Disclaimer I don't own any of the characters except the ones that you know aren't in the Buffy/Angel verse.
Differences: Buffy never got over her death by the master but hid it well. Angel left soon after the beginning of season 2 leaving all that he did to not happen. No new slayer was ever called. Buffy's mother died. Buffy is in a state where she hates everything. (imagine 'The Wish' Buffy)

Enjoy!

Prologue: Hell

Fire crackled everywhere, the sound a low roar blending in with the unrelenting whips of the torturers. Each crack of the whips was followed by a horrific scream. The noise of clanking metal echoed everywhere. The place was so vast, it seemed to go on forever. It could be known as chaos. However, a better term would be hell.

Charissa grimaced at the fact that her body ached all over. Would she ever be finished for her time? Desperately, Charissa hoped to Zeus that she’d finally be relieved and taken back to her cell to sleep at least just some time before she was to be brought back again to work. No point in praying to Zeus, Char, you’d been abandoned here. Charissa told herself.

She groaned to herself as she picked up her hammer and pick yet again to chisel away at the stone. Her fingers felt as if they were on fire every time she missed the pick with the hammer and instead hit with what used to be her beautiful hands.

As she worked, Charissa's thoughts drifted to how drastically her beautiful body had changed in the first moments she had been sent to Tartarus. Charissa had lost track of time, forgotten how long she had been in hell but she knew it should not matter. It was not as if she was going anywhere.

Her memory sought back to the first time she came to her fateful place in the underworld. The guards had given her the rags she was now using as clothes and had forced her to change into them quickly. Gone were the beautiful silks that used to adorn her beautiful olive skin that her lover, Cyril, had given her along with the jewels he had bestowed to her as well.

Now all she wore was a rag of clothing that was made of the same material her mother would use to hold her potatoes in. Her once beautiful raven hair was matted together from countless hours of labour in the work area.

Snap!

Charissa screamed in agony as the long whip made new marks against her back.

“Get back to work!” She heard one of the torturers bark at her.

“You know better than to daydream, Charissa.” Charissa turned her head to look at her cellmate, who also worked next to her. Alpha had been in the same sweep of souls into Tartarus as Charissa. However, she was a much older woman when she had passed. Her crime that had brought her to hell was adultery against her husband and the killing of her child. Both were unforgivable sins to their people.

“I know, Alpha.” Charissa continued to drive her pick further into the stone with her hammer. Others in the same situation she was in also did the constant work, afraid they too would be whipped again if the guards thought even in the slightest that they were not paying attention to their work.

This is your fate, child and you must live with it. Her mother's words that she had repeatedly said to her long ago before they split up rang in Charissa’s ears and just seemed to anger the woman further.

I did not ask for this. I specifically made sure I got what I wanted.

When she had died, she had been sent to Tartarus while Cyril was sent to the Elysian Fields where his docile wife Athena was waiting for him. She thinks she’s so great just because she’s named after the Great Goddess Athena. I am sure Athena knew how to keep a man happy. Charissa thought bitterly as she cursed the woman she was sure she had gotten out of her hair so long ago. Somehow though, it seemed as if Athena, Cyril’s wife, would always be above Charissa.

For years now and to come, Charissa was going to be something that she used to think was below her even before her status as hetaerae. A slave in hell.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Chapter 1: Welcome to Sunnydale

Welcome to Sunnydale. Always sunny to brighten up your day.
That’s exactly how the sign read. Cheesy and stupid huh? The whole thing was erected at the side of the main road leading into town in a little grassy area. The picture on the wooden billboard sign depicted a bright sunny day, where the little sun in the corner had a smiley face and glasses. Rarely does it ever rain in good old Sunnydale That was the idea former Mayor Richard Wilkins III had wanted to project to visitors of Sunnydale when he had the welcome billboard built three years ago.

When in reality, it was just a way to reassure tourists that all the rumors about countless murders and missing people were fake and that none of it happened. A cover-up for cases where people were found dead with puncture wounds on their necks, drained of their blood. Because then that would sound like as if vampires existed, and those were just out of the norm. Or that everything weird happening in Sunnydale was due to the fact that it rested on some mystical magnet that brought weird things. It was simply too crazy, and seeing as that too would be the cause to get you locked up in a loony bin if you ever thought that, really it would just be better to be ignorant about it like all the residents did, pretending to think they didn’t live on the mouth of all hell. They even ignored it when Home of the Hell Mouth had been spray painted at the bottom of the sign in big red letters. The sign had simply been replaced and not a word was spoken about it. Though of course, to those who weren't fooled, knew that the vandalization was caused by one of the many things that weirdly occurred.

But there it stood, tall and proud in the quiet night with the little lights shining from below to bring awareness to drivers at night. Yes, it was a good night (as good as it could get in Sunnydale). That was until a roaring sound of a large hulking car pierced through the silent night air. A large old black Desoto with painted windows drove down the road like a bat out of hell, jumped the curb and purposefully drove straight into the sign, running it down. The crash of the wooden billboard was deafening, echoing throughout the whole town.

Once the purposeful damage had been done, the car stopped, the engine was cut, and the driver's side door opened. Slowly, a large black boot stepped out, followed by another one and then a whole body, equally covered in black. In contrast, the man had pale skin, deep azure colored eyes, and shockingly bright bleached blonde hair. A lit cigarette dangled from the corner of the driver's mouth, the smoke floating up into the night sky. Taking a large pull from the cigarette and pulling it from his lips, he exhaled a stream of white smoke, all the while looking around.

He stood tall and dangerous. Because that’s exactly what he was. A very dangerous man. Some called him the Big Bad. While others knew him as Spike. His alias to scholars who studied him and his “kind” was William the Bloody. Many recognized him as a Master Vampire and he got that reputation from being known as the slayer of slayers. He'd already killed two and he was barely even 200 years old.

Spike as he liked to be called, could rip the head off of any creature that pissed him off but could quickly change his tune to seduce and charm a woman before taking her as his next meal.

“Well if it isn‘t home sweet home,” Spike said, his voice heavy with a thick British accent. Yes...William the Bloody had arrived back in Sunnydale and was on a mission that he was itching to complete.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

The night was quite warm, which was not uncommon in the Southern California town of Sunnydale. However the silence was. That is only to the chosen one. The Slayer.

Buffy Summers, age eighteen, had been the Slayer for almost four years now. During half of that time she was alone in her sacred calling against evil and sadly, that half was the most recent one.

The Slayer trekked through the cemetery with her usual grim look on her face. Her crossbow was slung over her shoulder resting against her back, like a backpack within arms' reach if something was to finally show up, her bag of weaponry in her hand.

To Buffy’s annoyed aggravation she had yet to use the said crossbow, since the night had been rather slow. Not only tonight, but the night before as well. Usually even when it was slow, she would still bag at least one vamp or demon. However, during the past two nights Buffy had yet to see anything remotely demony and this left Buffy feeling more aggravated and the urge to pummel something grew even greater.

Hell, not even a murder, or any suspicious deaths had occurred in the past week where the Hellmouth resided underneath the little unknown town of Sunnydale.

Normally Buffy would be happy for having an easy night (or as happy as she could ever be). Having multiple nights free of slaying left Buffy feeling like a recuperating sex a-holic going without their needed fix of sex. At the back of her mind though, she had the unsettling feeling that something beneath her, or even above the ground was brewing. If it was an apocalypse, Buffy would not be a happy Slayer. Then again, it had been a long while since she had been a happy Slayer.

She had not had a real good apocalypse since The Master, of course. Although, a near one had popped up almost six months ago at the end of the year, but Buffy had metaphorically stomped it out with her fashionable high heels.

The mayor, Richard Wilkins III, for some weird unknown reasons to Buffy, had decided to become a rather large snake demon and surprise, surprise, tried to rule the world as this snake demon. The day of his transformation just happened to be on the same day he was scheduled to make his speech at the Sunnydale High School Graduation, where he hoped to eat the entire class of 99’ as his first meal. However, Buffy had been tipped off by a demon and it had told her that the Mayor would be receiving a package that would allow him to change into the demon at the Sunnydale Airport, which was where Buffy had decided to intercept it. From there she had kicked Richard Wilkins out of town, never to be seen again.

As Buffy continued to walk through the un-normal, eerily quiet cemetery, her thoughts drifted back to the graduation that had still been able to take place despite the Mayor's plans to screw it up. It was painful for her to think about it sometimes since she was never able to join her classmates because she had dropped out of school at the beginning of her senior year. It was too hard to deal with it all. So instead she had watched it from afar.

*~~~*~Flashback~*~~~*
Earlier that year in June

“Congratulations to the Class of 1999. You all proved more or less adequate...” Mr. Snyder’s voice drawled on, floating over the sea of graduates and an audience of family members, all the way to the back where Buffy Summers stood, hidden by the shadow of a tree. Her arms were crossed rigidly over her chest, her sunglasses shielding her eyes as well as a way to disguise her emotionless expression plastered on her face, an expression that had yet to make itself scarce for the past countless months.

She hated the fact that she was here. It kept reminding her of too many things that she was currently trying to push to the back of her mind. Somehow, though, she had felt the obligation to come. Buffy just kept telling herself that she was making sure nothing like the Mayor's botched up plan of ascension would happen when in reality, it was for a different reason.

The Slayer observed, still from afar, as students began to line up to accept their diploma when their names were called. Yeah...she definitely hated being here. Which was why she was hiding at the edge of the courtyard far from everyone, even the audience. Buffy Summers wanted no one to see her. Especially those three to four people that she had known. Because, if they saw her, then they would think that she had forgiven them. No... she hadn’t; but she still felt the need to come.

A half hour later all the names of the graduates had been called and given their piece of paper that essentially meant they were no longer bound to high school. Explaining that they had succeeded in passing their requirements and were now graduated adults, more or less. The new mayor, some woman who had replaced Dick Wilkins after he had “mysteriously disappeared”, made the final speeches.

The class of 1999 was congratulated and the traditional tossing of the mortarboards had occurred. By now the sun was beginning to set. Buffy continued to stand there and spotted her former friends standing in the distance near the set up, dressed in their red gowns and holding their diplomas as they talked in a small circle. Even though she was still mad at them, mad for what they had put her through, Buffy was still proud of them. They, unlike her, had endured the hell of their senior year and were now being properly awarded.

Two adults walked up to the group of teens and seemed to be congratulating them on their success. Rupert Giles, her now former watcher, was someone who had been more of a father to her than her biological one stood in one of his usual tweed suits with Ms. Jenny Calendar. Buffy felt just a slight ache in her heart as she watched the librarian smile at Willow, Xander, Cordy, and Oz, obviously pleased with their success. She remembered when he gave her that proud smile too, before everything had gone downhill.

Suddenly she noticed Giles freeze, an act visible even from the distance. He seemed to stand up straighter as if something had poked him. And, Buffy knew why. No matter how far she pushed herself away from them, even going as far as not talking to any of them for months, there would still always be the watcher and slayer bond between them that would continue to be un-severed until one of them died. She could tell that Rupert Giles had sensed his former charge.

His head turned and their eyes instantly locked. His expression was full of shock, while Buffy’s expression maintained the same stony look. She did not even reveal the anger that she still felt towards him and the others.

They continued to stare like that for who knew how long. Minutes, hours, seconds. Finally when Buffy noticed that her former group of friends were starting to realize what was distracting Giles, she turned around without looking back and walked away towards the now pink horizon, and, once again, away from the people that cared for her.

*~~~*~End Flashback~*~~~*

It had been six months since the graduation and Buffy was sure the group had settled into college life. She rarely spotted them when patrolling the Bronze but every time she did she made sure they never saw her. The group was the same except some blonde chick had joined them and Cordelia was never to be seen again.

The sound of a twig snapping behind her caused Buffy to whip her crossbow around from behind her. A fledging vampire emerged from out of the shadows a second later, revealing itself.

Finally! Buffy thought. She dropped her bag and crossbow at her feet as the vampire let out a loud feral growl. If she used her weapon to take out the vamp then it would be dust in a matter of two seconds. She wanted to drag out the fight, what with the trip down memory lane plus the lack of any combat for two days, Buffy really needed the fight.

She gave a round house kick to its vamped out face before he could tackle her, sending the undead demon reeling back and crashing into the wall of one of the mausoleums. The primal fighter within her awoke and she seemed to be set free, allowing the Slayer to encompass her fully. He snarled at her, his eyes flashing and all Buffy could do was smile. She was reveling in the power that she felt. No matter what, the Slayer would continue to have the upper hand. Buffy stood tall in a battle stance, ready to take whatever he had to dish.

The vampire began to charge at her, she jumped up into the air kicking out again. This time the toe of her boot connected with the vampire's gut. To her dismay the fledging didn’t fly back as far as the last time.

“Slayer,” It growled, feeling the strength and power coming off her. Every demon that knew of the existence as a Slayer would always be able to recognize her instinctually when fighting face to face. The fledging jumped up from the ground. Buffy gave him a fake dazzling smile. Out of nowhere, the vampire snuck in a punch but she quickly gave two of her own. She watched in amusement as the vampire began to run off.

“Ding Ding Ding! You got it right, vamp boy! Why don’t I tell you what you had won.” The Slayer broke out into a chase after it, hopping onto the headstones and jumping from one to another to catch up to it faster. Flipping off the last stone, she landed right in front of the vampire, bringing it to a halting stop. “How about an all expenses paid trip...” Whipping the stake out from the back of her leather pants, the vampire only saw a flash of the stake before he found it jutting out from his chest, effectively piercing his heart. “To hell,” Buffy finished. Pulling the stake out, she walked away even before it crumbled to dust.

Making her way back to where her weapons still laid, Buffy grimaced. She had staked the vampire too soon, leaving the slayer side of her still craving for a fight. She checked her watch and decided it was for the best anyway seeing as it was already 7:30 and she was due to start her shift at 8:00 at Elegant Secrets.

Gathering her weapons and placing her crossbow into the bag, Buffy began to exit the cemetery. By the time she got to the street, the Slayer observed her surroundings. Very few cars were on Main Street, in fact, more people were walking rather than driving.

She walked swiftly down the street, her long jacket flowing behind her along with her honey blonde hair. As she got farther away from the town, the traffic of both people and cars became less. It wasn’t until Buffy was another ten minutes away from Elegant Secrets when she suddenly felt alone on the street. She slung the canvas bag that held her weapons further onto her shoulder and wrapped the coat around her tighter.

In the past twenty minutes, the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees, which Buffy found quite odd. In the end she shrugged it off since it was the beginning of November.

Down the street, she saw the building she worked in at a short distance. Elegant Secrets. Gentlemen’s Club. the neon sign above shone in the dark night. It was just a nicer way to say strip club/joint. However, Buffy did not strip. She did not have the courage or the stomach to withstand some gross married bastard groping her because he couldn’t get any at home. Instead, she was head bartender there, even at her young age.

When she had been looking for a job, she did not even consider a placement in a gentlemen’s club. She had simply been trying to get a job at a diner almost a year ago when the owner of Elegant Secrets had been there and had witnessed her struggle to try and talk to the owner of the diner about a job. Jack had seen her potential as a bartender, and her attitude made her great for a head bartender. He didn’t care about her real age and would teach her everything she needed to know about mixing drinks. At first Buffy had been apprehensive about it all, worrying she’d have to serve drinks nude or do something provocative. Jack had tried to allay her fears, pleading with her by telling her that she was bartender material. She’d make great tips because she was naturally pretty and looked like the only respectable woman in the place. True enough, the tips poured in and at first she was shocked at the amount she could get. True, Buffy didn’t like the fact that it was a gentlemen’s club but the pay was good and she got to keep all her tips. Besides, it worked well with her odd schedule of sleeping during the day and in her best element at night.

Buffy didn’t even have to put up with any crap seeing how she was head bartender and Jack barely came down from his office. Although, Cody the other bartender was pretty ticked that someone who wasn’t even legal to drink had been given the position he'd wanted. The Slayer had made it clear that she didn’t put up with crap and wasn’t going to start with Cody’s.

Walking the rest of the way to the club in a brisk pace, Buffy came to the door of the front entrance. The parking lot were full of people seeing as it was Friday, their busiest night. Joe, the bouncer and head of Elegant Secrets security, smiled at Buffy and stepped aside. Joe was the only one that she could stand. When she had first started working here she kept getting weird glances from the six foot two and 200 pound bouncer. Then she found out he was half Quiox demon. When she'd first found out about it, Buffy was about to slay him when he had assured her that all he wanted to do was make a living for himself and his wife and kid. He had known she was the Slayer which explained all the weird glances he threw at her all those times. He was like any demon that knew of the powerful warrior linage that Buffy belonged to, and he could always feel the strength rolling off her.

“Hello Buffy,” Joe greeted. Buffy just gave him a wave and walked into the club.

Surveying her surroundings, Buffy found that the whole place was practically packed to the max. Men, as well as some scarce women sat at all the tables and booths waiting for the first dancing act to begin. Sighing heavily and making her way to the bar Buffy thought to herself that tonight was going to be another long night.

A/N: Enjoy it? Little confused? I promise I'll explain more in next chapter's A/N about the prologue. PLease Review. I like reviews.
Spuffy_obsessed

Chapter 2: Elegant Secrets

Elegant Secrets was a rather upscale place for a strip club. It wasn’t one of those raunchy places that had waitresses walking around topless with a skimpy little scrap of underwear. Hell, the girls that worked the floor for lap dances never took off their clothes either. The only times clothes were discarded were on the catwalk stage that was shaped like a “T” or in the privacy of the Lust rooms. Where the unspeakable acts can be requested, albeit for a very high price.

There were tables that could seat 2-3 people in the middle of the floor around the stage. Most of the customers that came alone sat there. On the side of one wall silk fabric hung from the ceiling to the floor in a billowing affect with lush red padded booths against the wall. Most of the bigger parties sat there and enjoyed their beers while watching a few strip acts. The lighting in the whole place was set up so even a priest could be easily seduced. Low lights with a red tint to it. The color of lust and passion.

The whole place was two stories high. On the upper level were the Lust Rooms and there was a balcony that hung over where the sound system was set up and run by DQ the D.J.

Buffy walked over to her station, a large bar with a dazzling case of alcohol behind it. Matthew, her assistant stood behind it but was currently leaning over the counter to flirt with Candy, a new waitress, who was currently occupying a stool. It was obvious Matthew was trying to get the blonde server to give him her phone number. Moreover, to any onlooker Candy liked playing hard-to-get-yet-still-flirty-role.

Matthew was three years older than Buffy. When Buffy had been hired, which she still found to be quite surprising, it was an even bigger surprise that her job was as head bartender. Jack, the owner of Elegant Secrets, had liked Buffy’s attitude and had passed over Matthew and put Buffy in the head position. At first the girl had no experience making drinks and at that time, she was just barely legal enough to smoke let alone serve drinks. However, Jack didn’t care and had taken some nights to teach Buffy the basic tricks and how to make almost every drink imaginable. Buffy was a quick learner, thanks to Jack’s infinite patience and the help of the bartending books she had bought. Now she could whip up drinks better (and more stylishly) than Tom Cruise could in Cocktails.

Buffy stepped in behind the bar and Matthew finally noticed her. “Hey Buffy,” He greeted.

Buffy just waved him off, unsmiling as she walked over to put her things in one of the empty cabinets beneath the bar. She tried to ignore the words that passed between Matthew and Candy.

“Is she ever nice?” Candy asked, whispering to Matthew.

The young man just shook his head negatively. “Jack says she’s had a hard life.”

Buffy turned to head downstairs to grab the needed cases since it was clear Matthew had not done that yet. Guess I have to have a little chat with Jack. She thought, hating the fact that her boss was telling the people she worked with that she had a hard life, which was the reason why she was so cold to others sometimes.

