Disclaimer: Joss made the wonderfulness that was Buffy...sigh

Author’s note: Thanks to my reviewers! As I’m going camping this weekend and won’t be able to post until at least Tuesday, I’ve decided to post again tonight...Enjoy! Happy mother’s day!
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Chapter 6: Dead animals.

Buffy barged into the crypt in the Pinehill cemetery.

“Spike?” she called out. There was no response. The crypt still smelled. Gross. He was probably asleep in one of the tombs. Buffy looked to the left and right. There only 2 tombs to choose from, one had a decomposing body, the other Spike. 50/50 chance. Just as she was about to push back the slab on the right tomb, she heard a noise from below between the wall and that tomb, at the very back was an opening large enough for a person to crawl down a very narrow set of steps. Cautiously Buffy descended.

Underneath the tomb the smell was much more pleasant, The stairs led to a small tunnel and then opened out into a moderately sized cave, that had been hung with fabric and lighted with candles. At the back of the room, there was a large four poster bed. Spike was sleeping upon it.

Buffy watched him sleep. He drew no breath. He was perfectly still, like the corpse he was. Except for his eyes, which moved while he dreamt. He was naked under that sheet, He must have been up the rest of the night and half the day just doing this. All he was missing really was a fridge and a TV. Buffy checked her watch. It was 1 pm. She had wanted to check on him to make sure David Gable wasn’t stalking him. Dawn would be back from school in an hour and a half. She wanted to take Dawn to see a few places before they had to take Willow to the airport. Buffy slipped off her jacket and shoes and climbed into bed beside him, not touching but close. She watched his face with intensity. He was gorgeous, no doubt, it seemed that no matter what pain he suffered his face would still heal itself to what she saw before her. Except that scar in his eye brow, given to him by the Chinese slayer he killed. She liked the idea that she alone had been about to tame his heart, this killer of slayers. No doubt Robin Wood would jump at the chance of being here right now to stake Spike for killing his mother.

She wondered if Willow and Xander would really have a problem with her if she started sleeping with Spike again. Probably, after all, sure he had saved the world, but Xander could never see past the Vampire thing and Willow, well Buffy wasn’t really sure exactly what Willow’s objections were, just that she would have them. Dawn probably thought that something was up, its a tad hard to keep that from your sister when she sees the guy in her bed. Not like anything had happened that night anyway. They were both just so tired. There was nothing more Buffy wanted that to allow herself to be with his man. He was her equal. She knew it and had accepted it long ago, it was just that for the longest time she thought he was her equal opposite, his darkness compared to her light. She knew now that there was no such thing. Spike was her true equal.

Buffy felt herself sigh. She didn’t care if Xander got angry, or Willow made faces or Giles disapproved. Spike was it. she wasn’t going to let him slip away again.

“Slayer, are you going to stare at me all afternoon?” he said without a hint of sleepiness.

“Have you been awake this whole time?” she sounded indignant.

Spike opened his eyes and rolled towards her propping himself on his elbow.

“How do you like it now?” he asked, “You never stuck around last night to have a proper look around.”

“I thought you wanted to have sex up there in the stink. God, it’s awful, What is that?”

“Dead rat. I left it to keep away unwanted visitors.”

“I think it works. Am I gonna have to plug my nose every time I through there?”

“Na, there’s another passage to the surface down here. Think I enjoy the rat smell?”

“Well, you are dead...”

“So what’s so important that you choose to wake me up from by death like sleep in the middle of the afternoon? Anything other than a Randy Buffy and I’ll be terribly disappointed,” he said moving closer towards her.

“Spike...” she moved away from him.

“Right then, get out of my bed, let me rest in peace,” Spike rolled away from her and pulled the sheet over his shoulders.

This was not the reaction Buffy was expecting. She resisted poking him sharply in the ribs but instead cuddled up behind him spooning him from behind. She reached with her topmost arm and began tracing his skin from his thigh to his chest gently sliding her fingers over his tepid skin.

“Do they know you are here pet?”

“Yes, I told them I needed to check on you to make sure that Vampire Hunter Guy hadn’t found you.”

“Touching concern,” he said still with his back to her.

“Aren’t you moody today.”

There was an exasperated sigh from the vampire. Spike propped himself up on his elbows again and gave her a hard look.

“Please don’t look at me like that,” asked Buffy sadly.

Spike softened and gathered her up in his arms. They lay together, him holding her while she let tears roll down her face. She didn’t know why she was crying, It was as if a whole flood of emotions were suddenly released, pent up anxieties she didn’t know where to begin. She’d kept it in for so long. All she knew was that she and her delicate emotional state were safe with him. The sobs lasted for about 15mins. She finally sniffled, and wiped away her tears.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“No problem pet”

“Sorry about waking you up.”

