Buffy sat back down, sharing her chair with Spike since the others were full, leaning towards him to whisper, “I help the new slayers get settled in and I handle all the major paperwork since I’m well known as the girl who saved the world. They completely ignore the fact I had tons of help including you. We try to keep the slayers as close as possible to their original home area but most of the time unless they are a commuter; they come to England to get checked in. If I have the space, I keep them here to start their training and to get them to intermediate. Then at that point they are usually graduated from school and can be sent all over the world to places they are most useful. I do have five live-in seniors that help teach classes.” Spike sighed, “Please don’t tell me one is that bint Kennedy. That girl bloody annoyed me.”
Buffy laughed as she shook her head no, “She travels with Willow most of the time. When she doesn’t, she stays in the United States branch of New York with a few slayers there. If she and Willow ever do break up, I imagine that is where she will settle.” Spike smirked, “I’m glad. So what do you need me to do while I’m here?” Buffy grinned as she leaned closer so their shoulders were touching then laid her head back to rest on the back of the chair near his shoulder, “That’s the best part. I teach an intermediate class as I said where we train and practice. First off it will be great to have someone to spar with and teach them moves with a partner that I don’t have to go easy on. I won’t have to worry about them running off screaming in pain. And number two, it’s a class learning about vampires and who better to teach about vampires than you, a vampire who saved the world. We will have to make sure they understand you are special and unique and not of the norm but other than that, I need you to help me guide the future slayers of the world. Can you do that?” Spike grinned, “Of course I can do that. Do we still get to patrol and do other action packed things.” Buff grinned with a definite nod, “Yeah. I even sometimes go on missions when asked. You get to come with me on those too if you want. It should keep us fairly busy.”
Giles returned into the office holding a file, “Speaking of missions, after these girls are settled in I have a job for you Buffy and I guess now Spike. There are rumors that a vampire nest across town has things that they took from the fallen watcher council. Now before you ask, I have no idea what the things are but rumors have it that they were important. I need that stuff they have before it gets out into the vampire and demon population because it could be vital information about slayers and watchers. If you can just dust the vampires that have it, it would be helpful as well so the information dies with them.” Buffy smiled at Spike and they both nodded. Giles walked away cleaning his glasses as he disappeared from sight and Buffy glanced towards Spike placing one of her hands over his to gather his attention back to her, “Are you ok with this whole change? You were with Angel saving the world every other day and now you’re with me doing little things.”
Spike placed his other hand over hers and gave it a slight squeeze, “The missions like this will keep my need for violence as well as patrolling down to a dull roar and sparring with you and training the little ones will keep my need to help down as well.” Buffy grinned at his words as she whispered, “So what part do I play in your needs?” Spike laughed as he placed a kiss on her nose, “You, my luv, play the part of keeping me satisfied and well loved.”
Mandy stood up handing back the application as Buffy’s stomach growled. Buffy apologized as she got up to look over Mandy’s application. She sat down at Giles’s desk and scribbled a few things and then signed it. When A.J. finished hers, Buffy only had to add in the current address and sign her name to it as well. She then buzzed Sarah who took away the girls and the applications and Buffy turned towards Spike who was pulling on her arm gently, “Come on. Where do we eat around here? You’re hungry and I’m definitely peckish. I don’t want you to waste away to nothing.” Buffy put her free hand on her hip as she wiggled her hips slightly, “Are you saying I’m skinny?” Spike laughed, “Well you are luv. You are skinny with curves.” Buffy frowned trying to decide to be insulted or not but wasn’t given much of a chance as Spike repeated himself, “So where do we get food around here?” Buffy pulled Spike into a large cafeteria like room but she didn’t stay in it and instead walked through it and into the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen she glanced at the fridge marked, “The Summers’. Hands off!” Spike chuckled slightly as Buffy opened the fringe that looked like hers back home. She had done that on purpose. She put the juice, milk and cheese as well as eggs in the same place as well as the bread. Along the bottom of the fridge were jars and bags of blood. Spike smiled, “Guess the nibblet was given the blood to put away.” Buffy nodded as she pulled out a jar handing it to Spike and noticed on the counter was burba weed and some other spices as well as a box of Weetabix. She saw Spike’s face change to one of awe and his eyes filled with tears as he noticed the simple gestures made by Giles, Willow and Dawn to make him feel like home. A cup had been donated by Giles that said, “The Life of a Librarian is quite the adventure.” It wasn’t a ‘kiss the librarian’ mug but it was something still from Giles’s collection. The spices were obviously from Dawn and Willow and the Weetabix was Giles hands down.
