Chapter Eighteen

Buffy wandered around Sunnydale for a while, enjoying the waning sunshine and putting off the inevitable talk with Angel. The affection she still felt for the souled vampire was present, but she knew that was not what this Angel was used to from her and she doubted he would be very happy to find that blind adoration was a thing of her past. Not to mention, that he’d been replaced in her affections by his grandchilde.

When dusk began to settle over the town, she stopped stalling and walked toward his apartment near the Bronze. She stood outside the door for several minutes, just staring at the familiar wood and lost in her memories of long ago. When the door opened to show a puzzled Angel on the other side, she shook herself out of her reverie and smiled kindly.

“How are you feeling?”

“I might ask you the same thing. How long were you planning to stand out there before you knocked? Or were you planning to come in at all?”

She heard the barely disguised hurt in his voice and shook her head as she walked past him into the room. Glancing around at the familiar, spartan furnishings, she sighed and sat in one of the chairs.

“Of course I was planning to come in. I just got lost in memory-land for awhile, that’s all.” She looked up at him and smiled crookedly. “You guys might have to get used to seeing ‘spaced-out-Buffy’. I have a feeling that’s going to happen more than once.”

He sighed and sat down opposite her. “I suppose we will. Is this where you fill me in on why you don’t love me anymore? Because if it’s due to what you saw with Drusilla, I warned you--”

She looked at him in surprise, amazed that he had brought it up so abruptly, but she made no attempt to reassure him.

“Angel,” she began slowly, wondering how best to get him to understand without revealing too much about her relationship with Spike, “I still love you. You will always have a place in my heart. You are--were my first serious boy friend, and I Ioved you with every fiber of my sixteen-year-old body.

“But I’m not that sixteen-year-old girl anymore. I grew up. And I had to do that growing up very quickly – in large part because of Angelus.”

“What did I—he—do to you?” he spoke through gritted teeth and she could see tears behind his eyes. “Is that why you don’t want me any more?”

She shook her head and tried to explain. “My feelings for you, my inability to kill you when I first had the chance, caused a lot of pain, both physical and emotional, for the people I care about. It’s not so much about what you did to me, as it is about what my shirking of my duty allowed you to do to my friends. I had to toughen up and it wasn’t much fun.”

She looked him in the eye and said calmly, “In my time line, you were Angelus for much more than one day. And you didn’t spend that time shagging Dru. Not all of it, anyway,” she added with a rueful smile.

“What kinds of things did I do?” he asked, staring hard at his feet. He wanted to call her on using Spike’s word for sex, but something told him he didn’t want to know where and when she learned it.

“Can we just leave it at you weren’t a very nice guy to be around?” she asked hopefully.

“I want to know, Buffy. I want to know what Angelus did.”

She studied him for a minute, then said abruptly, “You know you and Angelus are the same person, right? Cause I’m not buying the whole split personality thing the way I used to.”

“I have no control over Angelus, Buffy. You know that. He has no soul.”

“Neither does Spike,” she said quietly. “But he’s never killed or tortured my friends – well, except for smacking Xander around, anyway.”

“Can’t blame him for that,” Angel muttered. “Boy’s almost as big a pain in the ass as Spike is himself.”

He looked up at her fearfully. “I killed and tortured people? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Only in the ‘my boyfriend suddenly hates me and wants me dead’ sense of the word.”

“I’m so sorry, Buffy.”

“Relax, that’s my Angel. You haven’t done any of those things. All you’ve done is give Dru a lot of happies, and tried to kill me once. No biggie.”

He gawked at her. “No biggie?”

“Not when compared to…”

He squeezed his eyes shut, then said quietly. “How did I lose my soul in your time? Was it the same way?”

Buffy blushed from her roots to her toes. “Uh…well, in a way…but not, not exactly.” She couldn’t prevent her eyes from moving to the bed in the corner.

He followed her gaze to his bed, then looked back at her flaming face and understanding flew across his features.

“You,” he said with a gasp. “I lost it when I made love to you.”

“Yes,” she said, still blushing. “Hey, who knew Dru could make you that happy too?” She tried to change the subject away from sex with her.

“Happy?”

“Uh, yeah, turns out that’s the little catch in the curse. One moment of complete happiness and it’s bye-bye soul.”

He sat in silence for a minute, going over what he was learning about himself.

“So, that’s why we aren’t together? Because if we –if I have that moment of perfect happiness, I lose the soul?”

“Well, that’s one of the reasons why you left me, yes. It’s complicated, Angel. You left, we both moved on. Things changed.”

They were quiet for a minute, then the vampire said, “Giles is looking into a way to anchor the soul. The gypsy woman is going to help him.”

He raised hopeful eyes to hers. “So, someday…”

Buffy shook her head sadly. “No, Angel. I want you to get your soul anchored. No question about that. It’s way too shaky to suit me right now. But it isn’t going to change…us…me. You will always have a piece of my heart, but the rest of it belongs to someone else now. Someone who earned it the hard way.”

“Are you going to tell me who it is?”

“Not right now, I’m not. Who knows? It’s …possible…he won’t fall in love with me this time…things are so different now.”

Her chin trembled just enough to be noticeable, and she blinked back the tears threatening to fill her eyes. With a little shake, she threw off the fear that Spike would never come back and gave Angel a sympathetic smile.

“But he has my heart, whether he wants it or not. And that’s never going to change.”

“Never’s a long time, Buffy.” Angel smiled, his over 200 years of existence having given him some perspective that even grown-up Buffy still lacked.

After another few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Buffy stood up and said, “Well, I just needed to see how you were doing. I have to go patrol now and maybe check up on the Master’s old gang and see how many Spike left standing.”

“I could come with you,” he offered hopefully. “There’s no reason for us to not be friends, is there? I can still help you.”

She studied his open face for a minute, seeing nothing but affection and a willingness to continue to fight on her side. She shrugged and agreed readily.

“Sure, Angel. All slayage help is gratefully accepted. As long as you don’t get in my way or go into over-protective mode.”

“Grown-up and fully capable Slayer. I think I got that message pretty well yesterday, “ he said ruefully, pointing to the bruises still visible on his face.

“You had it coming,” she said, smiling apologetically.

“I probably did, at that,” he agreed as he picked up his jacket. “So, we’re on for a bit of dusting before dinner?”

“Yep. Bad guys look out. Here we come.”



On the deck of a ship, working it’s way across the Caribbean Sea, a blond vampire stared over the dark water and tried to erase the memory of a warm body moving under his, and soft, supply lips kissing their way over his face and throat. As always happened, the more he tried to forget what she felt like, the harder he got and more he craved another taste of her. He knew Dru was getting suspicious about his lack of interest in reclaiming her affections from Angelus and he headed for their below-decks room determined to put his throbbing erection to good use and make her believe he still loved her.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go as well as he’d hoped at first, as the dark-haired vampires hissed at him when he began kissing his way down her throat and running his hands over her body. He persisted, murmuring endearments to her and touching her in all the ways he knew she liked, until she relented and, with one of her mercurial changes in mood, she sank her teeth into his neck and growled with passion. As he lost himself in the violent, bloody and erotic play, Spike was almost able to forget another body that was just as strong and passionate, but warm where his dark princess was cold. Almost.

By the time the cruise ship got them to the coast of Venezuela, his constant attention had convinced his lover of over 100 years that he had done what he did out of love for her, not any desire to help the Slayer, and they drifted back into a life of nightclubs, hunting and sex in airy hotel rooms.

And if, in the middle of their daytime sleep, she occasionally whimpered for Angelus, or he clutched her body and silently mourned the lack of warmth, neither was willing to admit the other’s temporary lapse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


And so, things went back to normal in Sunnydale. Or as normal as they can be when you are Heaven’s Chosen One and live on a Hellmouth. Buffy struggled to maintain her friendships with her much younger schoolmates and enjoyed frustrating Principal Snyder by making all “A’s”. Without Spike and Angelus to worry about, she wasn’t having to skip classes often enough to register on his radar. She would occasionally find him following her around the building, as though he was sure if he just watched her long enough, hard enough, he would catch her doing something for which he could punish her.

Most of the time, she would pause and wait for him to almost run into her before turning around and greeting him with a sweet smile and a “How are you today, Mr. Snyder?”, but every once in awhile she couldn’t resist using her Slayer speed or strength to disappear when he wasn’t looking and come back toward him from a completely different direction . The ratty looking little man would stutter and sputter, but had no answer when she would ask innocently, “Have I done something wrong, Mr. Snyder?”

Even Giles, who tried very hard to maintain a British stiff upper lip in the face of her activities, couldn’t help laughing quietly at the annoying little man’s obvious frustration. Even as he accused her of being childish, he was thoroughly enjoying watching his boss being made a fool of. There was too much Ripper still in the older man for him not to enjoy the sight of a pompous ass being brought down.

Buffy and Willow drifted back into an easy friendship, made easier by the red-head’s interest in magic and her questions about her future self. The Slayer did her best to steer her friend away from the dark magics, while at the same time assuring her that she was going to become a very powerful witch and be enormously helpful in the future.

When Willow and Oz became an item, Buffy was able to subtly let the werewolf know that she knew about him, and she helped him explain it to Willow. They were able to keep him in and safe from the bounty hunter that came to town, but there was nothing Buffy could do about their future together except vow to be there for her friend when the crash came.

It was more difficult for Buffy to fall back into a relationship with Xander. In addition to finding his girl friend shallow and boring, Buffy could not forget Xander’s hatred of Spike in her time, and his attempt to kill him after she had declared a truce with the vampire in this one.

Things remained very strained between the two former best friends, until Willow couldn’t stand it anymore and made them both sit down with her and talk it out over hot chocolate.

“Guys, I love you both, and you are killing me with the not talking, and the dirty looks. Can we please work this out so I can have both my friends back? I mean, not that I don’t have you both as friends, but it would be nice if we could all be in the same room at the same time, you know?” Her eyes pleaded with them as she paused for breath.

Buffy bit her lip, then allowed, “I may be blaming Xander for things he did in my future, and that’s not fair of me.” She turned to look at the anxious-looking boy, “But, I’m having a very hard time forgiving you for shooting Spike when I had promised him he could leave Sunnydale safely.”

“Is that the only reason you’re so mad at me, Buffy? Because I broke your promise? Cause, I’ve gotta say, keeping promises to the evil undead? Not real high on my list.”

“Keeping promises to anybody I make them to, is very high on my list, Xander. That would especially true when the other person is keeping his promise to not eat my friends and to help me save somebody I care about.”

Her angry green eyes bored into his until he dropped his gaze and mumbled, “Okay, I guess I can see that. I’m sorry I tried to dust Spike. I just thought—“

“You just thought you were helping. I get that, Xander. Really I do. But you can’t help me by going behind my back like that and making your own decisions about killing people.”

“Vampires, Buffy. We’re talking about dusting vampires.”

“And, again, I remind you, you are talking about a vampire who, in my time, has helped me save the world. A vampire who has saved your life more than once. Granted, this Spike isn’t there yet. And I’m not saying you should invite him in for dinner if he comes back to Sunnydale. But I am saying that nobody but me makes any decisions about dusting Spike or Angel. They are my vampires – to slay or not slay.”

“All right,” he agreed with a sigh. “I promise not to harbor homicidal thoughts about the undead, if you promise not to let them eat me.”

“Agreed,” she said with a small smile. “Shake on it?”

“How about a hug on it?” he asked hopefully.

She was about to refuse when it occurred to her that she could make a small point about their relationship without saying a word and she nodded and stood up. When he put his arms around her and pulled her into his body for a hug, she reciprocated by putting her arms around him and squeezing, using just a small amount of her strength, but enough to make it obvious that a strong hug would have broken his ribs. When he began to gasp for air and whimper, she smothered her smile and instead let go immediately, saying, “Oh, my god, Xander. Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry. I’m not used to…I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Uh, no,” he wheezed, “No problem. Just…I’m human, you know? Breakable.”

“I’m sorry. I forget sometimes that I have to be so careful with human bo-men. “

He gave her a searching look, wondering if she was talking specifically about him or in general about all men. And, if it was all men, then who or what had she been dating for the next several years? Surely she wasn’t still with Angel in her time? She’d pretty much told him in front of them that they weren’t together anymore. It briefly crossed his mind that she had talked about how close she and Spike were in the future, and he shuddered to think she had taken up with another vampire – and one without a soul.

He shrugged it off to worry about another day, just happy that they were still going to be friends. His love-hate relationship with Cordelia was more than enough to keep him from obsessing over Buffy the way he had when she first moved to Sunnydale and her constant reminders that she was much older than he just added to his ability to be realistic about his chances of having anything romantic with her.


Author’s Note: Since neither Buffy nor I have any desire to relive the boring parts of her junior year of high school; particularly in light of her having been able to short circuit many of the minor crises that came up, I’m not planning to dwell on the rest of Season II. I’ll be summing it up quickly and then I’m going to jump ahead to Season III and Spike’s return. Lame, I know, but I don’t want to spend the time coming up with plot lines for every season. When I have an idea for one, there will be a bit of plot or an isolated scene; when I don’t, there will be quick summaries. I apologize for the lack of imagination on my part, but it’s a story about Spike and Buffy and their relationship after she is sent back, rather than a rewrite of all seven seasons of the show.


