Disclaimer: Joss said to write fan fic...so that’s what I’m doing.

Author‘s note: If you haven’t seen School Hard, you might be a little lost. Which begs the question...Why haven’t you seen School Hard? Quotes from the Episode School Hard. Thanks to all my reviewers!
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Her dad had dropped her off at her mom’s house with a huff, threatening that if she didn’t change her attitude soon she was going to have to forget about the birthday ice show this year.

She could understand where her dad was coming from, sorta. It wasn’t like her parents were really prepared to have their valley girl daughter start killing vampires and burning down school gyms, and listening to punk music. It was the last one that really got to them, after all, the other two, not so much with the acceptance, especially now that she was out of the institution. Boy was that a mistake. If she could give new slayers one piece of advice it would be not to tell the parentals. Parents never understood mystical destinies.

The quest now was to find a new school for her in LA. She had interviewed at a couple of private schools, even a private girls school with uniforms and kilts, but they wouldn’t take her. Buffy Summers was a pariah in the LA educational system.

Not that she minded. It was the fact that her dad seemed to be punishing her for something he didn’t understand and she couldn’t control that got to her. All of her friends had abandoned her. It was either the punkness or the fighting that turned them away. Even the Goth kids at Hemery had steered clear of her, probably because she had been the Fiesta Queen and a cheerleader.

Buffy collapsed on her bed and grabbed Mr Gordo for comfort. Her mom was even thinking about moving away from LA, just so that she could go to school. Not that Buffy had anything to stay in LA for...even her watcher was dead.

It was thinking about Merrick that finally got Buffy crying. With all the crap that had been going on in her life, loosing the one man that believed her and in her was the roughest part. She could only hope that if/when Spike came back for her, he would understand too. She would hate keeping things from him. She didn’t know how or why but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Every day, it was ’would Spike like this?’ or ’I wonder what Spike’s doing now?’ It was crazy to think that this had all started just after Spike left for Prague. The usually Geography challenged blond had even looked up where Prague was on the map, just to be able to know how far away he was from her.

“Buffy! Phone!” her mom called from the living room.

Buffy rolled over and grabbed the portable phone that was sitting on her night stand. She sat up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her black eyeliner had smeared and her nose was red. Buffy hit the ‘talk’ button on the phone before realising the music she was playing was too loud to hear her caller.

Buffy turned down the music and tried again.

“Sorry about that,” she murmured into the phone.

“Discovered the beauty of Radiohead, did we Goldilocks?” came the sexy British voice from the other end.

“Spike!” she said happily. “Oh my god, it’s been forever!”

“I know pet, how’ve you been?”

“Missing you, being miserable.”

“I miss you too, Goldilocks. Keep thinking about that night we spent together.”

“Me too.”

“Been keeping busy though? Improving your musical tastes I see”

“Yeah, burnt down a school gym, got kicked out of school, thinking about getting my tongue pierced...”

“Goldilocks is a hell raiser then, I like that.”

“You won’t be back before the end of January will you?” Buffy started worrying one of her black painted nails

“Doesn’t look like it Goldilocks, why?”

Buffy shook her head. “Never mind, not important, you should stay there, your mom needs you.”

“Sometimes I think you need me more love,”

“No,” she sniffed, sitting straight and smearing her eyeliner more, “Family comes first, I understand that, just wish that...”

“What?”

“My Dad, says I need to change my attitude”

Spike laughed on the other end of the line, “I like your attitude Goldilocks”

She brightened at that.

“I haven’t asked you how you are over there, in Prague.”

“Just dandy, Dru’s got the whole group of us planning for a party...again.”

“Sounds fun.” she said sadly. “I miss you”

“I know luv,”

“Buffy! It’s late! Get off the phone and go to bed!” yelled her mom.

“Spike, I’ve got to go. Will you call back soon?”

“Sure pet,”

“Ok,” she sniffed, “Goodnight, and Spike?”

“Ya, pet?”

“I...I love you” she said quietly, squeezing her eyes shut.

“I wish I could kiss you love,”

“Buffy!” shouted her mother.