“Anytime,” he said planting a kiss on her forehead.

Buffy looked at him intensely. “Sometimes I wish I understood you, like you understand me.”

“Been studying you for a good long time now Slayer. You can learn a lot about a person when you spend all your time watching them for weakness. I think I have the Slayer figured out, it’s Buffy that sometimes throws me for a loop.”

“I’d like to be able to say the same thing. To understand what‘s going on in that bleached head of yours.”

“I hope you never figure it out pet, its not nice inside my head. Too many dead people.”

“Just like me,” she added quietly.

“Don’t you go comparing yourself to be now. You are a shining angel, compared to me. How could you ever be in my bed is miracle enough for me.”

“Spike...” she said slowly tracing the outline of his face with her hand. “I need you, you make this dimension of hell worth living in. You make me feel like I'm living.”

Spike kissed her. She kissed back, her lips moving with his, his lips so soft and cool. She felt his tongue force it’s self past her lips, god he was a fantastic kisser, she thought. She pulled back from him.

“Spike can we pretend something?” she asked, “Can we pretend its the night before, when we both thought we were going to die? Could we just relive it, pretend we are in the basement on Revello dr?”

There was no need for him to say anything . She saw the assent in his eyes. Both of them stood up. He carefully put back on his black jeans and t shirt. This was the first time he noticed that she was wearing very close to the same outfit she had had on that night. They stood staring at each other from across the room. Slowly they walked towards each other. Reaching for each other. There hadn’t been the need for words. She reached out and touched his scar on his eyebrow, she had wondered what scar would be left behind from this battle. Tomorrow they closed the hellmouth, cost what it will. Spike took her hands and kissed them tenderly then gathered her up and laid her on the bed, all the while kissing her mother with passion. She pulled his head towards her. One of his hands gently made its way down to her crotch, stroked it a few times before starting to unzip her pants. Buffy gasped as he slid his hand down into her jeans and began to rub against her clit. Buffy tugged his shirt off and continued kissing his now warm mouth. Buffy’s hands set to work on his pants. She felt her own pants pulled away from her. Then she felt something warm and slippery enter her. She looked down to see Spike down on her, his tongue licking and probing her pink demenses with careful accuracy. She felt herself move in time with his actions. Buffy quickly removed her top and bra. Then she grabbed him by his bleached locks, to get his attention.

“I want you inside of me,” she whispered. It’ll be the last time, she thought.

Spike pushed up her knees, spread her legs and positioned himself above her. Far too slowly he entered her, like he was savouring the moment. She gasped as he penetrated her. They moved in time with one another gently rocking back and forth, taking their time. This was after all the last time they would do this. One of them would be dead the next day. Buffy ran her fingers over his smooth back. It felt so right, she thought, to have him inside her making the hollow place full. He was what she needed and she wanted to stay that way forever.

“Buffy...” he whispered in her ear, just as he had before.

She moaned, her conversation between her and Angel the night before flashed in her head, ‘Do you love him?’ Angel had asked. ‘He is in my heart’ she had said. All very true. But as she lay there, her legs spread, him kissing her face and neck she felt that she did love him. She wrapped her legs about him and squeezed him tightly into her.

He was getting close.

“Oh god, Buffy, I love you,” he said between thrusts. He had said that then too.

“Spike...” she whispered because she had then too, Then she moaned again. Her legs were quivering, her clit throbbed,. A tear rolled down her cheek. All as before but this time would be different. “...I love you.”

His hands that had been fondling her breasts stopped only for a moment, as he registered this new information. There was one more thrust and she felt herself give way, the sensation was overpowering, it rippled up her body, her muscles clenched involuntarily. He pressed into her one final time before spending.

Buffy, panting and shaking found his lips once more.

“Thank you,” she breathed.

He rolled off of her, his body slick with her sweat. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

“Bloody Beautiful, you are,” he said,

“Spike...”She said trying to sound displeased but couldn’t.

The charade was over.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference you know.” he said, “Wouldn’t have made you feel I didn’t believe you though.”

“I’d have died with you. I think I wanted to.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I wanted to,” she repeated more firmly, “And someday I will.” Buffy rolled off the bed to retrieve her clothes.
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Dawn made her way back to her house. Her day at school had been weird. She’d met many more people she knew from Sunnydale there than she thought she would. Now that she thought about it they had been the weirder kids at school.

