A/N: I read this great story - Ring around the Buffy - years ago, and began drafting an ending to it in my spare time. It was strictly a labor of love, and I never thought it would see the light of day, because, hey, not really my story to tell. Happily, Nikkolequade managed to get permission from the original authors and posted challenge #226, requesting an ending to this really great piece of collaborative fiction. What follows is my take on how the story might find its logical conclusion, with a few unexpected twists and turns and a little bit of Angel bashing before the end.


Before you read my ending, you need to start at the beginning of the story, which can be found at http://www.nautibitz.com/fic/ringaround01.html I also re-posted it here on Bloodsheverse so it is easy to find. Hope you enjoy.

P.S. Let me make this perfectly clear once again, everything preceding this point was written by someone else for the Round Robin called “Ring Around the Buffy.” Therefore not only the characters do not belong to me, but also the overall plot, specific situations, the setting and tone of the story are borrowed from the previous writers. My goal was to fulfill the promise of what had already been written, adding a few unexpected surprizes as of my own just to keep it interesting. I hope that you enjoy it.

Thanks to Verda for the encouragement and helpful suggestions, and thanks to everyone who has already left a review for the original story. I loved it too.




“Bet your full of stupid pet tricks,” the Slayer rumbled, dangerously.

Spike tilted his head to one side, considering her mood. His eyes glittered but his voice, when he spoke again, was teasingly soft.

“You give me my bone, Luv,” he vowed, "and I'll do anything…anyway…anywhere…you say."

The full force of his earlier thrall came back to Buffy, in a wet rush. She reached out to take Spike’s hand, interlacing her fingers with his and pulling him with her as she backed across the room. When her ass smacked into the edge of the metal desk, she slapped the palm of her free hand down on its hard surface.

“You standing…me leaning across…do it from behind,” she directed.

“And then?”

“Then you up here on your back, me on top, face to face.”

Spike shifted his hips forward, rubbing the bulge of his erection against her as he whispered…

“And then?”

Narrowing her eyes at his blatant challenge, Buffy let her dress fall to the floor and was flattered with a tiny whimper from her loyal mutt.

“Then," she purred, guiding his hand to her breast, "you go down again and we’ll see if you can…

--“GUYS!”- - Willow’s telepathic intrusion splashed over them like a bucket of ice water. - - “Company’s coming.” - -

“Bloody HELL!” Buffy exclaimed, in frustrated unison with Spike, as the room door was ripped off of its hinges.

Three enormous vampires shouldered their way into the small area. They, angrily, thrust forward one, handcuffed, redheaded witch, in obvious need of a new Vampire Glamour Spell.

"We are so busted," Willow said, sheepishly…taking the words right out of the stark-naked Slayer's mouth.

Excerpt from “Plan D” by 1st Rab-id/Raeann




11. Trouble

Spike barely heard Willow’s assessment, didn’t pause for a moment to consider her handcuffed and vulnerable position.

“Not NOW!” Spike’s howl of frustration was still echoing as he grabbed the closest vamp and twisted until all he held was a handful of dust. What exactly happened to the other two happened so fast Buffy couldn’t really tell how he’d done it. One second there was the pair of snarling baddies, and the next two more nearly identical piles of cinders on the floor. Wiping their dust from his hands, Spike finally managed to get out a coherent thought, “Don’t you bloody know how to KNOCK?”

Almost before it started, the fight was over, and the three massive vamps were gone, A shaken Willow glanced from Spike’s enraged scowl to the Slayer standing motionless, seemingly at a loss for words. Spike was breathing hard, and Willow could almost see his nonexistent pulse pounding in his forehead. Buffy continued to stand stunned, her mouth slightly open, as Willow’s face flamed as red as her brain belatedly registered her friend’s state of undress. What, exactly, had her entrance interrupted?

Seeing her friend’s crimson stare, Buffy hurriedly reached for the pile of leather on the floor. “We were just … um… checking on the placement of the stakes. Making sure…um… that I could get to them quickly if necessary.”

Spike snorted and shook his head. Willow didn’t believe a word of it, but kept that thought to herself.

“Better work on that some more, luv. Can see it t’was a bit of a problem,” Spike snarked.

Stung by the truth of her very unhelpfulness (not that it was necessary, and, Wow who knew Spike could fight like THAT), Buffy had no response. ‘It’s not bad enough Willow must think that I’m a big ho,’ Buffy whined to herself, ‘then Spike has to go accusing me of being no good in a fight. I was just surprised, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting Willow and three vampires to burst in on us while we were…while she was… God, it was a really good thing that the interruption hadn’t come just the tiniest bit later…Cause really, that would have been even more unpleasant. What was I thinking? Had I really been ready to let Spike… to… no…she had just been teasing him. Getting him all riled up, before she threatened to stake him. Nothing would have really happened. Nothing at all.’