“K, I’ve got to go. Bye Spike”

“Goodnight, Goldilocks”

Buffy hung up the phone and started crying again.
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“And I don’t know what possessed you to start wearing what you’ve been wearing lately!” ranted her mother. “When we move to Sunnydale, I just hope that you can get your life back together the way it was before all the bad things started happening.”

Buffy didn’t want to move to Sunnydale, Spike didn’t know she would be in Sunnydale.

“Why can’t everything be like it was before this mess started?”

Cause I’m the slayer mom, a slayer who doesn’t have a watcher, but still a slayer, she thought.

“Can you try Buffy? Please? For my sake?”

Buffy nodded her head. Once she moved to Sunnydale, Spike wouldn’t know where she was. She could leave the Slayer behind her, and move on. Buffy looked down at her Ramones vintage Tee and the cargo pants which she was wearing, and all the chains that were hanging from them. She wouldn’t throw them away. But maybe pretending wasn’t a bad thing after all.
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French sucked, it was official. Hate French! Buffy whined to herself while Willow was trying to help her. Any help she could offer was useless. Buffy was convinced she’d have to repeat French. Buffy took a look around the Bronze. Nope no vampires. All was well with the world. Well not really but Buffy could pretend. She was good at pretending that everything was ok. She was good at being a Vampire Slayer. Just like she had been good at being, well, Cordelia, at Hemery, before the slaying, before Spike. Buffy inwardly sighed as she looked at the foreign language in front of her. Obviously French was like Calculus, a skill she did not need, French was what Giles was for. Wonder if Spike knows French.

Buffy tried to focus on what Willow was saying. Nope useless. I wonder if Angel is going to show? She asked herself, traitorous brain! Angel was nice, tall dark and handsome, broody, true, and in so many ways not her ideal man, being a vampire and all. Even after all this time she still loved Spike. Angel was just here, Spike was god knows where. He had phoned a couple of times when she had still lived in LA but he didn’t know that she had moved to Sunnydale. She had even thought about looking up his great grandmother to see if she could get a message to him, but there had been no Darla Aurelius in the phone book.

Willow snapped her out of her reverie making her say some stuff in French.

“La vache... doit me... touche... de la... jeudi,” said Buffy hesitantly looking at Willow. “Was it wrong? Should I use the plural?”

“No. But you said, 'The cow should touch me from Thursday.'“ said her friend.

“Maybe that's what I was feeling.”

“And you said it wrong.”

“Oh, je stink.” Yep the French suckage was official.

“You're just not focused. It's Angel missage.” offered Willow.

Yeah right, thought Buffy. It was a problem. She couldn’t get into Angel as much as she wanted to. There was something fundamentally off putting about him. She had felt the attraction sure, but after that, the kissing, the screaming, it was all so...so...what’s the word...not Spike, not easy. And she’d tried, really! The trying, it could be categorized as fun, but too much effort. Spike had been so easy to fall in love with. Love at first, well not first sight, maybe second sight.

“Well, he didn't say for sure. It was a 'maybe see ya there' kinda deal.” supplied Buffy.

She had never told Willow about Spike. It wasn’t like she didn’t feel that Willow wouldn’t understand, but even she had trouble understanding why after over a year she was still waiting for the much older than her, hottie with the British accent whom she barely knew, to come back to her. And as much as she had pretended, since she arrived in Sunnydale, it was hard not to revert back into what she had been, especially after Giles so rudely dropped that book on vampires at her, her first day of school. So now, a little over a half a year later, she was secretly wishing that Spike would show up, that Punk would be in, and that she wouldn’t have to pretend all the leather was for slaying.

Her mind had hopelessly drifted from the dreaded French. Luckily, Buffy was saved by the wonderfulness that was Xander and his suggestion to dance instead of studying. Dancing was so much better than French.
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Spike entered the Bronze on the hunt for the Slayer. He’d been given a bad description; blonde, yay high, not much to go on really. He was told that she was here at this place tonight though. Minions were handy when you didn’t want to run all over town. Anything was better than staying in the factory with the Annoying One. Even Dru was getting on his nerves lately. Ever since he had returned to her, their relationship had changed. She had started talking about taking another Childe herself, but was waiting for the stars to let her know when was the best time. Or some such rot.