She didn’t want anyone to know. Couldn’t really blame her if she didn’t want to have a nice girly chat with some of the strippers. Besides, it’s not like anyone even liked her. She came, she did her work, and she stayed out of the drama between the girls when one used another’s lipstick without asking. Buffy really didn’t want anyone to know because there was always a chance they would butt into her business. If she wanted that, she would go back to her old friends.

Buffy picked up two cases of Classic Rum that were stacked up on top of each other with little effort. Walking back up the cellar steps, she kicked the door open with her foot to find Matthew standing in the doorway. He took the case from the top and set it down, followed by Buffy.

“You shouldn’t carry two of these by yourself. You’re just a little thing.” After working almost a year at Elegant Secrets, Buffy found it surprising that Matthew hadn’t figured out Buffy wasn’t like most girls. If she wanted to, Buffy could carry more items heaped together than Matthew could any day.

Buffy just waved him off again as she faced away from the bar to fix her black camisole top and twist her hair up into her black dragonfly adorned clip.

“Can you just start serving customers please?” Buffy asked Matthew, turning around to serve one herself.

Matthew held up his hands in defeat, getting the hint that she was not in a good mood tonight. She never is.

“Dry Whiskey and a glass of water with a slice of lemon.” Came her first customer order. Buffy didn’t bother to look up to see who it was. Only ‘suits’ ordered their drinks with water and lemon. Suits were businessmen who worked behind desks all day in a nice air-conditioned office. The slayer knew she’d be getting a lot of orders like this seeing as it was Friday, a day for a lot of suits to unwind and watch the goodies but not to touch. Later that night they would go home, lay down in bed (sometimes next to sleeping unsuspecting wives) and dream about everything they had watched at Elegant Secrets.

Finished with making the customer’s drink Buffy topped off the glass of water with a thin slice of lemon before pushing it across the counter. “Five fifty,” she demanded, holding out her hand. Still not looking at the customer in the eye she took the three- dollar bills as her tip and put into her back pocket.

Out of the corner of her eye Buffy saw Matthew place Candy’s order of drinks on her tray. As she got the next order done she watched as the male bartender continued to stare at Candy’s retreating back. Mainly at her ass. Of course.

“Kippler,” she said in a strict tone, calling Matthew by his last name. His head turned to look at Buffy with the same dazed expression on his face, fantasizing about the big-breasted waitress. “Get back to work,” she ordered, pointing to the patrons lining across the bar.

Matthew quickly began to take orders and getting drinks ready. He sneered at the thought of listening to Buffy. She wasn’t even legal to drink, yet she was practically his boss. Hell when she first got the job, the girl had just turned 18. Though Matthew knew why Jack gave Buffy the position. Like all men, including Matthew, Jack found dominating, bossy women a turn on. Especially if they were hot. And, Matthew couldn’t deny the fact that Buffy Summers was hot. She had reasonable sized boobs, great curves, and an ass that he found even hotter than Candy’s. Of course in the
end it still infuriated Matthew Kippler that he was forced to take orders from a girl. He was only still doing it because he had seen little Buffy Summers take down many drunk men who were twice the size of Joe, the bouncer, without breaking a sweat.

“Hey can you go bring up another case of Jack Daniels?” Buffy called out and Matthew complied.

Candy came bouncing up to the bar but her chipper mood was put to an end when she found Buffy the only one behind the bar.

“Four bottles of Rolling Rock and four shots of ‘your hardest tequila’,” Candy said, doing air quotes and rolling her eyes. She jerked her thumb behind her to indicate a booth full of four college guys. Buffy couldn’t help but chuckle with Candy as she lined up four shot glasses.

“College boys.” Buffy stated.

This was the first time since Candy joined the staff at the strip club that they actually had a laugh between them, even if it was just a little one. Most of the time she was all giggles and flirts but that was with Matthew. With the fellow blonde bartender she was all professional and straight face.

Buffy knew why though. It could be the fact that Candy was probably scared of Buffy. It wasn’t like Buffy was the nicest person lately. Though, it was probably because she didn’t have a good enough reason to be nice. If she were nice, people got close. All she wanted to do was live her life. And live it alone.

That was how it was supposed to be, right? The life of the chosen one was meant to be lonely. Live alone and die alone. So far Buffy was pulling off the ‘live alone’ part really well. One night she’d slip up and she’d be free from this life. Free from this cruel idea of a world. Wasn’t this place hell? Because it sure felt like it to Buffy.

“Buffy?” Candy’s voice broke through the slayer’s thoughts.

“What?” she asked through gritted teeth, annoyed.

Candy jumped at the sudden aggressive attitude Buffy was projecting. “Umm…well I was just wondering if I could get that order from you.”

Buffy placed the four shots on Candy’s tray before reaching below and grabbing four cold bottles of Rolling Rock. She quickly sent Candy on her way.

*****
Thirty Minutes later

Just as a new routine by another girl was starting, a young guy came up to the bar. Buffy recognized him as one of the guys at the table Candy had been serving. The college boys.

“Can I help you?”

‘Yeah,” The guy spoke. “Can I get another round of beers?”

Buffy just nodded and turned away to get them. “Fifteen dollars,” she said, sliding the bottles over to him.

Out of nowhere he slammed her with a question. “Do you go to U.C. Sunnydale?” Buffy just shook her head no. “Oh because you look really familiar.” The blonde slayer just stared at him, trying to look bored.

She had been twice to the University but not to attend it. Once had been to chase down a couple of vamps who had tried to outrun the slayer, thinking that by going through the campus they could lose her. Another time was when she had slept with a guy who was on his second year there. Buffy felt the need to throw up at that memory. That was even more horrible, because when she left Parker’s dorm, the guy she’d decided to sleep with, she’d felt completely used and her appearance was utterly horrid, plus she’d nearly ran into Willow and Oz. Though that was over two months ago. Since then she’d refused to set foot on the Sunnydale campus. Chasing vamps or not.

“I’m Riley. Riley Finn. Third year at U.C. Sunnydale.” He held out his hand for her to shake. Buffy just stared at his hand, making no effort to acknowledge it.

“Buffy,” The slayer said after a while, almost hesitant to tell him her name. She didn’t know why but she got this creepy vibe coming from him. And, the longer she stood across from this fellow Riley, the creepier she felt.

The guy didn’t seem dead or undead. In fact he looked to be the All-American football playing and college attending boy.

Getting the feeling she wasn’t ever going to shake his hand, Riley nodded his head, and retracted his large hand. “So…how long have you worked here?”

“Almost a year.” Both heads nodded. Buffy discreetly let her eyes roll when he turned his head away. Is he going to continue making small talk? Buffy asked herself.

“Uh…Bartender.” Buffy heard a patron call for her at the other end of the bar. Oh thank goodness. She praised the higher powers for saving her from the uncomfortable conversation she was having with ‘Riley’.

“I guess I better get back to work.”

Riley nodded and moved to take all four beers. “Yeah, gotta go deliver these.” He said goodbye to Buffy before walking away back to his table.

The guy was cute but Buffy could just not shake that feeling.

“Bartender!” The customer yelled, annoying Buffy’s nerves.

“Yeah!” she yelled back. “Calm down I’m coming.” Walking up to the customer she found a guy in a disheveled suit, what little hair he had left was messed up and he looked to be a little on the tipsy side. “What can I get you?”

“Well I’ll have a shot of Whiskey and make another for your pretty little self.” The customer slurred, giving Buffy a wink. He flashed her the double amount of money, a goofy grin on his face. Buffy tried not to grimace at the thought of having to down another shot. Jack said, if a customer bought you a shot, you take it.

Seeing as it was a gentlemen’s club, Buffy was the only one who got drinks bought for besides the waitresses. However, the servers could get away with it since the bartenders filled their drinks with either water or apple-juice. Buffy was out of luck though since she had to make the drink right in front of the customer.

Alcohol and Buffy had always been un-mixy things but she could never use that excuse on a customer seeing as she served alcohol. She brought the bottle of Whiskey out and two clean shot glasses. Handing them over, he smiled at her giving her a salute with the glass. His eyes raked over her body, looking at her lovely assets.

All Buffy could do was give him the most obvious fake smile before downing the shot in one quick swallow. The alcohol, plus the obvious leering from the customer just seemed to make her insides cringe more as the whiskey slid down her throat. She slammed down the shot glass onto the countertop.

God I’ll never get used to this. She thought as she opened the cash register. Already she could feel the effects of the drink taking a toll on her system. It sucked being the slayer. Just like the quick healing she got, her body also sped up the alcohol processing. This also meant reaching an uninhibited Buffy faster.

Then again Buffy would probably never drink even if she wasn’t the slayer. The taste was icky and she hated how it burned down her throat. Many waitresses had claimed that you get used to it. Now, nearly a year later she still despised alcohol just as much as she despised being leered at by the customers.

At first when things had begun to get bad Buffy had tried to turn to the comfort offered by alcohol but the next morning she’d always wake up feeling worse.

****
6:30 A.M. The next morning

The cold morning air was cold and crisp, biting their exposed skin. The sun was just barely rising, still leaving the girls in the dark. Darkness. It was a time of vulnerability. A time when you were stripped of everything, not allowed to be immune to things that went bump during the night. No one was aware of everything dangerous until they were faced with it. Darkness was equivalent to evil. It lurked in the shadow of shadows doing as it pleased. There was no escape. Just one hero in this town’s darkness but you were probably in God’s good graces if this hero came in the nick of time.

It was definitely way too early for anyone to be up. At least of the student body variety. But one group remained to get up at 6:00 and be at school by seven. They were students of the Sunnydale High swim team.

Who in their right mind would drag themselves out of warm beds before the sun even rose to go do laps in a pool? Well the three sophomore girls who were on the J.V. swim team for girls that’s who.

Jenna, Cara, and Lucy, all walked in a straight line across the sidewalk dressed in the official swim team warm-up suits with their swimsuits underneath. Their gym bags hung from their shoulders while their school backpacks rested on their back. The sounds of three pairs of flip-flops slapping the pavement filled the early morning air.

Today they were forced to take another route to school since Scenic Road, their usual route, was currently being repaved.

Jenna stopped suddenly, causing both girls on either side of her to bump shoulders. Jenna Thompson, captain of the J.V. Team turned and looked over at the dark
house that she had stopped in front of. She shivered at the lonely vibe she got from the house. The other two followed her gaze, shivering as well.

It looked like any normal house but the kids knew along with half the neighborhood. They knew that 1640 Revello Drive was a depressing house.

“I heard that a girl lives in there all alone,” Lucy said, trying to make her voice sound spooky.

“Yeah I heard that too,” Cara said. “I also heard that she never comes out except at night and she always returns before sunrise.” All three girls turned their heads towards the horizon seeing the low rising sun in the distance.

“I heard from my brother that she’s like 19 which is how old Jason is, and that he had been in the same class as her. Except she never graduated. He said she got into a lot of fights and always got caught doing something,” Lucy stated.

“I heard…” Cara began but was cut off by Jenna.

“You two have too many ‘I heards’. Don’t you have any ‘I’ve seen’ or ‘I know’s?”

The two other girls looked at her weirdly, No one really knew the truth about who ever lived at 1640 Revello Drive. So many rumors had escalated in the neighborhood that not even the people across the street knew the truth.

Lucy started up again, “Well not me personally but Jason said that she hangs around a lot in graveyards.”

“Yeah I hear she’s a real freak,” said Cara.

“You know what else they say?” All three girls jumped up, too scared to scream and turned around to find a blonde girl standing behind them, obviously not pleased to see them. “They say she hates kids who stand in front of her property.”

The blonde girl looked at the identical shocked expressions in front of her calmly.

“It’s also obvious that it’s too early for you three to be out. The sun isn’t even up yet which means bad things are still out there to get you. And what does that mean, you might ask. That means I probably will have three dead girls on my hands. “

Jenna, Lucy, and Cara continued to stare at the girl as if she had two heads. Jenna spotted the crossbow contraption in the woman’s hand resting easily against her side. Her eyes went wide and she nudged both Cara and Lucy.

The woman stepped around them on the stone pathway leading up to the house.

“We were just on our way to swim practice,” Lucy finally spoke with a very shaky voice.

“Well get this, I don’t care. Now scram. You still have twenty minutes of no sun.” When the girls made no effort to move and just continued to just stand there and stare at her, the woman simply raised her arm and pointed the crossbow at the huddled group. They let out a small collective shriek before hightailing it down the street.


Buffy Summers stared after them, rolling her eyes. Stupid high school brats. Buffy thought as she began to walk up to her front door. She shook out of her black leather jacket and hung it upon the coat rack once inside. She didn’t bother to grab something to eat. She was excessively beat. On the way home from the club she had finally gotten the fight she had been itching for. A pack of vamps all looking for food. Moreover, it seemed they were looking to bring back something to their master. At least that’s what one of them let slip out when Buffy twisted his hand. So, there’s a new vamp into town calling himself a master vamp? The slayer had said to herself after she had dusted all vamps.

She walked straight up the stairs leaving the house dark, just the way it usually was, heading for her bedroom.

Walking into her room she pulled off her top and dropped it on the ground. Her room was completely bare and different compared to what it looked like a year and a half ago. Gone were the countless pictures of family and friends, having been packed away in boxes that now resided in her basement. All that was left in her room was her furniture, weapons chest, and a punching bag she had set up in the corner. Her room was practically the only room she went in besides the bathroom and kitchen these days. She refused to enter any other room. They reminded her of too many things, things she never wanted to remember ever again.

The house was too big for her but she couldn’t bring herself to sell it. Her mother had loved this house. Just like how she couldn’t sell the gallery. Instead, she left Giles to run it even though they weren’t on speaking terms. Besides, her father had said he’d continue to pay for electricity and other things just like he was paying for practically everything. Anything to keep Buffy out of his life it seemed. Not like she wanted to be in it anyway.

Walking to the bed, she sat down at the edge and pulled off her shoes and pants before pulling on her silk nightgown.

Slipping in-between the sheets, she let her head lay against the pillow with her blade next to her on her nightstand.

Closing her eyes, Buffy allowed herself to sleep.

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Spuffy_obsessed

Chapter 3: Life of the others

One week later

Willow Rosenburg awoke at the sound of her loud blaring alarm on her nightstand. She opened one eye and glared at the time contraption. Grudgingly she reached out and slapped on the snooze.

She had been dreaming. Dreaming peacefully of times before things had gone bad. When Buffy had been around.

To Willow, things wouldn’t be as bad if she hadn’t meddled into problems that weren’t meant to be dabbled in. She turned her head to look at the empty bed, currently occupied by her roommate who she knew nothing about. It was her fault that Buffy wasn’t her roommate. It was her fault that Buffy chose to not graduate. It was all her fault. No matter how many times the others told her it wasn’t, she knew.

Putting her somber thoughts to the back of her mind, the redhead stood up and began to get ready for her day. She was meeting up with Xander and Oz and they were going to go see Giles. They had rarely seen the ex-watcher much since they had started college. Well, Willow and Oz at least. Xander had chosen to live out of his parent’s house still, down at the basement and paying a little rent. The brunette best friend Willow had known since kindergarten, was now working for Giles at Joyce’s gallery, and had a thousand year old ex-demon as his girlfriend who didn’t know the boundaries of public and private conversations. Before the poor boy had been constantly changing jobs from and to all things he hated.

By the time she finished getting dressed there was a knock on her door. When she opened it, to her surprise she found both Xander and Oz already standing in her doorway looking bright and awake for the morning.

Willow frowned, thinking she had overslept and gotten the time wrong. Looking back, Willow spied at her clock. 9:00.

“We decided to just meet you up here,” Oz explained as he walked in, giving Willow a good morning peck on the lips and handing her, her usual coffee that she drank from the café on the campus. Xander followed behind, bending a little to give Willow a hug.

“Oh okay. I just need to grab my bag.” Reaching over, she spotted her small messenger style bag and snatched it up. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Xander raiding her small mini fridge. “Ready?”

Xander stood up and took a bite of one her apples. “I knew you use me only for food,” The redhead said with a frown.

The shaggy haired boy faked a hurt expression, pretending that Willow had wounded him with her words. “Where’s your roommate Rosenburg?” He asked, noticing for the first time that Willow’s roommate, whom Xander found hot hadn’t shushed them like she usually did when they were over while she slept. Which was kind of hard since she always slept.

Willow scrunched up her nose, she didn’t really like her roommate. The two never acknowledged each other or the fact that they lived together. Her name was Jenn Tubbman from San Francisco. She was a rather wild child and would constantly stumble around two in the morning drunk. Most nights she wouldn’t come home at all and it was obvious she spent her nights at some guy’s place by the same pile of clothes that were strewn on her bed that was there the night before.

Unconsciously Willow thought what it would be like to have Buffy as a roommate instead of this hard rocker big city girl. Though the real question was would Buffy be rooming with her? There were so many different stages of Buffy when Willow had known her, it would be like choosing one out of a barrel. The Buffy version she would hope for was the carefree bubbly girl who just happened to be the slayer. It’s your own fault she’s not here.

“So, shall we head out?” Oz asked, sensing Willow’s discomfort. The other two nodded solemnly. Visiting Giles was hard. They liked seeing him because they missed him, especially after they had graduated but it was definitely getting harder. And the teenagers knew why. Each time they visited and Giles opened the door, they could see the fleeting hope passing through his eyes that Buffy was with them. That she had come back to them. The person that had brought them all together was missing. Sometimes when they sat all quietly together they could almost hear her making some sarcastic comment about Giles’ methods. Complaining about some fashion emergency that had occurred while she had been on patrol the night before.

Yeah they definitely missed their slayer.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Rupert Giles stood in his kitchen, solemnly stirring the mixture from his tea bag as he tried to read the newspaper in front of him. It was hard when his thoughts were straying. He could hear his girlfriend, his companion that still taught at Sunnydale High with him humming as she walked into the apartment looking through the mail.

It was a surprise to anyone, at least those who knew, that Giles would still be working at the library. After Buffy had left Sunnydale High it was a surprise that Giles had stayed there even to finish the end of the year. He didn’t have a slayer and it was known there were painful memories for the now former watcher to haunt the place where he had shared with his slayer, who was more like a daughter to him. The optimistic side of Rupert Giles hoped that Buffy would just walk in through the swinging library doors, yelling for him to tell her what was up in the spooky world of the hell mouth. And as each day passed, as he worked in the library, each day turned out to be the same. No Buffy. No annoying, but expected comments about her hair even though she should be listening to him.

That was what was special about Buffy. She broke all the rules as the usual slayer should act. Obedient, always listening, always attentive, and willing to learn the icky facts about a demon instead of scrunching up her face with disgust after seeing a slime demon. Hell, the California blonde even broke the rules when it came to dying after she had refused to stay down when the Master had killed her over two years ago.

The last time Giles had seen his slayer was at the graduation, which was rather a surprise. It had only been for a couple of minutes and at a great distance but it was reassuring to him all the same that she was all right. That she was well and safe. However it wasn’t pleasing that she still had the stony expression, the last look he had seen before she had walked out on him and her friends.

“Rupert, they’re still sending us this junk. I’m going to go see if I can get a hold of this company and if they can take us off their damn mailing list.” Giles looked up and saw Jenny looking over a colorful envelope. It was one of the many places that send letters saying the recipient had won one million dollars but only if they responded to their letter, with a deposit.

Giles didn’t respond and looked at the clock in the living room solemnly. The teenagers that had once been known as Buffy’s friends were due any minute to have a visit with the British man and the gypsy woman, possibly catching up. Not only that, but Giles had a matter to discuss with them all about what he noticed in the newspaper yesterday. That had been the extra reason why Giles was so silent that morning.

There had been a high rate of murders and missing people this past week and it stressed the former watcher. Where was the slayer? No matter what, he knew Buffy kept on slaying because it was the only thing left for her. It was the only thing that kept her surviving. Unless the reason there were so many dead townspeople was because the slayer had been killed. Who knew? There would be no report of it in the newspaper. Buffy kept herself secluded from the world, no I.D., and everything related to her was in the name of her estranged father who paid for her, enabling her to live in her home. If Buffy had died, none of them would know and she would be buried as a Jane Doe, the world not knowing what a wonderful girl that could possibly be laying in the ground now.

