It's Not Enough

By:  Morrigan


A/N:  Beta'd once again by the benevolent ruler of all things wordy, Blacknblue2.  Thanks so much to everyone, for all the wonderful reviews!  I was beaming all day.  Hugs to all!  I hope this chapter entertains.


Disclaimer:  All characters are property of Joss Whedon and ME.  But, this story is mine!



"I'm so tired," Buffy mumbled into Giles' shirt.  "I think, maybe, I should go to bed."

"Of course, Buffy," Giles said, softly.  "You've had a long night.  I think sleep would be the best thing.  I'm sure that all this will be much easier, come morning."

"Yeah, Buffy," Dawn piped in from behind her, "C'mon, I'll walk up with you.  I'm pretty beat up myself."  She chuckled at her own joke, while gently rubbing the bump on the back of her head.

Nodding her agreement, Buffy slowly left the comfort of Giles' arms and turned towards the stairs.  As she passed, her fingers trailed lightly down Spike's arm until they reached his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, never breaking her pace, as she quietly followed her sister up the steps.

---

"Christ, Slayer!  You think you could get any closer, next time!?"

Spike pulled the stake out of the wall of the training room, where it had struck only centimeters away from where he was standing.  It wasn't really wood, of course, but that didn't make the idea of being run through with it any more pleasant.

Buffy's only response was a smug grin.

Since her transformation two weeks ago, the two of them had begun training together and their sparing matches often included the added fun of seek and capture.  However, no matter how far she had come, Spike had still managed to outwit her, until today. Today, she had managed to knock him flat more times than she could remember, and this stake, which had nearly hit him, she had thrown in anticipation of his next move, striking the wall *just* in front of him, before he could turn...  And he had been *behind* her!  She was absofreakinlutely stoked!

"Alright," Spike snorted, "Let's not forget what I told you, a couple o' weeks ago, 'bout leavin' me off your staking list!"

"I *so* totally dusted you!"  Buffy cried out, excitedly.

"No," Spike corrected her, a little smirk of his own curling the corners of his mouth, "You dusted the wall, but thanks for playin'."

"This is so cool!"  She gushed.  "I feel like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.  Ooh!  I wonder how we'd do with the blindfolds and stuff!"

Spike cocked an eyebrow and looked to the door which led out into the magic shop.  "Careful, Slayer, he teased, "Starting to sound a bit like the whelp, there."

"Huh?  Oh."  Buffy blushed slightly when she made the connection.  "I guess I kinda do, don't I?  But... It was still wicked cool!"

"Yeah," Spike nodded and rolled his eyes.  "It was a bit of alright."

Buffy grinned all the wider as Spike downplayed her latest victory.  "Yeah," she taunted, "You just hate that I gotcha!"

"Not true," he corrected her.  "And, what's to say that I didn't let you?"

Buffy's eyes grew large as she said, "Oh, you so did not!"

Spike smirked and shrugged.  "Maybe...  But, you don't know for sure, do you?"

"Oh, you are so annoying!"  She huffed.  "I don't care what you say.  I know I got you, so there!"

Spike remained silent.  He was secretly pretty impressed with how much she had learned in such a short time.   But, he knew better than to say so.  This way, she'd stay on her toes.  Plus, what was the fun in admitting defeat?

As he watched her grin and prance victoriously around the training room, he was rather surprised when she turned back to him, suddenly, her expression serious.

"Spike, how do you think this is supposed to make such a difference?"   She gestured to herself as she spoke.  "I mean, I'm stronger.  But, I'm still just one person.   If having vamp senses made all the difference, then you could take out The First.  There has to be more to this."

"I don't rightly know, Luv,"  Spike answered her, honestly.  "But then, I s'pose we aren't meant to 'til it's time, right?"

Still not satisfied, but knowing the truth in his words, Buffy nodded in acceptance.  A beat passed before Buffy squared her shoulders and met his eyes again.  "I think I'm ready for patrol.  I'm long overdue for some slayage," she said, and headed for the door.  Stopping to look back over her shoulder at Spike, she asked, "You coming?"

