A/N: A huge thank you to Luxferi for being my beta, and sorting out the mess that was this chapter. You're the best sweetie!

* * *


Angelus wasn’t satisfied. He hadn’t had a good kill in a hundred years and he was eager to get back into his old ways. He had fed on three teens just an hour ago but he could still feel the taste of pig’s blood in his mouth and it taunted him.

If it wasn’t for that slayer bitch, he wouldn’t have been as much of an embarrassment to his own kind as he was now. He hated to admit it, but Spike was right; she had humiliated him. It was time to pay her back; in blood.

Angelus knew everything there was to know about the destruction of a human being. How to make them weak, how to make them tremble in fear, to scream in pain. But a Slayer? She had power. But she also had darkness in her, he could sense it, just below the surface. Angelus longed for the chance to bring it out, and then: to make her suffer.

He had thought of everything: how he was going to pick her friends off one by one, maybe leave one out, make the Slayer watch while he raped her. He wanted to drive her insane. But so far things hadn’t gone as planned. Joyce, the Slayer’s mother whom he had chosen as the first victim, preferably lying dead in the kitchen when the Slayer came home, hadn’t let him in so that he could fulfill his plans.

When Angelus sensed the Slayer approaching from his spot in the front yard of Revello Drive 1630, he thought that things may turn out just as good. Something he’d learned over the years was that the fear of what was to come, sometimes was worse than the deed itself. He smiled to himself and leaned casually against a tree on the well-mowed lawn. He could wait.

* * *

Buffy stood frozen in place on the sidewalk just outside her home. The figure before her walked slowly up to her, dangerously close. Buffy remained still. As he came near her, the street lamp above them shone its light over the vampire’s face and Buffy was surprised at what she saw. His face was badly beaten. For a second Buffy forgot about the reality of the situation and she wondered who had messed him up so badly. She felt sorry for him. A second later she remembered that this wasn’t her brooding almost-boyfriend. She felt the terror come back and it hit her hard in the face. He wanted to kill her.

”What do you want?” she asked coldly.

”Oh come on, none of that. I know we got off on the wrong foot this morning, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.”

”Don’t bother.”

”Still mad, baby?”

”I know what you are. You’re not him. You’re not Angel.”

”I am Angel, pumpkin. Your boyfriend’s long gone. Better get used to it.”

”I won’t have to.”

”Oh, I think you will.”

”I’ll kill you.”

He laughed at her mockingly. She tried to punch him in the face but he blocked her fist easily and held on to her wrist.

”You know, I spoke to your mother today.”

Buffy looked panicked at her house and back to the vampire in front of her. *No! No, no, no. Not her!* She twisted out of his hold and ran towards the front door, on the verge of tears.

”Smart woman, knows what’s best for her. But don’t worry, we’ll meet up another time. Darla told me she was a real treat!”

As if on cue, Buffy saw her mother go through the well lit living room inside the house and she let out a breath of relief. But she soon turned mad, spun around and walked back up to Angelus.

”Don’t you ever come near my mother again,” she growled dangerously as she looked at him straight in the eye. She turned her back on him and walked, shaking, but with determined steps back to her house.

It’s not the smartest thing to turn your back on your enemy, but Buffy didn’t care. She was not going to make Angelus think that she was afraid of him. He would not get that pleasure.

”We’ll see about that, little girl. Things are about to get very interesting.”

* * *

”Mom!” Buffy shouted as she opened the front door.

”Hi honey, did Willow make it home all right?”

”Yeah, mom, are you okay?” Buffy asked as she entered the living room where Joyce was lying on the sofa, a cup of tea in her hand, watching some bad soap.

”I’m just tired hun, we had a busy day at the gallery today, a new shipment from France came in, did I tell you that? There are some really nice sculptures in the spare bedroom, if you would like to see.”

”No, that’s okay. Mom, did Angel come over?”

”Your tutor in history?”

