Never be the same again: Harsh Light of Day

Parker : I do. But I'm starting to feel like you felt what? Some kind of commitment? Are you sure that's what you want right now?

Buffy : I just thought...

Parker : I'm sorry if you missed something. I thought things were pretty clear.

Parker mentally shook his head at the naive little freshman. She just didn't seem to get it. He sincerely hoped she would soon though. She hadn't even been that skilled in bed. She never even offered to give him a blowjob. That had disappointed him, as that was his favorite part of sex. He had better things to do and he needed to do them soon! Parker covertly glanced at his watch. He was supposed to be meeting another freshman in just a few minutes. Now if this one would just go away and leave him alone!

Buffy wavered between being sad and being mad. Who the hell did Parker think he was? God's gift to women? Then a niggling little voice in the back of her head whispered, what if it was you? What if you just weren't good enough? Buffy's eyes filled with tears.

In a few seconds, her head popped up as her vamp-detecting senses went haywire. In spite of her misery, she became aware of a familiar tingling sensation. Buffy glanced around, spotting Spike closing in on her and Parker. Hmmm, Spike must have found the Gem of Amara. An evil plan popped into Buffy's head. She would use Spike for revenge. She hoped he would go for it; after all he did try to help her by telling her mom they were in a band together during the Acathla incident. She whirled around to face Spike with a smirk on her face. Boy howdy, he was hot in the sunlight, no pun intended. Bad Buffy, no thinking that about him. Buffy mentally slapped herself, even as she planned out what she was going to do and say.

Spike almost stopped in his tracks. He heard what the stupid pillock had said to the Slayer. For some reason it pissed him off, wasn't sure why exactly, but it felt a lot like how he had when Angelus had taken Dru from him while he was in wheelchair. And that didn't please him, not one little bit. Buffy was a magnificent woman, even if she was his enemy. She didn't deserve to be shot down any more than that poncy poet he used to be had. Spike suddenly realized how beautiful the Slayer looked in the sunlight. Sure, she was gorgeous at night in the darkness, but in the sun? She was... efflugent. Damn, there's that word, again. Truthfully though, next to Buffy, Cicely was an old hag.

Spike saw a glimpse of a smirk on the Slayer's face before her expression changed to...terror. What the heck did she have on her mind? He knew she wasn't scared of him. She must have a plan! A plan to get back at this idiot. Spike hoped he was part of it, because he wanted in on the fun. Buffy moved closer to look up at him with pleading eyes as she caught up one of his hands with both of hers. Spike leaned in just a little to sniff her. No, there was no scent of fear on her, just the smell of vanilla and Slayer, with a hint of arousal for the dance they were about to begin.

Parker noticed that the blonde, Buffy, had moved slightly away from him to a man who looked vaguely familiar. Oh good, she isn't going to be bugging me anymore, he thought to himself. At least until she opened her mouth and began speaking.

"Please don't hurt him, Spike, he doesn't mean anything to me. Please. I just got so jealous when I saw you at the party with that ho, Harmony. I'm so sorry." Buffy fervently hoped that this worked. When Spike began to speak, she was pleasantly surprised. Buffy was pleased that Spike fell into the plan so fast.

"Are you sure you're sorry, Buffy? I won't have you runnin' off with another git, again," growled Spike, taking Buffy's face in his hands to lift her eyes to his. This boy had played with the Slayer, now she was playing him back. Git wouldn't know what hit him. Spike was thrilled to be along for the ride. Parker recognized the other man as soon as he began speaking. He had been at the frat party last night with a nasal-sounding blonde chick who must be the aforementioned Harmony.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt him like the last one I was with."

"W-w-what did he do with the last one?" Parker stammered. Spike tore his eyes away from Buffy to glare at Parker, growling low in his throat. Parker took a step backwards at the menacing sound.

"Spike hit him over the head with a fireplace poker," replied Buffy, stepping closer to Spike to press herself against him. She was telling the truth, but totally taking it out of context.

"P-p-oker? Didn't it kill him?" Parker just couldn't stop stammering. Here he had thought the little freshman Buffy would be an easy notch on his bedpost. He should have known better when that bleached Brit showed up at the frat party. Sure they had argued, but you could tell there was something between them.

"Nah, Peaches always had an iron skull."

"Maybe you should just bite this one a few times, put the fear of Spike in him," murmured Buffy, rubbing her face against Spike's shoulder. Spike's demon pushed forth at those words. She was really getting into this. Who knew Spike had such a great body and would smell so darned intoxicating? When he looked down at her with his yellow-demon eyes, she peered up at him through her lashes. "I am still your girl, right?"

When Spike heard these words, all plans on killing the Slayer went out the window. She was his now. And nothing was going to stand in his way of finally getting the girl.

"Damn right you're still my girl. About bloody time you learned it, too," Spike growled. He looked at Parker, causing the boy to eep. And while that sound was okay coming from a girl -- like say, Willow -- it sounded stupid coming from a full grown man like Parker. "I ever see you near my girl, again, you tosser, there'll be Hell to pay."

Parker rushed off, vowing to himself to get a transfer out of UCSunnydale. Buffy continued to look at Spike from under her lashes as he watched the other man run off. Buffy had always be equally repulsed and attacted to Spike. He looked good in the sun, and Angel did say she needed a man who could walk in the sun with her. Maybe this was an omen. Spike shifted his attention back to the Slayer.

"So, Slayer, I had planned on killing you, but I think I have better plans for you," Spike continued to growl as he moved on hand off of Buffy's face, down her neck to her pounding pulse point, "Much better plans. And you sealed your fate when you declared that you belong to me."

"W-w-what do you mean?" Buffy stammered. This would teach her to space out during one of Giles's lectures. She suddenly realized that she might have overplayed her hand and was in deep trouble. Especially when Spike's vamp face melted away to show his human disguise. She'd never realized before what a beautiful shade of blue his eyes were before.

"You are mine now, Slayer. I'm going to claim you, make you so totally mine Peaches won't ever be able to have you again."

"B-b-but..." Buffy's eyes filled with tears that flowed down her cheeks when she closed them, "I don't want to be a vampire, Spike. Please, not that." With Parker playing her for a fool and Spike going along with her revenge, Buffy was more than a little overwhelmed, so she turned into EmotionalBuffy instead of BitchyBuffy at Spike's words.

"Don't want you to be a vampire either, pet. Like you just the way you are. So we'll go through your classes, acting nice and normal, and then we will go some where private to finish our conversation." Spike looked down into Buffy's beautiful face and couldn't resist kissing her. His lips met hers. Firm and gentle, possessive and tentative, cold meeting warmth. Buffy gasped as shivers ran up and down her spine. That was unexpected. She had always imagined that her revulsion for him would win out over the attraction. Boy, was she ever wrong. Spike broke off the kiss, took her arm and grabbed her books for her.

Bufy's eyes popped open in surprise. Something strange was definitely going on. Spike was touching her in a very gentle way, and being so considerate as he carried her books. "Where to, pet?"

"Just one class today. Psychology 101, but I have it with Willow. You might freak her out," Buffy pointed out the building where the class was held.

"That's a chance I am willing to take, luv. Gonna stay close to my girl," Spike said, as he turned the two of them towards the building.

"What about Harmony?"

"That bint? She makes Dru look like a bloody genius. At least with Dru, even if you didn't understand her, you knew it meant something, even if was only to herself. Harmony keeps calling me Blondie Bear..." Spike shuddered. As they approached the building, they noticed a bright flash of red hair. Spike sauntered up to Willow, dragging a slightly reluctant Buffy behind him.

"Hello, Red. Look who I found hanging out in the Commons." Spike smirked as he dropped Buffy's books on the bench beside Willow. He sat down, pulling Buffy down on his lap. Willow's eyes grew rounder and rounder, till she finally made an eep sound that totally did sound better than any noise that emanated from that git Parker.

"S-S-Spike! And Buffy? Um...h-how are you?" Willow stuttered.

"Doing fine, now that I have found my girl, Red. How are you and..." Spike sniffed the air, "Dogboy doing?'

"Fine, fine. Well except the part where a certain someone kidnapped me and Xander. And we sorta made with the smoochies."

"What? You and the Whelp? Oh, Dogboy is much better than him," replied Spike. Buffy slapped Spike's chest.

"Watch it, Spike, Xander is our friend," Buffy said glancing at her watch, "Time to get to class." She grabbed her books as she stood up and moved towards the door of the building. Spike and Willow both hurriedly got up to keep up with the Slayer. Spike reached around Buffy and held the door for both girls.

When they reached the classroom, Spike sprawled in a seat between the two girls, scooted both of their chairs closer to him, and flung an arm behind each one. Acting as if he owned the world -- or at the very least the two women he was with -- Spike studied the room. When he decided that no one presented a problem, he closed his eyes. He was a bit tired with his sleep cycle being so messed up. He concentrated on singling out Buffy's heartbeat. Soon he was drifting along, but a gasp from the Slayer caused him to open his eyes. Entering the room behind the professor was a man. He was tall, dark, and...cardboardy. Spike studied him for a minute, then glanced at Buffy, raising an eyebrow. She quickly dashed off a little note to him.

The guy, Riley, the TA, he makes my vamp senses tingle.

Spike read the note, then tuned his senses in on the man in question. Yeah, now that he studied him, he too noticed something was odd. Spike nodded slightly, indicating that he felt it also, and passed Buffy's note on to Willow. She glanced from the note to Spike and Buffy, then just gave a little nod before going back to her notes.

Spike began to study Riley and the professor. As he watched them interact, he realized there was more to the relationship than teacher and assistant. Nothing sexual that he could ascertain, but something was there.

As soon as class was over, the three were trying to get out of the classroom as soon as possible when the teacher said, "Miss Summers, Miss Rosenburg, I notice you brought a friend to class today. I hope that doesn't become a habit."

Willow spoke up, "Oh no, Professor Walsh, he is just a friend from high school, back in town for a visit. Professor Walsh, this is..."

"William," Spike offered. He hadn't planned on shaking hands with the woman, but when she put her hand out to him, he worried that if he refused, it would cause her to get suspicious. So, he shook her hand, making sure to keep it weak and nerdy. He laughed inside at her obvious confusion. His handshake at odds with his punk bad boy appearance.

"Well, William, your hand is certainly cool for such a warm day. If I didn't know better I would say you were a vampire," Professor Walsh said slyly.

"Oh no, William has bad circulation. He's been like that as long as we've known him," replied Buffy, placing her hand in Spike's elbow as if to establish ownership.

"Just how long have you known each other, Miss Summers?" asked Professor Walsh.

"Gosh, it's been almost two years, hasn't it?" replied Willow, looking at Spike and Buffy. They both nodded. "See, if William was a vampire, he certainly would have eaten us both all up by now."

"Not for the lack of trying, pet," Spike waggled his eyebrows at Willow, smirked and did his sexy tongue roll. Willow blushed as bright as her hair at the sexual innuendo. Buffy slapped one arm and Willow slapped the other. Spike pretended like it actually hurt, but he was enjoying the attention. Then he pulled away from Buffy to go stand in a spot of sunlight. Professor Walsh shook her head and dismissed the three.

As soon as they left the building and were out in the sun, they hurried towards Buffy and Willow's dorm room. They got into the room without incident, and just as they were sitting down, there was a loud knock at the door. The two girls jumped just a little, both spooked by the weirdness that was Professor Walsh.

"Who's there?" asked Willow.

"Xander! Open up, Willow."

Willow crossed the room to the door. She opened it just a hair to peek out. Sure enough it was Xander, alone. Willow opened the door, and bowed dramatically. "Welcome to Casa Summers and Rosenburg."

Xander entered the room, skidding to a halt when he saw the vampire lounging on the bed next to the Slayer. "WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?"

"Keep your voice down, you git. I am here with my girl."

"Your girl??"

Willow herded Xander to her side of the room, and pushed him down on the bed, telling him to shut up. Xander didn't like this one bit and kept throwing dirty looks at the vampire. Spike just smirked and pulled Buffy against his body.

"So, guys, what's up with Riley," asked Willow, pulling the note Buffy had written out of her notebook. She handed it to Xander, who quickly read it.

"I am not sure. He makes me all... wiggy," replied Buffy.

"I noticed it, too. But he is human, heartbeat and all," Spike spoke up, "And 'm suspicious of that professor of yours. Theer relationship isn't just teacher/aide. Not to mention her reaction to my handshake."

"What reaction?" Xander piped up.

"She asked Spike if he was a vampire," Willow told her friend. Xander thought that was kinda strange. Most people couldn't tell a vampire if it bit them, which was usually about the time the idiots figured it out.

"She asked even though Spike was out in broad daylight? He does that gem thingie Giles was going on about, right?" asked Xander. The others nodded.

"So what should we do?" asked Buffy, "I think Riley belongs to the fraternity in Lowell House. Normally I would say that one of us could ask him out on a date but..." Buffy broke off as Spike growled at her. She turned to look at him, but all he did was rub her cheek with his knuckles. His actions didn't scare her. She felt protected and safe. Strange feelings to have for her mortal enemy, or was he her former mortal enemy?

Willow and Xander watched them, both overwhelmed by the emotions that played across the faces of the Slayer and the vampire. They knew that Angel had truly broken Buffy's heart when he had left Sunnydale the previous spring, and they also knew that she would have done anything to have him stay, but still it hadn't been enough. Xander watched the tender display between the vampire and the slayer, and finally had to speak up.

"What's going on with you two? Buffy, you know he's an evil soulless creature, right?"

Spike looked away from Buffy to stare at Xander. Xander gulped and looked away from the vampire's intense eyes.

"I was on my way to kill her when I found her bein' shot down by that ponce Parker. Telling her she was just another notch on the bedpost. Made me see red. So when the Slayer decided to play a trick on him, I went along with it. Was brilliant fun, too. That made me decide there was something much more interestin' about Buffy than killing her," Spike said as he returned his eyes to Buffy. She looked down, embarrassed.

"I know he's evil and soulless, Xander, but... I don't know...you never really saw him with Drusilla. Not like I did. He was totally devoted to her for over 100 years. Is it so wrong to want some of that devotion for myself?" Buffy continued to look down at the bedspread as she played with it, too afraid to look up to see their reactions to her words. She would have been surprised by what she would have seen. "And he only left her after she gave him no hope. Now Angel has left me with no hope. He wanted me to find someone to walk in the sun with, to have the white picket fence with me and fat grandbabies with me. Well, Spike can walk in the sun while wearing the Gem of Amara. And okay, so there won't be fat grandbabies with Spike, but being the Slayer, who's to say I would live long enough to see any of those fat grandbabies, anyway?"

Spike looked at her with surprised awe. Yes, he definitely wanted to spend the rest of existence making this woman, this Slayer, happy.

Willow stared hard at her friend, realizing that Buffy hadn't been happy in a very long time. It had never quite dawned on her how hard dating Angel had been for Buffy. Sure Buffy had always acted like she was happy with Angel, but Willow wasn't quite so sure now, especially after the Angelus incident. And Xander... Xander finally understood that Buffy didn't want to be coddled or put on a pedestal. She wanted to be treated as an equal, something that Angel had never done. Something he suddenly realized that he had never done either. In that moment, Xander grew up and realized that all he really wanted was for Buffy to be happy. And if Spike made Buffy happy...well, what was a friend to do but be supportive?

Willow suddenly felt self-concsious around the pair. She glanced at the clock, and noticing the time, said, "I have to go meet Oz to watch the band practice. They're playing at the Bronze later. Maybe you guys and Anya can come watch them play? We could have a triple date!"

"Yeah, sure," replied Xander as Willow grabbed him, dragging him from the dorm room.

Now that they were alone, Buffy was unsure of herself. She continued to draw patterns on the bedspread until Spike decided to take matters into his own hands.

Spike stood up to take off his duster and kick off his boots. When he lay back down, he pulled her closer, molding her body to his. Lifting her face, he then covered her lips with his. As soon as she moaned, Spike slipped his cool tongue into the hot depths of her mouth. Their tongues tangled, exploring each other until Buffy was breathless. She broke away, rested her forehead on his chin and took deep breaths while Spike kissed her on the forehead.

"You taste so hot and sweet, pet. Like honey. And your smell... God.. .intoxicating. Always... from the beginning... intoxicating."

"You smell pretty darned good, too. Like whiskey... and smoke... and... you," Buffy whispered as she inhaled Spike's unique scent. He then tilted her face for another kiss, using her distraction to bring one hand up to massage one of her full breasts. His fingers crept to the buttons on her shirt, popping them open to expose her lace covered mounds. With a deft flick of his fingers, Spike undid the front closure and pulled back to look at the bounty before him.

"You are so beautiful, luv. Your rosy nipples are just begging to be nibbled on," Spike uttered as he quickly did just that. Buffy moaned as a jolt of pleasure shot straight down her body to her clit.

"Oh Spike, that...feels so good. I think...I could cum...just from this."

Spike took this as a challenge and attacked Buffy's nipples with earnest. He alternated sucking and using his fingers to knead the hard diamond points on her breasts. Buffy slammed a fist into her mouth, biting down as she climaxed just as she'd anticipated she would. Spike was quite pleased with himself. While Buffy came down from her orgasmic high, Spike worked quickly to undress her down to her satiny thong panties.

"Take off yours, too, Spike. No fair, me being the only one naked," Buffy murmured. Spike quickly whipped of his shirt and was rewarded with a gasp as Buffy saw his pale upper body. Because she couldn't help herself, she sat up on the bed to pull him closer to her. She buried her nose in his stomach, after inhaling and moaning at his scent, her hot little tongue darting out to taste his bellybutton. Now it was Spike's turn to groan as Buffy's tongue made a hot trail to the fine hairs that grew on his lower abdomen. Her fingers undid the top button of his pants and her hazel eyes lifted to look up into his lust-filled blue ones.

"I want to taste you, but...I don't want to disappoint you."

"Never, pet. Never disappoint me. You're too beautiful to ever do that. Just unbutton my pants the rest of the way and ease them down. You just do whatever you feel like doing, luv, I'm positive that anything will feel delicious."

Buffy did as Spike instructed. His cock, finally free from its cage, was pale, hard and oozing precum. Buffy felt excitement pool between her thighs when she saw him. She put one hand on the base of his penis, and gently, rhythmically stroked him. She couldn't resist sticking her tongue out to take a little taste of him. Wow, Spike is yummy.

Spike's knees buckled when suddenly Buffy engulfed the head of his dick with her hot mouth. Her tongue laved the bottom side his cock, then swirling the head. She sucked her cheeks in as she plunged him further in her mouth. After a few minutes of this treatment, Spike pulled away.

"Need to be in you, pet. Your mouth is so hot. Is your quim going to be hotter?"

Without a word, Buffy scooted up on the bed, putting her head on the pillow. She held her arms out to him. He kicked off his pants, joining her on the bed. He started to kiss her fiercely, while his hands molded themselves to her breasts. When she was out of breath and gasping in pleasure, he moved his hands down her body to take off her undies. Buffy's legs fell open, exposing herself to her lover.

As Spike continued to kiss Buffy, his fingers gently glided over the folds of her womanhood. She gasped against his lips when he found the nubbin hidden in her curls.

"Please Spike...inside me..." Buffy spread her legs wider to accommodate Spike's lean hips. He positioned his cock at the entrance of Buffy's heat, and with one thrust, he plunged into her. They both moaned. Spike dropped his head to Buffy's shoulder, trying desperately not to cum just from the hot, tightness of her body. Buffy put her arms and legs around Spike, holding him closer.

Spike began to pump his hips slowly, allowing Buffy to get use to his size. He pulled away from her shoulder to begin kissing her lips, then down her throat to her pulse point. Then he whispered, "Oh, baby... you' re so beautiful... so hot... so tight. Please be mine. I'll never leave you... stay with you... be with you...please... I... love you..."

Buffy pulled Spike's head away from her throat. "You won't leave me?" All the insecurities from her experiences with Angel pushed to forefront of her mind.

"Never, Slayer... if you're mine... I'll never leave you."

"What about killing people?"

"I bet we can work something out between us, luv. Slayer blood is better, richer than normal blood. I expect I can go all day on just a mouthful or two. Not even enough to weaken you."

Buffy's body began to quake with the onset of her orgasm. She threw her head back, exposing her throat. "Oh, God... Spike. Yes, bite me, make me yours," she moaned huskily.

Spike need no further urging. He pierced her flesh with his fangs, the pleasure-pain making Buffy's orgasm even more intense. After several deep pulls of her rich blood, Spike pulled away to growl 'mine' before licking the holes closed.

Buffy was barely able to squeak out, 'yours'. Something inside her, something primal, something slayer-ish guided Buffy's next actions. She leaned into Spike's neck and bit him. Bit him hard, causing him to slam into her body extra hard, as he convulsed with his own orgasm, as she growled 'mine' in his ear after taking a few sips of his blood. His reply, of 'yours' was murmured reverently into her neck. He melted bonelessly on top of her and all she could do was hug him tighter.

A bit later, after they both caught their breaths, Spike asked, "Do you know what you just did, luv?"

"Not. A. Clue! Just happened. I think the slayer did it. Funny, I think the Slayer likes you, Spike. Likes you a lot," Buffy giggled, "Need a nap. Gotta hit the bathroom, then I'll be ready to cuddle up for the nap." Buffy pushed Spike off of her and he settled on the bed as she hopped up to the bathroom.

When she came back, she stretched her body out next to his. Closing her eyes for a minute she realized she felt safe and happy. she hadn't felt that way for a long time. When she opened her eyes to look at Spike's face, she saw he was looking at her in adoration. She had a feeling things would never be the same again. Yep, that was it. Never be the same again.

Buffy stretched as she began to wake up, but stopped when she encountered cool skin. She snuggled in close to her vampire to begin making open mouthed kisses around one pec and the nipple in the middle. Then she blew across it, causing it to harden exactly like hers did. Spike growled making Buffy giggle.

"Better not start something, pet, not if we are ever going to get out of bed today to go out with the Scoobies," grumbled Spike. He was happy to hear the Slayer giggling. "You need to get up and put on some party clothes."

"Gotta go see Giles first," Buffy flopped over on her back, "To let him know, yes, you have the Gem and no, I am not taking it away from you. That should get me a rant and a lecture." Spike pulled her close to kiss her on the forehead, his hand caressed her breast. Then he pushed her away and gestured she should get dressed. He watched as she hopped out of bed lithely, all golden skin and sunshine. He knew he would never get tired of watching her supple body perform even the most mundane tasks. Her voice broke him out of his wanton study of her body.

"Red undies or black undies, baby," Buffy asked him, holding a red bra and thong set in one hand and a black one in the other. Spike put one arm behind his head and stroked his bare chest with the other as he decided which one he liked best.

"Red, definitly red, kitten," he answered as he watched her put on only the thong part of the set. Buffy grabbed a black spaghetti strapped shirt from her drawer and put it on. Then she grabbed her favorite black leather pants from the closet. Buffy knew in the back of the closet was the silky see-through red shirt her mom had gotten her a few months before. She had never worn it as she hadn't really the occasion to, but Buffy knew Spike would love the look. He always wore a long sleeved red shirt over his black t shirt.

When she turned around, she was positive that he liked what she was wearing. Spike was lazily stroking his cock. Buffy gasped, her pink tongue darting out to lick her lips. She slinked arcross the room to settle on the bed next to him. Spike removed his hand from his hard on and put it behind his head, too. Buffy put her hands on him and began to stroke him, double fisted.

"Let me help you with your big, bad problem, baby," she whispered just before she leaned down to lick the precum off the head of his dick. Spike closed his eyes and moaned. They popped back open when he felt her rake her teeth up and down his length. His hands moved towards her until she shook her head and they fell against the bed.

"Playing with fire, luv," he gritted out between clenched teeth. Gods, what a woman! Spike's head slammed back into the pillow, his eyes falling shut. His fists clenched the bedspread.

"Fire pretty," Buffy murmured as she engulfed his cock with her mouth. She lovingly attended him till he was a puddle of vampire goo on her bed. Buffy decided to be daring so she took her mouth away from his hardon but continued to pump it with one hand. Looking up at his pleasure filled face she decided to take the chance that biting him elsewhere would give him pleasure. Buffy zeroed in on his inner thigh, biting down hard. Spike half sat up with a roar, his cock spilling forth his cold seed almost immediately. Buffy pulled away from his thigh, grinning.

"Like that?" she asked. Spike could only nod as he fell back on to the pillow. He just laid there, boneless, unable to move from the pleasure his golden goddess had given him. Spike felt Buffy rise from the bed and heard the water running in the bathroom. In a minute or two he felt warm, harsh terrycloth wash this abdomen and torso, cleaning his spendings off of him.

"I could look at you all like this all night long, baby, but we have to get a move on," Buffy's voice whispered near his ear. He opened his eyes to look at his ladylove. Spike knew she was right. He reluctantly sat up. Buffy handed him his jeans, which he slipped on buckling his belt. She tossed him his t shirt and kicked his boots to him. She pulled a pair of her own boots out of the closet. In a matter of minutes, they both were ready to go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike and Buffy were surprised to find Willow and Xander waiting for them in the courtyard outside Giles' apartment. When they explained they were there to give Buffy support when she informed Giles about the Gem of Amara, Buffy was extremely grateful. She hugged her two best friends. Spike indicated that he would smoke a cigarette and keep an ear out on the conversation, coming in when he felt it was time to announce himself. Buffy nodded, then leaned in for a bone-melting kiss. Willow and Xander watched with wonder at the giddy smile that settled on Buffy's face.

Buffy pulled away from Spike to sweep towards Giles' apartment with Willow and Xander following in her wake. She knocked loudly on the apartment door before barging in without an answer. Once inside the teenagers settled into chairs to await the fallout.

"So, what's the what, Giles," asked Buffy, trying to play it innocent. If Spike was going to get an invite Buffy knew she was going to have to rile Giles up. She knew from experience nothing yanked his chain faster than indifference, pretended or otherwise.

"Did you discover if Spike has the Gem of Amara?" Giles asked patiently. He looked up from the book he was reading to see Buffy chipping the polish on her fingers and Willow and Xander playing thumb wars. Sometimes he thought he needed to get a life, hanging around teenagers was solidifying his brain cells.

"Yup, Spike has the Gem-thingie," replied Buffy.

"So, did you get it away from him?" Giles asked, a little less patiently now. He swore sometimes his Slayer was the most stubborn person he ever had the pleasure of knowing.

"Nope," Buffy answered. She moved on from chipping her nail polish to pulling on the lint off his couch.

"Why not, Buffy?" Giles practically roared, "With that gem he will be practically invincible. The book clearly states that stakes, holy water, crosses and sunshine won't hurt any vampire wearing the gem." Giles was getting perturbed with Buffy's careless attitude. Sure she got the job done, but sometimes it seemed like she just didn't take her duty seriously.

"No need to worry about Spike anymore, Giles. I have the problem all sewed up," Buffy informed Giles. She could feel Spike getting restless outside.

"So? What? Spike left town or something? And why are you two being so quiet? What aren't you telling me?" Giles's voice got louder and louder till he was shouting. Buffy's vaugeness was wearing thin and the other scoobies with her were never this quiet. Giles knew something was up.

"Nope, Spike hasn't left town. I am just not going to worry about the gem thingie tonight, Giles. I have a date with my new boyfriend." As she said that, there was a knock at the apartment door, "There he is now. Let him in, Giles."

Giles rushed to the door and flung it open, not even looking at who was on the other side. He was in full rant mode. Nothing was going to stop him. Giles loaded both barrels ready to empty them into the Slayer.

"Come in!," Giles roared, "Buffy, how can you take this all so lightly. Spike is dangerous without the gem. With it in his possession there is nothing stopping him from killing you. You are being very remiss in your duty."

"Glad to hear you think I am dangerous, Watcher, means I have been doing my job right," replied Spike, sauntering into the apartment, "Thanks for the invite, by the way. Slayer, Red, Whelp."

Giles was doing a darned good fish out of water impression as he watched Spike greet the other occupants of the room. He was even more gobsmacked when Buffy pulled Spike down to sit beside her on the couch, hands entwined. He whipped off his glasses to polish them and muttered a few Good Lords. It was then that Xander finally spoke up.

"See Willow, told you, no fainting, just glasses polished and a few Good Lord's. You owe me five bucks," Xander told his friend. On the way to Giles' they had discussed what they thought would happen when the Watcher found out about Spike and Buffy being together.

"Spike is your new boyfriend?" Giles asked, increduously. He just couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the idea.

"Yup," answered Buffy.

"SPIKE is your new boyfriend?" Giles asked, again.

"YES!!!" answered Xander and Willow together, who then looked at each other and said, "Jinx." They both started to giggle.

"Spike is your new BOYFRIEND?"

"Yes, Watcher, I am the Slayer's mate," answered Spike. He looked at the teenagers in the room and raised an eyebrow. They just shook thier heads.

"I think we broke Giles, guys," whispered Buffy. The four of them glanced over that the Watcher. His eyes were glazed over, his mouth hung open and his glasses were smashed in his hands. He was apparently catatonic at this point. Buffy and Willow hurried over to help Giles sit down, while Xander poured Giles a glass of scotch. Spike just sat back to watch the chaos. When the strong alcohol hit Giles's throat it woke him up from his stupor.

"Mate? What do you mean mate? Buffy, what on earth have you done?" sputtered Giles, "What did you do to her, Spike?" He was sure he knew what had happened. His Slayer had been claimed by and mated with William the Bloody. One of the worst vampires in the Council's history.

"Didn't do anything the girl didn't want done, Watcher. All feelings and actions were done of her own freewill. She's mine now and there is nothing you can do about it," Spike informed the Watcher.

Spike heard Buffy and Willow giggling and when he looked over at them he saw Buffy had her hands out in front of her as if measuring something. They giggled again, but when Xander looked over at them Buffy quickly put her hands behind her back. Then she tried to look innocent, but her infectious giggles broke through. Spike was happy to see even admidst the chaos Buffy was still able to remain happy.

"I suppose you better tell me how this happened, Buffy. Willow, if you would be so kind as to get me my spare pair of glasses out of the side cabinet drawer," said Giles. Willow hurried to do as Giles asked. She just hoped that Giles didn't do anything to piss Spike or Buffy off. Willow wanted Buffy to remain happy.

"Not sure it's any of your business, Giles. It is kinda private, yanno? Suffice to say, when Spike claimed me, the Slayer claimed him," Buffy announced before returning to Spike's side. She took his hand in hers, using the other one to stroke the back of his hand.

"The Slayer, Buffy? What do you mean? Where is my notebook? I need to write this down," inquired Giles, looking around for a pen and his notebook. Xander found both and handed them to Giles. He sat down beside Willow, trying to stay out of the way of the fallout. But he did give Buffy a covert thumbs up sign while Giles was flipping through the pages of his notebook.

"You won't be informing the Wankers of the Slayer and me mating! They would probably just come over here and exterminate the bunch of us," Spike advised the Watcher. Giles looked up and nodded. He didn't want to lose Buffy anymore than Spike did.

"Buffy, you were saying the Slayer claimed Spike? What exactly did you mean?" Giles focused his attention on Buffy. Giles observed Buffy was looking up at Spike from under her lashes with a small happy smile on her face. He glanced over at Xander and Willow to see what their reactions were, he saw they were looking at the blonde couple with the same sort of happy smile on thier faces.

"I don't know exactly what happened, Giles. When Spike claimed me I went all Slayer-y and claimed him back. He didn't even have to tell me what to do. I just knew what to do. Maybe you need to research it," replied Buffy. She glanced at the clock. It was getting close to time to get to the Bronze. They hadn't even mentioned Riley or Professor Walsh. "That's not all we need to tell you. At class today, the teacher's aide made me feel all wiggy. Spike noticed it, too. Then Professor Walsh acted wierd when she met Spike. She asked if he was a vamp."

Both Spike and Willow nodded in agreement before Spike spoke up, "Yep, the git made my senses go on alert, too. Has a human heartbeat and all. Didn't get close enough to actually smell him. And the professor bint? Really strange."

"Oh that's what I needed to tell you guys," Xander snapped his fingers, "Boss said we are doing a construction job at Lowell house the week after Halloween. Redoing thier gameroom. I can sneak a peek around the frat."

"You be careful, Xander," Willow gasped, "We don't know what's going on with them."

"Don't worry so much, Wills. I have been a Scooby for 3 1/2 years now and I am still alive," Xander assured his friend. He didn't notice Buffy and Willow rolling thier eyes at his last comment.

"Hey Dingos start in twenty minutes. We need to get there if we want decent seats. You need anything else, Giles?" Buffy jumped up, dragging Spike to his feet. Giles just waved her away, not even looking up from his notebook. The teenagers and vamp were about out the door when Giles asked a question.

"The professor? What happened?"

"She asked me if I was a vamp. She was quite sly about it, too. She knows more than she lets on about Sunnyhell's nightlife."

"Really? How fascinating," replied Giles, going back to his notebook. The teenagers and the vampire made their escape before Giles could come up with anymore questions to ask. They hurried into the dark ready for a night of fun. They were going to make up an odd bunch when they finally got all together. A vampire slayer, a vampire, a witch, a werewolf, the zeppo and an ex-vengence demon. Only in Sunnydale.

~~~~~~~~~~

Spike, Buffy, Willow and Xander walked into Bronze to find Anya already at a table waiting for them. Oz was on stage doing some sound checks. The girls all settled into chairs around the table, while Spike and Xander took drink orders and headed off to the bar.

"So, Buffy, that's the new boyfriend Xander was telling me about. He looks like he could give amazing orgasms. He isn't human, is he?" asked Anya.

"Yes, that's Spike and no, he isn't human. He's a vampire," replied Buffy. Anya was going to take some getting use to, but for Xander she would do it. He accepted Spike, the least she could do was accept Anya.

"So, you and Xander are dating now?," asked Willow.

"I think we are. We had great orgasms earlier. Then when I ran into him again, he was nice and invited me here for drinks." Anya was making every effort to act as human as possible, but she wasn't sure she was getting the hang of it.

"Um, that's good. I'm......I'm sure........Xander could use some orgasms," replied Willow, not quite sure how to reply to the blunt woman sitting at the table with them. Spike and Xander were back with drinks, just then. Spike settled into a chair next to Buffy, lounging bonelessly, his arm thrown around the back of her chair, playing with her hair. Since Oz was on stage, Spike motioned Willow to scoot closer and he threw his other arm around her chair. Xander sat next to Anya and mimiced Spike's pose. After a few minutes, Spike leaned in to whisper into Buffy's ear.

"I remember the first time I saw you, luv. Dancing here in the Bronze, the spotlight on you. I knew I had to have you. Little did I know exactly how I was going to have you." Spike's lips moved in to lightly caress Buffy's ear, his tongue rimming the outside. Buffy giggled and batted him away.

Anya and Xander danced. Willow and Xander danced. Willow, Anya and Xander danced. Buffy was having a heck of a time talking Spike into getting up to dance with her. He kept muttering that dancing was undignified for a master vampire of his caliber. Finally, Buffy whispered into Willow's ear to ask Oz for a slow song. Willow went over to whisper in Oz's ear and soon the singer was announcing the next song was dedicated to Spike and Buffy. Spike grimaced but allowed the Slayer to drag him to the dancefloor for one dance. A slow dance. Buffy put her arms around Spike's neck, laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

(I love him. I love Spike,) she thought to herself, slightly surprised. She knew he made her happy, but she hadn't realized she loved him.

(Of course you do, luv, who can resist me?) echoed through her mind. She pulled away and looked at Spike's face. He just smirked and pressed his lips against hers. Spike had been surprised when he could hear Buffy's thoughts. He knew that they would be able to feel each other. Maybe send pictures through the claim, but to actually hear each other. Will wonders never cease.

When the song ended, the blond couple wandered back to the table. In a few mintues they were joined by Oz. When Willow had mentioned that Spike would be joining them tonight, Oz had been more than a little surprised. But being the stoic guy was, he didn't even raise an eyebrow. Now faced with the reality, he took a little sniff. Nothing different about the vampire, except his and Buffy's essenses were now combined.

"Hey Oz has a gig in LA tomorrow night. The band is leaving later tonight," piped up Willow proudly. Oz just nodded his head.

"Oh congrats, Oz. That's great news," said Buffy, before peeking a look at Spike's face. She knew he knew what she was thinking. "Oz, if you run into Angel, don't mention Spike. I don't want Angel running in to rescue me from something that is frankly none of his business and I don't need rescuing from." Oz nodded his head again, knowing just what Buffy was implying.

Xander leaned forward in his chair and said, "Next order of business, Halloween. Last two years have been a bust. Let's do something fun this year."

"My friend Edward's frat is doing a haunted house." Oz finally broke his silence. Everyone at the table with heartbeats decided that sounded like a good idea. Spike just put up his hands in a 'whatever' gesture. He knew he wasn't dressing up and there was nothing anyone could do to change his mind. As soon as he thought that, he could feel his mate smirk through the claim. When he glanced over at her, she put an innocent look on her face. He had no plans to give in on this subject.

"We should do a theme," Buffy enthused, "What do you think, Spike?" Buffy pouted prettily at her mate.

"I am not dressing up for Halloween, Slayer, and there is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise," Spike stated, crossing his arms in front of him, practically pouting himself. Buffy thought it was adorable, which caused Spike to raise his eyebrow at her. The others watched the byplay with interest. Always before, Spike was quick to anger when crossed, but now with Buffy he seemed to flirt and not take offense.

"I know, you could go as Dracula," Buffy suggested.

"No bloody way am I going as that git. Not only is he the Eurotrash of vamps, poncy bugger owes me 11 pounds," growled Spike. He glared at Buffy, who started to giggle uncontrollably. "Only thing I am willing to go as is Spike, so the rest of you gits will have to dress up according to me."

"Oh that could work. Really it could. Oz and I could go as the wolfman and mummy. Xander and Anya as Frankenstien and the Bride of Frankenstien," Willow suggested, "Sorry, Buffy, ran out of ideas what you could be. I would suggest Bride of Dracula, but I don't want Spike to growl at me."

"No, not as any of Dracula's brides either, Red," muttered Spike.

"Dracula has more than one bride?" asked Xander.

"Of course he does, Xander," stated Anya, "He wanted me to be one of his brides, but of course, I had to decline. Being a vengeance demon he wasn't able to thrall me." Anya was happy that she could give some of her vast knowledge to the group.

"Well guess I will just have to surprise you with my costume choice, then, huh?" Buffy said, airly. The group chatted for a few more minutes, until Willow announced she had an early class and she needed to get back to the dorm. Spike and Buffy decided to escort Willow back to the dorm since Oz needed to get the band equipment loaded in his van for the trip to LA. Anya told Xander she wanted to go back to his place for more orgasms. Xander looked embarrassed as hell, but allowed Anya to drag him out of the club. He waved a little wave to his friends before they were out the door. Willow and Buffy wanted to hit the bathroom before the trek back to the dorm, so they left Spike alone at the bar. The girls came back out to find Spike pressed against the bar fending off an amorous female vampire who didn't know she was an ex already.

"Blondie Bear," Harmony's shrill voice grated on everyone's nerves, "Did you kill the Slayer? Why didn't you come back to the lair? I was waiting for you." Harmony pouted. She figured that was going to be the easiest way to get her errant lover to go hunt with her and then back to the lair for loving. So she was surprised when she heard a growl behind her. She whirled to see the Slayer and that nerd, what's her name, standing a few feet away.

"There's the Slayer, Blondie Bear. You get her and I will get the little nerd," Harmony screeched her already shrill voice getting shriller. When Spike made no moves towards the Slayer, Harmony whirled around to stare at him. She was confused about what was going on, "Blondie Bear, what is going on?" she whined.

"Step away from the vampire, Harmony, and you won't get hurt," Buffy growled, "He's mine." With that she flipped her hair back and away from her neck exposing the bite marks. When Harmony saw the marks, she launched herself at Buffy. Spike reached out to grab a handful of the female vampire's blonde hair in one hand. When he had against him with his other hand around her throat, his demon out, he hissed in her ear.

"Slayer is mine as I am hers. Best remember that, Harm. I will not allow you to hurt her in anyway. You will find I am not very forgiving."

Harmony whimpered in terror. She knew that Spike wasn't kidding. Harmony could feel the menace in his voice and his body language. She nodded her agreement. Spike thrust her away from him. Harmony hopped up and stormed out of the Bronze muttering, "Slayer-loving freak!" Spike looked at Buffy and Willow, allowing his demon to melt away.

"So ladies.....back to the dorm for you, Red. Then you and I can go patrol, Slayer," announced Spike, then he leaned in to whisper in Buffy's ear, "And we can find somewhere private."

Buffy arched an eye at her mate and clearly stated, "There will be no crypt sex for this Slayer. You better find a nice place."

Spike had Buffy up against a crypt, kissing her for all he was worth. Unlife couldn't get any better than this, he thought. His hands ghosted up to caress the roundness of her full breasts, flicking the hard nipples with his thumbs. Buffy moaned then pulled her lips away from Spike's.

"God, luv, I am not sure if you are an angel or a devil, the way you tempt me," murmured Spike.

"You have to get a house or something, Spike, now. I am serious, we won't be having sex in crypts or graveyards," Buffy muttered as her vampire lover moved his mouth down her jawline to her neck. Spike was total entranced at how responsive his Slayer was to his advances. He didn't particularly want to get caught with his pants down out in the open either. Not that he cared about having an audience, he just didn't want to have any demons catch them unawares. Spike pulled away from his mate reluctantly.

"On it tomorrow, pet. I will probably have to go out of town to find demon jewel appraiser, though, for the treasure of Amara," Spike said. He grabbed his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one. He used this activity to tone down his raging libido. He watched as Buffy attempted to collect herself.

"Why a demon appraiser? Why not just ask mom to have it done? I bet she could use the commission," asked Buffy. Before answering, Spike used his senses to make sure there were no eavesdroppers nearby, human or demon. He held his hand up, showing the ring he was wearing.

"This might not be the only item with mystical properties. Anything like that will have to be handled by a special auction house owned by Wolfram and Hart, but anything ordinary can be handled by your mum. Besides, the Gem of Amara is too vulnerable as a ring. Gonna have a copy made to wear then do something else with the real one, conceal it on my body somehow," Spike informed Buffy. Buffy nodded, seeing the truth in his words.

With one last bone-melting kiss, Spike and Buffy left the cemetery behind. Spike escorted his Slayer back to her dorm before setting off into the dark to check on his minions and collect the treasure of Amara. He needed to get it to a safe place before something happened.

The next few days were a flurry of activity for the Scoobys as they prepared for Halloween, helped Spike and Buffy go over house listings in an attempt to find a suitable place, patrolled and studied, for those who attended classes. Buffy and Willow quickly discovered Spike had a quick mind and was the perfect study partner.

Spike asked Buffy and her friends to meet him at an address not too far away from Joyce's house. Buffy and the gang gathered outside the house. Just as they were about to knock, Spike flung open the front door.

"Come in, gang, see the new digs," Spike announced, ushering them in, pausing to give Buffy a quick smooch as she entered, "Don't have furniture yet. Thought the Slayer would want to help pick it out." Spike was quite pleased with Buffy's happy reaction to the house he had purchased. She, Anya and Willow hurried through the rooms making plans on how to decorate with Spike's tastes in mind.

"This looks just like Buffy's house," commented Xander, looking around the empty rooms. He was surprised that Spike had found a house so fast and said so.

"It's a wonder what a little dosh will do ya, Whelp," replied the vampire, "So what are you lot up to?"

"We had planned on going to Xander's to make jack-o-lanterns. It's a time honored tradition," said Oz, "However the girls seem to be a bit busy, so maybe we should do it here." Xander and Oz lugged the pumpkins out of the car and around the house to the back patio where they got to work making jack-o-lanterns, while Spike sat silently watching them smoking a cigarette. Soon Xander was ready to present his masterpiece.

"I don't know. I was going for ferocious, scary, but I think it's coming out dryly sardonic," Xander said, turning the pumpkin to face the other males. Willow came out the back door just then followed by Anya and Buffy.

"It does appear to be mocking you with its eyeholes," Willow commented, looking the jack-o-lantern over carefully.

"The nose hole seems sad and full of self-loathing," replied Oz.

"What do you think, Buffy?" asked Xander, turning the pumpkin towards the Slayer. Buffy peered at it carefully before she plopped down next to Spike on the back stoop. She looped her arm in his and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think it's kinda cute, Xander," Buffy said, "Spike and I need to go do some furniture shopping. What are you all going to do?"

"Thought we could go back to my place and watch......." Xander grabbed his backpack and pulled out a movie, "....Fantasia."

"Maybe it's because of all the horrific things we've seen, but hippos wearing tutus just don't unnerve me the way they used to," dry panned Oz. The others chuckled at Oz's dry wit.

"Phantasm. It's supposed to be Phantasm. Stupid video store," Xander grumbled. He hated how things like this always happened to him.

"Well, I am sure there is still time for us to get back to the video store and do an exchange. Is Phantasm a scary movie? It doesn't have bunnies in it, does it?" said Anya. She didn't understand this human fascination with things that frightened them.

"No, An. Just a creepy guy in a cemetery," said Xander, patting his girlfriend's hand.

"Oh......well, isn't that like patrolling?" Anya asked. The others laughed, having to agree.

The conversation soon waned as Xander and Oz returned their pumpkins to the car. The group of friends gathered their things together and met out in front of Spike's new house. Willow, Buffy and Oz made plans to meet for breakfast at the university cafeteria. Xander said he had an interview in the morning for a part time evening job as a bartender. He told the others he was saving up to move out of his parents basement. Anya, Xander, Willow and Oz all piled into Oz's van to go to the video store and then back to Xander's for movie watching.

Buffy waved as her friends drove off. When she turned towards Spike, he had the door of the Desoto open for her. She sashayed over to him, put her arms around his neck and leaned into his chest. Buffy took a deep sniff of his delightful masculine scent and sighed. Spike's arms automatically surrounded her, pulling her close.

"What was the sigh for, luv?" Spike asked. He dropped a kiss on top of his golden goddess's hair and reached a pale hand up to caress it.

"Just happy. Unbelievably happy. When you know who left, I didn't think I could be this happy," Buffy snuggled closer, "He called our relationship a freak show."

"You are a gorgeous, warm, giving, albeit slightly bitchy sometimes, woman and his loss was my gain, pet." said Spike as he tipped her head back to cover her lips with his own, "But if we don't want to give the new neighbors a show, we better get a move on it. I want to have you in a bed and soon." At this Buffy groaned, it had been several days since they had been intimate and she was, quite frankly, horny.

"Yes, let's get a move on it," she said as she started to climb into Spike's car, "Baby, you have got to get your car detailed out. Now that you are over your sunshine allergy, I think you can lose the paint on the windows." Spike rolled his eyes and mentally put that on his long list of things to do. He closed the car door behind the Slayer. Going around to his side, he got in to start the car.

"Where to, luv?" Spike asked, pulling out of the drive.
"There's the perfect place in the mall to get you stuff. A Goth furniture store. We discovered it when we were looking for prom dresses. Willow, Anya and I were going through it and we came across this classy red and black leather headboard. And I asked Willow, you know who would totally love that and we looked at each other and said Spike!! Of course then Xander and Angel showed up and they went all damage bound on us," Buffy giggled and rolled her eyes at the memory.

"So you thought about me when I wasn't around, Slayer?" asked Spike in a delighted voice.

"Well, you are hard to forget with your death threats and......" Buffy glanced down at Spike's crotch, "....manly weapons." Spike's manly weapon hardened under Buffy's gaze. Her eyes widened when he took one hand off the steering wheel and adjusted himself. Spike glanced at his Slayer in time to catch her hot look. He sniffed the air slightly, his nostrils flaring when he smelled her arousal.

"Oh you wicked, wicked girl, you," he chortled. Buffy tore her gaze away from his manly bits to look at his face. She raised an eyebrow, did a fair approximation of his smirk and tongue curl before turning to roll down the window so she could see outside.

Once they arrived at the mall, Spike parked his car and opened the passenger door for Buffy. They walked into the mall, arm in arm. Their appearances were so at odds with each other that they got some strange looks from the other mall goers. When they got close to the Goth furniture store, Buffy skipped slightly ahead, dragging the apparently reluctant Spike behind her. He wasn't reluctant at all; he just had an image to maintain.

Buffy dragged him through the store to present the headboard that she had previously mentioned to him. Wow, the Slayer really did know his taste. Just then a gothic-dressed young lady came over to the duo. She looked the couple over carefully. She couldn't understand why such a cool looking punked out guy would be with a California valley girl. She was sure if she flirted heavily enough she could win his attention.

"Afternoon, my name is Tarantula. How can I help you?" the sales girl asked Spike, totally ignoring Buffy. Spike lifted an eyebrow, knowing exactly what the chick was doing.

"My GIRL and I are looking to furnish our house," Spike replied, then turned to Buffy, "Which bed frame do you prefer, baby?"

"I like the wooden one with the slats and the gargoyles," Buffy glared at the sales clerk, and then looked up at Spike slyly, "It's perfect for when the Slayer captures the Big Bad vampire and has her wicked way with him." Spike growled and his eyes bled gold before he remembered where he was. His eyes were still tinted gold when he turned towards Tarantula.

"The black and red headboard, with the gargoyle frame and mattress in king-size. Extra in it, if it's delivered and set up tonight," Spike growled at the girl. She stepped back slightly. Okay, maybe she wasn't as interested in the black clad guy as she thought. Being a Goth in Sunnydale brought you in contact with some strange things, and Tarantula knew exactly what this guy was. She hurried off to start working on his order and watched as the blonde couple wandered through the store picking out other items.

The blonde couple stopped at the dining room tables where they picked out a dark wooden table with ornate carvings. The man turned to indicate the table and chairs that they wanted; raising 8 fingers for the number of chairs he wanted. Then on to the entertainment centers where the girl appeared to ooh and ahh over the selection, giggling at the casket shaped ones. Finally the man indicated a dark wooden center with curved arches and plenty of room to store electronics and movies. She watched as they looked over the couches with care. They picked a black leather couch and love seat set that much to the dismay of the other customers they tested out by sitting down and kissing passionately. Lastly they moved to the candle section where they picked out a variety of black and red candles.

When the couple got to the counter and the total was rang up, the girl asked, "Are you sure, Spike? That's an awful lot of money."

"I want the house to look nice, luv, so you can bring your mum by for a spot of hot chocolate, besides the holidays are coming up and I know how you Americans like your holidays," Spike answered, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. She smiled up at him and nodded. Spike pulled out a card that was directly linked to his account at WRH. When Spike made arrangements to have the items delivered that evening at 10pm, the sales girl gave Spike a warning look.

"Not planning on eating the sodding delivery boys, spider girl. My girl would stake me and I want to stick around awhile," Spike stated. With that the blonde couple swept out of the furniture store with their candle purchase. Tarantula breathed a sigh of relief. Her commission this evening would be big, but she hoped those two didn't come back any time soon.

Spike and Buffy walked down past the food court of the mall, where Buffy poutingly asked for an ice cream. Unable to resist her lush lower lip, Spike bought her one. He watched as she licked and nibbled at the sweet confection, and then Spike groaned and had to pull his coat around himself to hide his erection. Who knew just watching her eat something would turn him on so much. Buffy smiled to herself, she knew exactly what she was doing. She planned on having him attack her as soon as the bed was in place.

Next the couple stopped in at Bed, Bath and Beyond, where they picked out a variety of sheet sets, pillows, bedspreads and towels in red and black. Buffy even picked up a few bubble bath products in masculine scents. Then the couple hit the electronics store where they picked out a TV, a DVD player and a stereo. Buffy was getting tired, so she promised Spike they would hit the music and video store after Halloween was over. Loaded down with their purchases, the blonde supercouple went home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Promptly at 10pm the doorbell rang. Buffy opened it to find the furniture and electronics delivery men had arrived at the same time. She directed the furniture guys to bring the entertainment center into the living room. Spike had told her where to place everything, while he did a quick patrol for her. He had decided it would make the delivery men more comfortable if he wasn't around when they got there. He was sure that the strange sales clerk had told the delivery men to be wary of him. Once the entertainment center was placed, the electronic delivery men started to set things up. The couch and love seat were soon in place, with the bed being taken upstairs and assembled lastly.

Once Buffy shooed the delivery men out of the house, she ran upstairs to make the bed up before Spike got home. She placed the candles around the room on the windowsills and lit them. Then she prepared a hot bath in the master bathroom, undressed and got in. It was only a few minutes till she heard Spike calling out for her.

"Upstairs, lover," she called out. Spike dropped his duster on the staircase newel before leaping up the stairs two at a time. He was anxious to get to his golden goddess. It had been too long since they had been together. Certainly he had fed just a little off of her everyday to fulfill his needs and to renew the claim, but until today they had no safe place to be intimate.
Spike walked into the bedroom and was pleasantly surprised to find Buffy had alternated the black and red bedding. He got instantly hard thinking about her golden body lying against the black sheets. The room glowed from the candlelight.

"In the bathroom, Spike," Buffy called out again. Spike went into the bathroom and was greeted by the sight of his mate surrounded by bubbles, her beautiful blonde hair piled on her head. She gave him a beautiful smile before asking him to join her. He couldn't get undressed and in the tub fast enough.
Buffy glided through the water to sit herself astraddle Spike's lap. His hard cock brushed against her nether region causing her to moan. She was far too needy to wait for foreplay, so she raised up to grasp him in her hand and impaled herself on him. Spike's eyes rolled back in his head and his eyelids drifted shut. It felt so good to be inside her again.

Buffy began to move herself up and down on Spike's cock. She grabbed his shoulders to keep herself steady and moaned when his hands came up to manipulate her breasts.

"Sorry, I couldn't wait, baby, I just need you so much. Miss having you in me," Buffy apologized, then shyly continued, "I love you, Spike." Spike's eyes popped open.

"Never apologize for wanting me, luv. I didn't want to wait either. Need you, missed being in you, love you," Spike murmured before going in for a luscious tongue entwined kiss. He slowly moved his lips down her jawline to lick his claim marks. He hadn't even put his fangs in her before she started to shudder and spasm around him. She cried out her completion, falling against him.

"God, I feel like that Pavlov's dog that Professor Walsh was talking about. All you have to do is act like you are going to flash me some fang and I go all gooey," Buffy whispered against Spike's neck. He chuckled.

"I am the same way, luv, just bite the mark you left on my neck, if you don't believe me," he whispered back. Buffy pulled away to look into his eyes. She believed him, but wanted to check it out for herself. Buffy began to leisurely move up and down on Spike's cock as she trailed her mouth from his lips, down his jawline to the mark on his neck. When he turned his head to give her better access, she began to lick and nibble the mark. Spike moaned and bucked underneath her. In just a few moments, Buffy felt him pulsate as he spewed forth his cool spendings deep inside her.
"I want to get you in that bed now, pet. Maybe let the Slayer have her wicked way with the Big Bad vampire," Spike said, standing up and taking her with him. Once out of the tub, they dried off using the new towels and went arm in arm to fall into the bed. The crisp new sheets felt luxurious against their skin.

"Hold on to the slats, Spike, don't let go and don't break our new bed. Time to play," Buffy murmured. Spike quickly got into place, his legs spread wide. Buffy settled between Spike's legs, glancing up at his face, she blew on his dick. He threw his head back in anticipation. A small tendril of self-doubt suddenly curled through Buffy's mind.

"Are you sure about this, Spike? What if I do it wrong?" Buffy said.

"Buffy, luv, look at me. I am so bloody hard from the anticipation that I might spontaneously combust if you don't touch me," Spike took his hands off the slats, sat up, pulled Buffy close to his chest, and cupped her face in his hands. "Nothing we do in the bedroom is ever wrong if we both like it. I doubt there is anything you could ever do or say that would shock me, pet. Now I am going to lay back and let you do whatever you want to me."

(This part was written by the wonderful TamiBrandt!!!!)

Spike’s encouraging words put the wicked gleam back in Buffy’s eyes. When he saw it, he wondered if he should be worried that he had unleashed a sexual demon. He gripped the slats again and let out a low rumbling growl when Buffy kissed the tip of his cock before opening her lips around the head and engulfing his shaft in her hot, wet mouth.

Buffy felt a thrill shoot through her when she heard the growl, and let loose with a playfully throaty growl of her own which created a vibrating sensation around his shaft and received an expletive for her teasing.

"Bloody fucking hell, luv! Where did that growl come from?" Spike’s eyes had gotten wide when he felt her growl around him and he refused to break eye contact when she looked up at him with a "do you really want an answer to that now?" look. "Never mind, luv, we’ll talk about that little trick later."

Buffy never broke eye contact when she could help it while she moved slowly along the length, licking the sensitive flesh. She reached a hand over to massage his balls while she sucked a bit harder every few seconds which caused Spike to buck up into her mouth.

"Oh, yeah, luv, just like that . . . oh, fuck, Slayer . . . Buffy, I have to be inside you, luv," Spike’s encouragement and request came out more as a growl. He reached down and laced his fingers in her hair gently tugging her off his shaft and moaned in protest at the loss of heat that was around his cock.

Buffy looked at him with a little confusion. "What did I do wrong, Spike?" She thought she was doing pretty well with the whole oral thing, but then again . . .

"Nothing, luv, it was perfect. I just want to be buried inside you," Spike said as he pulled Buffy up beside him and pressed her back on the pillows.

Buffy smiled up at Spike as he spread her thighs and settled in the cradle they made. She pulled his head down to her for a kiss even as her body arched and rubbed against his.

Spike kissed her, tracing her lips with his tongue before nibbling on them. When they opened on a sigh, he slipped his tongue inside and licked the hot, wet flesh of her cheek with his cool tongue. When that brought a groan, he enticed her tongue into a dance with his.

Buffy arched against him in response, pressing her wet cleft against his hardened shaft which earned her a growl. She skimmed her nails along his arms, shoulders and back as she returned the kiss, licking the inside of his cool mouth in return.

Spike broke the kiss to trail more kisses down her throat to her breasts, circling the nipples with the tip of his tongue before gently nipping the hardened peaks, drawing a hissing gasp from his mate. His hands led the way as they moved down her sides, caressing over her stomach, causing the muscles underneath the skin to flutter at his touch. He felt her body arch under him while he kissed his way along each rib, laving his tongue over her stomach to stop just above her pubic bone.

Spike rested his chin on her mound and looked up at his golden goddess from between her thighs. "Luv," he said softly. Then, "Buffy," a little louder to get her attention.

Buffy looked down through passion-glazed eyes to see Spike between her thighs staring at her. "Yes?" She asked hoarsely. That didn’t sound like her voice.
Spike’s fingers had taken up massaging her clit while he waited for her to acknowledge him. He kept eye contact with her as he moved down to run his tongue along the inner lips of her pussy from clit to core and back. He grinned against her flesh when he received a buck of her hips accompanied by a throaty moan.

"Like that, pet?" Spike’s voice was muffled a little as he licked circles along her cleft.

"Yesss," Buffy moaned as she tightened her thighs in reaction to his teasing tongue.

Spike knew she was close again when he had slipped first one, then two, fingers inside her hot sheath. He worked his fingers in and out of her slowly, pressing against her G-spot as he licked and nibbled her clit.

"Oh, God, Spike! Yes," Buffy repeated over and over as her hips rocked and bucked on his fingers and against his mouth. She gripped the slats of the head to lever herself better.

Spike slipped his fingers out and replaced them with his tongue, thrusting his cool, wet tongue inside her heated core and licked at the flesh there, causing her to shudder and convulse against him in orgasm.

"SPIKE! OH, GOD!" Buffy cried as she came, shuddering violently against her mate’s mouth.
Spike prowled up her body with a knowing smirk on his face. He dropped kisses on her perspiring flesh along the way. He settled between her thighs against, pressing his hard shaft against her over-sensitive clit causing her to gasp and shudder again.

Buffy watched his ascension along her body and nearly melted from the heated look his eyes that promised her deepest, darkest fantasies would come true soon enough. Maybe not tonight, but soon.

"Do you know what you taste like, luv?" Spike asked huskily as his fingers little skimmed her flesh from around her breast down her rib to her hip.

Her only answer was to curl her hand around the nape of his neck and pulled him closer to her mouth, kissing his hard and passionately. Her tongue licked her essence off his lips before slipping inside to draw his tongue out to play.

Spike groaned into the kiss, acquiescing to her silent request. He pressed her down into the new mattress and gripped her hips, holding her still while he plunged deep inside her, pressing deeper until their pelvic bones met. They both groaned at finally being connected.

Buffy broke the kiss to moan her pleasure. "Oh, God, Spike, it’s been so long. I missed having you inside me," she groaned as she arched her hips to see if he could get any deeper inside her. She knew it was only moment ago that they were joined, but compared to this, it felt like a lifetime ago.

Spike started a gentle thrusting even as his eyes had rolled up in his head the second he felt her heat envelope his cock. When Buffy had broken the kiss, he let his head fall to rest against her shoulder. He let go of her hips to run his hands up to caress her breasts, pinching the nipples until she moaned and bucked up into his thrusting movements.

"Buffy, you’re so hot and tight, luv. I wouldn’t be surprised if you burned me to ash from inside your tight little body," Spike’s whisper was raspy next to her ear. "Love the way you taste; love how hot and wet you get for me . . . the way you move against me, with me . . . ah, fuck, baby."

Buffy became even more lost in the sensation as her mate’s words encouraged her body to respond to the faster, harder, more demanding plunges of his cock. She wrapped her arms around his back and clawed her nails down the length of his back receiving a low growl in her ear and a harder thrusting that had she been a normal girl would have shattered her pelvic bone. But being the slayer, it only drove her senses to a more intense peak.

"Spike! More, please, baby, deeper!" she cried out as she strained to get him even deeper, her muscles contracting around his shaft.

Spike couldn’t take it anymore, her inner muscles were fluttering around his cock and it was driving him crazy. He growled in her ear as he slammed into her heated depths harder and rolled his hips, causing her to cry out his name in pleasure.

"I’m going to come inside you . . . so hard, baby. My girl. My Slayer. My Buffy! Fuck, I need to …" Spike started to say but was cut off by his mate’s acquiesce.
"Do it, Spike. Bite me. I need to feel you, all of you, inside me." Buffy nearly pleaded.

Spike gave a lusty growl before leaning down to run his tongue over his claim marks, causing her to shudder under him, around him. He groaned at the feeling of her response before gently sinking his canines into his claim marks and slowly pulling the blood out even as his thrusts became hard and bruising.

The double penetration of her mate’s fangs and hard driven plunges of his cock drove Buffy over the edge and her inner muscles squeezed Spike, coming and screaming his name, just before she sank her teeth into her claim mark on his neck.

Spike felt her orgasm course through her body and nearly passed out when her inner muscles squeezed his cock with Slayer strength. Had he been human she would have broken him. To the demon in him, it was pure ecstasy. Between her orgasm and her teeth biting his neck over her claim mark made him come hard inside her.

Spike moved off Buffy so that she could breathe unhindered, but pulled her back against him. "See, luv, the bed survived us in one piece," he chuckled in her ear.

"I knew there was a reason I liked this frame," she teased.

(This ends where Tami Brandt wrote.)

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Buffy met Willow at the university cafeteria. They chatted as they moved through the line getting their breakfast.

"I've got the basics down, levitation, charms, glamours. I just feel like I've plateaued Wicca-wise," Willow said, grabbing a bagel with cream cheese.

"What's the next level?" asked Buffy, glancing at the selection. Nothing in the cafeteria looked good this morning. She wished she could have stayed in bed with Spike, but they were to meet after class to go talk to Giles again. Maybe she could talk Spike into buying her lunch.

"Transmutation, conjuring, bringing forth something from nothing. Gets pretty close to the primal forces. A little scary," replied Willow.

"Well, no one's pushing. You know, if it's too much don't do it,"

"Don't do it? What kind of encouragement is that?" asked Willow sharply, before grabbing a banana out of a bowl of fruit on the counter.

"This is an encouragement talk? My bad, I thought this was a cautionary talk," replied Buffy quickly turning to her friend. Buffy wondered how much encouragement she should be giving her Wicca friend. She decided she needed to discuss this with Spike.

"I don't know. Then again, what is college for if not experimenting? You know, maybe I can handle it. I'll know when I've reached my limit."

"Wine coolers?" asked Oz, coming up behind the girls, surprising them.

"Magic," stated Buffy turning and smiling at the werewolf.

"Ooh, you didn't encourage her, did you?" Oz asked Buffy, who shook her head just a hair.

"Where is supportive boyfriend guy?" asked Willow pouting. She wondered why Oz wasn't being more supportive of her and magic. It hurt her feelings that he didn't have that much confidence in her abilities.

"He's picking up your dry cleaning, but he told me to tell you that he's afraid you're gonna get hurt," Oz said with genuine concern in his voice. He really was worried about his girlfriend, more than she even realized.

Willow smiled, "Okay, Brutus." Oz gave Willow an unimpressed look.

"Brutus ? Caesar?" Willow looks form Oz to Buffy, "Betrayal ? Trusted friend? Back stabby?" Willow made stabbing motions with her banana.

"Oh, I'm with you on the reference, but I won't lie about the fact that I worry? I know what it's like to have power you can't control. I mean, every time I start to wolf out, I touch something......deep.......dark. It's not fun. But just know that what ever you decide, I back your play," Oz told his girlfriend.

"See? Concerned boy, sweet boy," replied Buffy giving her two friends a big smile. She was glad the conversation was about magic was now over, but she still planned on talking to Spike about Willow's magic.

"I kinda like him - worrying anyway," Willow commented, "Spike worries about you, right?"

"Oh ya, Spike is big with the worrying. It's really sweet," Buffy laughed. She glanced around the cafeteria. Her eyes fell on Parker sitting with some of his friends. He sat laughing until his eyes caught her gaze, then he blanched. Excusing himself he got up from his chair and rushed out of the room. He had pushed Buffy and her scary boyfriend out of his mind, right up until he saw her again. Then all the fear rushed back in and he had to get away.

The Wicca, the werewolf and the Slayer sat down to enjoy some breakfast and conversation before class started. Buffy was surprised how well she was starting to deal and cope with college. She knew it was all Spike's influence. Who would have guessed that an evil, soulless vampire would be such a good thing? She got a dreamy look on her face. Willow caught Oz's eye and tilted her head to indicate Buffy's dreaminess.

~~~~~~~~~

Buffy sat through Professor Walsh's class and actually had a clue what the lecture was about because of Spike's help with her homework. Riley was sitting at a desk at the edge of the room. He still made her feel wiggy, so that combined with the looks that he kept throwing her, she felt strange. When class was over, she tried to sneak out without being caught by the professor or her teacher's aide, but no such luck.

"Miss Summers, I wanted to congratulate you on that last paper you turned in," said Professor Walsh as she put her papers in her briefcase.

"Thank-you," Buffy answered, trying to discern what the professors game was, "William helped me study before I wrote it."

"Well, your friend William doesn't seem the type to even have gone to college," replied the professor.

"Oh, William graduated from college in England...he showed me his graduation certificate," Buffy said before she could help herself, her feeling hurt because her mate had been insulted. Buffy chuckled to herself as she remembered the date on the paper was 1876.

"Does your friend have a last name?" asked the nosy professor. She still wasn't completely sure what William was, but she was sure he wasn't human. However, the girl in front of her appeared to be entirely human. Professor Walsh glanced over at Riley, who tapped his watch, shaking his head. Yep, she was human according to Riley's heat detector.

"His name is William Jamison. Look, professor, why are you asking all these questions? I have known William for two years now," asked Buffy. She was getting a little perturbed by all the questions. The professor and her aide were starting to get on Buffy's nerves.

"Just curious," the professor said as she swept out of the room. Buffy almost missed the pointed look the professor gave Riley. As soon as the professor left the room, Riley turned to Buffy.

"So, Buffy, what are you doing for Halloween?" he questioned. Buffy gave him a strange look, which he chose to ignore.

"Going to the Alpha Delta frat party with William and my friends," answered Buffy. She wondered if he was trying to ask her out on a date.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" asked Riley. This was the weirdest assignment that the Professor had ever asked him to do and she had asked him to do some doozies.

"Riley, you can tag along if you want, but I gotta tell you I am with William. He's my boyfriend and I love him," Buffy stated, "Look I gotta go. William and I are meeting......his uncle for lunch. Bye." Buffy rushed out of the classroom, through the hall and out the heavy outer doors where she ran smack dab into Spike.

"What's got you so spooked, luv?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Buffy looked back over her shoulder. When she saw Riley starting to follow them, she grabbed Spike's arm to drag him away.

"The professor and Riley are asking a lot of questions about you. I had to answer or it would have looked even weirder. Those two are wigging me out, Spike." Buffy kept glancing over her shoulder.

"What did you tell them, Slayer?" Spike asked, his senses suddenly on alert along with his mate's. He could feel the anxiety pouring off of her in waves.

"That you went to college in England. The professor insulted you and I couldn't help myself. And she asked your last name, so I had to tell her, because that would have looked really suspicious if I didn't," Buffy rolled her eyes.

"It's okay, luv. What about Captain Cardboard back there?" Spike looked back over his own shoulder, but didn't see anything suspicious. They were almost to the newly detailed Desoto anyway.

"He wanted to ask me out for Halloween. And when I told him we were going to the frat party, he wanted to tag along. I told him you were my boyfriend and that I love you," Buffy suddenly smiled up at Spike, "Mmmmm, where's my kiss?" Spike growled before pushing Buffy up against his car to give her a hot tongue entwined kiss. When she slipped her arms around him under his duster and grabbed his ass, he growled louder. Damn, but she could get to him fast. Spike reluctantly pulled away and opened the car door for his girl.

"Got to go meet with your Watcher, luv, hop in," Spike said.

"Not my Watcher, baby, your uncle. Lunch first, I'm starved," Buffy slid into the car. She was impressed on how nice and clean the Desoto was now. The garbage was all gone, the floor vacuumed, the upholstery was shined, and the windows were free of paint. Spike opened the driver's door and slid in.

"My uncle, huh? That what you told the professor and her doggie?" Buff just nodded and told him it was the easiest thing she could think of.

~~~~~~~~~~~

MEANWHILE AT THE ALPHA DELTA FRAT HOUSE

A frat member walked down the Halloween decorated hallway of the frat house. This year was going to be the best scary maze yet; lots of fun to be had by all, in his opinion.

"Hey, Guy, I come bearing spiders," he told his frat mate, holding up a bag of plastic spiders.
"Great, Chaz, but I don't think this sound system is going to cut it. Pretty lame," Guy said as he fiddled with one of the skeleton props.

"Want me to call Oz? Bet he could hook us up," asked Chaz.

"Do it. If we don't scare the young women they won't fall into our arms. We'll have womenless arms. Halloween isn't about thrills and spills, it's about getting laid," replied Guy, leering.

"Man, dude, is there any holiday that's not about getting laid," questioned Chaz.

"Arbor day. Call Oz, dude."

"Done. And oh, you wanted a symbol to paint upstairs, something mystical? Check this out." Chaz showed an open book to Guy. Guy looked at the symbols and gave his friend two thumbs up.

Thirty minutes later, Oz and Xander wandered into the frat house carrying one of Oz's speakers. They found the frat boys on the top floor in the attic painting the weird symbol on the floor with red, white and black paint. Oz and Xander looked at each other and raised their eyebrows.

"Hey man, thanks for the sound system loan," Guy greeted the other men.

"No problem. Let me get it set up for you," said Oz as he begins to hook up the speaker.

"What's that symbol you got a-going there? What does it mean?" asked Xander, moving towards the nearby table where he found a bowl of peeled grapes. He grabbed one and popped it in his mouth.

"Have no clue, got it out of a book. Hey, don't eat the eyeballs," said Chaz, looking up from his painting. Xander coughed and spit out what he was eating.
"What? Eyeballs?" Xander continued to spit and wipe his tongue on his coat sleeve.

"Ya, peeled grapes, blindfold the chicks, then stick their hands in the bowl and tell them the grapes are eyeballs. They love that," replied Guy.

"And here I was wasting time buying them flowers and complimenting them on their shoes, shoulda just took them around to one of Sunnydale's many cemteries to see what would pop up," Xander turned and winked at Oz, who chuckled dryly, "So, you go through the whole house of horrors downstairs and it ends up here. Sweet. You fratly guys have a nice setup."

"Hey, mighty, mighty Alpha Delts. You should think about pledging," said Guy, looking up from what he was doing.

"Xan's a townie," stated Oz.

"Ah! Townie, huh? Didn't know. He looked so normal. You sure we should let him come to the party, Oz?" asked Chaz as he finished painting the symbol on the floor.

"Hey, standing right here," Xander said. He jumped slightly when scary sound effects start to play loudly. Oz looked at the speakers unhappily. He tilted his head and listened closely.

"Cranking," said Chaz.

Xander looked at Oz, "You're sensing a disturbance in the force, master?" Oz nodded and pulled a folding pocketknife out of his pocket. Flipping it open he moved towards the speakers.

"Ah, the left speaker is crackling a little bit."
"And you feel stabbing it is the proper solution?" asked Xander.

"I'm just going to trim the wire. It might be a short," answered Oz. Xander nodded, starting to turn away when Oz gave a small cry of pain.

"Oz? You okay?" asked Xander, his voice full of concern.

"Cut myself. It's okay," replied Oz, shaking his hand. He walked over towards Xander shaking his hand. A few blood droplets fell on the symbol on the floor, but no one seemed to notice when it rippled. Or when a plastic spider at the edge became real and crawled away

"Playing with knives, fun, yes, but not safe. And when you bleed to death I've got dibs on your equipment," Xander told Oz.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While Oz and Xander where hooking up the speakers at the frat house, Spike and Buffy were knocking at Giles's door. The door swung open to show Giles dressed up in a sombrero and poncho.

"Happy Hallow......Oh, it's you. Hello Buffy, hello Spike," Giles said cheerfully before he noticed both Spike and Buffy staring at his head. He lifted his eyes to look up.

"Oh..My...God," stuttered Buffy, in amazement. She had never seen her staid Watcher in anything quite so......unWatchery.

"It's a sombrero," replied Giles.

"We know what it is, Watcher, just... surprised us is all," Spike tilted his head to get a better view. How he wished he had a camera. Blackmail moments were few and far between.

"And it's on your head," Buffy was still a little off kilter abit. Spike pushed Buffy into Giles's apartment and sat her down in one of the hard backed dining room chairs.

"Yes, well, I would invite you in, but you are already in," muttered Giles as he closed the door, "It seemed festive. Candy?" He held the bowl of candy out towards the Slayer and the vampire. He wasn't sure why he was explaining things to them.

"Giles, you hate Halloween. What's going on here?" asked Buffy finally coming out of her stupor.

"I never said any such a thing. As my Watcher's duties took precedence, I simply haven't taken time to......well, to embrace its inherent charms......until now," said Giles, moving towards a Frankenstein puppet hanging from the ceiling and turning it on. Spike and Buffy continued to give him a blank look, "Look, look! Ha, ha It's alive! See how he shakes? Is..... is there something you wanted?"

"Giles, you called us."

"Oh, oh, right," Giles whipped off the sombrero, "I am having problems researching your Slayer claiming Spike. It's not like I can call up the council and ask for the information you know."

"Why, because they wouldn't want their Slayer mated with a demon?" Spike asked sarcastically. Buffy ducked her head before answering in a mumble, "What was that, Slayer?"

"We, Giles and I, quit the council," Buffy mumbled a little louder, "So with Faith being in a coma and rogue, they technically don't have a Slayer."

"What? When did all this happen, luv," Spike asked his mate, curious about all the things that took place while he was away.

"Giles got fired for thinking of me as his daughter and I quit because they refused........," Bufy broke off, not wanting to mention Angel to her mate. She peeked at him through her lashes.

"Refused to help Peaches. I did notice the marks on your neck, luv. And since there was no claim and you are alive, I figured you did it to heal him," replied Spike, then he noticed the incredulous look that the Watcher was giving him, "Hey, you aren't the only one who graduated from college, Watcher."

"Faith and I had another Watcher for awhile, Wesley Wyndam-Price," this time it was Buffy to notice the look on Spike's face, "What, Spike?"

"Nothing really, just my cousins were the Wyndam-Prices. Strange hearing the name again," said the vampire.

"Anyway, you two, I have a friend at the council who won't report anything to his superiors. I am going to contact him to see if he can get any information for us," divulged Giles, "I will give her a call tomorrow."

"I need to stop by mom's. I bought a costume over the Internet with Willow's help. It was delivered yesterday,"

"You gonna tell me what it is, Slayer?"

"Nope, you are just going to have to wait. Now let's have some lunch before you drop me off at mom's, baby," replied Buffy grabbing Spike and dragging him out the door, "Bye, Giles, talk to you later."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mom, did you find my red cape?" Buffy called out when she entered her mom's house. She hurried over to the dining room table where her mother was using a sewing machine on some red fabric.

"Yes, I did, honey, and your package is right there on the table," Joyce indicated a box on the table. Buffy hurried upstairs to change into her costume. Joyce wondered who Buffy was dressing up for. Her daughter must have a new boyfriend. She just hoped it was a better choice than that last one.

When Buffy came down stairs, Joyce's jaw dropped. The costume her daughter had bought was.......well, it just was. On Buffy's feet were hot red lace up boots, ones that she had bought Buffy on impulse last winter, but her daughter hadn't worn before. Her smooth golden legs were bare except for a sequined red garter belt. Buffy's red satin short shorts and sequined red tube top were topped off by devil horns sticking out of her free-flowing blonde tresses.

"Mom?" Buffy asked in a concerned voice. She hadn't thought the costume would flabbergast her mother so. Buffy had bought the costume for Spike.

"What, honey?" Joyce came out of her daze, "The costume just surprised me. Not what I expected. I hope your new boyfriend likes it," Joyce said slyly.

"I am sure he will like it," Just then the doorbell rang, "Oh there he is. Can you get the door while I make a dramatic entrance, mom?" Buffy hurried back up the stairs. Joyce went to open the door. Her jaw dropped, again, when she saw who was there.

"Spike......" Joyce trailed off.

"Hullo, Joyce. Is Buffy ready to go ye..." Spike trailed off himself when he saw Buffy coming down the stairs. He quickly pulled his duster around himself to hide his erection from the Slayer's mom.

"Yes, dear, I do believe your new boyfriend likes the costume," snarked Joyce. "Where are you two off to?"

"The gang and us are going to a frat house party, suppose to be the scary thing to do on Halloween," Buffy rolled her eyes, "Spike's going as himself, and you see what my costume is. Oz and Willow are supposed to be werewolf and mummy and Xander and Anya the Frankensteins. Oh and that weirdo Riley is suppose to tag along, too."

"Wierdo Riley?" asked Joyce looking back and forth between the vampire and her daughter. She could see the love and desire that flowed between the two.

"He's the teacher's aide for my psychology class. He and the professor have been asking strange questions about Spike," answered Buffy as she put the cape around her shoulders. She picked up a few of her smaller weapons and tossed them to Spike who secreted them away in his pockets. Demons were supposed to take Halloween off, but both Spike and Buffy knew from experience that being on the Hellmouth meant things didn't always go the way they are suppose to.

"Wonder if you will turn into your costume, again," Spike curled his tongue behind his upper teeth.

"God, I hope not," replied Buffy, "We gotta go, mom, thanks for everything." Buffy kissed her mom on the cheek and bounced off the porch towards Spike's car.

"No, wait I want pictures of you two. Let me grab the camera," announced Joyce. Buffy returned to the porch as her mom quickly grabbed the camera off the dining room sideboard. The Slayer and the vampire did a variety of poses for Joyce, including one where Buffy pretended to be scared while Spike held her around the throat while in vampface.

"I'll keep her safe, Joyce," Spike assured the Slayer's mom as they finally said their good-byes and left to meet the Scoobies.

"I know you will, William." Spike gave a small smile before turning to go open the door of the car for Buffy. Joyce wasn't as worried about Buffy now. She had always liked Spike, especially after he came by for that visit last year when he cried over his last girlfriend dumping him.

TBC

At the frat house, Guy was leading a blindfolded girl in a hula girl costume towards a table covered in a variety of bowls.

"Now put your hand in this one, Rach, what is it?"

"You guys are sick," said the girl, Rachel.

"It's eyeballs, Rach. Eyeballs," whispered Guy in his creepiest voice. Rachel giggled, but when she pulled the blindfold off she found her hands were filled with real eyeballs. Her screams echoed through the frat house.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy and Spike waited on the sidewalk on the corner near the frat house waiting for the others. Spike had shifted into his gameface before getting out of the Desoto right after he kissed Buffy absolutely senseless. He growled at her that later it was the Slayer's turn to be captured so the Big Bad vampire could have his wicked way with her. He grinned when he smelled her instant arousal.

Spike was still grinning when Xander clomped up behind them. Xander did his cheesiest Frankenstein imitation which caused Buffy to start giggling.

"Where's Anya?" Buffy asked.

"She is having problems with the bridal hair, so she will be a little late," replied Xander. Then he got a look at Buffy's costume and he was speechless. He gulped and shot a look at Spike that caused Spike to growl and grin at the same time. He was pleased with Buffy's costume but didn't want any other gits to be looking at her; even it was her best friend.

The trio moved closer to the frat where they met up with Oz and Willow coming from the other direction. When Willow saw Buffy's devil costume she asked the Slayer if she had any weapons on her. Buffy leaned into Spike's shoulder.

"My weapon is right here. Fists and fangs. Oh, Riley might show up," Buffy rolled her eyes just as the big dark haired man clomped in out of the darkness.

"Speak of the devil," Xander muttered under his breath. As a group the Scoobies turned to greet the newcomer. They were taken aback by his costume. Riley had dressed as the dreaded Dracula. When he saw the group, he shoved plastic teeth into his mouth.

"I vant to dink yo' blud," Riley said in his best Bela Legosi voice. Spike couldn't contain his mirth so he buried his face in Buffy's shoulder trying to suppress his laughter. Riley looked offended at being laughed at until the laughing man pulled his face away from Buffy. Riley gasped softly. The professor was right. William wasn't human and none of these people seemed to notice.

"Spike, quit laughing at Dracula," Buffy hissed, poking the vampire in the ribs with her elbow.

"Sorry, luv, couldn't help myself after our little conversation last week at the Bronze." Riley watched in astonishment as the hostile kissed the human girl on the cheek and tucked her into his side. She didn't even seem to mind or notice that the hostile had elongated teeth and deformed facial features. Maybe Buffy didn't know that her 'boyfriend' wasn't human. Riley decided right then and there that he must save Buffy from the hostile.

Just then a couple of commando guys stepped out of the bushes carrying guns and wearing goggles. They looked the group over carefully ignoring everyone except Spike, who they leveled their guns at.

"Step away from the hostile," one of them commanded the group.

"That's not a hostile, guys, that's my boyfriend. Why don't you go harass someone else?" answered Buffy. Her good mood was fading fast with the newest threat. When the commando guys shook their heads and refused. She looked at her friends and nodded. They started to mill around slightly. Before the commandos knew what hit them, Buffy had them both unarmed and down on the ground.

"Now I don't know who you guys are, but leave my boyfriend alone," Buffy said through gritted teeth, "Let's party, gang."

"How did you do that?" asked Riley, who was amazed that a small girl like Buffy could take out two of his best men so easily.

"Years of karate training," answered Buffy, airily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the frat house, the partygoers were all running around screaming while the strobe lights were going wild, making everything look creepier than usual. A voice resonated through the house, "Release me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy hurried up to catch up with Spike, sliding her arm into his. She looked up, smiling and let him know through the claim that she adored him above all others. He smiled down at her, and curled his tongue around a fang. They followed behind Oz, Willow and Xander. Trailing last was Riley the Impaler in all his glory.

~~~~~~~~

The party-goers continue to run and scream down the frat house hallways as they attempting to get away from the creepy things coming out of nowhere.

~~~~~~~~

"Let the fun begin," intones Oz his hand reaching for the doorknob.

~~~~~~~~

Guy ran down the hallway screaming, "God, help me." He rounded a corner, tripped and fell down the stairs. He lay at the bottom of the stairs, his neck at an awkward angle, his sightless eyes staring at nothing. The voice resonated through the frat house again, "Release me."

~~~~~~~~~

"The joints not jumping. Where is everybody?" asked Xander once they were all inside. The frat house foyer appeared empty of any people. Laughter poured from a one eyed mechanical head as it sat in a punchbowl on a table next to the door. The rest of the foyer was appropriately decorated for Halloween chills and thrills.

"Follow the signs," said Oz, pointing at an arrow. Buffy looked at the mechanical head with it's eyeball hanging out. She just raised an eyebrow.

"Terrifying," she commented sarcastically, "If I were Abbot and Costello this would be fairly traumatic." Spike chuckled at her wit. That's was one of the first things that he had found intriguing about Buffy; her witty comments.

The group moved through a door into a hallway. Riley brushed against the cobwebs decorating the hallway. The webs tangled in his hair and he shrieked like a girl.

"Get it off! Get it off!" He tore at his hair with his hands. He then noticed that none of the others moved to help him. Riley was getting discontented with this assignment that Professor Walsh had ordered him to do. He had just made a fool of himself in front of these people and it embarrassed him. He hated being embarrassed.

"Well, that part was realistic," commented Willow, looking around the room. She had to admit the decorations were pretty darned good.

"Frat boys aren't too obsessive with their cleaning. Might not be decoration per se," quipped Oz Just then a skeleton brandishing a knife jumped out of the closet attacking Xander. It looked so real he jumped and screamed a little, but when it fell to the floor it was plastic and so was the knife. He stood there panting.

"I wasn't scared, I was in the spirit," Xander said, still panting, his hand over his heart.

"And we'll back you up on that. Even if they question us separately," said Willow, patting Xander's shoulder. Riley noticed how fast Willow was to help and support her friend. Oz looked over at Willow to agree with her, when he saw a tarantula on her shoulder. Willow turned her head and eeped when she saw the spider. Both Oz and Spike moved towards her to brush it off her shoulder. Oz checked her over, letting her know it was gone.

"Okay, that's just not sanitary," Willow grimaced, still shuddering a bit. Big hairy spiders were not on her favorite things list.

"Okay, let's get to the party part of the party," replied Buffy grabbing Spike's hand. Willow and Oz followed closely behind with Willow still asking if Oz was sure the spider was gone. Oz assured her it was indeed truly gone.

The group walked into yet another room empty of people where Buffy noticed a spot on the floor. She pointed it out to Spike, who sniffed the air. Buffy knelt down to touch the stain and Spike knelt beside her.

"Blood, luv. Human blood. This is not good, Buffy," Spike whispered in Buffy's ear. He began to expand his senses, "Humans, two floors up, the fear is intoxicating, Slayer. They are all terribly frightened. And magic, some sort of magic."

"Hey, I thought this lead to......" Oz broke off as he glanced around the room. Okay, he was totally lost now. He could have sworn he knew the frat like the back of his hand.

"What's that on the floor, Buffy?" asked Xander, peering over the Slayer and the vampire's shoulders.
"Blood, real blood," responded Buffy. She and Spike stood up.

"Okay, actual creeps have been given here. Bravo, frat boys," Xander shouted loudly.

"Shhh," Buffy tilted her head trying to hear, "Do you hear something? Like a - squeaking noise?"

"Oh, it's these rented boots, patent leather. I asked the guy to...?" said Xander, pointing down to his Frankenstein boots.

"No, no, I..... Wait. It's something else. I hear it, too. Something like...?" Willow's eyes slowly turn up towards the ceiling. Everyone else looked up, too. There hanging on the ceiling of the room were hundreds of .....bats? Real, live bats.

"Bugger," muttered Spike as the bats began to pour off the ceiling. The gang dropped as a group, except Riley who dropped a minute too late and got a bat caught in his hair. He pulled it out and threw it on the floor, stomping on it. Oz pulled him away from the bat, kneeled down and picked it up. He examined it closely then held it up to show his friends.

"Rubber. It's made of rubber," he replied. Buffy and Spike exchanged looks.

"What is going on around here?" Buffy asked no one in particular. This was getting weirder and weirder. Just another Halloween on the Hellmouth. Buffy looked at Riley who was still a little freaked and shook her head. She still wasn't sure why he was tagging along.

"Look, maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's just a neat trick. You know, something done with wires or...?" stammered Xander out loud, even as he secretly tried to find truth in his words. Everyone looked around startled when a voice echoed through the frat house.

"RELEASE ME!!"

"Or it might be something else.....Freakin' Hellmouth," the last was muttered under Xander's breath as he came out of denial and realized the real truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anya patted her hairdo as she came up the walk of the frat house. She hoped Xander appreciated the trouble she had gone through to look nice for him and his friends. Anya thought she looked quite good in her Bride of Frankenstein costume. When Anya got on the porch of the frat house, she found a welcome mat.......but no door. The wall was solid where the door was supposed to be. Strange. She pounded on the wall.

"Hello," she shouted as she continued to pound, "Anyone there? Where is the door?"

Confused, she stepped back off the porch and peered up at the three story house. In a brightly lit window, she saw a girl dressed in a hula costume pounding on the panes, screaming for help. Suddenly the stones of the house expanded covering the window and the girl disappeared from sight.

"Xander," Anya whispered, "My Xander is in there." Anya knew she needed to get some help. The only answer was Mr. Giles, Buffy's Watcher.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Scoobies plus Riley walked back into the entrance room. They all looked around confused. They had appeared to have gone around in a circle. The sound effects were louder in the entryway. Oz moved over towards some wires.

"Where's the stairs?" asked Willow, pointing towards the spot the stairs used to be at. It was now just a wall covered in fake cobwebs.

"Where's the door?" asked Xander.

"This is the way we came in, right? We just went in a circle?" asked Buffy. She jumped slightly when Oz jerked a couple of wires and the room flooded to silence.

"Thank-you, wolfboy," muttered Spike. His ears were ringing from all the high pitched shrieks on the soundtrack.

"You're welcome."

"OH, I have a neat idea! Let's get out of here," said Riley. He was extremely ready to get out of this strange situation. When the others just gave him a blank look, he decided to be quiet and observe the others. They seemed to not even really notice the strange situation, taking everything in stride.

"And you were the one so eager to tag along," Buffy muttered under breath. She watched as Spike and Oz examined the missing staircase and missing door, their demons consulting each other.

"Seriously, Buffy, we don't know what's going on here," Willow pleaded, "It's making me wiggy and that's not of the good."

"My turn. Does anyone hear that?" questioned Xander, but no appeared to hear him as they went on with thier own conversations.

"As soon as we start dealing with it we'll know what it is we're dealing with. Do you hear something?" stated Buffy, as she started looking around the room to locate the noise.

"Like I said. Sounds like a hissing," said Xander again, hoping he wouldn't be ignored again. Buffy continued as if she hadn't heard Xander speak at all.

"It's like a.. ssss..noise?"

"Gee I thought the word hissing cover it pretty well," grumbled Xander. Buffy peered at the only door in the entryway. She moved to open it and peered inside. Sitting there rocking back and forth was one of the frat boys.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry..." he continued to mutter and rock. Oz came over to sit down on his haunches.

"Chaz?" Oz asked. Chaz turned to peer up at Oz, the terror palpable on his face.

"I didn't know...." he trailed off. Oz looked up at the rest of the gang with a questioning look on his face. Then he turned back to Chaz.

"What's happening?" Oz asked, again. Chaz just began to rock back and forth faster.

"It.....ah......." Chaz trailed off again. He allowed Oz to pull him from the closet.

"What is it?" asked Buffy. She had never seen anyone so terrified before in her life. She glanced at Spike, who tapped his nose and shook his head. He couldn't smell anything in the house except the humans and the magic.

While they were preoccupied, a plastic skeleton holding a knife becomes real. The knife is real, shiny and sharp. The bones are real, white and covered with blood and sinew. Bloodshot eyeballs appeared in the sockets as it straightens its head.

"What's alive? Chaz, what happened here?" asks Buffy reaching out to touch the frat boy on the shoulder. Chaz jumped a mile high, moaning.

"He's in shock," said Xander just as Chaz looked up behind the group and began to scream. Before anyone could move to see what the frat boy was screaming about, the newly risen skeleton stabbed Buffy in the shoulder. Spike jumped toward the skeleton knocking its head off, then kicked it to the ground. As soon as it hit the floor, it turned back to plastic.

"I think the cape took most of it," replied Buffy, as she pulled off the cape. Riley noticed her devil costume for the first time that evening. He gulped as lust filled his system. He stepped back though when the hostile turned his yellow eyes on him letting out a warning growl.

"Let me see, pet," Spike turned her so he could see the wound mark. He wasn't too happy that his mate had gotten hurt.

"Could need stitches. You should at least get a bandage or something," replied Oz as he checked out the wound along with Spike. Spike patted around in his duster pockets and pulled out a couple of big pieces of gauze that he used to tend Buffy's wound with. He stuffed the gauze back in his pocket when he noticed Riley eyeing it oddly. He declared that the bleeding had almost stopped.

Then a girl screamed somewhere else in the house. Chaz whimpered and scrambled back into the closet. He closes the door behind him.

"Cowering in a closet is starting to be a reasonable plan," dry panned Oz, really meaning it. Buffy looked over to the closet door.......but, it had disappeared.
"What closet? It's a blank wall. Spike and I will are gonna make our way upstairs and check on the people there. You guys find a way out of the house and use it." Buffy put her hand out to Spike, who dug a small crossbow and its bolts out of one of his pockets. He handed it to Buffy, who loaded it deftly.
"You are telling us to run away and leave you and Spike behind?" implored Willow.

"We need help. We need the only person that can make sense of what's happening," Buffy said as she peered down each of the halls trying to determine where to go to now.

~~~~~~~~

Giles sat eating the Halloween candy out of the bowl. He was bored out of his skull. Not one trick or treater had come to his door. He was almost embarrassed at how excited he had acted when Spike and Buffy had dropped by earlier. Giles could only hope they were having a more exciting time than he was. He was broken out of his morose mood by an insistent knocking at his door. Giles jumped up out of his chair and hurriedly threw the candy wrappers in the trash. He grabbed the bowl of candy before flinging the door open.

"Happy Hall...ween?" Giles trailed off as a bedraggled Bride of Frankenstein brushed past him into his apartment.

"Xander's in trouble. The gang's in trouble, but mostly Xander," Anya babbled, trying to get Giles to understand what was going on.

"Anya?" Giles just stared at the girl for a few minutes. He was unsure why she was knocking at his door in a Halloween costume.

"Are you listening? Xander is trapped," Anya stated. What was wrong with Giles tonight? He seemed a bit depressed, but Anya decided she wasn't going to dwell on such topics right now. She had a mission, a mission to save Xander.

"Uh, ah, where are Buffy and the others?" asked Giles, trying to get a handle on the situation. Damn it, it was Halloween, nothing was suppose to be happening on Halloween. Giles conveniently forgot that he was on the Hellmouth.

"Oh, they are trapped, too, but we have to save Xander. He's my boyfriend and I want orgasms later," Anya stated, again, more emphatically.

"Slow down, Anya. I need you to be more specific," replied Giles, sitting down and taking off his sombrero. Anya was making little to no sense to him at the moment.

"Ah, we were supposed to meet at this house, and I got there and there was no door where a door should be. And then I see this girl standing in a window, and then poof! She's gone," Anya waved her hands dramatically in the air to emphasis her point.

"She vanished from the window?" asked Giles.

"No, the window vanished from the house," answered Anya.

"Hmm. Matter and reality distortion. Like a summoning spell's temporal flux," Giles said as he rose to pull a book off the shelf. Thumbing through the pages, he found what he was looking for.

"What?"

"Hmm?" Giles said distractedly, and then glanced up at Anya, "Oh, never mind. I just need to get some - supplies together. I wouldn't worry about Xander. At least he's amongst friends." Giles felt the need to reassure the worried ex-vengeance demon.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Will, I'm telling you..." Buffy said as Willow interrupted her.

"You're telling me? You're telling me?" Willow was pissed now. What business was it of Buffy's to tell her what to do? They weren't high schoolers anymore and Buffy wasn't the only powerful one in the group.

"I can't do my job if I have to worry about each of your safety," Buffy said a bit crossly. She couldn't understand why Willow was freaking out so badly right now.

"It's not your decision!" screamed Willow, much to the dismay of everyone else in the room. This was turning into a catfight. One they didn't have time to deal with at the moment.

"Got to disagree with you there," replied Buffy.

"Oh, of course you do. Being the Slayer doesn't automatically make you boss. You're as lost as the rest of us," Willow poked Buffy in the chest with one finger. Oz and Xander started to talk at the same time.

"Let's all take a breath. Buffy, maybe...?" Xander, tried to cease the argument.

"What are we talking about?" Oz asked as he came up behind Willow.

Willow turned to Oz, "It's a simple incantation, a guiding spell for travelers when they become lost or disoriented." Oz's presence calmed Willow a bit.

"And how does it work?" asked Buffy, calming down herself. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all.

"It conjures an emissary from the beyond that lights the way," Willow explained. She was positive she could do this. Now all she had to do was convince Buffy.

"Conjuring? Will, you said you weren't ready for conjuring yet. What if you mess up? Your spells are only 50-50 as it is," asked Buffy, concerned with her friend.

"Oh yeah? Well, - so is your face!" Willow spat back at Buffy. Willow turned on her heels and walked down one of the hallways.

"What?! What does that mean?" Buffy started to follow her friend. She had lost control of the situation and had no clue what was going on. Willow turned around to look at Buffy.

"I'm not your sidekick!" screamed Willow before stomping off down the hallway. Oz shrugged his shoulders at Buffy, running after his distraught girlfriend. Buffy stood there and sighed.

Riley just stood there confused. Conjuring? What did that mean? Willow was human, his radar said she was. Now he was alone with Buffy and the hostile. There was something strange about Buffy, too. She knew too much about Sunnydale's night life. And where had that other guy, Xander, wandered off to?

"A bit hard on the girl, weren't you, Slayer?" asked Spike wondering what was going on with Buffy. She wasn't usually this mean to her friends. Spike knew from experience on how much she loved and trusted her friends.

"Not you, too, Spike? Is it gang up on Buffy day?" Buffy pressed her palm to her forehead. She was developing a headache.

"I am not ganging up on you, luv, just trying to figure out what's going on in your head," replied Spike. This evening wasn't turning out to be the fun filled party it was promised.

"What is going on in my head is, I can't do what I need to do if I am protecting a bunch of people. I thought you of all people would get that," said Buffy, the tone of her voice becoming a bit more irate.

"I do get that, but for some reason tonight you are making everyone feel both used and useless tonight," commented Spike.

"Well, that was a bunch of laughs," Xander said, trying to soothe the ruffled feathers of the Slayer, "Look, Buffy, we are all tired and a little edgy. Maybe Willow is over reacting. But now is not the time to let stuff tear us apart. What I'm saying is, I'm right with ya. I'm right by your side. I'm...?" Xander trailed off as he realized that neither Buffy nor Spike was listening to him. Riley decided at that moment to speak up.

"Look, I don't want to get between you two, so I am going to go search for a way out," he stated, before turning and following the path that Willow and Oz had taken just few minutes before. This night was getting weirder and weirder. Riley knew the report he would file with Professor Walsh was going to be a doozy. He just hoped she believed him.

"Ya, I think I will go with Riley. Let you two fight in private," replied Xander following the college boy down the hall. He shook his head at the Slayer and the vampire. He had a feeling of foreboding deep in his gut that this night wasn't going to end well for his friend and her newfound love.

Xander turned the corner to find himself in a room filled by lit candles and cobwebs. He saw no sign of Riley. He called out but no one answered his calls. When he turned around to return to Buffy and Spike, he found that the hallway he had just passed through had disappeared.

"This can't be good," Xander thought to himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I am just tired of everyone telling me how to do my Slaying. First Giles, and then Angel. Are you going to be one of those who try that, too?" Buffy threw her crossbow down on a nearby table. She stood there with her hands on her hips, magnificent in her fury.

"No, luv, I am not going to try and tell you how to do things. I just don't want you to alienate your friends just because you are feeling a bit bitchy." Spike tried to placate his mate.

"Bitchy. You think this is bitchy? You haven't seen bitchy, Spike," Buffy's voice raised another octave. Spike huffed; this was going to be a very, very long night. Where was the sweet, pleasant Slayer that he had been dealing with the past week or so?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"She thinks I'm not ready to be a full blown witch! I can handle the dark forces as good as anyone else. It's not that hard. I-It's just a guiding spell and I'm careful and all," Willow bitched as she stomped down the hall ahead of Oz. Willow couldn't believe the gall of her friend. Oz looked around the room they just entered, where he noticed something extremely odd.

"This floor used to have windows," he commented.

Willow ignored him as she looked around the room.
"Look. We found the stairs. Buffy didn't find the stairs, no sir!" Willow continued her tantrum as she stomped up the staircase. Oz followed Willow up the stairs, hoping he could calm her down soon, so they could get back on the task of getting out of this predicament they found themselves in.

"You guys aren't thinking clearly....." his voice trailed off as he looked down at his hands.They were hairy and his fingernails were extended into claws. His costume was starting to look real. He was wolfing out, and it scared him. From above him, on the second floor he could hear Willow continue to talk.

"We just need to get up to the goat room and maybe we can..." Oz rushed to the top of the staircase to call out to his girlfriend.

"Willow, something is happening."

"Something good?" responded Willow, turning to look at him, "Oh, no not good." Oz's eyes were large-pupiled and black, his teeth were elongating and the fun he wore for his costume was becoming real. Willow's eyes grew larger and larger as she realized it wasn't a night of the full moon.

"I'm changing," moaned Oz, in fear. He was worried if he changed all the way that he would hurt Willow, especially since they didn't have the tranq gun with them. Buffy and Spike might have been able to help, but they were left behind in the fight.

"But...but you can't! There is no moon tonight," stammered Willow in confusion. There should be no reason for Oz to be turning into a werewolf tonight. Willow wondered Oz was being influenced by the house in some matter. She knew they needed to find out what was going on and soon.

"I have to get away," Oz stated as he began to back away from Willow. He was unwilling to hurt his love while in his bestial state. Willow put out her hand to stop him as she moved closer to him.

"No, we need to find something to restrain you, like a rope or chains, or something....," Willow began to look around the room for something to use in restraining Oz, but he just kept backing away from her.

"There is no time!"

"I can do the guiding spell. I know I can make it work!" Willow begged Oz to understand.

"Will, please...," Oz pleaded. Willow mad a grab for him, shouting no, but to no avail. Oz batted her hand away from his and growled 'no' right back at her.

Willow realized her hand hurt. When she looked down at it there were three long, red scratches on the back of her hand. Oz got a look of horror on his face before he turned and ran away from her.

"Oz! Oz, don't leave me!," she cried as she started to follow him, but when she got to the end of the corridor he was gone; vanished as if he had never been there with her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy realized that both she and Spike were hot-tempered. Didn't their previous fights as mortal enemies show that? Buffy knew that she had been feeling off ever since Angel dumped on her right before the prom and that was no reason to take it out on Willow or Spike. The past week with Spike had been so delightful and enjoyable. She watched him circle the room, his jaw clenched in anger from her hurtful words. Buffy knew she had to make this right, but the words were so hard for her to form. Little did Buffy, or any of the others, realize that whatever the presence was in the house, it was playing on their fears and insecurities.

"Spike, are you going to leave me?" Buffy didn't recognize her own voice; it sounded weak and childish to her ears. Spike jerked his head around to look at Buffy, but she wasn't looking at him. She had torn the devil horns out of her hair and was busily toying with them. Spike could see the profile of her face, her lip between her teeth as she fought back tears.

"Bloody hell," growled Spike, as he crossed the room to stop in front of Buffy. When she didn't look up at him, he reached one hand out to caress her golden hair. When his long pale fingers got to the end of the tress he was holding, he brought the hair to his nose to smell it. This action caused the Slayer to abruptly lift her head and bring her lips within millimeters of Spike's. The lock of hair fell from Spike's fingers just before he dropped them to outline her lips.

"Spike," Buffy whispered, her tongue darting out to touch his fingers. Spike groaned as desire shot through him like flash lightening.

"Not going to leave you over one li'l argument, luv. It's not my style. You and I are bound to have lots of fights, Slayer, it's who we are. I spent a century with one woman, Buffy, but she was never my mate. Not like you are. You are my Slayer, my Buffy, my mate. I will dust before I let anything....anything come between us," Spike closed the few millimeters to cover Buffy's lips with his in a tender, love-filled kiss. He felt Buffy moan and her arms slip around him. Finally Buffy pulled away to rest her forehead on Spike's shoulder.

"I don't know what made me do and say all those things," she whispered softly. Spike had to strain to hear her words clearly. Spike had a sudden thought when he heard her words.

"Think it's the house, luv," Spike replied. Buffy pulled away to look into his eyes. Then a look of extreme concentration crossed her face.

"What happened to Xander, Spike? I don't remember him being with us after the bats attacked us." Spike began sniffing the air. He pulled slightly away from Buffy to glance down both hallways leading out of the room. Buffy placed the horns back on her head and grabbed the small crossbow from the table where she had tossed it earlier.

"Me, either, Slayer, but I can track him. Let's get a move on. We need to find the stairs or something to get to the people upstairs," Spike said, grabbing Buffy's hand in a death grip. He was worried if he let her go she might disappear like their friends had. Still sniffing the air, Spike pulled Buffy down the hall, following the path that Riley had taken.

~~~~~~

Xander hadn't seen another soul in about 10 minutes; he was starting to get very worried. Suddenly he realized he hadn't thought about Anya since being trapped in this scarefest. Xander hoped she was okay, that maybe she hadn't gotten trapped there with them. He walked into a room with a mirror. In the mirror, he saw his reflection.

"There I am. I didn't go anywhere," he told his reflection,"I just have to live with the fact that no one else can see me." He didn't notice that the mechanical head on the table behind him had opened its eyes and was staring at him, blood running out of its sockets. Noting some movement in the mirror, Xander turned to see what was behind him. He just stared at the head in disbelief.

"I can see you," it said, cackling. Xander gathered what little courage he had left and ran back up the hallway he just came down.

~~~~~~~
Willow sat cross-legged on a green gaming table, her eyes closed, and her hands lay limply on her knees. She needed concentration to do this spell. She had to find Oz.

"Aradia, Goddess of the lost, the path is murky, the woods are dense, darkness pervades, I beseech thee, bring the light," she chanted. Opening her eyes, she smiled when she saw a small speckof green light floating in front of her face.

"Woah! I did it! I did you. Hi! - Right, you're waiting for instructions. Lead me to Oz," Willow commanded as it started to float past her. Willow jumped off the table, "Wait! I should try to find the people trapped upstairs first."

Willow failed to notice that her new command caused the one light to break up into two lights. Then it broke into four lights, as she continued to talk to herself, her thoughts jumbled as she considered all the things she could possibly do, "But even if I get them, we still need to find a way out of the house."

The lights continued to multiply, until finally Willow had several dozen little lights swarming around her head. She looked up to begin speaking again, "Okay, here is what we should do......"

Willow trailed off as she saw the swarm of lights. They began to swirl around her head. Willow shouted stop at them, but they didn't respond to the command as they began to swirl around her head even more. The lights closed in on her, but when she went to bat them away, several of them flew into her mouth. She coughed and chocked before running off down a hallway, the lights chasing her like a swarm of bees.

~~~~~~~~~~

Riley was sure he heard Willow scream. He didn't know the girl very well, just from class, but he was sure it was her voice. It was then that he noticed a door. The first one he had seen since the frat boy's closet door had vanished while he was with the others. Riley tried the doorknob, but it was locked. He put his ear up against the door, concentrating he thought he could hear sobbing coming from the within.

Riley decided to batter all of his weight against the door. As he started to move his shoulder towards the door, it suddenly swung open on him. There was no way he could catch himself and instead of immediately falling to the floor, he found himself falling through the air. Riley had come to a sudden stop with a thud. As he laid there winded, he took in his surroundings.

Riley gave a shudder in spite of himself. There was nothing he hated more than basements and this one was the epitome of basements. The cool air smelled dank and musty. Several dim light bulbs flickered in wall sconces casting shadows out across the basement floor. A wine rack full of bottles and wine casks deepened the shadows even further.

"Always alone..." a hollow voice echoed through the basement. The familiarity of the words filled Riley with terror. They reminded him of his late grandfather, who had been a cantankerous old man left alone to raise 5 children on his own after his wife, Riley's grandmother, had died. The wisdom the old man had tried to impact on his only grandson scared the young boy more than helped him.

Riley gasped when he saw the owner of the voice. A young man about his own age shuffled out of the shadows. The unnatural tilt of the neck made Riley realize the boy was dead. Riley scrambled backwards trying to escape the sight in front of him.

"No one here to help you....no friends....no soldiers....nothing. You are nothing...." the dead guy trailed off. Out of the shadows behind him emerged creatures of every shape and size. Riley let out an unmanly scream as the monsters continued to close in on him.

~~~~~~~~~

Anya watched as Giles glided his hand over the wall where the front door of the frat house should be. He wasn't watching his hand as he had his nose buried in one of his dusty old tomes. Anya could feel the impatience running through her system.

"Well?" she asked as she began to fidget. To her it looked like Giles was not doing a thing; just caressing the wall while he read a book.

"We're going to have to create a door," Giles said as he closed the book. He walked over to his bag to reach his hand in.

"Create a door. You can do that?" Anya jumped when Giles turned around with a very Ripper-like smile on his face pulling on the cord of a small chainsaw.

"I can."

~~~~~~~~~

Spike and Buffy hurled themselves down the hallway in search of the staircase or Xander, whichever they could find. They weren't being particularly picky at that moment. Both were startled when they reached the foyer again, where they heard what sounded like a chainsaw. The blonde couple jumped back when sawdust began to fly from where the blade of a chainsaw cut through the wall of the frat house. The wall section fell to the ground and when the dust settled, Buffy began to grin.

"Giles!" Buffy exclaimed excitedly, "You came to save us."

"Yes, quite right. It was Anya who noticed something was amiss," Giles indicated his young companion. She preened under his compliment. Anya patted her hair and smoothed down her costume.

"Anya, great costume," Buffy gave the other girl two thumbs up.

"You, too, Buffy. I bet Spike really appreciates the effort you put into choosing a costume," Anya announced eyeing the Slayer. Spike smirked and curled his tongue behind his teeth.

"Not to break up the mutual admiration society here, I need to know what's going on," replied Giles, flustered after he got a good eyeful of Buffy's costume.

"When we got here there wasn't anyone around," Buffy informed her Watcher, "Then we wandered around lost. We lost the front door, the stairs and each other."
"It's the house, Rupes. I smell fear and magic. There are humans on the top floor, I can smell them," said Spike. "Wolfboy indicated the stairs would be....there."

When Spike turned around to indicate where the stairs were suppose to be, he stopped short with surprise. The staircase had reappeared. Spike and Buffy looked at each other before hurriedly starting towards the stairs, not wanting them to disappear on them. Anya and Giles followed closely behind.

~~~~~~~~

Riley was crawling around on the floor trying to avoid the demons that were attacking him. The voice of the dead boy continued to mock him mercilessly.

"No matter how hard you fight, you always end up in the same place...alone with the monsters. But you are a monster yourself, arent you? Allowing your commander to experiment on you." Riley moaned in terror.

Riley noticed a small door at the other end of the basement. It looked awfully small to him, but he hoped he could manage to squeeze himself through. Shaking off the demons that had a hold on him, Riley scrambled towards the door. He flung it open and was half way out of it when he got stuck.
Riley glanced around the room he was trying to escape into. It was large, had a strange pentagram painted on the floor and other college kids in costumes cowering against the walls.

"Help me," he pleaded, then he noticed one of the boys in the corner rocking himself back and forth was that boy....what was his name....right, Oz, "Oz, Oz, help me." Riley was relieved when the boy looked up at him.

Just then Willow ran into the room screaming, "Get them off, Get them off," as she waved her arms around her head. Willow continued to scream as Oz looked down at his hands. They were normal now, much to his astonishment. He grabbed Willow's arms and held her still.

"Willow, Willow, what's wrong?" he asked. Willow laid her head on his shoulder and sobbed.

"I couldn't get them off."

"It's okay. We're okay," replied Oz, comforting his girlfriend.

"It's not okay," whined Riley, "I am stuck in this door and there are demons after me. I command you to help me." Willow and Oz looked at each other; eyebrows raised, but helped Riley anyway. Once they had him unstuck and upright, his bravado came back.
"We need to get out of here," Riley ordered the other two, "Let's move out."

"What about these other people?" asked Willow unable to comprehend why Riley would want to leave the others trapped?

"There are always acceptable casualties in a mission," Riley stated, causing Willow to gasp. They hadn't noticed Xander sitting on an armchair close by until he jumped up to storm over, poking Riley in the chest.

"There are no acceptable casualties, you moron. I know my opinion don't count, because, hey I am not a college boy, but we never leave anyone behind if we can help it," he shouted.

"I agree with Xander. If you are so eager to find the way out, go find your demons again and have them lead you out," Willow shouted, too. Riley was really weirding her out now. She couldn't feel the wiggy vibes that Buffy and Spike could, but she knew something was off with this guy. Xander turned to her and smashed her to his chest in a big hug.

"You heard that! You can see me! Good. Oh God, good."

"The house separated us...it wanted to scare us. What happened to Spike and Buffy?" Oz informed the others.

"Buffy and Spike were fighting so Riley and I left them alone. Stupid, stupid us," said Xander, letting go of Willow finally. Riley nodded, not wanting to piss anyone else off.

"But....we got away, right?" asked Willow.

"No, we were brought here. We were all so scared we ended up here. Why?" said Oz

"They were painting that. Remember Oz. They were copying it out of that book over there," Xander first pointed at the pentagram on the floor and then to a book, which he went over to pick up. Willow hurried to his side and took the book from him.

"I think it's Gaelic," she muttered, shaking her head, "I think I can....maybe....translate.." Willow trailed off with an unsure quality to her voice.

"RELEASE ME," rumbled through the house. The group looked around for the source of the voice but found nothing out of the ordinary in the room. "RELEASE ME!"

"Okay, Wills, give us something,"

"Um....Okay....Um....the icon's called the Mark of Gachnar. I think this is a summoning spell for something called...."

"Gachnar?" Xander asked, causing Willow to glance up with a look of concentration on her face.

"Well, yes. Somehow the beginning of the spell must of have been triggered. Um....Gachnar is trying to manifest itself....to come into being," Willow replied.

"How?" asked Oz.

"I-it feeds on fear," replied Willow, not looking up as she continued to try to translate the words in the book.

"Our fears are manifesting it," Oz thought out loud, "We're feeding it. We need to stop." Xander suddenly fell into hysteria.

"If we close our eyes and say it's a dream it'll stab us to death. These things are real," Xander's voice could be very shrill at times, especially times like this.

"At least they aren't trying to date you," said Willow. When Xander whirled to look at her, she had a look of innocence on her face. Before Xander could say anything the voice rumbled through the house again, this time louder and deeper.

"RELEASE ME!"

"Okay, I gotta plan, guys. Everyone grab someone and we will get out of here," replied Oz. This wasn't fun and games anymore, kiddies.

"Great plan. Let's go!" shouted Xander, moving towards a boy cowering near the doorway. The walls began to knock and shake. As Xander walked towards the door, it burst open revealing Giles, who was holding a running chainsaw, Spike, Buffy and Anya. Xander jumped a little but was soon engulfed by a hug from Anya. He turned to the others.

"Giles....Everyone, it's Giles. With a chainsaw. Glad you could make it. All of you," he said. He was happy to see that Anya was okay.

"The walls closed up behind us," replied Giles, as he turned off the chainsaw and put it down, "Spike helped us find you." The others, except Riley, nodded at Spike. Giles went to Willow to take the book out of her hand, "Ah, Gachnar, of course. It's presence affects the reality of the house, but it's not managed to achieve full manifestation. We can not allow this to come into being."

"But we can fight it, right?" asked Buffy, lifting her hand to cover the hand Spike had on her shoulder. Giles crossed the room to show them a picture in the book. It was a drawing of an ugly creature, big and bulky and all together scary looking.

"Guys, this is Gachnor."

"I don't want to fight that," said Buffy at the same time Spike said, "Slayer and I can handle that." Buffy looked back over her shoulder and shook her head, "I so don't feel like fighting in this costume, Spike. Can we break the spell?"

"Whatever we're going to do, can we do it fast? I wanna have some fun for a change," groused Xander. He was still hanging on to Anya for dear life. Xander had watched how his friends had included Anya in everything since they had recently started dating. It dawned on him that they were very accepting of Anya and so right then and there he decided that Anya was really his girl. He was going to treat her like his girl. Xander smiled down at the girl at his side and dropped a kiss on her forehead, in front of everyone.
Giles began consulting the book again. He rapidly turned the pages back and forth until he found what he was looking for.

"I have it, I have it. Um. The summoning spell for Gachnar can be shut down in one of two ways. Destroying the mark of Gachnar...." Giles trailed off as Riley strode across the room to punch a hole in the floorboards where the pentagram was painted. He looked around the room with a proud smile on his face. Maybe this would make the group accept him so he could continue the mission that Professor Walsh assigned him. Giles raised his eyebrow at the boy before continuing, "Is not one of them and will in fact immediately bring forth the fear demon itself."

The others made faces at Riley before looking at the painted pentagram which began to glow. Someone shouted, "Look," as the floor rumbled. All the group could do was look at the floor in horror. Gachnar is ugly, uglier than his picture, but in a few seconds horror turned to mirth as the Scoobies realized that the fear demon was only about 6 inches tall.

"This is Gachnar," asked Buffy trying not to laugh. She turned to press her face into Spike's shoulder, muffling her laughter.

"Big overture. Little show. Wish all our demons were like this," quipped Xander. He and Anya were trying not to laugh. They hung on each other, giggling.

"I am the dark lord of nightmares! The bringer of terror! Tremble before me! Fear me!" screamed the little demon in his now diminished voice.

"He's so cute," giggled Willow. She bent over as if she was going to pet the little demon.

"Tremble!" it shouted again.

"I'll show you something to fear," said Spike, bending over to get in the demon's face. Then he switched from vamp to human to vamp again. The little demon screamed in terror. Then of course Xander had to put in his two cents worth.

"Who's a little fear demon? Come on. Who's a little fear demon?" he asked, then he looked up at the others, "This is kinda fun."

"Don't taunt the fear demon," demanded Giles. He was shaking his head at Xander's and Spike's antics. Xander was only just 19, but what was Spike's excuse? How old was Spike anyway?

"Why, he can't hurt us," said Xander.

"No, it's just tacky...."

"But Spike started it," whined Xander. Spike rolled his eyes as the Watcher continued as if he didn't hear Xander.

"Buffy, when it comes to slaying..." Giles broke off when Buffy interrupted him. She glanced at Spike giving him a little 'I'm sorry' look.

"Size doesn't matter?" Buffy questioned.

"He doesn't really love you, you know," the fear demon tried once again to gain the upper hand.

"Yeah, yeah," groused Buffy as she lifted one booted foot to stomp and squish the fear demon. She lifted her boot from the slime and wrinkled her nose.

"Love ya, kitten," Spike swept her into his arms and kissed her. The scoobies chuckled at the uncomfortable Watcher as they waited for the blonde couple to stop kissing. Riley wondered how they could let their friend kiss the hostile, until he remembered that he had called her slayer. Riley couldn't wait to report in to Professor Walsh.

~~~~~~~

Buffy was sitting on Spike's lap in one of Giles' armchairs; they were sharing bites of the candy. Xander and Anya were sprawled on the couch while Oz and Willow sat in the hard back chairs at the table.

"Some quality treats here, Giles," said Oz, as he grabbed another piece out of the bowl. He ripped the wrapper off before tossing it in his mouth.

"Please, finish them," Giles muttered distractedly. He was still attempting to translate the book the pentagram came from.

"Mmm, there is no problem that can not be solved by chocolate," groaned Buffy as she ate another piece of candy, "Anyone want to hit the Bronze? I am so ready for some after-slayage partying."

Hands slowly rose up into the air, indicating everyone else was ready for some partying, too. As they all rose to get ready to go, Giles exclaimed loudly, "Oh bloody hell. The inscription."

"What's the matter?" asked Buffy with a concerned voice. Giles moved over to her and handed her the book.

"I should have translated the Gaelic inscription under the illustration of Gachnor..." Giles continued to shake his head at himself.

"What does it say?" Buffy looked down at the picture. Spike came over to look at the book. He chuckled.

"It says actual size," he informed the Slayer. She just shrugged her shoulders and closed the book. She handed the book back to Giles, grabbed Spike's hand and dragged him out of the apartment on her quest for post-slayage fun.

Spike unlocked the door of his Sunnydale house. He wasn't sure what he expected when he got home. Technically Buffy was still rooming with Willow at the campus, so Spike was pleasantly surprised to open the door to the smell of vanilla and Slayer. He noticed a small table in the entry way with a small pile of unopened mail. He glanced into the living room to notice that the Slayer had added an armchair, end tables, lamps and a coffee table. On the coffee table were her school books, spread out as if she had been interrupted while studying. That's when Spike noticed the note taped to the television screen.

Spike,

Went to see Xander at his new part time job. Should be back by 11. Love ya.

Buffy.

Before Spike could decide if he was going to go find his girl or not, he heard noises at the door. He went on alert before hearing Xander's voice float in to the living room. The gang couldn't be too careful now, especially after the strange commandos had tried to take Spike on Halloween. No one went anywhere alone after dark and they were all now armed with cell phones. The gang even came up with different codes to mean different things.

"Whatever you do, Giles, don't tell Spike or Anya that Buffy sniffed me and said I smelled good. I am quite attached to my parts," Xander pleaded with the Watcher. Spike used his vamp speed to appear in front of Xander, who yelped in surprise. Xander stuttered for a moment before shooting an imploring look at Giles.

"We had an incident tonight involving Buffy," Giles informed Spike. The Watcher's words caused Spike to use the claim to check on his mate. When he reached into the Slayer's mind all he found was an overwhelming reference to beer. Apparently she was still in Giles's car attempting to make the voices that had come out of the radio return.

"Ya, the bartender had his warlock brother-in-law magic up the beer at the bar and it turned Buffy and a few other people Neanderthal like," Xander blurted out. He didn't want the possessive vampire to maim him. In spite of himself, Xander gulped loudly when Spike quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, quite right. Buffy did appear to sniff us. She did tell us we smelled nice, but weren't her "boy". I do believe she meant you, Spike. By the way, how did the meeting with the appraiser go?" asked Giles. His face blanched when he heard the sound of metal twisting from the driveway. The Slayer was getting a bit rambunctious with his car. Xander took matters into his own hands.

"Buffy, Spike's here!" Xander shouted. The three men heard a screech from the general direction of the car. This gave Spike a chance to prepare himself for the incoming Slayer. He was a bit surprised by Buffy's appearance. Her usually neatly combed hair was a tangled mess and she loped towards him hunched over. Willow trailed behind Buffy, shaking her head. Buffy rushed up to Spike, grabbing the lapels of his duster and shoving her face into his neck. She inhaled deeply before gently biting down on Spike's neck. Buffy pulled back to look into Spike's eyes.

"Spike smell nice. My boy," Buffy grunted as she began to caress Spike's body, oblivious to the red faces of her friends. She hopped up on his body, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She once again buried her face in his neck. Spike wished that the Scoobies would leave, but by the looks on their faces he knew they had some important things to talk about. He gestured them all inside, closing the door behind them. Willow played hostess since Buffy was incapacitated.

"You were going to tell us about your meeting, Spike," prompted Giles as he accepted a drink from Willow. Spike was sitting in the newly acquired armchair, his lap full of Slayer. Willow and Xander sat on the couch, while Giles had commandeered one of the dining room chairs.

"Ya, there was some jewelry of mystical nature in the treasure. Most of it is at the Wolfram and Hart's showroom ready for auction. Anything I thought we could use is in the trunk of the Desoto with its paperwork. You might want to take a look at it, Rupert," replied the vampire distractedly. He was having a heck of a time keeping Buffy's hands off of things she didn't need to be touching in front of her friends. And little did they know the naughty images that Cave Buffy was sending Spike through the claim. It was lucky thing he was a master vampire, otherwise he might start to display some of his animal instincts right along with his mate.

"Was there anything that Joyce could auction off?" asked Willow. She giggled a little. It was funny watching the usually cool vampire grimace in frustration.

"Already left it with Joyce," Spike answered Willow as he tried to block out a spectacularly vivid image of Buffy sucking his cock as she ground her pussy down on his face. That was when Xander decided to pipe up with some disturbing news.

"Riley and some of his buddies were at the bar tonight bothering Buffy and asking questions. I recognized a couple of his buddies' voices as the two that tried to take Spike outside the frat house," Xander informed the group. When Buffy heard Riley's name, she growled and all the naughty pictures ceased being sent. Spike was surprised to see her eyes flash gold flecks.

"Boys smell bad," Buffy growled. Spike looked at Xander for an explanation. Xander just shook his head not knowing what Buffy meant either. Hopefully once she was back to normal, they could get a better explanation out of her.

"I think we need to take some stronger measures to insure that these commandos, Riley and Professor Walsh don't catch us unawares," Giles announced, "Willow, is there anyway you can hack in to find out all the info that you can on these people?"

"I will get right on it, Giles," Willow informed the Watcher. She needed something to get her mind off of Oz. His preoccupation with the female singer of the group playing at the Bronze had stoked Willow's jealousies. Willow was a little jealous of Xander and Buffy's budding relationships with Anya and Spike as hers with Oz appeared to be starting to implode. A sob caught in her throat as she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

When she was out of the restroom, Giles and Xander were standing at the front door ready to leave. Spike was there talking to the men, while Buffy was circling the living room. She seemed particularly interested in one of the pictures her mother had taken of the duo on Halloween. The group said their goodbyes and left the Slayer and her vampire alone.

Spike slipped off his duster, tossed it on the staircase newel and moved stealthily up the staircase. About halfway up the stairs he sing-songed, "Sllay-errr." Spike heard an answering growl from the living room. Buffy moved into the entryway just in time to catch Spike's t shirt as he moved further upstairs. She pressed the cloth against her face, inhaling deeply. The scent of her mate made the juices pool at the apex of her thighs. Buffy ripped the offending clothing from her body until she was gloriously naked.

Buffy sprinted up the stairs almost tripping over Spike's boots at the top of the stairs. She stopped to sniff the air, her eyes flashing yellow as she followed the scent of her 'prey'. Just inside the bedroom door Buffy sighted Spike's pants lying haphazardly on the bed and heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. She stealthily moved to peek through the bathroom door. Inside, she saw an equally naked Spike pouring bubble bath into the quickly filling tub.

Buffy took a quiet step forward as she watched her oblivious quarry swirl the bathwater to increase the amount of bubbles. The sight of his finely toned back, his tight rounded buttocks, and his long muscular legs caused something deep inside Buffy to emerge. Her mouth watered as she imagined tasting every square inch of his magnificent body, using both her tongue and her teeth. When Spike bent over to turn off the faucet, Buffy launched her attack.

In the last instant, Spike turned and was shocked at the sight of his mate. Her naked golden, toned body was as exquisite as ever, but it was her gold laced eyes and miniature fangs that really got Spike's attention. The growl Buffy emitted as she launched herself at him went straight to his cock. Her weight hitting his body caused him to stumble backwards, his butt hitting the edge of the tub. Spike's arms reached up to surround her body as she wrapped her legs around his midsection, his hard cock rubbing against the crack of her ass.

Spike slid their combined weights back into the tub as Buffy buried her face in his neck. She once again inhaled his scent deeply as if she was trying to commit it to memory. Spike groaned and his eyes rolled back in his head when he felt her tiny fangs enter his neck. His very last thought before lifting Buffy up to plunge her body down on his hard shaft was that Giles would be very interested in this latest development. Spike surged up into her core as she began to ride him, squeezing her inner muscles to milk him towards a fast and hard orgasm.

"Mine," growled Buffy as she pulled away from Spike's neck, licking the bite marks closed. Buffy could feel the power of his blood coursing through her veins as it began to slowly displace the effects of the Neanderthal inducing beer. Buffy's mind cleared just enough to wonder what was happening to her.

"Yours," Spike rumbled back at his mate as he spilled his seed deep inside her. The combination of being away from her for a few days, the images she had sent him earlier and the feel of her newly acquired fangs in his neck caused Spike Jr not to diminish any of his hardness. It was rigid and raring to go again. Spike's demon rippled to the surface and he sank his fangs into his mate's neck renewing the claim.

"MINE," roared Spike, as he felt Buffy tighten her heated channel around his cock as she came. She fell against his chest, nodding as she whispered, "Yours," to him. As Spike's gameface melted away he noticed that Buffy had installed an adjustable showerhead in the bathtub which he quickly grabbed to begin wetting down her hair. He washed the dirt and leaves out of her long blonde tresses as she continued to nuzzle against his neck. Buffy's fangs retracted and her eyes returned to their normal hazel-green color.

"Buffy has fangs. Why?" she asked. Buffy's mind was slowly regaining her normal thought processes, but the area of her brain controlling her speech patterns was lagging behind the rest of her brain. Spike rinsed the shampoo out of Buffy's hair.

"Not sure, luv. We will let Rupes know about it, maybe he can relay it to his friend," answered Spike, "Are you starting to feel better?"

Buffy nodded against his neck. She got a little smirk on her face and began sending naughty images to Spike again, which caused him to groan and his cock harden even more inside the hot, molten core of his mate. It was her turn to groan.

"Bed. Buffy want bed," Buffy moaned. Spike stood up, not removing her from his cock, and all Buffy could do was groan. It felt so good, so right. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, holding on for dear life. Spike carefully stepped out of the tub onto the bathmat. He grabbed one of the big thick towels, drying them off as best he could. Putting his hands on Buffy's hips, he carried her into the bedroom.

Buffy bounced slightly on Spike's cock as they walked towards the bed, causing ripples of pleasure to course through her body. She was sure Spike was doing it on purpose, so she decided to give as good as she was getting. Buffy tightened all her inner vaginal muscles around Spike's painfully hard rod. It was a good thing they were next to the bed when she did this action because it led to Spike's knees buckling. The couple fell heavily on the bed causing Spike's shaft to slide further into Buffy's slick wet channel.

Spike pulled all the way out till the head of his cock teased the entrance of her pussy. When she whimpered from the loss, he rammed himself home, scooting them across the satin sheets. Buffy squealed from the glorious invasion and tightened her arms and legs around him as she wiggled beneath him.

"Hang on to the slats, pet, this is going to be the ride of your life," Spike whispered in her ear as he slipped his hand under her butt cheeks, preparing to give his golden goddess the shagging she deserved. Buffy slipped her hands around the slats, keening wildly as Spike began a punishing pace. She whipped her head from side to side as the tendrils of pleasure built inside her. Spike watched Buffy's face as the beauty of her orgasm built. Buffy's eyes drifted closed as his name spilled from her lips in a song of exultation.

Spike closed his eyes in concentration as Buffy's pussy tightened painfully around his aching shaft. He wasn't ready to cum yet. He wanted to enjoy his woman far into the night. Lost in his own inner efforts to calm his raging needs, he didn't notice that his mate had loosened her hands from the slats until he was flat on his back with her above him.

Spike gazed up at Buffy from under half-closed eyelids. He was continually astonished by both her physical beauty and her sensual nature. Buffy grabbed his wrists to bring his hands to her breasts. Spike weighed each breast in the palm of his hands while his long pale fingers tweaked and twisted the rosy peaks. Buffy's hands fell to Spike's abdomen, creeping up the toned muscles until her fingers reached his dark, masculine nipples where she in turn tweaked and twisted them.

Buffy's hips began to move involuntarily as ripples of desire ran down through her body. It was now her turn to watch Spike's face as he fought against his impending orgasm; that just wouldn't do. Buffy tightened her inner muscles around Spike's cock. Unbeknownst to her, her green eyes laced yellow and her fangs descended which called to Spike's demon. Through hooded eyes, Buffy watched as her mate's ridges and fangs surged forth. She thought he was even more handsome in vamp face; so deadly, so sinister, so breathtaking.

Spike's hands drifted down to her hips as he thrust harder into her core. He felt like he needed something more to fall over the edge and spill his seed inside his mate. Spike didn't understand what was going on with Buffy, but what ever it was it fascinated him. He had never heard of a claimed human developing fangs before.

Buffy fisted her hands in Spike's hair, pulling his head to the side. The pale column of his neck fascinated her. Pulling him up to her, she licked his throat with long swipes of her tongue. Spike emitted a purring growl at her ministrations as his hands slipped around to the middle of her back and up to fist his hands in her hair as well. Spike's roughened tongue caressed Buffy's neck, causing the same reaction to pour forth from the Slayer. Almost simultaneously the mated pair struck, biting each other hard and deep.

Their mutual orgasms slammed through their bodies with a mystical force unlike anything the pair had ever felt before. They both feel the blood power flowing through them. To Spike, the Slayer's blood tasted more supercharged; filled with an almost overwhelming amount of potency. He licked his bite marks as he pulled away from her neck and that was when he saw the iridescent green-gold glow of her eyes.

"Your eyes are glowing, luv," Spike managed to pant out. He was having a hard time catching his unneeded breath from the force of his orgasm, which to his disbelief still hadn't subsided, and from the blood now coursing through his veins. Buffy pulled away from Spike's throat as well, her entire body power-amped like it had never been before. If she didn't know better she would have sworn she had stuck her finger in a light socket.

"So are yours, baby, a beautiful blue-gold color," Buffy murmured. Spasms still coursed through her body as she continued to feel Spike's throbbing cock spurt his cool seed inside her hot channel. Spike fell back, boneless, pulling Buffy down with him. Her head rested on his shoulder, her face buried in his neck, her lips and tongue laving the marks she made on his neck.

"Damn, Slayer, you sure know how to wear a bloke out," whispered Spike, caressing Buffy's hair and back with loving strokes. Never in his unlife had he been so happy as the day Buffy consented to be his mate, but tonight was a close second. Spike had felt an uncanny feeling about this Slayer that first night in the Bronze; a feeling that she would change his life forever. And she had in the very best way.

"Buffy tired. Buffy sleep," Buffy whispered back before falling into a deep sleep atop her mate. Her body, mind and soul satiated for the first time in her life.

Buffy finished up her breakfast just as the doorbell rang. Putting her plate in the sink, she hurried to answer the door. Joyce was coming by to drop off some things she had found while 'cleaning' the basement, so Buffy wasn't surprised when she saw her mother standing there with her hands full. Joyce thrust a coat rack towards her daughter and bent over to pick up a box. Buffy quickly put the it in the corner of the entryway. Then she grabbed Spike's duster off the newel post and put it on the newly acquired coat rack before turning to help Joyce.

"There was some man with a camera taking a picture of me earlier today. I only caught a glimpse of him because he tripped," Joyce whispered, jerking her head slightly backwards through the door, indicating the bushes across the street.

Buffy peered over her mother's shoulder, but didn't observe anything out of the ordinary. Not understanding why, except for some basic instinct, Buffy sniffed the air. A familiar scent wafted through the air; a scent reminiscent of Riley and his pals from the night before. Buffy glanced into her mom's eyes, nodding.

"Hey, mom, we really needed a coat rack. Spike has been using the staircase," Buffy said acting as normal as possible, as she took the box her mother was holding. Buffy noticed the box was filled with china so she carried it to the kitchen and placed in it on the counter. Following Joyce back outside the two women set to work bringing several boxes into the house from Joyce's Jeep.

"This is your Grandma Summers's china. She wanted you to have it," announced Joyce as she started to carefully remove the dishes from the box she had just set down on the counter. Buffy nodded as she moved to fill the sink with hot sudsy water.

"Spike said that he dropped some jewelry by for the gallery," commented Buffy as she put some of the china in the sink. She turned off the faucet and sunk her hands into the water. Buffy found washing dishes relaxing; a mundane task in a hectic life.

"Yes, he did. I looked over the schedule and the next free time available for an auction won't be until late January," Joyce informed Buffy as she handed her a stack of bowls.

"Cool. The other auction is scheduled for just after Christmas," replied Buffy, as she dipped into Spike's mind to find out what had happened while he was away in Los Angeles.

"Good news is that the commission coming from the jewelry sale insures that I won't have to travel over Thanksgiving,"

"That's great, mom," Buffy said excitedly, "I was planning on inviting everyone over here for dinner. That is if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. Just let me know what you need," replied Joyce as she handed Buffy the last of the china. She grabbed a dishtowel to begin drying the washed china. Buffy indicated which cupboard to put it in and in a matter of minutes the two Summers ladies were finished with their task. The boxes were broken down to put in the recycling bin.

Spike came downstairs to find his two favorite women discussing holiday plans. He absentmindedly dropped a kiss on Buffy's forehead as he passed by her. Spike rummaged through the fridge for something. He wasn't particularly hungry at the moment; he just had the munchies. And he was totally uninterested in blood.

The topic of blood got him to thinking about how the Slayer's blood had tasted last night. It was changing from when they first mated; getting more powerful. Spike couldn't believe he was still supercharged from the few mouthfuls he had swallowed the night before. He was broke out of his inner musings when Joyce said his name.

"Spike, I think the quality of the jewelry you brought by the gallery requires a black tie event," Joyce informed the vampire. She took several brochures out of her purse to hand to the vampire, who studied them for a few minutes before throwing them down on the counter.

"Sounds good, Joyce. I want to see the Slayer in a formal gown," Spike answered, waggling his eyebrows at Buffy.

"You should have been here at prom time then, Spike. Hellhounds and formal dresses," Buffy said primly as she blushed under his hot gaze. She turned her back to him and picked up one of the brochures to glance through.

"Did you ever have a school event not get interrupted, pet?" Spike asked as he slid his arms around Buffy's middle, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Few and far between. My favorite was Back to School Night. That little event got me out of a grounding," Buffy smirked as she rubbed her cheek against Spike's.

Joyce enjoyed watching the level of affection she was observing between her daughter and her boyfriend. She had known there was something different about Spike ever since the night that they were formally introduced. Joyce remembered, from his visit the year before, the flash of awe in the vampire's eyes when Buffy had the wooden spoon pressed tightly against his chest. She had wondered then and there about Spike's true feelings for her daughter.

"The auction will be held in late January. I will hammer all the details out and get back to you. Now, you two lovebirds, I need to get to the gallery," Joyce informed the couple. They followed her to the front door where they waved good-bye to her from the porch.

Buffy pulled Spike to the porch swing where to the casual observer they sat in silence, just enjoying each other's company. In reality, Buffy was relaying to her mate the memory of the scents she had committed to memory earlier. The mated pair had been so busy with other business lately that they hadn't had time to fully explore the side effects of the claim between them. They soon settled on the agreement that wards against electronic devices were needed at all the Scooby residences. It was something else that needed to be discussed with Giles.

"Time to go see Giles, luv," said Spike as he stood up and pulled Buffy to her feet. They grabbed their coats, locked up the house and got into Spike's car. The pair kept careful watch on the streets behind them as they drove through Sunnydale and were not surprised to see a sedan tailing them.

Parking outside Giles's apartment, Spike and Buffy casually strolled through the courtyard as if they were unaware that they were being followed. Spike knocked on the Watcher's door and they were quickly ushered inside where they also found Willow, Xander and Anya waiting for them.

"Where's Oz?" asked Buffy as she took a seat at the dining room table along with Spike and the others. The table was littered with book, Willow's laptop and doughnuts from the local Winchell's.

"He's watching that other group practice," Willow answered, her voice tinged with enough jealousy to cause the others in the room to stare at her. She returned to her laptop without noticing her friends were looking at her. None of them had realized things weren't going too well for the Wicca and the werewolf. The silence was deafening until Xander broke it with a report on his part-time construction work at the fraternity house.

"I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary, but they sure do clam up whenever I am around. That's pretty suspicious, if you ask me. My pseudo army training tells me those boys are very regimented, too," Xander informed the group as he shoved a doughnut in his mouth.

"This is even more suspicious," said Willow, her eyes glued to the screen of the laptop, "Professor Walsh and every member of the Lowell House fraternity transferred into UCSunnydale about 6 months ago. In fact the fraternity itself is only 6 months old."

Speculation flew around the room until Giles stood and began pacing. The Scoobies all quieted down as he took off his glasses to begin polishing them. They watched as a myriad of expressions passed over the Watcher's face before he began to speak.

"Normally I would say that these commandos would be a tremendous help against our war on the evil here in Sunnydale. However, the fact that they tried to take Spike in front of witnesses and with the attitude that Riley showed towards Buffy, I do not believe this is true," pronounced Giles.

"My mom... saw someone taking pictures of her this morning," piped up Buffy as she chewed on her lip, "And... I could smell them outside the house. Whoever it was smelled exactly like Riley and his buddies."

"Hey, what exactly do you mean you can smell them?" asked Xander.

"I mean, I can smell everything better now, but only when I focus on it," Buffy answered, closing her eyes in concentration, "Giles, you had some whiskey... it's been a few hours though. It's there but not that strong,"

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at Spike who sniffed the air in the direction of the Watcher. He nodded before speaking.

"Last night before bed, right, Rupes?" asked the blonde vampire of his fellow Englishman. Giles nodded and his eyes settled back on Buffy, who closed her eyes again.

"Willow, I can smell your power and Oz on you. Actually I can feel the power, too. It's kinda scary," Buffy gasped, her eyes popping open. Spike moved closer to put his arm around Buffy who gazed at her Watcher with tear glazed eyes, "Giles, she needs some guidance. I just had an image of Willow in my mind. Black hair, black veins, black eyes and way scary powers."

Giles stared at both the girls in speculation. Something important was happening here; something that would change the world. He had an inkling of an idea as to what was going on with Buffy, but he needed more facts. Giles made immediate plans to contact the coven in Westbury, England, where his childhood friend, Althanea, lived. She would be able to either send someone or recommend someone to come to Sunnydale to guide Willow.

"What about us?" Anya asked, indicating herself and Xander. Buffy's forehead wrinkled as she took in the scents of her other two friends.

"Xander just smells human, but I can smell the demon you used to be, Anya. And even though you both showered I can smell the..." Buffy broke off as she blushed deeply. She turned her face and hid it against Spike's shoulder. There were some things about her friends she just wasn't ready to know.

"Strawberry glaze. Right tasty by the smell of it. Sticky. Hard to wash off of some places," Spike finished for the Slayer, his smirk and tongue curl in place. Payback was a bitch, too, as he sent his own naughty images to Buffy. Images of her licking and sucking strawberry glaze off of his hardened cock. Her instant arousal both inflated and soothed his ego.

"Do you have any other heightened senses?" Giles directed the conversation back to the important topics on hand. He had an idea that his Slayer and her vampire had a mental connection that far transcended anything in the Council's recorded history.

"I haven't tried them, Giles, but I am sure they are. There's something else I need to show you guys, but you have to promise not to freak," answered Buffy.

When all of her friends had agreed, she nodded to Spike who slid into game face and growled possessively at her. Buffy knew she hadn't full control of whatever was happening to her yet, and she needed Spike's help to show it to her Watcher and her friends. Buffy felt her fangs descend and while she couldn't feel it she knew her eyes were taking on the same iridescent green-gold glow Spike said they had exhibited the night before.

"Wow, you are so pretty," Anya informed the Slayer before anyone else could speak, "I heard about this happening to a Slayer about 600 years ago. She was older than you, though, and the Watchers did a ritual to try to help her but she didn't survive. They were calling her a sulta...sulna...sul..."

"The Slayer Sultana. Yes, I have heard that legend. In the entire history of the Council it has only happened about six times, usually when a Slayer reaches the age of 21 or 22. None of them have survived the transformation," Giles finished trying to keep the trepidation out of his voice, "How are you feeling otherwise?"

"I feel awesome, Giles. Really powerful," replied Buffy, allowing her fangs to recede as she glanced slyly at her mate, "Spike has something to tell you."

Spike glanced at the Slayer and sighed. Sure, her friends were pretty accepting of him, but he hoped the next little tidbit didn't get him staked. As a whole the group hadn't really discussed the claiming or his feeding habits.

"Slayer's blood is changin', becoming much more powerful," Spike carefully gauged the reactions of the people surrounding him and found himself once again glad that things had changed between him and Buffy, "'m still charged from what we exchanged last night and that's never happened before. Ever."

This time it was Spike that got Giles's speculative look. He studied the vampire as he mulled the information of the meeting over in his mind. Things were getting complicated. But when were things ever easy on the Hellmouth. Making up his mind that the materials he had on hand were not going to aid him in the research that was needed, Giles picked up the phone to make an overseas call.

"Reggie, yes, it's me Rupert. You remember the item we picked up at that estate sale years ago? I want you to bring it to me here in the States. No, no, don't mail it, I need it delivered personally. Of course I will pay for it. Oh and bring the Apotropaic Prophecies, too. Remember, mum's the word on this," Giles spoke into the phone for a few more minutes. When he hung up he turned to the Scoobies assembled in his apartment, "I think we should try and go about doing things as naturally as possible. Stick to the rules and hopefully we will all come out of this safe and sound."

As Buffy was speaking to her Watcher and Willow about the phone call that needed to be made to the coven in England, Spike sidled up to Anya.

"Where did you get that strawberry glaze, demon-girl?" Spike asked as he eyed the Slayer across the room. Nothing like some afternoon delight to make them both happy. He grinned when Anya let him know exactly where to get the sticky confection. Spike was across the room and pulling Buffy out the door, only giving her enough time to wave at her friends as he dragged her across the apartment complex courtyard.

~~~~~~~~~

The Slayer watched through hooded eyes as her vampire prisoner struggled against his bonds. It had been a fierce battle, but in the end the best man... er, woman had won. The vampire had struggled violently against her as she tied him to the bed, snarling and flashing his fangs at her. However, when the Slayer had ripped the clothes from his body, his cock had betrayed him; hard and weeping pre-cum.

The vampire watched his Slayer captor with feral demon yellow eyes. He couldn't believe he lost to the Slayer, but she hadn't dusted him. Instead she had dragged him home, tied him to her bed and stripped him of his clothes. It was then that she discovered the damned organ between his legs that betrayed his lust for her golden body. The delight in her eyes had been palpable and the vampire worried about a virtue he had long since abandoned.

"You belong to me now, vampire, and if you hope to make it out of this encounter undusty you will do everything that I want you to do," growled the Slayer as she picked up two squeeze bottles, one filled with strawberry glaze and the other with caramel.

The vampire groaned as the Slayer stalked towards him, her high perky breasts bobbing enticingly. His captor stood over him generously squeezing the sticky sweet confections over his torso and cock. The Slayer's feral grin scared him just a little, but he had to admit he had never seen anything so sexy before in all of his of his unlife. His cock jumped and hardened even more as the Slayer suddenly straddled his hips; her hot moist mouth attached itself to a nipple.

The Slayer moaned as the dark masculine nipple hardened under her tongue and the cock between her butt cheeks jumped, spreading strawberry and caramel over her ass and lower back. She rose up slightly so the tip of the vampire's cock nudged the entrance of her quim; with a sudden downward thrust she filled herself to the brim. The slayer swirled her hips a few times to spread the toppings evenly.

"Look at that, you Big Bad vampire, you got my nice, clean pussy all dirty. Now you are going to have to clean it all up...with your tongue," announced the Slayer.

The vampire couldn't believe his luck; he was going to be able to sink his face between the Slayer's legs and be allowed to suck the juices from her sweet cunt. He watched as the Slayer moved so her pussy hung over his face and her lips hovered over his cock. Oh my God, he thought, this Slayer was so fucking hot. What had he done in his unlife to deserve such pleasurable torture?

The Slayer lowered her pussy onto her prisoner's face and moaned as she felt his cool tongue slip into her folds. She could feel his fangs digging into her flesh but she couldn't bring herself to care; it felt so damned good. The Slayer fisted the girth of the vampire's sticky cock in her small hand as she began to lick the sweet glazes from the head. It was hard to remember exactly what she was doing with the vampire between her thighs attacking her clit so vigorously.

The vampire had a hard time keeping his mind his appointed task when the Slayer engulfed his raging hard on with her hot little mouth, her tongue swirling the head on every down stroke. Between the Slayer's sweet pussy writhing on his face and her heated mouth on his cock, the vampire had to work to concentrate on getting his wrist bonds loose. If there was a vampire anywhere in the world that could give the Slayer what she deserved, it was certainly him.

The Slayer didn't know what felt better; the feel of the vampire's massive cock between her lips or the feel of his lips on her clit. As her orgasm hit her, the Slayer was shocked to feel hands holding her hips, her pussy mashed even harder to the vampire's face. She tore her mouth off of him and screamed her pleasure aloud. She would have collapsed against him but her survival instinct took over. The Slayer launched herself off of the bed and leapt towards the door.

The vampire tore off his remaining bond even before the Slayer was halfway across the room. Using his supernatural speed, he knocked her down onto her stomach on the floor beneath him. Now the captor was the prisoner and the tables were turned. The vampire tangled one hand in the Slayer's long golden hair as he stretched his hard body out on hers. Lifting her head he began whispering in her ear.

"Now you belong to me, Slayer, and if you want to get out of this alive you will do exactly as I say," growled the vampire, delighted when a shiver of desire and fear passed through the golden body below him.

The vampire kneed the Slayer's legs apart and used his free hand to lift her hips enough for him to slam his cock home in her tight, wet quim. The feeling of her heat surrounding him was almost more than the vampire could endure. He began a punishing pace and as he raced towards his completion, he was delighted to feel her walls begin to flutter with her own orgasm.

The Slayer moaned with desire from the forceful invasion even as she still tried to escape the vampire. But the hand in her hair, the hand on her hip and the weight of the body above her prevented movement. She could do nothing but lay there and take the battering cock being rammed into her pussy. But she wanted something more and soon she was begging for his fangs.

The vampire stared down at the fierce warrior below him. He would have never guessed that a slayer would want to be bitten, but who was he to deny her? Twisting her hair in his fist, the vampire pulled the Slayer's head to the side, exposing her neck to his perusal. He could hear the blood pumping through her veins and smell how much her arousal increased at the thought of having his fangs attached to her neck. The vampire moved in to lick the neck in front of him and then sunk his fangs into the soft, succulent flesh.

The Slayer cried out in pleasure as soon as the vampire sunk his teeth into her neck, her body shuddering in orgasm. His cock felt like it had increased in size inside her as her walls tightened around his girth. The feel of his cool sperm flooding her insides caused yet another wave of orgasms to run through her body. She collapsed beneath the vampire's body totally spent and uncaring what he did to her now. His deep growly chuckles in her ear caused shivers to run up and down her spine.

The vampire didn't think the Slayer's quim could get any hotter or tighter, but as she began to come it certainly felt like it to his tortured rod. He shot his cold seed deep into her pussy causing even more shudders to pass through the little slut's body. Boy, she had it bad for the Big Bad. He chuckled as she collapsed beneath him in defeat. He pumped against her body as his cock continued to spew forth inside her. The vampire began to slow until he collapsed in triumph.

"I love you, Spike," Buffy whispered weakly as she tried to catch her breath. She gave a small kiss to the bicep closest to her.

"Love you, too, Slayer. Better get into the shower if we plan on getting to the Bronze on time, though," replied Spike, as he too tried to catch his unneeded breath and returned her kiss upon her shoulder.

~~~~~~~

The Scoobies were gathered around a table chatting, when Buffy and Spike showed up a few minutes late. Buffy blushed crimson red and Spike smirked evilly when Anya asked Spike if he found the strawberry glaze at the grocery store. Sensing Buffy's total humiliation Willow quickly averted the attention of the group away from the Slayer.

"The Bronze is more fun this year, isn't it?" Willow asked the group as a whole.

"'Cause of the gloating factor alone, you know? We're all about college now. We've got heady discourse," replied Buffy as she and Spike sat down at the table. Buffy scooted her chair as close to Spike's as she could so he could put his arm around her comfortably.

"Yeah. Curfew-free nights of mom and pop-less hootenanny," Oz answered in his usual stoic voice.

"Right. So if college is so great, what are we doing here and why is it more fun?" asked Buffy. She was glad she and Spike had grabbed their drinks on the way to the table because it gave her something to do with her hands. This was the first time she had been in a large crowded place since her transformation had started and she was glad Spike was there to help her cope.

"Because the Bronze is nice and familiar. It's like a big comfy blanky," Willow rationalized. Wednesday wasn't usually a Bronzing night for the Scoobies, but for some reason Oz had invited everyone out for the evening. Willow had to wonder what her boyfriend's ulterior motives were.

"I was under the impression that I was your big comfy blanky," Oz remarked. He felt bad asking Willow along to watch another woman sing, but he just couldn't get that Veruca chick out of his mind. His confusion weighed heavily on him. Oz hoped he wasn't making a big mistake.

"Aw, you're my, my person blanky. This is my place blanky. You know, with all the shock of the new, it's nice to have one place that you can come back to where everything's predictable," Willow said, trying to soothe her boyfriend.

Giles entered the Bronze. It had been quite awhile since he had entered the Bronze on anything other than Watcher business. He looked around the club until he saw the Scoobies sitting around a table chatting. Giles knew he was going to be the odd man out, but he was getting bored with how his life was drifting along. Boy, he really needed a job or maybe a girlfriend.

"Hello," Giles greeted the group as he walked up to the table.

"Giles, trouble?" Buffy asked in surprise. She was happy to see Giles out of his apartment. He had been a bit depressed ever since they had blown up the high school the spring before.

"Oh, no, Buffy. Don't get up. No. Nothing like that. No, I just, you know, I thought I'd drop by. Uh, latte anyone? On me?" Giles pronounced, causing the entire table to look at him in shock.

"So much for your predictable blanky theory, Will," Buffy snarked gently to her friend.

"Sorry," Willow answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Splendid. Well, it's ages since I've been to a gig. Well, don't look that way. I'm...I'm...I'm down with the new music. And I have the albums to prove it," Giles informed the group as he pulled up a chair to the table.

"Yes, but it's your cutting edge 8-tracks that keep you ahead of the scene," Buffy teased her Watcher. She had come upon Giles, Spike and Oz talking about Giles's record collection the week before. She thought it was great how the guys were bonding.

"I've seen Giles' collection. He was an animal in his day," Oz replied as he held his glass up in a toast.
Spike held his glass up clicking it against Oz's glass and Giles's glass as Giles thanked the other two men for their support of his music tastes.

"Hey, why not? If the stones can still keep rolling, why can't Giles?" Buffy teased Giles gently making him blush just a little.

"Exactly!" Giles exclaimed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. The gang seemed pretty accepting of his presence and, after all, it wasn't like he was the oldest person in the group now.

"I think it's brave that you're here, Giles," replied Willow. She glanced at Oz who was watching the stage intently. His eyes glued to the woman fiddling with the microphone stand. Her seething jealousy twisted and turned inside her heart and mind.

"Well, thank you, all. You've made me feel right at home," commented Giles, smiling at the group. He noticed Oz's preoccupation with the stage and Willow's preoccupation with Oz. Giles lifted an eyebrow at the others, who all shook their head, unsure themselves of what was going on.

"Veruca's playing tonight," Willow said, the venom dripping from her voice. Her tone shocked the rest of the table as Oz appeared blissfully unaware of how his girlfriend was feeling.

"Yeah. Every Wednesday. I told you," Oz said, distractedly, unable to take his eyes from the stage.

"So, Oz, what about the Dingoes? When are you guys here again?" asked Buffy hoping to get Oz's attention focused back on the group, but to no avail.

"Oh, we're up next Friday," replied the werewolf, not even turning to look at Buffy. He didn't even notice the group looking at him in astonishment.

Veruca's band started to play and she belted out a song with the ease of a seasoned performer. The girl did have amazing stage presence, which Giles even commented on. The rest of the group watched Oz and Willow's byplay with growing unease. Oz's staggering preoccupation and Willow's tearful jealousy was not a pretty site to behold.

Buffy decided to use this opportunity to test her new senses. She concentrated on the woman singing on the stage and sniffed the air delicately as not to bring attention to herself. It was hard for the Slayer to separate the scents in the crowded room with her newly heightened senses, but with Spike's mental prompts she soon had Veruca's scent isolated in her mind. She raised an eyebrow at Spike. Yep there was something different about the chick.

Willow couldn't control her feeling any longer, so with tears streaming down her face, she jumped up and raced towards the woman's bathroom. Buffy tipped her head to Anya and the two women stood up to follow their friend to the restroom.

Using a napkin to make a quick note, Spike let Giles and Xander know that Veruca was a werewolf. He shoved the note in his pocket just as Oz turned back around to the table.

"Where's Willow?" he asked, a bit worried that he hadn't seen her leave the table. He didn't know what it was about Veruca that entranced him. It was as if she cast a magic spell to entrap him.

"The birds went to the loo," replied Spike, indicating the direction the three women had traveled, "Refills anyone?"

Spike took the drink requests to the bar. When they were ready he picked them up and started leisurely back to the table. He could see that the girls had returned to their chairs already. Spike stopped mid-stride as a now familiar tingle shot through him. Riley and several of his cohorts were somewhere in the Bronze. Spike sent a little jolt of information to Buffy who in turn informed the rest of the table. Spike slipped into his chair just as Riley and two of his frat buddies strolled up to the table.

"Hey Buffy, did Professor Walsh tell you the good news yet? She loved your last paper so much she wants you to lead a discussion next week. You get to work with yours truly on it," Riley informed Buffy. When Professor Walsh gave him the assignment Riley was thrilled. This meant he could get closer to the petite blonde girl who caught his attention and possibly convince her that her boyfriend was up to no good.

"No, can't say that she has, Riley. Guess she will tell me in class tomorrow," Buffy said as she shrugged her shoulders. She leaned into Spike's side and smiled up at him, letting him know he had nothing to be jealous over.

At that moment, two dark haired women appeared out of the crowd with a blonde woman. The two darker women's bearings looked almost military as they escorted the blonde between them. The blonde woman kept her face hidden behind her curtain of hair.

Buffy knew instantly that the blonde was a vampire, but her scent was entirely hidden by the same smell that clung to Riley, his buddies and now the two newest members of his group. Buffy held back a gasp when the blonde raised her drugged eyes to the group and acted as if she didn't recognize any of them.

Something was definitely wrong with the vampiress in front of her; something that could happen to her mate if they weren't careful.

"Hey guys, I forgot to tell you that my aunt is coming to town next Thursday," announced Buffy to the group, using the code phrase they had devised for trouble. Little did the Slayer know that the entire table had gone on quiet alert as soon as they had seen who the blonde woman was.

"Ya, we realized that ourselves," replied Xander.
Buffy nodded and then jumped to her feet. She walked over to the blonde woman to pull her to the table. Buffy set her down in her now unoccupied seat and sat on Spike's lap before dropping a bombshell on Riley and his buddies.

"Harmony, I haven't seen you since graduation. I thought you went to LA with Cordy," said the Slayer, causing the vampiress to look up at her in confusion.

"Harmony, I haven't seen you since graduation. I thought you went to LA with Cordy," said the Slayer, causing the vampiress to look up at her in confusion.

Riley looked at Buffy in surprise. This was unexpected. Professor Walsh had picked this particular vampire to test for two reasons The first being that Riley could pass himself off as on a date and the other was that the vampire didn't act particularly smart so there was no chance of her messing up the mission.

"You know... Harmony," Riley asked, using the name that Buffy had used.

"Yep, we all do. We went to high school with Harmony. Didn't we?" replied Buffy. Buffy looked pointedly at Willow and Xander who both nodded.

"No, I haven't seen Cordelia since graduation. I have to go see my mom and dad on Thanksgiving or dad will cut off my allowance," Harmony said just above a whisper, her usual shrill voice and bravado at a minimum. Her eyes darted back and forth between Buffy and Riley. Harmony knew she was a vampire and evil, but she would rather the Slayer dust her quickly than go back to the labs with the soldiers.

"Your parents are paying you an allowance? Don't they know about your condition?" Riley blurted out before he could stop himself, earning dirty looks from his fellow commandos.

"What condition would that be, Riley?" Willow asked.

"Allergies... Um she has terrible allergies," Riley stammered. He was so busy clamoring for an explanation that he failed to notice how the commandos took note of his slip.

"I saw Cordy while in L.A.," Oz said quietly, "She was with Angel."

"You didn't tell us that," Willow replied. She glanced at Buffy to check out the reaction this news brought about, but Willow was happy to see that the Slayer didn't even flinch. In fact all she did was cuddle up closer to her newest vampire lover.

"Forgot until just now."

The sound of a beeper filled the air and everyone turned to watch as Riley grabbed the offending object out of his pocket. He read the message and then gestured to his buddies to leave. Riley stepped towards Harmony and grabbed her arm roughly.

"I want to stay here and catch up with my friends," Harmony whined and then pouted prettily, "Please, Riley Poo... " Harmony wasn't above using every weapon in her small arsenal. She turned a pleading look to Buffy and Spike hoping that the pair would take the hint. She was ready to pledge her allegiance to Spike if they helped her.

"Yes, we would love for her to stay, Riley," replied Buffy.

"No, she really can't stay. She must return with me," Riley stated as he began to drag the blonde vampiress out of her chair.

"Allegiance. I pledge it, Spike. Please," Harmony cried out loud. She wasn't a smart girl and she had been abandoned by her sire, but she knew that what she just did would bind her to Spike as a loyal servant. This wasn't her first choice as a solution to her problems, but as her 'master' Spike would feel obligated to protect her.

"Allegiance granted," growled Spike as he and Buffy rose as one entity, "Now, you pillock, leave the girl alone and toddle off to whatever business you need to attend to."

"No, I won't leave her here," Riley blustered as he attempted to pull Harmony away from the table again. Much to his surprise the men seated at the table also stood in a show of fealty to the thing that Riley knew was an undead creature of the night. His mind could not wrap itself around why they would show such loyalty to it.

"She doesn't belong to you. As the Master of Sunnydale, I do not allow those loyal to me to be harmed in any way," Spike snarled. The vampire and his friends advanced a step or two towards Riley which caused him to drop his hand from Harmony's arm.

Harmony jumped away from the commando and moved to the other side of the table. She was so glad she wasn't going to go back with the creepy guy that she didn't care if she was in the company of geeks. Her Blondie Bear had accepted her allegiance. It didn't matter anymore that she couldn't have him as her boyfriend; both he and his mate would protect her now.

"Master of Sunnydale? What the hell is that?" Riley snapped in impatience. Professor Walsh would have his hide for losing the hostile.

"Great demon hunter you are. Not knowing what a Master is," Xander snarked as he shook his head.

"Demon hunter? Why do you think that?" Riley's eyes bugged out as he realized his cover was blown. Oh ya, Professor Walsh was going to be really, really pissed off.

"We have our ways," Buffy hinted. She glared at the commando, daring him to say another thing.

Riley stared at Buffy for a few minutes before turning and following the path that his buddies had taken a few minutes before. His mind dredging up every little tidbit of information that the Initiative had gleaned from the vampiric hostiles. The only conclusion that Riley could come up with was that the blonde male vampire must have thrall. A powerful thrall that could encompass an entire group of people. He knew he had to figure out a way to break it.

"So you are the Master of Sunnydale, again," Buffy stated as she turned to her mate. She gestured to the chairs and the group settled down again now that the threat had departed.

"Only master vampire in town, luv. You got yourself quite a rep goin' for slaying masters," Spike bit his lower lip lightly and winked at Buffy, "Why do you think I came to town to kill you in the first place?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you going to be okay with this, Giles?" Buffy asked as she watched Harmony poke around the Watcher's apartment. She pulled the man into a small hug as she slipped a note into his hand which he immediately palmed and read.

"Yes, this will be fine," Giles answered both the verbal and the written question, "Spike has ordered Harmony to not harm any humans and to drink bagged blood, so I have nothing to worry about."

The need for wards against electronics had slipped the Slayer's mind until the confrontation at the Bronze earlier this evening. Buffy had written a small note to the Watcher but just now found an opportunity to slip it to him.

"Come on, Slayer, let's get a move on. It's a perfect night for a walk in the moonlight," Spike grumbled as he stomped out his cigarette.

"Ya, ya, hold your horses," Buffy grumbled, "Gotta get a move on, Giles. Mr. Impatient over there wants to go for a 'stroll'."

Buffy waved at Giles and watched as he closed the door of his apartment before she turned to look at Spike. She moved towards him in an entirely predatory manner. His eyes flared yellow as he watched her slink towards him.

"You wantin' to play, kitten?"

Buffy nodded as she moved closer and closer towards her mate. When she reached him instead of kissing him like he anticipated, she fell to her knees to nuzzle his jean clad crotch. Mmmm, he had been right; the strawberry glaze was hard to wash off and the smell still lingered. Buffy's mouth watered with memory and in anticipation of having her mouth on Spike's cock for the second time in so few hours.

Spike silently groaned as Buffy opened his jeans and pulled out his hard shaft. His eyes drifted shut as she began to caress his dick with her heated hands and wet mouth. Wanting to feel how she was pleasuring him, Buffy nudged against his mind until he opened it to her. She could feel how the pressure of her hand gliding along his satiny skin made him shiver, how the heat of her mouth against the sensitive head made him shudder, and how the quick flicks of her tongue along the veins on the underside made him shake.

Spike, for his part, could tell how much his Slayer delighted in giving him pleasure, how she enjoyed the length and girth of his cock in her mouth, the taste of him with or without the strawberry glaze. Buffy was so responsive physically, Spike wondered if she was mentally, also. Through the claim he worked hard to make her believe he was stimulating her nipples with his fingers. He was rewarded with a groan and a quick rub of said nipples against his legs.

Buffy's nipples tightened and began to ache as she felt Spike's mental manipulation of them. She rubbed them against his legs in hopes of some relief, but all that did was make her hornier. Buffy gently bit down on Spike's cock, causing him to lose what little control he had and cum in her mouth. She swallowed down his ropey emissions, taking delight in the delicate flavor. She leaned back a little and watched as he tucked his flagging hard on back into his pants.
Buffy's hands were about to stray to her aching nipples when she got a slight mental chiding causing her to drop them back down to her sides.

No, Spike didn't want her to touch herself; he wanted to do all the work himself. He peered down at his oh, so responsive mate at his feet. Her head was thrown back, hair hanging down her back to her butt, and her neck exposed. Her breasts were thrown out, nipples hard and her thighs were spread wide. Spike could smell the arousal pouring off of her. She was so hot, so wanton, so perfect.

Through the claim, Spike began to once again to start his ministrations on Buffy's nipples. He thought about gently twisting them, biting them with both blunt teeth and fangs, about licking them with his soft human tongue and his rough cat-like demon tongue. He slipped into game face to see Buffy better. She squirmed, her hands fluttering around by her sides like captured birds, yet never straying where they didn't belong.

"Please, Spike, please," Buffy begged.

"Guess you are the begging kind after all, Slayer," Spike growled playfully.

"Only for you."

Spike continued the mental assault on his golden goddess's breasts and moved his mind lower to between her sweet thighs. He thought about putting his mouth on her clit as he fingerfucked her hitting that secret bundle of nerves inside, how her juices tasted of honey, how tight she felt around his cock.

Buffy began to writhe in an overload of pleasure. It was as if she could feel Spike's lips on her nipples and her clit at the same time, his fingers and his cock jammed tightly into her pussy. Buffy moved up and down as if he was beneath her for her to ride. She only needed one thing for release now.

Spike could feel his mate's overwhelming need for his fangs in her neck. It felt right because he had the very same need. He knew sometimes humans became addicted to the bite and visited vamp whorehouses to get off, but he knew this wasn't the case with Buffy and him. They were only addicted to each other. In his mind, Spike moved his teeth to Buffy's neck, licking and tasting the salty skin, and when he mentally plunged his fangs into her he was surprised to find that his mouth actually filled with her incredible blood.

Buffy felt Spike's teeth enter her neck and the strong pulls as he took her blood. She could feel the tendrils of pleasure spiraling outward from her womb, her clit, her nipples, her neck. This orgasm was going to be so overwhelming she hoped she would be able to walk home afterwards. She jammed a hand in her mouth as she mentally screamed Spike's name over and over as she crested the wave of pleasure. Buffy felt her fangs descend and her night sight made the darkened courtyard seem like day. She could see that Spike's fangs hadn't touched her, that he was peering down at her with his yellow-demon eyes, that even so there was a small trickle of her blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Mine. My Sultana," Spike growled.

"Yours." Buffy gasped, "Mine. My Aurelian"

"Yours." Spike nodded.

The Slayer and the vampire felt the mystical connection between them tighten and become stronger. They both knew at this point nothing could break the claim; not the Watchers, not Angelus, not even death. The two of them were bound together sharing everything - including Buffy's soul.

Spike pulled Buffy up to stand on wobbly legs and led her out of the courtyard to the street. He was surprised his strong Slayer would allow him to help her until he looked down at her face on his shoulder and saw the sappy smile of a very satisfied woman. Spike let his game face fade away as they moved towards the crowded downtown. A flash of red caught out of the corner of his eye which caused him to turn his head where he saw Willow hurrying out of the cemetery that he knew Oz was housed when he was wolfie.

"Luv, Red's not looking too happy over there," Spike murmured.

Buffy lifted her head from Spike's shoulder and nodded when she saw her friend frantically looking down the street in both directions. The Slayer and the vampire crossed the street to where Willow was standing.

"Where's Oz, Wills?" Buffy asked. She had to snap her fingers in front of Willow's face to get her full attention.

"I don't know. He was extra agitated tonight so I went to get some more tranquilizer darts and when I got back he had escaped from his cage," Willow informed her friends. She was frightened for Oz. What if the commandos captured him?

"Okay, let's circle around and check the woods. That's where he usually ended up the few times he has escaped," replied Buffy.

They set off towards the woods, circling around a couple of Sunnydale's many cemeteries before passing by the UCSunnydale campus. Each one had thier senses on high alert on the lookout for Oz. Within a few minutes they saw Professor Walsh searching through some bushes.

"Hello, is there anybody there?" Professor Walsh called out. She stumbled as a big, dark furred creature jumped out of the bushes, snarling at her. The professor jumped back as she threw her bookbag at the monster. Turning she ran in the opposite direction, only to stop short at the sight of another hairy creature, only this one's fur was more of an auburn color. Professor Walsh jumped to one side when the lighter haired beast leaped at her. She landed in the bushes and hid, keeping quiet in hopes that the two things would attack each other. And in turn, would forget about her.

Buffy, Spike and Willow watched with astonishment as the two werewolves rolled around on the ground fighting, the professor forgotten. They growled, snarled and tore into each other with ferocious determination. Neither one got the upper hand, but in a few minutes one of them pulled away from the fight to lope into the woods. The remaining werewolf shook its head and followed.

"We have to go after them. 'Cause he might get hurt or hurt someone else. I mean, what else could they be doing?" Willow cried, but when she noticed the look that Buffy was giving Spike she knew that there was something her friend wasn't telling her, "Oh no, you guys don't think... but it's Oz, and Oz wouldn't because... because he's Oz. The other one is a female, isn't it?" Willow's voice took on a dejected quality.

All Buffy could do was give a little nod and watch her best friend since she had moved to Sunnydale fall apart. Buffy took one of Willow's arms and Spike took the other so that they could lead the red-haired girl to their house where they settled her in the guestroom. Her quiet sobs could be heard the rest of the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ms. Summers... I want you to prepare to lead a discussion group next class on your paper's topic. That was smart work," Professor Walsh informed Buffy as she handed back papers.

"Oh yes, Riley told me last night at the Bronze," Buffy replied distractedly as she watched a listless Willow fumble with her books, "William and I discussed the paper quite extensively so I shouldn't have a problem discussing it."

"Mr. Finn informed me you went to high school with the young... woman he took out on a date last night," Professor Walsh said in a questioning voice. Walsh was hoping to get Buffy to slip up while her attention was on her friend, Ms. Rosenberg.

"What? Ya, we went to high school with Harmony. We didn't run in the same social circles back then, but graduation changed things," Buffy jerked her attention back to the professor, "Sorry, we have to go. We are meeting someone for lunch. Thanks, Professor Walsh, catch ya later."

Oz had called early that morning searching for Willow. He had been relieved that she was at Spike and Buffy's house and that he hadn't attacked her when he had escaped. They made plans to meet for lunch at the little cafe just off campus. Buffy and Willow walked quietly through the campus, each one lost in their own thoughts.

Buffy wondered how she could help one of her oldest and best friends cope with the days ahead. She didn't think that Oz had meant to do anything with Veruca, but from the Slayer's recent experiences she knew the call of the wild was strong and powerful. Buffy heard a small sob from Willow and turned to see a crystalline tear flow down the Wiccan's cheek.

Willow was worried that she had lost Oz, that the female werewolf interested him more than she did. She hadn't felt this inadequate since her failure to catch Xander's attention so many years ago when Buffy had moved to Sunnydale. A little tear leaked out of Willow's eye and down her cheek.

"Willow... "

"What if he leaves me, Buffy? I will be alone again," Willow sobbed.

"You are never alone, Willow. You always have me and the rest of the gang," Buffy tried to soothe Willow, "Now let's go see Oz. He will explain everything and it'll all work out. I promise."

Willow let out another hiccupy sob before nodding and allowing Buffy to lead her off campus towards the cafe. She stopped suddenly when she saw that Veruca was sitting at the table. Oz looked embarrassed and kept glancing around as if he was looking for someone, while Veruca scooted closer and closer to him touching his arm as she did.

"I can't do this, Buffy," Willow cried before she turned and ran back the way the two girls had come.

Buffy sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, especially since Buffy didn't exactly have any good advice to tell either Willow or Oz. Until Spike, her own love life hadn't been stellar. Buffy decided it was time to test her hearing and began to concentrate on Oz and his companion.

"You really should come meet my... pack, Oz. You just have no idea how it feels to belong. To be with others like you. Family," Veruca purred seductively.

"I have family here, Veruca," replied Oz as he moved his arm out of the other werewolf's reach.

"They don't care for you... not really. Not like we would. They're all just a bunch of puny humans that will hold you back from your full potential," Veruca stated emphatically, "Come with me and be what you were meant to be."

"What exactly is he meant to be?" Buffy asked as she approached the table. She really didn't like how this female was acting towards Oz. It wasn't jealousy per se, but it was a very possessive feeling.

"Oh, here's one now. He's meant to be free and wild... taking what he wants... taking WHO he wants," Veruca growled, her eyes flashing.

"Oz is free. Free to do what he wants," Buffy growled in return as she grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat beside Oz.

Oz sat quietly as the two women argued. He knew something significant was happening as soon as Buffy's arm brushed his. There was an electric feeling to her skin. He had been a Scooby long enough to know this was something new.

"And yet he is caged when the moon is full," replied the she-wolf. She felt confident she would win this battle and the male wolf would be hers for the taking.
"Because Oz is a good man. And he is right. He does have family here. Mine. He belongs to my family," Buffy's eyes glowed, but the she-wolf was so busy staring at Oz she failed to notice.

"He cannot belong to your family, bitch, you aren't demon enough to hold him," Veruca hissed, but when she glanced at Buffy she was astonished to find iridescent green-gold eyes glowing at her. She gasped in surprise when the petite blonde woman grabbed Oz's wrist and sunk tiny pearly fangs into him. Veruca could only watch open-mouthed as Buffy removed her teeth and licked the marks clean.

"I claim thee, Daniel Matthew Osbourne, as my own, belonging to the clan of Sultana-Aurelius. My werewolf," Buffy smirked at the she-wolf, "You should have found out who his friends were, bitch, before you played with him."

Veruca hissed at Buffy and Oz before jumping up off her chair and rushing down the street. The Slayer and her werewolf watched until the woman turned the corner, disappearing from sight.

"Do you know what you just did, Buffy?" Oz asked quietly. He could faintly feel both Spike and Buffy at the edge of his mind; nothing intrusive unless he concentrated hard.

"I think it was another Sultana thing," Buffy whispered as her eyes went back to normal and her fangs receded, "Wish Giles's friend would get here and tell us what is going on."

"I have to leave town for awhile. I need to get control. There's a monk in Nepal that I have heard of that might be able to help," Oz continued to speak quietly.

"I understand. You must let Willow know you are leaving and will be back. Can you do that, Oz?" Buffy asked the werewolf as she laid her hand on his arm.

"Yes, I will. Thank-you, Buffy. You don't know what it means to me to be in your clan," Oz touched Buffy's hand briefly before rising to leave and find Willow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In South America, a dark-haired vampiress awoke suddenly when she realized she could no longer feel her childe. He had always been there in the back of her mind even when they were apart. Her cries that he had become the sunshine's and was lost forever worried her bed companion so much that he went out into the daylight to find her a new toy to play with.

In Los Angeles, a dark-haired vampire awoke suddenly as he realized he could no longer feel his grandchilde. His childe's pain was so great that he could feel it despite the distance and the soul. He howled his displeasure scaring the other two occupants of his detective agency enough that they went out into the daylight to escape the noise.

In Sunnydale, a bleached blonde vampire awoke suddenly as he realized that he no longer felt his sire and was now the head of a newly formed clan. He felt the expansion of his family to include the werewolf and that was fine with him. A werewolf was a fine extension of the clan. He was so pleased with his mate that he went into the daylight to find her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Been busy, luv," Spike kissed Buffy on the cheek as he slid into the chair next to her. He wrapped an arm around his mate's shoulders and pulled her towards him.

"Mmmm, ya. Oz is leaving town for a bit, but he will be back. He wants to go visit a monk in Nepal that might be able to help him learn how to control himself. He's saying goodbye to Willow right now," replied Buffy as she leaned into Spike's body and let his love wash over her.

"When he returns we will help him, pet," Spike assured Buffy, "Family above all else."

"You seem quite pleased with the weirdness that happened," Buffy replied as she pulled away to look up into Spike's face.

"I am the head of my own clan with my drop dead gorgeous mate who has found us our first family member. And a werewolf, no less. We have a minion who has pledged allegiance to us. What more could a vamp ask for?" Spike chuckled.

The waiter came up at that moment, interrupting the conversation long enough for Spike to order some hot chocolate. With little marshmallows, of course. Buffy decided she was ravenously hungry so she ordered a sandwich, a salad and a piece of chocolate cake. The conversation resumed after the waiter took the order inside. For such a nice day the cafe was surprisingly quiet so there were few interruptions.

"What are we going to do with that minion, Spike? She can't stay at Giles's forever and we can't let Riley get her again. I don't like her, never have, not even in high school, but she's ours now," Buffy asked as she sipped her drink and watched the people traveling up and down the sidewalk.

"Bloody Hell, she ain't moving in with us. After the auctions we will set something up for her. She might not be the only minion. I have to speak to the remaining minions tonight to see which ones will give allegiance," Spike informed Buffy.

Spike's thoughts drifted to the few minions that remained under his mastery. He was sure they would do as he asked. Most of them were drinking pig's blood already so as not to upset the Master's mate. This particular group was pretty loyal considering they were evil bloodsuckers. He had recognized them, knew they were the ones that Drusilla had turned while he was in the wheelchair.

The waiter arrived with Buffy's sandwich and Spike watched with delight as she gobbled it down. Her salad was demolished with ferocious abandon and her chocolate cake was polished off with eager enthusiasm. Buffy even deemed him special enough to get a bite or two of her dessert.

Everything about her shouted out her enjoyment of her life; a definite change from the girl he had gone to for a truce against Angelus, from the girl he had fought beside last fall, from the girl who had hoped he would be willing help take revenge on that idiot, Parker. Buffy was his girl, his golden goddess, his mate. And Spike knew he was the luckiest creature on the planet.

The couple spent the rest of the afternoon talking as they walked around downtown peeking through the stores that lined the street. They enjoyed a mocha latte together from the Espresso Pump, gleaned the antique shop looking for treasures, and reminisced about the fight at the Magic Box.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oz stood outside Willow and Buffy's dorm room for several long minutes as he worked up the courage to knock. He loved Willow so much and he didn't think she would take his leaving town even with the promise of his return. Oz couldn't understand how such a beautiful girl as Willow could lack so much self-confidence. Taking a deep breath, he quietly knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the mumbled reply.

Oz turned the door knob and pushed the door open. He stood in the doorway staring at Willow who was lying on her dorm bed hugging a pillow.

"I'm sorry, Willow. I don't know what came over me. I think it's best if I leave town for a bit to find someone to help me with control over the demon," Oz said quietly.

"Are you leaving with her?" Willow asked, finally looking up at him. She was surprised by the look of sadness in his eyes.

"No, no, I will be by myself. There's a monk in Nepal rumored to be great with overcoming these things. I won't be gone forever, Willow, I promise to return as soon as I can," Oz promised with his entire heart.

"You do, you promise?" Willow asked. When she saw Oz nod, she sat up to open her arms to her boyfriend, "Please be hugging me now."

Oz closed the door behind him and moved to the bed. He sat down, took Willow in his arms and kissed her. The couple spent the afternoon in bed with whispers and caresses until it was time for Oz to drive to his aunt's house before heading to Los Angeles to catch his plane out of the states.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We need to get rid of that she-wolf, luv. You know that, don't you? Can't have her running amok through Sunnyhell," Spike informed Buffy as the sun began to set and the moon began to rise.

"I know. I'm worried she will go after Willow if we don't stop her. We should go check on Willow. Oz is at his aunt's, caged up with his cousin," Buffy replied, "I think Willow has a late chemistry class today. We should check out the lab."

"Right then, on our way," Spike said as he pulled Buffy away from the shop window and towards the UCSunnydale campus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow sat in the lab, mixing ingredients together as she studied the book laid out in front of her. There were some vials on the table and a beaker on a Bunsen burner boiling. Willow dropped one of the vials on the floor and while she was bending over picking it up the door of the lab opened.

"Damn," Willow muttered.

"Can't say I'm surprised you didn't go through with your little hex. You don't have the teeth," Veruca announced sarcastically.

Willow straightened up quickly, bumping her head on the lab table. She rubbed the offending spot as she stared at the she-wolf. Willow realized she didn't bring her tranq gun with her. This was very, very bad.

"I'm not doing a hex. I was attempting to understand the formula in my text book. And... and I got the teeth. I got a whole bunch of... teeth," Willow gulped and babbled, "Okay, not teeth like Spike has... but teeth."

"Spike? Who's this Spike?" Veruca asked in a confused voice. How did Oz deal with such a ditzy girl?

"Spike would be me," Spike answered as he slipped into gameface. He chuckled to himself when the girl whirled and saw him for the first time. She gave a little scream and backed away from him before she remembered she had a powerful demon inside her.

"I know what you love. I have his scent on me right now," Veruca snarled at Willow as she moved close enough to grab the red-headed girl's arm, "Where is that werewolf anyway? Shouldn't he be here helping his groupie?"

"Don't touch her again," Spike growled, "And Oz is safely out of your reach, bitch."

"You really think that little girl hiding behind you can keep a beast like Oz on a leash. She isn't powerful enough," Veruca sneered as she threw Willow away from her.

Willow landed hard on the floor, hurting her tailbone and palms, but that didn't deter her from scrambling across to Spike and Buffy.

"Little girl behind me is the most powerful Slayer to ever exist, doggirl. I should know. I've killed two of them myself," Spike announced as he waved Buffy forward to help Willow to her feet.

"A Slayer isn't that powerful."

"This one has killed two master vamps and sent third one to Hell. Oh, I think she's powerful enough," Spike snarked.

Veruca had had enough of this, so she slowly released the control she had over her werewolf and began to morph. Fur erupted from her face and her eyes turned a brilliant blue. Spike didn't allow her to get the advantage and leapt towards the she-wolf. The two supernatural creatures grappled for supremacy. Veruca morphed entirely into her demon self, but it was too late. The vampire used the time it took the werewolf to morph completely to his advantage. As Veruca tried to leap towards Buffy and Willow, Spike grabbed her head in both hands.

"Don't touch my mate. Or our friend," Spike snarled as he twisted the werewolf's head instantly killing her. Spike dropped the she-wolf's body to move to Buffy and the sobbing Willow.

"It'll be okay, Willow," Buffy tried to soothe her friends feelings. "Oz will be back. He promised, didn't he?"

"But how can I be sure? He's gone and I just don't know anymore," Willow cried. Buffy and Spike looked at each other over the weeping girl.

"Willow, what if I told you I could make you feel just a bit of Oz all the time? Would you like that?" Buffy asked. She was sure Willow would clamor for the ability to sense Oz.

"How, Buffy?" Willow sniffed and hiccupped.

"Today when I talked to him, I made him part of my family," Buffy pointed at herself and Spike, "Our family. Would you like to be in our family? It's something to do with the Sultana."

"Really, you would want me?"

"Of course, Red. You belong to us," Spike answered.

Buffy allowed her fangs to descend and gently put Willow's wrist to her mouth. She bit through the skin with her small fangs and then immediately removed them, licking the wound.

"I claim thee, Willow Marie Rosenberg, as my own, belonging to the clan of Sultana-Aurelius. My Witch."

"Our Wicca," Spike murmured as he wiped the tears from Willow's face. He smiled at her and got an answering smile. It was a shaky smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Do you feel him, Willow?" Buffy asked.

"Oh yes. I can feel him," Willow said breathlessly.

Miles away, contained in his cage, the werewolf began to purr as he felt the woman he loved slip into his mind.

Reginald Magnus Bey emerged from the small Sunnydale airport and hailed a taxi. Giving the driver the address to Rupert's flat, Reggie sat back to enjoy the scenery. The California town was located close to the ocean and Reggie could smell the salt breeze blowing in.

The taxi passed by a road crew erecting a 'Welcome to Sunnydale Population 38,500' sign. The men waved at him friendly even the one that appeared to be a goat-faced Aviing demon. Reggie saw immediately what Rupert had called 'The Sunnydale denial factor' when the taxi driver just waved, pretending not to notice the odd looking street worker.

Winding through the quiet streets of Sunnydale, Reggie found it hard to believe such a pleasant little burg could house the biggest convergence of evil in the Northern Hemisphere. He counted no less than 6 cemeteries on the way to the flat, but Reggie knew the little town had over 12 from the information on the town that Rupert had faxed him.

The taxi pulled up outside a small set of flats with an iron gate that lead into a walled courtyard. Reggie noticed the 'Apartment for Rent' sign up in the manager's office window as he paid the taxi driver. He tightened his grip on his suitcase not wanting to lose his important life's work. Reggie slipped through the gate and quickly found the door to Rupert's flat. He knocked quietly and was surprised when the door was opened by the most becoming woman he had ever seen.

"Mr. Bey? Come in. My name is Joyce Summers," the woman said as she stuck her hand out for a handshake.

Reggie was so startled by the sound of her voice that he lost all of his concentration and let his carefully erected glamour fade. He watched as her eyes opened wider and she nibbled her lip as she saw his true self.

"Delighted, Ms. Summers," Reggie murmured as he bent over her hand and brought it to his lips. A shock sparked against his lips as he kissed the back of her hand and, if the expression on her face was any indication, she felt the same. Reggie was suddenly glad he had tendered his resignation to the Council before he had departed for the States.

"Reggie, I see you have met Joyce."

The sound of Rupert's voice broke through the haunting web that was slowly weaving itself around Reggie and Joyce Summers. Reggie jerked up from Joyce's hand, but didn't let it go.

"Hmmm, yes. What a lovely lady, I must say, Rupert. If I had known the Americas had such lovely creatures I would have visited you much sooner," Reggie declared as Joyce looked down as she blushed and pulled her hand away from him.

"Yes, quite right. Get your arse inside, Reggie," Giles laughed taking Reggie's suitcase and ushering him inside, "Sit down and I will introduce to everyone. Well, everyone that's here so far."

"Thank-you, old man," Reggie responded before turning to Joyce, "I am usually not this forward but would you consent to sit next to me?"

In the background Reggie heard a young voice say in a sing-song tone, "Mrs. Summers has a boyfriend," immediately followed by the statement, "He looks like he gives great orgasms." His jaw dropped at the last statement and he turned to see a gorgeous young lady smiling brightly at him while nodding. She gave him a little wave before turning back to the young man who appeared to be her boyfriend and patting him on the head as he hit his head on the table.

"That's Anya Jenkins. She's very... forthright. You'll get use to her in time," replied Giles as indicated the couch to Reggie and Joyce to seat themselves, "The boy bashing his brains out on my table... please stop that, Xander... is Xander Harris. The young lady at the laptop is Willow Rosenberg. The others should be here in a few minutes."

Willow looked up and gave Reggie a little wave before returning to her laptop. She blushed a little before looking up at Rupert, "They will be here in a few minutes, Giles. They got 'distracted' on the way here."

Reggie jumped when the flat door slammed open and two rumpled blondes spilled into the room. The man on the bottom had his hands wrapped tightly around the woman's waist as she had his duster lapels firmly gripped in her fists. Their lips were pressed together in a wild, abandoned kiss. Reggie watched as the other occupants of the room tried to look everywhere but at the couple wildly making out on the floor. Well, except the Anya bint who was watching avidly almost as if she was taking notes.

"Spike lips. Lips of Spike," The woman murmured as she pulled away from the man. He stared up at her with such love and admiration in his eyes.

"Bloody Hell," Spike gritted out as the woman wiggled around on top of him. The woman looked up at the other occupants of the room.

"Oh, hi guys," The woman jumped up off of Spike and held her hand out to help him up.

"See, told you they got distracted," Willow muttered to herself.

"Spike, Buffy, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Reginald Bey."

Reggie watched as Buffy pulled Spike up from his position on the floor. Buffy smiled up at him as he cupped her chin and brushed his thumb across her cheek. His answering smile was loving, indulgent and confident all in one.

"Hard to believe they were once enemies, isn't it?" came a quiet voice from beside Reggie. He turned to look into Joyce's eyes.

"What?"

"Spike and Buffy. I unofficially met Spike by slamming an axe over his head and shouting 'Get the hell away from my daughter'. I officially met him about 8 months later when she brought him to the house. They tried to convince me they were in a band together," Joyce chuckled at the memory, "Dusting a vampire in front of me sorta clued me in."

"Spike? You can't possibly mean William the Bloody?" Reggie gasped as he turned to stare again at the 'man', "Just how long have you known him?"

"Let's see Back to School night was in September, so just over 2 years," Joyce spoke quietly, "I am not sure the exact reasons he came to town. You will have to ask them."

"Came to town to heal my Sire... and kill the Slayer," Spike chuckled in memory, "Accomplished the first and Buffy almost killed me instead."

"Oh, like you didn't deserve it," Buffy smirked up at him, but then her face turned tender, "But I am glad I didn't damage you too badly."

"You are truly Spike, William the Bloody, Slayer of Slayers, Scourge of Europe, member of the Clan of Aurelius?" Reggie asked. He wasn't an official Watcher anymore, but he so wanted to get out his notebook and take notes.

"Last time I checked," Spike said as he pulled Buffy towards one of the armchairs. He sat in it and pulled Buffy down on his lap.

"We need to get down to business," Giles announced, "The jewelry from the treasure of Amara that you gave me is very interesting, Spike. These pieces will be very helpful to us."

"The Gem of Amara is real?" Reggie's hands really itched for a notebook now. He looked up in surprise as the girl, Anya, handed him a notebook and pencil.

"Giles is very... Watchery. You get use to him in time," she replied, echoing Giles's word from when he had described her. She smiled at Reggie before returning to her place beside Xander.

"Yes, the Gem is real," Spike held out his hand and showed Reggie a gold ring with a small green stone in it. Spike didn't feel the need to tell them that the real ring was nestled inside his body, not on his finger.

"Yes, well the items you gave me are all quite special," Giles informed Spike as he moved to pull a strongbox off the bookcase. He opened it and began to pull the first jewelry out, telling the group what powers were imbued in the specimen, "The first item is known as the Chakra of Durga of Hindu origins. When worn, the bearer can kill powerful demons."

"Pretty," Buffy commented. Her fingers twirled the back of Spike's hair. Reggie looked up from his notebook when he heard the vampire's playful growl. He was just in time to see Spike's eyes flash gold at the girl on his lap.

"Next we have the Pendant of Hecate which focuses the power of a spell," Giles pulled out a red stone on a long silver chain.

"Oh, that one is for me," Willow gasped.

"Not till your mentor says you are ready, Willow," Giles informed the girl as he pulled another piece of jewelry out of the strongbox, "This is the Ring of Sekhmet that heals and strengthens the wearer. And now, the Bracelet of the Witch-Goddess Aradia. This little item blocks all spells cast against the wearer."

"Really? That was lost over 1,000 years ago. Hoffy was so mad with Aradia when it was lost. She was a vengeance demon, you know? Some of the people she exacted vengeance on mistook her for a witch-goddess," Anya announced, looking pleased with herself. She patted Xander's arm, who just smiled at her warmly and lifted her hand to kiss it.

"These two rings are the Gems of Bashet. They will connect both bearers telepathically, but if what you tell me is true we might not need these after all," Giles replied.

"What do you mean, Rupert?" Reggie asked. He watched as Spike, Buffy and Willow exchanged looks, but Giles was the one who answered.

"All in good time, Reggie. One of the many things we will cover today," Giles chuckled as Reggie began to scribble in his notebook.

"Last, but not least, we have Vlad's Blood. The jewels in this necklace glow when vampires are in close proximity. I think this one can be broken up so that those of us without a built in detector can each have a ring," Giles finished his explainations and got busy returning the jewelry to the strongbox.

"I'll contact that demon jeweler. With enough dosh handed out, I expect he won't mind comin' here to good ole Sunnyhell," Spike replied.

Giles crossed the room, put the strongbox back on the bookcase and turned to study his long time friend. Reggie noticed that his friend seemed to be searching for the right thing to say, which surprised him as he never knew Rupert to be at a loss of words.

"I am not sure where to begin," Giles muttered, "Reggie and I met at Oxford while we both were attending university. We met a few times and got along splendidly, but I was hanging out with Ethan and that bunch. I didn't know at that point that Reggie's grandparents were the Atherton's. Their family has been involved in the Council even longer than mine."

"I didn't trust Ethan Rayne. Still don't," Reggie replied as he grimaced at the memory of the smarmy man.

"Smart move, Reggie. We've met him more than once ourselves," Xander informed him.

"After graduation we ran into each other at Council Headquarters in London and renewed our friendship. In an ironic twist of fate, I bought an old Watcher's diary at an estate sale at the same time Reggie ran across The Apotropaic Prophecies secreted away in the bowels of the Council," Giles proclaimed as he gestured to Reggie to take up the narrative.

"We didn't realize what we had for another 6 months, when at a luncheon, Rupert mentioned the old diary and that the only word he could translate was 'apotropaic'. The word hit a chord in me and it caused me to remember the book I, myself, had found around the same time," Reggie told the group as he stood and put his suitcase on the table. Unhooking the clasps, he flung it open and removed two books wrapped in waterproofed cheesecloth.

Reggie unwrapped the books carefully and sat them side by side on the table. Then, he pulled a sheath of papers from the suitcase. Reggie pulled out a pair of latex gloves to put on his hands. He gently picked up the first book and began turning the pages.

"The gloves protect the pages against oils in the skin, luv," Reggie heard Spike say and he looked up at the vampire, "Wot, why does everyone think 'm stupid just because 'm impulsive? You and Rupes aren't the only ones to graduate university. I keep tellin' you that. Who was Oxford's valedictorian in 1876?"

"William Jamison," Giles automatically replied. They had been required to learn past valedictorians as a matter of pride when he attended university. Giles glanced at Spike just in time to see him arch his brow and hear Buffy's quiet giggle.

"But the Council books say... "

"Ya, well, the Council's a bunch of wankers, aren't they? They mistook some of Darla and Angelus's earlier companions for Dru and myself. Can't help it if they're bloody stupid," Spike spit out in disgust.

"So when were you turned?" Reggie asked. This put a different spin on things entirely. The Watcher's information said that Spike became a Master Vampire in 1900 when he slayed his first slayer, but if he was turned after 1876 this would mean he elevated himself in a very short amount of time.

"Drusilla turned me in 1880," Spike informed the ex-Watcher.

"But you said Angel was your sire," Xander said, "That he was your... Yoda."

"He wasn't physically my Sire, but he took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew," the vampire muttered.

"Can we get back to the reason we are all here?" Willow asked, "Serina wants me to oversee the consecration of the ground that she wants to build the Sunnydale branch of the coven on. It's quite exciting, if you think about it."

"I believe I am ready, Rupert. This is the Watcher diary of William White. I have translated the book from the old archaic English into modern English. On these packets of papers I have recorded the pertinent information. Anya, could you please pass them out to the others?" Reggie remarked.

"Sure, I would be happy to."

"You have beautiful handwriting, Reggie," Joyce said when she received her packet of papers.

"Thank you, Joyce," Reggie smiled shyly at her before returning his attention to the book in his hand. He began reciting the important entries.

June 19th, 1399
The entire Council was surprised when the newest Slayer wasn't chosen from the potentials. The line jumped to an unknown Russian Romany girl by the name of Sabina. Her present location had been found to be Krostoma, just outside Moscow. The Council had made me her Watcher simply because I have the good fortune, or misfortune, of speaking Russian. It will take me several months to get there. I pray to God that my charge isn't dead by that time.

Oct 30th, 1399

I arrived in Krostoma today and immediately found my charge to be unlike any potential or Slayer I have ever met. To say she is unconventional is putting it mildly. When I showed her the Slayer Handbook she laughed in my face and told me in her beautiful lilting voice she had no use for it. Her fighting style is unlike anything I have ever seen. She is quite frankly amazing.
Something else unique about this newest Slayer. She is older than most of the newly chosen, in that she is 19 instead of 15. I wonder if this will somehow help her stay alive longer.

Oct 31st, 1399

The Romany had one of their festivals last night. The Dance of the Blue Cat was performed. The costumes were quite marvelous and colorful. My attentions wandered as I took in the activities. I lost sight of Sabina early in the evening, but later saw her in the company of a handsome young man who she appeared quite enamored with. When I questioned Sabina's mother, I was told he was the guest of the local lord of the manor and not to worry.

Nov 1st, 1399

Sabina showed up this morning, barely alive, drained almost to the point of death. Only her Slayer healing powers saved her. The story she told was quite frankly terrifying and bizarre. Sabina told of how she felt she couldn't resist the young man, who called himself Marcus Aurelius, and so she left the festival with him. Once they were alone, he showed his true nature; that of a vampire. He proceeded to drain her, but for some reason he stopped short of killing her. She remembers him whispering a word in her ear as she fell to the ground. Based on her rudimentary vocalizations I believe he whispered in English the word, "Mine." I have no idea why this vampire would mark the Slayer so. Inquiries into his whereabouts have futile as he has left the company of the local lord.

Jan 12th, 1400

Today is Sabina's 20th birthday. She celebrated in true Romany fashion. Immediately following the ceremony, Sabina fell ill. At first we thought she had eaten something that didn't agree with her, but that could not explain the glowing of her eyes. I have dispatched a message to the Council immediately using a very unorthodox method. The Romany drabengo or medicine man used magic and herbs to allow me to connect directly to the Head of the Council; a reasonable man named Charles (Best translation would be Giles). When I informed him of the things happening to the Slayer, he seemed quite worried and said he would look into the manner personally. Charles said he would use a nearby coven of witches/Wiccas to contact me in the same manner as I contacted him.

Jan 19th, 1400

It's been a week since my Slayer fell ill of some unknown cause. She lies in bed all day sick to her stomach, moaning that the marks on her neck burn her, but rises every evening to go and slay the demons that seem to be unnaturally drawn to Krostoma. I have yet to hear back from Charles.

Jan 28th, 1400

Imagine my shock when Charles Giles and a witch named Mathilda suddenly appeared in my front hall this morning. They translocated themselves all the way from Westbury, England. They brought several books with them including a copy of something called the Apotropaic Prophecies which tell of a Slayer Sultana but seems to yield little clues. The only things we understand in the book at this time is the near draining and the marking of the Slayer by a particular family of vampires. The Clan of Aurelius.

Feb 5th, 1400

It's been 8 days since Charles and Mathilda arrived from England and my Slayer continues to become sicker. The worst part is she now calls for the vampire that marked her. Mathilda and the drabengo are at their wit's end trying to find a way to ease Sabina's pain. I fear worse things are to come to my brave Slayer.

Feb 6th, 1400

Mathilda had one last spell up her sleeve but alas it did nothing to help Sabina. I fear the end is near. Sabina no longer calls for the vampire nor does she writhe in pain.

Feb 7th, 1400

My Slayer is gone. God Bless her soul. May it rise to heaven on the wings of doves. I fear I feel more for Sabina then I thought. Her passing has put a scar upon my heart.

Footnote #1

Feb 12th, 1401

I was surprised this evening by a knock on my door. When I opened it I was surprised to find none other than Marcus Aurelius on my doorstep. He just stared at me for a few minutes with great sadness in his eyes. He told me he didn't mean for her to die in pain and that he had gotten there too late, missing us by just a few weeks. He talked about how when he met Sabina she intrigued him; a Romany slayer. He had meant to kill her, but when he tasted her blood, tasted her power and capacity to love and be loved, something stopped him and instead he claimed her. He had planned on coming back for her. I was left speechless as I watched him cry over a dead Slayer. How can an evil vampire love?

Footnote #2

March 21st, 1439

A courier came by horseback last night bringing strange news from the Council. I am not sure why they wished to inform me of this tidbit of news; probably only because I was Sabina's Watcher. My dear sweet granddaughter Elizabeth sits by my side and writes this for me as my hands are gnarled with age. The vampire known as Marcus Aurelius attempted to remove the humanity plaguing his lineage, but the results were unexpected. Apparently the spell went wrong and all he accomplished was removing his ability to slip into his human visage. I wonder how much the loss of Sabina caused the vampire to do such a dangerous spell?

Reggie finished reciting from the diary. He rewrapped the book in its cheesecloth and put it back in his suitcase. Reggie picked up an extra packet of papers, flipping through to the page he wanted. When he indicated a page number the others turned to the same page as he was on. He looked up in surprise when Buffy gasped.

"That's Darla!"

"No, Miss Summers, that is Sabina. That is a copy of a picture found with the diary," Reggie proclaimed.

"No, seriously, Reggie, put blonde hair on her, lighten the complexion and you have Darla," Buffy exclaimed as Spike nodded.

"Spent decades with the bitch. This Sabina bint is almost a double for my great-grandsire. Might explain why he kept her on a short leash."

"Interesting. I have a list of symptoms that I have gleaned from the diary. They include sick to the stomach, glowing eyes, sleeping during the day while restless at night, an unnatural influx of demons, bite marks burning, and calling for the vampire in question. Have you had any of those symptoms?" Reggie jumped back in surprise when Buffy raised her iridescent green-gold eyes to his.

"Just the one. And I have the fangs to go with them," Buffy said as she peeled back her upper lip to show off her sharp incisors, "Oh Spike's eyes go all glowy sometimes, too."

"Fascinating. I would love to see that."

"Well, um... it only happens during a blood exchange. We could try it though if Spike agrees," Buffy replied. She held her wrist up to Spike, who nodded as he slipped into game face.

Spike closed his eyes and pressed his mate's wrist against his mouth. After several pulls of the supercharged Sultana blood, Spike opened his eyes to show everyone the iridescence of his blue-gold eyes.

"Those are very pretty, Spike. Much nicer than normal," Anya stated loudly causing Spike to chuckle as he pulled away from Buffy's wrist. He licked the wound closed, slipped out of game face and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Reggie stared at the Slayer and her vampire for a few moments before picking up the other book he brought with him. Holding it up so everyone could see it, he launched into an explanation of what knowledge he had gleaned.

"This book is The Apotropaic Prophecies. I think 'prophecies' is the wrong translation of the word and a more appropriate word would be 'chronicles'. When I discovered this book hidden way in a locked container in a hidden chamber within the Council, the only words made sense were on the first page," Reggie opened to the referenced page, "They were what caught my attention and launched me into my hobby. 'The Slayer Sultana'. When I first found the book these words were in the same archaic English that William Winters used in his diary, but now they are in modern English." Reggie moved around the room to show his audience the page in question.

"I haven't indulged my curiosity and delved further into the book, because I really figured that I wouldn't understand anything there," Reggie announced. He flipped to the next page and let out a gasp. "Rupert, the words... they have translated themselves."

Giles moved to the table and swiftly donned a pair of latex gloves himself. He peered at the page that Reggie had indicated.

"Criteria for the calling of a Slayer Sultana," Giles read from the top of the page, "Number one is the near draining of the Slayer by an Aurelian vampire."

"Been there, done that twice. Had the angry puppy marks to prove it."

"Number two is the death of the Slayer," Reggie recited the next criteria on the list.

"The Master threw me in a puddle of water after he drained me and I drown'd."

"Number three is the resuscitation of the Slayer," Giles related the next item on the list.

"Oh, that was me," Xander spoke up as he raised his hand, "I did that one."

"Number four is the calling of a new Slayer line, which I would assume would be the late Kendra and Faith, am I right?" Reggie asked.

"That would be correct, Reggie. And of course the mating of the Slayer with a master Aurelian vampire would be Spike. It's the last item that perplexes me, though. The book says this usually doesn't occur until the Slayer hits the age of 20 to 22. Buffy, you're not even 19 yet," Giles replied.

"Maybe it's because Buffy is being OverachieverBuffy," Willow said. Reggie noticed the eager glint in the red-haired girl's eye. It seemed Giles had an expert researcher in his midst.

"How do you mean, Willow?" Joyce asked in an intrigued tone. Reggie looked at her questioninly and she gave a little shrug to indicate this was her first meeting with the group.

"Buffy has met all the criteria and then some, Mrs. Summers. I know this must be hard for you to hear, but Buffy has been drained to near death by not one but two Aurelian vampires. The Master back when she was 16 and Angel just this last spring," Willow speculated.

"Then it is fortuitous that Buffy mated with Spike, but out of curiosity why Spike and not Angel?" Giles commented. Spike and Buffy looked at each other.
"The truce to bring down Angelus," they said as one voice.

"Did you just communicate telepathically?" Reggie asked. He had read that if claims were particularly strong both mates could speak to each other through the link.

"I recognize that look," Joyce spoke up, "I've seen it before and that was before Spike and Buffy were a couple."

"Yes, we can communicate telepathically. Quite well in fact, but Mom's right, there was something there before," Buffy informed Reggie.

"Is any of the rest of the book newly translated?" Giles asked. Reggie turned through the pages carefully searching for any differences in the text. He noticed that Rupert was an expert at getting the conversation back on track, even if the look on his friend's face indicated the currrent conversation intrigued Rupert, too.

"Ah yes, here we go. The Sultana will be more similar to the First Slayer than any other Slayer before her. She will be more in tune with the demonic nature of the Slayer line. This will make her more aware of the hearts of demons around her and help her with her fight against evil. Her senses will become enhanced, she will be able to claim clan members, and she will communicate with her clan members," Reggie recited as he furrowed his brow, "I assume these things have come to happen and that's why the words have translated. Am I correct?"

"Yes, you are Reggie. These are things that we have already found out. In fact Buffy has claimed Oz and Willow already as members of her clan and in doing so she has formed a new clan. The Clan of Sultana-Aurelius. See that's on the the next page." Giles remarked and pointed.

Reggie began to recite, "The Sultana and her mate will form a new clan and establish a power base that best suits their needs using a mixture of humans and demons. They will use this power base to rule the Hellmouth and keep it closed. The book shows a list of names, all untranslated except Werewolf and Wicca. Is this Oz person a werewolf?"

"Yes, Oz is a werewolf. He belongs to Willow. I bet the orgasms he gives are very animalistic," Anya said, "What? It's not like I ever did anything with a werewolf." The blunt words caused Reggie to blush hotly.

"Sorry, Reg, Anya's only been human for about a year. She's still learning what subjects are taboo in public," Xander chuckled, "But we love her anyway, don't we?" The others smiled and nodded which made the ex-vengeance demon grin and nod back.

"Oh crud, it's time for me to go to the consecration. I am off, guys. Nice to meet you, Reggie," Willow said as she stood up, closed her laptop and held her hand out to Reggie. When she was done shaking his hand, she waved at her friends and left the apartment.

"Us, too. We are avoiding Mom. It's not even Thanksgiving yet and she is talking about hanging Christmas lights, so we told her we were apartment hunting. Can you take 80 grand and just buy us a house, Spike?" Xander grumbled.

"That bad, Whelp?"

"You don't know the half of it. My parents are the poster children for dysfunctional," Xander muttered.

"You find an apartment you like, Harris, Buffy and I'll help with the move-in costs," Spike replied.

"Really? You guys are the greatest!" Xander hooted with joy before grabbing Anya's hand and the duo raced out of the flat.

"Are you okay with all this, honey," Joyce asked as she stood up and moved towards Buffy. She laid her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Ya know what? I think I am. I mean, it's pretty wiggy and the total weirdness factor is really high up there, but ya, I'm really okay with this," Buffy announced before she turned to smile at her mate, "With Spike here with me, it's really okay."

"Almost dark, luv. Time for a quick patrol before we go home?" Spike asked as Buffy rose gracefully off his lap and stretched.

"Sure thing. Nice to meet you, Reg. See ya later, Giles. Mom," Buffy said. She put her hand out to shake Reggie's. Reggie took her warm hand in his and gave it a small shake. To Spike she said, "Let's go, handsome," and glided out the flat door leaving the vampire to trail behind her.

Spike gave a quick salute to the two ex-Watchers and his 'mother-in-law' before following his mate into the fading sunlight. Reggie watched through the open doorway as the vampire caught up to the Slayer and took her hand. The Slayer smiled up at the vampire, her heart in her eyes.

Reggie's thoughts bounced around trying to cover everything that he had learned that day. His longtime research obsession was coming into existence and to his knowledge the Council didn't know about it and if he had his way it would be a long time before they ever knew.

"Is she always so accepting of things," Reggie asked.

"Not hardly, old man. I think this time though, she's just too damned happy to try and run from her destiny."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie Walsh looked at the soldiers gathered in the briefing room. These were her best men. The ones that her experiments had been successful with. Although at this point she was unsure of Commander Finn; he was showing signs of instability and an unhealthy obsession with Buffy Summers. However, Walsh had to concede one point; the lovesick boy did bring her an interesting piece of information regarding Miss Summers as the Slayer.

Walsh motioned for the soldiers to be seated as she turned on the overhead projector. She grabbed up the remote and clicked on the first slide. It was a picture of a petite blonde woman sitting with a bleached blonde man on a porch swing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have encountered a new variable in the HST population here in Sunnydale. The young woman in the picture behind me is named Buffy Anne Summers. Some of you may recognize her from around the UCSunnydale campus. Her companion is known as William Jamison. The female subject has been heard to be called The Slayer and the male subject has been heard to be called Spike.

"As soon as Commander Finn told me about this newest discovery, I assigned Johanson, Smith and Howard to photograph all people who interacted with the two subjects and to compile a file on each of them using any and all information pertaining to them. You will each find a copy of the files in front of you," Walsh informed the soldiers and papers could be heard rustling as the soldiers began looking through the files in front of them.

"While photographing the two subjects, Johanson was able to tape record an interesting conversation about a phenomenon called the Hellmouth. Could you please play that recording for us?"

"Yes, m'am," Johanson replied as he hit the play button on a small tape recorder on the desk in front of him.

BUFFY: That's five vamps already tonight. I thought you put the kibosh on turnings?
SPIKE: Did, luv. These are all out-of-towners.
BUFFY: I was hoping for a bit of a slowdown with you as the Master of Sunnydale.(huffs)
SPIKE: Not likely, pet, you know your rep proceeds you. (chuckles) Besides the Hellmouth attracts all the loonies.
BUFFY: Ya, haven't been by to check it in awhile. Maybe we should swing by the old high school and do some more reminiscing.
SPIKE: (Chuckles) Would be delighted to, Slayer, been awhile since I seen the old place.
BUFFY: You do know it kinda got blown up during graduation?
SPIKE: Ya I heard. Your work?

Johanson clicked off the tape recorder and said, "At this point I followed them to the burned out high school. I was able to follow them inside where they continued their conversation."

SPIKE: Wow, luv, when you blow up a place you really blow it up.
BUFFY: What can I say, baby, I was inspired. (Flirtingly) Do you remember our first fight, Spike?
SPIKE: Like it was yesterday, Slayer, like it was yesterday.
BUFFY: Do we really need weapons for this?
SPIKE: I just like them. They make me feel all manly. Last slayer I... fucked... she begged for it. You don't strike me as the begging kind.

Johanson turned off the tape again, "The two subjects began circling each other like they were about to fight. And they continued to speak as if it was rehearsed. As soon as the female subject began flirting with the male subject, he produced his demonic visage."

BUFFY: You shouldn'ta come here.
SPIKE: No. I've messed up your doilies and stuff. But I just got so bored. I'll tell you what. As a personal favor from me to you, I'll make it last all night long. And it won't hurt a bit.
BUFFY: No, Spike. It's gonna hurt a lot.

"They proceeded to fight for about ten minutes until the female subject appeared to deliberately lose and the male stood over her triumphantly."

SPIKE: Your mother isn't here to save you this time, Slayer.
BUFFY: Don't need my mother to save me, Spike, I still have myself.

"The male subject hoisted the female off the floor and pushed her against the wall. I was about to go and help the female when I realized that the male was kissing her and that she was returning the kiss. They ripped each others clothes off and proceeded to have sexual relations right there in the hallway. During the course of the relations, at one point the male stopped and sniffed the air. I was worried that he would detect me even with my body heat and smell masked," Johanson reported.

BUFFY: That was a much nicer way for the fight to end. (Laughs) Why did you go all vamp-sniffy in the middle? I didn't smell anything.
SPIKE: Not sure, sweets. Thought I felt something watching us.
BUFFY: Someone watching us? Now you know why I said no to crypt sex and graveyard sex. Get your clothes on so we can get down and check the Hellmouth.
SPIKE: Don't think anyone is bothering it, luv.
BUFFY: I know. I'd just feel better checking on it.

"I then followed the two carefully into the basement where they studied the ground for several minutes before leaving. I decided to stay and poke around for a few minutes to see if I could discover what they were looking for, but found nothing of interest. If this so called Hellmouth exists, it isn't visible to the naked eye," Johanson finished his report and nodded to Walsh.

"Thank-you, Johanson. Excellent job. I am going to break you into teams of two and assign each team one or two subjects to follow and observe. I wish to know about all these people before I contact our superiors. Are we clear everyone?" Walsh announced.

"Yes, M'am," the soldiers said as a group.

"Finn and Barkley, you will follow and observe the subjects known as The Slayer and Spike. Observe, Commander Finn. Do not intercede in any way, do you understand me?" Walsh commanded the two men.

"Yes, M'am," Both men said in unison.

"You may leave and study your files, gentlemen. Johanson and Howard, you are assigned to follow the subject Willow Rosenberg and her companion Daniel Osbourne if he should return from out of town," Walsh announced.

"Yes, M'am." Both men stood, saluted and left the briefing room.

"Smith and Morris, you are assigned to follow Xander Harris and Anya Jenkins. You should recognize him from the construction work at the fraternity house. Just because he is human, don't assume he is stupid," Walsh dismissed the men.

"Yes, M'am."

"Blake and Edwards, you are assigned to follow Rupert Giles and the vampiress Harmony, who has been observed staying at his apartment. Dismissed."

"Yes, M'am," and they too left the room.

"White, your partner is Jones, who is still in the infirmary. Check in with him. You are assigned to follow and observe Joyce Summers."

"Yes, M'am," White said, as she stood at attention, saluted and left the briefing room.

"Forrest and Graham, I have a very special assignment for the both of you. I have assigned you to follow and observe Commander Finn. I am worried that his interest in the female subject, Buffy Summers, is beginning to make him obsessive and careless. He has already lost one hostile and nearly blown our cover several more times. Regardless of the information he has brought me, I am worried he has become a liability. In fact, gentlemen, I wish you to go home with him over the holiday weekend. Your tickets are in your folder."

Both men straightened and saluted before leaving the room.

Walsh turned to study the picture of the subjects. The Slayer was supposed to be a myth, but it appeared that like vampires and other demons being a myth... was just a myth. And the Hellmouth? What was that and why did her superiors not know about it? And another problem; all the wires and cameras in all of the subject's houses were on the fritz for some reason. The wires recorded white noise and the cameras recorded fuzz.

The upcoming holidays were going to make things difficult; what with all the soldiers wanting to go home to celebrate with their families. Immediately after the New Year, Maggie decided she was going to talk to the Slayer and her hostile. Up close and personal.

LOS ANGELES.

Doyle suddenly doubled over, causing Cordy to jump from the sofa in concern and worry. She pointed at Doyle before informing Angel that it wasn't her fault the seer was in pain.

"He's having a vision," the vampire informed Cordelia. Angel stared at Doyle in concern. The seer was doubled over in pain, his hands clutching his forehead.

"At this hour?" Cordelia asked in an incredulous voice. It was 1am and she was ready for bed. She was sure Doyle was ready to drop, too.

"Oh," Doyle muttered as he looked up at Angel and let out a deep breath as the pain subsided. The images had been blurry except for a small blonde girl fighting; one that Doyle intuitively knew was The Slayer, Buffy Summers. She had a partner beside her helping her fight.

"What? What did you see?" Angel asked in a gruff voice which caused Doyle to look at him and swallow.

"The Slayer... " Doyle managed to get out before Angel grabbed his keys and dashed from the apartment.

Doyle looked at Cordelia and sighed. "I wasn't finished. He's in for a big surprise when he gets to Sunnydale."

"How so?" Cordelia asked as she sat back down by the seer.

"Slayer's got a new partner that won't make Angel too happy. Do you know a bleached blonde vamp connected to Buffy?"

"Spike... " Cordelia whispered, her mind flooding with memories.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The young man confidently walked through the woods, until he heard a branch snap nearby. He hesitated and peered into the darkness trying to determine if he was alone or not. He then continued on for another minute before stopping and whirling around to find two petite girls standing behind him; a blonde and a redhead.

"Oh," he exclaimed in surprise.

"Looking for us?" Buffy quipped, indicating herself and her companion.

"Holy... what do you want?" he was able to ask just before Buffy punched him in the face. This startled him enough for him to vamp out.

"Uhh.. Hey! A slayer! Why don't you just go back where you came from? Things were great before you came," the vampire growled.

"Sorry, buddy. I was here first," Buffy said as she punched him in the face. The vampire fell but as he jumped up he slammed the Slayer in the stomach. Buffy recovered almost immediately and backhanded the vampire across the face. He dropped like a sack of potatoes and as he is trying to raise himself from the ground, the Slayer produced a stake. The vampire's dust fell to the ground.

"And they say one person can't make a difference," Buffy muttered, "Stupid out of town vamps."

"The ceremony for the new cultural center is tomorrow, but what are the plans for Thursday? Thanksgiving, you know, where we celebrate the total wiping out of one culture by another," Willow asked in a strange voice.

Buffy's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Whoa, who knew Willow could channel her mother so well. The ceremony for the new cultural center was a big deal. Even Joyce had commented on it that morning.

"Mom's oven is on the fritz so she's cooking the turkey at my house and I am cooking the pies at Giles's. Then everyone to my house for dinner once the pies are done. Reg has never had a real Thanksgiving dinner and I want it turn out wonderful," Buffy informed Willow

"So where's your sweetie?" Willow asked with a touch of jealousy in her voice. God, she missed Oz. She hoped he made it home soon. Even with the claim letting her know where and how he was, the lonliness was pressing down on her.

"Playing poker at Giles's. That's why you're here with me," Buffy replied before linking her arm in Willow's and they strolled out of the wooded area towards the campus.

Angel came out from the bushes, wondering what was going on. Why was Buffy patrolling with Willow? Who was this new 'sweetie'? And Buffy had a house? Wasn't she living on campus now?

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Buffy, Willow and Anya found themselves at the ground breaking ceremony for the new cultural center. Buffy and Willow exchanged glances as they watched Anya ogle Xander and not pay attention to the speeches being made.

The dean of the college stood at a podium and spoke to a small crowd as he introduced the head of the anthropology department, Professor Gerhardt. When the dean finished his little speech he was replaced by the Professor who immediately launched into her own speech.

"When I first realized we were outgrowing our current cultural center, I was concerned. Then I realized It was like seeing one's child grow up and move on to better things. In this case, a spacious new facility to be built on this site... " Professor Gerhardt started her speech not even realizing she had lost some of her audience.

"Look at him. Have you ever seen anything so masculine?" Anya practically drooled. She was so glad her boyfriend was a hottie.

"Um, just this morning when my dolt made some rude comment about getting up so early in the morning. And when I said he didn't have to come he rolled over and went back to sleep. And then I realized he did it on purpose," Buffy grumbled.

"I think she means... " Willow giggled slightly as she indicated Xander.

"Oh, Yes, very manly. Not at all Village people... Okay, yes very Village People. But hey on the plus side, so much sexier than the outfit for his last job," Buffy said distractedly as she mentally muttered to her mate about getting to go back to sleep.

"Oh, I miss the free hot dogs on a stick," Willow said cheerfully. And she really did.

"That's usually known as a corndog, Willow," Buffy quipped. Free food was always of the good.

"I'm imagining having sex with him right now," Anya cooed as she continued to drool over Xander in his construction worker outfit, "I wonder if he can bring the tool belt home with him tonight."

Buffy and Willow rolled their eyes at each other before they returned to listening to the professor's speech. Luckily for them she appeared to be winding down and getting close to the finish.

"And that's why it's appropriate that the ground breaking for the UCSunnydale cultural partnership center is taking place so soon before Thanksgiving. Because that's what the melting pot is about.

Contributions from all cultures, making our culture stronger... " the professor continued her speech.
A round of applause started to sound through the field and Buffy joined them until she saw the look on Willow's face. Buffy stopped clapping just as her friend began to speak.

"What a load of horse hooey," Willow muttered.

"We have a counterpoint?" Buffy asked in confusion. She had hoped to get through the ceremony without Willow getting upset, but she guessed that was too much to ask for.

"Yeah. I told you last night on patrol, Thanksgiving isn't about blending of 2 cultures. It's about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials about the part where, with the maize and the big, big belt buckles. They don't show you the next scene, where all the bison die and Squanto takes a musket ball in the stomach," Willow announced.

"Okay, but you are channeling your mother, again. You didn't call her last night did you?" Buffy asked. She knew Willow always went a little bonkers when she had a conversation with her mom.

"Well, yeah, sort of. And you know, that's why she doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving or Columbus Day. You know, the destruction of the indigenous peoples. I know it sounds a little overwrought, but really, she's...She's right," Willow defended her mother for the first time in her life.

"I guess I never really thought about it that way. Sorry, um..." Buffy apologized, not knowing what to say.
Anya broke herself out of her Xander-ogling long enough to make the comment, "I've always loved a ritual sacrifice."

"It's not really one of those, is it?" Buffy asked. She hadn't thought there was so much controversy in Thanksgiving.

"To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice, with pie," Anya stated, "My favorite pie is peach pie."

"... And thus a symbolic beginning," the professor concluded her speech, stepped away from the podium and used a shovel to pick up a scoop of dirt. She then handed the shovel to the dean, who repeated the action.

"What are they doing? Xander said he was going to dig. I want to see Xander dig," Anya cried out. This was not good. She didn't want to see two old people dig; she wanted to see her Xander dig.

"That part's just for the ceremony," Buffy said, laying her hand on Anya's arm to calm her down.

"Well, it bites. Neither of them is rippling at all... Oh... Look, there he goes," Anya sighed as she watched Xander cross the construction site and begin digging, "Look at him."

"Very... diggy," Willow said rolling her eyes. She was so over her crush on Xander.

"Soon he will be sweating. I'm imagining I'm having sex with him," Anya moaned.

"Imaginary Xander is quite the machine," replied Buffy.

The three girls continued to watch Xander dig, each lost in their own thoughts. Anya was thinking about sex with Xander. Xander with nothing on but his tool belt. Willow was thinking about sex with Oz and, strangely, this made her think about her gay doppelganger vampire self. Weird. Buffy was sending naughty thoughts to Spike through the claim. If she was up, he had to be too.

Xander sudden yelp broke into the girls' thoughts. The watched as the ground crumbled away and Xander fell out of sight. Everyone rushed to the hole and looked down into an underground chamber of some sort.

"Uhh! Ow. I'm okay. I'm, uh... I'm okay. Where am I okay?" Xander shouted as he looked around the chamber. He couldn't see much because of the darkness and the settling dust.

~~~~~~~~

Angel stood staring at the open dorm window where he could hear Buffy and Willow talking. He was amazed at how good Buffy looked, how happy she seemed and he was glad his leaving hadn't damaged her as much as he had thought it might. Even if in his heart he felt it was for her own good.

"While they were pulling Xander out, I heard a couple of the anthro professors talking about it. Man, were they excited. It's the old Sunnydale Mission, which everyone thought was lost," Willow announced. The find piqued the interest of the researcher in her.

"Huh?" Buffy continued to stare out the window distracted.

"Is there something out there?" Willow asked in a concerned voice and joined Buffy at the window to stare outside.

"What? No, I was thinking about some of the stuff Reg told us. And I think mom likes him," Buffy jerked her attention back to Willow. Everything that Reggie had told them was a lot to take in at the moment.

"I know your mom likes him. I have never seen her that flustered. Not even after the band candy incident," Willow informed Buffy. It really had been cute to see the usually cool and collected Mrs. Summers act like a schoolgirl.

"That's cool. I like Reg. Anyway... a lost mission. I mean, a hairbrush I can understand, but a whole mission. How do you lose a mission?" Buffy sat on the dorm bed that was technically hers.

"Huge earthquake in 1812. Everyone just assumed the mission was leveled. Instead, they built right over it. It's like what happened in the thirties with that church The Master was in. Doesn't it make you wonder what else is there, like, right under our feet," Willow wondered if she should research what other buildings 'disappeared' in earthquakes in and around Sunnydale. The information might come in handy someday and Willow resolved to get on it as soon as she could.

"Mostly, I've just found sewers full of demons," Buffy deadpanned then smirked.

"Oh right. Man, it's crazy out there," Willow commented when the sound of students running about madly and shouting could be heard through out the dorm building.

"Mmm. Post midterm frenzy. And the holiday. Everyone's going home. I sure hope Weirdo Riley goes home to where ever he belongs. I am so not up to dealing with him right now. I get the feeling he thinks he needs to save me from something. He reminds me of Angel," Buffy said quietly.

Outside, the eavesdropping vampire winced when he heard his name and the feelings behind it. Okay, maybe she wasn't as happy as he first thought and maybe his leaving her wasn't that good either.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Xander, I went to watch you dig and you weren't there," Anya called down the basement steps. She walked down them to find Xander lying on his bed, pale and shivering.

"I don't feel so good, An. Kinda tough getting going today," Xander muttered weakly as he started to sit up.
"Your head is moist. Oh, you're sick. Of course you can't go to work. Lay back down. The apartment hunting can wait, too," Anya informed her boyfriend. She put her hand on his forehead. "You're pasty and wet and disgusting. They will just have to dig without you."

"I don't feel that bad. We could still look at some apartments," Xander mumbled as he struggled to sit up. His mind felt like it was swimming in gel and all he really wanted to do was sleep.

"I inflicted a lot of putrefying diseases on men when I was an avenging demon, and you look like you're getting all of them," Anya said in a matter of fact tone touched with a bit of worry. She nibbled her lip. Being human was a nuisance. Much easier being a demon and not being able to get all these debilitating diseases.

"Ok. I'll stay. But you should go. You could catch it," Xander said, his own worries pushing to the surface.

"We'll die together. It's romantic. Let me get your trousers off," Anya announced perkily as she helped Xander off with his pants.

"You're a strange girlfriend, but I love you anyway."

Anya smiled cheerfully as she curled up to her sick boyfriend. Maybe after a nap he would feel up to her giving him a few orgasms.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Giles," Buffy greeted her Watcher as she entered his apartment, "did you hear that the professor from the groundbreaking ceremony died? Someone killed her, cut off her ear and dumped the body. It was way wiggy. And the only thing missing was some sort of Indian knife. Chumash, I think."

"Oh, Chumash Indians. They were indigenous to the whole area," Giles informed his charge, "Although the murderer may have used the knife as a weapon of convenience."

"Somehow I don't think so, Giles. There was a big old pair of scissors lying there. That knife was picked for a reason," Buffy was interrupted by a knock on the door, "That would be Reg. We are meeting mom at my house so we can wake up Sleeping Beauty and get the turkey in the oven. Then we'll be back."

Buffy moved to the apartment door and opened it. Reggie stood outside in the November sunlight, slightly ill at ease. As excited as he was to see Joyce again he was worried he was horning in on family traditions and even said so.

"No way, Reg. You're family now, too. Besides I am sure you can think of plenty of questions to ask me on the way home," Buffy scoffed before taking Reggie's arm. She gently led the man out of the courtyard and disappeared down the street.

"Yes, Buffy, I will get right on the Chumash Indian connection," Giles muttered continued to watch the empty courtyard. Then he turned towards the hallway and watched as Angel melted out of the shadows, "So what do you think?"

"She sounds pretty good. Was that the new boyfriend? A little old for her, isn't he?" Angel growled.

"No, that isn't the new boyfriend. Besides even if was, he's younger than you by 200 years, Angel. Reggie's a friend of mine from university, come to stay for awhile and he is much more interested in Joyce than Buffy," Giles spoke the untruth convincingly. Reggie was just as interested in Buffy as he was Joyce; just in different ways.

"Well, whatever killed the woman in the museum, that's probably the danger," Angel replied. Angel could hear an edge to the Watcher's voice and wondered what it meant.

"Yeah, well, this danger, your friend has some ominous vision about Buffy. It's all terribly vague. I mean, there are other things happening around Sunnydale," Giles announced, but noticed that Angel's mind was now made up. Giles shook his head and wondered just how long it would be before Angel discovered how entrenched Spike was in their lives here.

"Well maybe I'm wrong, but I gotta try something. I can't just keep watching," Angel muttered.

"Buffy doesn't need you to do anything, include 'watching' her. And I feel I should remind you she's not helpless and it's not your job to keep her safe anymore. She's moved on and I sincerely hope you've move on, too," Giles announced. Giles found it ironic that he enjoyed the company of Buffy's unsouled vampire mate, while he detested this ensouled ex-boyfriend.

"Well, it's not your job to watch her anymore, either. Are you going to walk away?" Angel gritted out. What the heck was going on around here? Leave for a few months and everything goes to hell. Angel wondered if it was the influence of the Hellmouth.

"No, I am not, but considering Buffy isn't the official Slayer anymore and I'm not an official Watcher anymore, it works out just fine. Go home, Angel. We don't need you here to fight our battles for us. We have plenty of warriors without you," Giles's voice took on an urgent tone.

"Who? Harris? He couldn't fight his way out of wet paper sack. And the others aren't much better. Buffy needs me!," Angel's voice escalated.

"All right, whatever, Angel, but I feel you should let her know you are in town. I don't like keeping this secret," Giles informed the vampire. Giles knew there was going to be no convincing Angel of the truth. As always the vampire decided that he knew what the truth was and as usual he was totally wrong.

"No, if she knew I was here, it would distract her. It could get her hurt. I don't want to get in the way."

"Um, I'm assuming that there's some connection to the old mission. Something is angry about being disturbed," Giles speculated.

"Or maybe it was trapped there, and now it's released. Something that has a fondness for ancient weapons. You know Father Gabriel?" Angel asked making Giles's shake his head negatively, "He knows the history of this place pretty well. His family dates back to mission times. He might be able to fill in some blanks."

"Ok. Well, I'll see about contacting him. Where are you going?" Giles used the voice he usually reserved for when Xander was acting like an idiot.

"To watch her, of course. And believe me, I'm not getting the good half of this deal. To be on the outside looking in at what I can't... Well, I'd forgotten how bad it feels," Angel said as he opened the door of the apartment and left, keeping to the shadows.

Giles sighed. He knew that Buffy would be more than pissed when she found out that Angel was stalking her. And pissed didn't even cover what Buffy's possessive mate would feel. Giles just hoped this day wouldn't end with any bloodshed or any dustings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy and Reggie strolled down the street towards her house. They could see Joyce's Jeep parked in the driveway behind Spike's big black monstrosity.

"You look great, Reg. Very handsome and debonair. Mom'll swoon when she sees you," Buffy tried to reassure the nervous ex-Watcher. She was glad that he liked her mom so much. Mom had been so lonely since the divorce.

Reggie looked down at his sweater and trousers with uncertainty. When he packed his suitcase he hadn't planned on attending any social occasions. In fact, he was quite surprised at how everyone had accepted his presence so readily.

"Here we are, Reg. Looks like Spike already let Mom in," Buffy announced as she turned up the walkway of a well-kept two-story house. She skipped up the front steps and opened the front door. "Mom, Reg is here. Where's Spike?"

Reggie could see Joyce come down a hallway from what looked like the kitchen. Her face glowed when it lit upon him. The blue dress Joyce wore floated around her like a cloud. Reggie gulped and was at a loss for words at her beauty. He was broken out of his trance by a giggle from Buffy.

"Spike's in the kitchen, honey. Giles called a few minutes ago. He has a lead on the professor that was murdered; a Father Gabriel. Spike said he would go check it out," Joyce informed her daughter, while never taking her eyes off their visitor. Buffy rolled her eyes and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Joyce, you look lovely today," Reggie said shyly.

"So do you. And I have been dying to know why you had a magical disguise when you showed up at Rupert's," Joyce inquired as she moved into the living room and settled on the couch.

Reggie followed her and sat beside her before launching into his explanation, "I was worried that the Council might be suspicious of my leaving so abruptly, so I faked a sickness in the family back in my home country for my reason for resigning. Then I had one of my brother's most trusted servants put on a glamour of me while I put on one of anonymity. It's just when I saw you... you were so beautiful I lost my concentration." Reggie blushed and looked down at his feet.

"I felt the very same way," Joyce rushed to say, her own face flushing red, "And I haven't felt that way in a very long time..." Before she could continue Spike and Buffy stopped by the living room door on their way out of the house.

"Mom, we're going now. Will you two be okay?" Buffy asked as Spike moved to put on his duster.

"We'll be just fine, dear. Reggie and I should have plenty to talk about," Joyce assured her daughter as she smiled at the shy man sitting beside her.

"Okay, we will be back when the pies are done," Buffy said waving at the older couple. She walked out the door Spike held open for her and the supercouple moved out into the sunlight.

At the end of the walkway, they met Willow who was coming to go shopping with Buffy for the stuff to make the pies. Buffy gave Spike a small kiss before they went in separate ways on very differing missions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike looked up at the church and huffed. Of course, he should have known it would be a bloody church. If he didn't love Buffy so much he would just say sod it all and go directly to Giles's apartment. Spike opened the big double doors of the church, careful to avoid the engraved crosses.

"Father Gabriel," Spike called out, "Father Gabriel, are you here?"

Spike found another set of double doors that appeared to lead to the sanctuary. He opened them just in time to see an Indian cutting the throat of a hanging clergyman. Spike's nosed flared as he shifted into game face.

"Get away from him," Spike growled as he launched himself at the Indian and punched him in the stomach. He threw the Indian a few feet away and stepped in between him and the father.

"You can't stop me," The Indian announced.

"You're very wrong about that," Spike growled again, his anger rising just a touch causing his eyes to begin glowing blue-gold.

The Indian stepped back in astonishment before rushing at Spike who sidestepped causing his attacker to slam his head into a low hanging bell. The Indian landed a few feet away and after a minute rose to his feet to try to slice Spike with his knife. Spike dodged both the slice and a punch making the Indian hit an ornamental stand.

"I am vengeance. I am my people's cry. They call for Hus, for the avenging spirit to carve out justice," Hus cried, wielding the knife towards Spike who easily sidestepped him.

"Ya, whatever. They tell you to start an ear collection?" Spike asked, indicating the bloody ear hanging on Hus's belt. Spike grabbed the Indian's arm and in a matter of seconds had the spirit's own knife against his throat.

"You slaughtered my people. Now you kill their spirit. This is a good day for you," Hus announced.

Spike thrust the spirit away from him and watched as it turned into a colony of bats. Spike watched them fly away before turning to the hurt man he found who was looking at him with wonder.

"Why does an evil, soulless demon protect me, a man of God?" the dying man whispered through his pain. This was something he had never expected to see in his lifetime.

"Fell in love, mate, with the sunshine and she makes me a better demon," Spike replied, "Now about your visitor..."

"He can... be killed... by his own... weapon," Father Gabriel was able to gasp out before he slumped over dead. Spike closed the man's eyes before standing and leaving the church to make his way to the Watcher's apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"But you have whipped cream for the pie. I saw it in Giles's fridge," Willow told Buffy, shifting the bag in her arms around.

"That's whipped cream in a canister. Look, it's only right if you whip it yourself," Buffy announced before she paused in the street as if listening to something in her head.

Willow continued on, not realizing her friend had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, "Hey, and later, we can churn our own butter and make sweaters out of sheep. What's wrong, Buffy?" Willow stopped and looked back at Buffy. It was then she could hear Spike urging the two girls back to Giles's apartment.

"We are done shopping," Buffy promised.

"Miss Summers... Miss Summers... may I speak to you," a young clean cut man called from the shadow of the alley. He appeared very nervous and his eyes darted around as if was scared someone would see him talking to her.

"Can I help you?" Buffy asked suspiciously.

"Um, ya, but I need to talk to you alone," the young man stated.

Willow took the hint and indicated she would be getting them some mocha lattes in the Espresso Pump. She knew that Buffy would let her know what the conversation was about through the familial claim. Willow ran into the coffee shop and right into Angel who is hovering just inside the doorway spying on Buffy. Angel grabbed Willow and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Angel... evil. He's evil again," she sent to Buffy, even as she was attempting to talk through Angel's hand, "Angel... evil. You're all evil, again."

"I'm not evil. I'm here to help Buffy," Angel announced as he removed hand and let her go.

"No, my mistake, he's here to stalk you," Willow informed Buffy before saying aloud to Angel, "What's going on?"

Buffy mentally rolled her eyes. She so didn't have time for Angel and his little drop-a-hint stalker games today. Buffy could hear the little possessive growl mentally coming from her mate at the thought of Angel being in town trying to bugger things up. She returned her attention to the commando that seemed to be wanting to talk to her and allowed Willow to deal with Angel for now.

"My friend had a vision. Buffy's in danger," Angel warned Willow, who mentally rolled her eyes right along with Buffy.

"So just tell her. Help her."

"If she sees me, it'll be worse," Angel tried to defend his actions to the redhead.

"Why would it be worse, Angel? She's moved on. Got herself a new guy that she's very happy with. That's what you told her to do. So I doubt it will be that bad for her to see you," Willow revealed not realizing that Giles told Angel the almost the same thing just a few hours before.

"You know how I feel about her. If there was any way... " Angel trailed off as he thought about how much he loved Buffy.

"Yeah, I know, Angel, but she has truly moved on. She's in love with him and he's in love with her. If you could see them together you would understand how it is," Willow said, knowing the truth of her words and then switched gears on the vampire, "Hey, is Cordelia really working for you? 'Cause that's gotta be a special experience. Of all the people you could've hired."

"Willow, I'm here to protect Buffy. I don't have a whole lot of time for personal stuff," Angel avoided the subject of Cordelia Chase quite expertly.

"Well, if you took time for personal stuff you would know she doesn't need your help, but how can I help?" Willow asked as she moved to the counter to order the mocha lattes she said she was going to buy.

"Well, if you could just tell me... who's that guy? Is that her new boyfriend?" Angel questioned as he looked out the window and just noticed Buffy talking to a young man.

"Miss Summers, my name is Ronald Jones," Ronald looked around again to make sure no one was nearby, "I am part of a government program called the Initiative based here in Sunnydale."

"You're one of those commandos that tried to take Spike," Buffy growled. She narrowed her eyes to study the young man carefully.

"Yes, m'am. I just wanted to warn you that Professor Walsh has taken an interest in you and your hostiles," Ronald said quietly, "The things that Walsh is doing to the demons we capture is horrific. The experiments she is performing make me sick to my stomach."

"Why are you telling me this?" Buffy asked.

"Because you are the Slayer. I am an Uixa demon and our talent lies in the ability to translate any spoken language, human or demonic. In fact most of us work somewhere in the government system as actual translators," Ronald informed Buffy proudly, "And no, Maggie Walsh doesn't know that my mate and I are demons."

Buffy's eyes flashed green-gold causing Ronald to gasp. Buffy grabbed his arm and moved him out of earshot of the vampire she knew was eavesdropping in the Espresso Pump.

"You have to shut Maggie Walsh and the Initiative down, Slayer. That vampiress you rescued? She has a chip in her head that makes it so she can't harm any living creature. And Walsh is making something in the restricted area. Demons go in and they don't come out. Please Slayer," Ronald begged, "I'll do anything you ask of me, if you will just help."

"Even pledge allegiance to the Clan Sultana-Aurelius," Buffy growled as her eyes turned completely green-gold and her fangs descended.

"Yes, Mistress. My mate and I pledge allegiance to the Clan Sultana-Aurelius," Ronald whispered. This was better than he what had hoped would happen when he decided to approach the Slayer. This wasn't the normal type of Slayer; this was something totally different. Ronald was sure this one could take on the Initiative without any problems.

"Allegiance granted," Buffy said just as Willow came out of the Espresso pump with the drinks, "This is Willow. She is a full member of the Clan, treat her as such. Now go about your business as usual."

Willow handed Buffy her drink and waved at Ronald. The Uixa demon nodded his head at the redhead in compliance with the Slayer's wishes as Buffy told him the code to use to contact her through the bartender at the Bronze. Being a demon he could feel the power that emanated from both of the small women in front of him. Ronald had a feeling things were going to change in Sunnydale very, very soon.

"Pretty darn scary out there. It was more like a riot than a Ralph's," Buffy commented as she kicked open the door to Giles's apartment. She was juggling both bags of groceries since she asked Willow to run to the college library and find some books on the Chumash Indians. "And I thought I was going to have to use Slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling."

Spike chuckled at the thought of his mate flashing a bit of fang at some poor unsuspecting innocent. He held his hands up in defeat when she glared at him and went to help her with the grocery sacks. Spike set the bags on the kitchen bar while Buffy went into the kitchen. He then settled down on one of the bar stools.

"From what Spike tells me, it's clear we're dealing with a spirit of some kind. It's very common for Indian spirits to change to animal form," Giles announced as he followed Buffy into the kitchen.

"I didn't get there in time to save the father, but he was able to tell me that the spirit can be killed by its own weapons," replied Spike, "'m not sure why I didn't kill it while I had the chance. Could be the mating and the sharing of Buffy's soul. I got all mixed up with guilt and the destruction of an indigenous culture."

"They are called Native Americans now, guys," Buffy said distractedly as she studied the pumpkin pie recipe on the side of the can. She turned the oven on to preheat.

"What?" both Brits said together.

"We don't say Indian. It's politicially incorrect. So don't say it front of Willow, she's channeling her mother today," Buffy replied as she began setting the pie ingredients on the kitchen counter.

"Oh right. Yes, yes," snarked huffily Giles, "Always behind on the terms. I'm still trying not to refer to you lot as 'bloody colonials'."

Spike chuckled once again, but quickly stopped as he got a mental slap up side the head from his mate. He could tell she was a little stressed out between the holiday and the big brooding poofter stalking her every move.

"Well, this spirit warrior... Hus, you called him... has killed innocent people," Giles reminded Buffy.

"Yes. I get that, okay. And I do want to stop him. I'd just like to find a non-slayee way to do it," Buffy announced just before she was interrupted by a knock on the door. "There's Willow. Can you get the door, Giles?"

Giles went to the front door, opened it and found Willow standing there with her arms full of books. He grabbed about half of the books before walking over to place them on the table. Willow stepped inside the apartment and closed the door using her foot.

"You know who is hovering across the street," Willow grimaced as she crossed the room to the table. She set the books down and grabbed a chair to sit in.

"Idiot vampire," Buffy muttered, "Why he thinks I can't handle seeing him is beyond me."

"You know Angel's in town?" Giles asked. He guessed he didn't need to keep it a secret after all.

"Yep, he scared Willow half to death in the Espresso pump. She told me he was here. Stupid vampire," Buffy said as she returned to mixing the pie filling.

"I could go out and thump him for you, Slayer. It'd be great fun," Spike smirked and curled his tongue behind his teeth. Visions of pounding on Angelus's ass floated through his mind.

"Mmmm, it's tempting, baby, but just let him play his stupid games and he will go back to LA soon enough," Buffy gave her mate a mental kiss as she poured the pie filling into the crusts. She placed the pies in the oven and set the timer on the back of the stove. Buffy moved to the grocery sacks again and pulled out a couple of boxes of chocolate pudding and a graham cracker pie crust.

"What's all this?" Giles asked indicating the books that Willow had brought with her.

"Atrocities. I got the full poop on the Chumash Indians and our fabulous buried mission. I have been busy reading about the Chumash War," Willow picked up one of the books and turned to a page she had marked with a slip of paper.

"The Chumash were peaceful," Giles said in a confused voice. At least, he thought they had been.

"Oh, they were peaceful, all right. They were fluffy indigenous kittens, till we came along," Willow practically growled causing the others to look at her with raised eyebrows.

"So what happened to the Chumash?" Buffy asked. She was almost done with the chocolate pies; they just needed to harden in the fridge for a couple of hours.

"How about imprisonment, forced labor, herded like animals into a mission full of bad European diseases?" Willow was on a roll now. She grabbed a book and turned it so the others could see the pictures.

"Boy, cultural partnership center really didn't stress any of that stuff," Buffy murmured. She walked out of the kitchen to settle herself on the bar stool next to Spike.

"Not even a diorama. And it gets better. The few Chumash who tried to rebel were hanged. And when a group was accused of stealing cattle, they were killed. Men, women, and children. And for proof to bring back to their accusers...," Willow continued to open books to paper-slip marked pages.

"They cut off their ears," Giles hazarded a guess.
"So Hus wasn't kidding about the rightful vengeance routine," Buffy replied.

"He's recreating all the wrongs done to his people. And it's up to us to stop him," Giles announced.

"Are you sure we shouldn't be helping him?" Willow asked. The others stared at her with puzzled looks on their faces.

"No, I think perhaps we won't help the angry spirit with his rape and pillage and murder," Giles's forehead wrinkled as he tried to figure out Willow's line of reasoning.

"Well... okay, no, but we should be helping him redress his wrongs. Bring the atrocities to light," Willow said a bit fanatically.

"If the history books are full of them, I'd say they already are redressed, Willow. I would have no problems helping him, if the people that wronged him weren't dead for centuries. We have to stop this thing," Giles told Willow in a mild tone, "Besides if Angel's friend is right, Buffy might be in particular danger from this menace."

"He was here talking to you, too?" Buffy growled. Idiot vampire.

"Yes, he informed me of his friend having a vision involving you. And he is the one that told me about Father Gabriel," Giles was interrupted by a knock on the door. He got up to open it to find Anya and a sickly looking Xander standing outside.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Xander whimpered.

"Xander, you look like death," Giles observed. He wondered how the hell Xander had gotten out of bed this morning, looking so deathly pale. Giles could see that Xander's skin was pale with dark circles around his eyes, his hands and legs were shaky and his skin was moist and fevered.

"Are you okay?" Buffy and Willow asked at the same time as they saw how terrible Xander looked.

Anya and Xander entered the apartment. Anya helped Xander lay down on the couch where she plumped a pillow before placing it under his head. She took his hand as he smiled sadly up at her.

"The doctor couldn't figure out what was up with me. He said I had a lot of symptoms that didn't connect," Xander muttered weakly. His energy seemed to seep from his body right in front of his friends.

"I think they are connected," replied Spike.

"To the Chumash spirit vengeance guy?" Xander asked.

"Willow, didn't you say the Chumash got all diseased when they were all holed up in the mission," Buffy asked. She had immediately picked up on Spike's line of reasoning. Being connected sure did have its advantages.

"Yeah... yeah," Willow grabbed a book out of the pile and started to flip through the pages, "This is a better account of everything. It lists the various..."

"Various? As in... " Xander interrupted Willow in a panicked voice. He partially sat up only to be pushed back down onto the couch by Anya.

"Well, the important thing is not to panic," Willow said calmly.

"You just recited the mystical panic-causing incantation, so little hope there and why does this always happen to me? So let's talk about the various," Xander answered. He continued to try and sit up and Anya continued to keep pushing him back down on the couch.

"Well, they did suffer from malaria, some smallpox," Willow began to list the 'various.'

"I was going to say smallpox," Anya chirped cheerfully. She thought she had recognized smallpox, of course, it had been a good many years since she had actually encountered the disease.

"You know, syphilis, but basically..." Willow mumbled softly, hoping Xander didn't catch that last one.

"Syphilis?" Xander squawked in shock. This was bad. Very, very bad. Things couldn't get any worse could they?

"Well, I could turn you, Whelp. Vampirism cured Darla of syphilis. Probably cured old Liam of it, too, when she turned him," Spike offered. He chuckled at the mental thumps he got from both his mate and his Wicca.

"Um... thanks for the offer, Spike, but I think I would rather find different way to get this cured," Xander said.

"Well, this is probably mystical and it'll go away as soon as... But if we need to I can always curse you with a soul," Willow told her lifelong friend.

"There will be no cursing of Xander. I want many, many orgasms as soon as he is well," Anya declared loudly. No, this wouldn't do at all. Xander told her of the curse on Angel's soul and while it sounded like wonderful vengeance, there was no way she was going to go without sex.

"Okay, it'll go away as soon as what?" Xander asked quite pointedly.

"We still don't know what we're gonna do. Well, maybe I can find something," Willow replied as she moves to Giles's book collection and started to glance at the titles.

"Can we come rocketing back to the part about me and my new syphilis?" Xander asked sarcastically. Why was everyone ignoring him? It wasn't like he was dead yet.

"It'll make you blind and insane, but it won't kill you. The smallpox will though," Anya stroked Xander's forehead as she tried her best to comfort him the only way she knew how.

"Maybe there's a Wiccan spell that can cure it. Something regular medicine doesn't know. Oh, there was a potion," Willow pulled an index card out of one of the books and began to recite the ingredients, "Sage, salt... onion?"

"That's the stuffing. Gosh, I hope mom doesn't need that."

"Oh my God," Xander muttered as Anya continued to tell him the symptoms of the diseases he had. Sometimes having such an honest girlfriend wasn't as pleasant as it appeared. He would rather she tell him he was going to be okay.

"Uh, you're gonna get vesicles and pustules. They have pictures," Anya informed him as she tried to show him the book of pictures.

"I really hate this guy," Xander muttered. He closed his eyes hoping to block out the pictures Anya was showing him.

"He's just doing what was done to him."

"Oh and why's big and broody hovering across the street in the bushes? I thought he went to LA to start a new life?" Xander asked. He had noticed Angel when he and Anya had walked up to the apartment building.

"You saw him, too? My God, that's not very stealthy of him. I think he's losing his edge," Willow laughed. Then she told Xander and Anya of running into Angel at the Espresso Pump. "Ya, he doesn't want Buffy to know he's in town so we are all pretending that she doesn't know, but we do. By the way, what all did that guy want earlier, Buffy?"

"Oh ya, he said his name is Ronald Jones and he is an Uixa demon. The commandos are part of a government agency called the Initiative who are trapping demons here and experimenting on them. They even put some sort of chip in Harmony so she can't hurt people. Professor Walsh is interested in Spike and me, big time. He pledged himself and his mate to the clan, so I think he is telling the truth. He's going to keep us informed about what is going on," Buffy apprised the group of the meeting she had earlier with the commando.

"That's interesting, luv. You seem to have all the fun around here," Spike chuckled and kissed his mate on the cheek.

Buffy jumped up from her seat when she heard the buzzer on the stove ding. She hurried into the kitchen, pulled on oven mitts and took the pies from the oven. Buffy set the pies on racks to begin cooling.

"So are we going to take this guy out? There will be slaying sometime soon, yeah?" Xander asked.

"That's the question on the table right now, Whelp."

"Question? It's a question? I say slay him. The representative from syphilis votes yea. Because how else am I going to get cured, guys?"

"There's 2 sides to it. It's not that simple," Willow warned Xander.

"He's a vengeance demon. You can't talk to vengeance demons. Anya, did any of your victims ever talk you out of performing your job?" Xander asked looking up at his girlfriend who was still stroking his head.

"Nope, can't say that they ever did," Anya said, "Besides he's a spirit, not a demon."

"Yes, and we've never faced this sort of spirit before. Thankfully due to a bit of information Father Gabriel gave Spike before he died, we do know how to kill it," Giles replied.

"Again with the killing," Willow humphed and sunk down into her chair. She decided she was going to ignore them all until they saw things her way.

"Figuratively speaking. Or bind it or whatever, Willow, if you can find a way to do that. And yes, we all appreciate your perspective," Giles went over to pat Willow on the shoulder.

"Sometimes vengeance is justified," Anya said quietly.

"I don't think anyone appreciates the truth of the situation," Willow muttered forgetting she was ignoring the others.

"Oh, I think we do. Xander's in danger. Hus won't stop. Vengeance is never sated, gang. Hatred is a cycle. All he will do is kill." Giles warned the group.

"Could you guys not talk so much?" asked a whiny voice from the staircase.

"So sorry to interrupt your sleep, Harmony," Giles said sarcastically, "Isn't it time for you to go visit your parents anyway?"

"Yes, daddy got special windows installed in the limo. I'm going to go wait for it," replied Harmony as she swept out the door flinging herself from shadow to shadow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hus laid the six weapons of the floor of the dank cave as he started to recite the ritual to raise the spirits he needed to exact his vengeance.

"First people who dwell in mishupashup, hear me and descend. Walk with me upon itiashup again. Hear me also, nunashush. Spirits from below... Creatures of the night... Take human form and join the battle. Bring me my revenge," he chanted and watched as green mist rose from the cave floor and formed into Chumash warriors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's wrong, Giles," Buffy asked her Watcher as she watched him take off his glasses and rub the arch of his nose.

"The victims; apart from Xander, Hus has targeted authority figures. Father Gabriel, the curator of the cultural center. Who else fits the pattern?" Giles twirled his glasses as he tried to think.

"The dean. Dean Guerrero. He's the king of us and he was at the ceremony. He participated in the actual ground breaking with the professor," Buffy replied.

"Yes, likely candidate. We should warn him," Giles advised Buffy.

"Will, anything in those books about how to stop a Native American spirit guy? Some nice, non-judgmental way to, you know, kill him?" Buffy questioned Willow indicating the pile of books in front of the Wicca.

"I'm not gonna help you kill him. I'm not on board, damnit," Willow surprised herself with her cuss word.

"What choice do we have, Willow?" Buffy rubbed her forehead. God, this was getting old fast. She could see Willow's point; really she could but as the Slayer what was she supposed to do? Let the spirit continue on killing people?

"Buffy, this isn't a Western. We're not at the Fort... Giles with the cavalry coming to save us... unless you count Angel. It's one lonely guy. Oppressed warrior guy who's just trying to...

"Kill a lot of people? Will, you know how bad I feel about this. It's eating me up, but even though it's hard, we have to end this. Yes, he's been wronged. And personally I would be ready to apologize..."

"Give it up, luv, she's not listening to you. Red, quit this mamby-pamby boo-hooing. You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That's what conquering nations do. It's what Caesar did, and he's not going around saying, "I came, I conquered, I felt bad about it." The history of the world isn't people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story," Spike stood up and moved over to put his arm around Buffy.

"Well, I think the Spaniards actually did a lot of..." Buffy broke off for a second when she saw the look on Willow's face, "...not that I don't like Spaniards."

"Listen, Slayer, how are you gonna fight anyone with that attitude? Besides, if Reg is right you should be able to tell Hus's true intentions the moment you see him. Willow, she understands your point, she really does, but let her do her job," Spike tried to reason with his two women. Ya, Red was part of the clan; she was his woman just like Buffy was. Not in a sexual way, you dolts. 'Cause that's just ewwww.

"If we could just talk to him..." Willow continued as if Spike hadn't spoken.

"You exterminated his race. What could you possibly say that would make him feel better? It's kill or be killed. Take your bloody pick," Spike was already tired of the argument.

"Fine, but someone still has to go warn the dean," Buffy announced.

"I'll go. I need the air," Willow stated loudly.

"Not alone. I don't care if the commandos seem to be off for the holiday," Buffy said.

"I'll go," Anya and Xander both said together. Anya stood and then helped Xander stand up on weakened legs.

"Sure you are up to it?" Buffy asked Xander worriedly.

"Can't have the girls going out there alone. Even if I feel sick and dizzy. At least I can still scream and attract attention while they hightail it to safety," Xander said as he flung his arm around Anya's shoulders.

"We'll keep looking for a solution," Giles muttered as he started to look through the pile of books that Willow had collected on the table.

"Yeah, we will. Guys, the dean's house is up past the gym. And hurry. We'll meet back here before going over to my house," Buffy declared.

Willow, Anya and Xander left the apartment in a flurry of shuffled movement. Buffy watched them disappear out of the courtyard before she closed the door and turned to the two remaining people in the room.

"Wonder how Mom and Reg are doing? I'm going to call and let them know we should be there soon," Buffy moved to the telephone and picked up the receiver. She dialed her home number and waited for someone to answer. "Hey, Mom, how are you and Reg doing?... That great, huh?... Cool, we all should be there in about an hour. Just have a little spirit demon to deal with... Okay, I will be... Bye Mom."

An arrow zinged through the air and hit a decorative scarecrow on the table. Spike and Buffy look up to see Hus in the upper level window with a bow and arrow. He fitted another arrow into the bow and raise it, ready to shoot.

"You. Listen, maybe we weren't clear before about how terrible we all feel. 'Cause we're trying to help," Buffy shouted as an arrow zipped by her head.

"It isn't working," Giles practically sing-songed.

"Uh you have casinos now," Buffy tried again.

"Get down!"

Giles and Buffy crouched behind the table as arrows began to rain through the window. They could see Spike dive for cover behind the couch, an arrow catching him in the chest. Buffy let out a screech and could feel her fangs descend. Her mate was hurt and she was majorly pissed off.

"Hey, watch the heart," Spike yelled from his hiding spot.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, that was a waste of time," Anya said as she, Willow and Xander left the dean's house. She was carrying a plastic wrapped plate in her hand.

"I think he thought we were crazy," Xander muttered quietly. He wasn't feeling so well and the walk to the dean's house hadn't helped any.

"Maybe if Anya hadn't opened the conversation with, 'Everyone got both ears?' it might have gone a little better," Willow snarked.

"I liked his wife. She gave me pie. Peach pie," Anya announced, showing the other two the plate of pie that they both already knew she was carrying.

"So what do we do now?" Willow wondered aloud. She knew they were supposed to meet back at Giles's apartment before going on to Spike and Buffy's house.

"We could stay here and stand watch. I just don't..." Xander was interrupted by a big dark shadow dispatching itself from the surrounding shadows, "Angel! He's evil, again."

"So this is Angel. He's large and glowery, isn't he? No wonder S..." Anya was unable to continue her speech as both Xander and Willow covered the ex-vengeance demon's mouth with their hands.

"I'm not evil again. Why does everyone think that?" Angel asked in a petulant tone, "I haven't been evil for a long time."

"Angel's here to help Buffy," Willow hinted heavily before tapping Xander's leg with her foot and raised her eyebrow at him, "She's not suppose to know he's here. Angel, you have something new?" Willow ended perkily.

"Yeah, all the Chumash weapons are missing from the cultural center. Something's up. Where's Buffy?" Angel informed Willow.

"Still at Giles's. She sent us to check on Dean Guerrero," Willow indicated the stately house behind them.

"Why the dean? Dean's not a warrior and the spirit is a warrior. To a warrior, the leader means the strongest fighter," Angel related his theory to the three Scoobies.

"Buffy," Willow murmured, 'and Spike'

"He's formed a raiding party. I'll call, you guys get there as fast as you can," Angel said as he crouched by some bikes chained to a tree and used his vampiric strength to break them free. He watched as Anya, Willow and Xander each grabbed a bike and started pedaling towards Giles's apartment as fast as they could. Angel shook his head as he imagined the Lone Ranger theme song accompanying the three Scoobies as they rode the bikes. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Giles's phone number.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"H-hello... Yes... Yes... w-w--we're well aware of that... We-we're under siege now, actually.... Thank-you...," Giles spoke into the phone and then abruptly hung up as another arrow zipped through the air.

"Who was that?" Buffy asked.

"Angel. We need a plan," Giles said. He ducked as yet another arrow hit the table.

"Yes, let's talk about it some more. Where's your weapons chest?" Buffy questioned.

"Over there," Giles indicated the chest across the room directly in the line of fire.

Buffy nodded at her Watcher and began to sidle towards the chest, but as soon as she moved away from the cover of the table she was shot in the arm. She yelped in pain as the smell of her blood filled the air.

"Buffy..." "Slayer..." Giles and Spike spoke at once. Both men tried to get to Buffy but were stopped by shooting arrows. Giles did okay, but Spike caught another one in his chest. When he grunted, Buffy growled. This would not do at all.

"I'm okay, guys. How many are there?" Buffy reassured the men in the apartment with her. She didn't want them to be worrying about her and getting hurt any more than they already had. She had some of her own vengeance to exact for her mate getting hurt.

"Uh, the leader upstairs. 2 by the living room windows. Uh, one through the window by the door," Giles popped his head up long enough to count enemy heads.

"It's too many. We need help. Oh, Willow and the others just showed up outside. The girls are hitting one with shovels. Cool," Buffy hopped up from behind the table just as two of the spirits broke into the apartment, "One thing I like about vamps, they can't get in without an invite."

Buffy launched herself at the nearest spirit while the other one rushed at Giles. Spike stood up from behind the couch as he pulled an arrow from his chest.

"Bloody hell, that hurts," Spike snarled as he flung the arrow to the ground.

"Giles, these guys... they don't die," Buffy yelled as she continued to wrestle with the spirit.

"Bit busy over here," Giles muttered as the spirit he was fighting grabbed him around the neck and started bouncing his head off the wall.

Spike looked at his mate and then the Watcher. He knew his mate could handle herself, so he jumped over the couch towards Giles to wrestle the spirit away from the other man.

Outside, Willow and Anya continued to hit the spirit with shovels as Willow gritted out, "Why... won't... you...die?

Angel opened the courtyard gate, just in time to see another Indian sneaking towards the two girls, his tommahawk pulled, ready to hit them over the head. He leaped towards the spirit, grabbed it and snapped its head with a deft twist. Angel let the spirit fall to the ground and looked at Willow and Anya.

"What's he like when he IS evil?" Anya asked, just a tad scared now that she wasn't immortal anymore.
Another spirit came up behind Angel and grabbed him around the neck. As they wrestled, Angel yelled at the two women to help the others. It was then that they noticed Xander was weakly holding his own against the spirit he was fighting and the two women hurried to help him, hitting the Indian with their shovels.

Inside, Buffy continued to wrestle with a startled Hus. She could feel the hatred that seethed inside the spirit. Buffy's eyes began to glow green gold as she grabbed his knife away from him and sliced him. This wound bled and didn't close.

"Your knife can kill you," Buffy screamed.

"That's what I said before, Slayer," Spike yelled back at her from the hallway where he and Giles were still fighting one of the other spirits.

It was then that Hus morphed into a bear and began to growl at Buffy. She backed up a bit and snarled back at it.

"You made a bear, Slayer," Spike shouted.

"I didn't mean to," Buffy said in a sheepish voice. She glanced at her mate in the hallway and could feel the tension rolling off of him.

"Undo it! Undo it!" Spike growled, not caring if everyone found out that he still held a fear from his human days back when tamed bears were kept for entertainment and as a small boy he almost got mauled by one of the declawed, toothless animals.

Xander, followed by Anya and Willow, chose that moment to enter the apartment effectively distracting the bear long enough for Buffy to stab it in the back. The bear and the other spirits disappeared into thin air. The entire room sighed in relief as Willow closed the apartment door behind her.

"Did we win?" Giles asked groggily from the hallway.

Outside Angel watched a smiling Buffy through the window. She looked so happy and he was glad. He was about to leave when he saw the most mind-boggling sight he had ever seen in his entire life. His irksome grandchilde, the one he thought was dust, came up behind Buffy and kissed her on the bare shoulder before resting his chin there. And instead of pushing him away or staking him, she reached up and cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand as she turned to return the kiss to the side of his mouth. All Angel could do was stare in shock.

"Go on ahead, I need to lock up. We don't want to keep Joyce and Reggie waiting," Giles waved his Slayer and the others off into the evening, "I will just drive my car."

"Okay, Giles, don't take too long. You have dessert in the backseat," Buffy said as she took one of Spike's offered arms and Willow took the other. The three of them left the courtyard trailed by a decidedly healthy Xander and his girlfriend.

Giles locked his apartment door and when he turned around he found himself pinned to the door by a snarling Angel, "You failed to tell me the new boyfriend was Spike, Giles."

Angel was surprised to find a stake pressed to his heart and wondered how the Watcher had produced it without his noticing.

"And why does it appear that none of you seem the least bit concerned that you have a killer in your midst?" Angel continued, "This is not what I meant for Buffy to have when I left. I wanted her to have a normal life."

"Nothing about Buffy is normal," Giles managed to choke out, "And you're right, you left. Nothing here in Sunnydale is any of your business anymore, Angel."
Angel shifted his eyes away from the Watcher almost as if he was embarrassed. His grip loosened on the Watcher's throat.

"You lost your chance in having any say in Buffy's life when you left her. It's your fault, yours and your demon's, that you lost Buffy. She never cared about the restrictions on your soul. She loved you and you walked away from her. Now, your grandchilde is picking up your pieces, yet again, and she's happy now. She's found some peace within herself and with her calling," Giles ruthlessly continued on.

"I left to save her from Angelus," Angel retorted. He glared intensely at Giles. "Every time I'm near her it gets harder and harder not to reclaim her. I want to love her and Angelus wants to possess her, break her spirit, and I won't allow that. Hell, maybe you're right, maybe she is better off with Spike. He can have her in ways that I can't, but then again, it's Spike for chrissakes! He is the most reckless offspring I've ever had to deal with in my unlife. Why him?"

"Because he came along at the right time to help her. She'd been drifting all summer on the verge of a depression that you caused. Due to this she almost let a fledgling get the best of her a few months ago," Giles stated

"I didn't know that but what does that have to do with... " Angel started to say before Giles cut him off.

"And then her first college boyfriend treated her as bad if not worse than your abandonment and Spike was there for her. She knew you were in town, Angel. She decided to just let you play your stalker games and enjoy the holiday with her family. And that includes Spike," Giles pushed past the flummoxed vampire and left the courtyard.

Angel stood there in the darkness for a few minutes as he heard Giles start his old clunker and drive away. He sighed and went to find his car so he could return to LA to the life he had made for himself. A life without his love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When did he get back?" Cordelia whispered Doyle as she watched Angel sit at his desk staring out the window.

"Late last night," Doyle whispered back as he too watched Angel.

"And..."

"Well he seemed fine, but he just went in there, sat at his desk and has been staring out the window ever since," Doyle replied.

"You think he found out about you know who?" Cordelia turned her attention totally on her fellow employee.

"I'm sure he did, Cordy. He was in Sunnydale for three days tracking Buffy and the spirit I saw in my vision."

"Well he's chock full of the morbidy gloom." Cordelia gasped as she looked back at Angel, only to find him playing with a stake. She dropped her hand to Doyle's shoulder to get his attention.

"Oh my God, don't do it, Angel," Cordelia shouted as she ran into the office, followed closely by Doyle.

"Listen to me, man, it's not worth it," Doyle yelled, "Give the stake to me."

"You can't let her get to you like this. She's met someone new, so will you. Just give it time," Cordelia tried to comfort Angel the best she could.

"How did you know Buffy had someone new?" Angel asked suspiciously.

Cordelia and Doyle glanced at each other before turning to Angel and shrugged in unison. "Good guess?" Cordelia tried to cover her faux pas.

Angel glared up at Doyle. "You knew. You saw him in your vision and you didn't tell me?" Angel's voice was deadly calm.

"Well if you had given me time to say more than 'The Slayer' I could have told you," Doyle defended himself, "Not my fault you ran out of here half cocked. Besides I just tell you what the Powers That Be want you to know."

Angel rose from his chair and stalked Doyle back until he sat on the couch. "You knew about Spike being with her and you didn't see fit to break the PTB code and tell me? He's my grandchilde! He doesn't have a soul. How did you know he wasn't the danger?"

"Because they told me that he was her new partner, Angel."

"I made that boy what he is, Doyle. He's soulless and evil. Did the PTB tell you what the hell she ever saw in him not to stake him?"

By now, Doyle was cowering in the corner of the couch under a towering, very pissed Angel. He had never seen his boss and friend act this way before. It was like something snapped in the man when he had found out Spike was around.

Cordelia felt bad for the Brachen demon. "Angel, I don't think you really want to know that. Just leave it be," she said, trying to calm the vampire down, "Besides if my ex came to town and was all stalking me in the shadows and then left and then didn't even say 'hello' I'd be more than a little upset."

"Have you ever thought the Powers That Be wanted you to know this so you'd move on?" Doyle piped up softly from the couch, trying not to raise his boss's ire anymore than it was already.

"How can I move on knowing she's throwing her life away with Spike? She was supposed to be MY salvation, MY reason for getting out of the gutter, and MY reason for making a difference. Not HIS," Angel growled.

"The Powers That Be don't tell me everything, Angel. I know Whistler said you were supposed to be by her side helping her and you did while you were there. But she requires growth that you would never have been able to provide her with your attitude," Doyle informed Angel as he started to get his courage back.

"What attitude would that be exactly?" Angel asked staring at the Brachen demon with hard, cold eyes.

Before Doyle could answer Angel, a green skinned demon dressed like a Samurai complete with a curved sword crashed through the window and attacked the vampire. Angel leaped away from the sunlight pouring in the broken glass and barely avoided being sliced by the downward stroke of the sword.

"Angel" Cordelia screamed as she pushed one of the rolling office chairs towards the demon hoping to catch it off guard.

Angel leaped up from behind the desk with an axe in his hand which he lobbed at the demon. The demon dropped its sword as the axe hit its arm. Angel slid across the floor to grab the demon's sword and stabbed it in the guts as it attempted to extract itself from the chairs Cordelia kept pushing towards it. Some of its fluorescent green blood ran down the blade of the sword, over the hilt onto Angel's hand. The demon jumped back causing the chair he was wrestling with to fall on top of Angel. It pulled the sword out of its own gut and jumped back out the window it had entered just minutes before.

"Friend of yours?" Cordelia asked gasping for breath.

"Never saw it before," Angel muttered from his spot on the floor.

"It was rude. You and Doyle should go kill it," Cordelia muttered as she plopped down on the couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's heading towards the ocean," Angel told Doyle as he sniffed the air, "It's wounded. I can smell its blood."

"Are you sure?" Doyle asked as he wrinkled his nose, "Because, great... handy skill to have, but all I can smell is sewer."

"Yes, I'm sure. And let's get back to 'my attitude'. Which attitude is that exactly, Doyle?"

"The attitude you have to protect her, which you demonstrated by stalking her for the past three days. The Slayer doesn't need protection, she needs strength. Spike provides her with strength..." Doyle tried to tell his boss exactly what was going on.

"All Spike will provide Buffy with is a nice set of holes in her neck as he drains her," Angel snapped in a terse voice.

"Look, Angel, if you aren't going to listen to me, I'm not going to attempt to tell you anything else. You will just have to figure it out on your own. Just remember that things ARE the way that they're intended to be," Doyle informed the vampire then shimmied up the closest ladder and disappeared into the sunlight.

Angel continued to walk until he got to a Y in the sewer line. On the wall of the tunnel on the right he saw a bit of green blood on the wall. Angel reached out to touch the blood and then brought his fingers to his nose to smell them. As he moved down the tunnel a bit, he started to feel dizzy, blinking hard, he leaned against the wall.

"I feel weird," he muttered to himself, "Damn, it's the demon blood. It's powerful somehow."

Pushing himself away from the wall, Angel continued on, not noticing the glowing eyes following his every move. Using the vampire's distraction, the demon jumped out and attacked Angel from behind. The demon sliced Angel's hand open with the sword it had pulled from its own guts back in the office. He looked at the blood on his hand with a confused look on his face.

Angel slid into game face and attacked the demon. As they begin to fight, the demon sliced off the head of Angel's axe just as Angel managed to knock the sword out of the demon's hand. The demon pulled its short sword and the fight continued. Finally, Angel managed to grab the demon's short sword and turned its hand to stab it in the heart covering Angel's injured hand in the flourescent green blood.

Angel stared at the blood swirling and sinking into the cut as the demon fell to the floor dead. Much to Angel's astonishment the wound closed instantly. A bright, white, shimmering light flashed through the vampire starting at his hand and encompassed his entire body causing him to collapse with a strangled cry. Angel sat there on his knees gasping as he realized his heart was beating.

"I'm alive!" Angel breathed as he continued to stare at his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Doyle, does this look like the demon?" Cordelia asked as she handed a book to him to study.

"Yes, that's it," Doyle answered and then he began to read, ""It's called a Mohra demon. They're pretty powerful assassins; soldiers of darkness kind of thing. They take out warriors for our side, like Angel. Hmm, book says; 'Needs vast amounts of salt to live'. And it was heading towards salt water. The book also says; 'Veins run with the blood of eternity.' Its blood has regenerative properties."

At that moment Angel walked through the office door with a dazed look on his face. He continued to study his hand as he moved into a sunlit spot of the room.
"Hey, you walked in the front door... from the street.

You're standing in the sun!" Cordelia gasped out. She grabbed him to drag him out of the sun when she realized he wasn't smoking.

"He's alive, Cordy," Doyle gasped.

"Alive? How?"

"When I attacked the demon some of its blood mixed with mine," Angel informed Cordelia and Doyle. Doyle grabbed Angel's wrist to check the pulsepoint and realized that, yes, Angel had a heartbeat.

"I want to find out what kind of demon that was. Ow, my back. It hurts. Everything's..." Angel groaned and and rubbed his lower back.

"More real, now that you're real?"

"Yeah. I'm mortal now. I have a mortal body. And I'm so... hungry," Angel growled in a poor approximation of his former vampiric growls. He rushed past Cordelia to the small refrigerator where he grabbed a small doughnut which he shoved in his mouth, groaning with delight.

Doyle and Cordelia continued to watch as Angel opened the fridge and shove different things in his mouth. He sniffed an apple and moaned with pleasure before he bit into it. He abandoned the apple as soon as he saw the chocolate candy bar that Doyle had left in there the day before. Angel moaned again with delight at the chocolate, but in the next moment grimaced as he tried the non-fat, low-sugar yogurt that Cordelia had brought for her snack.

"Hey, we have a situation here, Angel. We found the demon already," Doyle handed the book to Angel to read for himself.

"Well, that explains what happened to me. But it doesn't explain why," Angel replied. When he looked up he caught his reflection in the mirror Cordelia insisted they hang on one wall of the outer office.

"Hey, what difference does it make, man? The demon's dead, you're alive! It's happy fun time," Doyle said cheerfully as he took the forgotten book from Angel's hands and replaced it on the bookshelf.

"What's going on here, Doyle?" Angel spun to confront Doyle.

"I don't know. I thought the only way for you to be made mortal was for the Powers That Be to step in," Doyle shook his head, not knowing what to tell the ex-vampire.

"What, they could have done this? How come I once again get the feeling you're not telling me everything. That's twice in one week, Doyle," Angel advanced on Doyle and towered over the shorter man.

"I don't know. We're both on a need to know basis here and yes, sometimes they tell me things I am not suppose to reveal to you," Doyle announced.

"I need to know about this. Is this permanent? Am I... am I normal Joe now? