Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N: Betas: mabel marsters, slaymesoftly and tanit. Thank you ladies! Much of the dialog for this chapter was taken for the episode "Harsh Light of Day". I've tweaked it slightly to fit the purpose of this story. Banner made by me.

Disclaimer: This story was written for entertainment purposes only.
In Harm’s Way
Chapter One: Harsh


Harmony brushed a bit of dirt from her hair and crinkled her nose in distaste. Why they had to spend so much time in tunnels, she didn’t know, but it was disgusting. Her eyes lit up when she saw her man. Her boyfriend.

If the girls from high school could see her now. She was sure that none of the others had snagged a man quite like hers.

“How’s my little Blondie Bear?” Harmony asked Spike, reaching up and squeezing his chin.

“Harm, does this look like a good time to talk?”

Taking a quick look around and seeing nothing unusual about Spike having Bryan’s head smashed into the worktable, she said, “Are you going to kill Willow today? Cuz, I want you to say, ‘this is for messing with my sweet girl’ and then…you know-” She growled playfully and bit lightly into his shoulder.

Spike released his hold on Bryan, pushed him away, and turned towards Harmony.

“The Slayer doesn’t know I’m here. Now, I’m not killing her friend, as that would tend to announce my presence. We’re too bloody close.”

“You almost killed her last year and suddenly it’s a big deal?” Harmony whined as she walked away.

“Sod off! Go eat something; I’ve got work to do. Once I get this gem, I’ll take care of the Slayer and all her friends.


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


Later, Harmony sat, pouting, on the ratty couch that was shoved up against a wall in the caves when Bryan came in and sat down beside her. She glanced his way briefly. He looked tired, but all of Spike’s minions looked that way. She wasn’t having any fun; no one was having any fun, and it was all the Slayer’s fault.

She couldn’t even talk about Paris without Spike biting her head off. She smiled at the memory from a few minutes ago. At least she got him to agree to take her out to a party.

“You know,” she told Bryan. “The sooner we get rid of Buffy, the better off we’ll all be.”

Bryan nodded. “You’re quite right.”

She liked to talk with Bryan. He always agreed with her. She looked at her nails, trying to decide what color to paint them for tonight, then glanced over at Bryan again. He was watching her with hungry, dog-like eyes. All the minions wanted her. She was their master’s girlfriend, after all.

“Too bad there isn’t a way to get rid of her right away. Then we wouldn’t have to spend so much time in these stupid caves, eating stale leftovers,” she told him with pouty lips.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that.” Bryan pulled out a book from his bag. “I found this book the other day and I think I’ve discovered a spell that will do the trick.”

Harmony scooted a little closer and gazed at the book. She crinkled her nose. What was it about all these musty old books? Didn’t anybody read Cosmo anymore? “What is it?”

Bryan smiled proudly at her. “This is an ancient spell book.” He opened it up and flipped through the pages until he found the spot he wanted. “See this spell here? This could kill the Slayer.”

“Revenge Spell?” she asked him as she read the title at the top.

“Yes. It’s brilliant really. This spell will cause the human that it’s cast on to fall in love with the first vampire of the opposite sex that it sees. We could cast it on the Slayer.”

“Why do I care about the Slayer’s love life?” Harmony asked with a frown.

Bryan smiled indulgently at her. “Don’t you see? After the spell is cast on her, she will go on patrol, fall in love with the first vampire she sees and won’t be able to kill it. Therefore, the vampire will have easy access to her neck and she’ll be dead within minutes.”

Harmony sat up and clapped. “I like this idea. It’s so much faster than digging in the dirt for a stupid gem that probably doesn’t even exist. When are you going to do it?”

“You think I should?”

“Oh, yes. And soon. Can you do it now?”

Bryan glanced down, skimming the words on the page before shaking his head. “It will take at least a day to get all of these ingredients.”

“Harmony!” Spike’s voice echoed off the cave walls. “If you aren’t ready in ten minutes, you can kiss your night out goodbye.”

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


Spike held on to his end of the bloke that they were taking back to the caves for the minions while smiling at the co-eds that passed them. They pushed through the crowd, with Harmony actually doing a good job for once, holding up her end.

The crowd cleared and he froze as they stood facing Buffy and some guy. College had really agreed with Buffy. Grudgingly, he admitted to himself that she looked hot. Spike had never understood Angel’s obsession with a teenager, but now that she was coming into womanhood, he could see the attraction.

“Spike. Harmony,” the Slayer said.

The guy Buffy was with look like a right git. She could do a whole lot better. Wait, what was he thinking? As soon as he got the gem, she’d be dead and wouldn’t be dating anyone.

“Buffy,” Harmony said. “Hi. What a cute outfit--last year.”

Spike wished she’d just shut up. For some reason, the fact that Buffy was not looking at him anymore really grated on his nerves. To get her looking his way again, he said, “Well, this is interesting. Sort of a double date.”

Buffy glanced around and he marveled at how fast she could think on her feet. He knew she was trying to decide on the best plan of action.

“I think you two should go,” she finally said.

So that’s the way she wanted to play it, then? He guessed Git-Boy didn’t know who he was on a date with.

Spike smiled pleasantly. “But the fun’s just starting: old friends.” He jiggled the boy he was holding up. “Lots to drink.”

Buffy’s date said, “Looks like your friend there started the party a little early, huh?”

With his eyes trained on the bug-eyed boy he said to Buffy, “Say, let’s have a look at the new boy. Hmm. I like him. He’s got - what’s the word - vulnerability.”

The urge to tear the boy apart was pretty strong.

“Hi, I’m Parker, “the boy said.

This one reminded him of the jerks he’d had to deal with when he was human. Spike was good at sizing up people at first glance. He glanced at Parker’s outstretched hand but refused to shake it.

“And you,” Buffy said with a crooked smile, “With Harmony. Lose a bet?”

“Hey!” Harmony cried.

The bitch So what if he couldn’t stand Harmony after the first twenty-four hours; who was she to judge his choice in women? Her choice in men was much worse.

He really needed to get away from Buffy. Now. It wasn’t the time for a confrontation, but once he had that gem, all bets were off.

To distract Buffy, he said, “Actually, how we met, funny story, really--”

Then in a surprise move, he tossed his dinner at Parker and ran into the crowd. Unfortunately, Harmony was able to get away as well. She followed him to the side of the house and clung to him as they watched the slayer searching for them. When she passed them, he saw his opportunity. Spike pushed Harmony off and stepped behind Buffy.

Now that they were out in the open, he could smell her better. Her unique scent was mixed with sweet perfume. He watched in anticipation for the moment when she’d know he was there. It didn’t take her long. He was ready for her when she whirled around and punched at him. Spike got a satisfying punch in, right to her face.


He knew when Harmony was at his back, because she panted like a dog. That just drove him crazy, but he couldn’t think about her. He had his slayer to fight with now.

“Dru dump you again?” Buffy asked smugly before she punched at him a second time.

Why did she always have to talk about his girlfriends? “Maybe I dumped her.” He punched back at her.

Behind him, Harmony spoke up, “She left him for a Fungus Demon. It’s all he talks about some days.”

If he could just find a way to shut that girl up. “Harm. We’re going.” He turned his attention to Buffy, unable to resist saying ominously, “It isn’t time yet.”

“Yeah,” Harmony added. “But as soon as we have the Gem of Amara, you’re gonna be sooo sorry - ow!”

Spike was seeing red now. The stupid bint! Why not give all their secrets away? He grabbed Harmony and yanked on her. He needed to get her away from Buffy, before she said anything more.

As he ran, he seethed with anger. He would deal with Harmony’s stupidity later, but she’d probably enjoy her punishment. What really pissed him off was the cavalier way the Slayer dismissed him and treated him as if he was some kind of fool. She’d be singing a different tune, once he had that gem.


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


Buffy left Parkers dorm room, the next morning, a little tired, but happy. Too bad Parker’s mom was coming for a visit, but he did say he would call her. She fought the urge to squeal in delight. Finally, she was having a relationship with a real flesh and blood guy.

It had been a little touch and go last night, when she’d been a little too rough with him. Sometimes, she didn’t know her own strength. Once she realized that she was overdoing it, she lightened up and things had been fine.

She couldn’t wait to get to her room and get her stuff for a shower. Then, she would see Willow and share her joy with her. She walked by a group of kids talking in the hall and quickened her step. She was bursting with her news. She wanted to shout it to the world: Buffy Summers has a boyfriend!


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


It was too early for vampires to be up, but Spike had kept them on such a strange schedule for so long that she was finding it almost natural to wake in the early afternoon. Harmony gazed at her man, lying on his stomach. Even his back was beautiful with all those smooth, hard muscles.

She turned over to grab her purse. It was very important that she look perfect, even when she woke up. Harmony would do anything to keep Spike and that meant keeping up her looks 24/7. She opened a tube of lipstick and coated her plump lips. Glancing at his back again, she smiled as the idea hit. His back was like a work of art. Why not add to it?

In a sweeping motion, Harmony drew a big heart on his back. She bit her lip and smiled, pleased with how it looked.

Spike stirred. “Harm? What are you doing?”

“I’m writing “Spike loves Harmony” on your back.”

“Why?” Spike asked in his grumpy, just-woke-up voice.

“It’s fun,” she told him cheerfully. “I’m bored. You can write on me.”

She held the tube out for him, but he just ignored it.

“I’ve got to get back to work,” he told her as he pulled his clothes on.

He was such a party-pooper. All he ever thought about was that stupid tunnel and the Slayer. “You love that tunnel more than me,” she said with pouty lips.

He wouldn’t even turn around to look at her or say how beautiful she looked in the morning.

“I love syphilis more than you.”

Spike said it softly, but she heard it. She was thinking that she didn’t know why he had to be so mean, as he walked out of the lair. Harmony dwelled on that for a second and then shrugged her shoulders. He’d be a much better boyfriend after the dumb Slayer was dead. Harmony smiled as she got dressed and hummed while she fixed her hair.

Bryan was just where she thought he’d be. At the center of operations, poring over plans. He stood taller when he noticed her watching, and quickly came over when she motioned to him. Spike was not around, so Harmony got right to the point.

In a whisper, she asked him, “Did you get the things for the spell?”

“The magic shop had all but two of the ingredients that we need. The clerk says that they should be in tomorrow.”

In her utter disappointment at having to wait, Harmony stuck out her lower lip, but perked up again when Spike entered the room. Maybe if he saw that someone else was interested in her, he would see what a great catch she was.

She let out a loud laugh and intimately placed her hand on Bryan’s shoulder. “You’re so smart and funny, Bryan. I just love you.”

Spike frowned at Bryan, but ignored her. “Stop goofing off, Bryan, and let’s get the job done. Come here.” Spike waved him over. “What do you make of this right here?”

With a loud sigh, Harmony left the room. The sooner they did that spell, the better things would be, for her.





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