Don’t you want to share with the group? You know unburden your soul?” She asked him nastily. Buffy was referring to Angel’s on Connor, who he had with Darla. Buffy had learned all about it thanks to Spike’s memories. Spike looked down uncomfortable and slightly angry that she had used their bond for ammunition to attack. For a long time uncomfortable silence suffocated the room, then Angel began to speak. “The first year I was in LA, Buffy came to see me. We were attacked by a demon. His blood turned me human. Buffy and I spent the day together, then I realized that I was a liability to her as a human so I went to the Higher Beings and had them turn back time 24 hours, so it was like it never happened. No one remembers it but me.” Buffy gaped at him in shock. So did the others. “What exactly did we do during this day we spent together?” She asked him, her voice full of ice. She walked up to him standing right in his space. “We ate junk food, we saw the sun…” He paused. “Did we sleep together?” She demanded. “Yes, we made love.” She slapped him across the face hard. She felt almost physically ill now, but she just buried that deep inside and continued on. Spike stood up to go to her but she waved him away. “ANYONE ELSE?” She yelled into the room. “Clear your conscience. Come on let me have it. Everyone else is.” Xander hesitantly raised his hand. “Xander?” Buffy’s voice was filled with poison at this point. Xander took a deep breath. “The day you went to rescue Giles and fight Angelus, with Acathla…” “I remember, what about it?” “I told you Willow said to kick his ass.” “Xander!!” Willow gasped, shocked. Xander just looked down. “Go on.” Buffy said. “Well, what she actually told me was that she was going to try the spell to restore his soul again and you should buy her some time.” Buffy staggered back, reeling from the pain inside her. Then she straightened. “So everyone here knows better than me. Turns out the night you kicked me out of my own house was a long time coming. None of you believed me capabable of doing my job.” Buffy came to stand in front of Willow. “I’m just wondering then, why you bothered to bring me back at all? What you just needed someone who was really strong?” “Buffy…” Willow beseeched her. “Save it, Will. I think I’ve heard enough for today.” With that she walked out of the library slamming the door behind her. Spike sat there for a moment, then he began to clap. “Well done, not even out of our room an hour and you have her running away already. Guess its true, your biggest strengths are also your biggest weaknesses.” “I really don’t need to listen to lecture from you, Spike.” Giles growled at him. “Well, you need to listen to lecture from someone. At least I never felt the need to go behind her back when I thought she was wrong. I at least had the strength of my convictions to tell her straight out. Personally, Rupert, I’m glad you killed that wanker Ben you just should have taken the time to explain why you did it and given her the chance to understand why you did what you did. Instead of throwing it in her face as one of her failures.” Giles was surprised Spike knew what they had been arguing about in the office. Spike just smiled at him. “Side effect of our ‘eternal commitment’.” He told him. Then he turned on Xander. “And you.” Spike laughed. “Just felt the need to clear your conscious, boy?” Xander attempted to speak. “Don’t. I don’t even want to hear it.” Spike got right up in his face. “She never needed to know that.” Spike went over to Faith. “Would you mind if we took that little road trip for you? I think it would be best if I got her out of here for while.” “Sure no problem.” For once Faith had no smart replies, she just handed him the information. “Here are the directions and a description of the compliants.” “Thanks, luv.” Spike gave her a quick smile. “Take care of her, ok.” Faith sounded almost hesitant, she still wasn’t real comfortable showing affection for people. Spike was in the process of walking away, but he turned and squeezed Dawn’s shoulder. “That’s what I’m here for.” He said trying to reassure both Dawn and Faith without showing too much. He walked up to Angel next. “I’m going to be needing your car, Peaches and I don’t even want to hear a word out of you.” As ordered, Angel didn’t say anything, he just handed him his keys. “How you could even do something like that to her…” Spike couldn’t even finish he was so disgusted with the other vampire. Then he turned and went after Buffy, his duster flowing behind him as he left. No one in the library said a word. A telephone call from an office inside the house. “Mr. Isaac Milton, please.” “I’ve been waiting to hear from you. I understand the Slayer and her vampire are still alive.” “Yes, and that’s not all. They are the ones who took the job outside, not Faith.” “I see. Well, then we have a second chance at our main objective.” “Do you think your people will get the job done this time?” “If they don’t then it will be up to you to take care of the problem personally. So far you have managed to stay in the house undetected, in spite of your intentions.” “I’ll do what needs to be done. The mission is what matters.” “Exactly.” Knowing the conversation was over, Robin hung up the phone and stared blankly at the wall.

Chapter #15 - On the Job

The car ride to Laytonville was filled with silent tension. Buffy was lost in her guilt and pain. She couldn’t believe that all this time her friends had so little faith in her. Then there was Angel. Rationally, she knew that she had probably been a willing, even eager participant in the sex, but to have her memories erased, left her feeling as though she had been taken advantage of somehow. She was so lost in her own confused feelings she didn’t notice the turmoil going on inside Spike. While Spike was trying to deal with his anger towards her. He couldn’t believe she had used something they had shared to attack her former love. He had thought since she had chosen him that she was over her jealous feelings towards Angel. Apparently he had been wrong. At the same time his heart was breaking for her and he could still feel how badly she had been hurt by what she had discovered that morning. He chuckled to himself. The more things change the more they stay the same. He was torn between wanting to rip Buffy’s head off and comforting her, leaving him frustrated and confused. They arrived at the small town before sunset. Buffy went inside and registered them at the hotel. They went inside and dropped off their bags in, neither saying a word. Spike thought wistfully of the day before when he was listening to Buffy’s laughter and the easy, comfortable flow of conversation between them. Now any attempts he made to talk to her were met with one word responses or just a nod of her head. Spike lay on the bed trying to read over the information Faith had given him, to prepare for the evening. Buffy had decided to take a shower, he thought she was just trying to hide in the bathroom. He tried to concentrate on the papers before him. Five unexplained deaths in the past three days, all of them killed in the same way. Their throats were slit ritualistically and they were also branded with strange markings. The press thought there was a cult somewhere in the town. Spike thought they were probably right, however, whether they were dealing with amateurs playing around or competent magic practicioners he had no way of noticing. He also noticed there were quite a few deaths in the past few weeks where the deceased had their throats ripped out and were bled to death. These were all blamed on wild animals. Given the amount of wilderness in the area they were, that was a possibility, but Spike tended to think the deaths were all related in some way. Buffy finally emerged from the bathroom as the sun set. She looked extremely tired and drawn, eerily reminiscent of that last year when they were fighting off the First. He hated to see her like this, but he knew any attempt on his part to comfort her would only lead to her rejecting him. Which would only fuel the anger he was feeling towards her. “I think we should start by checking out the cemeteries in town see if there is any vamp activity.” He told her after she emerged. He waited to see if she would respond at all, but all he got was a nod. “You ready then?” He knew his voice sounded harsh, but the more she ignored him, the angrier he got. They left the hotel and walked through the small town to the cemetery. Spike watched Buffy, as she trudged up the street. She had on a tight pair of blue jeans with a sleeveless black shirt. Over her shirt she wore a short brown suede jacket to combat the chill in the night air. To him she was as beautiful as always, but the blank pain in her eyes didn’t do justice to the way she looked when her eyes were alive. As they entered into the cemetery the silence became oppressive. There was no moon out to give off any light and the dampness in the night air combined with previous warmth of the day gave off an eery fog. After fifteen minutes of searching the cemetery and coming up empty handed, Spike was ready to call it a night. “Well, everyone here seems to be pretty much dead and staying that way.” He remarked, trying to bring some kind of levity to the situation. Buffy didn’t even respond. That was the breaking point for Spike. “Oh, would you quit with the bloody martyr routine already!!” He yelled at her, his rage bubbling over. Buffy stared at him completely stunned. “What?” She finally noticed the rage inside her coming from him. “This little martyr act…GET OVER IT!!!” “I’m sorry, I just found out I was betrayed by most of the people I trusted. I just can’t ‘get over it’.” Spike grabbed her shoulders roughly and stared directly into her eyes. “Yes, they did. They betrayed you, they lied to you, they made decisions behind your back and never bothered to explain why or tell you. You have every reason in the world to be mad at them. But you aren’t mad at them, are you? No, you’re mad at yourself.” Buffy tried to look away, but he grabbed her chin and forced her to keep looking at him. “You honestly think that it’s your fault they had do what they did. You think there must have been something wrong with you for them to have to lie to you.” Buffy’s defenses started kicking in and Spike could see the stubborn look come into her eyes. He knew she probably wasn’t hearing a word he said, but that never stopped him before. Besides the fact he was too angry with her to stop now. “Its all about choices, pet. They made the choices that they thought were best, so did you.” He let go of her and started pacing back and forth, his anger giving him a nervous energy. For the first time in days he desperately wished for a cigarette. “Personally, I think the Watcher did the right thing offing Glory’s other half. If he didn’t I would have hunted him down, for what happened to you.” His voice got thick as he remembered her lying on the ground broken in front of him. He walked up and leaned into her. “Only I would have made him scream for days first.” He informed her coldly. “As for what the Whelp did, what exactly would you have done differently if you had known?” He continued on not even giving her a chance to answer as he stepped back and resumed his pacing. “I’ll tell you what you would have done, you would have died. You would have held back, thinking you had to wait for sweetheart to come back and Angelus would have used that against you and you would have died. I remember, I was there. You almost died anyway.” Buffy finally recovered from her shock angry enough to speak. “Really, I thought you were too busy carrying your crazy, slut of a girlfriend out to notice.” “Hey, I kept up my end of our bargain, luv. The rest was up to you.” He pointed at himself. “E-VIL. Remember?” He made sure to annunciate the evil as if she wouldn’t understand if he didn’t. He stopped for a minute, but Buffy knew he wasn’t done yet. She began to recognize the feelings of hurt behind the anger she felt coming from him. He smiled a thin smile at her. “And we both know why you are upset with Peaches don’t we.” He turned away for a moment not wanting her to see the pain on his face, forgetting for the moment she could feel it. “The fact that you would use something we shared to attack him because you were jealous disgusts me.” “What?!?” She couldn’t believe he was saying this. “You were upset that Darla shared something with him that you never could. Then the fact that they had a child together just killed you didn’t it. You attacked him the first chance you got. Then you find out that you two actually had a chance, except he threw it away for the both of you. I wonder if he snuck out of your bed to go talk to his Higher Beings. Once again you weren’t enough to keep his interest.” At that Buffy’s eyes filled with tears at his angry words. Spike’s anger was spent and now the look on her face made him feel horrible for adding to her pain. He couldn’t bear to look at her knowing what he had done, so he turned and walked away from her. He wasn’t sure where he was going he just needed to get away. ((You’re wrong about one thing.)) He heard her voice in his head and it stopped him cold, but he couldn’t turn to face her. He heard her walk up behind, but he still didn’t turn. She studied his hunched shoulders for before speaking. “Spike, you’re right about everything, except one thing.” When he still didn’t face her, she pulled on his arm forcing him to turn around. Now he was the one with tears in his eyes. “I didn’t attack Angel out of jealousy. I don’t care that he slept with Darla. I was mad that he could judge either one of us, when he made such a mess of his own life. Yet he still felt like he was above us enough to try and keep us apart.” Spike tried to swallow the emotions building up in him. “When he told me about being human for a day, it did make me feel like once again I wasn’t enough for him, but that only confirmed that we weren’t meant to be together. The thing that upset me was that he took away my memories and I don’t think he did that with my consent. Someone messing with my mind like that makes me feel violated somehow.” An involuntary shiver ran through her at the thought of it. Spike immediately wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him enjoying the safety and comfort she felt in his arms. It was nothing like the dangerous, forbidden feeling she had with Angel. Buffy felt horrible that she had been so wrapped up in her own feelings she didn’t even notice how bad she had hurt Spike. And she knew he was right in everything else he told her, it still hurt her, but now she didn’t feel like it was all her fault. “I’m sorry I shut you out.” She whispered. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, I just didn’t know how else to break through that wall you put up when you get scared or hurt.” He squeezed her to him before letting her go. He gave her his cockiest grin. “Although I do believe that’s the first time you’ve ever admitted Iwas right.” “Don’t let it go to your head, Spikey.” She told him. “No. Of course not.” He told her. Then he turned around and yelled into the vacant graveyard. “The Slayer admitted I was right about something.” Buffy hit him on his arm. “You’re such a jerk.” She said walking away from him. “One of the reasons you love me, pet.” He smiled, following behind her, a bounce in his step. “So this was pretty much a bust.” Buffy commented as the neared the entrance of the cemetery. “Any other spots we should check out?” “Well, we could wait until tomorrow and go talk to the coroner, see if he can tell us about the weird brands found on the bodies.” “What are we going to do for the rest of tonight then?” She asked him, teasing. “I can come up with one or two things.” He leered at her, reaching out to grab her cute little butt. Buffy came to an abrupt stop. “Do you feel that?” Spike sensed her alarm and immediately started scanning the area with his senses. “There’s something out here. I can’t tell what it is though.” Buffy noticed movement off to their left and immediately took off after it. Spike followed her without a word. They moved gracefully between the gravestones, following the figure out of the cemetery and into the woods beyond. Once out of the graveyard the feeling of evil grew stronger and the two warriors fell back a bit to avoid being detected. They followed the shadowy figure into a small clearing in the forest, but lost him then in the fog, which seemed to grow thick around them. ((I don’t like this)) Spike’s voice came to her. ((Neither do I)) She answered. ((This screams of ‘trap’ to me)) ((Yeah, but they were expecting Faith, not us.)) ((Think we need to try our new trick)) ((That may be wise)) Before they could do anything a voice came out of the fog. ”Ah, Buffy Summers, how nice to see you again.” A man stepped out of the fog, towards them. “Ethan Rayne!! I thought you were rotting somewhere in a military prison.” “I got a ‘get out of jail’ free card courtesy of some Council members you decided to upset.” “Isaac Milton.” Buffy growled. “Yes, it seems Ripper declined their invitation to help the cause, so they decided to recruit me instead.” He walked around her in a circle. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your mate?” Spike could sense another heart beat in the fog, with more moving in, so he knew Ethan wasn’t alone. ((I think they have us surrounded, luv)) ((Yeah, but they don’t know WHAT they have.)) “Ethan, I’m sure you’ve heard of William the Bloody.” To Spike she said aloud. “Ethan was responsible for the Halloween costumes that transformed the people wearing them.” “Ah, yes the infamous William the Bloody. You were expected to surpass Angelus in ruthlessness before our lovely Slayer had you declawed.” “You’re about to find out how declawed I am, mate.” “Talk, talk, talk. That’s all you people ever do. Let’s get on with this already.” Another voice came out of the fog. “Amy? What is this, the reunion from hell week?” “Wasn’t she the rat girl?” Spike asked. “Hey, Buffy. How’s Willow doing? Still letting all that power go to waste?” Amy questioned snidely. “Yes, Amy is my new apprentice. It seems she believes as I do that there are people in power now, that really don’t deserve it. We plan on correcting that oversight.” “Really, now how do you plan on doing that?” Spike drawled. ((Be ready to join up, luv. I sense several nasties moving this way.)) ((I know, I make about six of them. I don’t want to do it too soon and tip them off, though)) ((Right)) “Well, first off we’re going to kill the two of you.” Ethan said gleefully. “How did you know it was going to be us and not Faith?” Buffy asked, curiously. “Ah, ah, ah. A good magician never give up his secrets. All I’ll say is maybe your ‘friends’ aren’t as trustworthy as you thought.” “Don’t tell them anything.” Amy interjected. “It won’t matter soon, anyhow. I was told you managed to defeat the present I sent you. I take it you didn’t like cheese.” The figures they could sense approaching finally broke through the fog. “I doubt you will be so lucky against a half dozen of them.” Ethan and Amy stepped back away from the couple, who now stood back to back, tensed and ready to fight. “Kill them.” He ordered the Golems. “Oh and don’t think about running away.” Amy told them. “We’re here to make sure you can’t run.” Ethan and Amy started chanting together and a barrier rose up in a circle around them, trapping them in with the Golems. Just before the first Golem could attack, Buffy and Spike merged. Their eyes could be seen glowing through the dense fog as the two deadly creatures began their attack. Buffy kicked the legs out from under one creature separating knocking him to the ground. She was on him immediately ripping his head off his body, not even watching as he crumbled. One of the golems tried to grab Spike, but he grabbed his arm and used to it propel it around and into two more, knocking their heads off, before he released it. He was on it in an instant ripping its head of as it crumbled. “What’s going on?” Amy yelled to Ethan. “No one warned us about this.” “Can you feel the power coming off them?” Ethan was entranced. “Imagine having power like that?” Buffy meanwhile was doing a handstand using her legs to grab one of the remaining Golems around its neck and flipping it to the ground. Then she tightened her legs and twisted its head right off. Spike walked up to the last Golem and simply used his hands to twist its head off. All that remained was the two fighters and piles of stones. “Well, time for plan B.” As Ethan said this, he dropped the barrier. Buffy and Spike immediately turned towards the evil sorcerer. Their eyes glowed more brightly at the sight of their main prey. Ethan pulled out a gun and shot Buffy at point blank range. Spike howled their connection broke and some of her blood hit splashed onto his jacket. Before Ethan could move, Spike was on him. His fangs tore into Ethan’s neck draining the man of all life quickly. Amy took off, running in a blind panic, but Spike caught up with her before she managed to get ten feet away. He made short work of the girl as well before turning back to Buffy. He cradled her body in his arms as tears ran down his face. “Please, luv. You can’t leave me now.” She was still alive. He could hear her heart beating faintly. He knew he wouldn’t have time to get her help. He was so lost in his own grief he didn’t notice her heart beat getting stronger or the wound in her chest closing up. For an hour he sat with her mourning, when he heard her voice. “Spike? What happened?” “Buffy?” He thought for a moment he was dreaming. “Buffy?” He said again. “Ugh. Why do I feel like I was just run over by a mack truck.” He started laughing and crying hysterically. He rained kisses all over her face in relief. “Spike?” She asked again. “You were shot, pet. I thought you were done for.” “No. I’m still here. I’m in a lot of pain though. I feel like there’s an elephant standing on my chest.” “I don’t understand he shot you at close range with a Magnum.” “Isn’t that Dirty Harry’s gun? God, what a ham? Did they get away?” Her voice was getting stronger and she was able to sit up on her own and look around. She saw Ethan’s body laying not far away, the wounds in his neck clearly visible. Buffy looked up at Spike. “And Amy?” She asked quietly. “She tried to run. She didn’t get too far.” Buffy didn’t say anything for a few moments. She could feel her strength returning to her and the pain lessening with every passing moment. “Did you find out who their informant in the school was?” She asked, her voice still in the same quiet tone. “No, I really wasn’t focused on questioning at the time.” Buffy tried to stand up, but she was still pretty weak so Spike had to help support her. “Guess Tara wasn’t kidding when she said I wasn’t mortal anymore.” “Guess not.” Spike couldn’t tell what she was thinking or feeling through the bond, her emotions were a jumble of pain, fear, anger and determination. She started to move back towards the cemetery, they walked around Amy on their way. By the time they made it to the gates of the cemetery Buffy was healed enough to walk on her own. “We need to head back to the school tonight. We’ll need to call in the others. I want to find out why Isaac Milton wants us dead so bad and I think Giles has the answer to that.” “Alright.” Spike agreed with her. “And Spike.” “Yeah, luv.” “Next time, try to get the information out of the bad guys before you kill them.” Spike didn’t know what to say. Did that mean she was ok with what he had done. Buffy wrapped her arm around him and looked up at him. “Its all about choices. Those two were given more than enough chances to reform. They always chose to come back and try to hurt us. I think you made the right choice.” Spike let out a sigh of relief. “Come on lets go home. I’m exhausted.”