Chapter Nineteen

As the year went on, Buffy was able to endure the now trivial-seeming events of high school by spending more time with Giles and Jenny and less time in school activities. Even Angel, now that he had apparently accepted her true status, sometimes treated her as an equal rather than as something precious to be protected at all costs. And when he didn’t, when he became overbearing and tried to make decisions for her, she was quick to remind him that she’d been doing fine without him for years and that she did not appreciate his attempts to run her life.

After a particularly virulent dressing down by the Slayer when all he’d tried to do was suggest that he be the one to enter the Master’s old lair and check on the Anointed One, he decided to use it as an opportunity to soften her attitude toward him.

He hung his head dejectedly and as he apologized for usurping her responsibilities, he asked hesitantly, “Buffy, are you sure you aren’t angry at me for decisions I made in your timeline? Because, I’ve really been trying hard here, but it seems like nothing I can do pleases you.” He fixed her with sad, brown, puppy dog eyes and inwardly rejoiced when she immediately apologized and touched his hand warmly.

“Oh my god, Angel. You are so right. I’m taking it out on you that in my time you decided I was better off without you and left without even asking me if I agreed. I guess I’m still a little pissed about that.” She shook her head at herself and added, “I am so sorry! I’ve been resenting you for something you haven’t done yet.”

Her anxious eyes looked into his with affection and concern as she moved closer. He smiled to himself as he took note that she had really been upset at losing him.

(She probably still loves me. She’s just afraid to admit it. Afraid that I’ll do the same thing to her again. All I have to do is convince her that I will never leave her, and she’ll let down her defenses.)

“And, I probably won’t, Buffy,” he said with sincerity. “Since we don’t have that kind of relationship now, there’s no reason for me to leave. I can stay here and help you.”

He beamed at her with delight and she struggled to smile back at him as the possible repercussions of his staying in Sunnydale played out in her head.

“Un, yeah. I guess that’s true…You’ll be all here and I’ll be here and we’ll both be here and…that’ll be just…great.”

(Oh yeah. That’ll be great! I’ll be trying to seduce Spike, and Angel will be hovering around trying to protect me from him. And when the Initiative comes along, I’ll have two vampires to protect. Assuming they haven’t killed each other by then. Gah!)

Outwardly, she tried to be as upbeat as possible about the thought of Angel hanging around Sunnydale for the next several years, but inside she was moaning at the impending train wreck she could see coming.

Vowing to encourage Angel to think about moving to LA as soon as graduation was over, she pushed the worry to the back of her mind and tried to concentrate on what to do about the Anointed One’s continued existence.

(Damn Spike! Why didn’t he get rid of that little brat before he left? Oh yeah, that’s right. He was busy trying to figure out why I had the hots for him. Way to go, Buffy. Now I’ve got to do something about him.)

Telling Angel she’d see him later for patrol, she headed for her house on Revello Drive. She and her mother had formed the habit of sharing a cup of hot chocolate every evening either before or after Buffy’s patrol, depending on how late a start she got. They hadn’t discussed at all Buffy’s willingness to spend time with her mother, and she hoped that Joyce was attributing it to the more mature Buffy wanting to spend more time around adults. When Joyce put down her cup and said, “So, when do you plan to tell me what happens to me?” she realized that her mother was too smart for that scenario.

“Wha---what?” she stalled for time, not at all willing or ready to have a conversation about her mother’s tumor and consequent death.

“Buffy, as much as I love you; and as much as I enjoy our little talks every night, I know this togetherness is no more typical for a twenty-something woman than it is for a teenager. There is a reason you want to spend so much time with me, and I think I have a right to know what it is.”

Buffy looked at her mother and couldn’t prevent the tears from forming in her eyes.

“Mom, I’m not trying to hide anything from you. I just know it’s too early to try to do anything about it and I don’t want you living with the burden of knowing…”

“Knowing when I’m going to die?” her mother asked quietly.

“You’re NOT going to die! Not this time! I won’t let you!”

Joyce raised her eyebrows. “I’ve learned quite a bit in the past few months about your powers and your calling, but I don’t recall miracle working among them.”

“It won’t take a miracle. You just need to get it taken care of sooner. Earlier surgery means less surgery. And less surgery means less chance of …problems after.”

“And earlier meaning…”

“Not for another couple of years. Then you’re going in for a CAT scan every six months if I have to break into the hospital and do it myself.”

Her mother studied Buffy’s resolute face for several minutes, then relaxed and said, “Okay, Buffy. I won’t mention it again for awhile. If you promise not to walk around here treating me like something fragile. Deal?”

She smiled at her mother through watery eyes. “Ok, deal.”

“All right then. Go do your patrol. And for heaven’s sake, go do something fun afterwards! I’ll be fine. I’m perfectly capable of putting myself to bed when I think it’s time to do so.”

“Okay, Mom. More slaying, less mom-watching. For a little while, at least.”

She gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek and collecting her stakes, walked out into the quiet night.

During their nightly talks over hot chocolate, Buffy had opened up to her mother about her life as the Slayer much more than she had the first time. She talked to her mother about her blind adoration of Angel, her conviction that he was the love of her life, her devastation when he left for LA, and her attempt to have a normal life with Riley. She left out her mother’s death, the arrival of a half-grown kid sister who was really a ball of mystical energy, and, for obvious reasons, her own death and resurrection.

“And where does the attractive blond vampire fit into this picture?” her mother had asked.

“Pretty much wherever he could,” Buffy admitted with a small sigh. Without going into details, Buffy explained as best she could about her rocky relationship with Spike. She explained that he had fallen in love with her while she was involved with Riley and that it had taken a long time for her to accept the truth of his devotion. And even longer for her to admit to herself that he was important to her. She didn’t say so, but her mother could definitely tell that her daughter was very much in love with the good-looking vampire.

When Buffy explained that Spike had obtained a soul for her, and that he’d let that soul incinerate him from the inside out in order to save the world, she couldn’t stop the tears. Joyce patted her hand sympathetically until Buffy was able to stop crying and tried to think of how she wanted to ask her next question.

“Buffy, why do you think you’re here? Why do you think you were sent back by these…Powers That Be? Is that the correct term for them?”

“It’s not what Spike calls them,” she answered with a wry smile, “but it’s what they are, I guess.” She thought for a minute, then said, “I think I was sent back to fix things. Things that maybe weren’t meant to happen. Maybe Kendra was meant to die when she did. So there was nothing I could do about that.