Spike made up his blood, heating it in the microwave for a few minutes and taking it out. Buffy then tossed her soup into the microwave and watched Spike vamp out to drink his blood. She leaned over tracing the contours of his face in his vampire stance and she noticed he looked uneasy with her doing so, “Spike you are so beautiful even as a vampire. Your golden eyes still shine as much as when they are blue. Your high cheekbones are still shown and even with your bumpies, you’re perfect.” Spike’s vamp face slipped away as he sat the now finished blood on the counter and he looked slightly embarrassed causing Buffy to feel bad. She tried to smooth it over as she ran her fingers over his face willing it to relax. He caught her hand and kissed each fingertip but stopped as he heard someone clear their throat. Both turned at the exact moment to see Xander standing there. Buffy gasped and threw her arms around him in a big hug. He rarely ever graced her with his presence since he was busy in Scotland.
When Buffy finally released him he glanced towards Spike, “You didn’t see any sign of Anya did you while you were wherever you were?” Spike sadly shook his head, “No. I was in a bloody amulet and I’m sorry mate. She wasn’t in there with me.” Xander nodded and put his hands in his pockets. He knew Anya was dead when Andrew said she was. He even had Willow perform the spell to see where she was in the world and she was somewhere in the afterlife sitting in the clouds which he guessed was heaven. Buffy had seen his face fall knowing he would never have her back because he would never take someone from heaven after what had happened to Buffy. Xander’s face held lots of emotions as he leaned to give Spike a manly hug stating with his voice full of emotions probably from remembering Anya, “Welcome back Spike.” Spike released him with a nod and Xander asked hesitantly, “Want to play pool sometime? I mean I don’t get to England too often but I hang out with girls all day long with only my girlfriend for conversational company and you know as much as me that male bonding is of the good.” Spike chuckled with a slight nod, “Agreed.”
Xander gave a curt nod and turned towards Buffy, “So what are your plans now? Are you opening a new slayer central?” Buffy shook her head since that thought had never even crossed her mind, “No. I think Spike and I are staying here and still welcoming in the new slayers and training them up. With Giles’s little missions plus with patrolling I think we will be ok. London is full of vampires. I would have moved us to L.A. but that’s kind of in Hell right now.” Xander’s mouth dropped open as Buffy grinned repeating herself, “Yup. L.A. is in Hell and Angel is a human as a curse from Wolfram and Hart, getting killed over and over again and will continue to do so, until he gets it right I guess. Then who knows what will happen to him.” Xander chuckled, “Nothing like sending him to Hell. Why does that make me so happy?” Spike chuckled a little, “Cause you are right mean towards vampires and like to think of us as evil and should be damned to hell?” Xander looked at Spike and spoke honestly, “Actually, I was willing to help Buffy get you back if you were cursed to Hell. We were going to resurrect you into William if we couldn’t manage to get you back as Spike just so you wouldn’t be in Hell forever.”
Spike looked amazed and horrified at the same time, “Well I think that was a nice thing you were going to do for Buffy. I appreciate it mate.” Xander nodded, “Instead our locator spell got some weird ghostly plane response and the ingredients were hard to come across so we couldn’t keep doing it.” Spike grinned, agreeing with Xander. Xander glanced at the two of them noticing a bowl of now cold soup on the counter, “Well I’ll let you get back to eating, hopefully not each other. I imagine my girl is running around here looking for me.” Spike watched him leave as he looked back at Buffy with tears in his eyes. She brushed them away whispering, “See it’s different now. You belong.” Spike held Buffy close kissing her hair, “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t of just seen that display myself.” Buffy smiled softly as she whispered, “Want some soup with me? I have to reheat mine and I can easily heat yours as well.”
“Only if you let me heat it up on the bloody stove.”
“I don’t want it on any bloody object.”
Spike rolled his eyes, “You know what I mean!” Laughter filled the room as Buffy got a pan out from the cabinets, “I do but I wanted to be difficult.” Spike wagged his eyebrow, “You luv are always difficult. Now let’s feed you.” Together they cooked up some soup and ate it together.