Chapter Twenty-Two

Buffy raced through the streets of Sunnydale until she was exhausted, searching for any sign of the blond vampire. She prowled through the cemeteries, pausing occasionally to sniff the air for cigarette smoke and extending her Slayer senses as much as possible hoping to pick up some trace of Spike.

Willie swore he hadn’t seen him, the Bronze was half-empty as it usually was on a week-night, and she found nothing in the cemeteries except some vampire dust here and there. When she found the body of a Grtxak demon lying near the entrance to Restfield, and saw the fang marks on it’s broken neck, she smiled through her tears, knowing Spike was somewhere around.

She couldn’t feel him anywhere in the cemetery, though, and sat down on a bench to rest and catch her breath. Suddenly she realized it was the same bench they had sat on months ago when she told him why she knew him so well. Putting her face in her hands, she sobbed quietly, wondering if he’d stay around long enough for her to explain that he hadn’t seen what he thought he saw.

Buffy was so wrapped up in her own misery, she didn’t register the warning signals her Slayer senses were sending until the vampire had tackled her over backwards, temporarily stunning her and pinning her to the ground. While Buffy struggled to regain her senses and focus her eyes, the vamp reached for her throat with his mouth, only to encounter the weak signal from Spike’s marks.

He flinched back momentarily, then shook his head and snarling something about “half-assed claims”, he ran his tongue up her neck, licking the spot he intended to bite. Buffy was gradually regaining her awareness of the danger she was in, but the large vamp had her thoroughly pinned down and all she could do was try to buck him loose.

When an outraged snarl from behind caused him to lift his head, she took advantage of his momentary distraction and butted the side of his face with her forehead.

(ooooh, Buffy. So not a good idea… ) she had time to think before she briefly lost consciousness again.

Somewhat to her surprise, she didn’t wake up bleeding and dying. She was still lying on the ground, but instead of being bitten by the vamp, she was treated to the sound of a familiar voice. Raising her aching head, she stared blearily toward the two vampires now circling each other and snarling threats.

The one that had been trying to bite her was insisting that she was his meal, and that the other could just “go find your own stupid blond”. Spike stopped his snarling long enough to ask in amazement, “Do you really not know what you have there, you stupid git?”

“I have dinner. Looks like somebody got a piece of her once before, but the claim isn’t strong enough to keep me away,” he bragged. “I say finders keepers – the vamp that claimed her should’ve stayed around to watch his property.”

Spike visibly flinched at his words and he shot a glance at Buffy to see if she’d heard, before turning back to the other vamp to ask in a deceptively mild tone of voice, “What’s makes you so sure he didn’t?”

Shifting into game face, he leapt at the other vampire, the demon taking over completely once Spike released it. He grabbed the larger vampire by the throat and easily lifted him with one hand until the other’s feet were off the ground.

“D’ ya really think anything but a master vampire could’ve laid claim to the Slayer, you ignorant pillock?”

The other’s eyes widened in understanding as the girl he’d thought was down for the count, jumped gracefully to her feet and came to stand beside the angry, and obviously much, much older, vampire holding him in the air.

“You want to do the honors, pet, or can I rip his head off?”

“If you want him, you can have him, just make it quick.”

Spike cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her, but obediently tightened his hand around the other vamp’s neck and squeezed until the head lolled to one side and he could use his other hand to twist it off. He watched the dust drift away with some satisfaction, although he was disappointed that he wasn’t allowed to take his time making the unfortunate vamp sorry for having touched his Slayer.

When he could no longer see the remains floating away, he turned reluctantly to find Buffy looking at him anxiously. Now that the danger was gone, he remembered why he’d been away from her in the first place and he stiffened, trying to ignore the pleading in her eyes.

“What the hell were you doin’ out here at this time of night, anyway?” he asked gruffly. “Shouldn’t you be doin’ some more birthday snoggin’ with the great poof? There’s nothin’ left out here to slay tonight.”

“So I noticed,” she said softly, moving closer to him.

When he stepped back, maintaining the distance between them, her eyes filled with tears again and she reached out to touch his arm. The heat from her hand felt like it was burning him even through the leather of his coat.

“Yeah, well, I had some…I was bloody pissed off. Took it out on any sorry wankers that crossed my path tonight.” He tried to ignore the effect her touch was having on his body.

“You didn’t answer my question, pet,” he continued when she all she did was look apologetic. “What were you doin’ out here?”

“Do I really need to answer that? Don’t you know?” Her steady gaze dared him to deny that he knew she was looking for him. “Why did you run away? I was on my way to the kitchen to see who Mom was talking to when…”

“When you stopped to have a snog with Angel?” he asked, unable to hide the hurt in his voice.

She flinched again, then raised her head and said clearly, “He grabbed me as I went by. He knew you were there, but I didn’t. Not until the marks tingled. I…I wasn’t expecting to see you yet and I thought I was just feeling Angel’s signature when you came in.

“I was already pushing him away when you ran out, and he stopped me from following you. As soon as Mom told me it was really you I felt, I left to find you.”

“And the poof? What’d you tell him?”

“Uh, I didn’t…I just kinda…hit him. I’m gonna have to fix my mom’s stove when I get home. I think I broke it.”

She peered up at him from under her eyebrows and was relieved to see a reluctant smile come over his face.

“Any chance you broke him too?” he inquired hopefully.

“I didn’t stop to check,” she said, trying once again to move closer to him. “I had something more important to do.”

“And what’s that, pet?” he asked, stepping toward her. He kept his hands jammed into his pockets to prevent them from touching her the way he wanted to. His pride, which had been already injured once when Drusilla kicked him out for the Chaos demon, had taken another hit when he saw Buffy with Angel and it kept him from following his inclination to kiss her senseless.