He stalked the dance floor looking for the girl who would be his third slayer. Mid prowl he stopped. No, it couldn’t be, he thought as he gazed on the dancing form of his little Goldilocks moving to the beat with a boy and a red head girl.

He had lost track of Buffy more than six months ago. He had phoned her house in LA to find that the number had been disconnected. At the time all sorts of nasty scenarios drifted through his mind, fearing the worst. And now here she was, on the Hellmouth. Still beautiful, but now had a confidence about her that intrigued him more. He had made the right decision to let her grow up after all. He was almost giddy with happiness. Almost, but definitely not, the Big Bad was not giddy.

Dancing not too far away from Buffy was another blond girl, that Spike assumed was the Slayer. She had to be. He was getting all sorts of vibes from that general direction. Walking a little closer but keeping to the shadows he prepared his move. Getting to Buffy would be a piece of cake now that he knew where she was. She was his, his thrall over her would still work. Wouldn’t it? Just needed to get this slayer problem out of the way first.

Spike sauntered over the bar and to one of the Anointed one’s minions.

“Go get something to eat.” said the master vampire.

Spike walked back over to the dance floor keeping his back to Buffy.

“Where's the phone? I need to call the police. There's some big guy out there trying to bite somebody.” said Spike loudly enough for half the dance floor to hear him. He just hoped that Buffy didn’t think it was him immediately and start searching him out. He really didn’t need the added hassle of protecting her from minions and misguided slayers.

Without looking back at Buffy he strode out of the club and out to the back alley, keeping to the shadows, to watch the Slayer work. He was not prepared for what he saw.

The minion, incompetent git that he was, had a young woman at his mercy in the alley. Spike’s attention on the minion and his meal reminded him that he needed to pick up take out for Dru, poor thing hadn’t been eating properly. Just as the minion was going in for the bite a flash of blond hair pulled him back. Unprepared, the idiot hit the floor.

“Slayer!” said the minion as he got to his feet.

“Slayee!” responded the blonde.

In the shadows Spike let his jaw drop. His thinking about Dru and the take out had distracted him for the briefest of seconds, only to miss the arrival of the slayer. It was Buffy who was the slayer. His Buffy. He watched her fight, shocked. After a few moments Spike realised that he had rarely seen another being fight with such ingenuity and style. Maybe that Slayer in ‘77, or that Chinese Kung Fu master he had known (and eaten) at the turn of the century. Spike cringed as Buffy hit the garage style door high and hard, having been thrown by the Annoying One‘s minion. Buffy fell to the ground, but got up, recovering quickly. The minion swung at her again, but she ducked and he hit the metal door with his fist.

A different flash of movement caught Spike’s eye. The children she had been dancing with, the boy and the red head, rushed into the alley. Buffy blocked the vampire's punch and held on to his arm. She looked behind her at her friends.

“Get her out of here!” shouted Buffy, meaning the girl she had just saved.

Buffy turned her attention back to punching the vampire repeatedly in the face. The red head pulled the minions former meal away and out of danger.

“And a ... stake... would be...nice!” shouted Buffy to the rhythm of her punches.

The boy ran back into the club, leaving Buffy to deal with the minion herself. She was a good little fighter, noted Spike to himself, graceful, like a dancer. And her little friends knew she was the slayer. That was something new. No slayer he had ever met with had friends or family who knew, to his knowledge anyway. Buffy punched the vampire's face again and then took aim at his chest. The wily minion got loose from her and landed a punch in her face. Spike balled his fists as he saw her go down, lying stunned on the ground. The vampire loomed over her.

“I don't need to wait for St. Vigeous. You're mine.” crowed the minion.

Spike let a low growl out, and shifted into game face, realising for the first time that he could not smell his mark on her anymore. Something else must have gotten a piece of her while he had been gone. No mere minion would have ever said something like that if his mark was still fresh on her, especially a minion from his own order.