Dawn stumbled back into the apartment to find Xander and Andrew watching movies on Buffy’s new TV (a house warming gift from Xander), Giles was drinking tea and reading, probably something fascinating about demons and Willow was making cookies- which meant in Willow speak that something was very wrong in Willow Land. She was worried about Kennedy. Buffy was no where to be seen.

Her new bed had arrived and was sitting all made up to sleep on in the living room. Dawn dropped her bag on it with a thud.

“Dawn, how was school?” asked Willow extra cheery. “Have a cookie!”

Dawn helped herself. “School was ok, it was school, I have to take French, ick,” she munched on a cookie, “Hey, where’s Buffy?”

“She said was checking up on Spike to make sure Mr David Gable doesn’t make with the stake while Spike slept.”

“Oh,” said Dawn knowingly.

Willow glanced up from her cookies, “Dawn do you know more? I need details” said Willow grabbing the girl’s hands.

“What I don’t know anything, really,” she said smiling, “I’ve only been here a day longer than you have.”

“Dawn...”

“K, so when I woke up my first day, they were sleeping in Buffy’s bed, But I’m pretty sure nothing happened cause he was still dressed in the same clothes, when we were in the car, the next morning and asleep,” said Dawn.

“Is that all?” asked Willow disappointed.

“Is that all! Please god may it be all,” pleased Xander.

“Hey, I think its cute, they were majorly tight before. Why not now, now that the apocalypse has been averted. If they love another why not?” offered Dawn.

“Whoa, hold the boat, love one another, no way. Not possible,” said Xander, “Don’t care what the evil undead thinks he feels, no way does Buffy love him,” protested Xander.

“You don’t know Xander, they’ve been giving out the weird signals, lots of sexual tension in the air,” observed Andrew.

“Tension yes. Love no,” declared Xander.

“Could we please move on to a more sane conversation,” asked Giles removing his glasses and rubbing his temples.

“She bought him a shirt, a present, and look at all the blood in the fridge!” said Dawn excitedly, “She brought him here to Cleveland with her.”

“There are definitely signs...” said Willow.

“And you are ok with that Will, cause you weren't formally of the Spike fan club,” said Xander.

“Xander you should have heard her this summer, her pain, she needed him. She was like...like Captain Picard with counsellor Troi... like sixteen year old Buffy without her Mr Gordo. She was miserable. I just want her to be happy.” said Willow, trying to use analogies that would make sense to Xander.

“But Captain Picard never had sex with Counsellor Troi,” said Andrew trying to make sense of the analogy. Thankfully he was ignored.

“Do you think they’re making with the smoochies right now?” asked Dawn.

“Ug, mental picture stuck in brain,” said Xander disgusted. “Hopefully she’s kicking his ass into the next state.”

“Na, smoochies it is,” said Willow.

“I also vote smoochies,” said Andrew, “Giles?”

“Huh?” said Giles suddenly startled out of his reading by hearing his name. “I’m sorry you pursued quite an unappetizing topic of conversation, I’m afraid I tuned you all out.”

The door opened.

“Anyone care to rental shop with me before we have to take Willow to airport?” asked Buffy pleasantly.
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They drove, five of them, Giles preferred to read his book rather be cramped illegally into a car, to one of the rental homes Buffy had made inquiries about. Buffy hadn’t told her friends but she wanted this house. It was a three story, four floor house, brick, small front yard, larger backyard, six bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and it looked out onto Spike’s cemetery, Pinehill, but she didn’t tell that to her friends that tid bit of news either.

Dawn was enchanted with the house and already picked out her bedroom on the 2nd floor, facing the back yard.

“The owner is renting the place, but thinks he might be willing to sell in a few years,” said Buffy.

Xander inspected and pronounced it sound.

“Which bedroom is mine?” Andrew asked when they got back in the car.” The four others gave him looks of death. “Well if I am to be your watcher, won’t I need to live with you?”

“Giles said you’d be more like a record keeper, didn’t he?” said Dawn.

“My question is what are you going to do with all those bedrooms?” asked Xander.

“One could be a workout room,” offered Dawn.

“Ooooh! Library!....or an office” said Willow.

“One could be Spike’s,” said Buffy.

There was silence in the car.

“Come you guys, how long do you think its going to be until this David guy finds Spike? He’ll be tracked and hunted. He won’t be safe until he is living under the same roof as I am.”

“I don’t think Spike needs all this consideration, Buffy. Are we forgetting the rape? The killing? The trigger?” said Xander.

“No, but I think you are forgetting the soul and the saving the world bit. He isn’t a monster and I think he deserves a little more respect,” said Buffy.

Dawn poked Willow and smiled.

