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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you Sotia, this fic needs you and your critical eye :)
It was almost two weeks after Buffy had taken charge that they met again.
 
Spike had gathered enough info so he would have something to offer Buffy, and went on searching for her. She wasnīt very hard to find; sounds of a fight were easy to follow. Spike watched her from afar, admiring her. She fought well, there was no denying that. She was quick on her legs and had real power and grace, but what put a smile on Spikeīs face were her puns. She was a quick thinker when it came to throwing insults, a gift which Spike appreciated very much. If there was something Buffy Summers wasnīt, it was dull.
 
Buffy sensed him the minute he entered the cemetery, since she could easily tell a difference between a fledgling and a master vampire. She didn't know how she could tell it was Spike and not Angelus or Dru. She just knew it was him. As soon as there was only dust left of her opponent, she spun around to face him, a slightly angry look on her face. "What are you doing here, Spike? Do you want to lose the ability to walk again? Or not to exist at all? Cause I can arrange that."
 
Spike could see the dangerous look on her face and noticed that her fighting stance hadn’t fallen away. He knew he had to be very careful. "Calm down Slayer. I'm here to help you."
 
In an instance, her appearance changed to skeptical, but the fighting stance remained. "Help me? Thatīs got to be the stupidest thing Iīve ever heard. Youīre a vamp, and vamps donīt go around helping Slayers. Did Angelus send you here to trick me?"
 
Spike didnīt even need to fake an angry look; it came to him naturally. "Yeah, like I want to have anything to do with him! You need to remember this: Angelus is a really annoying, obnoxious, too-much-hair-gel-using pain in my arse! I want him gone real bad." He almost spat the words out, his true feelings about Angelus showing clearly. "I hate to admit this, but I need your help in eliminating him and Dru. And you need my help in achieving the very same thing."
 
Buffy's posture loosened somewhat, and she actually laughed out loud. "Did you just say you want Drusilla gone, too? Now I know youīre lying. You've devoted your whole unlife to her and suddenly you want her gone? Iīm not that stupid, you know."
 
She wasnīt stupid, Spike knew that. She had a sharp look in her eyes, clearly saying that nobody was going to fool her. That was, however, what he was going to do. "Yeah, I have devoted my time to her, but she really hasnīt returned the favor. Only one who's on her mind or in her unbeating heart is Angelus." It wasn't easy, saying these things to the Slayer of all people, but he had to make her understand why he was doing that. "She has been cheating on me this whole time, crying for her Daddy, and punishing me for not being him. And now that the poofter is back she hardly even remembers me anymore. I need her like a tooth-ache—if I had those, anyway."
 
Buffy didnīt know what to think. Spike seemed honest enough, and she kind of felt sorry for him for loving a woman who could never love him back, but was that enough to start working with him? On the one hand, he wasn't to be trusted, but on the other, she did need the help. Why did her life have to suck like that? It really wasnīt fair. Being in charge had its down sides, like deciding things by herself. She could feel a headache forming and frowned.
 
Spike could see she was trying to make a decision. He had to tip the scale so she would make the right one, to his favor. "I understand if you donīt believe me. Hell, I wouldnīt believe me if I were you, but I have some information that can help you. Can you at least listen to what I have to say? I wonīt try anything funny, I swear." He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture and waited for Buffyīs response.
 
Spike seemed sincere enough, and even if that was some sort of trick, she could take care of herself. Her body relaxed visibly, and the frown disappeared. "Iīll listen, as long as you stay right where you are. Donīt come any closer. And I mean that."
 
Smiling, he lowered his hands again, took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a drag. "Thatīs all right with me. Now listen: I havenīt told them I can walk again, just so I have the element of surprise if I need it. I want to keep it that way. So please donīt go yapping your mouth about this if you havenīt done so already."
 
Buffy watched with interest as the smoke floated in the air before dissolving, then looked Spike in the eye. "I havenīt told anyone, and if you don't give me a reason, maybe I won't."
 
This was going much better than he had expected. He had guessed right; that Slayer was kindhearted, not just an efficient killer. "Good. Now, what I've put together is that Angelus is planning something big. Not world ending-big, I think, at least not yet. He has sent invitations to the five biggest vampire clan leaders to come here in few weeks time, though."