The minion bent down to finish the job, but was stopped by a foot to the face. He staggered backward as she got up on her feet.

“Spike! Gimme a hand!” shouted the minion.

Bloody wanker! cursed Spike, but it was too late. Buffy had looked in his direction. He could see the look of recognition in her face, but she was interrupted from any action by the boy’s return.

“Buffy!” the boy said as he threw her a stake.

“Willow! Xander, Get out of here!” shouted the slayer. Dutifully, her friends fled the scene.

In a simple beauty, Buffy caught the stake in mid air and plunged the shaft of wood into the chest of the stupid minion. The idea that this vamp had survived since the time of the crucifixion was a joke. As the minion fell to ash, Spike couldn’t help but clap. The fight had been beautiful. He shook off his game face, which he hadn’t realised had come up, and stepped out of the shadows.

“Nice work, Goldilocks.” said Spike casually.

“Oh my god! Spike?” Buffy looked like she had seen a ghost.

“I told you I would come back for you, pet. I always keep my promises.” Spike stepped carefully closer to her.

“I’m hallucinating.” she said as she shook her head to clear the images her eyes displayed.

“No, you’re not, Buffy.”

She was beautiful, she hadn’t changed much since he last saw her, but had acquired something that made him want her even more and oh how he wanted her. The tightness in his pants attested to that fact.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” she started to cry.

“Oh, luv, don’t cry. Can’t stand it when you cry,” he said approaching her, but careful to stay out of arms reach. If she was the slayer then there was no telling what she would do when she realised that he was a vampire. Which begged the question, why hadn’t she?

“Happy tears. I missed you so much.” she tried to smile.

“I missed you too.”

“How did you find me? I didn’t tell you I was moving the last time we talked on the phone.”

“Didn’t know you were here pet, glad you are though.” He stopped moving a couple of feet from her.

Buffy leaned in and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck, planting kisses all over his face. Buffy dropped her stake and found herself pressed up against the wall.

Once Buffy had dropped her stake, Spike let his emotions take over.

“Buffy, missed you so much, Goldilocks, thought I’d burst without you. Make you mine again.”

“Oh yes, Spike, please, been so long, need you.” she whimpered.

They manoeuvred themselves into the shadows and within seconds he had divested her of her pants and was poised at her glistening entrance.

“Spike... in me...now.“ she panted between kisses, sliding her hands up and down his leather coated arms.

The chit had gotten bossy since he last saw her.

Spike desperately wanted to bite her but he didn’t really want to expose himself so blatantly. He was shocked that she hadn’t said anything yet. Slayers were supposed to be able to tell a vampire from normal people. He kissed her neck desperately. He was proud of himself that he didn’t growl too loudly when his lips passed over where his mark had been, and now the mark of , he sniffed the mark... The Master... was clearly visible.

Spike slid in effortlessly into her, and she wrapped her legs around him, grinding her pelvis into his. He groaned at how tight she was, revelling in the fact that this was only her second time and that she was his. It didn’t take long before he was pounding her pussy with a ferocity of a man who hadn’t gotten any for a year and a half.

Buffy gasped at how rough he was pounding into her. A normal girl would have been crushed at his ferocity. Biting her lip, Buffy squeezed her internal muscles, causing Spike to groan. Being in an alley, Buffy fought hard not to vocalise her delight that Spike was fucking her. She found his mouth and thrust her tongue past his lips. He tasted like cigarettes and beer.

Buffy moaned as her lover thrust into her over and over.

“Missed you so much, Spike, never stop.”

“God, Goldilocks, so lush, so tight.”

Buffy screamed her pleasure as she came violently. She licked his neck seductively, and smiled when he roared his completion.
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They were sitting in Buffy’s living room an hour later, staring at each other, knowing a lot had to be said. Her mom was out of town on a buying trip, but would be home the next day. Parent teacher night was Thursday. St Vigeous was Saturday, and Spike, her Spike was a vampire. Guess the powers that be decided her life wasn’t complicated enough.

“Would you like something to drink? We’ve got water, ginger ale, milk, OJ and Dr Pepper.” Blood?