“So house good?” continued Buffy. “I’ll sign the lease papers tomorrow. We can move in next month.”
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Spike sat on his bed, reading a large volume of poetry he’d nicked from a street vender the day before. Buffy had asked him to wait until after she’d taken Willow to the airport so that they could patrol. Spike knew it wasn’t even sundown yet, Buffy would be even now driving to the airport. He smiled, she hated driving. His memory went back to when he had first seem her at the bus station. Of course he hadn’t just seen her, he smelled her, lovely smell. When he say her though, if he had a living heart it would have stopped beating, She had looked so sad, so miserable it was everything he could do but hold her in this arms and whisper to her that everything would be alright.

And then she hadn’t believed that it was him. A natural reaction he supposed, she didn’t have a vampire’s sense of smell.

It turned him on to think of her smell. And she loved him! Well she said that she loved him and she didn’t lie to him as a rule.

Lost in his own thoughts he almost missed the door of his crypt open and close. Buffy? he thought. No it couldn’t be her not yet. For once he cursed the fact that the upstairs of the crypt smelled so rank.

He put down the book and stood up from his bed and backed away until he was hidden behind his fabric wall hangings.

Into the room stepped Gable. Stake in hand. Bloody hell, thought Spike gritting his teeth. He watched as Gable poked around his things, picked up his duster from the bed and started inspecting the pockets. Gable pulled out Spike’s Zippo and Buffy’s pink silk undies that she had left there that afternoon. Spike could feel his anger come up. He kept his game face at bay though. When Gable started moving back towards the stairs with his things. Spike immerged from the walls.

“Now that you’ve had a right snoop around mate, I’d appreciate it if you left me things,” said Spike.

Gable jumped.

“I knew these were yours and hers. The moment I saw them thought I’d take them as a warning to get out.”

“Na, not going to work, cause I really like that coat, I’d have tracked you down and taken it from you,” said Spike as he swaggered towards the human, “Give it back before bad things happen.”

“Make me,” said Gable with a stoic face.

“All right,” said Spike.

Spike punched Gable directly in the face, causing the man to stagger back and drop the coat. With one slick move Spike grabbed the coast and put it on.

Gable wiped away the blood trickling down his nose. “Now you’ve done it, I was going to take it easy on you, but now,” Gable moved towards Spike, fists raised. He punched feinted punched kicked and positioned himself to throw Spike. Not one blow landed on the vamp.

“Come on, you can do better than that, after all your the vampire hunter of Cleveland for Christ's sake,” said Spike mouthing off.

Gable got in a lucky blow, finally, landing squarely on Spike’s cheek. Without meaning to, Spike vamped out and roared.

“I knew one of you had to a vampire,” said Gable pleased with himself and raised a cross to keep Spike away.

“I’m gonna have fun with you mate. Bet it’s a long time since you had a challenge, beating someone to a pulp has always given me an appetite.”

Gable raised the cross higher. Spike ignored it as long as he didn’t touch it he was ok. Spike knocked the cross out of Gable’s hand and made a rush for him. Then out of no where a splash of water met Spike’s face. Holy water. Spike screamed in pain. He couldn’t see. Crouched on the floor in pain Spike knew that Gable would stake him next. Spike flung out his arm and knocked Gable’s legs out from under him. Spike took off out the secret exit not wanting for Gable to regain his equilibrium.

Spike stood outside for a moment. He couldn’t see and he wasn’t burning, so the sun must have gone down. He needed to find her. Spike sniffed the air and began walking.
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Buffy stood in the middle of Spike’s crypt. It was smouldering. The fire couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes. Buffy had dropped off Xander, Dawn and Andrew at he apartment before walking here on foot.

“Spike?” she called. She really hopped that he wasn’t here when it happened that he hadn’t been staked, How could she find out if that were true. The whole place was ash. Where would he have gone? To find her. He hadn’t been at her apartment when she had dropped off the others.

Buffy bolted out of the crypt. What if he were injured? Buffy took off her jacket and wrapped it around her waist. It was too cold for the tank she wore but the more skin she showed the more scent he could smell.

Buffy walked in the direction of her apartment not stopping even for traffic lights. She had to find him. He couldn’t be gone, not again, she wouldn’t lose him again.
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This wouldn’t have happened if he had been wearing his bauble, he thought. He had hidden it in Buffy’s weapon’s chest the first time he had spent the night there, he figured it would be safer there. Now here he was blind, walking towards her smell. He couldn’t even be sure that he was walking in a straight line. He stumbled over something every few feet, usually a curb or an uneven paving stone.

“Spike?” he heard her voice.

