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A/N...Just a quick shout out to all my faithful reviewers...I won't name you off the top of my head incase I forget soemone and they think I don't appreciate them...I DO...so much...so please keep reviewing and telling me if I get it right!

Oh, and just so you know, those funny square things that come up are the -- thingies that I have no idea how to fix on this thing...computer unsavvy is me!




Chapter Twenty-Five

It had been several days since Buffy and by extension, any of the Scoobies had seen or heard from Spike. Buffy had made it to Angel’s old apartment one night I have to remember that it’s Spike’s place now but paused sadly at the door, finding herself teary at the muffled sounds of the television through the door. She had breathed easy that he was at least still on the loose from the Initiative, but as she raised her fist to knock, her courage deserted her and she ran away as fast as her Slayer legs could carry her. She’d never had to knock before, and she was determined that she would never have to knock again. Her heart ached so much that she was desperate to make things better, but the continual tingling at her neck allowed her enough warning that he was still furious with her. And she was still enough of a coward that she didn’t want to face the fury that she completely deserved.

Still, despite her emotional upheaval, things had been quiet on the commando front and she had found herself taking that coffee with Riley that she had promised before Thanksgiving break. From every look, every casual attempt to draw her out, she could see his interest in her. Despite the complete lack of chemistry on her end, she couldn’t give him the cold shoulder. She knew that they would need him to gain access to Adam, and that he himself would need medical intervention in the future, so she was hesitant to end her burgeoning association with him.

So she sat and shared a mocha, smiling warmly at all his lame jokes, and let her heart thaw just that little bit until she caught sight of the ruby ring that she couldn’t bear to take off her finger, and the frown would once again take over her face. She had changed the hand that the ring graced, not wanting it there until she had made things right with Spike and she could be positive that he still wanted to make that human claim. She knew that it was almost hilarious, the idea of a vampire marrying a human girl—and the Slayer even more comical—but she was still a girl. A girl who had grown up in LA with girly dreams of weddings and flowers and photographers, and she so wanted to make that commitment with the man that she loved. Why hadn’t she seen him? Her eyes blurred as she once again thought of the look on Spike’s face when he told her it wasn’t a spell, that fleeting look before she had run like the emotional giant that she was.

Riley noticed on more than one occasion her preoccupation both with the ring and her thoughts, and his jaw locked in frustration.

“That must be some cup of cocoa you’ve got going there?” His gentle voice brought her back from another useless round of introspection and she smiled.

“Oh definitely. It’s just bursting with chocolatey goodness.” She warmed her hands around the still hot mug and resigned herself to Riley’s company.

She heard all his chatter and cringed inside. She felt guilty and knew how this would look to Spike. Just as the thought crossed her mind, the scar on her neck flamed painfully and she just knew that he was there. She looked up and there he was, right on the sidewalk looking in at her table, his jaw clenching repetitively in fury. The hurt in his eyes lanced at her heart and she could feel it all falling apart around her.

“Spike!” She stood, desperate to be in his arms rather than sharing beverages with Riley, but too scared to confront her lover.

“I guess this is why you haven’t apologised,” he spat at her furiously. All colour seeped from her face.

Her hand shook as it came to cover her mouth and her grief took on heavier burdens as she saw his eyes narrow at the ring that wasn’t where he had placed it.

“You are some piece of work, Summers.”

“Spike, please.” She pleaded with him to calm down, her voice choking with threatening tears. Buffy took a step toward him but his arm flew up to prevent her moving.

“Just, don’t. I can’t bear to look at you right now.” He pivoted on one heel, striding determinedly in the opposite direction of home but not before Buffy could see the moisture in his eyes that her betrayal had encouraged.

She sat down hard as a stone, and her eyes glazed in both worry and fear. Her body began to vibrate as she realised what her lack of action on the make-up front had caused. She was hurting him, just like she had before in the future. Just like she always had done. And more so, she was hurting herself for no good reason.

“Who was that?” Riley’s angry voice again dragged her back from unpleasant thoughts and she looked at him in surprise. Sometimes she forgot that her inside knowledge of the future didn’t mean that all the figures were in play.

“That was Spike. Riley, he’s my boyfriend, and I love him with everything that I have in me. I’ve really hurt him being here with you.”

“Why are you here with me?” His tone was bitter, and she wondered at that, knowing that to this point she had not encouraged him even a little.

“Because I said we would, before you left on break. That’s what people do, right? Go to college, make friends, have coffee. Did I do something wrong?” Her brow furrowed in confusion and she saw him relax his shoulders as he slumped back in his chair.

“So, tell me about Spike. What’s he so upset about?

Suddenly she was eager to share, not having had the faith in Willow to tell her what her stupid spell caused. Deciding to take the plunge, and knowing that he could take it, she sounded him out first.

“Do you believe in magic?”

His eyes widened but he nodded his head slowly.

“My friend is a witch. She did this spell to make her will be done, and she wished that Spike and I would get married.”

Riley choked on his sip of coffee.

“You can’t be serious?”

At Buffy’s raised eyebrow he decided to change tack. “But why would she want you to marry him?”

Buffy looked up alarmed at the way he had spat out him, but decided to let it slide for the moment.

“I guess she was jealous that Spike and I were so close when she had broken up with her boyfriend.”

Riley pondered this news for a moment, then his face cleared as he finally made some connections.

“You’re talking about Willow, aren’t you? But why Spike?” He pushed on without waiting for an answer. “You do know that there is something not quite right about him, don’t you?”

Buffy’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the commando busting to break free from the TA cover of innocence and her patience snapped.

“Spike is a vampire, and is under my protection. No one hurts him.” Not waiting for his response she stood and made her way in the direction Spike had disappeared earlier.

Riley had remained sitting, shaking his head in confusion. He was surprised that a girl as smart as Buffy could be dating a vampire, but what was that about him being in her protection? She couldn’t be serious. How could she fight a creature like that when he decided to drain her? Riley determined to save her. Standing, he left the Espresso Pump and headed to base, eager to renew his efforts to recapture the escaped hostile as well as rounding up some others that might just be in his way.





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