“Rupert?”

Giles looked up from sipping his tea before he sat down on the couch. Jenny stared at him, a worried expression played out on her face.

“Hmm?”

“Are you worried about her?”

How Jenny could know him so well to know exactly what he thought made Giles wonder. Though it was no surprise. There would be times when Giles would withdraw, getting lost in his heavy thoughts. How were you supposed to act when the person who was like a daughter refused to talk to you?

Before Giles could answer her, there was a knock at the door. Jenny answered it to find the three teenagers that she had come to know so well standing at the doorway. Oz, Willow and Xander, all with small smiles on their faces. Willow gave her a little wave which made Jenny smile. She hoped that this would at least brighten up her lover even if it was a reminder that one person was missing from their group.

“Hey. We come bearing doughnuts,” Xander said as the three walked in. He opened the box to Jenny Calendar and let her pick a doughnut. She took a glazed jelly filled one.

“Hi Giles,” Willow said as she and Oz walked around to sit on the couch next to Giles. The older man looked over to them and smiled.

“Hello Willow.”

“Hey G-man,” Xander said jovially, joining the group with his own doughnut in hand as he referred to Giles by the annoying nickname the Brit absolutely hated.

“How are things?”

“Good. Oz and I are busy with school.”

“Yeah and I got a lame job at this pub. Fake I.D. and everything so I could ‘legally’ serve beer,” Xander informed, indicating he meant the word ‘legally’ to be a loose term by air quoting with his fingers, doughnut clutched in one hand. Giles gave Xander a hard disapproving look but didn’t say anything. “Remind me why I didn’t go to college with you two?”

“Because you wanted to see the whole United States for a year but ended up coming back way early, even after it is too late for even late admissions,” Oz informed Xander.

The brunette shook his head before smacking his forehead. He hated living in the basement but it was the only place that he could afford until he got enough to move out of the hell hole that was known as his parent’s place.

“So…any...you know…sightings?” Willow asked Giles hesitantly, giving him a hopeful smile.

“I’m afraid not.” Giles looked weary as he sighed and pulled his glasses off to clean them. Jenny took her place next to him on the edge of the couch, handing him his cleaning cloth with a solemn look on her face. “However, I have something to discuss with you all. I’m sad to say there has been an increase in murders and number of missing people.”

Xander looked at Giles with wide eyes. “You don’t think…” The boy trailed off, knowing Giles’ own fear. Giles could only shrug, placing his spectacles back on his face.

“I hope not,” Giles whispered as he stared off in another direction.

“But…” Willow started. “But…we would know, right? I-I mean, there would be a new slayer and all.”

Everyone turned to look at Willow, and at their alarmed faces the red head just blushed as bright as her hair.

Xander piped up. “Yeah the council would call wouldn’t they?”

“Buffy ended ties with them, remember?” Jenny reminded the three teenagers. Their faces fell, remembering all too well what had happened and their lost friend.

“Why don’t we just go check up on her? You know, at her house,” Oz suggested, startling the rest when he spoke as he had been characteristically quiet all this time.

“Yeah and we do what? Knock on her door, and wait till she opens, go…’Hey Buff, just wanted to make sure you’re not dead because you know, you’re not doing your job real well’” Xander said sarcastically, looking at the werewolf. “I think she would probably slam the door in our faces before our mouths could even open.”

“All we can do right now is patrol as much as possible,” Giles said with an air of sad finality, adjusting his glasses and standing up slowly.

“Things will be okay.”

*~~~*~~~*~~~*
The next day

Spike slammed his door shut. It had been almost a whole week since he had arrived in the hell mouth town Sunnydale. Since then he had quickly began to establish himself as Master Vampire, leaving its demony residents without as much as a doubt. It was much easier considering the old bat face of his great-great grandsire was no longer the ruler of ‘Sunnyhell’. Spike had already succeeded in gathering a large number of minions and was all set up comfortably in the old Crawford Mansion at the edge of the town.

Spike had also looked over the whole town, visiting the usual haunts the demons usually gathered at to find out who were the higher dogs and making sure they were ridded of.

All in all, Spike had been a busy little vampire.

Yes, taking over the town of Sunnydale would be easy. Along the way, Spike made sure he would find a suitable mate. Someone to rule over Sunnydale by his side.

A woman who would have a stronger bond to Spike than Drusilla, but would never fully replace his wonderful sire completely. Forever, Spike would always have a spot in his heart for his Dru, but he wanted a woman who would forever stay with him. Even to the death. Spike could almost hear Drusilla now if she were still right next to him.

”Spike, my dark prince, you and I will bathe in the blood of these mere mortals. I can hear Miss Edith laughing as we take our rightful thrones as King and Queen.”

Her soft silky voice had always been music to his ears, and there, Spike stood reveling in the memory of his sire’s voice. The way she would dance around listening to the voices that only she could hear. Hell, Spike even missed that ugly porcelain doll.

Yes, Spike loved his sire. His crazy, psycho Drusilla. Now though, it was time for a new woman in his life. One woman he was sure would love him back completely, even more than Drusilla had.

But until then, Spike would continue on his search for that woman while still making his place as Master Vampire. He was going to enjoy himself.

His minions had informed him of a little place that was in the warehouse district of town. Granted it was a human place, but it allowed vampires to come in as long as they completely behaved.

There was a short knocking on the door and Spike barked an order of entrance. Slowly the door opened and one of his higher minions entered. The minion vampire bowed his head regarding his respect to his master. It showed how fearful he was of Spike, descendent of the powerful Aurelius clan.

“Well?” Spike asked, feeling his patience was running on very low tonight. “What is it?”

“Marcus was…,” the vampire started. “Was… dusted.”

“WHAT?!?! You bloody idiots were just supposed to go and round up some bites for the lot of you,” Spike growled, enraged that he had lost Marcus, his very top minion. The vamp had proven him within a week to be very useful to Spike. He had pledged his allegiance and he wasn’t a cocky bastard.

“The slayer.”

Spike stopped moving and whipped his head to look at the fledging. The minion’s head was tilted to the side.

“The slayer?”

“Yes… the others have said she’s been spotted practically looking for us. Hunting to find out information on you, sire.”

Spike began chuckling, almost crazily which came as a shock to the minion. However, there were many things that most didn’t know about the true William the Bloody. Only that he had succeeded in killing two slayers in his short time of his undead life.

“Just what I need. A bloody slayer to deal with.” Though if Spike really thought about it, it worked out rather nicely. He hadn’t only come to Sunnydale to find himself a mate, but the master vampire was desperately itching for a good fight. A fight that would let out his anger over the loss of his sire that he was never able to express. What better way to express that animal state of him but with a fight with a slayer?

As he formed a new plan, a smile broke out over his ruggedly good looking face and Spike turned to look at the minion. “I’ll take care of it. Now move! I’m going out.” The minion scurried out of the way to allow Spike a path of exit. It had just seemed like as if the normal Sunnydale was better than what he had originally thought.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

”You know what, little one? You always have this dream, but no matter what… you can’t seem to kill me. Just like you couldn’t the first time,” The Master’s menacing voice said as it echoed through out the underground sewer. Suddenly Buffy felt his presence behind her.

She whipped around, her grip on the hilt of her crossbow becoming tighter. Her formal Spring Fling dress, the dress for the dance she should have been attending swished at her feet with every movement she made. However all she came face to face with was empty space. Nothing was there. Déjà vu much Summers? Buffy thought to herself as she mentally slapped her head. Isn’t a repetitive nightmare a whole fucking case of déjà vu?

Buffy heard the chuckle coming from the deformed ancient vampire originate from some point in the buried church. “Come on. Stop being such a chicken. I thought you were some master vampire.”

Nothing happened. It seemed as if someone had pressed mute on her dream. The eerily familiar chill crept up Buffy’s spine. A cold breeze of wind brushed against her skin, making Buffy shiver. Something was different. It never felt like this… never in her dreams.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot from Buffy’s abdomen, as if someone had stabbed her with her own stake. The slayer screamed in agony only hearing her cries of pain as she doubled over pressing her hands against her stomach. Desperately trying to make the pain subside.

Another evil chuckle echoed against the dark rock walls, making Buffy’s ears feel like they were on fire. This chuckle was completely different. It did not to belong to the Master. She lifted her head and froze as if another bout of pain had ripped through her body. Staring into icy cold blue eyes, the rest stayed shadowed by darkness, Buffy could only gasp.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*
One hour later

Buffy Summers, vampire slayer, slammed her hands against the ground and pushed hard, with enough momentum to pull her whole body up from its horizontal position on the ground. She came up through the air landing on her feet as her arms came up to shield her from any potential danger.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a vamp coming at her. Spinning on her toe she made a hasty turn towards it, her other leg spinning out in a roundhouse kick, connecting with the vamp’s jaw and sending it soaring through the air. Another vampire, the one who had thrown her to the ground charged at her from her right side. Without taking her eyes from the soaring vamp that she had just kicked, Buffy Summers pulled out the stake she held from her inner jacket pocket and plunged it in the charging vamp’s chest before it could wrap its hands around her neck. He fell to dust, leaving Buffy to walk away and towards the vampire that she had just kicked. She pulled her arm back and staked it in the heart while he was still on the ground.

“And that makes six,” Buffy said to herself once the vamp turned to complete dust. The slayer put away her stake into the back of her waistband and reached up to straighten her cross necklace that had turned around haphazardly on her neck while she had fought.

Buffy looked over her surroundings from where she stood in the center of Rosewood Cemetery.

Tonight it had been one after the other which was good considering the fact that she had gotten no real action due to her being needed to be at the club earlier than usual. So far, Buffy had only been out an hour after sunset and she quickly realized it was best if she began to make her way towards work. Pulling up the sleeve of the wool sweater she wore, she cursed at how time was going so fast considering for once she just wanted everything to possibly slow down.

Breaking out into a run, Buffy exited out of Rosewood Cemetery. She didn’t stop until she got to the street and sidewalk. She had woken up almost half an hour before, and had actually been able to come out for a quick sweep of patrol. Today, after arriving home she had been too awake to go to bed. Instead the slayer had opted to take out any frustrations she harbored before finally conking out around noon. All in all she was restless. She had been restless constantly since she had found out there was a new master vamp in town. She couldn’t sleep as well. She didn’t know why. Buffy wondered if it was her slayer side reacting because a master vampire was so close. It had happened with the Master.

So, instead Buffy took out her wired nerves on the punching bag, training and working herself out.

For the past week Buffy had hit up the local haunts of demon bars like Willy’s. The brownnosing bartender had kept claiming that there were no new big arrivals, even after Buffy began to throw punches in order to beat the information out of him.

Buffy knew one thing. This master vampire was quick with recruiting minions. Lately that was all Buffy had killed. Buffy could tell by the way she had spied them while hunting. Immature, too quick, and just all around sloppy. Mostly they were just grabbing, probably to take back to wherever they were hiding at.

She was getting aggravated though. Every minion vampire she had in her grasp were more than tight lipped. All they let out was that their master would avenge their deaths. From the meager amount of information out of incredibly loyal vampires, Buffy knew this Big Bad was a male. That was it.

Besides her unwanted and inescapable job, the part time one was just normal as ever. The guy Riley had stopped by a few times usually alone, sitting at the bar trying to chat with Buffy. She found the creepy feeling she got from him fading but she could always recognize it deep down within her. It would always rise for sure each time he tried to touch her. Innocent gestures such as touching her arm.

The streets were empty as Buffy walked down them. With the sudden rising of murders and missing people residents were staying in a little more. The night before Buffy had even spotted Willow, Xander, and Giles doing their own patrol, and Buffy had hightailed it out of the cemetery. She thought maybe that was what had left her so restless tonight. They probably think I’m not doing my job.

At the thought of her old friends, Buffy began to stomp down the street. She cut through an alley to decrease her time of being late. The slayer half jogged, careful to not trip and fall in her boots. Coming to other side of the alley, she turned the corner only to run straight into something. Being caught off balance, Buffy reached out to grab onto something as she fell. Her grasp latched onto something that was a lot softer than a wall. She felt herself being pulled up suddenly before she could even connect with the ground.

“You okay luv?” Buffy looked up, straightening out her clothes to find what she had run into was a very real guy. Not to mention a hot guy.

His hair caught her attention first, dyed a shockingly bleached blonde color and was slicked back with gel. The gel reminded her too much of her somewhat ex did. He was dressed in all black. Black jeans, black t-shirt, black boots, and a long black leather duster that graced his well defined body, making Buffy drool deep down.

No one affected her like this before and it unsettled Buffy greatly. She looked the man in the eye and found herself rendered speechless. He had beautiful azure colored eyes, so beautiful that she left a gasp slip unbidden from her lips.

“I’m so sorry,” Buffy spoke, finally remembering where her head was.

“It’s okay.” His voice rang with a smooth British accent. Gotta drool over a guy with an accent. Buffy noted, trying desperately not to stare so obviously. “A young girl like you shouldn’t be out so late.” His voice was so sensual it made her feel like his words were wrapping around her body. The man gave her a charming smile, one that Buffy was sure this guy had used on many other women before.

Buffy straightened up. “Well I can take care of myself. Besides a girl’s gotta work,” she told him as she pointed in the direction she was headed in. Remembering work, Buffy now knew she was definitely going to be late.

“Then I should probably let you go. Don’t want a beauty like you getting into trouble with the boss.” Buffy watched him move to the side to allow her to pass. He gave her that same charming smile.

Buffy smiled back, stepping forward and waving goodbye to him. She continued down the street trying not to look back, even when she did feel his eyes watching her.

Her eyes were fixed to the ground, pulling her coat around her tighter. The temperature was still dropping this whole week. Every night after a scorching autumn day, the weather would suddenly become colder, biting into the slayer’s skin while she patrolled. At first Buffy suspected the weird changes of temperature was due to the fact that there was the new vampire master on the hell mouth. However, not even a vamp as old as the Master could pull something like that off.

After the whole deal with the Master, dying by his hands, many thought Buffy had come to terms with her short death during the summer after the year of her freshman year. However during the whole trip she had to visit her father she had been on edge, her nightmares that still repeated themselves haunting her. Upon coming back to the hell mouth she had gone through too many to ever really get over it all. Instead it had stayed in the back of her mind, in the dark shadows of her conscience.

Buffy stepped up through the back door since she was late. She rushed to the bar trying to dodge the pissy dancers as they walked around in the back getting ready.

“Well it’s about time you got here,” Matthew stated as Buffy put away her things. Buffy ignored him, throwing herself into work, not even missing a beat.

“Hey Buffy.” Buffy looked up and found the college boy of Sunnydale University, Riley Finn standing on the other side of the bar. Buffy groaned inwardly, trying not to grimace. Riley had been coming to the bar regularly for the past week. Chatting Buffy up to the point that even the patrons knew the all American boy was interested in her.

“Hello Riley,” Buffy greeted politely. “What can I get for you?” she asked as she sat down on one of the bar stools. She could feel Riley’s eyes raking her up and down.

“I’ll just take a rolling rock.”

“Coming right up.” Buffy turned away from the bar, never noticing the lean bleached blonde walk through the front doors of the strip club.

*~~~*~~~*~~~~*

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Spuffy_Obsessed

Chapter 4: Lustin’ in the back booth

Spike sat down at a booth against the wall enjoying the seclusion from the other attendees of the gentlemen’s club. At the instant of sitting down, a woman that was well endowed in the upper chest area walked up to Spike’s booth, requesting to take his order. He noticed the way she eyed him through her long eyelashes that had far too much mascara on them. She gave him a small flirty smile, but he ignored it and went on to order a full bottle of whiskey and one glass.

The waitress leant against the table obviously trying to get his full attention. However the bleached vamp didn’t seem that much interested, even when she leant forward on his table, making a show of lighting the little candle that was placed in the middle of the table. Still not even feigning interest, she walked off with a huff, deciding to give up and keep a little dignity.

Spike sat back, placing both arms on the back of the booth, looking over the club’s surrounding. He had come to this place for a reason. It wasn’t to take in the lovely view of the dancers. But instead he had followed the scent he had picked up after his meeting after Clem. He was hunting her down. The petite one he had mowed down. So far this was where the scent had ended. But as he had walked into the club it was lost in the chaos of people sitting at tables and everyone’s particular perfume.

Suddenly Spike caught a whiff and a feeling of something. Power. And a lot of it. And equivalent to someone of his placement. He looked around trying to target and identify who in this place was exulting so much power.

He had gotten this much of a slam from the slip of a girl he had run down thirty minutes earlier. It didn’t go unnoticed by Spike that the little blonde girl was a real beauty either. Would have taken her as a meal or temporary bed warmer but he was already hurrying to meet with Clem before he headed to this place known as Elegant Secrets.

Spike ignored the dancers on the stage that were doing provocative moves in order to draw in more tips. He continued to let his eyes wander to the bar they back tracked when he spotted a flutter of blonde from the corner of his eyes. Staring across the whole club he spotted her. His little blonde girl mixing drinks behind the bar.

In that moment his assumptions of her job as a stripper had went to mush as he watched her. He stuffed his hand into her pocket to produce a small plain zippo lighter and a pack of cigarettes. The whole time he never took his eyes from the blonde bartender as he lit his cigarettes.

She moved behind the bar as if it were hers. By the way she acted he wouldn’t doubt it, that and the amount of energy her aura was giving her. Her hair that had once been down was now put up in a clip; a few loose strands framed her angelic face. She moved with grace, spinning as she got drinks and dodged the male that worked with her.

Out of nowhere the waitress came back and chose to stand in his direct view of the girl he had been tracking. Gone was the beauty and replaced it with the black cotton fabric of the waitresses’ top. She placed the full bottle and single glass down in front of him.

The demon growled in a primal manner. Spike became taken aback at how his animalistic side was re-acting for this blonde girl.

He tried to ignore which was a lot easier than the feeling of content that Spike had felt when he actually had touched her earlier in that alley.

Giving the waitress a small tip for now, Spike unscrewed the cap of his whiskey bottle and poured out his first glass. Looking up to take another peak at the bar, Spike’s demon was only left to react further. His bartender stood talking to an oaf, ‘all-American-boy’ that was sitting at the bar. And it was clear it wasn’t over drink orders.

The upside was her expression clearly screamed uninterested. A primal feeling of territory came over him and the animalistic side of Spike wanted to rip the ponce’s head off. Especially when the boy reached out to sweep the girls hair back.

Spike tried to take the reigns back over his demon side. This girl was just a meal, or at least that’s the reasoning the vampire tried to tell himself. Downing the first glass he peered up at the waitress who still stood nearby his booth.

“Willing to do me a favor, luv?” Spike asked turning the charming smile to the waitress but keeping his eyes on the bartender.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Buffy stepped out of the cellar dropping the crate under one of the cabinets, she bent low to open it and take out the bottles she needed to restock.

Riley had been sitting there ever since she had arrived at work, trying to make small talk. Buffy had played nice and listened only because Jack would say ‘You treat every customer with respect’.

Buffy grumbled as she pulled out a new bottle of whiskey. Who the hell bought whiskey for one? Buffy asked herself. One of the cocktail waitresses’ had come up saying some hottie in the corner booth had ordered one whole bottle of whiskey for him.

It was clear to Buffy whoever the person was, had wanted to get drunk and possibly down in their sorrows to feel sorry for whatever has gone with them or what they’ve done. Go to a bar for that shit...

Getting drunk at a gentlemen’s club because you were too depressed was one of the top of the list things that Buffy found idiotic. Most people when they got drunk got stupid and most stupid people thought they could touch anything they wanted. Which was against one of the top ‘no-no’ rules of Elegant Secrets.

“So Buffy did you always live here in Sunnydale?” Riley asked the blonde slayer.

