A/N: Many thanks to LadyForAsh, for betaing. Thoughts are in ‘single quotes.’

-----

Chapter 4 – The Potentials, et al.

Dawn and Spike walked companionably up the basement stairs together, and entering the kitchen, Dawn called out, "Xander, Willow, Anya, can you come up to Buffy's room? She needs to talk to you." When the potentials followed them up to the second floor as well, Dawn blocked the way with a fierce expression. "Later," leaving a bunch of astonished girls behind her as she shut the door in their faces. "Well!" huffed Kennedy, "Is little Dawnie channeling big bad Slayer now? Since when has she had the balls to do that!" They milled around the hallway indecisively for a few moments before settling on the stairs to wait.

Spike took up guard position, his arms folded, and back against the door with an inscrutable look on his handsome face. He had no doubt that this was going to be ugly. He'd burnt too many bridges in the past. Demon Girl should be all right with it, Red was iffy, but the whelp held grudges, and was too prejudiced to accept it with any grace. Spiked hoped Xander didn't attack Buffy, or he'd have to hurt the wanker. It was a given that he'd attack Spike. He'd be ready.

Dawn stood next to Spike with her arms folded to lend him support. Spike nodded his head and smiled softy at her, silently acknowledging what she was doing and thanking her. His love for Dawn shone openly in his eyes for the first time since he had returned with his soul, and she felt warmed, ‘Home after a long exile.' With a small grin, she nodded back.

Buffy paced the room nervously. Despite herself, and her newfound confidence and determination, she had a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and her color was paler than normal.

Xander, Willow and Anya sat on Buffy's bed. "Have you decided to tell us what's up with Dead Boy Jr.? Why he's suddenly Dead Boy Daywalker?" snipped Xander in an ornerier tone than he had intended. ‘It's about time she brought us up to speed,' he groused to himself. ‘Since when does she make us wait ‘til she tells Giles and Dawnie, for crud sakes?' He had a bad feeling he wasn't going to like the answer to that question at all.

"Yes," replied Buffy. "I have a lot to tell you. Please don't interrupt me until I'm finished and have explained it all to you." She eyed Xander sternly. Turning on her heel, she figured that she'd be really lucky if she had a chance to get it all out before he exploded.

He raised his eyebrows then said out of the side of his mouth to Willow, "This must be bad, big with the badness." Though he tried to joke about it, something told him it really was bad.

"Xander, I'm serious," Buffy turned back to him with a gimlet stare.

"Right, sorry. Sheesh," he muttered.

‘Oh God, oh God, oh God...Stop it Buffy,' she chided herself. ‘I can do this, I can do this...' Glancing at Spike, she was strengthened by his unwavering love and support. Cool. She could actually feel him projecting that love and support. Exhaling heavily, she started. "When a vampire mates, or marries, if there is true love between them..." Continuing, Buffy repeated to them all she had told Giles and Dawn.

Willow's eyes grew large, her mind jumping forward to the obvious conclusion. ‘So Buffy's finally come out of the closet about Spike. I never thought she'd admit her feelings for him, let alone act on them.'

She focused her eyes into "aura seeing mode", as Tara had taught her. Willow didn't use it much, because every time she did, she was reminded of her dead love, and it was too painful; also, it seemed a breach of privacy. She needed to see if Buffy had been turned, though. Buffy's aura was normally a bright yellow. Now it was shot through with red, and flared towards Spike, but there was no "vampire black". She was still human.

Back when Spike was soulless, his aura had been black, like every other vampire she'd ever seen, except Angel, who's aura was black shot with red. After Spike's return from Africa, Buffy had told them he now had a soul. Willow had peeked, and seen that Spike's aura had changed, had new red streaks running through the black. Looking at Spike now, she saw yellow, red and black all surrounding him, and flaring towards Buffy. ‘Wow, it's as if they've melded,' she thought, surprised.

‘Better check magic, too, just to make sure she isn't under thrall or some other spell.' A new ability of Willow's that she had learned during her time with the Coven in England, was that she could "look into someone" and sense the presence of magic. She no longer needed to speak the spell out loud or use magical paraphernalia to help her. ‘Nope, no magic. Seems she's all there, and acting under her own will.' Slipping back into normal vision, Willow glanced at Spike, and saw him studying her. Outrageously, he gave her a half grin and winked! It was if he knew what she'd been doing, and was amused. Grinning back sheepishly, she shrugged her shoulders.

Willow thought back over the past several years with Spike and how he had changed since first coming to town. Even back in the beginning, when he was truly scary and evil, there had been something about him.

He'd told her she was ‘absolutely biteable,' and had somehow increased her self-confidence even while threatening to kill her. She'd been mourning Oz leaving her, so sure she was undesirable; and he'd tried to comfort her, told her she was desirable, was bitable. He'd given her the choice of turning her or not. At the time she hadn't appreciated the offer at all, but realized now what a huge compliment that was from a vampire's point of view.

Even when he was trying to bite her, he had charmed her into saying, "Maybe we can try it again in a half hour," before she'd come to her senses. All in all, even when he'd been evil, specks of kindness had snuck through. Willow had an "Ah hah! moment". Chipped Spike, instead of simply having someone else kill them, had fallen in love with Buffy, and had begun to help them.

Again, instead of leaving town after Buffy died, he'd patrolled with them and had taken care of Dawn; even though there was nothing left in it for him. After she'd brought Buffy back, he'd let Buffy beat her frustrations out on him. Apparently they'd resolved the attempted rape issue. Now he'd come so far as to fight for and win his soul. ‘Everyone is giving me a second chance after trying to destroy the world. He's helped save it. He deserves another chance, too.'

When Buffy paused to catch her breath after expounding on all the added strengths, protections, and senses a vampire and his mate gained, Xander cut in, "What does all this have to do with Spike not poofing in the sunlight?"

"Spike and I mated, Xander. I walk in the sunshine, therefore, so can he." That caused an explosion of exclamations and questions.

"I knew it! It's been obvious that you two are still in love from the moment he came back from Africa! See, Xander, I told you they've been sniffing around each other, and would be having sex again soon!" announced Anya, smiling triumphantly. The Slayer would be ever so much more pleasant to live with now that she'd be getting some good orgasms. Spike would see to that. He was excellent at taking a girl to happy land. ‘Shoot,' she thought rather less triumphantly, ‘So much for getting him to take me, there again, though.' She lapsed back into silence, wondering where her next orgasm would be coming from.

Willow, a look of wonder on her face, said, "You're both four times as strong? You have his senses? You can't be killed by whatever can't kill him, either? Wow! That is so cool!" And just like that, without another word or explanation, Buffy had Willow's blessing.

Buffy hugged her with a huge surge of relief running through her, feeling like best friends again for the first time in years. "Thank you, Wills. I love you," she whispered. Things were going to be OK after all. She wasn't going to lose Willow.

Willow grinned and hugged her back. What were best friends for, if not to support each other?

Xander, however, looked thunderous. Feelings of betrayal crushed his chest, and he thought despairingly, ‘She's done it again, chosen a demon over me! No one will ever love her as I do, but she can't see that. She'll never learn that demons only hurt you! This is it, this is the end.' Over and over in his head ran the thought, ‘this is the end.'

Aloud, Xander barked, "What!?! Mated with him! He's an evil, undead thing! What's the matter with you? He's beneath you!" Catching sight of the fresh scar on her neck, "He bit you, I'll kill him!" he cried and before Buffy realized what he was doing, Xander had rushed Spike with a stake raised high.

Spike gave a resigned sigh, then moving so fast his hand was a blur, knocked the stake to the carpet. Grabbing Xander by the neck, he lifted him in the air and slammed him against the door. Feet dangling off the ground, Xander's outrage abruptly turned to terror. Spike spoke softly, with deadly intent, "As you value your life, don't try that again, you bloody little drama queen." Then he dropped Xander, who slid down the door and landed in a shaking heap on the floor. Turning his back on him, Spike crossed the room and settled on the edge of the dresser, folding his arms, and looking moody. ‘God, I do not need this,' he thought.