Chapter #16 - Rings & Keys

Buffy and Spike didn’t make it back to the school that night. Buffy was more tired than she first thought, passing out in Spike’s arms before they even made it back to the hotel. Once Buffy was tucked in bed Spike called Willow. After she used her magic to make sure no one could hear their conversation, Spike told her everything that had happened. Willow was surprised about Amy and Ethan, but she also seemed he did the right thing by killing the two. She was even more concerned at Buffy’s apparent immortality. “So she can’t be killed?” Willow asked. “Well, guns don’t seem to get the job done?” “What about things that would kill a vamp? Stakes? Beheading? Fire?” “You know what I know, Red. I’m not planning on trying any of that to see whether or not it actually kills her.” “Right, of course not.” Willow was silent a moment. “Is it my fault? Because of the resurrection spell?” “I don’t think so. Tara didn’t say.” “TARA?” “Red, it’s a long story and I’m beat. I promise we’ll tell you everything when we get back.” “Darn right you will.“ Willow wanted to know how they talked to Tara, but she could hear how tired Spike was so she got back to the business at hand. “Any ideas on the informant?” “You’ve been living there, you would know better than me who could be a likely candidate.” Then he had a thought. “Are Finn and his bird still there?” “Yeah, but with everything going on I haven’t seen them too much.” “Might be a good idea to check on what they’ve been up to. Its kind of a coincidence them showing up when they did. Then the next day someone attacks us. Finny doesn’t care too much for me.” “You’re right. We’ll look into it. What time will you be back tomorrow?” “It will be early. Rally the troops and we’ll have one of those famous meetings when we get there. Tell the Watcher we’re going to need him if he can keep his cool for a while.” “I think he feels badly about what happened.” Willow told Spike. Spike just snorted. “As well he should.” They exchanged goodbyes before hanging up. Spike settled himself on the bed, gathering Buffy up in his arms. He cherished the feeling of her warm body snuggled against him. He was almost afraid to fall asleep, he felt he should be on guard against anything else that might try and hurt her before she was one hundred percent better. But the stress and emotional upheavals of the day had worn him out and soon his eyes drifted closed listening to the sound of her heartbeat. Willow turned to Oz, Xander, Dawn and Andrew. “Ok guys we have another long night ahead of us. Xander, I want you and Oz to find out what Riley and Sam have been up to since they got here. Also check and see if anyone else has been acting strange or has said anything negative about Buffy’s new relationship.” Andrew raised his hand excitedly. “We’re not in high school, Andrew? What?” Willow asked him wearily. ”Kennedy and Rhona thought Buffy was betraying their heritage by sleeping with a vampire, I heard them talking to some of the younger girls.” ”That‘s not good.” Xander said. “I’ll go find Faith and get her to run damage control there. I’ll also see if any of the girls I’ve talked to in the past are upset or confused about Buffy and Spike’s relationship.” “It may be a good idea for someone to address that issue with the girls anyway, make sure they understand that Buffy and Spike aren’t the typical Slayer or Vampire.” Oz added. “Ok, we’ll add that to our list.” Willow said, the exhaustion she felt was evident in her face. “Andrew, Dawn and I will continue to research in the library. Dawn, I need you back on the prophecies. See if there is any mention of what exactly is fatal to Buffy now, or any reference to her immortality. Andrew, I want you to look through the magic books see if you can find any spells to use with the spells already in the house to find out if anyone has an ill intentions towards us. I’m going to talk to Giles. Remember guys, no one outside this room except for Giles and Faith needs to know what’s happening. We don’t want our informant to get any more information out to the old Council members.” Xander left to go find Faith, while Dawn and Andrew headed for the library. Oz walked up to Willow. “Are you Ok?” “I guess. I’m just tired. I didn’t get too much sleep the past couple of days.” Oz reached out and rubbed at her shoulders. “Why don’t you come back up to Canada with me for a few days when I have to go back? You could use some down time.” “If we get this mess cleared up I just might do that.” Willow smiled at him. “Let’s go, maybe I can get SOME sleep tonight.” Buffy and Spike arrived early the next day. They parked in the garage so Spike didn’t burn. Willow was at the door waiting for them. “You have to come with me now.” The urgency in her voice put them both on edge, immediately. “What’s…” Buffy started to ask, but Willow interrupted her. “Just follow me.” Willow led them into the library where Giles, Dawn, Andrew, Xander, Faith and Oz sat. Everyone looked exhausted and tense. After they entered Willow put a spell on the library so no one else could come in and no one could listen in. “Ok. Now we can talk.” Willow announced when she was done “Ok. What’s up? Did you find anything out?” Buffy asked. “Anything about you or our current problems? No. Something else has come up.” Spike groaned. “God, you people are unbelievable. Bloody, Melrose Place around here.” “What’s the problem, Will?” Willow looked at Giles for help. “We don’t think it’s a problem, really, Buffy. Its more like uh…. Well that is to say…” Giles floundered unsure of what to say. “Oh let me tell her. Its about me anyway.” Dawn stood up. “Last night we were here late researching. Well, Andrew decided instead of doing what Willow asked, he would ‘help’ me. Which, of course, turned into a disaster.” “Hey I was trying to be helpful. Doesn’t that count for anything with you people?” Andrew tried to defend himself. Dawn just ignored him. “He lost the book I found that might have had a prophecy in it regarding you two, but before I could properly translate it, he moved it and forgot where he moved it to. So I got really mad and proceeded to beat him up.” “Way to go, bit.” Spike said with approval. Buffy just turned to glare at him. “Sorry, continue.” “ANYHOW, he had a pencil in his hand and it stabbed me. I yelled and started to bleed, and he got up and ran away.” Dawn stopped her story to glare over at Andrew. “Chicken.” She said. “Hey, I just left before I hurt you even worse.” Dawn took a step towards him threateningly. He backed away quickly. “Dawn.” Buffy got her attention. “What happened next?” “Well, I went to find something to clean up my arm, it was bleeding pretty bad. Some of my blood dripped onto the table and I remember yelling something to Andrew about sending him off to Africa where he could be with the rest of the monkeys. Next thing I know I looked down at the table and there is this green portal thingy. In the center was the African Savannah.” Buffy and Spike just gaped at her. “WHAT?” Buffy yelled. “It seems, Buffy, Dawn is still the Key.” Giles informed. “Gee, thanks Giles. I wouldn’t have put that together without your help.” Buffy was still furious with her Watcher. Buffy turned back to Dawn. “Who else knows about this?” “Just us Buffy.” Xander answered her. “We’ve kept everything quiet so far.” “Are you sure it was Africa, bit?” Spike asked her. “Yep, I even got to see a Wildebeest.” “How did you get the portal to close?” Buffy wondered. “Some more of my blood dripped down and it closed on its own.” “So what now?” Buffy asked the others. “Well, B. We have to find the informant, take care of him. Giles and Willow are going to try and track down Mr. Isaac Milton and take care of him. Then I was thinking we could use your sis, over there and take a vacation to the Virgin Islands.” Faith joked. “We are not going to bleed my sister for a vacation, Faith.” Buffy snapped at her. “Chill, B. A little humor.” “I’m not finding this situation humorous!!” “Buffy, its ok. No one knows who shouldn’t know. Don’t worry about me.” Dawn tried to calm her sister down. “That’s not going to happen.” Spike answered for Buffy. “We will always worry about you. I think your sister is just overwhelmed right now. A lot has happened in a short amount of time and a lot more is fixin to happen when we find out who’s leaking information.” Spike looked over at Willow. “Anything on Captain America?” He asked her. “Nope, they’ve been the perfect guests. They helped with training lessons, they’ve taken long walks together, they’ve eaten their meals with the girls and the other Watchers. Nothing funny at all.” “Well, keep looking.” A ringing noise sounded throughout the library. “What’s that?” Xander asked. “Someone’s trying to come in.” Willow explained. “Do want some time to process, Buffy?” Buffy nodded. She turned back to Spike. “Can I go back to bed now?” He just smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. Willow released the shields and removed the extra magics. As she finished the doors to the library opened and Angel walked in. He walked up to Buffy and Spike quickly. “I’d like to talk to you both.” He didn’t really sound like he was asking and Spike snorted at his presumption. Buffy didn’t answer, she was afraid of what she would say if she opened her mouth. “We have other things to be doing right now.” Willow and Oz left followed by Xander and Faith. “Yeah, I have to go find a book.” Dawn headed towards the secret room of the library. “I’ll just be in my office.” Giles quickly ducked inside. All that remained were the two vampires, Buffy and Andrew. Buffy and the vampires turned to look at Andrew expectantly. “Oh don’t mind me.” He told them. Dawn came back out before Spike could throw Andrew. “Sorry I forgot something.” She grabbed Andrew’s ear and drug him from the room. The remaining three turned back to each other. “I wanted…” Angel began. “Oh no. You don’t get to say anything, you arrogant, egotistical asshole. There is nothing you could say, anyway, that could ever make up for everything you’ve done.” Buffy exploded. Spike just stepped back and let her go. He knew he was going to enjoy this. “How dare you try to convince Spike to leave.” Buffy got right into Angel’s face. “And when I think about what you did, throwing away a gift like becoming human and blaming it on your relationship with me WHEN YOU WEREN‘T PLANNING ON STAYING WITH ME!!!” Angel tried to break in, but Buffy put her hand over his mouth. “I’m not finished, yet.” She growled. “I knew I wasn’t in love with you anymore, Angel, but I don’t even really like you that much. You want to think you are a Champion, but you have a long way to go before you’ll ever be a Champion.” Buffy turned away from him and walked over to Spike. She leaned back against him facing Angel. “I’m not the only one who thinks so, either. Spike isn’t your seer anymore. He’s my seer. Even the Higher Powers are losing faith in you.” Angel wasn’t expecting that piece of news. “I’m going to give you a piece of advice,” Buffy kept going. “only because, once upon a time I thought I loved you. Stop with the brooding already!!! You need to realize that just feeling bad about it, doesn’t mean you’ve learned anything from it. You can feel bad all you want about the past, but if you don’t ever change whatever it is INSIDE YOU that did those things, then you are just wasting your life. Go to Africa and get you soul anchored…” “Hey we could send him right now…oof.” Spike broke off when Buffy’s elbow hit his rib cage. “…deal with your demon, make him work for you.” Buffy never even paused for breath in dealing with Spike’s outburst. “Now, you’ve caused both Spike and I a lot of pain and suffering over the years and I think its time that we got reimbursed for all that.” “What?” Spike had no idea where she was headed with this. Angel, probably afraid for his safety, didn’t say anything. “I happen to know that you have quite the little nest egg stashed away.” Buffy continued on. “It has become apparent to me that we won’t be able to stay here much longer and I don’t want to impose on Giles or the Council to support us. I want to travel the world, as you know. It may be a bit hard though Spike being sunlight challenged and all. All this brings me to you.” Buffy paused for a moment, smiling big at Angel. “I want 5 million in a bank account in both our names. I know you have it, so don’t even try to deny it. I also want you to give the Ring of Amara back to Spike.” No one spoke. Spike was floored. Angel was still afraid to talk. Buffy was waiting for a response. “Well?” She asked Angel, when he didn‘t say anything. “I don’t have the Ring anymore Buffy.” Angel told her when he found he was allowed to talk again. “That figures. I guess you’ll just have to track it down then. Thankfully, you work for a demonic law firm, I bet they have very thorough investigators. I want that ring here by tomorrow.” Angel opened his mouth, but Buffy spoke again firmly. “Tomorrow, Angel.” Buffy looked up at Spike. “I’m going up to our room. Tell Dawn to have the everyone meet back here this afternoon before you come up, Ok?” “Sure, luv.” Spike bent down and kissed her forehead. Buffy left the library. Spike looked at Angel and burst out laughing. “Man, she told you.” “She hates me.” “She doesn’t hate you, she’s angry. She’s been angry for a long time. Since Angelus, since Faith, since you left her. She never did get to tell you off for the way you treated her the morning after, did she?” “No, but that wasn’t really me…” “Please, who do you think you are talking to? She was right. Get your soul anchored, deal with your demon. Live your life. You aren‘t helping anyone right now.” “I never expected you to be the calm one about all this.” Spike just laughed and stood up to go find Dawn. “Ah, Peaches, one of us had to be the good cop. Besides I never expected much from you, so you can’t disappoint me. You’re still the same arrogant prat as always.” Spike stopped, for a moment. “But after 100 years of knowing you, you tend to grow on a fella. Kinda like fungus.” For some reason Spike’s words helped Angel to feel better. He knew he had a lot to make up for and it was time he started, because he wanted to. He opened his cell phone. “I need to talk to someone in our Investigation dept…”

Chapter #17 - Kidnapped

Buffy felt great as she wandered up the stairs to her room. Her conversation with Angel made her feel so in control and powerful. She ran up the stairs two at a time. By about the third story her great feeling was sinking into shame, her running had slowed to a crawl as she realized what she had done. She was replaying the scene over in her mind and she could hear the acid in her voice as she attacked him. When she remembered how she spat out the message from the Tara about him no longer being their Champion she came to a full stop. Buffy was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear the footsteps coming towards her until a voice spoke. “Hey, Buffy, are you Ok?” Buffy looked up gravely to see Xander in front of her. “No, I’m actually a terrible person.” She sat down on the steps and put her head in her hands. “What are you talking about?” Xander asked sitting down next to her. “I blew up at Angel.” “I kind of figured you were going to. That’s why we all cleared out of the library, so you didn’t turn your Slayer wrath on us when you finished with him.” “No, Xander I REALLY blew up at Angel. I don’t even remember everything I said, I just kept yelling and yelling at him, because it felt so good to yell at him. I really wanted to hit him, but since Spike, I‘m in better control of the physical side of my anger.” “Well, maybe you needed to be angry and yell and get it all off your chest. That doesn’t make you a terrible person.” “That might not, but I think extortion does.” “Ok, now I’m lost.” “I told Angel he had to pay Spike and I 5 million dollars for all the things he’s done in the past. I also told him he had to give Spike the Ring of Amara back, by tomorrow. I basically threatened to dust him if he didn’t get it all done.” “Angel has 5 million dollars? Will you remember me when you are rich?” “Xander this is serious. I told Angel he wasn’t a Champion like I was so far above him. The whole reason I was so angry with him was because he couldn’t acknowledge the fact we were equals. So then I show that by telling him how far below me he is? How could I do something like that?” Buffy didn’t know if she was asking Xander these questions or herself. “Maybe because you are human…” “Not anymore, remember?” Buffy interrupted him bitterly. “And you’ve had a lot to deal with in the past few days. It doesn’t make you a horrible person.” Xander continued as if he didn’t hear her. “At least you didn’t deceive your best friend because you were selfish and childish.” “Xan…” Buffy began. “No, I was wrong Buffy, I know I was wrong. I was always jealous of Angel and when Angelus came, it gave me the perfect excuse to hate him. Not that I didn’t already hate him, but then I had a reason to hate him. I didn’t lie to you because I was worried about you. I lied to you because I wanted you to kill him, for me. I never thought about what that would do to you to have to kill someone you loved. I’m so sorry Buffy, can you forgive me?” “Of course I forgive you, Xander. Spike pointed out to me that if I had known that Willow was going to try the spell again I wouldn’t have fought as hard as I did against Angelus and it would have probably gotten me killed.” “Really?” “Yeah, so in a way you saved my life. Not that I‘m happy about what you did, but it was a long time ago. A lot has happened between us since then.” She gave him a weak smile. “Now I’m wondering what would have happened if I had given Angel half a chance to talk to me instead of just blowing up at him.” Buffy also wondered if she was going to be able to salvage her relationship with Giles this time. The hurt and anger she felt towards Angel was mild compared to her feelings of betrayal about what Giles had said to her. “Well, I’m sure you can go back and fix things.” Xander stood up and so did Buffy. “I will, I just want a little time to rest up first. I’m so beat.” “Willow and Oz are doing that right now.” “What’s up with the two of them?” “Well, I haven’t received confirmation yet, but I believe Oz is staying in her rooms.” “Good for Willow.“ Buffy yawned. “I’m still so tired. Go figure almost dying again wears you out. Where did Faith run off to?” ”I think she’s going through Robin withdrawal.” Buffy wondered to herself where Spike could be. She didn’t think he would be this far behind her. Buffy gave Xander a big hug. “Thank you again for listening to me.” She told him earnestly. ”Thank you for forgiving me.” He told her with a smile. “And Buffy, terrible people don’t worry about whether or not they are terrible.” She smiled at him. “I’m going to make it right.” “I know you will.” Buffy turned to go up to her room wandering again where Spike could be. “Xander, if you see Spike tell him to get his ass up here.” “You got it.” Buffy got two steps farther when the pain came. It came through the bond, from Spike and spread quickly throughout her entire body. It felt like she was on fire from the inside. She screamed and fell on the stairs writhing in pain. She hazily noticed Xander run back up the stairs and start screaming for help, but that faded out as she lost consciousness. Spike had left the library and intended to go to the kitchen to find some food for Buffy. He knew she didn’t have anything at all to eat yesterday and he had promised himself he was going to make her eat more regularly. On his way to the kitchen he felt a strange tugging sensation pulling him off in a different direction from the kitchen. He followed it down a long corridor and up several flights of stairs to a wing that looked unused. All of his senses were on high alert as he wandered down the hall to a door that was opened slightly. A faint glow emanated from the cracked doorway. Spike peered inside, then quickly opened up the door at what he saw. Faith lay on the floor unconscious. There was a ring of candles on the floor, circling some symbols that had been drawn in blood. Spike tried to shake Faith awake, but she wasn’t coming around. He sensed someone behind him, his muscles tensed in defense as he spun around. Robin stood in front of him, shirtless, strange markings covered his chest. “Hello, Spike.” “Well, Robin Wood. Where is your Merry Band of Council Wankers?” “They aren’t here of course, they couldn’t hide their true intentions from the protective barriers of the house for very long.” “I see you’ve managed to do just that.” “Well, I had a little magical help here at the end, I‘ve managed to seal off this wing from their protections spells. The House isn’t even aware these rooms exist anymore.” Spike wondered if it was the house that led him here before Robin could complete the ritual. Robin continued. “Unfortunately, Faith walked in on me just as I was finishing up my ritual and I had to put her out for a while. She’ll be ok, though. Don’t worry you’ll be dust long before I wake her up.” “I don’t think so.” Spike said, with a laugh. “I kicked your ass before and I can do it again.” “Oh, I invite you to try.” Robin laughed right back at him. As he was laughing Spike changed into game face and attacked. He just reached the man and had his hands around his throat when he felt something like an electrical shock go through him. It felt like the chip that once resided in his brain only it ran the entire length of his body. He howled in pain, as he slumped to the floor. He could hear Robin above him laughing even harder. “Yeah, that was another spell I found. It’s a protection spell, any demon that tries to attack me gets a nice little shock. I thought it would be fitting for you, very reminiscent of your chip.” Spike lay on the floor, gasping in pain. Robin stepped over him towards Faith. Spike tried to kick him as he walked past, but as his foot connected, he again doubled in pain. This time the pain didn’t recede as quickly and it was almost a relief when Robin kicked him square in the temple and he lost consciousness. Giles sat in his office wondering how Buffy was going to take the news that he was aware that Isaac Milton was the one behind the attempts on her life. He also wondered how she was going to take the news that he had known there were probably going to be attacks ahead of time. The phone ringing startled him out of his thoughts. It rang several times while he just stared at it. He was filled with dread at what news this was going to bring, but he knew without a doubt it was going to be bad. After it rang for about a minute he picked it up. He didn’t even say hello, just waited. “Hello, Rupert.” Isaac’s voice came over the line. “It seems now the rules have changed.” An hour later, everyone was gathered in the library. Willow sat next to a pale and drawn Buffy. She had been trying to work on some meditation techniques with her so she could overcome Spike’s pain. That way she could be effective in a fight if he was seriously hurt. So far they weren’t having too much luck, as Buffy was too worried to completely concentrate. Dawn hovered near her sister, wanting to help, but unsure of what she could offer her sister besides her support. Fred was at a table her nose buried in a pile of books while the computer linked to Wolfram and Hart searched their library for her. Oz, Gunn and Xander had just returned from gathering up all the students, teachers and anyone else that was on the property. Riley, Sam, Andrew, Lorne and Clem were keeping everyone calm and at the same time getting them ready for the possibility of a battle at any point. For many of the girls this would be their first. Angel, Wesley and Giles were involved in a heavy discussion farther away from the others. They also didn’t seem to be accomplishing much more than arguing. “I’m telling you both that isn’t an option.” Giles snapped loudly. At that Buffy gathered herself together and managed to follow Willow’s instructions. She was able to concentrate enough to at least control the physical pain she was feeling through her bond. “Ok. Tell me what’s happened. Tell me where Spike is.” She stood up and addressed Angel and the Watchers. “We don’t know, Buffy.” Angel spoke first. “Then tell me what we do know or don’t you trust me enough to tell me.” She snapped at them. Willow put her hand on her arm, trying to calm her. “Isaac Milton is the one behind all this, Buffy.” Giles spoke up. “Ethan mentioned that. I found out from ETHAN. He said you knew he was going to do this.” Buffy accused him. “I knew that he thought you were a threat that needed to be dealt with. He was concerned you were going to mate with Spike and he was afraid of the amount of power you would wield then.” “Why didn’t you tell me this?” “I tried, but by the time I got to talk to you, you had already mated with Spike and you left not long after that. I didn’t have a chance to warn you.” Buffy turned and walked away. “I know it was my fault for the way I attacked you. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, its just that there is more…” “I don’t care about any of that right now. I just want to find Spike and get him back. What else is there I need to know right now?” “We believe Robin Wood has kidnapped both Spike and Faith. Also, Kennedy and Rhona never reached Cleveland, we are missing about 20 Slayers here at the school, 7 of our teachers are gone and we’ve lost contact with another 8 and their Slayers outside in the world. Over 50 of our staff and pupils, almost a quarter.” Wesley picked up for Giles, who didn’t know what to say, he was too overcome with regret to speak. “Were they kidnapped as well?” Buffy asked. No one answered her. “Guys?” Her voice was sharp. “No. They left of their own free will. They are going to join Milton’s new Council.” Angel finally spoke. “They were unhappy with some of the things going on here.” There was no way he would tell her that most were upset about her relationship with Spike. Buffy’s eyes were narrowed into slits. She knew what Angel didn’t want to tell her. Willow’s eyes flashed black with anger for a moment before she could control herself. She wanted to kill Kennedy. She hadn’t felt rage a human like this since Warren had killed Tara. “It wasn’t just because of you Buffy. Kennedy is mad at me, she just used you as an excuse to get the other girl’s to leave. Andrew already told us he heard them telling the girls alls sorts of stories about the two of you. Most of them are just confused.” Buffy nodded her head, whether she believed Willow or not was unclear. “Ok. So what does the New Council want?” Buffy’s voice was dangerously low. “They want complete control over this operation and full access to all the girls. Wesley, Fred, Dawn, Andrew and I would be allowed to keep some sort of position here under their constant supervision, of course. They want to study Willow, Angel, and Oz whom they also plan to keep under tight control using magics and probably some form of incarceration.” “That’s insane.” Willow said angrily. “How can they think we would ever agree to that?” “Yeah, they seem to be asking for a lot, what exactly are they offering for this?” Xander asked as well. “They aren’t offering anything. They’ve already won. They have what they wanted, anything else at his point is just a bonus for them really.” “What about me? What about Spike?” Buffy demanded. “They are planning on killing Spike. They have possesion of a manuscript concerning you both, and they know what you are vulnerable against. They also know that your life forces are connected, so when one of you dies, the other will also. They say if we agree to their terms they will spare Faith‘s life, I believe they think she will be too broken to rebel by then. They also said they would kill you quickly. We have two hours to decide and if we attempt anything the offer will be withdrawn.”