“This,” she whispered, going up on her toes to brush her lips across his.

“You have Angel breath,” he muttered, even as he leaned toward her to maintain contact with her mouth.

“Make it go away,” she murmured back, running her tongue around his lips and touching it gently to his sensitive teeth.

With a groan, he conceded defeat and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his body as he began to kiss her in earnest. Buffy almost cried with relief when she felt him give in, and she melted against him, letting her tongue and lips tell him how much she’d missed him.

Her arms went up around his neck and he lifted her off the ground, holding her against him in a way that would have crushed the ribs of an ordinary human woman. But Buffy was not an ordinary human, and she clutched him back with equal strength as she lost herself in the sensation of being once more wrapped in his arms.

With each of them being the other’s favorite kisser, it wasn’t long before their lips and tongues had the inevitable effect and Spike’s hard length was pressed against her stomach while his nostrils flared at the scent of her arousal. He pulled one leg up to his hip and she quickly brought the other one up so that her legs were around his waist and her warm, damp crotch was pressed against him.

She began to whimper when he pushed his hips forward, increasing the contact between them and setting up the need for more friction between her legs. He slid his hands down to her ass and pulled her tightly against him, grinding his erection into her.

Words he never intended to say to her flew out of his mouth as he moved it down her throat, leaving a trail of kisses and small bites.

“Missed you, Slayer. Never stopped thinkin’ about this; about you and what you do to me. Want you so much, luv. Need you…”

Buffy continued to grind against him, desperate for both the release she craved and the need to feel him against her from head to toe. She whimpered with unfulfilled desire, wanting to stop and tear their clothes off and too caught up in what they were doing to let go.

When he suddenly lifted his head with a snarl and dropped her to the ground, she almost cried out in disappointment, but her Slayer training forced her to overcome her feeling of deprivation and to fall into a fighting stance at his side. Spike had whirled to face the gate of the cemetery and went into game face as soon as his grandsire appeared. He’d felt Angel’s presence before the older vampire was close enough to see what he and Buffy had been doing and his earlier rage came flooding back as the dark haired vampire strode up to them.

“Buffy! There you are! I’ve been hunting all over Sunnydale for you. Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

He turned to Spike and growled dismissively, “I don’t know why you came back here, Spike, but you’re not wanted or needed, so go back where you came from. If you leave right now, I won’t kill you.”

“I’m here because I want to be, you arrogant wanker, and I’ll stay till somebody worth listenin’ to tells me to leave.” He stepped forward. “And anytime you want to try…”

“Spike.” Buffy’s soft voice and touch on his arm stopped him immediately and he dropped his vamp face to look at her. He tried to read her expression, vowing to himself that if she looked worried about Angel he would leave Sunnydale and never return – dreams of warm, loving kisses be damned.

All he saw in her eyes was the warmth and affection he’d been seeing there since he first came to Sunnydale, along with just a touch of sexual frustration and anger. Relaxing his shoulders, he shrugged and said softly, “Alright, pet.”

Angel blinked at them in confusion as Spike moved away to sit on the bench. He noticed that the younger vampire never took his eyes off the Slayer, not even to cast a threatening look at his grandsire and he looked back and forth between them with narrowed eyes. He could smell Buffy’s arousal on the air and suspicion began to work its way into his self-centered brain.

“Buffy,” he growled, “I think you need to tell me exactly why you are in a cemetery at this hour of the night with a vampire whose only claim to fame – except for his awful poetry - is killing slayers. How can you possibly trust him not to-“

“I trust him because I know him, Angel. Just as I know you…and Angelus.”

“You trust him because he helped you put my soul back? You know he just did that to get Dru away from me- er, Angelus. Not because he cares what happens to you. He has no reason not to kill you now.”

“Actually, I have a…” Spike started then broke off at a glare from Buffy. “Right, shut up, Spike. Got it.” He settled back on the bench, sending his grandsire a smirk. “Still waitin’ to be thanked for that whole soul thing, by the way, Peaches. Or are you not so happy about having it back…Angelus?”

“If it weren’t for this soul, I’d have killed Buffy AND you a long time ago,” he growled, turning his back on the annoying blond vampire.

Turning around put him face to face with a very angry slayer and he suddenly remembered that she had sent him across a room with one punch, and kicked him into unconsciousness when he’d lost his soul.

“I didn’t really mean that, Buffy. You know I wouldn’t ever hurt you. I want you to be happy and safe, that’s all.”

“If that’s really true, Angel, then you need to leave now. Because I am perfectly safe here. And I was working on being very happy before you interrupted!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Buffy knew she’d made a mistake. The anger that flared in the suddenly amber eyes of the old vampire reminded her that he still viewed her as his just-turned-seventeen-year-old virginal ideal to be kept on a pedestal.

Through the angry haze her words created, Angel remembered what she’d said to him when Angelus was threatening to take her virginity, and he stared back and forth from the girl he idolized to the grinning vampire on the bench. With a roar of outrage, he launched himself at Spike, fully intending to rid himself of the younger vampire forever.

However, Spike hadn’t lived as long as he had without learning to read Angelus and his moods very well, and he was already on his feet and moving before the older vampire had covered the distance between them.

Suddenly Buffy felt the limitations of her younger, less trained and fit body as the two master vampires she cared about fell to the ground in a snarling tangle of fangs and claws. She watched anxiously, hovering around them, ready to step in if it looked like either one was going to be dust.

After the initial flurry of fangs, the two demons split apart and began to exchange punches and kicks, leaping from the tops of crypts to the ground and hurling tombstones at each other. Feeling slightly less worried that they were going to kill each other, Buffy perched on top of a mausoleum where she could see the course of the fight and step in quickly if needed. The two powerful creatures fought until they were both exhausted, pausing by mutual consent to inhales large gulps of unneeded air and rest their weary arms.

