SECTION 1 - LEAP OF FAITH

And it's a leap of faith
When you believe there's someone out there
It's a leap of faith
When you believe that
Someone cares, oh
And when I call out to you
Will you be right there
Right there

(Michelle Branch, Album Broken Bracelet)



Chapter 1.08
Monday, May 6th, 2002

Buffy was in the middle of a four-way hug with all her best female friends. Spike seemed to be taking care of her shiftless absentee father figure for just now and she just gave herself up to enjoying the moment.

"You're sure this is what you want?" Willow asked, pulling back slightly from the group hug, the others following suit shortly after.

Buffy looked over to where her leather-clad partner spoke on the phone. "Yeah, it took him a while to convince me, but I guess I'm hooked on the idea now."

"Can I see the ring?" asked Tara and Buffy obliged holding it out so that both the witches could get a good view.

"I think you need to get that appraised and insured if those stones are diamonds. Xander spent the equivalent of several months salary on my ring and my solitaire is only slightly larger than the centre stone, and it's old, probably even older than him," Anya commented.

"It's really nice. Is it a family thing or did he buy it?" asked Tara.

"It belonged to his great-grandmother and then to his mother, so yeah Anya even older than him," Buffy answered her friends. "And as far as valuing and insuring from what I've seen today he probably sorted that out before he broke up the set. Apparently there's a wedding band to match."

"What's your new name gonna be?" asked Willow.

"I haven't actually worked my way round to finding out yet. I suppose it'll depend what name he can get documents under."

Xander stepped forward from where he had been quietly munching his way through a family sized bag of Doritos and accompanying jar of dip.

"That does it! Buffy, listen to yourself! You're talking about getting married to someone and you don't even know his name. You say he has enough money to live off of and send you back to college, but it's not that long ago he was stealing the change from a round of drinks and now he's giving you antique jewellery. You know where his money comes from. You just don't want to admit it to yourself. I hope you can live with your conscience when you're Mrs Doctor."

"Xander, I know-" Buffy stopped mid-sentence and dropping low swept her right leg in a low semi-circle, the move being one more typically used by the unsuspecting vampire on whom she used it. Spike's previous speed worked against him as his momentum carried him face first toward the floor. In an instant he was back on his feet, but Buffy blocked his path to the male Scooby. "Stay put. I can handle this. If you'd hit him at the speed you were going you would have cracked his skull open and given yourself a migraine that would last a week."

"It would have been worth it. Human or not I'm not going to just stand by when some wanker deliberately tries to make you feel bad about being with me especially when he starts on the Doctor bullshit."

"I've got it under control, Will. He'll at least hear me out. You two would just end up in a shouting match at best,

Xander, Spike isn't the Doctor, in fact looking back, I'm pretty certain he'd never even heard of the name until Riley called him it. Whatever we killed in Spike's crypt they had chitinous armour, a segmented body, crab type legs and they were quadrupeds. Suvolte don't have chitin they have hide, they're bipeds and they have hands and feet, so unless they have a very, very strange development pattern, those things were not suvolte eggs.

I saw all this with my own eyes, but until I had a reason to doubt what Riley told me I never even gave a thought to reviewing what I'd seen, to work out whether it made sense. I just took everything he said at face value

It's no secret that Riley and Spike have never been the best of friends. At best Riley was fed some misinformation which he wanted to believe. At worst he set Spike and me up. Hell, for all I know Sam said she worked in an infirmary in the Peace Corp. Maybe Mrs Riley Finn's the Doctor and the whole thing was just a cover for them to pick up the damn eggs so they could sell them themselves.

Spike wasn't being entirely honest, but he wouldn't have ended up in that situation in the first place if it wasn't for something I did wrong. Maybe if he'd confided in me about the mess I landed him in at the time, this whole thing could have been avoided."

"You had enough on your plate, pet. I thought I could take care of it without you ever having to know."

"Yeah, well, that didn't turn out to be your best idea, but then I'm in no position to complain.

Anyway, Xander, you already know where a bit of Spike's money comes from or did you forget all the gold and gems that were in that crypt along with the gem of Amara. And as to the rest it's none of your business as long as I know and it doesn't bother me, which it doesn't."

"Good Godfrey Cambridge!" Xander tried a mental calculation of the value of the horde and tried to remember the way back.

Buffy gave Xander a look which clearly indicated she wasn't finished yet. "And as for his name, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" or however that goes, not that Spike's a rose more like one of those persistent creeping vines that gradually takes over the entire garden when you're not looking."

The couple exchanged a look and a smile, each reaching for the other's hand. "Thanks, pet. I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"His name isn't what's important, nor is what he's done in the past. All that matters is who he is today, and what he does from now on.