Chapter #18 - Plans

Buffy absorbed the former Watcher’s words without reaction. “Willow, can you get on a locator spell?” She asked her friend. “We’ve already tried, Buffy. I tried for both Spike and Faith. It doesn’t go anywhere then it just fades out.” “What if we don’t look for Spike or Faith?” Xander asked. “What if we go after that Milton guy?” “I would need something personal of his, which I don’t think we have.” Willow said. “Regrettably, no. Although, I’d like to have his head right about now.” Giles answered her. “I know.” Dawn said excitedly. “What about a spell to locate Kennedy? You know she’s probably with them.” “That’s a good idea.” Willow enthused, her eyes took on an evil glint. “And I don’t need a personal object of hers. I know what her signature looks like.” “Lets get set up.” Dawn was relieved to finally be doing something besides waiting. Unfortunately, it left Buffy to do just that. While the others got set up to do the locator spell she wandered to the back of the library where the scythe was kept. It seemed like years ago she was in here reading up on vampire mating rituals, instead of only a couple of days. The day before yesterday she had been in her bedroom watching Spike sleep, enjoying the sunlight lit up his pale complexion. When he woke up they lay in bed for hours daydreaming about traveling the world together. Now she didn’t even know if she would get to see him again. She heard as well as felt Angel’s approach, but she didn’t acknowledge him, waiting for him to speak. “We will find him, Buffy.” Angel attempted to comfort her. “He’s in so much pain right now.” She said quietly. Angel could hear the anger in her voice. “I wonder how Robin was able to take him down, he couldn’t beat him in a fair fight.” “I have my best at Wolfram & Hart looking into the entire situation.” Buffy finally turned to face him, offering him a weak smile. “Thank you, Angel.” “It’s the least I can do.” Buffy winced slightly. “Angel, about earlier…” “Forget it.” “I was out of line.” “I understand, Buffy.” She didn’t look convinced. “I figured I had it coming. I’m surprised you didn’t do it sooner.” He sighed and sat down at one of the tables. “I should have realized long ago that you weren’t the same girl I first met. I was just holding on to this fairy tale ideal I had in my head.” “Yeah, me too. I finally realized that you weren’t the person who I had envisioned in my head for so many years.” “At least you came to the conclusion on your own. I had to have it beat into me.” They shared a small smile. Then Buffy looked around and sighed frustrated. “I need to do something. I can’t just wait here, trying to ignore the fact that my Mate is in so much pain.” “Well, Xander already checked Robin’s rooms for any clues. There was nothing there.” “I keep thinking I can smell him, you know?” Buffy was wandering around the room, unable to keep still. “Well he was in this room only a couple of hours ago, his scent is still strong in here.” “Could we track where he went from here?” Buffy asked, fire coming into her eyes. “Probably, but it won’t do us much good with the daylight and he can’t still be in the house.” Buffy froze. “Why can’t he still be somewhere in the manor?” She wondered. Angel just looked at her confused. “How would Robin be able to carry both Spike and Faith out of here? No cars could leave since the gates have been shut since we got back and he couldn’t have carried them through the forest. Its broad daylight, Spike would already have been dust.” Buffy explained “That‘s a pretty risky plan.” “Not really. Of course we‘d assume he‘d leave and head for Milton. With all the empty rooms and wings to hide in it’s the perfect place!” “Let‘s check it out.” Angel wasn‘t sold on the idea, but it was better than waiting. Plus he owed it to Buffy, to follow her lead in this. “Hold on.” Buffy walked over to the case holding the scythe, she removed it from the glass. “Robin is going to pay for this.” Her green eyes seemed to glow with ferocity. Spike slowly regained consciousness by feeling what he thought were thousands of needles being pushed into his skin. He tried to move and stretch, but found himself securely bound. “Well, look who’s up. Have a nice nap?” Robin’s voice reminded him of where he was and how he got there. The electrical tingling in all of his extremities reminded him of the spell Robin had in place in the room. He opened one eye to find Faith still lying in the center of the floor unmoving. He tested the chains Robin had secured him with and found them to be unbreakable. He shook his head to try and clear it from the dull throbbing inside as he pulled himself into a semi-upright position. “So what’s the plan then?” Spike asked. “Between you and me, Slayers don’t like it too much when you knock them out before declaring undying love.” “It seemed to work out well for you.” Robin answered him. “I’m not going to hurt her. She just came looking for me at the worst possible time. I’ve convinced Isaac, though, that she won’t be a threat to his new Council. I’m sure I can persuade her that this was the right thing to do.” Spike laughed at him. “Right. Just because she’s danced to your tune so far, doesn’t mean that kittens declawed, mate.” When Robin didn’t respond Spike continued his taunting. “By the way that was sheer genius on your part. Play on a Slayer’s insecurities and the they tend to be more pliable. Probably hinted she wasn’t any good in bed, right?” Spike shook his head in disgust. “When the truth was you just don’t have the stones to handle a Slayer.” Robin kicked Spike hard in the head, but Spike was still chuckling as he hit the floor again. Robin knelt in front of him, he grabbed his hair and lifted his head so he was looking right into his eyes. “I’m going to kill you. I just have to wait for a phone call, which should be coming in about,” He looked down at his watch. “say, an hour and a half. I would suggest you use this time to pray for forgiveness for everything you’ve done. You‘ll need it.” Robin let him go and stood up he walked across the room and grabbed a long knife. He crossed back over to Spike and held it in front of him menacingly. “Or we could see how much pain you can actually take.” Spike laughed again. “Please, I’ve been tortured by Angelus, Drusilla, the US government, a bleedin’ God, the First evil and any number of other little beasties. What makes you think you can do anything so terrible?” “What about Buffy? Does she have your constitution for pain?” Spike’s eyes glowed yellow at the threat to Buffy. Robin continued unperturbed. “Because through your nifty new bond, she’ll be able to feel every little cut.” “You cowardly, bloody bastard…” Robin stabbed him in the shoulder driving the blade deep inside. “I bet she felt that.” Spike, now in full game face, didn’t say anything. He just kept breathing deeply in an attempt to control his rage so he didn‘t say anything else. “That’s right. Now be quiet and let me prepare.” Robin stood up. “I have to be ready to kill you in a while.” With that he walked away and into an adjoining room, leaving Spike to struggle helplessly against his bonds. In a hotel in Seattle, Isaac Milton was praying. Only he was praying for patience. “I don’t see why you called Mr. Giles, or why you gave them any time to prepare. They are just going to use it to come after us.” Kennedy was telling him. “Because, my dear,” He said tiredly. “I would rather have Rupert Giles and the rest working for me. Even if it is under duress. Then there is the benefits of being able to study this world’s most powerful witch, Angelus and a werewolf who can actually control his changes. Besides there is nothing they can do at this point to change the outcome at all.” “Don’t underestimate Buffy.” Rhona said. “That girl tends to shine under pressure.” “Girls, I have been an Elder on this Council since before you were born, I believe I can take care of Miss Summers and William the Bloody. Its simple really, I’m using their very strengths against them.” Kennedy and Rhona still looked at him doubtfully. “Please go check on the other girls. Make sure none of them are having any second thoughts.” When neither of the girls moved he fixed them with an icy glare. “One of the first things you’ll need to learn is to listen when a Watcher tells you to do something.” He told them coldly. “Fine, we’re going.” Rhona muttered as they turned and walked out. Isaac shook his head in disgust and turned his attention back to the book and the prophecy scrolls in front of him. “Not exactly the cream of the crop are they?” A voice interrupted him. He looked up and gasped. “Quentin?” “Ok, so Kennedy is in Seattle.” Dawn informed the others after Willow completed her locator spell. “And I bet that’s where this Milton guys is too.” “Seattle is a lot farther away than we can go in an hour.” Oz observed. “Yes, quite.” Giles tried not to sound defeated. “What if we can get there instantaneously?” Dawn asked. “Dawnie, I haven’t be able to perfect any transport spells yet. We could end up disintegrating, besides we don’t even know where they are in Seattle.” Willow told her “No, not using a spell. Using a Key.” “Absolutely not.” Giles snapped immediately. “As Willow pointed out we don’t even know WHERE they are in Seattle.” “But what if I don’t concentrate on a ‘where’, but a ‘who’? I could concentrate on finding Kennedy and it would probably take us right to her.” “How do you even know you work like that, Dawnster?” Xander asked her. “Well, why not. Look, its worth a try, isn’t it?” “They don’t even have Spike and Faith. There is no way Robin could have reached Seattle by now.” Giles tried again to dissuade the young girl. “No, but if we take out the head guy, that should kill the plan to kill Buffy and Spike.” Dawn persisted. “I hate to say it Giles, but she may be right.” Willow said thoughtfully. “Willow, I can’t believe you would say such a thing. It could be very dangerous, both for Dawn and Buffy and Spike. Remember what Quentin said if we attempt anything he will kill them all, Faith as well.” “So what we are just going to sit here and wait for him to kill them. I for one am not planning on being a guinea pig for that man.” Willow asserted. “You aren’t considering accepting his offer are you?” “Certainly not!!” Giles was offended that she would even ask. Willow just shrugged. Just then Angel and Buffy came from the back. Buffy stumbled a bit and grabbed her shoulder, wincing in pain. Angel grabbed her. “Are you Ok?” He asked. “We need to find Spike.” She growled, fighting to regain her focus and shut out his pain. “Buffy, I think we have a plan.” Dawn ran up to her sister and quickly explained her idea. “Ok. How much blood would it take for you to open a gate big enough to get everyone through?” Buffy asked her worried. Dawn considered a moment. “Honestly, I think it would only take a drop. The rest will depend on my concentration. I think with Willow’s help to augment my powers it won’t be a problem.” Buffy thought a moment. “Angel and I think Spike and Faith are being held somewhere in the house.” Sounds of shock echoed throughout the room. “It makes sense. The house is really good at keeping anyone who is a danger out. It wouldn’t be so good if the danger was inside.” Willow said thoughtfully. Her eyes got wide. “Plus it would explain the locator spell. It was looking for him here, but couldn’t break through the cloaking.” “That’s what we were thinking.” Buffy nodded. “You guys go after Milton and the other Slayers. Angel and I are going to track Spike.” “You want back up?” Oz offered. “No, you and Xander go with Giles, Dawn and Willow. I know you guys will protect them.” “Always.” Xander said solemnly. Buffy walked over to her sister. “Please be careful.” She told her. Dawn was irked at being singled out as if she were a child. “Chill, we aren’t even sure if this will work.” “Yeah, we could wind up in a different realm altogether.” Willow added. Buffy’s eyes got wide and she looked at Willow. “Really not helping, Will.” “Oops, sorry.” Buffy looked at her friends for a moment, she knew there was a possibility she wouldn‘t get to see them again. “Thank you, guys. I know if it weren’t for me none of this would be happening right now.” She met each of their eyes. “I don’t regret a single thing about my decision, but I probably could have picked a better time and way to do it. I’m sorry that I put us in this position.” Willow smiled at her warmly. “C‘mon Buffy this is what we do. Ok, so this time we aren‘t saving the world, we‘re saving you. But that‘s just as important to me.” She gave her a warm hug. “Tomorrow we’ll go shopping.” “That goes for me too. Except for the shopping part.” Xander agreed joining in on the hug. “What would I do with my time if I wasn’t out trying to get killed.” “Watching too much reality TV, probably.” Oz interjected. “I actually liked that Joe Schmoe show.” Everyone stared at Xander. “What?” “Buffy, time.” Angel got her attention. “Right. Let’s do this.” Buffy and Angel started to leave the library. When Buffy walked past Giles he reached out for her arm. She stopped and looked at each other, neither one spoke. “Buffy…I…” He didn’t know what to say. How could he explain, make her understand. “I love you.” Three words. They were an explanation, a defense, an apology and so much more. She hugged him tightly. “I love you, too.” Things between them were not fixed, but they had established an important common ground. Buffy and Angel left the library as the others prepared to leave for Seattle. Robin came out of the room he had entered a while before, carrying a large axe. “Everyone was so curious about what could actually kill you and Buffy now. Its simple, really.” He fingered axe’s sharp blade. “Decapitation. A stake won’t do it anymore. Sunlight will burn you pretty badly, but it won’t kill you. However, simply cut your head off and not only will the world be rid of you, but also your whore.” Spike started growling and fighting against his bonds. Robin looked at his watch. “Not long now.” “What are you?” Isaac asked the figure standing in front of him. “You’ve been an Elder on this Council for many years now, Isaac, surely you know the answer to that.” Quentin mimicked his earlier words. “What do you want?” Isaac then asked, looking very shaken. “I have a bit of a problem with your plans, although I do give you full points for its devious nature. However, I can’t allow you to kill Miss Summers. I’m sure you understand why.” At that Isaac smiled thinly. “Ah yes, I do understand. Actually that’s why I’m doing it.” “I think that would be a very large mistake on your part.” Quentin morphed into Buffy. “You won’t succeed. I will stop you, because I always win. You can’t defeat me, you know that.” She told him in her sweet voice. “Get out of this office immediately. You don’t frighten me.” Isaac shouted. An evil grin spread over Buffy’s face. “Of course I do. You know I’m going to destroy you.” With that she faded out of his office. Isaac picked up his phone. After several attempts to get his shaking fingers to dial the correct numbers he reached Robin. “Kill him. Kill him right now.” He said into the phone.

Chapter #19 - Confrontations

Buffy and Angel moved cautiously through the manor in silence. Angel concentrated on following Spike’s scent while Buffy tried to move beyond Spike’s pain to try and pinpoint where he was. They passed the kitchen and moved towards the hall where all the administration and clerical offices were located. As they passed Robin’s office Angel stopped and breathed deeply making sure he could still smell Spike. Buffy never paused moving farther down the hall. “Can you smell him?” Angel asked her. “No, but I think I can feel him down this way.” She told him. Angel just stared at her before shrugging. “You’re the Champion now.” He said sulkily. Buffy turned and looked at him. “I said I was sorry.” “I’m just saying…” “Am I going the wrong way? Do you not smell him down here.” She demanded. “No.” He admitted. “His scent goes down this hall.” Buffy sighed in exasperation as she turned and continued down the hallway. They walked a little farther before Buffy spoke again. “How do you know you’re smelling Spike and not just smelling his scent on me?” She asked curiously. Angel looked uncomfortable, but he answered her anyway. “On you your scent is still predominant, there are just traces of Spike in it. This in purely Spike.” Buffy didn’t say anything else, they reached the end of the hall and found a set of stairs leading up. Angel stopped again to see if he could still smell Spike. “Buffy, Faith came this way as well. Her scent isn’t as strong as Spike’s because too much time has gone by, but its definitely her.” “Up we go then.” The started to climb the stairs, Buffy held her Scythe defensively, unsure of what to expect when they found Faith and Spike. “Well, Spike.” Robin said hanging up the cell phone. “It looks like your time ran out sooner than expected.” Spike looked over at Faith. “You can wake up any time now and help a fella out here, luv.” He told the still unconscious girl loudly. “Don’t bother trying to wake her up. As long as she’s safe inside that circle she’ll be out cold.” Robin explained. “I was actually planning on using it to capture Buffy, but then Faith found me first. Luckily you stumbled onto us and the whole plan wasn’t for nothing.” Robin paused. “How did you find us anyway?” He asked Spike. “The question you should be asking is ‘Did I come alone?’.” Robin laughed at him. “Nice try, but if you hadn’t I think they would have sent someone before now.” Robin turned to pick up his axe that he had set down to answer the phone. “You’ll be dead in a few seconds anyway, so its too late now.” “Robin.” The voice didn’t belong to either Spike or Faith. Robin looked up to see his mother standing in the doorway to the back room. “Baby don’t do this.” “You aren’t real.” Robin said harshly to the vision in front of him when he recovered his voice. Spike looked at the doorway Robin was speaking at, but didn’t see anything. “Wonderful, now he’s gone completely round the bend.” In the library Dawn used a safety pin to prick her thumb. She squeezed a drop of blood onto the floor in front of her, then she put her hand over it. She concentrated on Kennedy, remembering everything she could about the brash girl. Willow held Dawn’s free hand and sent her some power as well as her own images and impressions of Kennedy, her eyes glowed a luminescent white. The floor beneath Dawn’s hand dissolved into a green glow that spread out to reveal Kennedy in the center. “Its working.” Xander gasped. The portal grew in size until it could easily fit a large man. Xander went through first. He stepped down onto the portal. He felt like he was going to fall on his face, before his body swung up wildly. When his feet hit solid ground he tried to steady himself against the wave of dizziness he felt. “How did you get here?” Xander heard Rhona’s voice next to him, but before he could turn towards her he felt Oz dive after her. Xander finally got himself reoriented in time to see Kennedy’s fist flying towards his face. The impact knocked Xander back into Giles, who had just come through the portal, and then back onto Rhona and Oz. The group landed in a heap on the floor effectively ending the struggle. The weight of the two men and the werewolf pinned the Slayer to the ground. “Well that’s one way to do it.” Xander muttered. He looked up as first Willow, then Dawn came through the portal. Both stumbled briefly, but overcame their dizziness quickly. Willow quickly took in the mass of limbs and bodies on the floor to her left before focusing on Kennedy, who watched her warily. “You left without even saying goodbye, Kennedy.” She told her ex girlfriend sweetly. “I’m not going back with you. You can’t make me.” Kennedy said, trying not to show her fear. “Believe me, we wouldn’t take you back if you begged.” Dawn answered her. “Just tell us where to find Milton.” Kennedy got a smug look on her face. “He’s not here.” She told them. By now Giles and Xander had gotten up, leaving Oz and his wolf strength to hold Rhona. “Now why don’t I believe that?” Xander asked. “Kennedy, we know he’s here. You will save yourself a great deal of trouble if you just tell us where he is.” Giles told her. “I told you he’s not here.” Kennedy insisted stubbornly. “Enough lies.” Willows eyes flared black as she let her anger flow through her. Kennedy back away from her aware of the danger she was now in. “Now, Will, you don’t want to fall off the wagon with the black mojo, do you?” She entreated her. “You’re about to kill my best friend after betraying everything I believe in. I think I can lose control just this once.” Lightning bolts started to run through her eyes as she charged up to her power to make Kennedy tell her what she wanted to know in the most painful way possible. Giles and Xander looked on in fright and Dawn tugged at Willow’s arm to get her attention. However, Willow’s focus was only on Kennedy, she started muttering under her breath calling on ancient magics as she reached for the terrified girl in front of her. Strong arms grabbed her and turned her around before she could touch Kennedy. “Willow!” Oz’s voice brought made Willow realize what she was about to do. She let go of the power abruptly, sagging when she felt the energy leaving her body. Oz steadied her whispering reassurances in her ear. Kennedy by now had dissolved into tears of fear, Dawn and Giles stepped forward to take advantage of her emotional state. Xander turned his attention to watching over Rhona, who wisely decided to stay where she was on the floor. “He’s in room 507. There aren’t any body guards outside the room, but there are three in his suite.” Kennedy told Giles. “Thank you Kennedy.” Giles turned away. “Xander, you, Dawn and Oz, look for the other Slayers. Tell them we aren’t angry and they are invited to come back at any point.” “Good idea G-man.” Xander said as reached to pull Rhona up from her position on the floor. “You want to show us the way?” At the top of the stairs Angel and Buffy entered a wing, that Buffy didn’t think she had ever been in before. As soon as they crossed into it, however, Spike’s presence flowed into her. ((Spike?)) She called out through the bond. ((Buffy!!)) She almost cried with relief when she felt him answer her. She turned to Angel. “They are down this way.” ((Hurry luv, principal man is unraveling quickly. He wants to remove my head too.)) ((Hold on Angel and I are coming.)) She told him. ((Angel can’t attack him, he has some spell on that protects from demon attacks.)) “Angel, Spike says Robin has some protection against demon attacks so I’ll have to take him down.” Angel nodded at her. “Is Faith Ok?” ((Spike how is Faith doing?)) ((He has her knocked out cold in some enchanted circle. Watch out for it, pet. I think its meant for Slayers.)) By now Angel and Buffy reached the doorway to the room they were being kept in. ((Spike where is Robin now?)) ((In a back room talking to people who aren’t here.)) “Ok, Robin’s in a back room. We go in you grab Faith and I’ll get Spike.” Buffy told Angel. “Got it.” They ran in the room. In the back Robin stood face to face with his mother. “Robin this isn’t the right thing to do. This isn’t what I fought for.” “You can’t be my mother.” “I am, baby. They let me come back to stop you before you do this horrible thing.” “No!!” He yelled shaking his head. “My mother would want the monster who killed her dead.” “But that isn’t the monster that killed me.” She pleaded with him. Robin seemed to be considering her words. His grip on the axe handle loosened then he heard a noise in the outer room. He turned and through the crack in the door he could see Angel dragging Faith out of the circle. “Just a distraction.” He cursed, rushing into the room. Robin swung the axe at Angel who rolled quickly to avoid losing his head. Robin swung again and Angel blocked him with one arm pulling back the other one to hit him. Buffy was struggling with Spike’s chains, finding them too strong to simply break. At Spike’s scream of “NO” she turned to see Angel punch Robin, then start to shake and yell as if he were being electrocuted. He hit the ground with a moan and Buffy could see smoke coming off him. Robin turned his gaze on her. Buffy had set the scythe down when she entered the room to free Spike. Now she was unable to reach it because Robin was in the way. “That was a nice trick. Sending a vision of my mother to distract me while you two sneak in. Sorry it didn’t work.” Robin told her. He and Buffy started circling each other. Buffy tried to stay in between Robin and Spike, while at the same time avoiding the circle on the floor and maneuvering Robin to allow her to reach her scythe. Robin lunged towards her only to stumble over Faith lying prone on the floor, Buffy used that as her opening to attack. She grabbed the scythe and flew at Robin. She didn’t even complete her swing. About a foot away from him she seemed to run into a wall and she felt the electricity race through her. The scythe was wrenched from her hands and went flying behind Robin. She heard Spike’s screams echo her own. She fell to floor and the last thing she heard before unconsciousness took her was Robin’s voice. “Guess she has some demon in her as well.” Robin stood over Buffy looking down at her with the axe in his. Spike struggled weakly against his chains. “This is much better.” Robin said. “Now you can watch while I kill the person who you love most in the world.” Robin raised the axe, ignoring Spike’s yell. The axe fell downwards. Before it could reach Buffy, Robin jerked forward so the blade hit the floor harmlessly. He looked surprised for minute before he fell forward on the floor, landing at Buffy’s feet. Faith stood behind him, the blade from the axe planted in his back. “Enthusiastic enough for you?” She asked the corpse at her feet. Spike closed his eyes and breathed deeply in relief as Faith started to wake Buffy and then Angel. Willow and Giles wasted no time in finding Isaac’s room. Once inside his suite Willow quickly put the guards to sleep using a simple sleep spell, before barging into the office. Isaac looked up apprehensively. “You’re too late. They should already be dead.” He informed them immediately. Giles never faltered, he simply crossed the room and held a sharp knife to Isaac’s throat. “Call it off now.” He ordered in his Ripper voice. “Its too late, I just told you.” “Make the call anyway.” Giles insisted. Angel searched Robin’s body for the keys to the chains that bound Spike while Buffy checked over her Mate. Faith wandered around the room feeling displaced. Not only had Robin tried to kill Buffy and Spike but he had been working for the very people that had tried to kill her. Granted he had apparently told Spike he didn’t want her dead, but that didn’t really make it much better. She looked at his body on the ground. She had killed another human. A ringing from a cell phone interrupted her thoughts. Everyone turned and stared at the phone sitting on a table. “Should I answer it?” She asked. “Yes.” Buffy said. Faith picked up the phone but didn’t offer any greeting. There were a few seconds of silence before a British voice came over the line. “Is it done?” “Sorry, but no. We are all very much alive.” She answered. “Well except for Robin that is.” “Who is this?” The voice demanded. “Faith.” “Faith, is that you?” She heard Giles’ voice coming through clearly now. “Yeah. B and Angel got to us in time.” “I’m glad you are safe Faith.” Faith felt her heart warm to hear the concern he had for her in his voice. “Thanks Giles.” She pause for moment. “I had to kill Robin.” “I’m sorry Faith.” She could hear the weariness in his voice. “I’m assuming there was no other way?” “He was about to kill B. I just grabbed the scythe and swung.” “I see.” Giles knew she was hurting, but didn’t know how he could ease her pain right now. “We’ll talk when we get back. We’ll meet in the library.” “Check. What should we do about Robin’s body?” “We’ll take care of that when we get back.” “Ok.” “Buffy is alright then?” “She doesn’t look so hot right now and she keeps mooning over vampy, but other than that she seems fine.” Faith told him, grinning weakly at Buffy’s glare. “Good.” She could hear the relief in his voice. They said their goodbyes and Giles hung up the phone from talking to Faith. “They are ok.” He told Willow who was still standing ready behind him. “Good. What do we do about him now?” She asked. “Yes what will you do about me?” Isaac asked, he didn’t even seem to realize he still had a knife pressed to his throat. “As much as I’d like to kill you I won’t. I don’t want to force the girls to train from us. If they’d rather you teach them, I won’t stop them.” Giles demeanor changed and once again the Ripper was out and he pushed the knife farther into Isaac’s throat drawing blood. “If you ever try to come after Buffy again, I will kill you. Then it will be personal.” Giles stood back from him, putting away the knife. He looked at Isaac’s desk. “And we’ll be taking any texts or scrolls you have regarding Buffy.” He told the other man. “By all means.” Isaac put together everything on his desk and handed it to Giles, who tried to mask his surprise at his submission. “Although I have to say I think you may be wondering if you’ve done the right thing after you’ve read them.” “I doubt it.” Giles told him as he turned to leave. Willow exited the room ahead of him. Before Giles left Isaac called out to him. “I had a visit from Quentin before you left. He was most adamant about keeping Buffy alive.” Giles paused in the doorway knowing he wasn’t finished. “Of course then he turned into Buffy and threatened me.” Giles didn’t turn around. “I do believe you will live to regret this decision.” Isaac told him as he watched him leave.