Buffy recovered from the shock of Xander attacking Spike, and leaned over him. "Xander, listen well. I love Spike. I've loved him for a long time. I just didn't dare tell you. Spike is not beneath me. Neither is he evil anymore. He's a warrior for the Light, just as I am. He's just as dedicated to fighting evil as I am. Do not, I repeat, do not attack him again."

"He doesn't deserve you! He'll never be able to make his murders go away! He can't bring all those people back! Don't you understand? He's a demon!" Xander paled as he realized who else was in the room and what he had shouted. Anya looked stunned, hurt. Xander looked pleadingly at her, "You're different; you aren't a demon anymore." He felt sick as her face hardened into impassiveness, but thought frantically, ‘I can't think about Anya right now, I have to make Buffy understand.' Turning back to her, "I just want what's best for you, Buffy. I want you to be happy. He'll hurt you. How can he not? You remember how he tried to rape you last year after you broke up with him," Xander protested, looking around the room for support. Incredibly, in his eyes, all faces were closed against him.

Seeing Xander looking at her with disappointment, Willow put on her resolve face and spoke up. "Xander. I killed two people and tried to destroy the world. You all are giving me another chance. Doesn't Spike deserve one, too?"

Xander looked doubtful. "You can't compare what you did with what he's done. Warren deserved it! And Rack!?! That drug dealing warlock pervert, the world's a better place without him! And you didn't destroy the world; you listened to me and stopped."

"Spike not only didn't try to destroy the world, he's helped save it, more than once," Willow persisted. She wondered why it had taken her so long to realize that.

Spike looked at Willow in surprise and smiled his thanks for her support. "You have a head on your shoulders, Red; unlike some frigging idiots in this room." He glanced mockingly at Xander with a quirked eyebrow.

Xander ignored him and pressed on with Willow. "You killed two people, Wills, he's killed thousands!"

"Alexander LaVelle Harris! I've killed thousands, and you're all giving me another chance. Stop being a hypocrite!" Anya exclaimed, glaring at him with hands on her hips.

"Aun, you're not a demon anymore! And he tried to rape Buffy! How can you all just set that aside and say, ‘give him another chance!?!'" He cried desperately.

Spike growled and stepped forward, and an outraged Dawn tried to jump in, but Buffy shook her head and they backed off.

"Xander, I never told you what really happened back then. I was not innocent in that attack-No it's true!" Buffy emphasized, putting her hand on his chest and holding him to the floor when Xander tried to jump up and interrupt.

Leaning back, she muttered, "It doesn't matter anymore, anyway. We've forgiven each other. I was too proud and tired that day to talk to you about it, and was in denial about my responsibility in the mess. Those are failings of mine," she sighed, thinking of all the times over the years that she could have made things easier for Spike, if she hadn't been too proud; had seen things impartially and been fair; hadn't just been too tired to explain; too tired all around.

An idea flashed into Xander's head. He turned to Willow, "Is this another one of your spells gone wonky, Will? Yeah, that must be it; that explains everything! We've got to figure out how to reverse it! Where's Giles?" Xander looked around, then got up and started to open the bedroom door to go in search of him.

"I did not cast a ‘wonky' spell, Xander, I didn't cast any spell! I'm not that kind of witch any more!" Now Willow was hurt and indignant. "I can't believe you said that!" She pouted at him.

"OK, sorry, Wills...if you didn't do it, maybe a vengeance spell then. Did you make a wish to a strange woman with a medallion, deadboy?" Xander demanded desperately, trying to find a reason, a way out of this crushing of his most hidden desire, the hope that someday Buffy would really see him.

Spike merely growled, shook his head and muttered, "Berk. We don't have time for this, Slayer."

A headache had begun pounding behind her temples, and Buffy wondered if it was any use trying to reason with Xander, but she thought, ‘I've got to try. In the past I'd have given it up as a bad job - wait, in the past I didn't try at all. I will make him understand. I will not give up on him. I need him, too. She continued softy now, putting her hand on his arm, "I'm so happy with Spike, Xan. Please accept us. We're going to have a human wedding, too." Looking over at Willow and Dawn, she smiled and added, "I never thought I'd get a real wedding with a white dress!" then back to Xander, again, "and with me married, and no longer having financial problems, we can keep Dawn safe from Social Services. You're one of my best friends, I love you...I need you...I don't want to lose you. Please."

Studying the sincerity in her face, Xander realized that he wasn't going to change her mind. It was a fate accompli. There was nothing he could do about it. He also realized that if he didn't accept him, this time it wasn't going to be Spike that would be rejected. It would be him.

Resignation filled Xander's heart and he looked around the room. This was his life. They were his life. He couldn't give them all up to stand on principle against Spike, and they did have a point about the second chances Willow and Anya were getting. Buffy was lost to him. Sighing, he said, "O.K. Buff." Then glaring at Spike, "I'll be watching you though, if you ever hurt her, you're dead...-er." He added, looking confused for a moment.

Surprisingly, Spike didn't mock him. He merely nodded, and said mildly, "Fair enough."

Buffy hugged Xander and he hesitantly hugged her back, relieved now that he'd given in. How could he bear to lose her completely? ‘But I'll still be watching, you, demon boy,' he repeated to himself. She deserved at least that much from him, for him to be on guard.

Willow brought up something that was bothering her, "How can you two get married, with Spike being dead for over a hundred years and all?" She started wondering if she might be able to facilitate things with her computer skills, thinking Spike might have to find a records counterfeiter, wincing at the legal ramifications. She surprised herself with how quickly she had become a real supporter of them.

"It's all taken care of, red." Spike said, the right side of his lips curling up into a smirk. "I've been ‘legal' for the past three years. I had the necessary paperwork prepared after your little ‘My Will Be Done' spell. I decided right then that someday she'd be mine for real." He looked with smoldering eyes at the center of his world, remembering his despair when the spell ended and he realized that Buffy wasn't really in love with him. He'd been stunned, as horrified as the Slayer was, but his horror had been that it was all a spell, and not reality. He had tried to deny it to himself, had actually believed his self-delusion for awhile, but that was when the world had started to revolve around Buffy.

"Wow," snarked Xander, "who knew you could plan so far ahead without cocking it up?"

Spike smirked, and said, "Never underestimate me, whelp. When I want something, I don't stop until it's mine."

For a moment remnants of the old exasperation with Spike arose within Buffy, and she recalled Angel's original warning to them so long ago, ‘that Spike was worse than other vampires. When he set his mind to something, he didn't stop until everything in his path was dead.' Apparently that included his own evil self. She studied him, considering, and said, "I never had a chance, did I?"

"No, love, that you didn't," he replied, pulling her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and leaning down to kiss her soundly. Her tone of voice had alerted him that he'd best move quickly, or he'd be in trouble with her.

Buffy's incipient exasperation faded. How could she be mad at him for making her so happy? Not to mention, for giving her great new powers. Nevertheless, she pulled back and protested to Spike, "But you hated me back then."

"Never said I was logical, pet, just determined," he smirked again.

"And on that happy note," Buffy quipped, "let's go and tell the rest of them about our big news." Buffy smiled as she put her arm around her vampire, and they left the room to inform the potentials and the others of the upcoming nuptials, and of their new hope in fighting The First.

Tbc...
------------------------------
Many thanks to LadyForAsh for all your hard work betaing. Thoughts are in ‘single quotes.’
Chapter 4 - The Potentials, et al. by Joyful Dayz

Reactions to Buffy's news were mixed with the potentials. Xander settled into an arm chair to watch the show, impassive on the surface. Privately, he hoped they'd make such a stink that Buffy would rethink her union with Spike. Ignoring the "true love" that was required to make the spell work in the first place, he just wanted it gone. He wished he'd known about this yesterday, so he could have talked some sense into her.

Anya was still annoyed with him and gravitated to the opposite side of the living room, enjoying the spectacle and frequently adding her opinion on whatever was said nearby. Glancing at each other in unspoken agreement, Willow and Dawn mingled, keeping their eyes open and watching for any trouble spots in case Buffy needed some help.

Kennedy was outraged by the news. Her dark eyes flashed as she gestured emphatically, "He's a vampire, for God's sakes! We slay vampires, we don't lay them!" Xander smirked, "Ha! Truism! A girl after my own heart!" then, seeing Dawn glare at him, he subsided back into silence.