Spike sat on a tombstone, still smoking his cigarette, and continued when Buffy didn't say anything. "It could be just some territorial thing, but... it could also be something like gathering enough vampires in one place to kill everyone in town. I think I can get it sorted out, but I havenīt just yet."
 
That was bad. On the badness scale of one to ten, that was a clear ten. Five clans worth of vampires in the same place, which by the way had to be her town, was so not of the good. If what Spike was telling was the truth, they were all in deep shit. So maybe she really did need him. Giles hadnīt told her much about vampire clans; in fact, the only one she knew was the Aurelius clan. Great! Again there was something she should know but didnīt. Had she been that much against learning, or was it Giles who hadnīt taught her what he should have? "Let's say that I believe you. I donīt want that many vampires in Sunnydale, no matter what their purpose is. Can you tell me about those clans?" She sat on the tombstone opposite to Spike, still keeping her guard up.
 
Spike's brow furrowed in confusion. "You donīt know the vampire clans? Not even the big ones? What do you have that tweedy Watcher for?"
 
Buffy sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Apparently for slowing me down. I really donīt know any of them, only your clan. And thatīs because Iīve met five of you: the Master, Darla, Angelus, Drusilla, and you. I havenīt been the keenest student all the time, and Giles has probably given up on me, thinking that I wouldnīt learn anything anyway."
 
That angered Spike for some reason. Why it bugged him when the Slayer thought too little of herself, he didn't know. It just irked him, and he stood up, the anger showing slightly on his face. "Itīs not your fault. He should be training you from every angle. And youīre not stupid." His look softened, and he let out a deep sigh before continuing. "Iīll tell you enough, but it takes some time, and I'm not too eager to risk being seen out and with you. Can we go somewhere not so open?" Throwing away the butt of his cigarette, he gestured at the open graveyard with his hand.
 
Trying feverishly to decide what to do, Buffy bit her bottom lip, her left foot tapping against the stone. Her mind finally made up, she lifted her gaze to Spike. "Well, I know a place, but Iīm not sure I want to be alone with you anywhere inside. Too much closeness can get me killed."
 
Spike looked her straight in the eye, and spoke slowly, trying to sound as trustworthy as possible. "You need to believe me, Slayer: right now I donīt want to kill you. I need your help and, as it seems, you need mine. I know you think vampires canīt be trusted, but desperate times call for desperate measures." He had a serious look on his face. No bravado, no smirk. "I give you my word, not as a vampire, but as William Pratt, who by the way was a right gentleman." Spike managed to avoid grimacing at his name, but just barely. It brought up unwanted memories, which was why he never said it to anyone.
 
Buffy couldn't help the amused smile that formed on her lips when she saw how difficult it was for Spike to say what he did. That was Spike's given name? Wow! She bet there werenīt many who knew it. The Watchers' diaries sure didnīt.
 
Accepting his word would be such a huge leap of faith for her. Spike was right, though; this was a desperate situation. Since she couldnīt trust her Watcher to tell her all that was needed, and her friends were blissfully ignorant of how deeply in trouble they all were, there really wasnīt anyone better than William the Bloody to help her. She had started the physical training, but inside info was very much welcomed. So she made a deal with the devil.
 
Hopping down, Buffy wiped some dust from her jeans, and pointed to an area behind Spike. "Thereīs this cottage just over that hill; I donīt think you need an invite, since it's abandoned. Itīs easy to get inside. I go there sometimes when I want to think and be alone. None of my friends know about it, and I didnīt tell Angel either. So move; Iīm in a hurry."
 
Spike fell in step after her and, being a male, stopped for a little while to take a look at her firm behind. She was juicy, all right. No wonder olī Liam's soul went bye-bye after a round with her. Spike knew that, while Angelus told everyone how lousy she had been in bed, that wasnīt true. He was sure of that. Even if it had been her first time, she was a Slayer: a sensual, powerful being. There was no way she could be bad between the sheets. And didnīt she give that git so big a happy that there was no soul in him anymore? Yeah, Spike wasnīt stupid. Angelus just didnīt want anyone to realize how much this chit affected him. That could be a very useful piece of information when used right. And he planned to use it right.
 
Right now, he had a lesson to give. God, how weird his life was sometimes! Still, he had his plans, and Buffy was part of them. He was going to kill her, of course, but all in the right time. He had given her his word that he wouldnīt kill her "right now,” and he always kept his word.
 
tbc






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