”Eh…” It took some time for Buffy to understand what she was asking. It dawned on her that her mother had only met Angel on one occasion; when she had invited him to her place after a bad fight to patch up. The white lie that Angel was her tutor seemed to have stayed with her mother. Buffy went with it. ”Yeah! That’s him.”

”He was here just a minute ago, seemed really eager to see you. Wanted me to invite him in to wait for you, but I thought it was late, you can see him tomorrow can’t you?”

”No!”

”Buffy?” Joyce questioned and frowned a little at Buffy’s outburst.

”He- we had a fight! I don’t want to see him again, ever! Okay? Don’t let him in!”

”Sure hun, but don’t you think you’re overreacting? Shouldn’t you two work it out?”

”Mom! I’m saying I don’t want to meet the older, possibly dangerous college boy, and you’re objecting? What kind of mom are you?!”

Joyce smiled kindly at her daughter. ”I’ll tell him to stay away if I see him.”

”No, don’t! Look, I’ll take care of it okay? Just don’t invite him in.”

”Sure, honey.”

”I’m beat. I’m just gonna go to bed.”

”Already? Okay, goodnight then honey.”

Buffy walked up the stairs and didn’t even bother to brush her teeth before she slipped into her pyjamas and into her bed.

She couldn’t believe that it was just this morning that she had come home from Angel’s place in tears. It felt like so long ago, so much had happened. Just as Buffy was starting to drift off into sleep, when there was a loud knock on her bedroom window. She sat up reluctantly.

”Angel?” she asked, before she realized that Angel wouldn’t pay her any nightly visits any more, not of the good kind anyway. Not that there ever had been any of the good kind, a kiss at the most. And those times, Buffy could count with one hand. She sighed. There was no one outside the window. She fell back onto the bed, and closed her eyes.

Another bang, a stone thrown on the pane of glass, and then another. Buffy sat up again, muttered to herself but went over to the window. She opened it and looked out.

”Come down here, you stupid cow!”

”Spike?” Buffy asked incredulously. He was indeed standing in her backyard. ”Did you just call me a cow?”

”You heard me Blondie! Come down here!”

”Shh! My mother will hear! I’m coming!” Buffy hissed and climbed out of the window, still in her pj’s, and jumped gracefully down on the ground beside him.

”This is all your bloody fault, Slayer!”

”Wait, what now?” Bufy frowned. ”Are you going to blame me every time you’ve got a problem?”

”Every time you’re responsible!”

The truth was, Spike wasn’t sure why he had gone to see the Slayer. He had been pacing the factory impatiently the whole day, fuming, until he couldn’t take it any more. Fortunately for Spike, Angelus had gone out at the same time, which meant he didn’t need to worry about leaving his sire in that bastard’s hands again. At the moment the only thing Spike was sure of was that his princess had been unfaithful with Angelus and that he needed someone to blame. The Slayer happened to be that perfect someone.

”Right”

”It’s your fault the bloody Poofter is reformed!”

”Haven’t we done this thing already?”

”Guess the ninny was right about you all along, you can’t keep your hands off the goodies! You had to go and shag that nancyboy, only thinkin’ about yourself-”

”Hey!” Buffy objected, but Spike kept going.

”Guess he couldn’t take it, eh? Hadn’t had much play in the last centuries, I get that, but maybe it was you? Maybe he finally realized that you were a waste of time, and got over that whole soul-deal.”

”That’s not-!” Buffy stopped herself. She wasn’t in the mood to start arguing with Spike. ”You know what? You’re out of your mind.”

”Says the girl who was locked in the loony-bin!”

She sighed. ”What’s your point, Spike?”

”I’m saying it’s your bloody fault! Yours and the Poofter! Mucking up everything! Me and Dru could have been on our merry way to Brazil by now! Now, I can hardly get Captain Forehead, the evil version, off our backs!”

”And…?”

”You’re the Slayer, do your thing: slay!”

”You want me to slay Angelus?”

”Yeah!”

”It’s not that simple.”

”I say we make it that simple.”

”’We’? Are you offering to help?” Buffy said disbelievingly.