Vi stood off to the side, rubbing her forearm and looking vaguely worried. She'd never really gotten over Spike vamping at her neck and bruising her arm on their first patrol. ‘Easy on the eyes, yes, but he's scary.' Her arm ached every time she looked at him. ‘How can Buffy trust him enough to love him? How does she dare to?' She listened to the others uncertainly. Would protecting the potentials and defeating The First still be Buffy's first priority; and now Spike's as well? Or would they focus on each other? She wondered what would happen to them all now.

Rona smirked and commented in an aside to Amanda, "See, I told you they were hot for each other." Amanda had missed Buffy and Spike's first training patrol with the girls, not yet being identified as a potential. Rona had told her all about the electricity, the touches and flirting that Buffy and Spike had traded back and forth that night. "Office romances," remarked Rona sarcastically, shaking her head and making her dreadlocks swing, "bad idea, they never turn out well."

Since Amanda and Dawn had fought a vampire together, and Amanda had officially become a potential, Buffy and Spike hadn't been together much around them, so she hadn't been sure she believed Rona's gossip. Now Buffy's babbling about boys and mixed up feelings for them, when she and Buffy had first met in the school counselor's office, made more sense to Amanda. Buffy was in love with the ultimate bad boy; a vampire. Watching Buffy closely, Amanda twirled a strand of her long brown hair absently, wondering at this new development and what it meant for them all.

Kennedy stamped around glaring, muttering opinions on the stupidity of some Slayers, letting themselves be seduced by sexy smiles and buff bodies and foretelling impending doom, until Willow took her and some of the others aside.

Several other Potentials, those with crushes on Spike themselves, thought it was "wicked romantic." Around the room excited conversations broke out discussing the new powers of Buffy and Spike, how awesome it was that a vampire really loved her and how amazing the mating spell was. Speculation about how had she dared to take the chance at all, and general prattle about the hotness that was Spike ran rampant through the room.

Giles heard everyone gather from the den where he kept his lap top (he had reluctantly given in to the computer age recently), and the few salvaged textbooks from the explosion that had destroyed the Council of Watchers. He had been researching mating rituals, refreshing his memory on the known specifics of them. Entering the living room as Buffy began her announcement, the Watcher observed his charges and their reactions. He started worrying that some of them might start looking for their "very own vampire" and groaned.

Giles decided he'd better make sure that Buffy got across to them that Spike was unique, and not to think they'd be able to find the same, or they'd wind up drained. Shaking his head, he worried about teenage girls being so impressionable. This was a potentially dangerous response to Buffy's news. Reaching for his missing glasses, Giles reminded himself to get them replaced in the morning. He noticed Willow talking to a group of potentials, and ambled over to listen.

"Has he turned her?" Kennedy demanded. When Willow shook her head, Kennedy continued, "Well then, she must be under thrall!"

When that suspicion was also negated by Willow, Vi asked timidly, "How can you be sure?" She hadn't thought of Buffy being turned or under thrall, but agreed with Kennedy. It was a good explanation for her actions.

"I checked when she first told us. I can see auras, and can also tell if someone is under magical influence. She's herself, and her self-will is intact," Willow explained confidently.

"Can Spike do thrall?" Amanda asked. "Giles said it's really rare." She shivered at the thought of living with a vampire who could cause you to see things that weren't there and make you act against your will. Looking pleadingly at Giles, she wordlessly asked for reassurance.

Willow answered before their Watcher did. "Spike's sire, Drusilla can, and does. Spike told us once that he never bothered to because he didn't feel it was fighting fair, but I thought I'd better check it out just in case."

Kennedy cut in impatiently, "Can we get back on topic here? If she's not turned, and isn't under thrall, how could she do this? He's a vampire!" That was the bottom line with Kennedy. ‘How could Buffy have fallen for a dead, murdering, blood sucking thing?'

