Authors Note: Many thanks to Verity Watson for another really helpful beta! Spike POV in italics. Buffy, Spike and the gang do not belong to me. This is just an elaborate attempt to rewrite canon. Any reviews including criticism will be gratefully received.

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Chapter Three

Spike watched intently as Buffy flew into a series of furious kicks, relentless until her opponent hit the deck. She smiled viciously, and followed him to the ground, fists beating against his weak defensive shield of arms.

The stage was unspectacular, a foggy nondescript field, but Buffy was in fine form. Slayer fighting, thing of beauty. Seeing her blows land was almost as good as feeling her hands on him. Just gotta convince her I’m worthy of her hands. Images of her, of them entwined, were confused and blurred with the scene in front of him.

Shit. Suddenly, her opponent got the upper hand and the Slayer was flung into the air. She landed with a thud, and Spike rushed forward.

She quickly recovered, leaping onto her feet, back on the attack. “That’s my girl,” Spike whispered.

Seconds later, her stake tore through the vampire, nailing the kill. Spike was disappointed as the wind picked up, catching her hair and obscuring her face at the vital moment. Still she dashed back in his direction, leaving the shower of dust behind.

“Shame we didn’t run into any Watchers,” he complimented her, reaching for a cigarette.

“We’re leaving. Quickly.” Buffy snatched it from his mouth before he managed to get it to light.

“Hey!” Spike called, but all he got was her back, and it took a few strides to catch up with her. “I needed that.”

“Poor deprived Spike,” Buffy breathed. She whirled on her heel, stopping to face him.

“Making me feel totally deprived here love.” Girls lucky I don’t jump her. Damn I want to.

“And I wouldn’t want to do that,” she said, with eyes wide and innocent.

“You’d just be punishing both of us.”

“Spike-” She swung away from him. He swallowed as their hands brushed.

“Buffy I-” He stopped reluctantly. “What were you going to say?”

“Just is it always so drizzly here?” Her voice was weak and she seemed to be looking anywhere and everywhere but at him.

“Sorry?”

“The weather. I mean, It’s kinda harsh on the footwear.”

His eyes tracked the surrounds, crooked trees and soggy grass. “This part of the world, s’known for the overcast and muddy.”

“I guess.”

“Scrubs up in the summer though.” He stopped. “But that isn’t important.”

“You’re right. Beach hitting weather wouldn’t rescue this excursion. Just way too many mad old men around. Men who have now tried to kill both me and my sister. Still I wish I had boots.”

“Call them Wellies over here.” He could feel his impatience building. Now she won’t let me in. Won’t share what she’s really thinking. And lots of things I’m not saying, not doing.

There was silence. The uncomfortable kind. It lasted until they’d hit proper pavements, and she’d pulled up short. “We’re here.”

“Right.” He grabbed Buffy, halting her progress. “Seen grander tombs, than this house.”

“Which you will be in if you don’t move your hand.”

Thought we were getting past this. “You Slayer, me vampire,” he grunted.

“Uh-huh.”

That’s what gets you off. “You want to discuss tactics before we go in there?”

“Yeah. Keep your mouth shut.”

She stalked off towards the door and missed his over-exaggerated eye roll.

Giles answered, looking frazzled. There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was mussed. “Buffy. And Spike.”

Spike was caught between defensive glaring What is Giles up to? and exuberant gloating, he’s close to Buffy, can see how she feels.

“We’ve had a very exciting evening. Drinks, slayage and most interestingly, we bumped into some of your old friends.” Buffy’s tone seemed casual.

Giles gave them a blank look.

“Watchers mate,” Spike supplied helpfully.

“Oh dear.” Giles pushed the door open wider. “Well, best get inside.”

Spike hit the invisible barrier. “Having a few problems here.”

“Spike hurry up,” Giles snapped.

“So what are they doing here?” Buffy said coldly, as Spike followed her into the hall. “Taking a coincidental holiday in the village of coincidences? ‘Cause I -”

“Did they see you?” Giles interrupted.