“But there are things coming that I CAN fix. I can, maybe, help Faith before she goes all evil on us. I can stop the Initiative before Adam escapes. I can hide Dawn from Glory—“ she paused at her mother’s puzzled frown. “Oops, sorry, Mom. TMI. You’ll get it later.” She stopped again, “Now where was I? Oh yeah. I know what Glory’s alter ego is like; I know what the troll hammer can do to her, so I should be able to stop her before I…

“and if I do, then I won’t have to be brought back and I won’t be so…broken…when Spike and I…and there won’t be any imbalance, so no First Evil, so no barbequed Spike, and Buffy lives happily ever after!”

She finished her recitation triumphantly and looked at her mother with great pride only to see Joyce shaking her head sadly.

“Oh, Buffy, if only life were that simple. And, you do realize I didn’t understand a word you said?”

The blond Slayer laughed with embarrassment. “Yeah, Mom. I know. I just got a little carried away. That’s one reason why I’m not telling anybody everything I know about the coming years. I don’t really know what exactly is going to happen, because everything’s already different now. I just know that if the things I DO know about begin to happen, I’ll have a better chance of avoiding the mistakes I made last time.”




In a beautiful stucco home behind a tall wall, Drusilla danced around the atrium in the moonlight. Spike sprawled in a chair, watching her spin and smiling indulgently. Although he and his dark princess had settled back into a comfortable companionship, liberally spiced with mayhem and violent sex, something felt off to him.

Whille Dru had always been as fond of blood as the next vamp, and had a thing for children that made Spike uncomfortable if he was honest about it, she had never been overly violent. In fact, until recently, she had enjoyed his murmured endearments and tender kisses when they were making love. Now, she never missed an opportunity to score his marble skin with her sharp nails, or to rip his skin with her teeth. And she wanted him to do the same.

When she begged him to hurt her “like daddy would”, it made him so angry he had no trouble granting her wish. He would shake her while she laughed hysterically and talked about sunshine and golden dollies floating around him.

She would snarl and growl at him when he tried to calm her down, only giving in to his whispered pleading for love when he got angry and pinned her to the bed snarling and snapping at her face. Then she would coo at him that he was her ‘bad doggy” and her “naughty Spike” and spread her legs for him.

Lately, she’d taken to wandering out in the night without him, coming back just before dawn to express surprise that he had been searching the bars and back alleys for her all night.

“But Sweet William, you were lost in your thoughts of sunshine and dollies. I could see her floating all around you. She wants my Spike, the dolly does. She has my daddy and now she wants my Spike. But she won’t have them. They’re mine to play with.”

He knew she was talking about the Slayer; that she’d seen or sensed something, but he continued to ignore her, pretending he didn’t know what she was talking about. Only his guilt about his one night with the Slayer kept him from beating her when she came back smelling of other demons and smiling to herself.

(Love’s bitch, indeed) he grumbled to himself. (The Slayer sure had that right. I’m a complete wanker when it comes to the women I love. Woman! The woman I love!)

Shaking himself, he stood up abruptly and grabbed Dru’s arm, whirling her around in a manic dance before suggesting they go out and try to find someone good to eat. Nodding her head and clapping her hands, his dark princess led him to the gate and out into the warm South American night.






Chapter Twenty

After months of haunting the cemeteries, staking fledgling vamps as soon as they emerged, Buffy had pretty much had it with the Anointed One’s attempts to rebuild his army of minions and she announced that she was going to “settle his annoying hash” once and for all.

“I think that’s certainly wise, Buffy, but I do hope you will take Angel with you when you go in. In fact, it might be a good idea if we all went. We don’t really know how many minions may have managed to get back to him in the last few months.”

Buffy frowned at his suggestion that Angel accompany her. She had tried to establish some sort of relationship with the souled vamp that didn’t involve any romantic activities, but she knew he was still hoping for more. She rarely asked him to patrol with her, but couldn’t bring herself to reject him when he “accidentally” showed up as he did more and more frequently.

She really would have preferred to take on the Annoying One -(Spike sure got that nickname right)- alone, but to avoid hurt feelings she agreed to take Angel with her and to let Giles and the Scoobies who wanted to be there provide backup. Taking Angel with them meant they had to wait until sunset to approach the lair, even though she would have preferred to hit them while they were asleep.

Angel had moved from his apartment near the Bronze into the old mansion that Angelus had lived in during her time line, and they agreed to meet there before approaching the vamp lair. The Slayer had to stifle a shiver as she approached the familiar building and had flashes of memory of all the things that had taken place there.

Angel watched her with interest as she walked around, gently touching familiar things, frowning at some places, smiling slightly to herself at others. When she stood in the big room leading to the garden, she closed her eyes in pain briefly and he moved toward her without thinking.

“Buffy? What is it? Is something wrong?” He looked at her with genuine concern, wanting to take her in his arms, but knowing the new Buffy wouldn’t necessarily welcome his embrace the way “his” Buffy did.

“Huh? Oh, no, I’m fine, Angel. Just reliving some memories. No biggie.”

“Anything you’d care to share? I miss the way you used to tell me everything.”

She shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

He almost growled with frustration, but swallowed it and nodded his head in agreement.

“All right, Buffy. I don’t want to push you. You’ll tell me when you’re ready, I guess.”

He completely missed her look of surprised indignation as he turned toward the door and the arriving Scoobies.

(What the hell? Has he not listened to me at all? He really doesn’t get that “no” means “no”. I wonder how come I never noticed that before?)

She shrugged off his assumption that he could have pushed her into it if he tried and turned to greet her friends.

To Buffy’s surprise, the whole crowd showed up, eager for some slaying action, and she realized with a guilty start that she hadn’t been involving her friends or watcher the way she had before.

(Maybe I should be letting them help more. If and when I really need them, they won’t have the experience they need to stay alive.)

Her face broke out in a genuine smile as she greeted her friends and admitted that she was glad to see them ready to come out and do battle with the forces of evil.

“Oh, yeah, we’re all about the battling forces of evil,” Xander enthused, as he glared at the brooding vampire leaning against the wall. “Can we start with Deadboy, here?”

Angel’s eyes flashed yellow for just a second as he heard the hated nickname, but he controlled the demon before Buffy noticed and contented himself with glaring back at the youthful annoyance.

“Xander…” Buffy’s warning made Angel smile and he moved closer to the blond slayer as much to aggravate the boy as to be close to her warmth. He breathed in her scent, enjoying the closeness which she seemed less inclined to reject just now than she did when they were alone.

Buffy smiled up at Angel apologetically and he smiled back and nodded to show her he was more than willing to tolerate her friends as long as she was letting him be a part of her life. As they gathered up weapons and talked about the plan, he went out of his way to include everyone in the conversations, even Cordelia who had shown up with Xander to Buffy and Willow’s astonishment.