Chapter #20 - Fall Out

An hour later a very relieved, but subdued group of Scoobies were gathered in the library. Giles was quietly studying the texts they had received from Isaac, in an attempt to translate them quickly. Willow sat in a chair leaning against Oz, half asleep from the drain of using so much power. Dawn had already fallen asleep, her head lay on the table in front of her. Buffy and Faith were finishing up some food they had thrown together in the kitchen. While Angel, Spike and Xander had just come back from disposing of Robin’s body. Xander noticed, that even relieved everyone seemed on edge. He knew Faith was still reeling because not only was Robin a traitor, but also that she had to kill him. He wanted to say something to her, but had no idea what he could say that would make anything better for her. Xander also noticed with some surprise that Buffy and Spike seemed to be keeping their distance from each other. He had expected them to be all over each other like Willow and Oz, but instead Spike sat on a table far away from the one Buffy was seated at. He wondered if something had happened to cause another problem between the two. “Found anything out yet, guys?” Angel asked Giles. “Its going to take us a couple of hours to translate these documents.” Giles told him, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Then it will probably take another couple of hours to decipher the meaning of them. However, I believe we should be able to get it finished by tomorrow evening.” Giles finished. “Well, it looks like your best translator is out for the night.” Xander pointed at Dawn who was now snoring quite loudly. “Personally, I think that is the best idea for all of us right now.” “What about the runaways?” Spike asked. “Eight of the girls decided to return with us. Surprisingly enough Rhona was one of them.” Xander answered. In her seat, Faith snorted. “I hope she’s under lock and key.” “Willow has her contained in her rooms.” Xander shrugged. “It took the last of her energy.” Oz added, as he stroked Willow’s cheek lightly. “You aren’t just going to take Rhona back, are you Giles?” Buffy asked. “No, however, I didn’t want to leave her with Isaac. She is going to be kept under close observation.” Giles looked up to reply.“ “She’s a traitor.” Faith’s voice was clear and strong. “You can’t just let her back in here.” “And I don’t plan to, Faith. But she does have information that could prove useful to us.” “Froggy.” Dawn’s voice carried across the room. Everyone turned to look at her, but the teenager was still fast asleep. “Yeah, I should take her up to bed.” Buffy said, she stood up and stretched. She wondered briefly about the fairness of being immortal and still having to deal with sore muscles. “I’ll get her Buff.” Xander stopped her. “You look like you could fall asleep right next to her.” Buffy snuck a glance at Spike. Yes she was tired, but more than that she wanted to ravage her vampire to assure herself that he was ok. She knew inside herself that even if he had died today that they wouldn’t have been separated, but just knowing first hand the pain Robin put him through made her feel the need to comfort herself and him. For that reason, she made certain to stay far away from him, she knew if he got too close to her she would wind up jumping him in front of her friends. “You’re right, Xander. Do you mind taking her?” “Nah. She’s still light enough for me to carry her.” “I should get Willow up to bed too.” Oz said, trying to stand up and support Willow at the same time. Willow murmured slightly, but didn’t react when he picked her up in his arms and cradled her to him. Even knowing he was also a werewolf it was surprising for Buffy to see such his slight figure picking up her friend. Buffy smiled at the tender look in Oz’s eyes as he gazed down at Willow. She glanced over at Spike to see him staring at her with a very similar look. She didn’t need the bond to sense his love for her. “Ok.” Faith, jumped up. “We’re done here?“ She didn’t pause for a response. “So we meet back here tomorrow, then we can find out what kind of freak B is now and then decide how big a threat this Milton guy is to us and then interrogate the traitor.” Faith was anxious to be alone and figure out all the conflicting emotions inside of her. The pain she felt inside herself was raw and jagged and she wondered briefly if this was what Buffy felt after having to kill Angelus. She also couldn’t take the looks of love flying between Buffy and Spike and Willow and Oz. Buffy interrupted her maudlin thoughts. “I may not be human anymore, but you will always be a bigger freak than me, Faith. Just look at your clothes.” Buffy was trying to tease a smile out of Faith. She knew, from personal experience, how much Faith was hurting and even though she wanted to ease her pain she knew the only thing she could offer the other Slayer was platitudes. “Excuse me!! At least I don‘t flash all the vamps my underwear every time I do a high kick because my skirts are so short.” Faith answered her back, only a ghost of her usual fight showing. “My skirts aren’t that short!!” Buffy protested loudly. “Yes they are.” Echoed from most of the men in the room. Buffy chose to direct her indignant glare at Spike. A small laugh erupted out of Faith before it choked off. “See, even your vampy knows, B.” With that Faith turned and left the library. Buffy watched Faith walk out the door. “Do you think she’s going to be OK by herself?” Buffy asked quietly. Angel stood up. “I‘m going to make sure she‘s Ok.” He assured Buffy. Buffy smiled her appreciation as he exited the library after Faith. “Are you ready to go upstairs?” Buffy asked Spike the exhaustion plain in her voice. “More than ready, luv.” “Good, because I’m beyond ready too and we learned earlier that you can’t be trusted to find your way upstairs alone.” “It wasn’t my fault. Blame your witchy house.” Everyone looked at him confused. “Well something led me down that wing to find Faith and I don‘t know what else it could have been.” He addressed Buffy. “You told me you felt like it led you to find your rooms upstairs.” “Anything’s possible, but I’m too tired to deal with another mystery right now.” Buffy yawned. “The next time something starts ‘leading’ you somewhere, take the time to let someone know where you are going, ok.” Her voice came out much more irritated than she meant for it to sound. “Ok, kids, time for beddy bye. I hope we’ll all be less cranky in the morning.” Xander carefully picked Dawn up and carried her out of the library. Buffy, Spike and Oz carrying the sleeping Willow headed towards the doors to leave when suddenly they flew open, banging into the walls behind them and Riley stormed in with Sam following behind him. At the loud noise Willow woke up. She looked around blearily trying to figure out what was going on. “What now?” Spike asked tiredly. Riley marched right up to Buffy and stood directly in front of her ignoring Spike completely. “Its true, isn't it?" Buffy looked up at Riley there, glaring at her hatefully. "What's true Riley?" She tried to ask calmly, but the weariness was evident in her voice. Sam was standing behind Riley looking extremely uncomfortable at the situation. "That you married him in some Vampire blood and sex magic ritual and that‘s the reason the school came under attack." "Ok, first of all the school wasn’t under attack, we were.” Buffy gestured to Spike. “Some of the girls have decided that they would rather train under Mr. Milton and his idea of a Council. Although I think when they realize how uptight they are I think they‘ll come back.” She sighed before continuing. “As far as Spike and I go, we are Mated or Married in the most traditional sense of the words." "Well, it looks like I was wrong about nothing being able to diminish who you were. How could you do this?" He yelled at her. She didn't answer him, just continued to watch her face showed her irritation at having to go through this again. "It was bad enough that you let this dead thing..."he sneered those words at her "touch you, but to actually go and marry him. Don't you have any self-respect? What happened to you? You aren‘t the woman I fell in love with." Buffy watched Sam’s face flinch with Riley’s words. Next to her Spike had tensed up and was trying with all his might to tune out the arrogant bastard so he wouldn't have to kill him. Riley looked at Willow in disgust. Oz let Willow down as she faced Riley’s anger. "You were supposed to care about her. You were her friends and family” Riley looked up and glared at Giles still standing a ways off. “and you let her do this?" He slammed his hands down on the table in front of them. "What is wrong with you!?!" “You need to back off her.” Oz said menacingly, coming between Willow and Riley. “Riley, I think you’ll find Buffy is a grown woman. No one ‘lets’ her do anything. She makes her own decisions regardless of what anyone else thinks.” Giles said stiffly. “If you will excuse me.” Giles turned and walked into his office with Wesley following behind him. "Finn." Sam tried to get Riley’s attention. "It really isn't our place..." "You don't understand Sam." Riley interrupted her. "This isn't about jealousy or any of that. This about a sweet girl marrying a demon, a killer, a rapist..." Spike closed his eyes, his hands were balled tightly into fists. He opened his eyes and looked over at Buffy trying to calm himself enough to speak without screaming. He had been beaten, electrified, threatened and tied up today, not to mention the fact that he hadn’t made love to Buffy in over 24 hours and that alone was enough to make him very cranky, without all the other stuff thrown in. He just wanted to get away her upstairs alone, before he lost control and got violent. Buffy was just looking at him expectantly. In the background, Riley was still listing off his past crimes to Sam. Buffy raised her eyebrow at him as if to say 'Well?'. He tilted his head trying to judge if she was serious. She nodded at him. "...murdered Robin's mother because she was a Slayer. He gets off on killing Slayers." Riley was still ranting furiously. "He doesn't love her, he probably just wants to brag that he "had" this Slayer wrapped around his finger, literally and figuratively before killing her." Because he was so busy ranting Riley never saw the punch coming. He flew across the room into one of the racks of books knocking it over. Spike followed his flight and now stood over him, demon out, growling. Giles and Wesley returned quickly to see what the commotion was all about. Sam moved to help Riley, but Buffy grabbed her arm and stopped her. "This is between the two of them Sam." "Buffy, he’s going to kill him." Sam cried, terrified. "No, he won't." Buffy answered more confidently than she felt. She could feel Spike's rage, and his happiness at finally getting to confront Riley. Spike picked Riley up and threw him onto one of the tables. Riley tried to punch him, but it had no more effect than if he were a child. Riley was scared, but even scared he didn't have enough sense to keep his mouth shut. "Go ahead and kill me, you'll just be proving me right, you're nothing more than killer." He sneered at him. "You think you know so much, boy?" Spike asked him. He held him down on the table by his throat. "You probably think this is because you insulted me. You think I've been waiting all this time just so I can avenge my wounded ego and hurt feelings over your opinion. You think I care what you think of me?" He pulled him up into his face, Riley had no choice, but to look at him. "This is for her.” He growled, pointing at Buffy. “I watched you play with those vampire whores, then blame her, for your indiscretions. You made her believe it was her fault, just like Angelus. You added to her fears of inadequacy, when in fact it was you who was lacking. You weren't man enough to keep her. Now, years after you left her, you come back here and insult her again. You think she is some brain dead bimbo who doesn't know up from down because she chose to be with me?" He snarled at him and threw him on the floor. "You don't know the first thing about her or our relationship." Riley made a move to stand up, but Spike quickly kicked him back down. "You would do well to stay there until I've said my peace boy." Spike growled out at him and Riley stayed where he was. "The next time I hear you putting her down in any way, whether it is because of me or because you don't like her shoes, I'll rip your throat out." With that Spike stood back from Riley and looked over at Buffy, human mask returning. Buffy just shook her head at him, smiling as released Sam's arm as she crossed the room to stand over Riley. "Spike has his soul now, any problems you have over his past, too bad. He atoned for them. I don't ever want to hear you bad mouthing my husband again. You left me Riley. You weren't here to see what happened between us or how he changed, even before he chose to go get a soul to be with me. I'm sorry you don't think he's good enough for me, but that is your problem, not ours. As far as me not being the same girl you fell in love with." Buffy closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them and spoke again her voice softened, almost asking him to understand. “Riley, I never was that girl. You never understood I was the Slayer. You could never understand what that meant for me. I’m sorry.” She looked up at Spike and saw him smiling at her. "Is there anyone else who wants to yell at me today for this?“ Buffy asked the silent room angrily. “Good.“ She turned to Spike. “I think its past time we went up to bed." She raised her eyebrow at him, mimicking the look he often gave her. Then she got a very lewd picture in her mind and thought about it loud enough for him to get an idea of where her mind was at. Spike grabbed her hand and started pulling her out of the library. Buffy took one last look back at Riley. Sam was by his side nursing his wounds, with Willow next to her. Buffy felt a moment of worry over Riley's wounds, but then Willow looked up and met her eyes. She could hear Willow’s voice in her head. "It's Ok. I think he is making it out to be worse than it is, Spike didn't hurt him really at all. Just some bruises and stuff." Buffy smiled at her. "Will, why don't you come up to my rooms tomorrow night, that way we can have dinner and talk there...PRIVATELY.” She concluded by looking pointedly at Riley. Spike was pulling at her hand impatiently, he didn‘t want to have to wait any longer to touch her. “Tell Xander and the others." She called behind her as they quickly left the library. Willow’s worried voice called down the hall after them. “You aren’t going to try and cook, are you Buffy?” Buffy and Spike made it up the stairs and into her suite in record time. As soon as the door was closed behind them Buffy was pushed up against the door as Spike dove for her lips. ((I thought we’d never get to be alone.)) She heard his voice inside her. Buffy ran her tongue over his lips and into his mouth. He pulled her tight against him, but it wasn’t close enough he needed to feel her skin next to his. He drew back from her long enough to pull her shirt over her head, then pulled off his own shirt off. With a quick flick of his fingers Buffy felt her bra fall off her shoulders and then down onto the floor. She quickly unhooked her pants and slid those over her hips with her underwear. She stood before him naked and the sight caused him to have trouble working his fingers on his own pants. Finally he just ripped them open and pulled them down pushing her back against the door. Buffy held him tight against her as he kissed and sucked on her neck, his hands were kneading her breasts causing her to grind against the hard length pushing against her stomach. “I was so afraid I wasn’t ever going to feel you like this again.” She whimpered. He stopped what he was doing long enough to look up into her eyes. “Nothing will ever keep us apart.” He swore to her. The intensity in his voice cause a flood of wetness between her legs. “Spike, I need you, now.” She pleaded with him. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him towards her. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up and impaled her on his hard cock. At the feeling of him penetrating her so deeply she moaned out loud in pleasure. The violence and ferocity of their actions briefly reminded Spike of their first time together in the abandoned house. Then he looked up into her eyes and knew this was nothing like that. Instead of the fear and hesitancy he saw in her that night, now he could see her love for him shining back at him. He knew, with certainty, that she needed him just as much as he needed her. After only a few minutes his thrusts got desperate and as soon as he felt her clasp her muscles around him and cry out her release he let himself go, emptying inside her. They leaned against the door both panting for a couple of seconds before Buffy unhooked her legs from his waist and he lowered her until she touched the ground. She looked up at him and kissed him softly. “Bed, now.” She ordered. They made it as far as the dining table in the back, then his hunger took over again and he lay her across the table and lowered his mouth to her dripping sex. “Spike.” She moaned, while trying to ignore the tongue moving inside her and sit up. “We have to eat on this table tomorrow with all my friends.” He looked up at her from his spot between her legs with an evil glint in his eyes. ((This will give you something to think about then.)) He said attacking he clit ferociously until all she could do was lay there and let him pleasure her until she came loudly. When the waves slowly subsided he picked her up gently and carried up the stairs. When they reached her bed, he lay her down across it. Buffy pulled him down on top of her before he could move away. She immediately arched against him, drawing him inside her again. Her legs wrapped around his waist urging him in as deep as he could go. For a long time they stayed just like that, rocking gently against each other, while lightly caressing each other’s faces and kissing hungrily. Whispered words of love and devotion flowed between the two. Buffy started using her internal muscles to squeeze him, trying to pull him even deeper insider her. Shivers of rapture ran through her at every slight movement until she became too much for her to bear. Her nails dug into his back as she fell over the edge bringing him with her. She felt him pour his seed and his essence into her until once again she was no longer just herself, but also a part of him. When they came back to themselves Buffy lay in Spike’s cool embrace, only to find the sleep she had been looking forward to was now evading her. She traced patterns on his chest with her fingers as she stared out the windows. She could hear the quiet music of the crickets outside. “You know if you’re still this tense after all that, then I’m doing something wrong.” Spike told her, only partly kidding. “I was thinking about what happened today and how it all happened because of us.” She said quietly. “Having second thoughts?” He asked her, trying not to sound worried. “Never.” She reassured him. “I’m just wishing we could leave here sooner. I’m tired of my friends having to pay the price for my choices.” “We can leave whenever you want, Buffy. Hell, we can leave tomorrow if that’s what you want.” “I wish,” Her tone was regretful. “but we have to get all this straightened out first.” “And by the time we straighten this mess out another one will come along and we’ll never get to leave.” He argued gently. Buffy didn’t answer him, she was too afraid he was right. “Tell me what its going to be like.” She whispered. “What? Us traveling the world?” She nodded her head. “Do you want the fairy tale version or the more accurate version?” He asked. “What’s the difference?” ”Well, you see pet, in the fairy tale version we will leave here and see all the sights of the world. We’ll never want for money. We will live the high life. I will take you to the theatre, the opera, and all the fancy restaurants in every city we go to. You will be the belle of every ball we go to and we’ll be treated like visiting royalty everywhere we go. In our spare time, we will go out and take out vamps and demons for fun and fame. Nothing too serious, just enough to keep our blood flowing and the urge for a good rough and tumble under control.” “Oooh, I like that. Throw in lots of shopping and elegant clothes and you have a winner.” “Well that goes without saying doesn’t it?” “Ok, so what’s the accurate version then?” “That’s the one where we’ll travel the world and everywhere we go we’ll get wrapped up in another impending apocalypse. We won’t ever have enough money because we use it to help other people. We won’t get to see any theatre or the like because we’ll be too busy saving people and running errands for the Watchers or Peaches. Your friends will pop in whenever they want thanks to the Bit’s new talent and our new friend, Milton, will hunt us down every chance he gets.” “That version isn’t as good, but it still has us traveling the world together and lots of action and adventure so you can’t get bored with me.” “I don’t think I could ever get bored with you.” “Not even if we just settled down in a ranch style house with a white picket fence?” She teased him. “You would get bored with that long before I would, I think. I wouldn‘t mind a white picket fence. Until you used it to try and stake me.” He joked. “You’re probably right.” A loud yawn came out and she could feel herself start to get sleepy. “Although, I think I could bear anything as long as you’re with me.” He squeezed her to him. “Me, too.” Buffy was finally able to relax and let herself fall asleep. She realized that talking to Spike helped ease her concerns. He didn’t have the answers to ease her worries, but just knowing he was there for her made everything seem much more bearable. She fell asleep with a smile on her face fully realizing for the first time, that she didn’t have to deal with everything on her own anymore. Oz had helped Willow up to her rooms after she finished bandaging up a still sulking Riley. Sam had apologized repeatedly to her, but Willow told simply told her that she had nothing to be sorry for. Oz tucked Willow into bed, then sat down next to her stroking her hair lightly. For a long time they lay there in silence just enjoying being together. “I’m going to have to leave soon, Will.” Oz finally broke the comfortable silence. “And I really want you to come with me, at least for a week or two.” Willow didn’t answer him at first, trying to figure out if she would be able to take the time away from the school now that Robin was gone. When she didn’t answer him Oz, continued. “I don’t mean to add pressure to your life, I just thought that we had started something here. Maybe we just were ending something, though.” “No!! I think we may have started something too. I just don’t know if I can leave the school right now. There’s a lot of craziness happening, in case you haven’t noticed.” “I just figured it was a normal day in your life.” Oz admitted. “Not so much in the last year, but then Buffy hasn’t been around too much in the last year.” “Buffy is planning on leaving too, isn’t she?” ”She’s been talking about it. I don’t know if all this is going to make her leave sooner or keep her here longer.” Willow looked up at him. “How soon do you have to leave?” “The day after tomorrow at the latest. Otherwise I could get caught somewhere populated when the full moon came and that wouldn’t be good.” “Definitely not.” Willow agreed. “I need to wait and see what happens tomorrow before I can give you a definite answer.” Willow snuggled next to Oz, her eyes started to droop shut. “No matter what tomorrow brings, though, I want you to know that I do want to go with you. More than anything.” She whispered to him before falling asleep. Faith sat in the parlor by herself. Some low music played in the background and she had a bottle of whiskey in her hand. “Are you here for a reason or did you just want to stare at me from the shadows?” She asked the seemingly empty room. “I was worried about you.” Angel told her stepping into the light. He crossed the room and sat down next to her. “I’m not really in the mood for company right now Angel, so if you can just get on with the pep talk or lecture or whatever, and leave me alone, I’d appreciate it.” “I’m not here to give you a pep talk or a lecture.” Faith looked at him surprised. “I’m here to see if there is anything I can do to help you. I thought you might need a friend to listen, right now.” Faith laughed bitterly. “First I would probably have to know how I felt to be able to talk about it. Its like every five minutes I have a different emotion about the whole thing.” Faith stood up and began to pace. “One minute I’m mad at Robin, the next I’m mad at Buffy and Spike, then I’m upset with myself for what I had to do, next I’m mad at myself for believing in him, for believing someone like him could actually care about me.” Faith dissolved into angry tears. Not wanting Angel to see her crying she walked over to the bar. She put her bottle down and spoke softly. “I’m not like Buffy, I‘m not good with all these emotions.” Angel stood up, walked over to her and turned her to face him. “Buffy really isn’t too good with emotions, either.“ He told her soothingly Faith snorted and angrily wiped at the tears streaking her face. Angel reached out and wrapped his arms around her. Faith’s control broke and she broke into sobs on his shoulder. Giles sat alone in his office, an almost empty bottle of scotch and a half full glass sat next to him. A cigarette, from a pack he would never admit to having, burned in a an ashtray on the other side of him. He read and reread the translations he had before him. He sat back in his chair and grabbed the glass. As he swallowed down the liquid he remembered his conversation with the Eye of Beljoxa. “If the First has been around for all time why hasn’t it attempted something like this before? Why now?” “The opportunity has only recently presented itself.” ”Opportunity?” “The mystical forces surrounding the Chosen One have become irrevocably altered, become unstable, vulnerable.” “Something the First did?” “The First Evil did not cause the disruption, only seized upon it to extinguish the lives of the Chosen forever.” “Then what has caused the disruption? What is responsible for letting this happen?” “The Slayer.” Giles poured himself another glass of scotch. He raised the cigarette to his lips and stared at the wall in front of him.