”No.” Spike looked almost embarrased. Why had he said ’we’? This wasn’t his problem. ”I’m a vampire. I don’t…help, but I guess that’s what Peaches did, wasn’t it? Help?”

”Yeah, it was. But I can’t ask him to kill himself, can I?”

”Oh, that would been neat!”

”Yeah.” Buffy smiled.

There was a moment of silence. Spike had forgotten why he was mad at the slayer, or maybe he’d figured out he didn’t have any reason for being mad at the her, other than the obvious: her status as the chosen one.

”He came by today,” Buffy said finally. ”Threatened my mom.”

”Yeah?”

”He’s serious isn’t he? Not just the regular demon that’s all talk?”

”Afraid so, pet.”

”How did things get this messed up? Seriously?”

”Well, I think it started with you jumping that brooding sod’s bones-”

”You just can’t stop thinking about that, can you?”

”Nope. I mean, who on earth would want-”

”You told me to-”

”I told you to? You shagged him, because I told you to? So if I told you to shag that watcher of yours would you do it, too?”

”Eww! Can you be more gross?”

”Hmm…lets’ see, I think I can. Wanna know how?”

”No.”

He chuckled as he saw her cheeks turn pink. He was right when he said this chit had a dirty mind. No doubt about that.

”Why do you even care about Angelus?” Buffy changed the subject.

”Why? Why do you care?”

”Me? Because I’m the Slayer.”

”And?”

”And it’s my job to take care of demons.”

”Your job?" Spike snorted. "That doesn’t make you care.”

”I’m human! I care if he kills someone... I don’t know! Why do you care?”

”Told you, I don’t want him around Dru. He’s been souled for a hundred years and all of a sudden he comes back and act like he’s the manly man.” He snorted. ”’Daddy’…”

”Wait. Did you, did you fight him? Like, today?”

”What about it?”

”You did, didn’t you! He was all bruised!”

”Yeah. Got a couple of good shots,” Spike bragged. ”Made him turn all black and blue.”

”Why did you punch him? Wait. It was her wasn’t it? She cheated on you, Drusilla, with him!”

Buffy was feeling very good with herself. She wasn’t a people person, she couldn’t read people, but she trusted her intuition. This time she knew she was right.

”No she didn’t.”

”Yes she did! Oh my god! That’s-”

”Shut your bloody gob, slayer! Don’t talk about things you know nothing about! You’re just one self-centered little cheerleader, who can’t stop crying long enough to save the world! You’re just mad cos your loverboy’s gone evil, and I’ve been with my girl for a lifetime! You’re jealous!”

”Jealous?” Buffy laughed. That had to be the worst comeback ever. ”Please! Where is Dru now, Spike? Where was Dru when I met you in San Francisco? Huh? Where was Dru when you kissed me?”

”Did not!”

”Did too!”

”Fine! So what if you’re right? Eh? Satisfied? Cos god knows you need more satisfaction in your life besides that one-timer with Captain Forehead, and…I never really like you anyway, and…And you’ve got stupid hair!”

Spike could feel the words go dry in his mouth, but it was too late. He spat out what was left and it wasn’t something to be proud of. He was usually inventive when it came to smart insults, but this time he had run out of things to say. He was horrified, and decided to run before he said something even more pathetic.

Buffy frowned and watched as he spun around and left her backyard with his duster billowing around his legs. She had thought that the weird day was over. She was wrong. She called him back.

”Spike!”

Spike was just about to disappear from her view when he stopped. He didn’t turn around to look at her, but she’d gotten his attention.

”You shouldn’t let her do that.”

There was a moment of silence before curiosity got the best of him. He turned around and looked at her.

”Do what?”

”You shouldn’t let her cheat on you.”

He chuckled. ”And what makes you think I do?”

Buffy couldn’t help but smile at that and she earned a smile from Spike in return, a small friendly one, almost boyish, before he turned around and disappeared into the night.






A/N: Please let me know what you think of this chapter. It gave me some problems when I wrote it...