“What?” she said when they looked at her in shock. “I can be helpful. And I didn’t have anything more interesting to do tonight, anyway. It’s not like you three have the market cornered on being heroes, you know.”

To break the crashing silence that greeted the tall brunette’s remarks, Oz offered quietly, “I just thought Willow might want some support. I can drive the van and we’ll only have to take one vehicle.”

“Thank you, Oz,” Buffy said with a smile. She had forgotten how helpful and full of common sense the werewolf was, and she was enjoying his company even more than she had the first time around. Her heart ached for Willow and the pain she knew was probably coming, but to see how her friend was coming out of her shy shell now that she had a devoted boy friend made up for it.

They agreed that Angel and Buffy would go into the lair themselves and check out the numbers. Angel was going to pretend to be Angelus, and have Buffy over his shoulder. He would get as close to the Anointed One as possible before setting her down. With luck, they would be able to stake most of the minions before any of them caught on that Angel was not on their side.

Giles would be outside with the rest of the Scoobies – all armed with crossbows and ready to dust any vamps fleeing the lair. Oz would also be using his enhanced senses to keep track of the fighting and let them know if Buffy and Angel needed assistance.

When she was sure everyone was as prepared as possible, Buffy led them to Oz’s van and the beginning of the end for the Master’s chosen successor. With Willow in the front with Oz, Giles, Buffy, Angel, Xander and Cordelia were crowded into the rear. To keep the peace, Buffy deliberately placed herself between Angel and Xander, trying to ignore the flash of hopefulness on the vampire’s face when she sat down next to him. She knew he was deliberately not moving over so that their hips and shoulders would be touching, but she didn’t pull away, letting herself enjoy briefly the physical contact that she was missing in her life at this time.

While she had no intention of sleeping with the older vampire and thereby releasing Angelus again, she couldn’t deny the affection she still felt for him and it felt good to lean against his large body. She was sure that she had finally made him understand that there was not going to be anything romantic between them any more and once he knew what caused his soullessness in her time, he’d agreed completely. Or seemed to.

They drove to within a block of the old warehouse where what was left of the Anointed One’s minions were living. Angel and Buffy moved silently toward the building while Giles positioned everyone else around where they could see the exits without being seen. At a nod from him, Angel smiled at Buffy and asked, “Ready?”

She nodded, grumbling the whole time about how she hated to appear weak and beaten, as he scooped her up effortlessly and draped her over his shoulder. A position which put her plump little sixteen-year-old ass right beside his face. As much as he knew he shouldn’t think about her in a way that could cost him his soul again, he found it very hard to concentrate while the center of her sex was so close to his nose.

He could hear her heart rate accelerate as they approached the room in which the Anointed One could be heard berating his minions for their lack of initiative and couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to know that he was once again the cause of that excitement. He shrugged off the memory of the brief seconds he’d been on top of her as Angelus and how good it had felt to press his erection in between her strong thighs. Telling himself to pay attention, he pushed away thoughts of sex with Buffy and concentrated on convincing the suspicious vampires glaring at him from across the room that he was once again Angelus.

Which wasn’t all that difficult with his demon being so excited by close proximity to the slayer’s ass. He sneered at the fledgling vampires gathered around the child-like “master” of the lair and snarled, “Got an armful of Slayer here. Anyone interested in a taste?”

Before they could break ranks and run to him, the small leader held up his hand and said suspiciously, “You first.”

“Shit,” he heard Buffy hiss as she tensed her muscles, preparing to drop off his shoulder. He quieted her with a slight squeeze to her thigh and shifted her weight so that she would be dropping straight down onto her feet when he let go. “Trust me,” he whispered into her ear as he let her slide down his body and grabbed her hair, tilting her head to expose her throat.

As soon as his fangs approached her neck, she felt Spike’s now-invisible marks tingle and she shoved Angel away with a frightened, “No!”

Surprise, shock, and finally anger flared across the vampire’s face as he reeled back. The other vamps, not realizing why he was so angry, moved toward the Slayer at a gesture from their leader. Although she had shoved the large vampire away fairly vigorously, they assumed she was weakened by whatever he’d done to capture her. Their lack of concern and caution was just what Buffy needed and she had dusted three of them before they could grasp that she was just as strong as ever.

The rest of the minions retreated slightly and peered at the small blond through the dust of their companions. Buffy had shoved her stake back into the waistband of her pants and now held a long wooden pole with which she was attacking the remaining minions. She appeared to have the situation under control, so Angel remained quiet and watched the fight, ready to step in if necessary, but having learned from cruel experience that this Buffy neither needed nor wanted to be saved by him.

He saw the dawning comprehension grow on the small boy’s face as the leader watched his minions being decimated by the tiny Slayer that Angel had brought into their lair and his face twisted in anger.

“You! You are of the Master’s line! You should be bowing before me, and instead you bring this…this…thing! into my home.”

Angel moved toward the small boy and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up so that they were eye to eye.

“I don’t bow to anybody,” he said coldly. “Least of all children who think too highly of themselves.”

Buffy had finished dusting all but two of the minions that had bolted out the doors. She trusted that the waiting Scoobies would take care of them and turned to approach Angel. She looked at him curiously as he dangled the angry, evil child in the air.

“Angel, why are you playing with him? I had no idea you were so fond of children.”

He let his face slid back into it’s human features as he shook the little vampire and answered, “Well, you know men and toys. Sometimes we just can’t resist…”

The small would-be master was in complete game face and hung from Angel’s large hand snarling and snapping and screaming threats. The two warriors for good looked at each other and shrugged.

“You said in your time Spike killed him? Do you know how he did it?”

“Not exactly, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with putting him in the sun.”

Angel glanced around the lair and spotted the cage in which the vampires obviously held their victims until they were ready to eat them. He looked at the chain and pulley that could carry the cage all the way up to the open roof and nodded his head.

“I see Will’s gotten creative in his old age,” he murmured as he carried the protesting demon over to the cage. “But the sun isn’t out now and we can’t take the chance he’ll escape before it comes up. Sorry, boyo,” he said as he twisted the child’s head and snapped his neck, “ Guess it’s not going to be as fast for you this time – but then, I’m not as impatient as Spike is…”

He threw the now paralyzed small demon into the cage and began pulling it up to where the first rays of the sun would hit it and turn the little master into a pile of ash. He missed the small frown that crossed Buffy’s face at his casual cruelty, but he didn’t miss the fact that she reached into the rising cage and put her stake through the small demon’s heart.

Without comment, she began looking around the large room, searching for any minions she might have overlooked, or any weapons they could use. When she saw the partially put together body parts and recognized them, she gasped.

“What is it?” She heard her Watcher’s voice as he cautiously entered the room to see how it was going.

“It’s the Judge. They were trying to put him together.”