“I’m good pet”

“K”

They sat in silence for a few moments before Buffy just couldn’t take it any more. There was no way she was going to come up with a good way to start this conversation.

“Spike, love you, missed you, very much of the ecstatic that you’re here, but, and don’t take this the wrong way, how long have you been a vampire?”

Spike exhaled loudly. “Hundred and seventeen years.”

A look of total shock and betrayal passed over her face. “So you were vampy in LA...”

“Yep.” he admitted.

There was a long awkward pause as they both struggled to think of something to say.

“Do you love me?” she whispered.

“Yes, you will never know how bloody much.”

“Is that why you didn’t kill me? Cause you love me?”

“No.”

“Huh?” Buffy’s forehead crinkled in the cute way that it did when she was puzzled.

“I wanted you to grow up, before I turned you. Wanted to spend an eternity with you, Goldilocks.”

Spike got up and started pacing the room.

Buffy stopped breathing for a second or two. She should be shocked, she should be outraged, she should want to kill him, but she didn‘t. She just wanted to cry. He‘s a vampire for god‘s sake!!! “And now?”

“Well everything has changed. You’re the Slayer Buffy!”

“I’m the Slayer,” stated Buffy sadly. “You lied about everything else when we were in LA”

“No!” he stopped and turned to look at her, “Not true, never really told you a lie.”

“All that crap about finding your family, girl friend who’d broken your heart?”

“All true.”

“Spike...Aurelius. I should have put two and two together. Stupid Giles for pronouncing it different. Darla...she was your great grandsire, you were here for three weeks to see her.”

“I was”

“She’s dust.”

“I know, I felt it.”

“The Master too...I killed him.”

“That’s what Slayers do luv,”

“I know.”

There was a long pause again and Spike knelt down in front of her.

“The marks on my neck, from that night in the alley, that was you wasn’t it?” she asked, her hands feeling the marks that resided there now.

“Yes. Marked you as mine, no Vampire except an elder of my line could drink you.”

“The Master bit over your mark Spike.”

“I guess you are free then.” he said sadly with resignation.

He was angry, he was sad. The master had bitten over his marks, and she had killed him. The words dug deep into his mind. She wasn’t his anymore.

“I’ve never been free. I’m still the Slayer, I have an expiration date,” said Buffy sadly. “Ever since I read that note you left me, before I was told I was the slayer, I knew that I was yours.”

Buffy got up, pushed him to sit on the couch and sat on his lap, straddling him. No matter what she tried she couldn’t be angry with him. If anything she was angry at The Master for biting over his mark. Looking at his sad face she made a decision and took her fate into her own hands.

“How old were you going to let me get before you turned me Spike?”

“Don’t know, nineteen or twenty. Hadn‘t really given it much thought” Might as well be honest here, she’s gonna stake you now you stupid git.

“Got a few years to go then,” Buffy tilted her neck, “Make me yours again.” She looked into his eyes, begging him to do it.

He was overwhelmed by the sadness radiating off of her. For the unlife of him he couldn’t understand. Why would his radiant Goldilocks ask to be marked? He desperately wanted to know what was going on in her head.

“Buffy?” he asked carefully, eyeing her lovely neck.

“Please, do it, I don’t want to feel alone again. Don’t leave me again.”

Spike began kissing her neck before sinking his fangs into her ivory skin. He took three pulls of her blood and then licked the wound closed.

“You will be my childe,” he whispered, “and I will be your sire, teach you the ways of our line and add glory to the name Aurelius.”

Buffy leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He was back. He made her whole and there was no way she was letting him go again.

“I missed you so much.”

“Missed you too Goldilocks. I think it’s time we do a little catching up. When did you get to be the Slayer?”

Buffy laughed “ Three days after you left.” Buffy sighed. “ I’m never letting you go.”

“Might have some problems with that luv, I’m supposed to kill you on Saturday.”

Buffy pulled back and gave him a look of disbelief.

“I won’t, but I agreed to this before I know you were the Slayer, Goldilocks.”

Buffy laughed. “Ironic isn’t it, that you would choose a Slayer for your childe, that I would be madly in love with a Master Vampire.”