Before they could begin again, Buffy stepped between them and held out her hands to keep them apart.

“If the testosterone levels have dropped to reasonable levels, can we agree that this was a tie and go home before the sun comes up and fries you both?”

“This isn’t over, William,” Angel said with a deadly glare. He looked at Buffy sadly for a minute and said coldly, “And you’re not what I thought you were.”

“I’m not WHO you thought I was, Angel. I’ve been trying to get you to see that for months. “ She looked at him sympathetically. “I know it was a shock to find out that your innocent little Buffy was gone and a much older, bitchier one had taken her place, but that’s just the way it is. I’m here, and unless we can find out how I got here and reverse it, I’m not going anywhere. Get used to it or leave town.”

“Could leave town anyway, used to it or not,” came from the vampire who had moved up to stand behind the Slayer. “Ow! Slayer. What the bloody hell was that for?” He bent over holding the tender spot on his stomach where Buffy had elbowed him.

With a final glare at them both, Angel turned around and left them standing in the early morning dampness. Buffy cast a glance at the lightening sky and pulled Spike with her toward the crypt they’d hidden in when the Faryls chased them.

“Come-on, let’s get you out of the sun. We’ll take the sewers to my house and I’ll clean those wounds up. You can stay in the basement for the rest of the day.”

Chapter Twenty-three

They ducked into the crypt that Buffy seemed to know so well and Spike went into vamp face so that he could see the way for them just as he had before. He stopped in the middle of the crypt to look around and commented, “You know, this wouldn’t be too bad if it was cleaned up a little. And with that downstairs area available for a bedroom…” He stopped when he heard Buffy giggling and cocked an eyebrow at her.

When she didn’t respond to his unspoken question, he realized she couldn’t see him and he said “What? Is it funny that I’d want to live in a crypt? I AM a vampire, you know.”

“No, that’s not what’s funny. It’s just that you…never mind.” She waved her hand in the air and added, “I think if you put down some soft oriental rugs and got a nice bed, the downstairs could be quite…comfy.”

“Why would I want orient…” he stopped and threw up his hands in sudden understanding. “Bloody hell, woman,” he growled, “why don’t you just tell me what furniture to get and what part of the room it goes in? I’m guessing that would save me a lot of time.”

Buffy’s shoulders were still shaking with laughter and she moved closer to him and slipped her arms around his waist.

“I’m sorry, Spike. But you had to know there was a reason I knew about this crypt. It’s not like I make a habit of learning the ins and outs of all the crypts in the cemetery.”

He gave her a reluctant grin and looked around again.

“So, this is where I Iived when we…”

“Yeah, most of the time. I mean while we were… but then you lived in my basement for a while too.”

“I lived with you? How’d that go over with Mum?” The instant he felt her stiffen, he remembered her reaction to the mention of her mother’s future when he’d brought it up before and he pulled her against his chest more tightly.

“Ah, I’m so sorry, luv. I’m a stupid git. I forgot…”

“It’s okay,” she mumbled into his chest. “I’m not going to let it happen this time. At least I hope not.”

“ ‘M sorry, anyway. Seems like I keep openin’ my big mouth and remindin’ you of things I’m supposed to know about. Maybe I should just stop talkin’.”

“Oh, yeah, like that’s gonna happen,” she sniffed with a smile.

“Hey! Tryin’ to be nice here, Missy. Jus’ watch it.” His gentle smile belied the threat in his words.

Buffy nuzzled his chest with her face, getting blood on her cheek in the process and she was instantly reminded that he was injured.

“Come on, Big Bad. Let’s get you home and cleaned up. You’re getting blood all over me.”

“Mmmmmm,” he said, obediently leading her toward the open entrance to the lower level. “Could lick it off for you if you’d like…”

“Later,” she said as she followed him down the hole and into the arms she knew would be there to catch her. “Definitely later.”

With a sigh, he released her and looked around for the exit. Buffy gestured in the general direction of the tunnels leading to the sewers and he prowled around, sniffing and using his enhanced night vision to find the way out.

“Do you know how to get from here to your house?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, shit!” she groaned in dismay.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’?”

“I didn’t even think about that. You – my Spike – knows the way so well…Damn!”

“Don’t worry, pet. We’ll suss it out. Jus’ stop and think for a minute. Tell me what you do know about these tunnels and which direction you think your house is.”

Buffy frowned and tried to picture the landscape above them.

“Okay. There’s a manhole right outside the cemetery gate, which is in that direction,” she gestured toward her right, knowing Spike could see her hand motions. “And my house is that way from the gate,” she added, pointing to the left.

“Right, then. Off we go.” He took her hand and led her out of the cavern and into the tunnels. As soon as he realized there was room for them to walk side-by-side, he linked their fingers and they splashed along together as though strolling through a park on a lovely spring day.

He paused at the manhole, looking around at the branching tunnels and sniffing the air. Buffy climbed up the ladder and nudged the cover up just enough that she could look around and get her bearings. When she felt Spike right behind her on the ladder, she started and gasped.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, although there was nobody out yet in the early dawn light.

“Jus’ had to follow that luscious rump, pet,” he laughed as he nipped her on one cheek with his blunt human teeth. “Bet it tastes as good as it looks…”

“There will be no discussion about tasting any of my body parts, mister. Not while you’re in game face, anyway.”

“Not wearin’ m’fangs just now,” he purred, running his mouth up to the bare skin exposed as she held the manhole cover open. He licked and nibbled his way around to her side, smiling when he smelled her arousal and felt her heart rate pick up.