Chapter #21 - Dinner

The next day Dawn, Clem and Willow were knocking on Buffy’s door by early afternoon. After about 20 minutes of knocking a slightly grumpy Spike answered the door wearing only a pair of jeans. “This better not be another apocalypse.” He growled when he saw the two girls. “Nope.” Willow assured him. “We’re here to head off any disasters.” She walked past him into the apartment. Spike’s eyes narrowed. ”Yeah, we’re here to help Buffy with the cooking tonight.” Dawn explained further. Spike looked at Clem suspiciously. “Since when can you cook, Mate?” “Clem’s job is to get you out of the apartment and keep you busy for the afternoon. We knew Buffy wouldn’t dish the good dirt with you hovering around.” Willow giggled at Spike’s offended look. “Oz will probably join you two after he gets done packing.” She added. Dawn stood at the bottom of the stairs yelling up at her sister. “Buffy, get your butt out of bed and get decent I’m coming up.” Spike and Willow looked over at Dawn as she climbed up the stairs prepared to drag her sister out of bed. Spike looked back at Willow. “Wolfy’s packing? Is he going someplace?” He asked her. “Yeah, its almost time for the full moon, he wants to go back up to Canada.” “Where in Canada does his pack run?” Willow looked surprised that Spike knew so much about werewolves. “Above Banff, somewhere.” Spike looked at Clem. “Probably Silver’s pack, they run the show in Pocahontas, near Hinton.” “Sounds like them.” Clem answered. “They run from Pocahontas to Cline River, don’t they?” “Silver?” Willow asked. “He ran the pack when I was last there, but I haven’t been there in over 50 years.” Clem told her. “Remember the silver bullet he wore around his neck?” He asked Spike. Spike snorted and laughed. “Said it made him immortal.” Clem joined him in laughing. Willow looked from one demon to the other. “Good you guys will have plenty to talk about. One less thing we’ll have to worry about.” With that Willow went to inspect the items in Buffy’s kitchen to see what ingredients and cooking utensils they would need to ‘borrow’ from the large kitchen downstairs. “I guess I should congratulate you.” Clem told Spike after Willow had walked away. “How are things going with you and Buffy?” Spike couldn’t control the smile that came to his face. “Wow.” Clem said before Spike could answer. “Married life must be agreeing with you, I’ve never seen you smile like that before.” “It’s better than I ever dreamt it could be.” Spike told him then realizing what a ponce he sounded like he quickly affected his Big Bad persona. “So what the plan for the afternoon? Cards? Drinks?” Spike asked him. “Willow says we’re not allowed to do any of that. We also can’t get into any fights, we can’t aggravate Giles or Angel, and we can’t torment Andrew or Xander.” Clem told him ruefully. “What the hell else is there to do around here then?” Clem thought for a moment. “You could help me start my lesson plan for next fall.” He suggested hopefully. “Right.” Spike grimaced. “I’ll go get a shirt, you keep thinking of things we can do.” Spike made his way to the stairs as a sleepy Buffy made her way down. “We’ve been invaded.” She whined putting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. ”Noticed that, did ya?” “Dawn jumping on the bed yelling ‘Get up’ was kind of a hint.” “Break it up you two, we have a lot to do this afternoon.” Dawn interrupted them, walking down the stairs. Buffy just buried her head farther in Spike’s shoulder. ((Ok here’s the plan, I’ll distract them, you run upstairs and grab some clothes. We can be hours away before they notice.)) Buffy sent to him. “You know they’d only track us down.” He told her sympathetically, out loud. “At least you get to stay here. I’m being sent away to help write up lesson plans so you birds can gossip.” Buffy’s head came up at that. “I do need to find out what the deal is with Willow and Oz.” Spike rolled his eyes. Women were so predictable. “Just make sure you say nice things about yours truly.” Buffy smiled impishly. “I’ll say nothing but the truth.” She walked away giggling. Spike grabbed her again and kissed her. When he felt her start to melt in his arms he pulled back. “I wouldn’t do that, don’t want to make Red jealous.” Spike released her and started up the stairs to get his shirt. “Oh and Buffy,” He yelled back down to her. “Don’t forget to wipe down the table.” Buffy turned bright red and walked into the kitchen after her sister. Clem looked at her curiously. Buffy, Willow and Dawn were in the kitchen after finally retrieving all the items they needed for their dinner that night. The girls had decided to make a baked chicken dish with rice and green beans. Buffy insisted on chocolate cake for desert. Buffy had offered to make the sauce for the chicken, but instead Willow suggested she put water in the pot to boil for the rice. Then Buffy tried to help Dawn with the cake, but all Dawn would let her do was grease the cake pan. Finally realizing she wasn’t going to be allowed to do anything Buffy plopped herself down in a chair near the entrance to the kitchen. “So Will, what’s the deal with Oz?” She asked her friend. Willow froze in her marinating of the chicken. “What makes you think anything is up?” She asked Buffy as she turned to face the stove. Dawn and Buffy exchanged disbelieving looks. “Maybe because I have eyes.” Buffy answered. “Ok. Things are good. Real good.” Willow’s cheeks took on a slight blush. “Although I still feel a little guilty about Tara. I know Oz is ready for something serious, but I don’t know if I can make a commitment like that.” Buffy watched Willow for moment, before deciding now was the best time to tell her about the conversation she had with Tara. “Will, there’s something you need to know.” “What is it, Buffy?” Willow turned to face her at the seriousness of her tone. “When Spike and I were mated we saw Tara.” “WHAT!!!” Willow gasped. “Anya, Tara, and Halfrek were sent to give us some kind of blessing and explain the whole ‘Buffy’s not human’ concept.” “Why was Halfrek there?” Dawn asked. Just thinking about the former vengeance demon brought back too many bad memories for her. “Believe it or not, she was the reason Spike became a vampire.” “How is that possible?” Dawn asked. “He had the hots for her when he was still human. I guess she was human then too, but you wouldn’t know it from the way she shot him down. He was so upset at the way she treated him, he followed Dru off into an alley.” “Wow. That’s so weird.” Dawn said. “Buffy, what about Tara?” Willow was impatient to hear about her love. “She looked really good. I guess she is a messenger for the Higher Powers now. She gave me a message for you.” Willow looked at Buffy expectantly. “She said to tell you that she knew how much you loved her and that now you have to follow your heart and not worry about her. She said that you will be together again though.” Willow had tears in her eyes as she stared at Buffy. “Thank you.” She whispered. “I didn’t do anything I’m just the messenger.” Willow turned her attention back to the marinade. For a while no one spoke, everyone was lost in their own thoughts and memories of Tara. “Hey Buffy, why did Spike tell you to wipe down the table? I didn’t think you ever used that table.” Dawn spoke up suddenly. Buffy’s face turned a bright shade of red, but she refused to answer her sister. Spike had spent several hours with Clem and Oz helping Clem with his lesson plans. It wasn’t nearly as tedious as Spike expected. He actually had fun reminiscing with Clem about some of their more outrageous encounters with various types of demons. After a good amount of time had passed, Clem had to leave, turned out he had a date with some girl he met online. Spike wasn’t sure how that was going to work out once she saw him, but Clem assured him she knew about his skin problems. As Spike wandered the house, he wondered if it was safe to return upstairs yet, he felt Buffy coming towards him. He stopped where he was and leaned against the wall just waiting for her to come to him. She rounded a corner a few seconds later, smiling when she saw him standing there. “I knew I was close.” She told him. “Is it safe for me to come back yet?” He asked her. “Yep, now we have to get ready for dinner tonight.” “What do you mean get ready? Don’t tell me I have to dress up for this.” “Do you even have any different clothes with you? Besides the sexy clothes you wore to the party?” Buffy asked him. “Actually, no. Guess I’m as ready as I’ll get.” Buffy sighed. “Fine, then you can come help me get ready. I think I may need help washing my back.” Her voice held all sorts of promises. They had just reached the main stairs when Angel appeared at the first floor landing. He noticed them and waited until they climbed up to meet him. “I was just on the way up to talk to you both.” He told them. “What’s up?” Buffy chirped. “I’d prefer we did this somewhere privately.” He told them. “Well your rooms are closest, let’s go there.” Buffy suggested. They followed Angel down the hall to his small room. Since Angel didn’t spend that much time at the school he had declined Giles offer to give him a suite, instead taking a small room on the first floor. His room was very simple, with a bed and a large desk in the corner. There was a small bath off the room that was actually shared with the room next door, which belonged to Lorne. Buffy and Spike sat down on Angel’s bed, while he sat down at the desk. Spike draped his arm over Buffy’s shoulder. “So what’s up, Peaches?” Angel glared at Spike and addressed his answer to Buffy. “It’s about what you asked me for yesterday, Buffy.” Buffy turned red with shame. “Angel you don’t have to do any of that. It was just the anger talking, really.” “That’s good, because I don’t have 5 million dollars lying around.” Buffy grinned sheepishly. “However, I want to hire you both.” “Huh?” Buffy asked him. She looked at Spike confused, but he just shrugged. “Look, one of the reasons I took the position at Wolfram and Hart was to keep an eye on the other side. I keep getting information that the forces of darkness are building up for something, it’s going on all over the world. I was thinking you two could check things out while you’re out sightseeing. I would pay you through Angel Investigations. We’ll cover your expenses and then enough to make it worth your while to report back to us.” “But wouldn’t we be working for Wolfram and Hart?” Buffy asked. She really wasn’t comfortable taking money from them. “No, like I said, this is purely through Angel Investigations.” “What happens if you go all evil on us? Then we’ll be supplying the enemy with valuable information if we want to have money to eat.” Spike questioned Angel suspiciously. “I’ve set it up so you won’t have to answer to me, but Wesley and Fred. They will take care of deciding what to do with the information you gather and making sure you get paid.” Spike nodded. He and Fred had become good friends during his stay with Angel and he knew enough about the former Watcher to know that he was a decent fellow. He was one of those people who would risk anything for what he believed in or the people he cared about, something Spike understood all to well. “Sounds all right to me, but it all depends on how much you are willing to pay us.” Spike told him. “How much do you think you’re worth, Spike?” “Oh you couldn’t afford me Peaches.” Angel rolled his eyes, while Buffy grinned at Spike’s egotism. “We want Buffy to see the world and you can’t do that staying in flea bag hotels and looking like a wandering hippie.” Spike answered him. “But looking like Billy Idol is Ok?” Buffy had to interrupt Spike. ((I’m trying to make sure Peaches doesn’t short change us, luv. Let me do this.)) Buffy shook her head no, before turning and addressing Angel. “I’m sure you’ll be fair Angel, we trust you.” “No we don’t.” Spike insisted. Buffy and Angel both ignored the now sulking vampire. “That’s not all.” Angel told them. He took a black jewelry box from behind him and handed it to Spike. “Aw, you shouldn’t have.” “What’s that?” Buffy inquired. Spike opened the box and they looked inside. It was a small gold medallion about an inch in diameter. On the front was a picture of the sun over a pyramid. Hieroglyphics were engraved on the back. “I told you that I didn’t have the Ring of Amara anymore, Buffy. Instead, I had my people track down anything else that may similar to that. This was crafted in Egypt about 1200 years ago. It protects the wearer from the effects of the sun.” “So I can go outside with this on?” Spike asked him. “I haven’t tried it out myself, but that’s what it is supposed to do.” Spike stared at Angel for a moment. He wanted to believe that Angel was trying to help them, but his memories of Angelus and the incidents with Angel from a few days ago left him suspicious. “The last time I wore a bangle you provided I wound up flambé.” Spike said slowly. “I know. I would offer to try it on myself first, but I doubt even that would make you trust me.” “True.” Spike stared at the necklace for a little longer, before deciding that Angel did seem to be trying the least he could do was meet him half way. “Thanks Grandpa. You may just turn out to be Ok after all.” “Spike, don’t ever call me that again.” Spike gave Angel an impish look. “Oh what are you going to do Grandpa?” Spike crossed the room and stood in front of Angel taunting him. “The only condition to all of this,” Angel told Buffy, seriously. “Is you have to keep Spike as far away from me as possible.” Buffy laughed. “I don’t think that will be a problem.” “What’s the matter Grandpa? Can’t handle dealing with your family?” Deciding enough was enough, the older vampire went to grab Spike’s arm and remind him how the hierarchy of their family worked. He was shocked when Spike easily evaded him and moving faster than Angel could comprehend, Spike grabbed him by the throat and held him menacingly. “See, that’s something you didn’t consider, eh Peaches? Slayer blood tends to increase one’s strength.” Spike tightened his hold on Angel’s throat before releasing him. “I just wanted you to make sure you were aware of how things stand now. So the next time your inner demon comes out to play, he better make damn sure to stay the hell away from Buffy.” Spike bent down and spoke directly into Angel’s ear. “Because if he so much as comes near her or threatens her or her friends again I’ll show him how well I did pay attention to his little lessons in discipline.” Angel met Spike’s eyes. He could feel the increased strength and power flowing through the younger vampire. He knew Spike could easily overpower him now. As much as he disliked Spike he had to admire his protectiveness of Buffy and he had good cause to be concerned given the fact that if Angelus ever did get free again the knowledge that his grandchilde was mated to Buffy would definitely cause him to hunt the two down. “If you two are done with the Vamp testosterone thing, we need to get going Spike.” Buffy interrupted the two. They turned to see her standing there watching them both. “I think we’ve come to an understanding, luv.” He walked over to her, rested one hand on her hip and kissed her tenderly. Angel watched Spike’s transition from cold and dangerous to warm and tender. Even knowing Spike as long as he did, Angel was still amazed at the dichotomy within him. It was even more amazing to know that he possessed this wide ranged of emotions even before he had the soul. “Angel, you are coming tonight right.” Buffy interrupted his musings when Spike released her lips. “Yeah, I’ll be there.” Buffy and Spike made their way to the door. “Good. So we’ll see you later.” Buffy turned unexpectedly and grasped Angel’s hands. “Thank you, Angel, for everything and I’m sorry for the other day.” “Yeah, Peaches. I don’t like to admit it, but I really appreciate this.” Spike added holding up the box containing the medallion. “You’re welcome, both of you.” Angel closed the door behind them. With that the couple left Angel alone, for a moment he brooded over the closeness the two shared, but that didn’t last long. Instead he found his thoughts drifting to another Slayer, only this one had brown hair instead of blonde. Later that evening Willow, Oz, Xander, Dawn, Giles, Angel, Faith, Spike & Buffy gathered in Buffy’s rooms for dinner. Willow and Dawn were busy in the kitchen finishing up the final preparations. Faith and Buffy stood right outside the kitchen ready to help if they were needed. “Is everything Ok?” Buffy asked her hesitantly. Faith seemed a little more subdued than normal, this evening. “Well things aren’t great, but I’ll be ok.” Faith shrugged, then gave her a cocky grin, although it came out a little weak. “Worried about me, B?” Buffy rolled her eyes. “No more than usual.” She said dryly. Faith actually laughed out loud at that. “Thanks.” Faith said quietly. Even after all this time Faith still wasn’t comfortable with accepting the concern of others. Yet at the same time, she felt a warmth inside every time it happened. The girls were silent for a minute as they watched the men sitting down in the living room. “It seems the boys are all playing nice for once.” Buffy commented. “Yeah, but Giles seems a bit distracted.” Giles seemed to have aged greatly in the past few days. He looked haggard and tired. “Think its because of me?” Buffy asked Faith. Faith just snorted. “Shit, yeah.” Buffy looked at her wide-eyed. “Think about it B, its like his daughter just ran off and eloped with an ex-con.” “Not good.” “Nope.” “So should I go talk to him?” “Nah, I’d leave it for now. I’ll go distract him from his thinking.” Faith walked over to Giles, while Buffy entered into the kitchen to see if dinner was ready. “Dinner’s ready.” Dawn yelled a few minutes later walking into the dining room carrying a pan with some pot holders. Everyone was seated as the girls carried the food to the table. “Wow. Not only do I get to eat this time, but I’m not tied to a chair.” Spike commented as he sat down next to Buffy. “That could be a mistake.” Angel muttered. “Wasn’t that the Thanksgiving Angel was skulking outside in the bushes?” Xander asked innocently. “Yes.” Buffy was the one who answered. “And you had syphilis.” She gave him a bright smile. “I think I missed that one.” Oz said. “That was right after you left me.” Willow told him. “I don’t think any of us can win here, guys.” Xander said. “I’d say that was a good assumption.” Faith told him. “Well, I must say everything looks wonderful, Buffy.” Giles told her. “Thanks, I had nothing to do with any of it.” Giles looked confused. “Willow and I actually did the cooking to help out.” Dawn explained. Everyone helped themselves to servings of the dishes. “So Giles, what are we going to do about getting a new principal for the school?” Faith asked him. “Well, I’m probably going to have to start taking resumes, but then its always a concern what the general public can handle.” “We don’t need to hire anyone from outside. We have the perfect person already here.” Dawn interrupted. “You mean Wilson in the Language department. I thought about that, Dawn, but he is a bit old to be handling teenage girls.” “No, not Wilson. Xander.” Xander, who had just taken a bite of chicken, started to choke and cough. Spike started pounding on Xander’s chest. “Easy whelp, you’re supposed to chew before trying to swallow.” “It actually makes sense.” Willow said thoughtfully. “Yeah, he would be the perfect.” Buffy enthused. “ME?!? The guy in charge? Are you guys nuts? I’m just the handy man.” “Please, you are not just the handy man.” Dawn insisted to him. “You watched Buffy deal with being a Slayer and have always been one of her main sources of support.” “She’s right Xan.” Buffy told him before he could argue with her sister. “Plus, with all the trouble we used to get into and all the stunts we pulled you know better than anyone what to look for when the girls are up to something.” “And you usually know just the right thing to say to get through to people.” Willow added. “I would have ended the world if it wasn’t for you.” “Plus you’re dumb enough to try and reach to people even when they really don’t seem to want it. Like me.” Faith told him. “Yeah, and you almost killed me.” “Consider it an occupational hazard.” She answered back. “Giles help me out here. You know this is a bad idea, right?” “Actually Xander, they make very good points.” “You want to give me all the responsibility? You want to make me responsible for their well being here?” “Think of it this way mate; that means you are also responsible for their discipline. You can take ‘em over you knee if you have to. Give ‘em a good spanking.” Spike threw in. Seven heads swiveled to stare at him incredulously. Faith chuckled. Buffy opened her mouth to reproach him, but Willow stopped her. “Let me handle this one.” Willow levitated a wooden spoon off the table and used to hit Spike on the back of his head. “Ouch!!” He yelled. “I was only kidding.” The dinner finished without any more incidents. Xander had finally agreed to take the position of principal, but he insisted that they were making a mistake. After the dishes had been cleared, everyone gathered in the living room again. Buffy began the conversation by explaining, without the graphic details, exactly how she and Spike became Mated. Everyone but Willow and Dawn were shocked and fascinated to hear about Anya, Tara and Halfrek. Giles had numerous questions about their positions with the Higher Powers, which Buffy and Spike tried to answer. Unfortunately they didn’t really have all the answers there. Buffy also tried to explain the powers they seemed to have now, but she found words escaped her when she tried to describe how she and Spike seemed to join together. Finally frustrated she turned to Giles. “Is there anything in the stuff you translated that explains this better than me?” “There wasn’t anything specific about your powers. They did confirm Robin’s notion that beheading would kill you. Also your lives are now tied together so when one of you dies the other will also perish.” Buffy nodded her head. She didn’t remember if Tara had told them that, but it seemed obvious to her. “It also describes the Reality Storm that took place the night you were Mated.” “What’s a Reality Storm?” Buffy asked. “Well one theory suggests that a Reality Storm occurs when an event happens that will affect multiple realities instead of just one or two.” “Huh?” Buffy looked at the others to see if they understood any better than she did. “What the Watcher is saying, pet, is the effects of what we did was felt across all the realms, dimensions, realities, and everything else.” “Wow, we’re special.” “That isn’t necessarily a good thing.” Giles snapped at the couple. Willow sensed that Giles knew something he wasn’t telling them. “Giles were there any prophecies about the two of them in those texts.” “Actually, there were two opposing prophecies there, Willow.” “What does that mean?” Xander asked him. “One prophecy claims that you both will be a powerful tool for the Powers. You will live honorable lives together and help save the world several times before eventually moving on to the Land of Dreams.” “Oooh, Land of Dreams sounds good doesn’t it Buffy?” Dawn asked her sister. “The other prophecy says that Buffy will be corrupted and become an instrument of a Powerful Evil. Spike will try to stop her, but will join her instead and the two of them will wipe out the Slayer line completely. Eventually they will lead the world into complete darkness. Their cruelty will know no bounds.” There was dead silence in the room. “So somewhere there is some kind of Darth Vadar waiting to lure Buffy to the dark side?” Xander broke the silence. “Can I be Han Solo?” “If anyone is going to be Han Solo I think it would be me.” Spike told him. “Dammit, this is serious.” Giles snapped. “Really. I don’t think so.” Spike snapped right back at him. “Your telling us one prophecy says we’ll be saints and have some big reward and another says we are the ultimate evil and turn the world into hell. How prophetic.” Spike rolled his eyes. “I prophesize that we won’t be the devils you are expecting and we sure as hell won’t be saints either. We’re going to live our lives doing the best we can to fight for good.” “Ok, Spike the Prophet doesn’t work for me personally.” Xander felt the need to interject. “But he does have a good point. There is a lot of room between those prophecies, it seems more likely that the reality will be somewhere in between.” “Giles, is there any reason you think Buffy vulnerable to an Evil force?” Willow asked him gently. Giles took off his glasses and stood up. “Well…” “Chocolate Cake!!!” Buffy suddenly stood up and yelled. “Excuse me?” Giles asked her. “We haven’t had desert yet. We have chocolate cake for desert.” ”Buffy this is a very serious matter.” “I know that’s why I think it would go better with chocolate cake.” “Chocolate can make anything better.” Faith agreed. “Well, chocolate or sex.” Only Spike noticed the considering look on Angel’s face as she said that. “Dawn help me with the cake and ice cream.” Buffy told her sister. “Buffy, I didn’t bring up any ice cream.” Dawn told her. “How can we