“Bloody pathetic is what it is luv.”
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Later in the Library Giles was trying to impress upon her the dire circumstance of St. Vigeous, and frankly it was seriously boring.

“Giles! I’ve got the whole thing under control.”

“You aren’t taking this seriously, Buffy. Vampires under the command of the Anointed One are trying to kill you.”

“I know! I know! Parent teacher stuff first Giles! I can’t get kicked out of school.”

“If only we knew what the Anointed One was planning,” said Giles.

“There’s a new master vampire in town,” came Angel’s voice from the stacks.

“Can we get him a bell, please?” said Xander pointing at Angel.

“Name’s Spike, he’s working with the Anointed One. He’s dangerous, obsessive,” continued Angel.

“This Spike guys a bad news bear,” said Willow.

“Why would this Spike so eagerly ally himself with the Anointed One?” asked Giles.

Buffy yawned.

“He’s got a thing for family,” came Angel’s reply.

“The Anointed One is like his brother or something?“ asked Xander.

Buffy snorted.

“Buffy this information could very well save your life,” chastised Giles.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “I really don’t think Angel can tell me much that I don’t already know about Spike.”

“Whoa, harsh much Buff. I mean that’s Angel you are talking to.. wait, continue,” said Xander with a smile on his face.

“I know, I’m sorry Angel. It’s just that, I know that I’m not gonna die on Saturday,” said Buffy “Ever had a fifties song just pop into your head? My boyfriend’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble, hay la hay la, my boyfriend’s back...” sang Buffy.

Willow’s eyes got real big as the realization hit her.

“No way!” exclaimed the red head, “He’s...No!... Really?”

“Yes way.”

“God Buffy... Did you know? I mean, it was before.”

“Nope found out tonight. Didn’t change a thing, well except that I knew and well he knew. Talk about majorly wigged conversation though.”

“Hold on, just one minute,” exclaimed Giles, “Would either of you care to explain what just was discussed here?”

“Na, it’s too fun freakin’ everyone out,” giggled Buffy.

“It’s kinda important Buffy, Giles should know, he is your watcher,” said Willow.

“Oh ok,” Buffy sat down in her chair with a sigh, “Can I impress you all with my fabulous vampire knowledge though? The vampire in question, Spike, also known as William the Bloody, sired in 1880, by Drusilla childe of Angel here, who was sired by Darla, who was sired by The Master. So the Anointed One is actually Spike’s great, great uncle.”

“Spike is your Childer?” Giles asked Angel.

“Yes,” replied Angel, “Buffy how do you know all that?”

“Spike has never taken a childe, he feels very strongly about his family, except for some reason, he doesn’t like you very much Angel, probably has something to do with the soul. Spike has killed two slayers to date, one in 1900 in china and one in 1977 in New York.”

“She’s like a vampire encyclopaedia,” whispered Willow awed.

“In 1996 Spike was told by Drusilla that it was time for him to carry on the Aurelius family. During his journey he stopped in New York to see you Angel, then went LA trying to track down Darla. While in LA he chose the girl he would turn as his childe, but he wanted her to grow up. He marked her and told her he would come back for her. That girl has been in love with him ever since, although she didn’t know he was a vampire at the time. Well last night her came back to her.” Buffy looked at the clock. “Oh Crap, excuse me, must change.”

Buffy returned to the Library in under fifteen minutes, the look of puzzlement was still on the faces of the men in the room. Buffy really wondered exactly how dense Angel was. Buffy was now dressed in Clothes she had wanted to where in public for a long time; knee high doc martins, red and black plaid skirt, thigh high striped socks, tight black baby tee, layers of bracelets and a spiked dog collar around her neck.

“Holy dog collar, Batman,” exclaimed Xander, “ It’s Punk Princess Buffy.”

“Ok back to the Spike info. I realized that I had left a few things out. Spike is a dead ringer for Billy idol, he’s drop dead gorgeous, completely drool worthy.”

“You’ve met Spike?” asked Angel.