“You need to stop that,” she murmured, even as she leaned back into him. “There’s no place here to—“ she stopped with a little shriek as he ran his hands up to her breasts and cupped them both. She felt him moving up the ladder and he was soon pressed against her body, his cool fingers still on her aching breasts. He slid his thumbs over the lace-covered nipples, smiling as they hardened in his hands.

“There’s always a place, luv.” He ran his tongue down the side of her neck, thrilling at the way she shuddered when it touched his marks. The way his tongue tingled told him the connection was still working for him too and he almost frowned at the idea that such a small amount of blood could establish such a long-lasting claim.

(Got to look into that one of these days. Maybe it’s ‘cause she’s the Slayer or somethin’.)

Buffy turned around as far as she could and craned her neck so that she could reach his mouth with hers. The matching moans from the partially open manhole would have startled any early morning joggers had there been any. Fortunately, most residents of Sunnydale knew better than to go out running until the sun was completely up and all shadows had been banished for the day.

Surrendering to the sensations the eager vampire was creating, Buffy allowed the cover to drop back into place as she turned around completely to meet Spike’s kiss and wrap her arms around his neck. He put one arm through the side rail of the ladder and used it to hold them in place while he ran the other one under her shirt, stroking her warm, silky skin and leaving heated trails everywhere his cool fingers touched.

The need to touch him became overwhelming and Buffy brought her hands down to push his tee shirt up and run them over his smoothly-muscled back. When she started to wrap her legs around his waist again, he stopped her, smothering her complaining pout with another kiss.

Jus’ a second, luv,” he coaxed, reaching down between them and undoing his jeans. He groaned with relief when his erection sprang out, then hissed when she immediately wrapped one warm hand around it. While she stroked the hard column of flesh, imagining what she couldn’t see in the dark, Spike was undoing the fastenings on her own pants and sliding his cool fingers into the waiting warmth.

Buffy moaned and arched against his hand, wishing for one of the few times in her life that she’d worn a skirt instead of pants. She almost growled in frustration as he struggled to push them down far enough to spread her legs.

“Don’t know why you have to wear such bloody tight pants, pet,” he gasped, almost losing his grip on the ladder.

“Note to self,” she panted, “Always wear a skirt around Spike.”

They stopped their frantic pushing and rubbing for a second, laughing softly at their mutual frustration. Reluctantly, Spike pushed himself away from her and let her shimmy her pants down her legs. She held the cuff with one foot and pulled one leg off to dangle in the air while she immediately brought the freed leg up to catch on his bare hip.

With a growl, he grabbed her smooth, bare ass and pulled her closer, rubbing his now completely exposed cock against her. She mewed as he allowed it to slide up and down her slit, the moisture pooling there making it glide smoothly over her clit. When he slid back down, she jumped up and wrapped her other leg around his hips, dropping onto his ready shaft.

Spike grabbed the ladder with both hands as she wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed her full weight to settle his cock deeply inside her heated walls. He felt himself shudder with the effort it took not to come right then and there. Feeling her warmth wrapped tightly around him banished any lingering memories of or longing for the former love of his life. He closed his eyes and reveled in the rightness of the feelings pouring through him.

Buffy sighed with relief when she once again felt him buried inside her. The sheer pleasure of feeling him filling her up temporarily made any other activity unnecessary. Tears prickled her eyes as she lost herself in the comfort of his presence. She wondered briefly if he could feel the love flooding her heart and if he could, what he would make of it.

As soon as Spike felt he had himself under control, he began rocking his hips against hers and setting up the friction he knew she was craving. In only a few seconds, she was gasping and panting as she clenched around him, a small orgasm ripping through her body. She felt him smiling against her mouth and she smiled back as she broke the kiss to murmur, “Pretty proud of yourself, huh?”

He laughed softly, releasing one hand from the ladder to hold her hips in place while he pushed into her.

“Do you always cum that easily, luv?” he asked. Her quick response had both thrilled and surprised him.

“I do for you,” she answered, suddenly embarrassed and shy, remembering that to this Spike she was not the familiar lover that her Spike had brought to ecstasy over and over again, but, in many ways, a complete stranger.

Spike almost choked as he found himself suddenly incredibly grateful to his other self for causing this amazing woman to fall in love with him.

(Don’ know what I did, or why I did it, but I’d do it again in a minute jus’ to have her here makin’ those sounds and movin’ around me like this.)

Without the use of his hands to guide her hips, Spike was dependent on her Slayer muscles to help her move up and down on him. As her pace increased and he felt his release approaching, he slid back into vamp face so as to be able to watch her face.

“Come with me, love,” he begged, twisting his hips to nudge the spot inside that was making her gasp and whimper. “Come on, Slayer, come with me…Buffy!”

When he cried out her name as he jerked his hips and spurted into her, she clenched around him and sobbed into his neck, murmuring, “Spike, Spike, Spike.”

For seconds, the only thing preventing them from falling off the ladder and into the filth below was the arm Spike had threaded through the railing. Their bodies were limp; Buffy’s being held up by the vampire’s other arm as she continued to cry into his neck. Spike’s legs were so weak, he could barely maintain his balance on the thin ladder.

As he got his equilibrium back, he realized that the Slayer was still crying and he pushed her away gently so that he could see her face.

“Got say, pet, all this cryin’ isn’t doin’ a whole lot for my ego. Want to let a bloke in on what’s wrong?”

“No…nothing…” she sobbed. “I’m just ha… happy.”

“Oh,” he waited for a few seconds, then pulled her close again. “Think you could find some other way to show it, love? I can’t really say I fancy making you cry – and seems like I’ve done nothing but since I got here.”

“I’m okay,” she said, letting out a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m sorry. I’m not always this emotional. I promise.”