have cake without ice cream?” “Please by all means, load up on sugar.” Giles muttered. “You should know by now my brain is powered on sugar G man.” Xander told him. “Will, would you help Dawn with the cake? I’ll go get the ice cream.” “Sure Buffy.” Willow went to help Dawn in the kitchen, while Buffy ran downstairs for the ice cream. “Do you really think Buffy could be turned into an instrument of evil?” Oz spoke for the first time. “Buffy was already part demon, due to being a Slayer, now she also shares Spike’s demonic nature as well, both are inherently evil. When you add to that the fact that she is no longer a human I believe it makes her vulnerable to corruption.” Spike snorted. “Bollocks. She’s the same person she always was, she’s just learning the world isn’t so simple.” “Buffy never would have condoned the murders of Ethan and Amy before.” “Or Robin.” Faith’s voice was hurt. “What does that say about me that I killed him?” “Faith, I wasn’t talking about you.” Giles voice was impatient, he was going to have a hard enough time explaining about the First without also having to fight them all. “No, its ok that I killed someone because I’m not as good as your precious Buffy.” “That’s not what he said, Faith.” Angel tried to soothe the hurt girl. “There’s something you aren’t telling us.” Spike said slowly, he looked at Giles suspiciously. Giles looked down unable to meet the accusation in his face. Spike stood up to walk over to him, when he suddenly grabbed his head in his hands and started yelling in pain and collapsed. After less than a minute the yelling stopped. Spike’s face changed and his now yellow eyes popped open. He moved with the speed of lightning. “You bastard.” He yelled as he launched himself off the floor straight for Angel. “I’ll kill you.” Buffy dug in the back of the freezer for the mint choc chip she knew there. Finally locating it, she pulled it out and shut the door. That’s when she noticed him. “Angel!!!” She jumped when she saw him standing there. She briefly wondered why she didn’t sense him. “God you scared me. I thought you were still upstairs with the others.” Angel gave her a toothy grin. “Ah Buff, why would I want to be upstairs with them when I can have you all to myself down here?” When he called her ‘Buff’ her senses went on alert and by the time he finished his sentence she was backing away from him. “Angelus.” She hissed. “Have you missed me lover? I’ve missed you.” Upstairs Faith tried to separated Spike and Angel, but Spike threw her off of him easily. When he had Angel pinned to the ground he growled at the other vampire. “I told you what would happen if you couldn’t keep control of your soul.” “Spike, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Angel told him. “I SAW you. That was a vision. I saw you in game face, lunging at her.” “Did you see anything else?” Giles asked anxiously. “No I saw Angelus lunging for Buffy and then I saw a container of ice cream falling to the floor.” Realizing what he just said Spike jumped up and ran to the door. Everyone else followed as quickly as they could. “How did this happen?” Buffy asked, trying to distract him as she scanned the kitchen for a weapon. “You don’t seem happy to see me, my love? Don’t tell me you actually think Spike is vamp enough to keep you happy?” Buffy spotted a wooden spoon on the counter across from her. She dove for it quickly. She was slightly surprised he didn’t even move to try and stop her. With her weapon in hand and the ice cream still in the other she faced him. “Do you feel better now?” Angelus taunted her. “Go ahead take your best shot.” He held his arms out indicating for her to take her best shot. Buffy only hesitated a moment before plunging the handle of the wooden spoon into his chest, but nothing happened. Buffy stared in shock. “I know, it does take you by surprise.” Angelus grinned at her. “Check this out.” He changed into game face and dove right for her neck before Buffy had time to move. The ice cream in Buffy’s hand fell to the ground as she tried to evade him. However, instead of connecting with her Angelus went right through her. Buffy spun around to face Angelus, but instead she came face to face with herself. The other version of Buffy giggled. “You never answered my question.” She transformed into Glory. “Did you miss me?” Buffy stared in shock as she watched her own features morph into that of Glory’s. The final pieces clicked in Buffy’s mind as she realized what was going on. “Hello. Earth to Slayer. I’m talking to you.” Glory’s irritated voice cut through her paralyzing shock. “The First.” Buffy whispered. “Hey, there you go.” Glory smiled at her. “But we defeated you.” Glory laughed a tinkling noise that was filled with a mocking cruelty, then she morphed again, this time into Quentin Travers. “Really Miss Summers, I would have thought you were taught better than that. The First Evil cannot be defeated. It is as much a part of this world as the earth or sky.” “What do you want this time?” Buffy growled out. Her voice was filled with hate. The First morphed back into Buffy. “Maybe I just want a little recognition. Surely you can understand that. I mean I am the one that saved you and your vamp toy yesterday.” The First morphed again, this time into Nikki, Robin’s mother. “Robin baby, you don’t want to do this.” She laughed as she changed back into Buffy. “I bought you the time you needed to get to Spike and free him. Without me you both would be dead by now.” Inside herself, Buffy could feel Spike approaching quickly. The First continued on seeing Buffy had no response. “So I was thinking that maybe you want to consider a little payback. Maybe doing a few odd jobs for me. Help out an ally.” “You aren’t my ally and I’d never do anything to help you.” “Didn’t anyone tell you to never say never.” The First in Buffy skin smiled at her then she looked up sharply. “Oooo, guess who’s on his way.” It morphed again, this time into a Spike. Just then Spike barged into the kitchen. “Buffy!” His voice came as he entered the room. He skidded to a stop at the sight of himself standing before Buffy. He could feel the fear, anger and tension drawing her muscles taut and ready. “What the hell?” He asked. “’Lo Mate. Long time no see.” Spike looked to Buffy for an explanation, but she never took her eyes from the Spike in front of her who then began to sing. “Early one morning…” “You.” Spike knew what he was dealing with. “Didn’t we kick your ass back into oblivion last year?” “You people think a lot of yourselves. That any of you have the power to get rid of me is really very funny.” There was a pounding of footsteps as the others ran into the kitchen with Angel leading the pack. “Well, well, well. The gang’s all here aren’t they?” The First observed. Everyone stared at the apparition of Spike before them which then morphed back into Quentin Travers. “Tell me that isn’t what I think it is.” Xander said aloud. “The First Evil.” Giles said quietly. “I asked that you not tell me that.” Xander muttered. “But how is that possible didn’t we defeat it last year?” Willow asked. “The First Evil cannot be defeated.” Giles muttered. “Aren’t you going to tell them the rest Rupert?” The First in Quentin’s skin inquired. “Don’t you want to tell them how I came to be so powerful and what’s keeping me here?” Giles didn’t say a word. “Come now, I would’ve thought you would have told your Slayer by now that she’s the reason I’m able to do all this.” Buffy finally tore her eyes away from the figure in front of her to turn and look at Giles. The fear was now clear in her face. “Ok. Since no one else is going to tell her I guess I’ll have to do it.” Quentin turned back into Spike. “Buffy, luv.” At the sound of Spike’s voice coming from the First, Buffy spun back around. “The thing is that when Red brought you back from heaven she also disrupted the balance. That allowed me to start preying on the Slayer line. Now that you aren’t just a regular Slayer it gives me the ability to branch out even more.” He moved close to her, within touching distance. The real Spike let out a growl at his proximity. “Don’t worry I’m not going to hurt her. It’s thanks to her that I’m here. As long as she’s alive I’m tied to her. Isn’t that right Rupert?” “Enough of this.” The real Spike’s voice suddenly cut through the air strong and angry. “So what? You here to threaten us? To scare us again? Please. We got rid of you once, we can do it again. Why don’t you just bugger off and go haunt little kiddies with your ‘oh so threatening’ self?” The two Spikes stood toe to toe staring at each other. “To defeat me you’ll have to kill yourself and your mate. Are you ready to do that?” Spike didn’t say anything. “I didn’t think so, but I will leave you now. I love to watch you all scurry around and trying to come up with plans to defeat me.” He backed away. “Buffy, luv, I will be in touch. Think about taking some of those jobs for me. It will make things so much easier in the long run.” With that the First disappeared. For a few long moments no one spoke. "Is it true?" Buffy's hard cold voice broke through the silence. She glared at Giles, daring him to confirm it. "Is it here because they brought me back?" "It would appear so, yes." Giles answered hesitantly. Her face fell tragically. "Buffy." Spike called to her quietly and stepped towards her. At the sound of his voice she pulled herself together and turned away from him abruptly. “Library. Everyone. Now.” Buffy’s voice made it clear there would be no oppositions to her request. They gathered in the library. Dawn and Andrew, who was already there, were looking through the books for any information they could find on the First Evil. Angel was on the phone with Wesley directing him to search Wolfram & Hart’s database. He also was requesting a meeting with the Senior Partners to find out what they knew of it. Giles sat quietly in a chair watching as Buffy paced back and forth gathering her thoughts and trying to find the strength to deal with this new threat. Spike also sat in a chair watching Buffy anger clear on his face. Since the First had disappeared she had shut him out completely once again. She ignored him when he tried to talk to her and she turned away whenever he tried to approach her. He wondered if seeing the First wearing his skin had convinced her that he was inherently evil and going to lead her into darkness. “Ok you guys lets get started.” Buffy’s voice was still hard. General Buffy was back commanding her troops. The others exchanged nervous glances. "Will, I’ll need you to reinforce the wards around this place. Make sure that it can't get in here again, at least not without us knowing about it. Also check and see if you can find a spell that will mask me or hide me from its detection.” “I can try and work on something to detect it, but chances are if its linked to you we won’t be able to keep it out without keeping you out. We also won’t be able to hide you from it.” The tightening around Buffy’s mouth was the only indications the others saw of how much that statement hurt her, but Spike knew. Spike tried again to catch her attention, stepping in her sight, wanting to offer her comfort and support. "Buffy." She only ignored him again, turning to face Angel. Frustrated Spike tried to reach out to her through their bond only to run smack dab into a brick wall. 'Stubborn, Bloody, Fucking BITCH!!!' He thought to himself, at this point, he was ready to throw something at her to get her attention. In his rage he stopped listening to what was going on around him and just watched her. He smiled slowly. His stubborn Slayer. She honestly believed that she could just shut him out by closing off their bond. She thought it was going to be that easy to get rid of him. Even without the bond she was an open book to him. He was certain he knew what was going on in that head of hers, it was just a matter of breaking through her wall. She was still talking to Angel. "...that Wolfram & Hart would have more information on the First than the Watcher's Council. The also have more access to other resources. Anything you can find out would be helpful at this point." "I'll get my best people right on it, Buffy. I also have a meeting with Senior Partners." Angel told her, looking at her sympathetically. “I will have your passports and the bank account numbers to the account that we opened in your name and Spike’s real name. So if you can’t stay here you have the option to leave.” “Thanks, Angel. I’m thinking I’m going to have to leave. The sooner the better, probably.” "SLAYER." Spike growled at her in a warning tone of voice it didn’t escape his notice that she said “I” instead of “we” when she talked about leaving. “Leave?!? You’re going to leave?” Dawn ran up to her sister upset. Buffy’s manner loosened up slightly as she turned to her sister. "I have to go Dawnie. My being here is dangerous for the other Slayers.” "So I'm never going to see you again?" Dawn asked fearfully. Tears welling up in her eyes. "Hopefully Willow will find a spell to hide me from the First and you can come visit me..." She paused for a moment thinking. "well, where ever it is I wind up. But, I don't know when I'll be coming back or even if it will ever be safe for me to come back here." Spike decided enough was enough. He wasn’t going to let her keep fooling herself that she was alone in this. It was time to break through that wall of hers. "Dammit, Slayer." He yelled loudly. "You promised me a white picket fence!!!" 'Ah' he thought, 'That got her attention alright.' Actually it got everyone's attention. "Uh, did the First possess Spike again? Because I am thinking that definitely wasn't in the realm of normal." Xander asked. Spike ignored everyone else in the room, focusing all his attention on Buffy who stared at him impassively. "A normal life." He continued as if Xander never spoke. "Little house, white picket fence, dog? Ringing any bells here? Its m'dream." He sighed dramatically. "Now I suppose we're going to have to travel around the world, having adventures and other such nonsense." He through his hands in the air disgustedly. "There's probably going to be danger and fighting involved. Slayer, you know I hate fighting, danger and adventure." Willow and Dawn smiled realizing what he was doing. Xander just still looked confused. Buffy struggled to keep her wall up between them, but he could tell it was crumbling. He stepped closer to her noting she didn't move away this time, she just watched him through pain filled eyes. "You can't get rid of me, pet." He told her quietly, but firm. "Bond or no bond. You love me and I will never leave you again." For some reason his words seem to make her stiffen and her wall go back up. He looked into her eyes but they were as blank as her face. He narrowed his eyes at her and - pushed was the best way to describe it - his way into her. Her eyes widened as he slipped easily through her wall. His eyes closed and he gritted his teeth when he felt the fear and the pain swirling inside her. It was like a weight was pressing down on her, surrounding an image in the back of her mind which she seemed to be trying to ignore. He pushed through her tangled emotions to the cause of her misery. Suddenly it all made sense. She was afraid for him, she was afraid that the First was going to take him away from her again. He saw two images of himself, the first was the way he looked in the cave the night she came to rescue him, bloody and tortured. The other was when they were in the hell mouth, the amulet was around his neck and he had already started to burn. He pulled out of her and came back to himself, laughing in relief at what he saw. He had been afraid that she was afraid of him, or afraid of the First controlling him again. "You think this is funny?" She asked him incredulously, her eyes flared with anger and the pain that was insider her. She pushed him roughly away from her and he almost landed on his ass. "You know what, I'm sorry I care." She turned to walk away from him, but before she could even turn the whole way around he grabbed her and spun her back around. "You're forgetting one thing, Slayer." He told her cockily. "What?!?!" She snapped. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to him smashing his lips over hers. For a few moments she struggled against him before she realized it was useless and kissed him back just as furiously. She put all her fears, and anger into the kiss, almost challenging him to handle. It reminded him of their time together after she had come back, only this time he knew how to handle that. He pulled her closer to him and softened his lips on hers. Instead of holding her to him he nipped and kissed over her lips avoiding letting her trap him. He ran his hands down over her back in circles soothingly as he sent her all his love through the bond as well as his kiss and touch. He knew he had her back when her body stopped trembling and she went limp in his arms. He pulled back and looked into her now glassy eyes. He ran his lips across hers softly again as if to apologize for abusing them before. "The thing you were forgetting was I'm here. He, she, it already killed me once. It didn't keep us apart then, what chance do you think it would have now." She looked at him uncertainly. She wanted to believe him, but she was so afraid. “Buffy.” He grabbed her arms and turned her so she was facing him. “It all comes down to that balance, luv. You are a force of good, of course there is an echoing force of evil. It may be able to maneuver more because of you, but that isn’t your fault. That’s the fault of the Higher Powers. What’s more, those Higher Powers believe in you. They don’t think its possible that you are going to turn all evil. In fact they believe in you so much they gave you a secret weapon. Me. They gave me those visions so I could help you. That’s why I’m here. I’m your vision guy, remember? So there will be none of that nonsense of sending me away for my own good, got it?” Buffy gave him a weak smile and nodded. "Besides, pet, I think next time its Peaches turn to die saving the world." Spike said loudly making sure everyone in the room heard. Spike turned back to them and found Angel glaring at him coldly. "What?" Spike asked, in an almost believably innocent voice. "Actually Spike, Angel already died saving the world." Willow told Spike confused. "Yeah, Red, but it doesn't count. Cuz he was also the one trying to end it." "He's got a point there." Dawn injected gleefully. Xander nodded along with her. “Enough of this.” Giles cut in. “Buffy you need to consider very carefully what you are doing. It may be that Spike’s demon could help influence you towards working with the First.” Spike turned on Giles. “Give it up Rupert. You can’t blame this on my demon. She was linked to it before we were mated, which you conveniently forgot to mention by the way.” “I didn’t forget, Spike. I just didn’t believe it to be true until recently. I was planning on telling her, but she decided ice cream was needed first.” Giles finished dryly. Spike snorted and turned to look at Buffy. He was upset to see the confusion back on her face. “Don’t tell me you are buying into all this, pet?” Spike tried to keep the pleading out of his voice. He just broke through her wall and now it looked like it would be for nothing. “You heard the prophecy, Spike. What if I turn all evil? It said you would follow me and we would wipe out the Slayer line. I don’t want to do anything that would increase the chance of that happening.” “I believe being mated to a demon might increase those chances, Buffy.” Giles said carefully. Spike could feel things start to spin out of control. Buffy loved him. She told him she loved him. She loved him so much she chose to mate with him. However, none of that meant anything. It all came down to this. She was going to have to choose between her Watcher and him. She needed to decide for herself who she trusted and believed in. A few years ago Spike would have said after everything they shared in the past few days there would be no way he would lose this battle. Now he knew better. This was Buffy. No matter how much she had changed there was always the chance that she would reject him. Bond or no. Well he wasn’t going down without a fight. “What are you people so afraid of?” Spike demanded of Giles. “It’s the First Evil. So what? Big deal.” “I happen to think the Original Evil is a big deal Spike. Maybe not to one of your questionable nature, but it is to me. It is so old we can’t even find any information on it.” “You Watcher’s are so dependent on your books you ignore what common sense tells you.” Spike turned to the others in the room. “You’ve all heard the story of the First Evil haven’t you? Came in the form of a snake and used fear and insecurity to lure Eve towards and apple.” Spike could see the understanding glimmer in Willow’s eyes. “Next he used the same method, fear and insecurity to lure a bloke named Cain into killing his brother. You can see his work all over the Old Testament in the bible.” Spike turned back to Giles. “There’s your First Evil, Watcher and you are feeding him right now, with all this fear. Don’t you get it? Why hasn’t it come to Buffy before now? Why didn’t it appear to her before? You brought back her fear talking about that prophecy, then it showed up. If we keep control of our fear it doesn’t have any power over us.” “Really? It did quite a good job using the Bringers to almost wipe out the Slayer line and cause an apocalypse.” Giles insisted. “Every evil power has minions, hell the Bringers are easier to kill than most evil minions. So we deal with them as it comes, and anything else that comes our way as we explore the world like the Slayer wants.” “Of course, I forgot what an expert you are on the nature of evil Spike.” Giles snapped at him. “Is there something you want to say to me Watcher?” Spike growled at Giles. He was getting tired of the man’s obvious contempt. “Other than what I’ve already stated, that you are not good for her?” Giles growled back. Spike advanced on the angry Watcher. “What gives you the right to judge what’s good for Buffy? Was abandoning her to run back to England when you knew what kind of shape she was in, the best thing for her?” “Obviously it wasn’t since she wound up sleeping with you after I left.” “ENOUGH!!!” Buffy finally couldn’t take their bickering anymore. They both turned to look at her. She stared at them trying to figure out what to do. She knew that this decision may cause her to lose one of them permanently. Buffy took a deep breath and turned away from them both. “Oz?” Oz had been quiet through everything that had happened he sat back and watched the Scoobies mobilize and observed all the conflicts going on. “Yeah, Buffy?” “Willow said that you had people in the pack you stay with who helped you control the Wolfy side.” “Yeah, they use meditation and they taught me that trying to deny my nature was more dangerous than allowing it to run free.” “Could Spike and I go with you and maybe take some of these meditation classes?” Spike felt his heart soar. She wasn’t going to leave him. She was going to try and work through this with him. “I don’t see why not. They could probably even give you the names of some other people you could see about more advanced techniques.” Buffy turned back to Spike. “Does that sound ok to you?” “I told you before, luv, as long as I’m with you I don’t care where we go. You could take me to hell for all I care.” “That’s a likely possibility.” Giles muttered. Buffy looked at her Watcher. “I can tell you aren’t going to understand my choice, but Spike is my choice. I love him Giles and nothing in this world is going to make me give him up now that we’re finally together. I hope someday you accept that.” "We better go start packing, Oz needs to leave tomorrow morning." Buffy looked over at Willow. “Are you coming too, Will?” “Yeah, I think so. Since we have our new principal now, it frees up some time for me.” “Just leave me here by myself with all the responsibility guys. I’ll probably lose all the girls by the time you get back.” Xander said sulkily. Dawn smacked his arm. “Hello. You aren’t by yourself, you have us. We’ll help keep everything under control.” She turned to look at her sister. “You guys will keep in touch right?” Buffy smiled at her. “Of course.” “And don’t be surprised if I appear out of a swirling green glow from time to time.” “Just make sure you give us some advanced warning, Bit. Don’t want you appearing in the middle of anything private.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “I’m amazed you two even manage to leave the bedroom once in a while.” “Bedroom gets boring after a while.” Spike told her, which earned him a smack from Buffy. “You don’t say things like that to my little sister.” She admonished him as they started to leave the library. "Did the two of you even stop to consider the First using your true natures to pit you against each other? He could drive you mad, you could wind up killing each other." Giles lectured at the two, officiously. Spike just laughed at him. "That's a possibility with ANY married couple, Rupert." Spike called back to Giles as he and Buffy walked out of the library.