“Come on Peaches! can’t you smell it from here?” exclaimed Buffy. “That little story I told you? That was me!” Buffy pulled her hair back to expose her neck and Spike’s mark. “Spike won’t kill me until he wants me turned. I’m safe until I’m nineteen, no worries, only Dru and Angel can kill me and I figure Dru wants me turned and Angel is all soul having.”

“Good lord Buffy this is ridiculous!” shouted Giles.

“No Giles, it’s fabulous, I always new that I had an expiration date, now I know when it is and who will do it. It’s completely freeing.”

Just then the Library doors swung open and in walked Spike.

“Goldilocks?”

Buffy looked up to see that she was still sitting on Spike’s lap in her living room. She had fallen asleep.

“Shit!” she exclaimed. “I have to go, my friends, my watcher will be waiting for me.”

“No problem luv, have things to take care of. I know where you live now,” he smiled.

“Yes you do, just make sure you take that to your advantage...no eating my mother though!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it Goldilocks.”
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Buffy rushed to the Library to find her friends already there, Giles and Miss Calendar were looking through books.

“Buffster!” greeted Xander.

“We were just discussing night of St. Vigeous stuff,”said Willow, “Did you stake that Spike guy?”

“No, he got away,”

“Spike. That's what the other vampire called him? That's a little unorthodox, isn't it?” said Giles.

“I think it suits him, all dangerous and stuff.” said Buffy, a little too much like the love sick teen she was.

“Perhaps he went by another name in... times past.” offered Giles, as he eagerly flipped through some book, and completely ignoring Buffy‘s comment.

“Well, whoever he is, we'll need all the help we can get come this Saturday.” said Miss Calendar.

“So, this night of St. Vigeous deal. If they're gonna attack in force, aren't we thinkin' vacation?” said Xander.

“We can't run, that would be wrong. Could we hide? I mean, if that Spike guy is leading the attack,... yeeehehehe.” shuddered Willow.

“You saw him?” asked Buffy startled. She hadn’t thought that they had seen him. Had they seen her have hot and sweaty alley sex with him? Ewww, Buffy inwardly cringed, she didn’t want Xander anywhere near Spike and sex in her thoughts.

“Well, he can't be any worse than any other creature you've faced.” said Giles knowingly.

“He's worse.” said Angel’s voice. “Once he starts something he doesn't stop until everything in his path is dead.”

Angel had this annoying habit of appearing out of thin air.

“Hmm. So, he's thorough, goal-oriented.” joked Xander.

“We were at the Bronze before. Thought you said you might show.” said Buffy annoyed.

“You said you weren't sure if you were going.” replied Angel.

“I was being cool. C'mon, you've been dating for, what, like, two hundred years? You don't know what a girl means when she says maybe she'll show?” said Buffy. It was a good thing that the dating of Angel was over. She was so not interested now that Spike was back. Buffy tuned out the others for a second to bask in the glory that was Spike. Oh god! I had sex with Spike! Angel will be able to smell it! Buffy backed away from Angel slowly.

“Uh, we do have slightly more urgent matters to discuss.” said Giles trying to keep everyone on topic.

“Yeah, like keeping my mom away from Principal Snyder tomorrow night?” said Buffy.

“And not dying Saturday.” supplied Miss Calendar.

“Angel, do you know if this Spike fellow goes under any other name?” asked Giles.

They all looked to where Angel had been standing but he had disappeared. The library doors were swinging.

“Okay, that's it. I'm puttin' a collar with a little bell on that guy.” said Xander.

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh.
__________________________________________
By the time Spike got back to the factory, complete with take out for Dru, the chanting was in full swing. Oh how he hated the ritual. He entered the room he shared with Dru only to find her talking to her dolls again. He leaned up against the door frame.

“Miss Edith speaks out of turn. She's a bad example, and will have no cakes today. Shhhh.”

“Darling, are you going to eat something?” he asked, grabbing the take out into the room.

“I'm not hungry. I miss Prague.”

“You nearly died in Prague. Idiot mob. This is the place for us. The Hellmouth will restore you, put colour in your cheeks, metaphorically speaking, and in a few week's time...”