Buffy shook her head. A customer called for a pint of beer on tap. “Nope”

Riley watched her pour a drink before walking towards the customer. When she came back he asked his next question. “When did you move here?”

To Buffy it was obvious Riley was trying to get to know her. It wasn’t like she wasn’t in the mood to talk. Just ever since her life had taken tragic twists and turns Buffy had to think about it, let alone talk about it.

“My sophomore year. Came from L.A.” She said only elaborating a little.

Buffy wiped up any liquor left on the bar with the rag before leaning against the counter on the opposite side of the bar. Things began to slow down, the rush of customers having already come were settled in stools or tables and enjoying the line-up of dancers. On the other side of the bar, Matthew and Candy talked and flirted. All week they had done the same at the downtimes which Buffy had no problem with. However they had made no move to take their talking to a date yet.

“I grew up in Iowa. Came here on a psychology scholarship.”

And here I pegged him for a football player. Buffy thought as she eyed his broad shoulders.

She straightened at the mention of psychology as a major. That was what Willow’s major had been. She had no idea if it had changed, but Buffy recalled Willow talking about her possible choice in major before Buffy had quit school.

Buffy zoned out but she kept up the conversation. “Really?”

Riley nodded his head. “Yeah.” He took a sip of his beer. “I’ve got this amazing professor I had in my first year and this year too and I also T.A. for her. The professors a genius. She doesn’t just teach by the textbook but her own theories too, which many of the students find really brilliant.” Obviously, Riley was one of them.

She stared at Riley, as he raved about his psychology professor of his. She had never been like this when she been in school. Buffy wondered if she had actually graduated and gone to further education if she too would be excited about classes and professors. She tried to imagine where she would be tonight. Possibly a party, maybe studying in the dorm she and Willow would undoubtedly share. If things hadn’t gone so different would she be interested and a blushing blonde with Riley’s obvious interest in her?

Before she could let regret make an appearance in her thoughts, the waitress, Michelle came up. The slayer silently sighed in relief. Riley was nice and all but she still couldn’t figure out or shake the unknown creepy feeling she received every time she was around him.

“What do you need?” Buffy asked as Michelle put her tray down and sighed before taking up on the stool next to Riley. Her eyes darted to the stage just as the current dancer went off. Claps and cheers of approval and appreciation were heard from various patrons as they squirmed in their seats adjusting themselves to re-sit comfortably.

“Well you know my heavy order?” Michelle asked looking at Buffy and completely ignoring Riley sitting next to her. Buffy nodded her head as she prepared an order that Matt had asked her to help him with. “Well this is for you?” Michelle pulled a rolled up stack of crisp one hundred bills onto the bar and spread them out before Buffy.

Eyeing the stack the small slayer counted ten hundred bills. Whoa a grand… She gave a low whistle as she topped off a beer mug. “Well before I take it I have to ask why on earth that is for me.”

Michelle smiled brightly and gathered the hundred dollar bills and held it out for Buffy to take. “Mr. Heavy Order would like to pay you a grand for your time.” Michelle continued on smiling, Riley’s jaw dropped, and Buffy’s expression turned completely emotionless.

“The nerve of that jack ass, who is it!” Riley exclaimed suddenly. He stood up and surveyed the whole club as if the patron was going to raise his hand and say ‘That’s me…’

Buffy rolled her eyes. It was clear what type Riley was. He was far from the muscle she needed to ‘defend her honor’. She wanted to yell at Riley to sit his white ass back on the stool and shut the fuck up, but the slayer felt that was a little too harsh. Instead she went for: “Riley it’s alright, I’ll handle this.” She didn’t say anything further instead grabbing the money that Michelle was handing to her.

“Booth 5, the one in the corner.” The waitress squealed in excitement and quickly turned around to watch Buffy go across the club. Little did Michelle know, Buffy was fully intending on giving this heavy order a piece of her mind and informing him that she Buffy Summers was one woman you could not pay for their time in the establishment. That was something she and Jack had agreed upon, she kept her top on and Buffy wouldn’t take it out on Jack herself. Her boss not knowing fully that she was the slayer, but knowing her strength agreed and enforced that.

She could see Joe the bouncer look at her curiously, knowing what was going on. The only time Buffy came out behind her bar was to help break up a fight or for situations like these. Giving him a reassuring nod, Joe backed off but not once took his eyes off her as well. The rest of the club continued on staring at the stage, not bothering to have their looks wavered to someone who was as clothed as Buffy. As she approached she made note of how much the corner booth was encompassed in the dark shadows of the club. She swallowed discreetly, standing straighter and came to stand before the table. The only light omitting from the small candle in the middle of the table.

“Look I don’t know what kind of other joints you’re use to, but here the bartender doesn’t take off her clothes, no matter how much you offer.” Buffy strained to not grab the guy by the collar and haul his little ass out of the whole establishment. Instead she dropped the money on the table, some of the bills sliding off the table to land on the booth. She heard a low chuckle and a click of lighter. He leaned forward out of the shadows so that some of the light fell across his face, leaving Buffy to gasp.

It was the man that she had practically been run down in the alley. Her eyes assessed his sharp cheekbones, and completely taste worthy lips. Yep! Still gorgeous as he had been almost two hours ago. It was without a doubt that even a charming smile from this man could make a girl feel like a bitch in heat. With time to assess, Buffy noticed the intriguing scar across his left eyebrow, which was perked up, and he looked at her with amusement. His eyes which Buffy had already seen were still shocking and breathtaking. The man’s look held experience, knowledge, like he had seen the world and then some. Men like this should be illegal…

Understanding as to why Michelle had been practically jumping in her seat became perfectly clear. Though when she remembered that this same guy was also one propositioning her to possibly take her clothes off, her shocked expression turned to a glare as she watched him finish lighting his cigarette.

“You seem to be misunderstood, kitten.” Buffy tried to stop the shiver that came across her from how he had called her pet name, as well as for how much he looked like a sex god from simply exhaling his first intake of the cigarette.

There was no doubt this man got whatever he wanted. The exact type of man that could handle Buffy Summers, not a guy like Riley sitting at the bar, stumbling over his words and not taking into account of her. He boasted self-confidence and pure sex appeal, even as clothed as he was. Which left Buffy to imagine him without the black silk shirt and the long leather duster, only leading to more fantasies that involved her, this bleached man, and any flat surface he could bend her over. This table would do… She thought as her pulse raced.

Buffy noticed the knowing quirk of the man’s eyebrow as he gave her curious but knowing smirk. She mentally slapped herself and cursed how he had turned her into a sex fantasy fiend with a simple smile. She forced her thoughts back to rigid ness and focused on the matter at hand.

“I simply wanted to pay for some of your time. Would you mind joining me?” He pointed to the completely empty booth around him. “I promise to be good. There will be no removal of your clothes.”

Looking from both the man in the booth and the bar where Riley, Michelle, and now Matt watched her as if they were watching the animals mating segment on the Discovery Channel. Making up her mind, and to this day she doesn’t know why, she nodded her head and slid into the booth next to him, at the same time keeping a good distance between two of them.

“What’s your name, kitten?” His velvety accent slid over her skin and he suddenly appeared closer than before all the while not moving aside.

Trying to overcome the lump in her throat, Buffy said through shaky lips: “Buffy Summers.”

He looked at her pensively, a smirk still dancing across his lips. Buffy didn’t notice when his arm came to rest on the back of where she sat in the booth, she was too focused on his lips. “Buffy…interestin’ name.” His head cocked to the side and Buffy felt like a blushing school girl.

“I get that a lot. What’s yours?”

“Spike.”

Buffy snorted, her eyes closed with laughter. “And you said my name was interesting.” She looked back at Spike through her eyelashes, feeling her body heat up at the way he was staring back at her. Instinctively she licked her lips and she saw the fire grow more in his eyes. God Summers, you’ve only been sitting here for not even 45 seconds!

Even with her back still towards the rest of the club behind her Buffy could feel the eyes of everyone she knew staring at her back. All the patrons, excluding Riley were watching the show, unknown of the flaring chemistry between her and Spike.

“I think Captain America over there is prolly contemplatin’ whether he should come an get you from me.” Spike said tipping his head with the nod back in the direction of the bar. Buffy craned her head around and to see Riley more than seething. She turned back to Spike, shrugging her shoulders. Riley wasn’t her boyfriend, simply an admirer who couldn’t read her body language to see that she was not interested.

“He’s not my boyfriend…” The slayer said indifferently picking at her the nails of her hand, which were resting atop the table. Mentally she kicked herself. Way to sound eager there. She was nearly nineteen but was acting as if she were sixteen again.

Spike chuckled picking up his cigarette, taking another drag of it. “Wants to be though.” Buffy had no disagreement there. Riley was making it all to obvious that he was well interested in Buffy, which left her flattered but in all honesty she wasn’t looking to get attached to a boy. They all leave you… Buffy thought bitterly as she looked at her hands.

She could not get attached to this man Spike. As much as he was of the yummy goodness variety, she could only see it ending badly. She was the slayer, she was bound to live out a short life span, best not to get involved romantically with someone. Not only that but it was like the fates coded the slayer’s DNA to push people away. They were after all meant to take on their duty alone. She had done a fine good job at that, alienating herself from even her Watcher, who through the generations of the Slayers was to be their only source to the non-slaying world.

Buffy snapped out of her reverie when she found a leather clad arm waving in front of her eyes. She focused on the bleached blonde who held an amused smile as he peered over at her curiously.

“Are you in there, luv?” He asked shooting her that charming smile of his. Buffy could actually feel herself blush, making her want to kick herself.

Nodding her head Buffy stared over at him. “So...Spike, what brought you to Elegant Secrets?” It was a lame question but seeing as he had requested her time for about a grand, she might as well make small talk.

“You...”

Buffy gawked at him as if he had two heads. Spike had spit it out so easily as if he was simply saying that he needed to do laundry. Yes, most of the customers were blunt but she didn’t expect him to be in a situation like this. She prayed to the heavens that he wouldn’t proposition her for sex, because as low as it would be to sleep with a customer, Buffy could envision herself not declining.

“Are you always this…” Buffy asked trying to find the right word she was looking for.

“Honest?”

Buffy scowled not liking the self-assured attitude anymore, because it was apparent that he was teasing her. “I was going to say forward, not a gentleman, and now invading my bubble.” She quickly pressed her back against the booth as she suddenly found Spike a lot closer, and having actually moved to do so. Spike practically was hanging over her, having put his arm against the booth next to her neck on the side that would let her out of the booth. Trapped. His face only a few inches above hers, forcing her to look up rather than at his chest where his black shirt was tight enough to show the definition of his abs, even then she struggled to not lick her lips.

Suddenly her breathing became ragged as she practically molded herself against the back curve the booth. “Not very nice words, kitten, I’m hurt.” He gave her a mocking look of emotional pain. His other hand, which was not supporting his body hanging over hers at all, came to stroke her check. She barely felt it, yet she couldn’t feel anything else. A wave of power emanated from him in that one touch, intoxicating her whole senses and leaving her to go completely dumb.

Buffy’s breath hitched even further up when Spike leaned closer, their lips barely touching, when suddenly she remembered that here she was with this complete stranger practically panting like a dog while half of her co-workers were staring at them. Hell even the stripper that was working the stage was shooting glances as she filled out her routine at the pole.

“Oh my god, what am I doing?” She asked both Spike and herself. She pushed her hands against his chest and slid out from under the booth, taking notice that it was actually harder to push against him than normal. “I’m sorry but I’m not a girl that sits in a corner booth with a guy who is paying her for her time.” She blushed at how much it made her sound like hooker. He only stared at her, his shocking electric blue eyes were bearing into her, feeling it bearing into her soul, making her need to look away.

She turned around quickly and Spike watched as she ran off in towards a door that said Employees Only off to the side of the stage.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Four Hours Later
“Buffy, are you going to be okay? I have to head out, my wife is calling me about some cravin’.” Joe asked from his stool near the front entrance. Buffy looked up from her hands where she was busying herself with drying the last load of clean glasses.

“Yeah of course Joe, go on home. I just have to put these glasses away and then I’ll head out.” Buffy said as she grabbed three glasses in each hand and began to place them on the shelf above her.

“Okay just make sure the girls leave okay, please?” Joe asked nodding his head towards the back where you could hear giggles from the strippers as they finished changing and counting all their tips.

“Of course, have a good night.” Buffy said cracking a smile. Joe was probably one of the very few who she actually gave a genuine smile to these days. He didn’t push to know her and when he did very few questions were asked. During the first winter Buffy had worked at the club, when it was raining, he always offered to take her home, and occasionally she knew took him up on it. He was the only one to know she was the Slayer and never once did he tell anyone of what a slayer exactly was to the others she worked with, let alone that she was it.

Joe waved goodbye to her closed the heavy entrance door behind him, locking it in place. Buffy worked on putting the rest of the glasses away in silence. Normally Matt would stay and help with closing duties but she had sent him home. She knew all too well that once all the customers had left he’d roll out the questions as to what had happened earlier with the customer, Spike. Right now she was currently trying not to even think about it herself.

A part of her was embarrassed that Buffy had ran off like a scared virgin, virtue fluttering. True, she wasn’t a virgin, her one night stand mistake with a guy she had met, Parker was enough to prove it, but she was hardly what you would call experienced in the sexual department. The slayer had dated lots of boys back at Hemery, when her life had been easier. Before she had been the chosen one. Though once she had gotten all chosen as the slayer it seemed as if the fates had coated her with some kind of repellent to any normal boys. Her last experience with a possible boyfriend had been a vampire, an en-souled one granted, but a vampire, none the less. Angel. He had been kind, and sweet, always looking out for her well-being until he had left town after summer of her first year in Sunnydale. After the Master had killed her for all of five minutes. Since then things had just begun to spiral downward. Loss after loss had occurred until finally Buffy put a halt to it and cut herself off from the relationships she had built after moving to the Hellmouth.

Buffy didn’t like that Spike had pulled so much emotion out of her upon really meeting him, rather than feeling the same emotion for the past year and a half. Nothing. The slayer swore she was only to be numb until her life ended. All the feelings she had felt tonight, only four hours before, scared her shitless. After feeling nothing, but occasional grief and anger, it was surprise to suddenly feel lust, excitement, and even contentment. She scratched that last one out of her head. Okay with acknowledging the first two, but never the C word. When that feeling occurred, it only meant one thing to Buffy, that she was bound to lose the thing that caused that emotion and it would be in a drastic way. It was enough reason to fire Buffy to push Spike away and run. Save yourself the grief, Summers.

There were giggles and shouts of gossip heard from the dressing room the girls all were congregated in. Buffy put the last of the glasses she was drying back on the shelf, before opening the register and taking out the money to count and leave for Jack. “I’m about to close up ladies, you have five minutes.” Buffy shouted as she split the money by denomination and counted.

Knee deep in concentration of counting the twenty dollar bills Buffy didn’t hear when the dressing room door opened and a couple of the girls came out to stand near the bar.

“Buffy?”

Looking up from her hands, her eyebrow quirked up at seeing Anna, one of the highest in seniority of dancers standing there with Nicole and Jasmine. Nicole and Jasmine stood behind Anna, completely dressed and ready to go, bags slung on their shoulder, and looking at Buffy nervously.

Anna, who Buffy found to be one of the more pretty dancers had always been nice to the slayer, never saying snide comments about Buffy’s stand-offish demeanor, unlike most of the other girls. Her long natural red hair, which she always did in soft curls and Buffy guessed the dancer to be probably about 27 years old.

“Yeah?”

“Well the three of us, and some of the other girls were going to head out to a diner a couple blocks from here, and well we were wondering if you maybe wanted to join us?” Anna said gently, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. Buffy couldn’t help but feel touched at the gesture but she knew Anna was the only one truly offering.

“Thanks, but I actually have some things I need to do after I leave here…” Buffy rejected nicely. Anna nodded her head in understanding.

“Are you seeing that cutie that Michelle was talking about?” Jasmine abruptly asked. Buffy noticed how Nicole elbowed the girl in the ribs giving her a pointed look.

Anna giggled and looked back to Buffy. “Michelle had been telling us that some really hunk of a guy had been showing an interest in you.” Buffy’s head ducked down, trying to hide the deep blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

“No, I’m not seeing him.” The slayer closed the cabinets of and turned to lock the cellar door, pocketing her set of keys into her jeans before grabbing her jacket and bag. The other three girls nodded retreating to the back exit where some of the girls were already heading out of. Followed behind, last stopping at the light switches she surveyed the whole club looking at the back booth. She felt the arousal rise up again as she imagined what they probably had looked like earlier. She felt the desire, the need.

Shaking her head, Buffy shut off the lights, turning away and followed one of the last girls out the back exit, locking the door in place behind her.

Most of the girls were walking to their respected cars, some getting into their pick up rides which were usually boyfriends or husbands. The three that had talked to her earlier were walking with 3 others down the sidewalk in the direction of the diner a distance away, They were a group in numbers so Buffy didn’t worry about them. Surveying the parking lot one last time, making sure no one creepy was hanging around Buffy herself walked down the alley heading in the direction closer towards town.

Rubbing her hands to heat them, Buffy shrugged her bag further up onto her shoulder as she took full quick striding steps, the cold surrounding her. For the past week not even the weathermen could explain why there was such a drastic change in temperature going on in Sunnydale, that it wasn’t registering with their scientific predictions. Which meant only one thing to the Slayer. It was Hellmouth related.

The back of her head kept thinking that this new master vampire, whoever he was, had something to do with it, but a greater part objected the idea. She was never great in demonology, she shirked that training responsibility when she was connected with Giles still, but she knew enough to know that there was no way a vampire, a master one even, could have a great affect on the Earth like that. It had to be the Hellmouth itself. She had figured that out when the night before she had been patrolling near the high school and had her legs kicked out from under her making her fall to the ground, she had felt it.

She had felt the heat. The sidewalk felt like it was the summer when the beat down on it. Warm enough to cook an egg. It was weird, especially to occur in the middle of the night, and a night that was of a season closer to winter. But after Buffy had staked the vamp and she had knelt down to feel it again, the heat was gone and the air had become cold. Drastically cold.

Until Buffy knew what it was, she would just have to continue hitting the spots like Willy’s and beat information out of him until he actually gave her something about what could be going on underground.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*
“Charissa, what in tartarus are you doing?” Apha exclaimed with a harsh whisper as she awoke from the straw pallet by the short flash of light. In the corner of the cell that she and Charissa shared sat Charissa floating just a few inches off the ground. Charissa’s eyes snapped open and it was obvious she had lost her concentration when she fell down to the ground. “Are you insane, you’re lucky the guards itself didn’t see you. You’ll be lucky if the torturers aren’t sent to give you lashings, because I’m sure they felt your magick!”

Charissa ignored Alpha well aware of what the consequences were if she had been caught using any form of magick. Alpha had been referring to The Three and not the torturers who would feel her power had she used it. Upon the final judgment when arriving in Hades, all magick of those that had been sent to Tartarus was bound, but there was always a loop hole.

“I need to try Alpha!”

Alpha gave her a completely bewildered look as if she had been seeing Cerberus, the three headed guard dog of Hades, for the first time. “Charissa there is no way of getting out of Tartarus.”

“No it happened a few hundred years ago. You remember, his cell was right next to hers.” Charissa crawled across the dirty wet floor of the cell to Alpha. The distance wasn’t short, the cells were never large enough to really fit more than three people and even then they were cramped. Sitting closer to Alpha she looked through the bars of their cell to ensure none of the guards could hear them. “Before he had succeeded, he had taught me to fight around the binding.”

“Charissa! What is so great about doing magick, it’s such a high risk if you get caught!”

“Because it’s the first step in the plan I have for freeing myself from Tartarus.”

Chapter 5: Irony

Three Days Later

Buffy stepped out of the shower feeling completely refreshed and rejuvenated. Wrapping the soft red cotton towel around her body, she crossed the bathroom to the sink and vanity, being quick to wipe away the condensation that had formed against the glass of the mirror. She assessed her reflection, noting the changes that the shower alone had made to her. For the past two and half days she had been laid up in her bed battling something that was quite uncommon for the Slayer to come across. One of her body’s greatest foes.