“No. Don’t think so,” Spike said. He tried to catch Buffy’s eye, bit of input from her almighty pissed offedness, God she’s bloody marvellous, but she was staring at Giles accusingly. “No acceleration in heartbeat, no stench of fear, or bloodlust,” he continued.

“No trying to decapitate us,” Buffy added.

Spike smirked. “Yeah, and that.”

Giles seemed relieved. “Shall we have some tea? And food. Are you hungry?”

“We need to talk about the Council,” Buffy insisted.

“We can do that over dinner,” Giles said. “You are sure you weren’t spotted.”

“Relatively, but-”

“I’ll make some tea then.” Giles walked off towards the kitchen.

Spike could see the Slayer was itching to follow but for some reason she held back.

Desperation was generally her pretext of bothering with him so he wasn’t surprised when she turned her glance in his direction, her look weary and confused.

“The old man isn’t going to tell you anything he doesn’t want to.”

“And you think I shouldn’t make him?” She seemed incredulous.

“You don’t trust Giles?” Plenty of reason not to, but she was always right fierce about her clan. “But he’s always blindly leading you into danger for good causes.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Meaning you don’t.”

“No, it doesn’t mean that. Maybe I don’t trust me.”

Girl’s mind always did veer in peculiar directions.

“And I definitely don’t trust you.”

“I think you’re safe there love,” Needs to feel like s’all the same. “But I have changed.”

******

“I knew they would arrive at some point.”

Buffy exploded, “You couldn’t have warned me? You know, a ‘Hey Buffy, mind your step, murderous grandfathers on the loose.’”

“I’ll have you know they’re not all that old,” he paused. “Which is completely besides the point.”

“The one that you are going to get to,” Spike cut in. Scooby waffle. Could last for decades.

“What you need to understand about the Council is that they are not a single entity.”

Buffy raised her eyebrows. “Really? They all dress the same.”

“Quite. But despite outward appearances, there are numerous factions, many people with various politics, struggling to the peak of the hierarchy.”

“All of whom seem keen on wanting me to suffer.”

“But they have different motivations for it.”

“Great. Finding new reasons to torment me must be a fun hobby, glad there’s so much uptake.”

“Look Buffy. I didn’t expect them this early.”

“Odd that you expected them at all.”

“We don’t need your input Spike,” Giles sounded annoyed, and turned to face Buffy. “In retrospect I should have told you more, but I was going to elaborate at a later date. I wanted to know more about what was going on before we discussed this.”

“It isn’t good enough Giles.” Has that look in his eye now. The must appease Buffy. Get it all the time myself.

“I haven’t been entirely forthcoming, but I wouldn’t completely lie to you.”

Spike watched her face. The girl doesn’t believe in her old man anymore.

“They want Dawn. Not the entire Council, but that group specifically.”

“Why?” Buffy demanded.

“I don’t know.”

Spike looked directly at him. “You sure?”

“I’m sure,” Giles snapped. “I was approached by one of them with a proposition. They said that if I delivered Dawn I would be given a place in their new order.”

“Too much Star Trek can do bad things,” Buffy muttered. “And they believed that you would?”

“People are limited in their vision, they very often generalise their own aspirations to those of others. Many of these members are new and uninformed. They know I am your Watcher, yes, but they don’t understand what it actually means to be your Watcher.”

Plausible. Still hiding something though. “Now they’re here.”

“I picked this house because I was tipped off that they would be arriving shortly. The best chance we have of stopping them is to be here and lock them down. Find out what they are doing.”

“What they want the bit for.”

“Wait, you said you were tipped off,” Buffy said.

“Yes, and the information was correct. However, I don’t know exactly where they are staying.”

“Who told you?” Buffy pressed.

Spike noticed Giles panic. Just briefly, but it was there. “Come on, truth time.”

Giles didn’t look angry at his interruption this time. Just resigned.

“It was Travers.” Giles removed his glasses. “Travers ordered me to find them. And stop them, at all costs.”