---

Fortunately for Spike and Buffy, and unfortunately for Sunnydale's demon population, it was a pretty busy night.  During Buffy's downtime, the nasties had dropped their guard, and that was just fine by her.

Spike watched with a kind of prideful awe as she tirelessly swept through the graveyards and back alleys of town cutting down every evil creature in her path.  He had always admired her skill, but tonight, she was incredible.  To Spike, or more aptly, the William in him, she moved like poetry in motion.

At some point, they reached Restfield cemetery, where they managed to stumble across a rather
large new vamp nest.  The group quickly scattered, leaving Buffy and Spike to split up in order to chase them down.

'This is almost laughable, really.  Like playing a video game,' Spike thought to himself.  'Catch up to one, stake it, run through the dust to catch the next and stake it...'

The last one he was chasing looked back over her shoulder as she ran.  Upon seeing she was all alone and knowing that she was next as Spike quickly advanced upon her, the panicked vampiress gave in to the temptation that had been pushing at her since he and the slayer had first barged into their crypt.

She began to scream.

"Oh for cryin' out loud!"  Spike snarled, jumping over a tombstone, and changing directions as she began to weave in and out of the maze of graves, screaming bloody murder all the while.  "Have some pride, woman!  Why can't you bloody women ever have the decency to die quietly?"

If it were possible, it seemed to Spike that she screamed all the louder.  The shrill sound echoed in his ears and seemed to pierce into his skull, which made him all the more determined to put an end to this silly chase and shut her up for good.

Changing techniques, he sped up and began to weave opposite of her, blocking each route of escape, and effectively herding her out of the cluster of stones, and into the cleared grass beyond them.  His luck took a turn for the better when she, in classic horror flic fashion, stepped into a soft spot in the earth, twisted her ankle and fell flat on her face.

'Stupid bint,' he thought.  Closing the last few feet between them, he raised his stake and dove in for the kill.

And went flying as he was blindsided by another figure, both of them rolling ass over tea-kettle across the lawn.

"Heard you were with the good guys now, Spike," quipped the lithe brunette who leaned over him, her stake pressed firmly over his heart.  "I didn't know snacking on girls was in the job description!"

'Un-fucking-believable!'  Spike thought, as he stared in shock and confusion at this woman whose vibes rang strongly of slayer and who now held his life in her hands.

"Look, missy...  I don't know what nest you fell out of, but you're searchin' up the wrong tree, here!  That girl isn't a girl!
 She--"


The woman flew backwards, her stake flying through the air as the vampiress attacked her.

Spike sat up, rubbing his bruised chest and took a moment to shake his head at the stupidity of the vamp.  He supposed she figured he would let her go if she took care of the woman for him...  But, if she had been smarter, she would have just run away and let the woman dust him!

"What the hell, man!"  The brunette shouted as she struggled with the vamp who was doing everything in her power to find an open spot to
get a bite in.

Spike walked over to the scuffle at a leisurely pace and looked down at the dark haired woman, as he finished his sentence.  "She's a vampire," he said, before reaching down and hauling the vamp off of her, and holding her forcefully by the throat, at arm's length.

"what is wrong with you!"  She hissed at him, "I was helping!"

"Rule #1, Pet.  Watch your own back," Spike told her.  "Y' should've let the bird dust me before she realized what you were."

"Sick, Slayer loving freak!"  Were her final words before his stake met with her heart, and she crumbled into dust.

Brushing the grass from her jeans, the brunette stood up and extended her right hand to him.

"Hey, man," she said.  "Never let it be said that I couldn't admit when I was wrong.  You saved my ass.  I'm --"

"Faith," Buffy's voice cut into her little speech, causing them both to look her way.

"Hey B!"  Faith smiled and raised an eyebrow, haughtily.  "Miss me?"