Chapter #22 - Epilogue

Standard disclaimers apply, of course. An additional disclaimer is located at the end. EPILOGUE: August 30, 2078 Cambuco, Ceara Brazil In the small tourist town of Cambuco, on the Northeastern coast of Brazil, hidden among the sand dunes that rose up from the coast line there was a large fresh water lake. The locals had believed for the last 300 years that there was a demon who lived in the lake and fed on the unknowing traveler. Generations ago, the demon had fed on the villagers themselves, but they managed to beat it back with a magic barrier. The magic had long since faded, but the creature didn’t know that. Then recently, a group of teenagers ventured out to the lake and angered the creature that lived there. When it chased them back to the village it found the magical barrier once in place that had protected the village was no longer in place. Now it had become more daring and several of the towns people had gone missing in the past few weeks. Frightened, the mayor of Cambuco, a man named Umberto Santos, finally went to the town’s priest for advice, he hoped the Father would be able to recreate their magical protection. Father Alan told him that such magic was beyond his capabilities, but that he knew of some people who made it there job to take care of such things. Not knowing what else to do, the distraught mayor allowed the Father to call in his contacts. That was how Umberto came to be with the couple standing in front of him. Upon first glance they didn’t appear to be very dangerous. They certainly didn’t seem capable of taking out the monster that was feeding on his townspeople. The woman appeared to be in her early 30’s. She had long brown hair that she wore up in a pony tail. Her clothing was a combination of retro fashions from around the world. She wore a long flowing skirt similar to those worn by hippies a century before. Her top was similar to what Indian women had worn before the rebellion in 2035, when they took over the country in retaliation for their treatment the last 1,000 years by the men. On her feet were high healed leather boots that he found himself constantly amazed women could walk in. The man with her had sandy blond hair that curled around his head in a most disorderly fashion. He also wore retro clothing, a pair of loose fitting trouser and a T-shirt with a picture of an angry looking man on the front with white spiked hair wearing leather gloves. On the back of the shirt ‘Billy Idol’ was written in a script. Umberto had never heard of Billy Idol. Nor had he ever seen two people as strange as the ones before him. “Right, lets get on with this.” The man had an air of impatience in his tone. “You’ll have to forgive him.” The woman said apologetically. “He has bad memories of this country.” “Nothing ever goes right here, pet.” The man insisted. “I don’t see why you had to agree to take this job.” The woman just sighed. “The closest Slayer is tied up in Peru with that problem with the Nazca lines. Besides, that ho dumped you here almost a hundred years ago. Don’t you think its time to let that go?” Umberto, looked back and forth between the two, unsure of what to make of their arguing. “Excuse me, are you sure you are here for the right thing?” He asked hesitantly. “Well we aren’t here for the cuisine.” The man muttered. Umberto swore his eyes flashed gold for a second. “Spike.” The woman warned him, before turning her attention back to Umberto. “We are here to take care of your demon problem Senor Santos. I know we don’t look like much, but…” Both of the strangers eyes flashed this time, an unearthly green tint. “believe me we are more than qualified to handle this.” Her smile lit up her face and Umberto immediately began to relax. He trusted this woman for some reason. However, Umberto wasn’t a fool. He didn’t want to send innocent people into the dunes just to be slaughtered. “I understand, that you may think we are just superstitious, but I assure you there is a real threat out there.” The woman just looked at her companion. “Are you up for a demonstration, honey?” Her companion grinned at her before his face changed. Instead of the handsome young man, a vampire in full game face stood before Umberto. His eyes glowed a bright green color. Umberto staggered back in shock. He looked at the young woman expecting her to also sprout fangs and ridges. Instead her eyes were glowing the same bright green color. Weapons appeared in their hands from out of nowhere and the two began to fight right there in the middle of the street. Even in his shock it only took Umberto a moment or two to appreciate their fighting skills. Umberto was involved with capoeira since he was a little boy and could therefore appreciate the dedication and skill it took to master any fighting style and it looked like these two had mastered several. They appeared to be slowing down and finishing up there little demonstration. The woman put away the large knife she had been brandishing. The man however was a bit more flashy. He swung his thin sword a few more times before completing a back flip and turning and slashing imaginary opponents in mid air. The woman just snorted and looked at Umberto. “He got that from a Bruce Lee movie. He can be such a show off some times.” Umberto just stared at her in shock. “Think we’re up to the task of disposing of your little demon problem?” The vampire had put his human mask back in place was looking at Umberto with amusement. “The lake is located south of the Cantina on the beach.” Umberto told them without hesitation. “Walk out into the dunes about 3 miles and you should see it. The demon makes his home close to the lake, but his territory includes all of the dunes. Hopefully the he won’t find you before you find him.” The man, Spike she had called him, gave him a thin smile. “We aren’t too concerned.” With that they turned and walked off, leaving Umberto to stare after them in awe. He took notice as they walked past a store front window the vampire cast no reflection. Crossing himself, Umberto ran to the Father’s house to ask exactly what it was he invited into his small town. Buffy and Spike headed down to the beach. They found the Cantina the mayor spoke of and headed away from it into the sand dunes. “Can you believe that git thought we couldn’t take care of one demon?” Spike said with derision. “He’s just the mayor of a small town. Its not like he really has to worry about the supernatural a lot. He probably doesn’t even know what a Slayer is, much less have heard of us.” “You would think he would find all that out before he called us in.” Buffy just sighed she knew it would do no good to argue with him. Spike was determined to be as difficult as possible until they left Brazil. He always said he didn’t like the country and he claimed it had nothing to do with Drusilla. “So what do you think it is this time?” Buffy asked Spike trying to change the subject. “Another on of those fishy demons?” “Its possible. Given the area we’re in it might be some weird piranha demon.” Spike answered her. “Great. Just what we need something with razor sharp teeth.” Spike stopped and gave her a strange look. “How many demons do you know without razor sharp teeth, Slayer?” He asked her. “Well a piranha demon probably has even more teeth.” She asserted, defensively. Spike shook his head. “I do love you.” He told her. “Damn right you do.” Three hours later Umberto and Father Alan were just finishing up at the local bar. Umberto had had quite a bit to drink trying to deal with things that the Father had told him about. They stood outside in the street saying their goodbyes, while Umberto wondered if he would ever be able to sleep again, when Buffy came staggering through the town. Her shirt was ripped on one side and it appeared she was limping badly. Of her companion there was no sign. “What happened?” Umberto exclaimed, as she drew closer. “Are you alright? Where is your husband?” Buffy looked at him and said in a calm steady voice. “I need to use your phone.” Upon closer inspection Umberto could see blood dripping down her limbs from various cuts. There also appeared to be a deep wound in her stomach. She was trying to staunch the bleeding with a section of her skirt. “The demon…?” Father Alan began. He reached out to touch her to lead her to his house where he could bandage her up. “Yes, your demon is dead. Now can I please use a phone?” Her voice seemed dead. There was no emotion in her voice at all. Father Alan nodded. “Of course, Miss Summers, right this way.” As they headed off Umberto scanned the street for any sign of her husband coming behind her, but there was nothing but the darkened street. Father Alan led Buffy to his modest home and pointed her in the direction of the phone. Buffy dialed the familiar numbers. “Hello?” Willows anxious voice answered after a few rings. “Willow, its me.” “Buffy!!!” Willow yelled out to whoever was with her. “Guys, its Buffy.” Buffy could hear excited voices in the background. Willow returned to the phone. “Thank goddess, Buffy. We were so worried about you. Angel called and said…” “Willow.” Buffy interrupted her. “Is Dawn there?” “Dawn? No, she went into town with a few her students.” “You need to get her back right away I need her to open a portal for me. I need to come home.” Buffy’s voice still held no emotion, no inflection. “Buffy are you ok? Angel called and said…” “Willow, I don’t have much time. I need you to get Dawn back now. I want to come home.” Buffy’s voice dropped. “Spike is dead.” She said into the phone quietly. There was dead silence over the phone, then Willow’s voice came much more subdued. “I’ll call her back now.” Buffy disconnected and stared blankly at the wall in front of her. Spike felt like he was floating, he couldn’t feel his body at all. He stretched out his senses searching for Buffy, but found her presence inside him had grown so faint he could barely feel her. Panicked he tried to open his eyes, but he didn’t seem to have any. He reached out his hands, but that didn’t work either. Then he started to fall. If he still had a mouth he would have screamed as he went rushing downwards. Spike landed gently for his accelerated drop, but when he hit the ground he was suddenly aware of his body again. For a few moments he lay where he was with his eyes closed as the pain from his injuries washed over him. ‘Bastard must have knocked me out.’ He thought to himself. Suddenly he was worried for Buffy, if he was knocked out than she was left alone with that centipede demon. He extended his senses again, searching for her. Only now her presence inside of him was almost gone. Panic returned. His eyes flew open…and met a pair of dark eyes staring down at him. Spike flew backwards quickly. From farther away he could see the eyes belonged to a girl in her mid-20’s who was smiling widely at him. “Hello, William.” She said cheerily. Spike backed farther away from her looking around frantically. Everywhere he looked he was surrounded by a swirling gray nothingness. As he moved he noticed his clothes were not the same ones he had on early. His blue jeans were now black and he now had on his leather duster, which had been destroyed 30 years earlier. None of that registered as important to him, however, there was only one thing on Spike’s mind. “Where’s Buffy?” He asked the way too cheery chit, who was still grinning at him like he just won the lottery. “She’s not here.” The voice came, very matter of fact. It reminded him of the way Anya used to speak. “We’re the only ones here.” “Where is she?” Spike turned and snarled at her. “And who the Bloody Hell are you? And where are we, for that matter?” The girl held up her hands and stepped back. Spike was pleased that she finally lost that blasted smile. She was actually very cute. She wasn’t tall, but she had a great figure. She was dressed in all black like himself, only instead of a T-shirt she had on a form fitting tank top. Her lips were as black as her clothes and her eyes were also lined in black. Black lines swirled out from the corner of her left eye down onto her cheek. Her hair, which was also black, hung full down her back. She was very pale, almost like a vampire, but those certainly weren’t ‘vamp’ vibes Spike got from her. No, she was much more powerful. Around her neck on a leather strap hung a silver ankh. “Whoa. Calm down William.” She said as Spike appraised her closely. He didn’t think he felt this much power coming from a single being. The First would be nothing compared to this small woman. Not that, that would stop Spike from trying to tear her apart if she tried to keep him from Buffy. “The name is Spike, luv.” He was in full game face now. “Now are you going to answer my questions?” She laughed at him as if he just said the funniest thing in the world. When she recovered she took on a mock hurt look. “You know I don’t expect most creatures to remember me because they only see me twice in their existence.” She walked up closely to Spike. “But you William, I’ve seen 3 times before.” “What are you going on about? Where is Buffy?” He demanded. Spike wanted to grab her and shake her, but something prevented him. For some reason he was reluctant to touch her. The woman’s face suddenly lost all of its humor and mischief. Instead eyes that were older than time itself looked at him. They seemed so sad for him, but more comforting than sympathetic. “William, you’re dead.” She told him gently. “Really?” Spike said sarcastically. “I’m a vampire. That goes with the territory.” “No, I mean you’re DEAD, dead.” Spike just stared at her open mouthed. While Buffy waited silently for Dawn’s arrival in Father Alan’s living room her mind kept going back over the last few hours. Father Alan and Umberto kept trying to get her to talk or get her to let them look at her injuries, but Buffy was lost in her thoughts and paid them no attention. She and Spike had walked out onto the dunes together searching for some sign of a demon or other nasty. They were bantering as usual as they scanned the surrounding area. They had wandered out to the lake and around it, but found nothing. They were heading back to the village to ask the mayor some more questions when suddenly their senses went on full alert. They looked they, but could see nothing but sand. The sand below them started to shake, but before they could even process that they were thrown in the air. They landed a good distance apart, somewhat smoothly. Spike hadn’t flown as far away as Buffy and a shower of sand dumped onto him from above. He had tried to shield his eyes, but there was no time. As a result he couldn’t see the creature on top of him. Buffy turned as soon as she fell and gasped. In front of her was what appeared to be a giant centipede. It was about 10 feet off the ground, but she had no idea how much more was lying buried under the sand. She could see a green slime dripping from his fangs. “Great.” She muttered to herself. “Big and slimy. Never a great combination, not like chocolate and peanut butter or anything.” Buffy could feel the burning in Spike’s eyes so she knew he couldn’t see, so she sent him what she was seeing and her thoughts. Above him the creature tensed to attack but, as the creature struck, Spike managed to roll out of the way with the help of Buffy‘s sight. While he was rolling Buffy heard his voice in her head. ‘Everything comes back to chocolate with you.’ Buffy had started running as the creature struck and as it hit the sand she got within range. She threw her large knife and managed to strike the creature in its eye. The beast had reared up, screaming in pain. Buffy turned and headed to Spike as soon as the knife left her hand. She was planning on grabbing him and rolling down the other side of the dunes. It happened before she could get to him. The sand behind him erupted out of nowhere and Buffy had time to see something large swinging at him. He must have cleared the sand out of his eyes, because he looked right into her eyes as the sharp blade on the end of the centipedes tail took off his head. He dissolved before her. Buffy felt a sharp tug inside herself pulling at her, but she fought against it. Then it was like something inside her was being ripped apart. She screamed out in pain and agony, lashing out at the creature’s tail in front of her. The rest was a blur, Buffy couldn’t really say how she killed the centipede creature, but her fingers had almost no skin left on them and the wound in her stomach was making it harder and harder to stay awake. Buffy fought the urge to just close her eyes. She couldn’t go yet. She wouldn’t go here, she wanted to see her friends and Dawn just one more time. The air around her started to tingle. Buffy looked up as the Father Alan and Umberto jumped up in surprise. In front of the a large circle appeared out of thin air and started to glow brightly. “I died!!” Spike shook his head and started pacing angrily. “There is no way some big slimy bug killed me. I don’t believe it.” “Believe it or not, William, you’re dead.” “The name is Spike, Lady. Or do I call you Madam Death? Besides if I’m dead than where is Buffy?” “Just Death is fine, thanks.” Death replied. “Buffy isn’t here. She’s probably still alive.” She explained patiently. “No you don’t understand. She’s my mate. She’s bonded to me. If I die, she dies. We were told when we mated, its part of our gift for being the bloody warriors for good down there.” “Well, I’m sorry she’s not here.” Death explained, in the same patient voice, it was worse than her bloody grinning. “Well where is she?!?” He yelled. “I don’t know where she is. All I know is that it was your time to go so its time for me to send you on. She isn’t here so it wasn’t her time, obviously.” Death looked at him with those eyes again. “Maybe the Powers changed their minds, that does happen you know. I’m sorry.” She told him, once again he could see the immense age and wisdom in her gaze. There was no doubting her sincerity. The thought of Buffy being lost to him forever made Spike go into action. “I have to find her.” He declared turning and walking through the gray nothingness. “No.” Death’s voice became firm behind him. “Its time for you to move on.” “Bollocks. I’m not going anywhere without Buffy.” Spike charged on through the fog. Suddenly Death was in front of him. He jumped back in surprise. “You are in my realm, its an extension of me. There is nowhere to go, except to move on.” She reached out her hand to him. “William, take my hand.” Spike was tense, ready to fight, but looking at her he knew it was no use. He couldn’t fight her and from all appearances she was telling him the truth. Spike stared at her, trying to calm himself. He had learned over the years he came up with much better ideas when he shut out emotions like fear. As he stared at Death the sight of her necklace triggered a memory from long ago. “The woman in black likes stories.” He could almost hear Drusilla’s voice across the fog. Spike straightened up and looked Death in the eye. “Fine, I will go with you, but first let me tell you a story.” Death’s eyes got bright. “A story?” She asked curiously. “Yeah, let me tell you the story of Buffy and me. If she isn’t here by the time I’m done, and you still believe I’m meant to move on alone I’ll go with you willingly.” Death smiled that cheerful grin. “William, I don’t need you to be willing for me to take you.” Spike felt his gut clench at her words. “But I love stories.” Out of the gray mist large comfy chairs appeared, across from them a table appeared with a fish bowl with two fish appeared. Spike looked around what now appeared to be a small but cozy apartment, in amazement. “Welcome to my home, or one idea of it. But this is my idea of a home, so its my favorite.” Spike shook his head trying to understand what she was saying, but she just continued on. “I used to visit my brother all the time for stories, but things have been different lately. He’s been different lately. We don’t have the same relationship we once did.” She finished sadly. Spike was still looking around her apartment in wonder “Can I get you anything?” Death asked him and he focused on her again. “A beer and maybe some cigarettes would be good.” Another small table appeared next to him, sitting on it were a Heineken on a coaster and an ashtray with his brand of cigarettes and Zippo lighter. Spike raised an eyebrow in appreciation. “That‘s a mighty nifty trick to have.” Death just smiled. “Ok, time for the story.” Spike sighed a lit a cigarette. “Well I was born in the 1800’s…” “Wait a minute, how long is this story?” Death interrupted. “Well we have to start at the beginning for you to understand everything that happened from there. No sense starting a story in the middle now is there?