A cold.

Sniveling away, creating a complete circular barrier of tissues around her bed, Buffy had slept and drank enough fluids to last a lifetime. Her body had produced more flem than some of the slimiest demons she’d ever waged a battle against. She had been bed ridden, being forced to call in sick due to the overwhelming exhaustion her sickness had left upon her. The Slayer had nearly been driven crazy with the silence within the house, having been the longest time she had spent in the house, a grand reminder her all too well that she was alone.

As if she could forget.

Buffy had mostly forced herself to sleep, wanting to escape the fact that it would be futile to hope that maybe her mother would bring her chicken soup, or that Willow and Xander would stop by, enduring the chances of getting sick to keep her company and watch movies. She was utterly alone, and slumber was the only escape with her condition. Now she remembered why she was only home to catch Z’s, mostly occupying her time with working and patrolling.

And now, after she was sure her cold had let up, Buffy fully intended on getting back to her duty, seeing as it was the only thing she had left, and the fact that tonight was actually her scheduled night off. Planning to hit many places where vamps frequented Buffy had hopped in the shower, which made her feel ten times better in it of itself.

Humming a slow and useless tune as she blow-dried her hair, Buffy planned out her patrol for the night, planning to hit the Bronze first. She hadn’t stopped by the local club in nearly a month, even before that visit, patrolling there had been far and fewer trips. Rarely did she ever check to make sure vamps weren’t feeding off the hormonal youngsters. It simply reminded her too much of the better times. Hanging out with Willow, Xander, Oz, and even Cordy on nights just because they could. Occasionally Buffy had escaped to stake some vamps that she found but that was never the intended reason for their visits to the Bronze. Now…it was the only thing that motivated her to go near the place.

As much as it was their ‘high school hangout’ college students from UC Sunnydale still attended and she had no doubt her old friends still spent time at the club, another reason that kept her from the Bronze.

Putting away her hair dryer, Buffy scanned herself in the mirror not liking what the shell of a body she had become. Her eyes were cold, nothing that remotely gave a sign that they had once held a spark for life. Her body was thinner, which Buffy blamed to the fact that she had gotten older, when really it was the lack of good nutrition. There were no longer home cooked meals coming out of the kitchen downstairs. She hadn’t set foot into the room in nearly five months, truth be told. For over the past year she tried to avoid her reflection, just like everything else she had grown to avoid. Rooms in her own house, such as the living room which was exactly how she had left it nearly a year ago, only now she had thrown movers sheets over everything to avoid the constant reminder. Places in town, she completely avoided certain neighborhoods that her old friends resided in. Besides being good at cutting herself off from everything, Buffy was an expert by now in avoidance.

Stepping into her room, Buffy quickly dressed in some dark form fitting jeans and a red halter-top. She donned one of her favorite pair of black boots before sitting down to do her make-up, hoping it would put some life into her. She ended by polishing her lips off with a cherry red lip-gloss.

She knew tonight would bring heavy fighting, or at least she hoped, so she stepped over to the chest that stood at the foot of her bed and armed herself with a couple stakes, stuffing her favorite dagger into the leg of her boot. Before walking out of her bedroom she surveyed it, taking note of where everything was placed, even in it’s scarcity, before throwing on a black zip up hoodie. Donning the hood, she walked out of the darkness of her house and into the cold night, ready to take on her nightly battle. Alone.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

“I don’t like this Giles, I haven’t seen anyone come out of her house almost over a week. No lights have been turned on, it’s as if it were abandoned. If it wasn’t so kept up with the lawn I would never guess anyone lived there.” Willow said as she sat down on the couch, dropping her book bag next to her feet on the ground.

Giles thought pensively as he set down a tray of freshly boiled water and cups. Xander instantly leant forward and snatched up a couple of cookies off the tray and began stuffing them in his mouth as if his life depended on it.

“Well if it seems as if no one’s there, how is the outside so kept up like you say?” Giles pondered pouring himself a cup to begin making his tea.

“Xander thinks it’s hired help. Like a gardener. I mean we can’t be for sure because I have classes during the day and Xander is working but how else would it? I asked her neighbor across the street and she says she hasn’t even seen Buffy in a week either.”

“If it were a landscaping gardener they usually get paid in advance and just do the yard on the scheduled days. My uncle Rory got it when he actually found a job.” Xander chimed in, his mouth full of cookie crumbs.

“Giles! I’m worried. She hasn’t been seen coming out in or out of the house, dead bodies are popping up out of nowhere at a unusual rapid pace, and there’s been no sightings of the slayer in the demon community.”

Giles looked between the two young adults sitting on his couch. They had shown up after Willow had gotten out of her final class for the Friday, claiming they had done random walk-bys of his former charge’s home. The news of the lack of sightings of Buffy cut deep in his stomach and worried him endlessly.

She had strayed from the group because of them. Because of him. Guilt would plague Giles until his funeral for if anything happened to her because he was not there to take care of her.

Yes Buffy was a very independent woman. She had learned how to take care of herself against the evils of the world beyond normal human knowledge by force and because of that she was always a mature young woman to the British former watcher. A little sidetracked easily by normal teen things but that’s just who Buffy was. The past two years she had been put through the ultimate ringer, and to think that she would possibly die alone made bile rise in his throat. Though as much as she was self-sufficient and well off in taking care of herself, Buffy was vulnerable. While she was strong, resourceful, and cunning in her duty, she was naïve to everything that plagued the world. Her reaction and the way she mourned her losses in the past year and half proved that.

He’d never had enough time to properly teach her, not that she’d take well to it anyway if he and her still trained together. Buffy was never one for needing to understand her calling and all it surrounded. She was a natural without the knowledge, got the job done, and she kept the world safe and because of that Giles never felt the need to teach her.

Slayers were to live out their calling and fulfill their destiny alone, but with their watchers at their side. They weren’t there to simply teach the slayer, but to comfort and be there for them as well. Buffy was the only one of her kind no matter how long she lived, there would never be someone who was like her. She had always needed him to help her understand the difficulties that were brought to her when life and her calling were tied together. The watcher would always understand their loneliness, and in most cases throughout the generations were the last ones the Slayers were to come in contact with before their deaths. This was why the bond was so strong. A slayer could go through various amounts of watchers, it had happened many times before, but with each watcher, the Slayer created a unique bond with each.

Which was why as much as there was too much circumstantial evidence to show that Buffy might just have met her demise, Rupert Giles knew his slayer was not dead. Along with that dreading feeling he held in his stomach, the gut feeling that she was still alive was stronger.

The Bronze

“What can I get you Buffy?” Jim the bartender of the Bronze turned towards the little blonde slayer, having just finished with one customer.

“I’ll just take a water. The coldest one you have, please.” She forced a smile to her lips to show her gratitude and Jim nodded.

“You know, I saw your good old pals in here a couple days ago. Surprised I didn’t see you with them.”

Buffy looked up from where she was drumming her fingers against the wood of the bar. Jim, a silent partner in the Bronze ownership had been around since before Buffy had moved to little ‘Sunnyhell’. He knew, from seeing on a regular basis, who was who and in which group they hung around. However it was obvious that he hadn’t really noticed that Buffy had not been with her old group of friends for over a year. She didn’t really feel like trudging up some icky memories so instead opted for shrugging her shoulders, as Jim passed a cold water bottle over the bar.

“Been busy. Thanks Jim.”

Jim nodded and walked to the other side of the bar, ready to help a new customer. She cracked the water bottle open, turned her back to the bar and leaned against it, as she surveyed the whole bottom floor of the Bronze. It was packed tonight. Both with high school and college students covering the dance floor and taking over the tables and booths. Couples and groups seeking a little more peace coexisted on the upper balcony. The ground vibrated with the beat of the music and people in a large mass on the dance floor grinding together.

She closed her eyes, the music encompassing over her whole being. She felt her skin raise as tiny tingles shot through her body to the pulsing beat that made her blood pulse. The slayer, the side of her that kept on working, even in a crowd, honed on her senses trying to find that exact signature she was seeking. The one that read different from that of a human, and made the back of her neck tingle when it locked in on the creatures. A few seconds later she opened her eyes knowing exactly where they all were. Two were up in the balcony, another in the bar, and a fourth somewhere near the entrance. The fourth was heavier, seeded with power and the idea of a good fight coursed Buffy’s body to new limits. The other three were posing no threat to innocents that crowded the bar so she focused mainly on the heavy essence. It had a familiar tingle to it, as if she had felt it before, and was widely familiar with it, which Buffy’s heart sunk with dread.

She knew full and well this signature gave her, and it would seem reasonable that the essence was so strong and high in ranking. It belonged to the same vampire line that had killed her as well as broke her heart. The Aurelius line, a distinct and ancient vampire family, both powerful and intimidating.

The slayers heart raced at the possibilities of someone from this line being in Sunnydale. The Master and Darla were dead, and she killed off most of the followers that had been with Master in Sunnydale. So that could only leave Angel of those that she knew were in the Aurelius line, and the idea of that was no more comforting.

The ensouled vampire who had broken her heart. Abandoned her when his ultimate destiny was to protect her and been one of the many leading factors in the path of her most darkest times. Buffy wasn’t sure if she should be happy or enraged if it was truly Angel who she was feeling. She pushed herself off the bar and into the crowd on the dance floor, trying to get lost in the mass of dancers while still staying in tune to the signature she felt. She could feel the vampire moving along the dance floor almost in every direction that she went. Buffy camouflaged herself by moving her body with the beat of the music.

While trying to focus on the signature she didn’t realize a male patron come up behind her and begin to try and engage her in a little bumping and grinding. Feeling the man’s hands on her hips as he attempted to pull her close to his own body caused Buffy to drop the connection she had on vamps signature. She cursed and glared at the man that dare cause her to fuck up on her hunt. Sending lethal daggers his way, Buffy made it clear that she was notthe girl to be trying to swoon.

Buffy turned about on the dance floor once the baboon of a man left her alone, hoping to lock in on the signature but to no avail it was lost in the crowd which did nothing to settle her worries. Suddenly she noticed out of the corner of her eyes one of the vamps she had sensed earlier were attempting to lead a naïve girl out of the bronze via back door. She assessed the man’s fashion tastes noticing the heavy 70’s rock references in his wardrobes which could only affirm that her sense skills were in face right.

Making her way back through the crowd towards the back exit, trying to keep up close to the vamp and his intended prey, Buffy reached behind her and felt for the stake that was tucked away in the waistband of her pants under her jacket and top. Kicking the closed back door she broke out into a jog following the sounds of what now seemed to be a struggle, not once picking up on the familiar signature that followed close behind her again.

“Don’t women ever learn…never go into dark alleys with strangers?” Buffy muttered to herself as she whipped the stake out from behind her and ran towards the sound of the woman’s screaming voice.

“You know, when they’re shrieking like that, it should be a clear indication that they are so not interested.” Buffy said announcing herself. The vamp that had pushed the woman against the wall was attempting to keep her still and pull blood.

The vamp turned its head, full game face and all, towards Buffy and growled low. It practically echoed off the walls of the narrow alley, but in no way did it phase Buffy. Kittens could do better she figured in her head. “Get lost, bitch this is none of your business!”

Buffy sighed as she looked down at her nails feigning boredom. “I tried that approach many years, but let me tell you, it’s like being the slayer it is ingrained into me to not turn my head away from idiotic vamps like yourself who do not live in the now,” Buffy waved her hand at the vamps ensemble. “and attempt to bite the live ones. Sorry dude, but as Vampire Slayer it would be really bad resume if I didn’t do exactly as my job entailed.”

The vampire stared at Buffy wide eyed, understanding exactly what she was saying, realizing that this girl that had interrupted him was no stupid wanna be heroine. She was in fact the Slayer, the very being that haunted the existence of most vamps – at least the ones that were not overly cocky.

“Now, let the girl go and I’ll be sure not to beat you too much to a pulp as I stake you, deal?”

Without knowing, the vampire charged at Buffy allowing the girl a chance to escape who was not as naïve as Buffy thought to take it. Buffy braced herself and upon close proximity she unleashed a round house kick to the vamps face before delivering a hard kick to his contracted abdomen, which sent him flinging into the alley wall. With ease she picked twirled the stake and weighed it in her hand before flinging it across the distance in the alley. It hit its mark, staking the vampire straight in the heart, and allowing it to crumble to dust, only the stake clatter to the ground.

Buffy walked over to bend over and pick it up before she heard a low and highly amused chuckle and suddenly that familiar signature came rushing back to Buffy. She stood straight and turned towards the darkened corner that she knew the laugh came from.

“This is just bloody rich.”

I know that voice…

With heavy steps the figure stepped out of the shadows and the familiar face of high-defined cheekbones and show stopping blue eyes became apparent to Buffy and all she could do was gasp.

“Bloody rich it is!”

Spike looked annoyed, amused, and confused as he assessed Buffy standing there fish like with her stake. He looked towards the heavens and spoke either to himself or something, Buffy was not quite sure. “Of course the one woman that I am attracted to, that I see as a potential mate is the bloody, fucking Slayer. You have a sick sense of humor, damn bugger!”

It all dawned on Buffy, and she realized that the signature of the Aurelius line was in fact hooked and covered to Spike. Which could only mean one thing. Spike was a vampire.

She threw a mini child like tantrum in her head that she wished to not acknowledge. And the first man that I am attracted to has to be a vampire! Let alone one that’s somehow related to Angel! This isn’t fair! How had she not picked up on this the first time she met Spike. How had the tingles that he made her feel at work not been clue enough that he was cold, dead, and very much a bloodsucker. Because the tingles he made you feel were not the same, duh!

Buffy stomped that down. She was not going to acknowledge the attraction she felt for Spike. She could not go there now. It was dangerous and so not worth it. But it wasn’t fair!

The slayer continued to stand there in complete shock as Spike moved closer which then sent her senses to be aware. She took a step back.

“Don’t come near me! God, was that night just some ploy to get close, and asses me!” Buffy screamed raising her stake. She immediately took the offense, in desperate need to protect her. This man was all charm, wit, and she had no doubt from both his personality and the power emanating from him, he was very strong.

Spike, who continued to look onto her, amused, just continued to chuckle. “Hardly pet, had no buggerin’ clue you were the Slayer. But I should have guessed it…the power that was coming from you was addicting. But I let my dick think for me as well as my demon’s want for a mate.”

Staring at him completely baffled Buffy blushed a deep crimson as Spike admitted that he was drawn to her truly because he found her deeply attractive. She tried to remember this was a vampire and not to sway by girly matters. Spike was evil. Evil over rode cute. Or at least Buffy tried to continually remind herself that.

“And the bloody irony of it all, my demon and I will admit myself wants to take you, as mine. I want a different dance than what I’m used to with Slayers.” His voice was low and his eyes bore into Buffy’s making her breath hitch. She watched as he stepped closer and closer to her, but she was so shocked to stop him. His words wrapped around her like silk and she got lost in his deep accent.

“What are you talking about…?” She stepped to the side trying to keep the same distance from Spike. Instead he followed, walking towards her as if she were a prey. She didn’t like being the prey very much.

His lips formed into a knowing smirk. “You know what I’m talking about pet, you felt it that night. The fire and spark. Could only mean one thing if both my demon and your slayer overlooked that.”

“This is absurd! I don’t even know you!”

“Spike, A.K.A. William the Bloody, Slayer of slayers.” Spike said, and suddenly he was right up close to her. She cursed vampire speed as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips to kiss it gently.

Spike shoved off the fact that this was the slayer. He had set out to kill his third slayer but most of all he had set out to find his mate, and his demon was raging for him to take her as his right now. If it was one thing that was known, it was that Spike was never one to follow traditions. He followed his blood and instincts, which had gotten him this far. And Spike was never one to argue with his gut.

So she was the slayer, Spike was never the type of vampire that took pride in true evil. He killed for the fight and for the need to feed. He left the torture and true evil to his predecessors of his vampire family line. When it came to the women he tied himself to he could adapt, and looking into Buffy Summer’s eyes, the depths of deep green orbs, he’d lay his life down for her. Protect her from the Slayer’s short life span and would help her become that slayer he knew she could be. Knowing the second that Spike laid eyes on this blonde she had him by the balls, and he was making sure she would be his.

Buffy’s hand tingled as Spike’s lips gently placed a kiss on her closed fingers. She caught her breath and suddenly she realized she was standing with a vampire who apparently was very dangerous and he was charming her into whatever this mating thing he kept speaking of.

“No! I can’t do this. It’s wrong. You’re a vampire and I’m the slayer. I’m meant to be alone no matter what our…essences call each other doesn’t mean anything.” Buffy tore her hand away from Spike’s and did the most reasonable thing she could think of. She ran like bat out of hell for the exit of the alley, leaving Spike to stare after her, the vanilla scent that was purely her still wafting up his nose.

“Oh kitten…I will make you mine.”

Chapter 6: Run-Ins

The thing Buffy found most ironic about the past ten minutes was the fact that the cold air was burning her lungs. She never quite understood that about biology, or physiology…whatever study it was. The slayer didn’t finish high school so she couldn’t really tell you whether it was either or neither. Before she had dropped out, she’d have just looked to Willow for the answer anyway.

Buffy came to a halt on the pavement, bending over trying to catch a breath while resting her hands against the tops of her knees in front of her home. Spike was no longer going to follow her; she knew it in her blood. He was for the seduction, not the chase, and as much as he was a follow the gut type, she knew deep down that Spike would want her to come to him in the end. The scary part was that she did not understand why she knew this. It wasn’t an inkling feeling or the spidery sense things she always tried to explain to her former watcher. It was something tattooed in her subconscious, as if it had always been there. It was almost like it had been ‘switched on’ when it came to seeing him.

Buffy couldn’t tell you his life history, or what outfit he’d likely choose out of a line-up even though it was blatantly obvious. No, the stuff she knew was beyond that. And that’s what scared her more. The second he touched her hand, her skin had ignited that even the coldest air in the world could not cool. Something inside of her screamed for him, to ease whatever pain she had and make her simply feel again.

Ironic. An undead, a vampire, something that was supposed to be her mortal enemy could make her feel so alive. It annoyed her. Buffy had not experienced a connection with anyone since her mother had died. And it was with someone she had just met!

Though she couldn’t allow it, to feel something for somebody, especially one who could hold her heart in his hands. She had gotten so close to being everything for Angel and then he took off. Everyone left. Angel, her mother, and then her father kept her further away from him like she was made of the plague. Solitude was something the Slayer had gotten used to and driven everyone in her life to give her. As much it wasn’t by choice to break away from the others she had not exactly been in the position to forgive them. They had almost taken everything from her. Sure her best interests in mind, however letting someone close was dangerous.

Let alone from the fact that Spike was a vampire. She did not have to justify herself why things would not be happening. She chose to plead the fifth on the facts that the Slayer was supposed to be versus the vampire, not lover. And one that possibly knew Angel! Quite the awkward turtle.

William the Bloody. Slayer of slayers.

The latter made her blood run cold. She felt power from him the moment she met him, she couldn’t say why she didn’t figure he was a vampire, just the world’s way of dangling a treat in front of you but at an unreachable distance.

The piercing blue of his eyes as he perused her whole being in the alley was burned in the back of her mind. She almost wanted to cry at the imbalanced way this had all turned out. How could she possibly be so drawn to someone that she had met once at her sleazy place of work?

She looked up assessing her home encompassed in the abnormally cold night. The streetlights bounced off the street and showed a small amount of light on the house. It looked the same; she always made sure of that. The lawn stayed in good keep, and her mother’s car was parked in the exact same spot. It was when she stood in front of the house, just like this, that she could pretend it wasn’t empty. Sure she resided in it, but did she really live in the house anymore? Did she really live anymore?