Willow told them some of Buffy and Spike's history, how their relationship over the years had slowly progressed from arch enemies--that never managed to kill each other despite many chances, to reluctant allies, to friends, and finally to lovers. She told them how from the very beginning, there had been something different about Spike, how he was not only more powerful, but also had an uncanny understanding, even empathy that other vampires didn't seem to have. He had a sense of fair play that was unusual, and hadn't had someone else kill them when he was chipped and couldn't do it himself. She explained Spike's transformation over the years, and that he had sought his soul voluntarily.

Giles decided Willow would do a better job of damage control than Buffy, and determined to have her talk to the potentials as a whole. Buffy would probably have just said, "Don't kid yourselves. There aren't any more like him. Don't even try it," and expected them to obey her just because she said so. They'd understand and listen to Willow, someone that had been there but wasn't Buffy, and Willow could explain why they mustn't look for what Buffy had found. It just wasn't there to be found.'

Giles stepped in and told them that he suspected that the chip was the only reason Spike and Buffy had eventually fallen in love instead of killing one other. Spike refused to have someone else kill Buffy when he couldn't do it, and hostilities had eased between the two when Buffy declared that she wouldn't slay a helpless Spike. He explained in more depth about the advantages and dangers of the mating. Slowly the girls' faces relaxed and became more accepting.

‘Impressive that Willow thought to check for turning and thrall,' the Watcher thought. He'd known enough about the ceremony to realize that they weren't an issue, because of the true love requirement. ‘I'm surprised that Willow could, and did investigate them on her own without a lengthy spell, though. She's shaping up into a formidable ally. I'll have to be sure to utilize her more in the future,' Giles contemplated.

Meanwhile, Andrew beamed at Spike and Buffy, and hugged them exuberantly. He led the "wicked romantic" delegation, rambling on about how he must record ‘this most historic union'. He took a solemn posture, with one arm raised to the square, index finger pointing towards the ceiling, and gazed off into the distance. Importantly, he announced, "I must record and archive...the ‘Chronicles of the Greatest Vampyre Slayer of all time...and her consort, the Great, White, Vampyre Warrior!'"

Ignoring Xander's snickers and eye rolling, he started gathering video equipment and computer discs. When no one else was watching, though, Buffy noticed Andrew gazing at Spike with a lost look, and whenever he wasn't busy ‘recording for posterity', he sat quietly in the corner, staring pensively into space.

With narrowed eyes, Dawn pulled Xander into the hall and confronted him. "You're not helping anything with your sarcasm, Xander." Scowling at him angrily she demanded, "And why did you tell everyone about Spike attacking Buffy last year? You didn't even get it right! You ruined my relationship with him over lies!" She glared at him with a reddened face and an expression that threatened she'd start shouting at any moment.

Xander straightened up defensively. "I may not have known all the details, Dawnie, but there was no excuse for what he did! You were a little girl with a crush on him. He was dangerous, you had to be warned! Everyone had to be warned!"

"I was not a little girl! I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Spike helped me get through Buffy's death more than the rest of you put together. Tara tried, but Spike understood. He was going through the same pain I was. Spike spent time with me, we comforted each other. You destroyed that with your finger pointing! You acted twitchy around me the whole summer Buffy was gone, avoiding my eyes when we were together, not coming over to the house. As if you blamed me for what happened to Buffy," she concluded.

"No," Dawn scoffed, "you weren't worried about me, you were just jealous! It wasn't any of your business! From now on, keep your big nose to yourself!" She stomped off back to the living room to listen to Willow's talk with the potentials.

Xander was frozen in place for a moment, stunned that Dawn had called him jealous. So what if it was true, he still couldn't believe she'd said it out loud. It was his dark little secret, no one else was supposed to even know about it. ‘Besides, it was immaterial. They'd still needed to be warned,' he thought in self-defense. ‘Whether Buffy had some fault in it or not, Spike had still attacked her.'

Xander shied away from the other truth Dawn had spoken. He had been uncomfortable around her after Buffy jumped from the tower. He was ashamed that he hadn't done more to help Dawn when Buffy was gone, but he hadn't been able to get past the feeling that even though it wasn't Dawn's fault, Buffy had died to save her. Xander followed Dawn morosely back into the living room, conscious for the first time that he'd failed them both that summer, and had allowed Spike to move into the position of trust that should have been his.