“ ‘S alright, pet. Have to say I was pretty gobsmacked by that too.” He ran his tongue over the marks on her neck again, causing them both to catch their breath. “I can’t even imagine what we’d be like together with some privacy and a real bed.”

“You have no idea, vampire,” she growled, grabbing his shoulder in her blunt little teeth and biting just hard enough to get his attention. “No idea at all.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Once their clothes were back in place, and Buffy had taken another look out of the manhole, they were on their way through the sewers to the house on Revello Drive. A quick dash from the manhole near the Summers’ house to the sheltered front porch, and the two were back inside, safe from the rapidly rising sun.

When Joyce came downstairs for breakfast, she found Spike and Buffy in the kitchen. Buffy had the first aid kit out and was cleaning the wounds left from Spike’s battle with Angel. One eye was swollen partly shut, but his vampire healing had already kicked in and most of what Buffy was doing was as much to make her feel useful as it was to help him.

At her mother’s questioning look, Buffy began to stammer something about “demons” and “vampires”, but Spike just looked at Joyce and said calmly, “Had a bit of a disagreement with the Poof. Think he’s got it sorted out now.”

Joyce nodded, noticing the relaxed and happy expression on her daughter’s face. While Buffy had not had anything to really cause her any trouble since they restored Angel’s soul, she had gone through the long, boring days with a look of wistful longing on her face and a lingering trace of sadness in her voice no matter what she was doing. That look of sadness and longing was gone now, and her mother rejoiced to see her daughter happy again.

The fact that several months ago she hadn’t known that vampires and demons even existed, let alone that her daughter was born to protect the world from them, didn’t stop her from being grateful to the vampire whose arrival had given Buffy some measure of happiness. Although Buffy had not told her mother everything that had happened to her and the people around her, she’d said enough that Joyce knew how rare happiness was in her daughter’s life and if an undead, soulless creature was what it took to provide it, then he had her complete blessing.

She left for work, fighting back the automatic “Mom” comments about behaving themselves while she was gone. As hard as it was to give up her hopes and aspirations for her young daughter, she’d talked with Buffy enough to be very aware that the young woman wearing her teen-aged daughter’s body was a full adult and not likely to concern herself with meeting her mother’s expectations of proper behavior. Instead, Joyce sighed for lost innocence and told them to “have fun and be careful” as she let herself out the door.

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



Somewhere and somewhen else:



Giles glared at Willow with an expression that could only be called thunderous.

“What do you mean, you only wanted her to be happy? Where is she?”

“I, um, I don’t exactly know…” the powerful witch swallowed hard and suddenly felt very young again as Buffy’s former Watcher demanded she tell him what had happened to his surrogate daughter.

Willow had awakened that morning, content to know that she’d improved Buffy’s outlook on life, only to find an empty bed when she went into the Slayer’s room. After searching the entire house and grounds without finding a trace of the Slayer or even a note, she had begun to get an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

She put off telling anyone her suspicions as long as she could, but by dinner time when no one had seen or heard from Buffy all day, Willow was forced to conclude there might have been a problem with her spell. Steeling herself for what she knew would be a very unpleasant encounter, she knocked on the door to Giles’ office and entered timidly.

When she saw Dawn glaring at her from the couch, she almost turned and ran out. One look at Willow’s frightened face and the former key whirled on the older man to demand, “Look at her! Don’t tell me she didn’t do anything! I can see it in her face.”

Giles sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he removed his glasses.

“Willow, is there any chance you know where Buffy has gone? Or that you had anything to do with it?”

His patient question brought her mumbled response of, “I only wanted her to be happy again,” thereby eliciting the display of temper.

“I knew it!” Dawn threw up her hands and began to pace the room on her long legs. “Where did you send her?”

“I…I didn’t send her anywhere. I just did a little spell that was supposed to make her feel like she did when she was sixteen. Before Angel lost his soul, before her mom died, before she died and…”

“And before you yanked her out of heaven,” Dawn snarled.

“She was happy then. I just thought if she could recapture that feeling, she’d be able to go on with her life and stop mourning for Spike. I don’t know what could possibly have gone wrong. I swear!”

Giles could see from the tears in Willow’s eyes that she was sincere and he tried to control his temper.

“All right, Willow. I believe you didn’t intend to send her anywhere – but clearly that has happened. I’m going to consult the coven and see if they have any ideas how we can locate her.”

It was several months later that Giles, Willow and, at her own insistence, Dawn, were gathered in a large room with several of the seers from the coven that worked with the Council of Watchers. They were holding one of Buffy’s sweaters, hoping to be able to trace its owner.

Silence settled over the room as the smell of incense and wax candles pervaded the air. The small group of seers closed their eyes and concentrated on following the faint path of Buffy’s essence. They communed with each other silently, occasionally nodding or shaking their heads, and once twitching in surprise. Just when Dawn felt she would explode with impatience, the lead seer opened her eyes and slumped with a sigh of relief.

Not giving them time to recover at all, Dawn immediately demanded, “Well? Did you find her? Where is she? How do we get her back?”

Shaking her head at the girl’s impatience, the lead seer addressed Giles to report, “She has been sent to another dimension that is several years behind this one. However, we’re not sure how the portal was opened. No one here has that kind of power. Only the PTB can manipulate dimensional time portals like that.”

“So I didn’t do it?” The relief in Willow’s voice was palpable.

“We don’t believe so. It would appear that the Powers That Be used your spell as a catalyst to open the portal and send the Slayer back to her early days in Sunnydale. To what purpose, we can only speculate.”

Willow exhaled and leaned back in her chair, sighing with relief.

“So, she’s happy, then? Is it before or after Spike came to Sunnydale. Has Angel lost his soul yet?”