Sighing Buffy watched as the trail of her breath lingered out in front of her as an airy little cloud.

She wanted to scream that it was all a ploy, lure her into a false sense of security and then he’d strike. It would make it something almost tangible that she could deal with. Because then she could fight him, make it a really good fight and be done with it.

The slayer repeated the mantra of “He’s an evil vampire, he’s an evil vampire…” but she couldn’t ignore the warm feeling on her hand where Spike had previously touched her.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

“I think we did pretty good,” Willow observed as Oz, Xander, Anya, and she walked down the street and away from one of the many graveyards in Sunnydale. Xander held a crossbow to his side while the others carried various slaying weapons. Basics; stakes, crosses, and Anya even held a vile of holy water in her back pocket. “Six, really not bad.”

Oz in his usual quiet demeanor simply nodded his head, looking at Willow with loving adoration.

“Yeah I feel like we helped deplete those rising numbers,” Xander affirmed. “Certainly not in Slayer capabilities but hey for non-slaying people we did pretty damn good!”

“I don’t like that I was used for bait, but I agree I feel like I accomplished much help for humans. It’s a shame I’m not getting paid for this. I propose we talk to Giles and see if we can get the Watcher’s Council to pay us since the Slayer doesn’t seem to be doing her job.”

The three others stopped to look at Anya. Willow’s face was marred with horror while Xander looked like he wanted to smack his head repeatedly. Oz like always had a pretty much deadpanned expression.

“Ahn, the council doesn’t know about Buffy, or what has happened.” Xander tried to explain to his girlfriend.

Willow began to shift her weight from foot to foot looking uncomfortable at the thought of bringing the Watcher’s Council into the whole deal. “We can’t tell the council that Buffy’s quit working with Giles. They’ll send a re-con team…and do not very nice things to either get Buffy back into line or worse…” Willow couldn’t process the idea of what else the council could do. When Giles had informed them that they had to be hush-hush about Buffy no longer being under Giles’ supervision, and why, Willow had nearly thrown up her lunch.

“Ah yes, the Watchers Council, always with this sketchy agenda for something that was supposed to be of the good,” Anya said. The four of them continued on walking. “I once had a Slayer as a vengeance wish, apparently the council had killed-“

“Anya, please no ex-shop talk.” Xander cried out exasperated.

Anya huffed back in annoyance crossing her arms over her chest but she stayed quiet anyway. Since she had lost her powers she had hated feeling like the human she was now reduced to. In a roundabout way because of the slayer and she had yet to even meet the girl, which was the paradox of it all. She had come to Sunnydale when the wail of a lowly female demon’s cry for vengeance could be heard all over the world.

Anya, or known as a vengeance demon – Anyanka, normally didn’t take on fulfilling the desired vengeance wishes for the demon populace. But her cries had been so great; it was almost getting on her nerves while she was vacationing in China with her best friend Hallie. Besides it did happen occasionally. According to D’Hoffryn demons could sometimes make the best outcomes due to their wishes.

So she had popped into the demon’s home, literally, and found out what she could do. Apparently the current slayer – her now human boyfriend’s lost friend – had gone on all out slaying rampage the around the same time last year and killed this female’s mate. So the demon had made the wish for the Slayer to never have come to Sunnydale and poof, chaos had ensued, mayhem and death ruled over Sunnydale. D’Hoffryn had been quite pleased with the ending work if it had only just ended at that. Somehow the slayer had still ended up in Sunnydale, and with the help of who was supposed to be her watcher had smashed her pendant, which held all her powers.

So here she was stuck in rural Sunnydale, no longer with any powers, stuck living a human life with 1,000 plus years under her belt with nothing to really show for it. Though Anya felt she had adapted well. She had a goofy white-hat loving boyfriend. Sure he and his friends were a little close-minded on the demon populace, probably because they stemmed from working with the extensions of the council, but she was happy – plus Xander gave her many good orgasms. However it was inappropriate to talk about with those that didn’t partake in the bedroom fun.

Other than that she helped the Watcher, Giles, run a magic shop putting her favorite things together money and capitalism business with her knowledge of magic. And now, on nights like these she helped the Scooby gang do sweeps of the many cemeteries in Sunnydale. Anya wasn’t much of a fighter; in her old demon days if things got ugly she’d simply teleport out, which is probably why they used her as bait- a great ego booster that she was delectable in some way; silly vampires always thinking with their teeth. Though she had never laid eyes on Buffy, the slayer. Sure she’d seen pictures of her from Xander’s box of memories but the Slayer hadn’t been part of the group when Anya had come around. No one had disclosed to her why, just that there were differences, but it had to be something big. Upon arriving to Sunnydale for her last job, Anya could hear the cries of emotional pain coming from the Slayer, almost as loud as her vengeance client but that wasn’t her area to meddle with, Anya’s work was strictly that of women scorned by men. Anya had never disclosed that piece of information to her boyfriend and new friends.

The four of them walked down a resident street, deciding that their six vamps was good, and calling it a night. They rounded the corner and three that weren’t Anya didn’t even realize they were coming onto Revello Drive, they were all so knee deep in their own thoughts.

It was Willow who noticed first and both Xander and Anya nearly knocked into her when she pulled a complete stop on the sidewalk. Oz looked to where her deer-in-the-headlights stare was headed and then back at her.

Approximately two houses down, stood Buffy at the front of the walk up path to her own home. She was hunched over, her hands resting on her knees as she tried to breath deeply. She dressed as if she had just come from the Bronze, slimming jeans and red halter.

The group hadn’t said a word; afraid a noise would simply send her scampering away into the house, or worse. Xander couldn’t help but feel like he was witnessing some rare creature in it’s own habitat. They hadn’t seen the Slayer in so long and after presuming the worst of her being dead this past week it was a great relief to see she was still alive and kicking.

Willow wanted to reach out, go up to her, try anything to fix all that had gone wrong in the past year and a half but she couldn’t tell how Buffy would regard her and the others. Confused? Angry? Completely hostile? The last time they had all spoken, Buffy had practically spat at them to stay the hell away from her, and never to come near her again or they would really see how pissed off a Slayer could get. They took her threat at face value seeing as she had been holding the sharp point of a sword to Giles’ throat as she said it.

But she hadn’t reacted wrongly. They had nearly robbed her of everything with their stupidity, nearly made her a mere statistic to the Slayer line all because of their ‘care’ for her and their desire to help. Hell Willow would look at herself with disgust just as Buffy had the last time the Slayer had ever spoke to her.

The Slayer not seeing them stood at full stance looking at her home, obviously deep in thought, her hair flowed out behind her and they couldn’t all but help in admiring her. Buffy’s head drooped down looking at the ground in front of her, her body tight with anguish and suddenly it snapped up and her eyes locked on all of them.

Her body went even tighter if it was at all possible, but this time defensively. She regarded them as enemies with her eyes as she stared back at them, enemies on her territory. Far from someone that saw them as once friends.

“I thought I told you to stay away from me.” Her voice dripped with anger and disgust as it traveled across the distance between them. Her arms crossed over her chest. The group stepped forward closing the distance between them but not coming too close. Anya fell back behind the other three, she didn’t know Buffy and because of that she didn’t know what to expect.

Xander spoke up but he was cut off: “Buffy please- “

“Buffy please!” Buffy said with a mocking sneer. “Please save us, please forget everything that you’ve been through, please forget that we nearly got you killed!” She ignored that her former red headed best friend’s eyes welled with tears. “Please Xander tell me what I could do for you!”

“That’s not what we mean at all. Look we are sorry, if we could take it all back-“ This time Xander stopped himself, realizing his poor choice in words.

“Take it all back?!? I think you did enough of that don’t you guys?” She all but laughed crazily. “Now, get out of here. I was serious when I said I never wanted to see you ever again.” She walked up the path to the house with angry steps, up the porch and through into the house. The front door slammed so loud it echoed into the street leaving the four members of the Scooby gang to stand by themselves, three in guilty thoughts. All except Anya who of course with the tact that she had, had no problem speaking her tactful mind:

“Well she’s a ball of sunshine!”

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

The door hit with a bitter slam. Perfectly matching her mood, it echoed through the quiet house with a crisp whack before she dropped herself against it. Her body resounding out a hollow thud. She figured it fitting because all that was left of her these days was a shell. Her head hung low with her hands at her side, perfectly tight but shaking uncontrollably. Shaking with a lot of anger, but mostly heavy emotional heartbreak. Memories of a better time flashed like a strobe light in her mind and she closed her eyes trying to forget them. Her teeth dug into her lower lip all to silence her cry of anguish and pain.

Repeatedly her head slammed back into the wood of the door, as if she could knock the memories out. The shock and inability to over come her own death, heartache of her first ‘love’ leaving, the death of her mother, and the aching heartbreak in betrayal she had received from her friends.

Xander was right, and she knew it. What they had done to her wasn’t their intentions, at least the consequences weren’t. But the fact that they did and without even regarding the thought that they might talk to her first about it hurt most than what had happened. It was all for her well being… to make her stronger. But now it left her angry with them and alienated.

She choked back a sob, refusing to shed any more tears on it. When she would overcome this pain after every time she saw them she didn’t know. Maybe when they stopped trying. It had taken weeks after their massive fallout for them to stop calling or coming to her door everyday. She never answered either and finally they took the hint. Though she knew they searched for her every chance that she might be where they were. Whether it was the Bronze, the Espresso Pump, or a graveyard she patrolled. The slayer knew on pure instinct that Giles watched closely for any mention that might report her possible death since he would never know otherwise. The only connection she had with the watcher now was the bank account that he deposited the money into from the profits of her mother’s gallery. Though she had a feeling that mostly Miss Calendar was running it since Giles had taken over the Magic Box.

Buffy wished it could all go back to what it had been. She regretted not finishing high school and even going on to college if not for her than in the memory of her mother. Who before her death, Joyce only knew of Buffy the student constantly getting into trouble. She owed it to her mother, maybe it would lift some of the guilt she had about Joyce’s death. At that Buffy pushed away from the door choosing to not open that still aching wound. She trudged up the staircase and into her room, shedding her halter and grabbing a tank top off the desk chair. Kicking off her boots, Buffy stood before the punching bag she had set up in the corner of her room. Rolling any aches away she might have felt due to her lack of any real fight Buffy shot out a jab at the bag.

She had to give it to her former friends; they did take her mind off her most recent problem. A certain handsome – no not handsome (she tried to convince herself) –bleached blonde vampire. Here was a problem she didn’t know how to approach. She wished she had realized he was a vampire and she cursed those vampire senses for being on the fritz. Maybe then she wouldn’t have regarded him as drop dead gorgeous, charming, seductive…everything amazing. Buffy angrily punched multiple times at the punching bag barely giving it time to sway back and forth as she took out her frustration towards herself for not being strong enough to snap herself away from her hormones and attractions to simply stake him when she had the chance back at the alley.

Though did she really have cause to stake him now? He wasn’t a vampire plotting her death, instead trying to seduce her as his intentions made clear tonight. Spike was a master vampire though. She could feel his level of power and status. A part of Angel’s vampire family flowed through his blood and she was curious to know if she knew her almost boyfriend. The power of the Aurelius line was strong in him, descent from the Master, and that alone made Spike dangerous.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

The Next Night

Buffy slowly glided through the cemetery, her body rigid and aware as she overlooked the expanse of the multiples rows of tombstones before her. To the side the large mausoleums stood, most of the locks probably broken from vamps constantly residing in them. This known fact that any vamp could easily hide in there, made her pay close attention to any heavy doors opening or closing.

She had just chased the last of a trio of vamps down into this cemetery. She had been walking through the park on her way straight into work when she came across three fledging vamps snacking over a single girl. She had quickly dispatched the first one allowing the other two to forget the girl and go up against her. Two on one wasn’t a fair fight but with a Slayer she might as well have been fighting with her arm behind her back. After staking the second and going in for the kill of the last, she would have been almost to work by now if the third had not taken off in a dead run across the park and over the large hedge wall into the cemetery. Normally Buffy would have just let him go but she had already caught him feeding. Why do they always have to run at the most inconvenient times! Buffy questioned in her mind. Her boots crunched against dry leaves on the grass, as a slow mist of fog began to roll in.

When she got her hands on this third vamp she was going to pummel it good before staking it, simply for the fact that this guy made her scale the concrete brick wall and take a detour on the way to her actual paying job. “Stupid blood sucker!” She cursed him, hoping he could hear how angry she was. “You better fear me…”

“Or what?”

Buffy whipped around, her hand instantly going for the stake tucked into her jacket, raised armed as she regarded whatever snuck up on her.

A good two rows back, leaning against a low looming oak tree was the very peroxide vamp that Buffy was trying to get out of her mind. A cocky smirk rested on his lips as he chuckled at her little annoyed mutterings, which of course he heard even with the distance between them. Vamp hearing and all.

Buffy stood there shocked as to how she didn’t sense him. Her vamp senses were like a stupid watch that you banged against the table to get it to start working it seemed. She didn’t want to know if this was happening with other vampires or if it was just this particular one. She shivered at the affects this man – no this vamp, was having on her.
Buffy tried to swallow the breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t make sense of the feelings racing through her. Fear? Excitement? Lust?

“Hmm Slayer?” He asked as he pushed off the tree and began to saunter over to her. She tried to ignore that his long black leather duster did that mysterious thing where it flowed behind him. Even under the long sleeves, she could make out the well defined muscles of his arms, his black tee which was tight against his chest, gave an insight into how chiseled his abdomen was. She refrained from licking her lips. “Well you’re better than other slayers I’ve come across and heard about. Smart girl, already got her weapon ready.” His head acknowledged the stake raised high in her hand, her other arm bent in front of her, full fighting stance.

“Did you follow me here?” Buffy asked.

Spike stopped a little before her, still keeping a good distance between them, and he looked at her through his lashes, piercing blue eyes shocking her core. He bit side of his lip as if to be coy and innocent. “Your scent was screaming to me. Walkin’ on by planning to go see a mate of mine down at a local demon bar when I caught whiff of your delicious scent.”

“I’m flattered, but honestly the whole smelling thing with vampires…kind of ooukie.” She scrunched up her nose, and Spike couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Well Slayer you can tell a lot about a person from their scent. Which is why they make such great…tools for vampires. You can smell their power, the fear, the determination…the arousal.” He shot her a wink, an amused wink, and she wanted to simply turn around in an angry haste but that would leave her back to him.

“I stand by my last statement.” Buffy spat out through gritted teeth.

“Have you thought about my offer, pet?”

Buffy looked at him bewildered. “What offer?”

“Don’t skirt around it Slayer, you know exactly what I’m talking about?”

Feeling safe enough that he was wasn’t going to charge her, Buffy lowered her stake and put her hands on her hips. “If I did would I be standing here looking completely lost?”

Spike shrugged, but he continued on: “The one of you…and me?”

Buffy’s eyes widened, standing shocked before him. “You do know I am the slayer right? You said yourself, William the Bloody…slayer of slayers.”

The vampire before her shrugged and irritated her more. “Trust me Slayer, the idea of being this drawn to you abhorred me at first but I was never one to follow the rules, follow my gut and blood, which I’ll admit sure as bloody fucking hell isn’t just traveling in the right direction.” He leered at her form and she tried to stop the shiver that ran through her. She stood there mentally defeated. Okay, Spike was attractive, she was being a moron for denying that but that’s where her lack of denial ended. “’Cept I’m not what you call a conventional vamp, rebel by nature, get to know me a little more you could find out how good we could be.”

“I don’t date vampires anymore. Lived that route, not going through that again!”

His smirk deepened. “So you’re a rebel as well.” Spike ignored the fact that some other vamp had come close to her, had seen beyond her duty and the purity of her. Couldn’t blame whatever wanker had been in her heart once, she was divine, emanating power and not from the Slayer lineage, no it was seeded from beyond this. She herself was what would make her a great slayer, and from what he heard the greatest one the world had ever seen.

“You could say that.” Buffy crossed her arms. Spike looked at her expectantly waiting for her to further explain. “His name was Angel.”

A growl erupted deep from within his body and tore through the night, deafening the silence. Buffy couldn’t help but wince and step back, nothing stood against the animalistic stare and predatory hatred that came from Spike the second Buffy uttered that name. “You let that wanker touch you? Last I heard Angelus was rat eating and stuffed with a soul in the undergrounds of Los Angeles. That was well over ten years ago.” He paced in front of her, tension and even jealousy rolled from his figure in waves. “I still can’t believe you let that sadistic fuck touch you!”

“Knew you knew him,” Buffy rolled her eyes. “Look I don’t have to explain myself to you. The matter of whether Angel and I were involved has no bearings. He came in, swept me off my feet, and left in his cryptic fashion and all the while breaking my heart. All in the middle of the darkest time for me, so needless to say I’m not too keen on getting together with a vampire let alone anyone else any time soon!” She came to stand before him, her eyes cold and haunted. “I am the slayer. In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness.” She tried not to choke on the words that Giles had spoken to her on her arrival to Sunnydale. The same words Merrick, another person who was ripped from her, had explained to her when her calling first became aware to her. “I fight alone, and I die. There is no future, not for me and not for us. I die and the world moves on with a new slayer. I don’t get love I get pain and war. Battling until my time is up. So Spike do me a favor…don’t.” She pushed him away from her. “Don’t chase me, don’t sweep me off my feet and promise of how good we can be, because it can never happen. I am to be alone, and I am to fight your kind.”

She stood before him, her speech ended on a heavy breath, she had nothing left to say, it was the first time Buffy had spoken of her thoughts on her calling in a long time. The Slayer turned around, she was done, tired of being tempted with something that she hated to admit sounded so good.

“Oh no, luv…we’re not done yet!” He grabbed at her wrist to pull him back to her.

On instinct her fist flew and hooked him square in the nose. She regarded him with fire, her green eyes set ablaze. His touch had ignited something in her, and she used the passion that he had made her feel to save herself and push him away from. Away from the heartbreak he would bring her. Best to save yourself before you got hurt. Spike leered at her with even more lust than she thought possible as he straightened up. Cracking his neck to the side he chuckled.

“Don’t call me that!” Buffy pleaded.

He bit his lip in a confident smirk, his shoulders now rolling. “You wanna dance pet? I wasn’t looking to perform with you this way but I never could pass up a good fight. Lets see what we got, eh?” His arm, like lighting shot out and cracked across her left cheek, his left arm ready to hit make the other side of her face even, but she expected that and blocked it. He chuckled clearing enjoying the tension between them. “Spitfire!” He ground out before she pushed her body up to kick him, sending him back a good few feet away. She wasted no time in sending back another right hook but this time he blocked it as he staggered up right. An amused expression marred his face.

Before they knew it, a full out fight broke out between them. Each blocked and shot their own hits, kicks, and jabs. Buffy turned a full 360 to avoid his roundhouse kick dropping down to her feet as she swung out her leg in an attempt to make him lose his balance. However Spike was no fledging, he knew the ways of the dance. He jumped high to avoid her maneuver. They fought as equals something both recognized as neither could get a good hit in.

Spike marveled in the sight of her, her hair flying about as she twirled to avoid his hits, and threw every part of her being, with grace to send out her own attacks. He grew hard in his jeans at the sight of her, even in fighting him. A beautiful finesse she had mastered and his need for her escalated higher.

“We dance perfectly luv, see it? Never met a woman, even a slayer that could match me so well.” Their punches were exchanged and blocked, exchanged and blocked. He could do this all night with her.

She swung her arm out again this time as a decoy before using her other arm to try and fit in another right hook, however both were blocked but he gained advantage by wrapping tight onto her wrists and pulling him right against her, her back pressed tight to his front. He grinned as the wiggling and squirming she did only fueled his erection.

Spike’s demon emerged then, the smell of her delightful blood just inches from him pumping through her veins.

Buffy knew it was then, his fangs grazed her neck and suddenly she went slack. She knew what to expect. She was fool to believe he was above killing her even for just a second. She closed her eyes and embraced the end that would greet her. She was tired of fighting and tired of being alone in this world, she wanted her heaven.