Faith had stood stock still during the explanation, her eyes gradually narrowing, expression slowly turning from astonishment to envy. Inside she fumed, ‘B gets the best of everything while I still end up with leftovers! Spike and new superpowers? That is just wrong.' She pulled Spike aside a few minutes later, and whispered heatedly, "If you wanted a slayer playmate, why choose B? I would've treated you better than her any day of the week! I'd never be ashamed of you!" She fumed silently, ‘Unbelievable! B, with her Holier than Thou attitude doesn't deserve the sizzling Big Bad! She'll never appreciate his finer qualities.' Her look turned sultry, "and I could've made you scream with pleasure every night!"

Spike smiled slowly, and tongue in cheek, said, "Could you now?" But then he shrugged and continued, "Sorry, pet. To get the goodies, there'd have to be ‘true love' between us. Awkward little requirement, that. It's why vampires hardly ever mate. How can they be sure the other truly loves them? For if not, the ceremony ends up offing them both rather than giving them extra power."

Faith looked up at him with a pout on her full lips for a few moments, then leaned into him and ran a finger down his shirt front. She murmured in a silky voice, "Given time, we could've made it work. Now you'll always have to wonder just what you missed," and she turned away, hips swaying provocatively, to made a grand exit through the front door.

Faith kicked, punched and stabbed out her fury at Buffy's new powers and winning Spike on the hapless demons she met that night. In her berserker rage she even took out a Turok-Han. That calmed her down and she began to think clearly. Angel had taught her to be content with the life she was given. It was a good one, and there was no use in envying what someone else had. She'd learned first hand that that led to the dark side. If she could dust uber vamps without enhancements, she was doing just fine. Faith, the Other Vampire Slayer, returned to her bed before dawn with a measure of peace in her heart.

Principal Wood had been standing next to Faith during Buffy's announcement. His expression slowly hardened from disbelief to fury. Of all the disappointments and disillusionments in the past few weeks, this was the worst. He cornered Buffy as soon as she finished speaking and said tightly, "You're consorting with the monster that killed my mother...and another of your kind as well! You've betrayed them!"

Buffy paled at his attack, but shot back, "I've done no such thing! We have increased strength, new powers; better odds in fighting whatever The First throws at us! I've told you before that he's on our side, Robin. You know ‘the cause' comes first with Slayers. They'd both have done the same thing I did, given the same circumstances! Now the cause comes first with Spike, too!"

He refused to accept that. Grabbing her forearms, he retorted, "He's a monster. He'll betray you in the end. Why can't you see that?" He then added as a side argument, "and there's no way my mother would have mated with him."

Spike shook his head as he gazed after the departing Faith, and turned away. He ignored the conversations about himself that buzzed around the room. Ever since his turning, he had inspired excitement and lust in women. When he was on the prowl, he had used it to his advantage to get the tastiest treats, but at other times, he'd ignored it. He was a one woman man. His attention focusing on his love, he overheard her confrontation with Wood and saw the gobshite put his hands on her.

Bursting into game face, Spike manhandled Wood out through the kitchen to the back door and into the yard. Picking the larger man up by the back of his shirt, Spike threw him against the side of the house. "So I've killed two Slayers, have I, dickhead? Two that the Council of Wankers knew about! Think about that, and keep your hands off my woman! As for Nicky, she and I danced with the best of them. I wouldn't be too sure she'd have rejected me, were I you."

Then, picking Wood up again and holding him close by the shirt front; he added very softly, "I'm not going to have to worry about you, am I?" Lips pursed, Spike stared into Wood with deadly intent. "Hmm? Do I need to be looking over my shoulder and wondering where you are?" His gold eyes burned into brown ones. "Courtesy of your mum, I've already given you the only pass you're going to get from me."

Spike let go of him and Principal Wood slowly backed away, brushing off his clothes, and rubbing a newly bruised shoulder. "No. I learned my lesson; you taught me well. Your back is safe with me." Then he changed tacks, and added in his silkiest voice, "I do believe that I'm thankful that you just killed my mother, though, and didn't try to seduce her, didn't defile her. Someday Buffy'll be sorry that she trusted a monster, and someone will have to be there to pick up the pieces."