If you think that's morally reprehensible then let me know now before we start trying to work out the seating plan. This is the man I intend to marry and anyone who feels it's their right or their duty to undermine our relationship or him is no true friend of mine. And Xander there's a limit to how often we can have these conversations."

"Buffy," Anya called. "Giles wants to speak to you."

Spike walked back over to the table with Buffy, pulling her down to sit on his lap.

"Hey, Giles. Wanna play dad for a day, huh? Spike's willing to spring for a couple of return tickets. I don't know when it'll be yet. I have to find a clergyman who'll agree to do the ceremony first. I kinda thought I might try that church where I had the fight with Faith. That big long shady entryway was cool. Might look good in the photos.

If you came over early you could help me spend Spike's money. He says I can have anything I want, no expense spared for my special day. So, will ya, pleeeease? Say you'll do it?"

"And to think I was worried that Spike might be taking advantage of you." Giles commented dryly. "If you're sure that this is what you want, then I'll be proud to give you away. I can't say that I'm totally surprised.

Did you say you were planning a church wedding?"

"Uh-huh, and I've got to wait till I can see your face to tell you the rest of what I got him to agree to. Do you think you'll bring Olivia?"

"I think she might be persuaded especially since flying coach would seem inappropriate when the theme of the wedding is no expense spared."

"Definitely inappropriate," confirmed Buffy. "The pseudo father of the bride is far too dignified a position to travel coach."

"Wouldn't have wished a flight that long in coach on my worst enemy even if you hadn't said anything. Besides I have to keep in your good books in case I have to ask you to be best man as well," added Spike.

"What?"

Buffy sighed. "Spike doesn't know if the clergyman will let him have Clem. I mean Spike at least looks human, but people just don't go for the skin condition line."

"Pardon?" said Giles.

"Ooh! You haven't met Clem, have you? Imagine Tara had a sex change and got turned into a demon whose skin was three times her size, now make her bald and a bit more naïve, even if he does cheat at kitten poker and you sort of have Clem. He's a sweetie, but as I say Spike doesn't know if the minister or whatever will agree. I say it would be too squicky for him to have Angel. I mean he's family but even so. It's awkward enough that we have to invite him, and if Dawn's chief bridesmaid then she would refuse to dance with him. So you were the only other guy he would even consider, but we'll get back to you on that. If someone's prepared to marry a vampire why should they bother if the best man's a demon, but I think you might have to sign the register anyway because I don't think Clem's a legal person."

"Speaking of Dawn how is she taking the news. I assume she knows."

"She volunteered to help with the planning but it's just so she can pick her own bridesmaid dress, I think. As far as Spike moving in with us, she's keen. She's probably loved him longer than I have. It'll be good."

The bell over the shop door sounded again and a confused looking delivery boy asked, "anybody here order pizza?"

"That'd be me," Spike pulled some crumpled notes from his duster pocket, checking the denominations before passing a suitable amount to the delivery boy, who continued to gaze transfixed at the shelves of merchandise.

Giles voice sounded from the speaker. "One assumes that the arrival of food will mean the end of any credible conversation. Anya, Xander, once again congratulations. Spike, I'll get back to you or Buffy regarding the matter we discussed. Both of you, take care of each other and tell Dawn I said hello and good bye to you all."

There was a veritable chorus of goodbyes before the connection was cut and the group crowded round the table for pizza, except for Xander who remained at the counter with his tortilla chips, away from food potentially touched by dead hands.

"Oops," said Buffy, "did we forget to tell Giles you guys were back together?" She waved a pizza slice in the general direction of Willow and Tara.

"Sent him an e-mail Saturday afternoon," the redhead smiled. "Of course he probably hasn't managed to wrest it from the infernal dread machine yet."

"Speaking of dread machines, I could use some help picking one. I know those black ones look nice and I know what I want it to be able to do but I've no real idea what specs that means I need. Are you up for taking on the challenge, Red?"

"Sure, the chance to spend someone else's money on electronics and software, fine by me. But have you got a stable power supply in the crypt?"

"Right, the power supply shouldn't be a problem, I'll explain why tonight when Bit's there. I've got to go home and get changed and then do some shopping once I drop Buffy off at work but I'll be over at the house later to cook for Dawn and Buffy. So, if you guys don't mind eating the same stuff I may as well cook for everybody and we can talk about it then."

"Anya, you're good at identifying demons," Buffy returned to her earlier subject. "What sort of demon has."

Anya listened to Buffy's demon description. "That's easy, those are baby Nevlon demons."

Buffy turned between Spike and Anya, "But I thought you said- thought that Nevlons were basically harmless."

"They are," supplied Anya. "They'll eat carrion, but as far as live prey goes even a full grown one will only go for say something like a large rat or small dog at best or worst if you happen to be a small dog."

"But they swarmed all over me and Riley as soon as they hatched," Buffy argued. "It was all we could do to get the little bug. bug-like things off of us and get out in one piece."

"Were either of you actually bitten?"

"No."

"Hmm. It's normal for the mother to carry the babies round on her back, sort of like the way baby swans sit on their mother or father or whatever. But they should only do that if you were producing the right pheromones. If you didn't know what they were doing you might have thought it was an attack."

"Didn't I tell you you used to have terrible taste in men?" Spike smirked.

"How do you get from what Anya just said to me having terrible taste in men?"

"Pet, if you smelled like mommy to those demons it wasn't from the underwear you'd been wearing at DMP, that just had the funky burger smell. So, it had to be on that nice black outfit and I don't think you bought your kevlar breastplate at K-Mart, did you? He set you up, love. Guess he didn't take the break-up as well as you thought," Spike reasoned.

"You don't know the half of it. He offered to kill you. Stood there as if he was doing me a favour. Something about having completed his mission parameters, but having authorisation to take the Doctor out and did I want him to do it, implying it would save me from having to do it myself. The bastard knew you had nothing to do with it. He knocked you round when you couldn't defend yourself and then offered to kill you for me, all just to get his own back at the pair of us."

"Or to cover his own arse if you're right about him and as I recall he wasn't the only one knockin' me around."

"Shit. I am such an idiot. You were right. I just assumed you were lying because it was a human telling me you were."

"That's not true, pet. It's not like I haven't misled you lot in the past, and if he fooled you it's because he's trained to be able to fool people. It's not just about human or demon. I mean you'd take my word over say, Willy's, wouldn't you? Or Clem's word over almost anybody's provided we're not talking poker?"

"But I should have been able to tell at the time you didn't have a clue about the Doctor thing? You didn't, did you?"

"Not the faintest idea what he was going on about at all."

"W-Wait you're saying Riley tried to kill Buffy," came an almost forlorn voice from the counter as Xander was on the way to realising that yet another of his heroes had feet of clay.

"No-o." explained Spike slowly and clearly. "Riley set it up so that Buffy and him presumably would be swarmed by a bunch of basically harmless demons. Since she was expecting something different, something that was lethal the minute they hatched, panicking and blowing up my home or watching while he did it isn't really a reaction I can blame her for. At the least my home was wrecked and Buffy didn't trust me any more so it basically ended what we had going at the time. At best for him Buffy might have killed me herself, failing that she might have taken him up on his offer which no doubt would have given him great personal satisfaction.

They're free and clear to do whatever they want because anyone mentions the Doctor and you're all going to blame me. Sooner or later I wind up dead because the Doctor does something that pushes the boundary just too far.

Buffy thinks him and his bitch are her bestest mates so next time there's some nasty whose bit's'll raise a few bob on the black market running loose in Sunnydale, he can still get her to go find it and kill it for him. Not a bad little plan. Bint must have come up with it. Bit too advanced for the tin soldier."

"Just one thing," said Willow. "Why did you have a bunch of these Nevlon eggs?"

"Nah, wait, before you answer that. Are you saying Riley's a bad guy?" Xander asked, clearly shaken.

Spike groaned loudly. "Will someone either stake me, or explain to Special Ed in words he can understand?

Him and his wife are quite possibly the people who are trading in demons and demon parts.

They set me up to take the blame; incidentally breaking up my relationship with Buffy and at some point sooner or later no doubt I would end up dead. In your book that probably does make them the good guys.

But they were also setting Buffy up to do their work for them as long as she was useful and when it suited them they would probably have framed her too. The next slayer might not have the same personal history with them but hey, if you guys were still helping out, you'd vouch for him. Tell the new kid he was a stand-up guy.

I ended up looking after the eggs because the father, who I happened to know, was supposedly going out of town for a few days. Buffy sort of killed the mother when she tried to defend her nest. So I got stuck holding baby.

Notice how the possible outcomes of the little plot would also appeal to a demon whose mate of seventy years has just been killed by my girlfriend.

By the way, pet, did you ever remotely consider telling me Captain Cardboard was married, let alone to someone who worked in an infirmary."

"Mmm, Nope." Buffy did her I'm cute, don't hurt me grin, the one that becomes less effective for every year over the age of five, but still works when used on a totally besotted male of any species.

"So Riley and his wife are bad guys." Spike resisted the urge to stand up throwing Buffy off his lap and cheer at Xander's grasp of the situation.

"I knew that woman was too good to be true," said Willow. "Remind me to buy a shovel for the next time Riley comes to town. Which reminds me, Spike consider yourself hugged. Congratulations. I hope you'll both be very happy. If you hurt her, you, can of gasoline and your own Zippo."

"Hey, thanks, Red. At least you're more creative than most of the people who threaten me."