It didn’t hurt, when his fangs pierced her skin. It was gentle, and no way normal than what she witnessed of vamp feedings. Her insides went warm and she melted into him, her arousal surprisingly at its peak. God she must have a death wish if the bite that would bring her to her death was going to at the same time get her off. She waited a beat as Spike pulled her blood from her neck, it was slow and gentle and his hold on her was weak, his caress of her waist intoxicating.

“Spike…?” The Slayer gripped his hold on her waist, confused.

His fangs quickly retracted, his cold baritone voice piercing the quiet air. “Mine.”

A jolt ran through her, warmth coursed through her veins and his words, although unknown of it’s meaning, still shook her to the core. Fear ripped through her overriding any warmth she was filled with, at the idea of something that had just occurred beyond her control. She had spent over a year to keep control over her life. Her hand clamped on the bite he had instilled her with, her body tore away from his and she looked at him as if he had just murdered her puppy.

“I told you not to. Why? Why do this?” Tears came to her eyes but she refused to let them slip. “Spike, I die very prematurely. I don’t have the lifespan of a twinkie, I’m human and beyond that I’m a slayer. Premature lifespan comes with my duty. Why are you bringing this about?”

“Slayer, a word of advice, you should learn about what I’m offering, it might lend some insight into what you could be refusing.”

“Spike it doesn’t matter! God you’re so stubborn!” With arm she shoved at him again, her other still pressed tight to stop any bleeding. “I don’t want to be tied to anyone. I will not allow myself to be hurt again! So again, stay away from me!”

At that, she turned and ran. Ran again from the offering, the beautiful man – no vampire! She ran because what he offered was so tempting but she would not put herself in that position again. She would not risk her heart again.

Chapter 7: Ambushed

No matter how many times she saw it, Buffy would never get used to the sight of her own blood. It was a constant reminder that above all she was mortal. Through the inhuman strength that could match Superman, and the ability to sense things that went bump in the night, anytime Buffy bled it was another shock that told her she could be killed so very easily. She had seen more of her own blood then the fake stuff in horror movies and yet it still sent shivers up her spine.

Liquid crimson; thick, but nothing at all like ketchup.

Her hand dropped below the running tap, and she let the water from the sink wash away the small pool of blood in her palm. As it flowed down the porcelain of the sink her blood lost its intensity of color. Buffy couldn’t help but feel that was some world metaphor of her. Like her blood could easily fade away, she could as easily fade away until she was nothing. Tonight had certainly proved how easy it was.

Buffy had tried not to look up at the mirror but temptation to see the damage done to her jugular was irresistible, call it the masochist in her.

Spike’s bite wasn’t fatal, it was deep, and enough to keep her bleeding, but it was certainly neat. His fangs had slipped in and slipped out – as smooth as butter. His gentle bite had matched his gentle touch and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and forget that little fact.

She was alone. She would stay alone. The fact that she was trying to reason that she had felt attraction and desire on his part while he was biting her made idiotic.

The slayer took a deep breath as she stared back at her reflection. She bent close to the mirror, inspecting the bite. Her slayer healing was beginning to kick in; she could tell her blood was beginning to clot. Come tomorrow morning it would probably be healed over, just another scar.

Buffy snapped open the medicine cabinet, which was full of first aid tools, grabbing the cotton pad, she pressed it to her throat firmly before taping it down.

Pushing away from the sink she slinked back into her bedroom, snatching up the phone. She’d need to call the strip club, and tell them she’d need another night off, something she’d have hell by Jack tomorrow, but ultimately it would be nothing more than a scolding her and letting Matt think he was running the bar for a couple days, which was an annoyance more than an ego bruise to the slayer.

Hanging up, Buffy let out an annoyed sigh, before falling onto her bed. Her fingers crept up to her neck where Spike’s mark was under the bandage. There was no pain, both during and the aftermath. Instead a heavy ache, a feeling of loss with a touch of need pulsated at the base of her neck. Her fingers ran over the puncture marks Spike’s fangs had made. Warmth swept through her again, and Spike’s shocking blue eyes flashed in Buffy’s mind. She heard his growl of ‘Mine’ again as she let out an involuntary gasp, almost resembling a moan. Buffy’s hand tore away as if it had just burned her. She looked about the room embarrassed at her sudden outburst.

Shaking herself from the whole idea she kicked off her shoes and without bothering to change buried underneath the blankets and forced herself to sleep.

That night she dreamt of him, and across town the vampire dreamt of her

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

“Well it’s about time you showed up, I was beginning to think you were dead.” Matt greeted as she walked behind the bar.

“You could only wish.” The Slayer said as she rolled her eyes at him, pulling her blonde hair up in a messy ponytail. Matt was busy wiping the last of the glasses just as she had entered work the next night. She had arrived to work early, feeling it was obligated since she had been out for so many days. The rest of the serving staff was finishing up on getting the tables set up and she could tell their boss, Jack was in the back yelling at one of the girls.

“Where you been?” Matt asked as he sidled up next to her at the bar.

“Where do you think, lame brain? I’ve been sick.”

Her co-worker laughed, a very obvious sign at his non-believing in it. “Sure,” His eyes danced with teasing amusement. “You weren’t off gallivanting with Mister Big Bucks from the last night you were working were you?”

Buffy tossed the wet rag in his face as she spun around to make sure the register was balanced out. “Would you like to see the amount of snot rags covering my bedroom floor?”

“Must have been some bug to put you out of commission for five days.” Buffy glared at him, not liking that he was trying to pry information out of her. As if she would sleep with Spike.

The bite mark on her neck burned at the thought of the bleached blonde vampire, sending shivers down her spine.

“I was sick for three days, and last night when I was supposed to come in, I had…an emergency.”

“An emergency?” he asked with obvious disbelief.

“Yes, an emergency. Would you like me to get a dictionary so you can look up the word?”

“Whatever you say Buff,”

“Just…go do something useful!” Buffy said with an annoyed gasp which only further Matt’s laughter. Letting out an annoyed huff, she grabbed another rag this time from the sink where it was heavy with unreleased moisture and with great accuracy aimed straight for Matt’s back. He turned around with a look of shock and disbelief as the rag fell to the ground with a wet plop the only sign of its existence being the big wet mark on his back. She smiled in triumph before sticking her tongue out at him and busying herself with the last minute preparations for opening.

Before she knew it the strip club had opened up and things began to get busy. The line-up of dancers flowed with ease, no disturbance of customers – however there was a rowdy group of foursome in the corner booth, which Buffy was keeping a close eye on.

Her whole shift that night, Buffy tried to ignore the aching pull at her neck. Every time she saw a leather coat she tried not to have her blood pulsing with excitement at the possibility.

Spike’s control over her was beginning to agitate her. She had given in too quickly last night and it was without a doubt that Spike was dangerous. The way he had matched every one of her moves was unsettling for her. She didn’t understand what the blonde vampire wanted with her.

This obsession with being with her was ridiculous and she didn’t understand it. She was the slayer, he was a vampire; ergo no attraction should be occurring, at least nothing that was beyond first sight physical appearances. Beyond that, Spike knew nothing about her. His reasoning that they were made for each other was stupid and in no way was there a pull between his vampire demon and her slayer essence.

Buffy was happy to live in the denial river. Hell she’d move to Egypt if it kept everything the way it was – in a way she could handle.

By the last hour of the club’s open hours, Buffy was exhausted. Tonight had been packed to the max thanks to half the cover and half the price on drinks. The last of the patrons were exiting along with the rowdy group from the back booth that was currently being herded by the bouncers out the entrance.

Buffy began to straighten up the resemblance of the counter below the bar, moving around to put bottles back in the rightful place that she hadn’t had a chance to put away. Matt was currently counting up the register and tips to take to Jack in order for it to be balanced out.

The stage was empty and the front door’s loud lock clicked into place signaling the club to be officially closed. Buffy leant against the bar with a heavy sigh; releasing all the tension that tonight’s work had caused to take up residence in her shoulders. She rolled her neck, careful not to pull too much to the right to disturb the healed bite.

“We made some good money tonight.” Matt observed as he counted the cash.

“I would hope so,” She pushed herself off the bar looking at her watch. 3am. Leaning down to tie the top of the garbage bag, Buffy lifted the heavy bag with ease. “Going to go take this out to the back.”

Stepping through the back door that led to the alley of the club, she let the door shut with a bang as she walked over to the large dumpster. The slayer tried to ignore the stench of the garbage as she hopped over the puddles using the height of her heels to keep from getting the bottom of her jeans ruined.

“Well hey, pretty lady!”

Buffy looked over from where she stood in front of the dumpster and rolled her eyes. Just what she needed to deal with, drunken guys. Buffy tossed the bag into the dumpster and stood across from the group of men that had entered the alley. Before her stood four men, the same four loud mouths that had occupied the back booth tonight. They looked to be about in the later twenties and obviously of blue-collar work, the clothes a dead give-away in their field of handiwork.

“You’re the sexy bartender, aren’t you?” The one in the middle spoke, a dead give away as leader to this gang of aged mis-fits.

“I’m the bartender, yes…your point?” Buffy snapped crossing her arms over her chest.

The man licked his lips and looked her up and down. Buffy felt like ralphing out of disgust with the way he was so obviously undressing her with his eyes.

“You got the same moves as them girls up on the stage?” As a whole the group took a step forward, lust filling their drunken eyes. “We were thinking about having us a little party, maybe you dishing out a private show.” Buffy rolled her eyes. Did this guy actually think she was going to go with them? Everything about them screamed crazy wild bunch that you did not want to mess with, and to Buffy they were wasting her time.

“Thanks, but no thanks boys.” She stepped around them and began to head back to the door hoping her lack of hiding her disgust in them would be enough to get rid of them. Though when a meaty hand clamped around her wrist she knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. She looked down at the hand around her wrist of the leader. Their hungry lusty gazes had only increased. However behind that she saw the true evil in them and sighed. Things never could go easy for her. “You’re going to want to let go of me.” She said slowly through gritted teeth. The man’s touch alone was making her sick, but deep in the pit of her stomach she felt something worming it’s way to want to make her puke. Her neck flared up with heat as her heartbeat began to really race with adrenaline.

“Now why would we want to go do a thing like that?” The one to the right of Mr. handsy asked. He gave her wink before elbowing his buddy.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Grabbing back onto the wrist of the leader’s, Buffy moved so that she could twist his arm painfully behind his back earning a very unmanly scream from him. She smiled in victory giving it another hard pull forcing him to bend over and be that mercy of her hands. “When a girl says no, she means no!” With that she pushed him away from her causing him to curl up on the floor cradling his arm close to him.

Before she knew it, guy number two began to rush her. She used his momentum, grabbing him by the shoulders to bring him closer to meet her bent knee, which she had no problem with using a bit of extra force. As he doubled over in pain and her arm came to dish out a thump to his back, Buffy lost sight of the other two.

Just as her second attacker hit the ground, Buffy heard the whoosh of something flying in the air, followed by blinding pain to the back of her head. She fell to her knees disorientated, but was quickly met with another crack against her back, forcing her to fall to the ground completely.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

“Read ‘em and weep boys, full house.” Spike chuckled as he laid out his cards to reveal his winning hand before his minions. Together he and five of his loyal followers sat around a round table playing poker, something Spike liked to occupy his slow nights with.

The minions groaned out of agony at their loss, tossing their cards into a pile while Spike scooped in the pot of his winning money.

He chuckled as the mumbled. It had been a lazy night. He was still high off the blood of the Slayer he had tasted the night before. Spike’s arousal grew again at the memory of last night flooded his noggin.

Their dance had been beautiful. As if all a planned choreograph, an insight into their mating dance. His demon had picked a rightful mate, not mattering that she was a Slayer, but all in all ironically perfectly fitting. Spike lived for the fight, the passion behind a real good one. And, who better than to be a mate to William the Bloody than a Slayer? Sure, it was a crime against nature, but Spike was not one to pass up following his gut, his blood. All of which screamed to make Buffy, the Vampire Slayer his mate for eternity.

Silly chit, pushed him away because of past hurts and heartbreaks, of course at the hands of his grandsire Ol’ Peaches. She obviously had no clue what came with being mated to a vampire. While Spike himself had never really heard of a mating taking place between a vamp and human, he knew enough to know that heartbreak was in no part of the contract of a mate. A lifetime of great love, and assurance of never being alone in the world, something Spike was looking for. Never again would she be alone, and the strength he could bring her was something he only could imagine if she would just let the mating take place.

Spike’s demon growled angrily at only being able to stake the most basics of claim, a familial bond, nothing close to the proximity of being truly mated. However it rationed that it was the first step in implanting it.

Since Spike had placed the bond between him and her the night before Spike’s need for her had grown with each moment that he felt her. He could feel anything she felt. She had felt her fear as she ran from him, something that unsettled Spike until he was able to sense her peaceful state of sleep.

“Your deal, boss?” One of his minions asked Spike. Spike nodded allowing the other to deal. The minions had sensed the new familial bond to Spike, at least the ones that Spike had made. They had sensed the connection between him and a woman and all that it screamed of ‘Off Limits’ from Spike’s demon the second he had arrived back at the house the night before. The ones that Spike hadn’t made, and had pledged loyalty upon his arrival in town were the only ones that knew of the Slayer and the danger she brought. Though they brought no argument against the Master Vampire. If this meant their undead life span being a little longer with the mating of the Slayer to their master than they’d encourage it in everyway.

Spike grabbed his newly dealt cards and looked them over grimacing at the crap hand he was not so lucky to be handed. Suddenly something sparked in the back of his mind. Annoyance.

He had felt it before. Random moments all night since he had felt Buffy awaken, but it was ladled with fatigue. Spike could tell she was at work, with the annoyance and disgust she felt every time some idiotic bloke tried to hit on her. Spike would become enraged with jealousy if he didn’t feel her heady denial. However this feeling of annoyance was quite different. Stronger, and laced with a tinge of fear. Spike clenched his jaw as adrenaline that had filled Buffy was now filling him and the itch for a fight made his fingers become twitchy.

“You okay, boss?” The minion, Lucas, asked from beside him.

“Bloody hell!” Spike growled when suddenly all Spike could feel was mass and mass amounts of fear flowing into him. He growled when pain was accompanied. “MINE!” His eyes glowed yellow as his demon came forth at the outrage that Buffy’s pain was coursing through her. Someone had dared to touch what was his. Shoving the table into a messy heap along with everything on top of it, Spike stood and stormed out into the night, intent on finding whatever was hurting his future mate.

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Buffy choked for breath as she felt the wind being knocked out of her as she hit the cement of the alley ground. Her neck craned to see one of the other two holding a heavy piece of plywood, his obvious weapon and knocking the slayer down. Bringing in sharp gasps of air, Buffy gained enough momentum to kick the feet out from under him, knocking him down to her level. She struggled to her knees trying to get up and on her A-game as quickly as possible when suddenly the fourth kicked her hard in the middle of her chest sending her back down to the ground.

The slayer cried out in pain as she felt 2 of her ribs break and breathing became even more of an issue. But she wouldn’t let that stop her, and she certainly wasn’t about to let four humans bring her down. By the time she had gotten back to her feet, the leader had also straightened back up.

“You’re going to pay for that, bitch!” He yelled as he suddenly backhanded her hard across the face. Had Buffy not been weakened by the beatings the other two had dealt, that hit would have felt like a fly was trying to bring her down. However her head snapped back and her cheek flamed with pain.

These guys were certainly okay with hitting a woman, which only pissed Buffy off even more. Buffy was able to deal her own hit to the leader before two of the other guys grabbed her pulled her back down against the cement pinning each of her arms down.

Buffy cried out, kicking violently and trying to buck the ones that pinned her arms down, off of her. She shrieked in anguish as the third tried to stop her legs and the leader straddled her waist. Her body was already weakened by their violent attack and his weight on her smaller petite frame was bound to break her.

“STOP STRUGGLING!” The leader yelled as he delivered another backhand across her face making the Slayer see stars. Buffy coughed up blood, which she spit into the face of the man on top of her. She could smell his foul breath covered in booze and she wanted to rip him off of her with all of her power if only she could just get free.

“Get off of me!” Tears streamed down her face as she saw the man reach for his belt and with a last bit of energy she kicked out sending the third man flying against the wall.

“Hold her tight boys, this one’s feisty!”

Buffy’s stomach turned at the idea of what they were about to do. How these four guys had been able to get the upper hand was as confusing as anything in this world.

She wiggled and bucked until finally she was able to break her wrist free allowing her to send a punch to the other that held her wrist down. She kicked the one on top of her off, and began to crawl, desperately trying to get away. Just as she was about to get free, a sharp pain pierced her lower abdomen. She looked down, to see the pocket knife suddenly protruding from her stomach.

“Oh my god! Man! What did you do?” She heard one of them yell. Her vision began to blur as her blood seeped through her wound. She dropped to her knees screaming in agony at the wound, slowly pulling the knife from her body. She looked down at her hands she dropped the knife, and for the second time, they were covered in blood. Only this time, more and more blood and it wasn’t stopping as quickly.

“She was going to get away!”

“SO! You didn’t have to stab her! Oh my god!”

“What the hell is going on out here?” Buffy fell to the ground completely too weak to do anything. She heard Matt from the back door followed by the running foursome heading to the mouth of the alley. “OH MY GOD, BUFFY?!?” Through the haze she felt Matt running up to her and pressing his hand in place of her own against her stomach to try and stop the bleeding. “JACK! Call 911!”

Tears continued down Buffy’s cheeks as Matt tried to reassure her that an ambulance was on the way. She shivered from the cold and as she slipped into unconsciousness, she uttered the thing that she felt she needed the most, “Spike…”

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Spike had never in his un-life ran so fast before. His boots pounded against the cement as he raced down the streets towards her. He had no clue where he was going, instead just following his nose and his gut.

Buffy’s fear was all that kept him going, it was heart wrenching and his demon was demanding justice to whatever threatened her.

Before he knew it he was coming up against the building to Buffy’s work. Her scent was heavy in the area. He followed around the corner where he suddenly saw an ambulance pulling out onto the street and off in the direction to Sunnydale General Hospital. Continuing to follow his nose, his side hopeful at what he might find – hopefully a perfectly fine Slayer. Standing at the mouth the alley, Spike saw a few guys at the back entrance talking to some police officers obviously taking a report. On the ground however was a large puddle of blood. Slayers blood.

Chapter 8: I got you

“We’ve got a blunt force trauma to the head, and an abdominal stab wound with what appeared to be a five inch blade. Approximately 20 year-old female, attacked outside of her work by four male attackers.” The EMT reported to the ER trauma team as they rolled the blonde girl on the stretcher into the entrances of the ER. They transferred her from the stretcher to the hospital gurney with ease trying not to disturb the pressure on the woman’s stab wound. The patient’s eyes began to flutter under her closed lids as they made their way to the first empty trauma room.

“Do we have a name?” The head nurse asked him as they wheeled into the room and the others began to go about hooking her up to the proper machines.

“Co-workers said her name is Buffy Summers, no emergency contact, pretty much a loner.”

“Alright then,” The nurse said. She grabbed her penlight and checked the pupils of the patient, “Buffy? Can you hear me? My name is Rose and I’m a nurse do you know where you are?”

The girl’s head began to sway back and forth as she swam to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and closed as she tried to take in her surroundings not bothering to answer the question that had awoken her.

“Does she have any allergies to any medications?” Rose asked the EMT who followed suit by looking at his chart, before shaking his head.

“None of her co-workers could really tell me much about her, just the basics.”

“Buffy, I need you to tell me if you have any allergies, can you do that for me? Buffy?”

Buffy shook her head as she tried to sit up but both Rose and another nurse urged her to lie back down.


“No! I need to get up, I have to go.”