When she got puzzled looks from both Watcher and vampire, she sighed and said, “I’ll explain it when we get back. Right now, all I want to do is take him apart and destroy the pieces.”

She took an axe she found lying nearby and began to hack the death-dealing machine apart. She didn’t waste time trying to destroy the pieces, knowing the man-made axe wouldn’t have any effect on them, but she did manage to turn the partially completely being into many small body parts. Signaling the rest of the Scoobies to pick up the pieces, she led them out of the building and into the waiting van.

After she explained to Giles and the Scoobies the danger presented by an intact Judge, the watcher determined to send the head to the Council for safekeeping. At Buffy’s disbelieving look, he explained that, regardless of her feelings toward the Council and their treatment of Slayers, they were the most qualified to keep something like that safe and away from evil forces that might try to use it.

“If you don’t count the Council as an evil force, I guess that’s right,” she grumbled, but agreed to let him have the head. Privately, she vowed to keep at least one major piece herself and hide it somewhere only she knew about. As much as she trusted Giles, she could not bring herself to trust the Council to keep such a potentially dangerous being safe from anyone who wanted to use it to their own ends.

(Especially since Xander doesn’t have his Halloween military experience to fall back on this time) she thought with a mental grin.

With Angel promising to take the torso out to sea and drop it into the deepest part of the ocean, and Oz taking a leg with him on his next road trip to leave in an unknown place, Buffy felt comfortable leaving the arms hidden in Sunnydale. The extra leg, she took with her to dispose of later. By moonlight, she went into a cemetery and dug into an old grave, burying the extra parts as deep as she could get them.

She allowed Xander, who was feeling left out and useless, to come with her to help dig and to watch for vampires while Buffy worked. They were still not completely comfortable with each other, as the boy refused to give up his idea that both Angel and Spike should have been dusted when she had the chance; and Buffy’s older eyes allowed her to see his stubborn narrow mindedness for what it was. It didn’t take a psychology degree to realize that in her time, her friend had taken his unrequited love for her and turned into an unhealthy distrust of the men in her life.

She was able to understand that he hadn’t been threatened by Riley because he knew, subconsciously, just as Riley himself had, that she didn’t really love the big commando and therefore he was no threat to Xander’s place in her affections.

(At least this time, I know better than to pretend my life is ever going to be normal. Should be able to save Riley and myself a lot of grief.)

When she thought about how she had treated Spike in her time, based, she had to admit, in large part because she worried about Xander’s reaction much more than anyone else’s, she cringed and vowed she would not let his obvious jealousy interfere this time.

(Assuming there IS a this time) she thought with a sigh. (Where are you, Spike? Are you thinking about me? Has Dru started cheating on you yet?)

She absently rubbed her fingers over the invisible scars on her neck where his teeth had just scraped her skin and wondered if the partial claim he had initiated was exerting any pull on him. The reminder that she was his (not that I need one!) brought on when Angel’s fangs got near her throat had surprised her. Spike had been so sure the claim would fade as soon as he was gone. She hoped that he was feeling some residual effects from it too.

*************

The vampire in question was having a good time, dancing the tango with a curvaceous and fiery brunette that he had already decided would make an excellent vampire. He was just biding his time, enjoying the music and the heat from her body until he was hungry enough to take her somewhere private for dinner. Dru was sitting quietly at a table with some tourists she’d met and smiling indulgently at him while he danced.

As much as she enjoyed twirling around with her pixies under the stars, the ability to dance to actual music, especially the pounding Latin rhythms found in their chosen country, completely escaped her stodgy English sensibilities. But she didn’t object to watching Spike dance with human women; in fact she enjoyed watching his graceful movements and seeing how all the unsuspecting humans in the bar envied the woman he’d chosen for his partner this night.

She was actually looking forward to his turning the lush beauty he was practically making love to on the dance floor. Dru also thought the woman would make a good vampire, and was eager to teach her about sire’s and grandsire’s rights and privileges. She giggled as she pictured herself sinking her fangs into the newly made vampire’s full breasts and rounded belly. This one looked like she would be a lot of fun – and she bore no resemblance to the tiny blond Slayer that still haunted her William’s dreams.

Thinking about the Slayer ruined her good mood, and she abruptly got up and grabbed one of the men by the hand saying coyly, “I want to go talk to the stars. Please come with me. I need a big strong man like you to make me feel safe.”

Beaming with pride, and eyes gleaming with lust, the unsuspecting man waved to his friends and followed the strange, but exotic woman out of the club to his immediate and bloody death. Without her usual babbling, the angry vampire grabbed the still oblivious man and drained him within seconds, dropping the body to the dirty ground and stepping over him to wander off looking for a demon bar.

Inside, Spike had noticed Dru’s disappearance, but didn’t worry about it. The last few months had gone very well, and he was sure they had put the ugliness that was Sunnydale behind them. And if he occasionally still thought about silky blond hair falling over his face, and a warm mouth bringing him to ecstasy, he told himself it was only natural to remember a sexual encounter with a Slayer. After all, it certainly wasn’t something the average vampire was ever likely to experience. To his reputation for killing two slayers, he could now add that he was the only vampire to have shagged one.

(At least I could add it, if I didn’t know Dru would get hysterical about it. Not that she doesn’t know somethin’ happened, but I don’t think she knows what I did with the Slayer. Was too busy shagging Angelus to worry about what I was up to, wasn’t she?)

He carefully ignored the fact that even if Dru would have been fine with it, there was no way he would have been bragging about his night with Buffy as though she was some slut off the street. His inner William was too aware that he’d been gifted with something precious, something given out of love, and he would never allow the demon to sully it.

He pulled the woman’s willing body into his, rubbing his erection against her and reveling in the warmth. It did no good to close his eyes and try to pretend she was Buffy – to a vampire, scent and taste were at least as important as vision and there was no way he would mistake this woman’s essence for the Slayer’s unique taste and smell. But he could enjoy the warmth of her body and the sound of the blood rushing through her veins.

He’d just decided it was time to take his evening’s meal choice outside and add her to the ranks of the undead, when a jolt went through his body and his concealed fangs suddenly itched. It was gone as quickly as it came, but he couldn’t deny what had happened.

(Bloody hell! That claim’s still there! And something jus’ happened to the Slayer to make it flare up. She’s alright, though. Got to be. If it’s strong enough to jolt me after all this time, I’d know if anythin’ happened to her. I’d have to be able to feel it. I’d have to.)

In spite of his assurances to himself, late the following afternoon while Drusilla dozed next to the exhausted new fledgling he’d brought home, Spike found himself holding a cell phone and dialing a number he swore he’d only written down for purposes of having more information about the Slayer. He stared at the phone as it began to ring, and had almost decided to put it down when he heard Joyce’s voice.

“Hello?”

“Uh…I mean…bloody hell! Is the Slayer there?”

“Spike? Is that you?”

“No! It’s not me –him! It’s just a phone call for the Slayer. Need to know if she’s…if anythin’s wrong.”

He could hear the smile in her mother’s voice as she said, “Buffy’s fine, Spike. I understand they removed a nest of vampires last night, but everything went well and she is OK. In fact, she’s out with her friends and Angel. I believe Willow’s boyfriend’s band is playing at the Bronze tonight and they’ve all gone to have a bite to eat before helping him set up.”

Relief at her mother’s reassurance fought with a gut-wrenching stab of jealousy at the idea of Buffy being out with Angel. When he didn’t say anything for several minutes, Joyce asked anxiously, “Spike? Spike, are you still there?”

“Yeah, ‘m here, Joyce. Just got sidetracked for a minute. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad you called. I just wish Buffy was here to talk to you. She’ll be sorry she missed your call.”

“I’d rather you didn’t tell her,” he said gruffly. “I don’t want to talk to her. Jus’ needed to know she was all right, that’s all.”

“She’s fine,” Joyce responded. “She’s looking forward to her birthday next week and trying to decide if she’s going to be seventeen or twenty-three.”

“What day next week?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Wednesday. I think we’ll all be here, at least early in the evening. I’m doing dinner and cake. So if you wanted to…”

“No! No, I won’t be callin’ again. I was jus’ worried and…I shouldn’t have done this. ‘M sorry, Joyce. Don’t tell her about it. Let her go on and have a good time with her…friends.” He couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice as he thought about his grandsire being with her while she celebrated her birthday.

Joyce waited until he finished, then said softly, “All right, Spike, I won’t tell her you called if you don’t want me to.”

“Thank you, Joyce. ‘Preciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “And, Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“She’s not seeing him. They’re just friends this time around.”

“Didn’t ask,” he mumbled.

“I know you didn’t, but I thought you ought to know.”

He snorted and shook his head. “You’re quite a woman, Joyce. ‘S no wonder your daughter is one of the longest lived slayers in the world.” He heard the sounds of laughter from upstairs and knew that Drusilla and his newest minion were awake and looking for him. “I’ve got to go. Good bye, Joyce. Take care of yourself…and her.”

“Good bye, Spike.”

Chapter Twenty-One

He stared at the phone for a full minute, then with a muffled curse, threw it against the wall to shatter into useless pieces of plastic.

(I don’t care what she’s doin’ or who she’s doin’ it with – jus’ don’t let it be the bloody poofter! She told me – well she didn’t exactly tell me, but she might as well have – she told me she loved me. She said she was mine. Don’t want him touchin’ what’s mine.)

As he walked back upstairs, easily covering the steps two at a time, he tried to put the blond slayer and her warm body out of his mind. By the time he got to the door of the bedroom, he thought he’d done a pretty good job of erasing all thoughts of blond hair, golden skin, and powerful blood from his mind.

He came in, unzipping his pants as he entered, and threw himself onto the bed between the two eager female vampires waiting for him there.

“There you are, you bad puppy! Where have you been?”

“Nowhere important, my ripe, wicked plum,” he growled, pulling her onto his body, but she twisted away from him and reached for the newly awakened fledgling beside him.

“I want to watch you play with your new toy again,” she purred into his ear. “Show me how happy you are to have her.”

She ran her nails down the other woman’s bare back, eliciting a growl and a shiver. Spike did his best to appear interested in the new family member he’d created, but now that her body was as cool as his own, and the heated blood no longer pulsed through her veins, he found himself unable to respond to her rough caresses.

When he pushed her toward Dru and suggested that they entertain him by enjoying each other, the new one’s eyes flashed with anger and she gave a small growl. Immediately, he was in game face and had his fangs fastened in her neck. He shook her fiercely, snarling the whole time, until she whimpered and quit fighting him, lying submissively between the two master vamlpires; one angry and one laughing and clapping.

“Oooh, my Spike IS a bad doggy! Shouldn’t make the doggy mad, you know. He will bite you and eat you all up!”

When the fledgling had stopped fighting and he could see the fear and submission in her eyes, Spike let her go with a final snarl and again shoved her toward Dru.

“Here, pet. You enjoy her if you want her. If you don’t, we’ll get rid of her.”

The dark-haired vampire cocked her head and studied him closely, her eyes narrowing.

“You’re thinking about her again,” she said flatly, sounding more lucid than normal. “The Slayer is floating all around in your head and you don’t want us. You want her.”

“Don’t talk crazy, Dru,” he blustered, even as he recognized the rare moment of sanity in her voice. “I don’t want anybody but you. Never have, never will. Just not interested in this silly bint at the moment, tha’s all.”

“Don’t lie to your dark princess, William. It makes me sad,” she replied as she got to her feet, tugging the other vampire up. “Come, Rosa, we’re going out to play under the stars.”

She grabbed her dress and pulled it over her head, gesturing for the other woman to do the same. The curvy brunette cast one more longing glance at her sire’s naked body, then joined Drusilla in her venture into the night.

Spike remained on the empty bed, staring up at the ceiling in frustration. He vowed to kill the new minion as soon as Dru tired of her, telling himself it was because she was rebellious and disobedient and not because he was disappointed that she wasn’t still warm and breathing.

Eventually his stomach growled at him and he allowed the hunger pangs to drive him out into the warm night. Instead of his usual search for an attractive woman or pretty girl, he cruised the gay bars until he found an American tourist who was flashing a lot of money. One look at Spike’s muscular torso, flat stomach and bulging jeans had the visitor willing to follow the blond Brit anywhere and it was a simple matter to get him into the alley behind the bar.

When he pressed his body up against Spike’s and tried to put his arms around him, he suddenly found himself held in place by arms that felt like steel bands. He just had time to begin to wonder how someone so slender could be so strong when Spike’s face shifted and he buried his fangs in the man’s neck. He drained him quickly, then dropped the body and pulled out the wallet, removing all the American money and shoving it into his pocket.

He strolled back through the club, debating about whether to eat another tourist before heading home. He saw the curious looks the others gave him when he came back in without their friend and he just grinned and winked at them before leaving the bar.

On the way home he ran into a drunk Faryl demon that wanted to fight, so he obliged with a major ass-kicking before generously leaving the unconscious demon battered, but alive. He was feeling pretty good as he strolled toward home.

(Good meal, got some dosh if I need it, had me a bit of violence and got two ladies waiting for me at home. Unlife is good.)