“It appears that William the Bloody is indeed in Sunnydale, although he does not appear to be trying to kill her.”

The older woman flushed and quickly moved on.

“As for Angelus, it seems he lost his soul only briefly and now has it back again. Albeit, he does not appear to be in a very good mood at this time.”

“So…that’s it then?” Dawn’s voice trembled. “Buffy’s gone? We can’t get her back?”

The gentle witches looked at her with sympathy.

“It does appear that is the case. If it is any comfort, she seems quite happy now.”

All three seers blushed and cleared their throats simultaneously. When she saw Dawn’s devastation, the older one offered, “You are the key, you know. If anyone would be able to move between dimensions, it would be you. We can work on that for you and see if we can find a way to harness your power and direct it.”

Dawn nodded her head and looked at them pleadingly. “Yes, please. Even if I can just see her…”

“We will work on that.”

Nodding at the profuse thanks offered by Giles and Willow, the three powerful witches took their leave. Buffy’s remaining family and her best friend went back upstairs and sat in the living room, each lost in his or her thoughts.

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

Spike came to his senses gradually. At first all he was aware of was that he was alive and seemed to be in more or less one piece. Which was something of a miracle in and of itself, as the last thing he remembered was being swarmed by too many demons to count as Angel and the dragon flew into the side of a building and exploded into flames.

He recalled Illyria standing in front of Gunn’s lifeless body and tossing demons away with both hands. Although the numbers facing her were as large as those attacking Spike, she appeared to be doing her time-warping thing and slowing them down so that she could pick them off one at a time.

Good on Blue. I hope she took a thousand of those blighters with her before she went down.)

The aching vampire tentatively tried to sit up, only to find himself groaning and dropping back on the peculiar surface beneath him. He would have sworn he was lying on a cloud, if it weren’t for the fact that it was semi-solid and he wasn’t falling through it.

(Maybe I’m a ghost again? Ghosts can sit on clouds, can’t they? Bloody hell, can’t I just be dusted and get it over with for once? What do the soddin’ PTB want from me now?)

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind, then two very strange-looking people appeared and stood over him.

“This is he? This is the one we’ve gone to all this trouble for?”

“Yes, there is no mistake. This is the One. And we’re not going to all this trouble just for him. You know that.”

“Yes, yes. Quite right. Different dimensions, different outcomes, reward the Slayer, I’ve got it. I still say he doesn’t look like much.”

“Hey! Standin’…er…lyin’ right here, wankers!” Spike struggled to his feet and faced the shocked brother and sister defiantly. They recoiled when the dirty, smoke and blood-covered vampire approached them.

“And what’d you two say about the Slayer? Where is she? She’s alright, isn’t she?”

The two oddly dressed beings looked at each other and then back at him.

“She’s all right. We’ll let you see her shortly. But first we need to explain a few things…”


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

After Joyce left, Spike and Buffy remained in the kitchen. She tried to ignore the way they obviously felt uncomfortable with each other, and busied herself putting away the first aid supplies. She avoided looking at the vampire; suddenly unsure of herself and wondering why he’d come back so soon.

She was running out of busy-work to keep her occupied when she sensed his presence behind her. He slipped a cool muscular arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest, nuzzling her neck as he did so.

“Havin’ second thoughts, luv? Wishin’ you’d left me in that crypt for the day while you suss out how you feel about havin’ me back?”

She turned in his embrace and reached up to fasten her lips on his in an extended kiss that promised things he wasn’t sure he wanted. When she finally broke it off, she pulled away slightly and gave him a small smile.

“No second thoughts. I’m just wondering why you’re back so soon and how long you’re going to stay this time.”

“I’m back because…I…bloody hell!” He released her and turned away growling in frustration. “Dru kicked me out for a Chaos demon and I came back here because I knew I could. I knew you’d want me.”

“So you’re here, not because you want me, but because you know I want you. You needed some ego stroking?”

Even as she said the words and felt the hurt and anger building, the parallels to her own life with Spike continued to work their way into her consciousness.

(This has to be somebody trying to teach me something. It isn’t even subtle, for God’s sake. Do they think I’m stupid?)

Buffy looked up at the ceiling and shocked them both by yelling, “All right, already! I get it! You don’t have to hit me over the head!”

When the vampire stared at her in complete bewilderment, she blushed and looked at the floor, mumbling to herself.

“What the bleedin’ hell was that all about, Slayer? Who were you talkin’ to?”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “But it needed to be said.”

Spike shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and kicked the side of the counter.

“Look, Slayer. I’m sorry if this isn’t what you thought or what you wanted. I jus’ thought…If you don’t want me here, say so and I’ll leave.”

His stomach clenched as he watched her stricken face and he found himself moving closer to her even as he told himself he didn’t care if he hurt her. She was just a warm body to use until Dru was willing to take him back.

“You…you want to leave already?”

“Didn’t say that, pet. I said if you don’t want me here. If me being here is gonna cause you pain…don’t want to hurt you, luv. Never want to hurt you. I jus’ don’t know if I can be what you want…what you deserve.”

To his dismay, instead of making her feel better, his words caused tears to spring into her eyes and he growled and shook his head.

“Bloody hell, woman. You see? Only been her a little while and I’m already makin’ you cry again. What did I say?”

“Nothing,” she shook her head, laughing and crying at the same time. “You didn’t do anything except to remind me that at your unsouled, evil worst you’re a better person than I am.”

“You are completely daft. You’re startin’ to make Dru look like a poster girl for sanity.” He put his arms around her and planted a kiss on her forehead. “See if any of this sounds familiar. You – Chosen One, saves the world, keeps it safe for puppies and…whatever. Me – evil vampire, kills and eats innocent people. I don’t know what the hell this thing is between us, but it hasn’t changed who or what I am.”

