Disclaimer: Not mine...you know the drill.
__________________________________________
Chapter 12: What is up with you people and bath tubs?

Anya stomped around Willow’s dorm room. She had nothing to do. She was at a loss for what to do. She had had a stroke of luck and recovered her access to her assets. However she didn’t know where to go or what to do. True she was a vengeance demon again, but D’Hoffryn had made it very clear that because her continued existence was the result of a wish he did not expect her to be fulfilling her vengeance quota. She could consider herself a free lance vengeance demon, but where to go? To live? To set of shop? Shop!

That was it. She had to set up the magic box again. She still had contacts, suppliers, clients. She loved commerce and capitalism and money almost as she loved orgasms. Yes, a new magic box shop but then the next question would be where?

It certainly wouldn’t be in LA. Anya had met Angel and the rest of them in his Scooby wannabe group, no love for the vengeance demon crowd there. Plus that girl Kennedy was with them now. Never really liked her.

Buffy was in Cleveland. Yes a new place, a new Hellmouth of course there were a couple of more Hellmouths on the planet just some were more active than others. A plan formed in Anya’s mind.

Willow took that moment to return to her dorm room. One look at Anya made the witch’s face grow happier. At the beginning of the year Kennedy had signed up for a lot of the same classes Willow had, the ones she could get into anyway. Now post break up Willow was feeling that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Kennedy could be really mean when she wanted to be.

“Willow!” said Anya pleasantly “I’m moving to Cleveland!”

Willow’s smile dropped off her face.

“No, this is a happy thing. I’ve decided to relocate the magic box, to the Hellmouth.”

“That’s great Anya,” said Willow trying to be happy for the demon.

“You don’t sound glad for me.”

“It’s just, well Kennedy’s being nasty and I don’t really have any friends here in LA now that Kennedy’s all chumming with Angel’s gang. I thought...I thought we could you know, hang.”

“You want to be friends?”

“Yeah, cause well you don’t have anything to do after well, Xander’s response to you being back ‘Wow, ok’ You won’t be running off to see him.”

“No I won’t be teleporting to England for post resurrection orgasms. You would think, after my brave and selfless death that he would, being my former fiancé, show some sort of happiness at my resurrection.”

“So you will stay?”

“For now, but I must find something for me to do with all my time, I could go answer the call for vengeance. Your neighbour two doors down has been recently dumped.”

“No!”

“Alright then, what?”

“You could...You could attend classes with here at UCLA?”

“University life...Perhaps, I’ve never been in formal post secondary education before, in my day that stuff was only for monks. But it’s been 1120 years. Alright, higher education here I come.”
__________________________________________
Buffy patrolled with Spike. It was crazy but since Buffy killing machine exposition 2003 she never let Spike out of sight while on patrol and she was pretty sure that he liked the arrangement too. But patrol wasn’t the same. She always felt that he was waiting for her to freak out. She really hadn’t felt this uncomfortable on patrol since things started to go south with Riley.

In truth Buffy never had more respect for Spike. She now knew what it was to control an inner demon. It had been a few days since she had lost control. Everyone had been sympathetic. The demons in Cleveland were scared of her, which would be seen as a good, but she wasn't too sure about that.

With all the problems that were imposing themselves in Cleveland, she wondered exactly when they would see an actual big bad. Of course now that she had completely jinxed the whole thing she had only to wonder how bad it was going to be for her and her family.

It was while she was contemplating this that Spike pushed her down to the grass.

“Spike!” she was pissed, until she saw the cross bow dart that was now sticking out of a tree that had been behind her.

Buffy looked ahead of her to try to see who had shot the cross bow but could not see anyone. She had a very good idea who though.

“You still looking to exact pay back Spike?” Buffy asked her slaying partner.

“Absolutely luv, need a plan though.”

“Plan? How about going after him right now. Bastard with a crossbow is trying to kill me and dust you!”

“Yes luv, can’t just chase after the git, he’s got the advantage.”

“I say you circle to the left, me to the right and we pounce.”

Spike nodded.

Within five minutes, David Gable was face down on the ground, being held by Buffy.

“You know you are really starting to piss me off,” said Buffy.

“Luv?”

Buffy looked up to see Spike holding a roll of duct tape.

“I’ve always wondered what all you carried in that coat of yours.”

Spike smiled as bent down to wrap up Gable’s hands.

“Why don’t you just get it over with, you foul soulless demons,” spat Gable.

“Hey!” said Buffy offended, “We have souls.”

“Oh really? Prove it.”

“Uh well, you see that’s a little hard to prove,” said Buffy seriously, “But we aren’t going to kill you.”

“Sure, you are champions sent by the gods to protect the world from the vampires and demons.”

“As a matter of fact...” said Buffy.

“They like to be called the Powers that be, mate.”

“Whatever.”

“Look buddy,” said Buffy getting mad and turning him to face her. “I want you to leave us alone. We are on the same side here.”

“Come on luv, let me have a go at him, pay back for what he did to me.”

Buffy gave him a look.

“Buffy,” he whined, “Can I hit him at least?”

“Sure,” she shrugged her shoulders, “Go ahead.”

“Hey,“ protested Gable. “I thought you said we were on the same side here.”

“That’s true, but you hurt my vampire, people who hurt my boyfriends tend to end up in the hospital.”

“It’s true mate, I tried using her first boy toy in a ritual and I ended up in a wheel chair for months,” Spike turned to Buffy. “I never did pay you back for that.”

“Oh I think you did...can we say kidnapping Willow and Xander? Or how about the whole Gem or Amara incident?”

“Chaining me up in the watcher’s tub?”

“Selling us out to Adam”

“Beating me for info.”

“Trying to get the chip out.”

“Ruining my rep”

“Showing me Riley and the vamp hos”

“Telling me I’m beneath you.”

“Making the Buffy bot.”

“Dying.”

“Oh Spike...” Buffy left her prisoner on the ground and rushed into Spike’s arms. “I’m so sorry.”

“Not as much as I am luv.”

They kissed.

“You two are insane!”

Buffy turned to look at her prisoner.

“Not so much actually,” observed Buffy.

“So what are we going to do with him?”

“I’m thinking subject him to Andrew?”

Spike laughed.

“Maybe he can talk some sense into him,” continued Buffy.

“Andrew?” Spike spat during his chuckle.

“Ok,” Buffy sighed. “I’ll call Giles.”
__________________________________________

With Gable safely confined to the bathroom and Giles on a plane, Andrew had the arduous task of telling Gable that he was mistaken about Buffy.

Buffy herself was just grateful that soon this whole Gable mess would be over.

“The watcher’s plane gets in, in three hours pet.”

“Right, Apartment clean, check. Weird Vamp hunter guy in bathroom, check Fridge stocked, complete with tea and crumpets, check.”

“Kinda interesting seeing the captive in the bathroom from this side,” observed Spike.

“Oh please, you liked it. You had a warm place to stay and we fed you.”

“And I got to look down your shirt when you did it too,” he smirked.

“You did not.”

“I did”
__________________________________________
Giles arrived with volumes of texts in his hands. Buffy looked at him sceptically. “If you expect me to read all that you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Oh...” Giles looked at the books. “No, not in fact for you.” Giles dug around in his pickets for a moment. “This is for you.” Giles thrust a piece of paper at her.

“A cheque?”

“Yes, your pay retro active to the time when you were of legal age. In British pounds sterling.”

Buffy looked harder at he cheque with disbelief.

“Also you will be getting a monthly cheque for carrying out your Slayer duties. As well the council will be purchasing your house. We may need to send potentials to you to train until we are up and running at full capacity.”

“Giles this is too much!”

“I don’t think so Buffy considering all you’ve been through.”

Buffy smiled and hugged her watcher.

“You uh, better get in there, Andrew may have caused Gable to gnaw his own ears off by now.”
__________________________________________
Buffy returned from the grocery store with boxes for the move only to hear Giles yelling.

“You stupid prat! Have you learned nothing?”

“I thought it would be an educational tool...For future watchers.”

“Video taping Gable is not useful in anyway!” Giles held Andrew’s video camera in his hand.

Buffy had to laugh; she had threatened to break the device innumerable time this past week. Buffy laughed and headed into her room. Lying on the bed, Spike was reading.

“Look what I have!” Buffy sing-songed.

Buffy dangled keys in his face.

“Keys?”

“House keys, picked them up when I went for boxes. You wanna go take a look?”

“Middle of the day pet.”

“Blanket...car.”

“You know, I wonder if your father is ever going to want his car back.”

“He’s coming for Christmas and driving back.”

“Oh.”

“But now I have money I can buy a car.”

“Do you have an Ohio driver’s licence?”

“Do you?”

“Maybe you should let me worry about the car pet.”

“Oh I see, you’ll get to drive it, pick it out, but I have to pay for it?”

“Sounds about right.”

“I’m just your sugar daddy aren’t I? Or...what ever the female equivalent is. Sugar Mommy?”
__________________________________________
Spike stood in the large room in the basement of Buffy's new house.

“And this will be my training room/laundry room.”

“Sounds like you’ve got all the rooms assigned. Even the whelp and red have rooms.”

“And you are wondering where you are going to sleep?

“I admit that was the direction my brain was progressing.”

“Well, down the hall,” Buffy pointed, “are two bedrooms, one could be yours if you wanted, or...”

“Or?”

“You could share with me,” she said in a little voice.

Spike swept her up in his arms.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Yes, sounds like anyway. What do you say?”
__________________________________________
Buffy and Spike returned to the apartment to find Giles drinking tea and Andrew watching TV.

“How did the Gable-ing go?” asked Buffy.

“Oh far better than I expected. He has agreed to leave you alone, in exchange for all information we have about his parents.”

“Sounds like a good deal.”

“Indeed. I believe that Andrew should remove with me to England. Despite his protests I believe it will do a tremendous amount of good for him, however as his job is so bloody important to him, he has agreed to come after he’s given notice, four weeks at most.”

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief, she had lived too long with Andrew as it was.

“I’ll send Xander here to take over his duties as watcher. I’m sure Xander will find Andrew’s task a refreshing change from his current assignment.”
__________________________________________
tbc