“I’m sorry, my dear but you’ve been attacked and we need to check you over and make sure nothing was seriously damaged with your stab wound and from the sounds of it you might have a concussion.”

Buffy stared at the woman that had said her name was Rose just a minute ago. She looked like a kind woman, however that was not going to keep Buffy in this hospital. The slayer hated hospitals with a passion and she knew – unlike them, she had super healing on her side and being admitted into a hospital was a waste of time. Sure she’d be woozy but most likely her stab wound would had quicker than a paper cut they might get.

“No, no I’m fine. I need to go. LET ME GO!” Buffy screamed as she attempted to sit up again. Her hand went to pull the IV the nurse had just finished putting into her but the head nurse grabbed her wrist to stop any movement. With all the strength that she had in her, Buffy pushed the nurse away from her body, causing her to fly across the room.

The rest of the trauma team stood shocked for a second in complete disbelief until the head doctor finally reacted.

“Grab the restraints and a sedative. She’s going to fight us on this but we need to get her stitched up before her wound gets worse.”

Buffy kicked out as both the EMT and paramedic made a dive to catch her wrists and pin them. She screamed in agony, for a second time that night she was held down. Her neck burned as she struggled to get free and get out of here but before she could break free the nurses had aided with attaching the restraints to Buffy’s arms keeping them locked down at her side and to the metal sides of the gurney.

With all her might a harsh scream ripped from her throat, her eyes begging as the nurse administered the sedative into her IV.

She tried to fight it, she’d been able to stave off drugs forced into her system before but with her already weakened state she didn’t think she could stop it now.

Her body dropped exhausted against the hospital gurney, desperate pleas for freedom. The slayer’s blood pulsated to the bite that she had gotten the night before and for the second time before slipping into unconsciousness she uttered the one thing that she desperately needed. “Spike.”

*~~~*~~~*~~~*

Spike paced the exterior of the hospital, an outside observer would say his pacing was graceful as agitated and tense as he was. He had gone through practically a whole pack of cigarettes as he listened and waited. From what he could pick up on even through the brick of the hospitals fortress and the sixth sense he was getting from Buffy, they had put her under, and were currently finishing with stitching her wounds up before moving her into her own room to recover.

Spike had spent a little bit in the shadows of Elegant Secrets after the cops had packed it up trying to gain a sense of what had gone on, but he couldn’t pick up on anything. There were too many that had walked through that alley at one point and even those that had been then to help Buffy. Not only that but under the grime and trash of the alley Buffy’s blood reeked all over the ground and her fear had permeated the whole area. This pissed Spike further off into a higher rage. The second he got a hold of whatever had hurt his future mate they would live out the torture that he had reserved specially to ones to give him the moniker Spike. Only this one would be slow and ten times worse.

In the meantime he needed to get to the hospital and be near her, even if she pushed him away. Spike was never one to give up easily even if Buffy was the same way.

Before arriving to the hospital the connection he felt to Buffy had escalated to a higher fear and agony, which only made him run faster before he realized it was the hospital. He growled and for the past half hour since then he had continued to pace outside the entrance. He couldn’t just walk in there, and the information was not going to be simply handed over to him no matter how much he claimed to be her kin. Instead he had to wait until he knew she’d be alone and from what he could sense was just about now.

He walked into the entrance, and the lobby was pretty bare only a couple sitting in the corner obviously awaiting news on their loved one. There was no one at the receptions desk, only an occasional staff of the hospital walking by quickly trying to reach his or her destination. This is just going to be too easy… Spike observed, his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his duster. He walked up to the desk, noticing the couple paid no attention to him. Leaning over, he rummaged through the clipboards stacked neatly until he found the file with Buffy’s name on it. He checked quickly, taking notice of her assigned room before heading off the in the direction.

Spike traveled down the corridor with determination, a set grim look, daring anyone he passed to just fuck with him. He was here for Buffy and wouldn’t hesitate to snap any human that would possibly get in his way. His demon raged, and while Spike saw it justified, he was almost hesitant at his borderline obsession with her. Hardly knew the girl, knew enough to know she was skittish towards him and anything to do with getting to close to feeling something. Spike wouldn’t set a claim in, no matter how much his demon wanted it, until he could break through it. Nor was Spike one to force himself on a woman, and instilling a familial claim left a guilty feeling in him. When it came to the mating he’d make sure she wanted it and he’d break through her walls. The electricity between them was too hard to ignore, and he was drawn to her like a bloody moth with a death wish to the bright eternal flame.

The stench of the hospital was giving him a headache. The vampire hated these places, the reeked of sterility and death. Spike was a tool the death itself but it was cold and lifeless in places like hospitals. The whole building set Spike on edge and he wanted Buffy out of here. If she were any normal human he wouldn’t be against her treatment here, but he knew slayers. They healed quickly, and no staff of any hospital in the world could comprehend the complexity of a slayer.

Where is her damn watcher? Spike growled in his head.

He almost passed Buffy’s room but retraced his steps quickly when her noticed the right number that had been on her chart. The door was open and only a small light above her hospital bed was on in the room, the window’s curtrains were wide open and the moon was the largest source of light that covered her room, but it was still dark in there, however not for Spike. He stepped over the threshold hesitantly as he stared at the little blonde slayer in the hospital gurney. The heart monitor machine was beeping normal, and the IV hooked to her arm had a saline bag that was dripping steadily.

Her head was turned the other way, but he could tell she was still under a sedative. He came to step closer and growled. Her body limply laid in the small hospital bed, arms at her sides and restraint to the side guards. A small bandage was on the back of her head, and bruises marred her arms that he could see peaking from her hospital gown that she was practically drowning in.

Spike tapped at the restraints of the arm closest to him, and he let out another growl of disgust. This was the fear he had felt while he had stood outside waiting. Probably tried to get loose and the bastards tied her down, knocked her out like she was some wild beast that needed to be tamed. She was wild alright, something that drew him to her. He understood, the doctors did need her get stitched up, but it still angered him to see the Slayer he was working to make his mate reduced to something weak, and frail in a hospital bed.

The desire to hunt down the filth that put her there only burned more. They’d meet the wrath of the master vampire in Sunnydale.

A whimper escaped her lips; the fog that was seemingly lifting inside of him to his connection to her was an obvious indicator that the sedative was wearing off. Her body began to tense as she began to cry in her sleep, as if trying to search for a relief she needed.

Spike’s eyes flew to the exposed part of her neck, the side with his marks. He could smell her blood flowing all to that point and she was screaming for a relief, he could sense her deep in his whole being.

On instinct his hand flew to gently caress the column of her neck, his fingers tracing over his mark, and within seconds she calmed. Spike beamed with pride. The marks would burn; it was part of the claim but only if she needed him. It served as a reminder that she had someone that could comfort her. They could only be agonized if she truly wanted him, the claim didn’t instill the need – she did.

It was good to know this, for when she later would try to argue again about the claim, she couldn’t hide behind a veil of no desire towards him.

Spike’s head snapped to across the room where he spotted a sealed plastic bag on one of the chairs. Stomping over there, he read over the tag tied to the top Summers, Buffy. Personal Belongings. Without hesitating he ripped the seal and pulled out the flowy top and pressed it close to his nose trying to pinpoint a scent.

It was hard to weed through, Spike tried to ignore the intoxicating scent of her blood that had stained the front, grimacing that she had been obviously stabbed. Beyond that, smoke and alcohol laced through the fabric from the environment of her job, but it was still damp and smelled musky from the alley. So many different scents assaulted his bloodhound like nose but he luckily honed in on one, heavy in the area of her blouse at the tops of her shoulders. He stored the foul scent to his memory, being sure his demon would never forget it. Definitely human, and soon to be torn to shreds the second Spike had a chance.

Another whimper from her bed drew his attention back to her as she began to really stir, her body shifting uncomfortably and her arms were obviously trying to break fry. Tears broke through her sedation, and tracked down her cheeks, she was trapped in her mind, and bound physically, and from his link to her, it was becoming a hell for her conscious. Spike dropped her ruined top on the bag and crossed back over to her, leaning over the side of the bed, and cupping her cheek. His demon didn’t balk at the gentle touches he was giving her; it needed to reassure her just as much.

“Shhh…open those pretty eyes Slayer, let’s see that fire in them that drew me to you.”

Buffy’s head turned towards his cool palm, nuzzling it as if it were almost giving her warmth instead of chills. Slowly her lids fluttered open, unshed tears at the brink of escaping as she gasped for air, her eyes searching at her surroundings.

“Where…what’s going on?” She regarded his hand on her cheek following the arm until her eyes landed on him, and she swallowed nervously. “Where am I?” Her questions came out harsh and panicked.

“Hospital, luv.”

“Oh god…” A heavy needed breath was sucked in as everything that had occurred came rushing back. The men in the alley behind the club, their overtaking her, and the beating that she couldn’t stop. She remembered hearing Matt coming out as she was close to passing out from the stab wound they had given her. Images of slipping in and out of consciousness during the ambulance ride and then the struggle to get free when she arrived at the hospital all came to the front. Her eyes flew to the restraints on her wrists and panic rose even higher.

She hated hospitals. They had given her the creeps when she was younger, well after she her cousin had died in one. Now that she was she couldn’t help but remember back to the short time she had spent in the institution after her calling. She tugged on them, trying to break free, but they wouldn’t budge, she was so was weak, tired still from the affects of the heavy sedative they had given her. As she struggled she almost forgot about the vampires presence, but as his fingers wrapped around her wrist stilling her of any movements she looked back up into his piercing azure gaze.

“What are you doing here?!?” Buffy questioned. How could he possibly be here was an even better question.

He didn’t answer her right away, his jaw tight with tension; instead he focused on undoing the buckle of the restraint he held. “Felt you were in trouble, saw the aftermath when I finally got my arse down to your work.”

Buffy stared at him in disbelief, he was actually undoing her restraints, and although being free was easing the panic in her, his close proximity was still putting her on edge. She tried to ignore the cool feeling in her neck where he had bitten her, the complete opposite of the tension she had felt there all night.

“Felt?”

Spike grimaced as he worked on the other restraint and she could tell he was trying to choose his words carefully for his explanation.

“Through the claim I put on you.”

Claim? What claim? She kept running these questions through her mind silently before the burning in her neck made its presence known again. The feeling of the night before, and Spike’s hold on her while his fangs had pierced her skin assaulted her memory, and it fell into place.

The way he had smoothly said ‘Mine’ as he had finished drinking the little he had taken from her, the soft feel of his hand on her hip that contained her to him in a steel grip. The excitement that had pulsed in her blood, and now that she recalled it now, her blood was beginning to hum with excitement again. She peaked a glance at Spike, whose brow was arched in amused curiosity as his nostrils flared.

Her cheeks tinged a bright pink. Jump back in Denial River, Summers!

“You claimed me?! I told you I didn’t want that!” That memory too came back and she focused on the idea of being forced to keep her anger higher and the arousal down. She sat up, easier now that she wasn’t tied to the bed, but the tender spot at the top of her hand reminded her of the IV she was still connected to. Anger and fire was in her eyes as she stared him down, and he only stared back with even more amusement.

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist!” He said in harsh quiet voice. His hands braced the side guards on her bed as he leaned close to her the challenging glares matching. “I only claimed you in the simplest of terms. A bond of protection. Feel what you feel, easier to track you down, however that would have been so much easier if you weren’t unconscious like tonight and I had felt what was going on sooner.” Buffy adopted her long time practiced Valley girl ‘Huh?’ expression. One she hadn’t worn much since she was still training Giles and he would go off on watcher scholarly tangents.

“Be kind and rewind bleach boy!”

“Bloody hell didn’t your watcher teach you anything?! Speaking of which where the is member of tweed and book council?”

Buffy tried to stifle her chuckle at how dead on the description of her watcher and every member of the council Spike had taken.

“I don’t have a watcher.” Buffy said quietly.

“Bollocks! Every slayer has to have a watcher pestering her. It’s how the council keeps you girls on such tight leashes.”

Buffy sighed and looked down at her hands. Obviously Spike hadn’t got the memo from around the demon population. The chosen one now worked alone. He obviously knew so much about her, but that significant detail apparently did not come to his knowledge.

“I work alone.” Buffy said, her tone obvious that was the end of this discussion. New subject.

“I didn’t make you my mate, if that’s you’re getting into hissy about. Can’t unless you want it, and claiming you as my mate is a little more complex than simply a bite.” Buffy gaped at him, trying to process the information he just threw at her. “I just put a protection claim over you. No vamps will touch you if they know what’s good for them.”

She shook her head, looking down at her hands in her lap. “How the hell will your claim stop a vamp from biting me?”

Before she could stop him, his hand came to caress her neck, his thumb brushing over the healed over puncture marks of his fangs. She whimpered and pushed more into his touch, seeking more attention. Her mind was screaming at her, but it wasn’t something she could control. There was something deep inside of her that was craving his touch now, and beyond that…craving him. “It’s the mark I have on you. Vamps just sense it, and it’s strong since I’m a master vamp.”

As if needing reminder of his status, Buffy slapped his hand away and tried to shove him away from her bed, but she was still too weakened and he only wavered slightly. She grimaced and cursed the stupid imbeciles that had sedated her earlier.

“I told you, I don’t want to be claimed…nor do I want to be a mate! I’m a slayer for god’s sake. What is your damage?”

“Trust me, goldilocks, took me by surprise too. Killed two slayers –“ Her head shot up and she glared at him but he ignored it, “Made it my un-life mission to take down as many of you as I could. Bloody obsession since I was first told about you bints.”

If this was Spike’s way of trying to convince her to be completely claimed by him, he sure had a stupid way of going about it. Not that she’d even consider it. No, must stay alone. Safer that way.

“But I’m love’s bitch, and my side demon wants that love.”

“Vampires can’t love!” She cried out, her hands going to push through her hair completely frustrated.

“Bollocks Slayer! Who told you that, your watcher’s council? Those wankers couldn’t find their thumbs if it was shoved up their asses.” Her nose wrinkled at his use of words. “Vampires love, or it wouldn’t be possible for a claim to take place. Sure it’s a rare practice, but it’s true. I loved my sire for over a century until she died, vampires feel emotions just like you humans do.”

Buffy tried to ignore the sting of jealousy at the mention of him loving another woman. She didn’t care, as she tried to convince herself. “You kill people, you can’t possibly love, and you have no soul.” Angel had loved her, it’s why he had left, and he had a soul, but that didn’t stop him from breaking her heart.

Spike stuffed his hands in his pockets for his cigarettes as he chuckled. “Boy Slayer I thought you were smart, but you’re a bloody idiot!” She made a grab at his cigarette, scolding him by telling him there was no smoking in a hospital, but he evaded her reach. “Humans have souls and look what they’ve done. Stalin alone killed more people in his reign than I have in my time being a vamp. Need I point out the bugger did it for no proper reason. Vamps kill to survive, sure we get a thrill out of it, but that’s the consequence of having a demon in you pet.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he beat her to it, knowing just what she was going to say, “And the demon isn’t just what’s in a vampire, love. It is simply an enhanced version of Freud’s id.”

Buffy looked at him, baffled that he actually referred to a logical point such as Freud. What baffled her more was that she actually knew what he was talking about. “There are vamps who let that side of them take complete control, but you’ll notice those vamps aren’t likely to make it to the top of the pyramid, like I myself have.”

She dropped her head as he finished his cigarette, his eyes watching her every movement. “Spike...I can’t.”

“Bollocks again! You can!” He stepped closer to her, leaning over the side of her hospital bed until he was so close to her she could smell every intoxicating scent about him. His stare was firm and deadly, but she didn’t fear him. “You feel me in you, I told you there was a fire that drew us together, my demon or I don’t care what you are, it sees you as my equal match –“

“No, there’s a difference, I don’t kill people! I can’t be your equal.”

“It’s not equality of interests, love. This isn’t some ideal love where two like people come together. This is real; it’s rare, and powerful. It burns in us –“

“Until there’s nothing left, Spike! That kind of love doesn’t last. It’s just passion, and lust and it will burn but it will never last. Nothing ever lasts.”

“My existence begs to differ with you, Slayer.” He stomped the cigarette out on the tiled floor with the heel of his boot.

Buffy continued to shake your head. “I won’t be a rebound Spike. You said so yourself you loved your sire and she died. You’re just looking to replace your mate. I won’t be that.”

Spike sneered but he gently reached out to stroke her hair. She was so lost and alone. She denied him, denied the idea of being with someone but everything about her screamed for it. Her blood and her attraction to him. The need for a companion was almost as strong as his. They were truly matched.

“Dru and I was never mated kitten. If we had been, I’d have perished when she did. I loved Dru, she was my salvation from the dismal and pathetic thing that was my human life.” He knelt closer to her, and she didn’t push him away. She could hear in his voice the pain, and it shocked her. Maybe vampires could feel and if so something deep inside of her wanted to sooth his aches. “We were together yes, for over a century, but she’s dust now, taken by an angry mob in Prague. It hurts, and yes I don’t want to be alone, but I know Dru wasn’t that one for me now. She was never supposed to be my mate, as she so quietly put it, before she was killed. I was always to find a beautiful sunshine, at the time I thought it was Dru talking about my ending – she had some intune psychic tendencies, but I know what she was seeing.” His thump stroked against her cheek and looked at him with pitiful eyes. “She was seeing you.”

“You barely know me.”

“And yet, at the same time I feel like I know you perfectly well.”

Buffy’s eyes closed against his touch. Hadn’t that been exactly how she had felt about Spike a few nights ago. She didn’t know much about him, but there was something within her that knew him perfectly well.

“How did you get here, Slayer?” Buffy reveled in the change of subject but she knew Spike would bring it up again. She could tell he was just as stubborn as her. Truly she should be staking him, but the small side of her argued she was too weak to do so right now, and it wasn’t like he was banging the door down to kill her. She simply wanted to go back home.

“Was attacked outside of work by four drunks. I had been taking out the garbage, and I thought I had the upper hand,” She grimaced at how she had lost control of the situation so quickly. “Though Mr. Cheater whacked the crap out of me with a piece of wood on my head and I was too disorientated.”

Buffy pouted and she ignored the angry and very possessive growl that was coming from Spike, it was almost nice to have someone that truly cared.

“They didn’t…” Spike’s face screwed up into disgust which shocked her, knowing exactly what he was trying to ask.

“No, but I know they were trying to...” Tears formed at her lids again, it killed her to know four simple humans had bested her and now she was stuck in this hospital something she absolutely despised. “I wasn’t on my A-game.”

Spike nodded, he was still silent though, and he recalled the scent that he had locked away in his memory. Find the bastards and tear their arms off to beat them with before snapping their necks. He focused on the Slayer huddled on the bed, looking at the moment so powerless. She was exhausted, but he could tell though her wounds were healing quickly.

“Spike…” Her soft whisper of his name jump-started him, and he looked at her expectantly. “I don’t want to be here. I can’t stand hospitals.”

Buffy’s voice broke his heart; she sounded so lost and empty. Spike knew what she was asking of him, and he forced himself to realize that this was not her giving into him. Though in some way she was letting her guard down. He still had some work ahead of him until he convinced her how great they could be, but right now she wanted him to take her away from here.

“I got you,”

Slowly he pulled the IV from her hand, trying to not make her wince in discomfort, and he took the heart monitor off her finger tossing them away. Grabbing the sides of the sheet he bundled them around her small figure before he scooped her up into his arms. Her shaking stopped the second she was closer to him, and she let her head rest against his chest.

She didn’t give in, certainly not tonight, but she trusted him enough to help her escape this prison of a hospital and get her home safely. She’d figure out the rest come morning.

As he stepped into the hall after grabbing her bag of personal belongings, he carried her effortlessly.

No one stopped the intimidating figure that carried the tired girl wrapped in a hospital sheet, no one that had maybe seen at least. The halls were a ghost town and with out interruption he stepped out into the night, where dawn would be approaching in a couple hours. It was cold out, but Buffy noticed in his arms, she didn’t shiver once.