Spike roared and lunged at him, but Buffy had just walked out the door. Stepping between them and looking sardonically at Spike, she said, "Can't I take you anywhere without you getting into a fight?" Spike retreated silently to lean against the side of the house, a sulky expression on his face. Then to she turned to Wood, "Can I trust you or not, Robin? Are you, or are you not on our side? I need you, I need every able bodied warrior I can get. I don't, however, have time to worry about whether or not you're going to attack Spike again in revenge. Nor for that matter, to worry about you constantly baiting him."

Robin sidestepped the baiting issue. ‘It's inevitable that we'll snipe at each other now and again,' he thought. Looking at her hard, he said, "I'm on the side of good, the side against The First, and as long as that's your side, I'll be on it. Like I just said, I'll not go after him...but I can't say he'll do the same for me." He stared challengingly at the vampire for a few moments.

Spike said nothing, just looked at him with such a menacing expression as he lit a cigarette that Wood became nervous, turned on his heel, and slipped back inside the house. He'd be watching closely to see if the Slayer was in truth still good, or if the vampire had subverted her, and they'd switched sides. And what was that about having killed just two slayers that people knew about, anyway? He went in search of Giles to see if he could shed any light on the subject.

Inside, Wood drew Giles aside, and asked if he could speak with him privately. Nodding at Willow, Giles left his Potentials in her capable hands, and led Robin into the den, closing the door.

"What is it, Robin?" Giles folded his arms and asked, though he had a pretty good idea what Wood had to say.

"What do you think of this abomination? How could she have done this?" Sputtered Wood, sinking down into a chair and holding his head in his hands. "How can any good come of it?"

Sighing, Giles said, "I think I'd better call Xander in for this discussion. I imagine he has the same questions you do." He walked to the door, and seeing Xander already looking his way, motioned him in.

Once inside, Xander looked questioningly at Wood; then sank to the floor into a sitting position. Knocking the back of his head against the wall several times in frustration, he closed his eyes and asked, "Well, Giles? What pearls of wisdom shall we hear from you tonight?"

"You've both heard the story from Buffy. I just want to tell you that as much as I hate to admit it, what she says is true. I've been researching in the pitifully few books I have left, and online as well, to learn all I can about the mating ritual. In both places, multiple references state that the dangers are real, but that the payoff is also real. Buffy and Spike do have each other's powers, I've seen them, and personality strengths, and commitments, and the powers they had in common beforehand have been quadrupled in strength. Buffy has Spike's determination to win in the face of insurmountable odds. Spike really is committed to the Light now. There is no doubt. I have nothing more to say, other than I'd appreciate any help I can get in figuring out how we can use this to our best advantage." He sighed again, and rubbed his forehead.

"Fine. I'll bow to the inevitable," Wood said. "I just have one more question. When I accused Buffy of consorting with the monster that had killed two Slayers, Spike said to me, and I quote, ‘So I've killed two Slayers, have I? Two that the Council of Wankers knew about!' When the Watcher didn't answer, he demanded, "Well, Rupert?"

Looking old and tired, Giles admitted, "I don't know. There are a couple of Slayers that just disappeared during the past hundred years that neither their Watchers, nor the resources of the Council were ever able to locate. One day a new Slayer would simply turn up, thereby letting the Council know that the previous one had died. If Spike was responsible for their deaths, that only makes him more formidable than we ever knew, and makes no difference now. He's on our side."

Robin Wood and Xander Harris glanced at each other; then left the den quietly with much on their minds. Xander was in shock at the idea that Spike may have killed four Slayers rather than the two they'd known about. He grimaced at the many times he'd taunted Spike...pretty stupid of him, chip or no.

Wood and Harris both felt resigned to the union, but each privately vowed to continue vigilance regardless, for Buffy's sake. After all, Spike was a vampire. In their hearts, what more needed to be said?

Xander's brow furrowed as a thought occurred to him. ‘There was someone else who would be interested in what Spike had done; an old friendly enemy. He'd want to be warned as well, it was only fair to clue him in,' thought Xander, planning a quick call to Los Angeles.

Tbc...