Clothes and virtue firmly in place, assured once again that all was right with the world, Buffy glanced up at Spike. He looked like she felt, frustrated as all hell, like he was ready to rip some more heads off. Really, what had that been about? She had seen Spike fight before; hell, she had fought Spike before. But never a Spike like that. He’d taken out those three massive vamps in seconds, without the benefit of a stake!

Storing away that information for later, and ignoring her frustrated body, she turned away from the growling vampire and spoke to Willow.

“You okay, Willow? What happened?” she asked while trying to nonchalantly to adjust herself inside the now uncomfortably warm leather dress. She wasn’t going to think about what Willow might have seen. What Willow might think of her. It wasn’t like anything had actually happened.

Before Willow could form an answer, Spike turned swirling yellow eyes on the girls. “Quick, Willow, best you hide for a bit. Company’s coming.” Ignoring the pair, he strode towards the wrecked door, blocking the entrance bodily. Just beyond him, Buffy could barely make out the forms of several more curious vampires, come to investigate the commotion.

“Damn it, Red, hide!” he hissed, hoping she heard the desperation in his plea. He could probably take care of this lot, if he had to, but there were more coming up behind them. He and Buffy couldn’t hope to fight off the whole assembled force of vamps and demons if any of the auction officials twigged on to Willow’s all too human state. A few random vamps more or less and no one was likely to take much notice; but this was pushing things a bit too far.

Spike couldn’t waste any more time on Willow, who was still very obviously without her vampire glamour, standing stock still staring at the haze of dust that surrounded Spike. Shrugging his shoulders he gave up on the red-head and instead focused on Buffy.

“Hide her,” he ordered. “I bloody well can’t fight them all. If one of the auction officials gets wind of this, they’ll have all our guts for garters.”

Snapping to attention, Buffy realized that there were hundreds of vampires and demons gathered here for the slave auction – they couldn’t possibly kill that many, could they? Their only chance was to brazen this out. And to do that they had to keep the now very human-looking Willow away from unfriendly eyes.

Still very much in charge, Spike drilled Willow for answers. “Anyone else know about this, Red? Anyone see you?”

Willow shook her head. She was still trying to process what she had seen. What, exactly had Spike and Buffy been doing back here? Buffy had been naked, hadn’t she? It almost looked as if…

Before she could voice the question, Buffy was pushing Willow into the storage closet.

“Best if no one else does, then,” Spike quipped. Turning to Buffy he practically begged, “For god’s sake, follow my lead, Slayer, and don’t say a word! I’m gonna try and bluff our way out of this.”

He picked up Buffy’s collar and leash and reattached them as best he could. Probably no one would notice to broken lock. It was a pity Buffy had already put on her dress, but he surreptitiously kicked the matching underwear behind some scenery.

They’d gotten away with dusting the first gaggle of interlopers, but others had apparently seen something, and were headed towards the tiny prop room. Random violence was frowned on at this type of event, and Spike had absolutely no desire to find out how the auction officials enforced that particular rule. He’d have to come up with some plausible excuse for the fracas, and fast.

The jittery clipboard wielding minion from earlier was heading pointedly in their direction, followed by a shorter but more imposing looking official, who in turn was flanked by several beefy looking hirelings wearing the insignia of the slave auction and carrying stun clubs. The ‘police’ as it were, had finally arrived.

Sending Buffy a last sharp glance, Spike hoped that for once she’d do as she was told and keep her mouth shut.

Taking several unneeded breaths to calm himself, Spike considered his options. Fighting was out - they’d lost the element of surprise, and the newcomers were too heavily armed. There were too many demons, and those cattle prods were nasty – just one touch and he’d be no use in a fight. And he couldn’t very well deny what had just happened. He would have to play this just right.

The vamp in charge looked down at the spectacled vampire with the clipboard and tweed suit, even though the myopic vampire was in fact a good deal taller than the little troll who appeared to be the boss.

“I thought you said Frances came in here?”

Spectacles shrugged, “Perhaps I was mistaken.”

The officious vamp narrowed his eyes and looked pointedly at the piles of dust that littered the room. Why hadn't he realized before how desperately stupid his assisstant was? The carnage was obvious. Several potential bidders, no more than dust now. Fighting was not good for business. There was going to be a reckoning, and he knew who would be footing the bill.