“ Spike didn’t give her a chance to answer before he continued. “Also try not to interrupt a fellow. It tends to make me lose my thread.” Spike scolded. He was afraid she would get angry and make him stop, but instead she just gave him a look that told him not to push his luck. Then a small teddy bear appeared on her lap and she settled in, listening to Spike tell her how he became William the Bloody. Buffy and Dawn appeared through the green glow into Buffy’s old rooms at the Watcher’s Council. The rooms had been mainly unused in Buffy and Spike’s absence, although occasionally family dinners were held there to make the others feel closer to them. Willow rushed to Buffy’s side as she staggered coming through the portal. Buffy smiled weakly at her friend. Willow hadn’t appeared to age at all in the past 70 years, the only difference was her once red hair was now a brilliant white. “Oh, Goddess! Buffy!” Willow already had tears streaming down her face, as she helped her friend to her old bed. “Shh, Will. Its ok.” Buffy gently stroked Willow’s hair. “It doesn’t even hurt.” Buffy looked across the room as Dawn and Willow tucked her in and perched on either side of her. Oz stood there holding up Xander, who was well into his 90’s by now. Xander was still the strength and support behind so many of the Slayers, even today he could name all the girls who came through the school in the past 70 years. He had run the school better than even Willow and Buffy ever imagined. He never did settle down. He had several relationships since Anya died, but none of them ever came to anything. He once told Buffy after way too much alcohol that he threw away his chance at that kind of happiness when he left Anya at the alter. Since he had no spouse to devote his time to the school and the Slayers were always his first priority. It was thanks to him Slayers now lived long full lives. He took it as a personal failure to lose one to anything but natural causes. Xander also studied as many of the books in the library he could get his hands on. As he advanced with age the loud shirts were replaced with more conservative clothing. In many way he had turned into Giles. With Oz’s help he came towards the bed. “Hey Buffster,” Xander’s voice was thick with age. “I thought I was going to be the first of the Original Scoobies to head to the Other Side” “Yeah, well somebody has to go ahead and prepare the Other Side for you.” Oz moved over next to Willow. While werewolves weren’t immortal, the tended to age slower than normal humans. As a result Oz didn’t look a day over 30. He and Willow had been together exclusively for the past 60 years. They weren’t always together, though. He spent a lot of time with his pack in Canada and there was also that period of time he was gone with Spike trying to find her. Buffy didn’t want to think about that time again. She turned to face her sister. There was no more mistaking Dawn for a human. Her skin had started to take on a greenish tinge about the time of her 30th birthday. From there her eyes and hair had also started to turn green. Her mind had also expanded far beyond most human comprehension. They all believed that someday Dawn would evolve from her human state back into her natural energy state. Buffy wondered if she would remember the humans who loved her. Her sister was the only one in the room who didn’t look at her with sadness. She knew it was time for Buffy to move on. She could see the scope of the whole universe, while the others couldn’t comprehend the intricate patterns at work. Buffy felt a wave of weariness fall over her. Once again she fought against the urge to close her eyes and let go. They were still waiting on two more. “Angel should be here any minute.” Dawn said softly, somehow able to read her sister‘s thoughts. Buffy nodded. Only one unaccounted for, but Buffy knew she would be here. The door opened downstairs and inside herself Buffy registered ‘Family’. More than one. Angel and Drusilla came slowly up the stairs. Buffy finally let herself begin to relax. She could finally begin to let go. “So I told Rupert that was a possibility with any married couple and we left.” Spike smiled at the memory. Death watched him as he took a drink from his beer. “So you guys lived happily ever after then?” Spike’s laugh was more of a harsh bark. “Not even.” Spike lit a cigarette and took a couple of drags on it. “The next ten years made the first couple seem like a minor inconvenience.” “Well?!?” Death asked impatiently. “What happened next? What happened to the First? What about Willow and Oz? That’s not an ending is it, because if it is that is a pretty crappy story.” “Easy there,” Spike soothed her. “That isn’t the end. I’m just not sure how to go on from here.” Spike paused again. He had tried many times to shut out the memories of what had happened to them during that time, but had never succeeded. He closed his eyes and the words came out before he knew he was saying them. Buffy stared up at Angel and Drusilla. The last time the three of them had been together had been when Spike had been injured. Buffy had avoided them since then, she had never been comfortable with her memories of that night. “My boy has moved on.” Drusilla said. “Yes, he has.” Buffy watched her reaction closely. Drusilla moved up and touched Buffy’s cheek lightly. Buffy was surprised she didn’t want to pull away, part of her regretting the distance she put between herself and the vampires. They were Spike’s only family. “I need you both to know I never blamed you for what happened that night. I know that it was actually a natural occurrence between vampire families. It was my own inability to accept the demony parts that led me to pull away from you. I know it was because of me that Spike never contacted you again and I’m sorry I kept you apart.” It was hard for Buffy to admit all this. Like Spike she had tried many times to block out those years from her mind. “No worries, my lamb.” Drusilla cooed. “All is right. You made him so happy.” Buffy smiled at her. Happiness. He had made her so happy as well, once they got past their own demons. “Rupert was right. We weren’t prepared for what came next. We thought we had been through so much the rest would be easy.” Spike’s voice was low as he tried not to let the pain inside him reflect in his voice. “At first it was pretty good. We spent some time with the Wolf and Red in Canada, before Buffy decided she wasn’t a big fan of the cold. After that we traveled around for a bit. It was about a year and half later when it started. Pretty much exactly as Rupert said. First there was the little incident where the First’s minions brought out the First Slayer in Buffy‘s body. She tried to kill me, all she knew was that I was a vampire so I should die. I thought that with our bond and our love Buffy would be able to overpower the First Slayer, but she couldn‘t. It took Willow casting a spell to reverse what The First had done, but then things were strained between us. I was upset that she wasn’t able to fight the First Slayer better. I thought it meant she didn’t love me as much as she said she did. Meanwhile, Buffy was now afraid to let go of herself again. She was always afraid she would lose control. She was worse than when she came back she couldn’t let herself relax. We stopped having sex because she was afraid that she could lose control of herself when we were joined together. Things between us became very tense. We tried to resume our travels, but it was difficult. We made it to Australia, when I was hit with some kind of poison from some kind of weird demon. It didn’t kill me, but it separated my spirit from my body. Not knowing what else to do Buffy called Angel and made him bring Drusilla. She was hoping Dru could heal me, like Angel healed her.” Spike’s voice started to crack a little. He knew he could get through this, he just had to keep going. “Dru brought me back, but the way she did it called the demon instead of the man. Things happened. Buffy lost control, under the influence of my demon. Dru never really was far from letting go and Angel…“ Spike’s voice broke “I haven’t thought about this in so long...“ He stopped and got control of himself then continued. “By the time I fully came back to myself, Buffy was terrified. She had lost control again, only this time it was because of our bond.” Spike stared out into the fog. “She left me. She went back to California, said she needed to figure some things out. We were apart for almost a year. I spent that year at the bottom of any bottle of liquor I could get my hands on. Anything to dull the pain her leaving created. Then one day I get a call. Its Buffy. She tells me she misses me and she wants to come home to me. I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to see her, to hold her, to touch her. She was to be home in a week. Two days later she was kidnapped.” That last sentence was nothing more than a whisper. “Two years we searched for her. Willow tried to enhance our bond hoping I could sense her better, but since we had been apart for so long it didn’t work too well. I couldn’t tell her exact location, just the basic area. They would always move her whenever I got close. I could feel everything she felt, though. I could feel when they tortured her. I could feel when they…” Spike let out a sob and stood up. Death, who hadn’t interrupted until now, spoke up. “William, its over. You got her back and she did recover.” Her voice was calming, it brought him back from the blackness of that time. “Yeah, Oz stayed with me most of the time. He kept me sane and helped me free her.” Spike couldn’t look at Death. He couldn’t look anyone in the eye when he remembered those times. Only Oz knew the extent the vampire had gone to for any information or clues to getting Buffy back. Torture and murder for those they could get away with killing. Other times Spike let himself be used as a pawn or even a whore for any information that would help them. Buffy had never asked him what he had done and he never wanted to tell her. Sometimes he suspected she had seen when they became close again, but if she had she also had sensed his shame and desperation and knew not to bring it up. “Again it was the work of the First, trying to warp her into joining his team.” Spike wiped away the tears on his face before turning back around to face Death. “Red and the Watcher had been constantly working on a plan to separate the First from Buffy and they finally came up with an idea to bind him. They found an old religious relic from some mad holy man that was supposed to be able to hold him indefinitely. The First wasn’t too happy with that plan so he decided on a full on assault. Buffy was still recovering when the war started. Many of the younger Slayers were killed and more than a few of Riley‘s army folks also died. In the end it was Faith who was finally able to trap the First. She lost her own life in the process.” Spike finished his beer and looked at Death, before he could even ask his can was full again. He smiled at her gratefully. “When Faith died Buffy and I saw first hand how devastated Angel was. The two of them had been trying to get together for years now, but they never got around to it, then it was too late. After that Buffy and I worked hard to rebuild our trust and relationship.” “So was it always that hard and terrible?” Death asked, unable to help herself. “Did you make a mistake by being together?” “Never.” Spike said with confidence. “As bad as things got, there were always those magical times that made all the pain worth it.” ”After we had trapped the First, Buffy and I left again to travel. We wanted to be alone to rebuild their relationship. We made it all over this time, but they found ourselves coming back to Greece again and again. One day I bought a small island in the Mediterranean. We built a house there and that became our permanent home. Not long after that I surprised her by flying in all of her friends and informing her we were going to have a traditional wedding ceremony, with the dress, the holy man and all the trappings. On a cliff over looking the see at sunset, we formerly declared our love in front of her loved ones. The wedding was unreal. Even after all those years and everything we’d been through to have Buffy standing in front of all her friends looking like an angel and professing her love and devotion to me was nothing short of amazing. Hell, even Giles, almost 90 at this point, agreed to give her away finally giving his blessing on our relationship.” Spike’s stopped and thought a minute. “That isn’t my favorite memory though.” He continued. “My favorite memories have nothing to do with the big moments.” He looked at Death and tried to explain. “Laying in bed in the mornings holding her in my arms and watching the sun rise. Being able to fight by her side and knowing what move she was going to perform before she did. Teaching her to play chess on cold winter nights when we were staying in Russia. Watching her face light up when she was happy or surprised. All those are what made it all so magical. Having a daily routine together, sharing our lives. That was the sweetest part. Anyone can make vows of love. Few stick to them. Fewer still get the point where they are really sharing themselves instead of just ‘being together’. Then there was always the danger of losing our edge or getting bored with our lives. Once Giles gave his blessing and the First had been trapped, communications between the two warriors and the Watcher’s Council had opened back up. Buffy and I worked for the Council on an ‘as needed’ basis. We lived our lives simply; enjoying our home and the quiet, but when things got to restless we always had the option of taking a job and getting in some quality ass kicking time. We had the normal life and the extraordinary life. We had it all.” The room was silent as those gathered around her waited for what Buffy was going to say. They all knew that time was running out. “Unlike Spike, I couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye, plus my corpse is going to be too cute to leave on a sand dune in Brazil.” Buffy smiled weakly at her friends assembled before her. Buffy held Willow’s hand on one side and Dawn’s on another. “I wanted to make sure you know how important all of you have been to me. Without you I wouldn’t have ever had the chance to experience the happiness I’ve found in this life. I love you all so much.” Tears started to slip down Buffy’s face as she looked at each of her friends, remembering the first time she saw all of them. “I don’t know what’s going to come next, but I hope that somehow, some way we’ll all get to be together again.” “I know we’ll see each other again, if only in our dreams.” Drusilla sang softly. Angel took her hand to quiet her. “We love you too, Buffy.” Dawn said quietly. “I know you worry about me forgetting you when I fully become the Key again. I promise there is no way I could ever forget my family.” “I don’t think I’m going to be that far behind you, either, Buffy.” Xander added in. “So tell Anya I’m on my way.” “Tara promised that we’d be together again.” Willow said through her tears. “I’m sure she meant all of us.” Buffy’s voice got weaker. “No matter what, you will all always be a part of me and Spike.” Buffy’s eyes fluttered for a moment, then closed. Around the bed her friends bowed their heads in mourning. Buffy the Greatest Vampire Slayer that lived, had died. “So then she starts in on me about the amount of TV I was watching. Even the most wonderful woman in the world can get to be a right bitch around that time of the month.” By now Spike was stalling he had finished his story a while ago and was now going back and filling in any small detail or part of their lives he might have missed, trying to buy himself some more time. “I think we’ve pretty much come to the end of your tale, William.” Death told him gently. Spike sighed, resigned, he knew he couldn’t keep her interested in much longer. “Well?” He asked her. “It was a wonderful story.” Death practically gushed. “It had all the great components of a great story; romance, adventure, drama, heartbreak, death, good sex…” “I meant do see now that if Buffy isn’t here there has to be some mistake somewhere.” Death just looked at him funny, Spike felt the panic begin to rise inside him again. “We were promised by the Powers!” He yelled. “I understand that William, but even if that’s true, the Powers are known for being fickle. With all the trouble you had before, maybe they changed their mind about that.” “Those Bastards. I want to see them. I’ll fix them.” “No William you have to move on. I’m sorry you lost Buffy, but the fact is you died and she didn’t. She isn’t here which means she wasn’t meant to be here.” Death reached out her hand. “William, take my hand.” Spike turned and ran into the fog. He didn’t get too far before she stood in front of him. He turned to head in another direction, but she was there as well. “William, please stop trying to get away. There is no where to go and you are beginning to wear my patience out.” Everywhere Spike turned she stood in front of him. He knew he couldn’t get away. She came closer and was a hair away from touching him. Not knowing what else to do Spike fell on his knees and began to plead. Death just shook her head, then she froze. She looked out into the gray mist. “I don’t believe it.” She gasped. From out of the fog came a voice. “I leave you alone for a few hours and you’re already on your knees proposing to another woman.” Spike looked up from in front of Death. There in front of them stood Buffy. She looked like she did right after he was resurrected. “Buffy.” He breathed out her name as if it were a prayer. He stood and crossed over to her. “Running a bit late, aren’t you luv?” He asked as he stalked over to her. Buffy sniffed. “Well, unlike some people I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye first.” “Bloody Hell!! Its not like I really had a choice Buffy. Remember the nasty insect that chopped off my head.” Buffy just giggled at him. They stared at each other for another second before Buffy jumped on him wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his neck. Spike spun her around as they laughed at fate, enjoying the feeling of being together again. Buffy lowered her mouth to his needing to taste him to make sure he was really there with her. She didn’t know where they were, but they were together so she wasn’t too worried. A throat clearing registered in her mind, but she ignored it as she reacquainted herself with Spike’s lips, then his neck. She was about to pull at his shirt when a loud voice cut through her fog of desire. “Not to interrupt, but how did you get here?” Buffy and Spike finally separated at Death’s question. “I died.” Buffy told her. “How did you die?” Death asked her. “Well, Spike died and our life forces were linked.” Buffy paused and studied Death for a moment. “Do I know you? You look familiar.” Death didn’t answer her, just continued to look at them perplexed. “But then you should have arrived when he did.” “You’re Death aren’t you?” Buffy got excited. “I remember you from the last two times.” That made Death look at Spike with a wry look. “I’m glad someone does.” Spike threw up his hands in defeat. “That’s right. Pick on the only fellow here. Women, get more than one of them in a room and suddenly its us vs. them.” Death and Buffy just laughed before Death turned back to Buffy. “So if you two are the Warriors I’ve heard about why didn’t you die when he did. How could you wait? All the rules say that shouldn’t be possible.” “I’ve never been too good at following the rules. Just ask any of my high school principals, or my mom, or my Watcher…” “I think she gets the point, luv.” Spike looked deep into Buffy’s eyes. “What would you have done if I couldn’t wait for you?” Buffy kissed him lightly on the lips. “I would have ripped apart heaven and hell to find you.” She whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you William.” Death spoke loudly to get their attention, afraid if she didn‘t they would start making out in front of her again. “This changes everything.” “What do you mean?” Buffy asked. “What happens to us now?” Death just shrugged. “That’s up to you. Most creatures wind up going to where ever they believe they deserve to go. Either that or their spirit gets recycled or reincarnated. You two know too much about what’s out there so you can go where ever you want.” “Wow.” Buffy and Spike exchanged shocked looks. “What are our options? Heaven? Hell? Purgatory?” “Anything you can imagine.” Death told her. Buffy looked at Spike helplessly. “I wouldn’t know where to begin. You?” Spike just shrugged. “Do you have any suggestions for us?” He asked Death. She seemed to consider for a moment before her face lit up with her trade mark grin. “Well I could always take you to my brother’s. He can always use another story teller. Plus there is a lot in the way of conflict in his realm, he could probably use your fighting skills.” “That sounds ok to me. Will we have to stay there forever?” Buffy asked Death. “I doubt it. You could probably work something out with him.” “I’m always up for an adventure.” Spike said. “As long as I have my girl by my side that is.” Buffy snuggled into his arms. “Even after all this time you can still surprise me by saying the sweetest things.” “That’s because after all this time my love for you has only grown.” “Are you two ready?” Death asked. The couple looked at each other and nodded. They reached out their hands to Death. “So if you’re Death, who exactly is your brother?” Buffy asked suddenly. The last thing that was heard before they faded from sight was Death’s reply. “He’s Morpheus. He’s the King of Dreams.” The End Disclaimer II: Death and her brother don’t belong to me. The belong to the genius of Neil Gaiman, Master Storyteller.