“Buffy?” he answered, relieved.

He felt her rush up to him.

“Oh my god, Spike what’s happened to your face?” she asked. He could sense her disgust looking at it. “Gable did this to you didn’t he?”

Spike felt his arm being wrapped around her shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go home,” she said sweetly.
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“Oh my god, Spike what happened?” cried Dawn as soon as they were in the apartment.

“Gable splashed Holy water in his face, he’s blind,” said Buffy leading Spike to her room. “He burnt up Spike’s crypt.”

“Wow,” said Andrew.

They all followed her into her room. Xander and Giles with token concern on their faces.

“Dawn find me the first aid box, Xander heat up some blood. Giles there’s some whiskey under the sink and Andrew, get out of my room,” said the General.

Everyone left the room. Buffy started to truly assess the damage. His face looked like acid had burned him, his eyes were swollen shut. On his legs and hands were hundreds of gashes, cuts, scrapes probably from trying to find his way to her blind. Carefully she removed his duster trying not to move him too much. His jeans were ruined, cut up in so many places.

Dawn arrived with the first aid kit and the blood Xander was supposed to heat up. Giles came in with the whiskey.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Dawn asked.

“Not right now, but I’ll call for you if I need help K?” said Buffy trying to smile.

Giles and Dawn left her to her task. Shutting the door behind them.

Buffy planted a kiss on Spike’s head. she carefully wrapped gauze around his eyes and set to work on his hands, carefully wrapping every cut.

Buffy loosened his belt and pulled his pants off. He grunted in pain. Along with the gashes and wounds, Spike’s right leg was broken.

“Must have been when I was hit by that car,” he said gritting his teeth.

Buffy handed him the blood then the bottle of whiskey. “Drink up, this is going to hurt.”

He screamed a bit when he set the bone. Then she dressed his other wounds.

She curled up in bed beside him under the covers and held him gently.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you,” she whispered. “He will never hurt you again.”
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Buffy left her room quietly a few hours later.

“How is he?” asked Dawn.

“He’s sleeping, possibly passed out from the whiskey. His face is burnt, his hands are badly cut up and his right leg is broken. He was hit by a car while he was trying to get away from that monster,” said Buffy hurt and angry.

Buffy walked to her weapons chest and took out a small dagger.

“Buffster, what are you thinking?” asked Xander.

“Vengeance,” replied Buffy.

“Buffy, you can’t be serious, he’s a human being. You can’t kill him.”

“Why not? He tried to kill Spike. I’m not going to kill him, rough him up, put the fear of Buffy in him.”

“You’ll be put in jail Buffy!” pleaded Dawn. “I’ll have to go into foster care!”

“I’m sure Spike would much rather take his revenge out personally,” said Andrew.

“I’m going. Dawn look after Spike,” said Buffy as she slammed the door closed.

Buffy head straight for Gable’s cemetery. The caretaker’s house in fact and pounded on the door. It was only 8pm, he was probably watching Friends or something.

Gable cautiously answered his door.

“Dumb Buffy,” he said with a smirk. “How’s your vampire boyfriend?”

Buffy tightened her grip on her dagger in her jacket pocket.

“You have made the biggest mistake of your life and you are going to pay for it.”

“What? You are going to beat me up? That’s rich. Scared of you little girl.”

“Oh you better be scared,” she said walking towards him. “You are the first human in a long time that I would happily let him drain.”

With a flick of the wrist he flung Holy water at her.

Buffy smiled. “I’m not a vampire, remember? I’m a demon!”

She lunged forward and grabbed his neck hoisting him up in the air.

“Stay away from us. If you see us coming run away little man or you will end up in the ground a lot sooner than you think.”

Buffy threw him across the porch and walked off kicking over a tombstone as she went.
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When she returned to her apartment several hours later she refused to speak to anyone she kicked her new punched bag which sat in the corner of the living room and trudged into her room, closing the door behind her. One look at Spike’s bandaged face sent her into tears.
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Dawn had looked up from her homework when Buffy stormed back in. Guess she wasn’t sleeping in Buffy’s room tonight. It was the floor for her.

“Do you think he’s dead?” asked Andrew.

“No, Buffy wouldn’t be still angry if he was among the living,” said Xander.

“She’s gonna be like that for a few days,” said Dawn. “I mean I’d be furious if someone beat up my boyfriend, and look what happened to the last guy who messed with Buffy’s boyfriend.”

“That was Spike,” observed Xander.

“And he spent months in a wheelchair for it too. No one messes with Buffy’s boyfriends.”

“Also, NOT her boyfriend.”

“Whatever Xander”
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tbc...