His good mood lasted all the way until he got into the house and caught the scent of another demon. He made his way silently up the stairs and followed the sounds he was hearing to the door of the bedroom. There on his bed, Drusilla and Rosa were entertaining a chaos demon whose antlers were dripping mucus all over the pillows.

When his outraged snarl finally penetrated their lust-induced fog, they looked up at him with various expressions of surprise. Except Drusilla, who looked triumphant and proud of herself.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doin’, Dru?” He ignored the frightened fledgling who was just figuring out that she might be in trouble with her sire.

“Rosa and I found someone who wants to play with us. Someone who isn’t thinking about the nasty Slayer all the time. Go away, Spike. We’ll let you come back when we’re ready to give you another chance. You can go play with the other bad doggies until then.”

She turned her back on him and began stroking the chaos demon’s huge, furry cock, ignoring the hurt, angry look on Spike’s face. Rosa gave him an apologetic look, but as soon as Drusilla touched her face with a blood soaked nail, she turned away and fastened her mouth on her grandsire’s eager lips.

Spike stared at the writhing bodies on the bed, then whirled and left the house, grabbing his leather coat as he went out the door. His feet move without any conscious thought on his part, carrying him away from the latest humiliation his lover had poured on his head.

(It’s one thing to shag her soddin’ poof of a sire, but a chaos demon! That’s just disgustin’. And to do it on our – my – bed. If she thinks I’m gonna hang around here waitin’ for her to decide I can come back to my own house…)

His feet had carried him toward the airport, and he took a quick glance at the plane schedules, seeing that he could leave for California the following evening and be safely on the ground in LA before dawn. Using the money he’d taken from his earlier meal, he bought a ticket for an aisle seat and left to find a safe place to spend the day, hoping his righteous indignation would last long enough for him to get out of the country before he made a fool of himself waiting around to be allowed back into his own home.

Buried in the anger and hurt he felt at Drusilla’s infidelity, was a little bubble of joy that he had a reason to leave the city he’d been hiding in and go back to the only place he was sure to be welcomed

******************************

Buffy strolled home from school, enjoying the unusually warm day and trying to compute the odds against her actually having a happy birthday this year. With no Judge parts to worry about, and no Angel sex happening, she wondered what the PTB would do to make this birthday suck. She had no doubt that it would. Eight years of experience as the Slayer told her that something bad would happen on her birthday every year. Like clockwork.

“I guess I’ll just have to wait and be surprised,” she said out loud to herself.

As her friends gathered at her house for a small party, and gifts were opened, examined and commented on, she began to relax slightly. There was no reason to expect a sword demon to appear, no soul losing for Angel, no zombies anywhere to be seen, things were looking good. She still couldn’t decide if she was celebrating her seventeenth birthday, or her twenty-third, but after her second bowl of chocolate ice cream, it didn’t really seem to matter and she began to really enjoy herself.

As the party wound down and her friends started to depart, Buffy stood in the doorway to receive her birthday hugs and kisses as well as to thank everyone for their gifts. Giles and Jenny were the first to leave. The younger guests teased them for being old and not able to stay up late to party, but Buffy’s more mature sensibilities could see that they were just eager to leave the teenagers behind and be alone. She hugged them both tightly, delighted that she’d been able at least to save her Watcher the grief that had accompanied his love for the gypsy woman the first time around.

Xander and Cordelia were next, rejecting Oz’s offer of a ride in favor of Cordelia’s car. Buffy briefly wondered if they would stay together in this time line, with the chances of Spike kidnapping Willow and Xander together now much lower and therefore chances of them being caught kissing much less. She shrugged and told them both “good-night”, deciding that keeping Xander and Cordy together wasn’t much of a priority and she would just watch nature take its course.

As she was saying good-night to Willow and Oz, she thought she heard the back door open and she turned her head slightly. She saw Angel straighten up at the sound of her mother’s voice and frowned slightly at the look on his face. She hugged the werewolf and his witch girlfriend and closed the door behind them, intending to walk into the kitchen to see who her mother was talking to.

Just as she started past Angel, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest saying, “Don’t I get a birthday hug and kiss?”

In the kitchen, Joyce was greeting a tired looking Spike and offering to make him some cocoa while he waited for Buffy to finish her good nights. He thanked her and sat on a stool by the counter. He could sense his grandsire in the living room, and knew that the older vampire must know he was there.

Remembering that Buffy said she could always tell when he was around, he was slightly puzzled and a little hurt that she hadn’t come running into the kitchen to see him. He stood up and moved to the entrance to the living room, just in time to see Angel fold her in his arms and lower his mouth to hers in an extended kiss.

Without a sound, he whirled and ran through the kitchen and out the door. Without saying a word to Joyce or bothering to close the door behind him, he ran out into the night.

Buffy had initially welcomed Angel’s kiss and embrace, but just as he started pushing his tongue against her teeth, trying to force an entrance, the tiny scars on her neck tingled and she pushed him away before he could deepen the kiss. She spun around and flew to the kitchen just in time to see the screen door swinging shut and a flash of platinum going by the window.

The silent, anguished question in Buffy’s eyes was easy to interpret and her mother nodded, glaring at the dark vampire as she did so.
Before Buffy could bolt out the door after Spike, Angel grabbed her again and tried to keep her in the house.

“What are you doing, Buffy?” he said angrily, holding on to her struggling body and trying to get her to look at him. He wasn’t planning to tell her he knew Spike had been there unless he had to. He wasn’t sure if she knew the blond vamp had been in the kitchen or was just worried about her mother. Joyce hadn’t said anything and he’d missed the look exchanged between the two women.

“Are you all right, Joyce?” he asked with too much sincerity. “Was there someone here?”

Buffy, meanwhile, had quit struggling to get away from the big vampire and was staring at the still vibrating screen door and fighting back tears.

“What happened?” she asked her mother in a shaky voice. “Why did he leave?”

“I don’t know, Buffy,” she replied sincerely. “He started to go into the living room to you and then he just turned and ran out.”

Realization dawned as Buffy remembered what she’d been doing when she felt the tingles and she remembered how Angel had grabbed her and initiated the kiss as she headed for the kitchen.

“You knew!” She fixed him with her deadliest Slayer glare and he flinched in spite of himself. “You did that on purpose,” she ground out between clenched teeth.

“I just wanted to remind him who you belong to,” he said, releasing her arm with a growl. “I didn’t think you’d mind. It’s only Spike.”

Completely at a loss for words, the Slayer did the only thing she could do and punched him so hard he sailed across the kitchen and into the stove, shaking it loose from it’s place against the wall.

“Sorry, Mom,” she threw over her shoulder as she ran out the door. “I’ll put it back later.”

With anxious tears streaming down her cheeks, she ran into the night searching frantically for another glimpse of bright hair and dark leather.