“The stars will align, and smile down on us.” Dru turned to look at him with a smile on her face.

“And then, God, this town will burn.”

Dru giggled at that “A pretty fire!” Dru sniffed the air. “You’ve been with her! Your Goldilocks.”

“She’s here Dru, and she’s the Slayer!”

“Covered in Sunshine you are!”

“She won’t be sunshine forever pet, just till she’s grown up a bit more. Until then, we’ve got the slayer on our side.”

“Spike... my Spike... take her now, happy families all in a row. Need Daddy too. Miss Grand mummy.”

“I know pet. You can blame soddin’ Angelus for that. But think, pet, how easy it will be for us if the slayer is alive and on our side? We could rule this town without a care in the world.”

“Can I meet her? Sunshine?”

“If you want to pet. You can’t eat her though, she’s mine.”

“Makes her mine too, Sweet William, another for Miss Edith to have tea and cakes with.”

“But she’ll be my childe, just like you wanted.”

“Yes, I’ll be grand mummy then. A happy family again. Then can we go to Canada? All the frozen people, too much sunshine here, nasty burning, no daisies here.” Dru walked over to the door of the room. “ They're preparing.”

“St. Vigeous is coming up. Should be a party.”

“You should go up with them and cleanse.”

“Dru...”

“The boy doesn't trust you. They follow him.” Dru turned around suddenly “I think sometimes that all my hair will fall out and I'll be bald.”

“Never happen. Alright. I'll go up and get chanty with the fellas, but you got to do me one favour....” Spike walked up to the take out that had been standing gagged all this time. “Eat something.”

With that Spike left the room. He took one look at the masses of minions that were chanting in the middle of the room. Waste of bloody time he thought.

When he had returned to Dru after LA, she had been delighted that he had chosen a childe, not thrilled that he hadn’t actually turned her, but it gave her something to dream about, to plan. They had never resumed their love affair. Dru had taken up with some demon, and Spike had found himself strangely faithful to Buffy. He hadn’t fallen in love with her until he had called her on the phone from Prague. She had been crying when he phoned, about something her prat of a father had done. She had done everything to make sure that he hadn’t felt bad for her about it. That she even cared about him when she was so distressed had turned his heart in an instant. Everything about her was luminous.

Spike marched out of the factory in search of Buffy.
__________________________________________
Buffy had just staked her fourth vampire of the night and Spike had had enough.

“You are bloody beautiful when you fight luv, won’t have to train you up on that at all,” he said sliding off the monument he had been sitting on while she fought.

“What will you have to train me on?” she said walking up to him, seductively.

“Oh there’s lots to learn, no worries though, after all, got eternity don’t we.”

“Unless another Slayer comes along.”

“Killed two of them already...got my third right here.” He pinched her ass. “And you are mine.”

“Yes I am yours Spike,” Buffy smiled for a bit before her smile turned into a frown. “Spike? What happens on Saturday?”

“Saturday?”

“St. Vigeous.”

“Oh right, well I’ve sorta told the anointed guy that I’ll kill you by St. Vigeous.”

“But you aren’t going to.”

“No, but I gotta make it look like it don’t I? Don‘t want the minions thinking I‘m weak.”

“Gonna fake my death?”

“No, gonna fake the attempt. Give you a right run for your money too I expect, you haven‘t had the pleasure of fighting me yet, love.”

“When?”

“It’s gotta be a surprise luv.”

Buffy pouted.

“Look at that lip,” he said moving in to kiss her.

“Mmm,” she moaned into his mouth. “Spike?”

“Yeah luv.”

“Don’t kill my friends please.”

“No, I’ll leave that up to you pet in a couple of years.”

“I won’t want to you know.”

“You say that now pet, but even I turned my mother.”

“You sired your mother!”

“Ya, wanted to make her like me, she was sick you see. So we could be together forever. Bloody stupid thing to do too.”

“What went wrong?”

“I was a fledgling, my first siring, she came back wrong, cruel, like Angelus, not like anyone’s mother. Mothers aren’t meant to be turned luv.”

“Check, no turning mom.”

tbc...