“Not yet,” she sniffled, her words muffled by his leather coat.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You know me.” He growled into her hair, the vibrations sending shivers all through her body. She slid her hands around his back, under the soft leather and tee shirt onto his cool skin. When she had pushed the tee shirt up as far as she could, she fastened her mouth on one nipple and worried it with her teeth and tongue.

The vamplre groaned and ran his hands down over her ass, pulling her into his rapidly hardening cock.

“Ah, now, that’s cheatin’, luv. We were having a serious conversation here and you’re tryin’ to distract me.”

“Is it working?” She moved her mouth to his other nipple and pulled it into her mouth to suck on it before dropping soft kisses down over his rib cage and into the little hollow beside his hip bone.

“Oh, yeah. It’s workin’” he growled, picking her up and heading unerringly for the stairs. When he reached the top of the stairs, a giggling Slayer nibbling on his neck the whole time, he was just able to grind out, “Which one?” before following her pointing finger into her bedroom and falling onto the bed with her. While Buffy writhed beneath him, he shoved the stuffed animals off the bed with one arm and began tugging at her clothes with the other.

Chapter Twenty-five

Spike stared into the pool of clear water, watching himself offering to leave Sunnydale if Buffy wanted it and he could barely keep from jumping into the vision in front of him.

“Are you completely off, you stupid git? She doesn’t want you to leave! She wants you to love her. Argh!”

His inarticulate snarls of rage had the PTB backing away from the furious vampire.

“What the fuck’s the matter with me? Him?”

“He is in a different dimension where things are happening in a way they did not in the one you came from. This Spike is still in love with Drusilla, has no chip, no soul, and barely knows the Slayer. He’s intrigued that she loves him, or her version of him, but he doesn’t know how to reciprocate yet.”

“That’s my Slayer in there? My Buffy?”

He looked at them for verification, even though they had explained several times what he was going to be seeing in the vision pool.

“Yes, as we told you, she has been sent into an alternate dimension with the memories of her own life intact so that she can perhaps alter things and have a happier life.”

“Since when do you lot worry about anyone’s happiness?” he asked suspiciously.

There was a whispered consultation between the two beings before the girl turned to him and said, “An effort is being made to reward the heroes of one dimension, while at the same time preventing some of the same problems from arising in this one. It was determined that the Slayer, if she had someone equal to the task at her side, could make that difference.”

“So, you want us to save the world in the water and if we incidentally make each other happy doin’ it, that’s our bonus?” His lifted eyebrow and the smirk that accompanied it clearly indicated he expected nothing more from them than more manipulation.

“Something like that, yes. It would be a crude way of putting it, but it is essentially correct,” the boy said stiffly.

“Well, I’m a rude, crude vamp, so don’t be getting’ your knickers in a twist about it.”

He looked into the pool again, watching himself carry Buffy up the stairs and into her bedroom. He looked back at the two oddly dressed beings again and asked quietly, “If it’s all about makin’ her happy this time, why isn’t the great poof in there instead of me?”

The girl made an annoyed face and hissed at him, “Would you pay attention? That is not the sixteen year old Slayer. It is – for lack of a better term – YOUR slayer. She does not want Angelus. She wants you. She has been mourning you for over a year. Until now, all we could do was offer her the version of you occupying this dimension. However, now that you have…changed planes again-“

“That PTB speak for died again?”

She looked momentarily uncomfortable, then said quickly, “You are neither alive nor dead at the moment. Until you decide what you wish to do, you are between planes.”

“I get to decide?” Disbelief was obvious on his face.

“Yes,” the boy broke in angrily. “You can choose to join her in that dimension and assist her to meet whatever dangers may come up, or you can go on to another plane and leave her with that version of you. You must decide soon. We have other matters to attend to.”

Spike looked back down at Buffy’s room, watching himself pulling roughly on her clothes, and running his hands over her body. He watched her touching his face gently, marveled at the love he could see in her eyes as she stared at the Spike pressing her body into the bed.

“Touch her, you stupid git,” he whispered. “She wants you to touch her now. And kiss her. She likes being kissed. Come on you bloody wanker, make it good for her.”

He watched in frustration as his doppleganger made love to his Slayer, knowing she was enjoying it, and yet confident it wasn’t what it should be for her because the blond vampire with his mouth on her clit didn’t know her body the way he did.

“Send me to her,” he said firmly, never taking his eyes off the couple on the bed. “Send me to her now!”

“Very well,” was the last thing he heard as his world went dark again.

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

Buffy moaned as Spikes talented tongue stroked along her outer folds and teased her into arching off the bed into his mouth. When he fastened his mouth around her clit and began to suck on it, she screamed his name and let the orgasm flow through her body.

Before she had completely recovered from that experience, a new one for this body, the vampire had surged up her torso and buried himself inside her tightly clenched warmth. She brought her legs around his back and pulled him into her body until she thought they might melt together.

Suddenly his vigorous thrusting was augmented by a slight twist at the end of each stroke. A twist that hit a little bundle of nerves only one man had ever located. As each touch on the spot only Spike knew about brought her closer and closer to another release, she threw her head back and made a keening noise. She ground her pelvis into his, not sure if she was keening from pleasure or from something else.

All she knew was that this felt like her Spike and the emotions that was bringing to the surface threatened to overwhelm her. Squeezing her eyes closed, she surrendered to pure sensation and let the emotion pulse through her, taking her someplace safe and wonderful.

She felt Spike begin to quiver as her muscles tightened around him and knew he was about to join her in a mutually explosive release. Reaching up with her mouth, she fastened her small little teeth on the skin of his throat and bit down as waves of pleasure washed over her. She heard Spike shout, “Buffy!” as he plunged into her, sending his cool semen to batter against the entrance to her womb. Then his fangs were on her neck and he sent her spiraling into another orgasm as he pulled long draughts of her rich blood into his mouth.

He soon stopped drinking, but remained inside her, cock still buried in her warm wetness and fangs still embedded in the skin of her throat. Slowly withdrawing his fangs and fading back into his human face, he whispered, “Mine,” as he laved the wounds closed.

“Yours,” she agreed, licking the droplets of blood coming from where she’d bitten his neck. “And you are mine.”

“That I am, love,” he said, raising his head and looking down into her surprised eyes.

“I love you,” she said, holding his gaze and preparing to hear him tell her he didn’t love her.

“Not as much as I love you,” was the totally unexpected answer.

“Wha-?” Buffy stared at him, taking in the softness of his gaze and the…soul?…she could see in there.

“Sp…Spike?” hope battled with hard-won experience as she watched his eyes fill with tears.

He began to slowly rock his hips, never taking his glistening blue eyes from hers and the slow comprehension growing there.

“It’s me, Buffy. I’m here. An’ I’m not leavin’. Not for Dru, or the poof, or the soddin’ Powers That Like to Mess With People. I’ll never leave you again. Be here till we’re both dust in the wind.”

“Did I die again? Am I back in Heaven?” She whispered in genuine bewilderment “Aren’t you already dust? Or ashes? Or something?”

“If I’ve got it figured out right – this is about as close to Heaven as either one of us is getting’ for awhile. Seems our talents are needed in this world and the PTB thought we’d do a better job if we were together.”

“You’re real? You’re really here and you’re my Spike?”

She ran her hands over his face, stroking the scar on his eyebrow, running her fingers down his cheekbone and touching his full lower lip. He pulled her finger into his mouth and sucked on it as he assured her, “ ‘M as real as somebody who keeps not dyin’ can be, love. And I’m definitely your Spike. Always was, always will be.”

He gently licked the claim he’d placed on her neck. “And you’re mine, Slayer. No half-assed marks this time. Want the whole world to see those.”

Throughout their conversation, he’d never stopped the gentle rocking of his hips and that small bit of friction had set up the inevitable urge for more. Suddenly Buffy flexed her muscles and flipped them over so that she was straddling him and squeezing her Slayer muscles around his cock.

“Oh, god, pet, I love it when you do that,” he gasped, thrusting up into her.

“I know you do,” she whispered back, as she slid up and down on him.

When he reached his hands forward and began kneading her breasts while she rode him, she moaned and leaned toward him.

“I missed you so much,” she breathed. “I missed your hands on me, missed the way you kiss me, the way you love me…”

“ ‘M here now, love. I’ll always be here; holdin’ you, touchin’ you, lovin’ you. Never let you go…”

His hands on her waist held her down while he pushed up with his hips, watching her face as she gasped and whimpered her way to her climax. When she collapsed on his chest, her ragged breathing signaling her inability to continue just then, he wrapped his legs around hers and pinned her to his body while he continued to thrust in to her.

The angle of his hips put more friction on her clit and she moaned in his ear as he whispered to her, “Come with me, love. One more time. Come with me, sweetheart.”

“Oh, Spike I can’t…I…”

“Yes, you can, love. I know you can. Come for me, love. Come with me, Buffy.”

“No…I…can’t…couldn’t… possibly…mmmmm…ooooh….Spike! “

His answering shout as he found his release in her, sent another small thrill through her exhausted body before she went limp on top of him. He held her boneless body cradled in his arms, his breathing as fast and ragged as her own. When he could move again, he shifted her off to the side where she stayed, one leg thrown over his and her head resting on his chest.

For long minutes they were silent, lost in all the possible ramifications of where they were and how they got there. The vampire was immersed in the scent and feel of his Slayer. The physical closeness they had just begun to work their way back to when he had been forced to use the power of his soul and the amulet to close the hellmouth had in no way prepared either of them for such a reunion.

“If the PTB are expecting us to save this world, they’re going to have to give me some time. I don’t think I could stop Xander from eating a doughnut right now.”

The deep chuckle that shook his chest sent a bolt of joy through her heart. She closed her eyes and gave silent thanks to the PTB for allowing them this second chance.

“I’m serious,” she said, with as much energy as she could summon. “I couldn’t stop a minor traffic accident right now, never mind an apocalypse.”

“Yes, you could, love. If you had to, you could.” He spoke with absolute certainty.

“Oh yeah? How do you know that? I might just be limp little Buffy for weeks.”

He chuckled again and pulled her up so that he could plant light kisses on her face and mouth.

“Because I know you, my love. I know you.”


The End



Final author’s note: Several people have commented upon the loose ends this story has left untied, and some have requested permission to continue the story or to do one of their own set in this dimension. I have refused those requests, and will continue to do so, until or unless I have decided for sure that I will never revisit it. As it stands now, there is the possibility that I will do a sequel in which we resolve the issues of where this dimension’s Spike and Buffy went when ours replaced them, as well as exploring the possibilities inherent in Dawn’s keyness and what that might mean to dimension-hopping by the characters.

Anyone who has read very many of my fics knows that they are generally all about the eventual Spuffy ending and rarely continue past the point at which our two favorite blonds are together for what we hope is forever; so to take one beyond that point is going to require some major re-tooling of my thinking and writing processes. But, until I can say for sure that it is never going to happen, I would prefer that no one else take it upon themselves to “continue” this completed story. Thank you for understanding.

ETA - There is now a sequel to this fic titled "I Know You, II" and it may be found on this site and on my web site. I am in the process of working on a third story set in this same universe, it it appears that it is becoming a series of sorts.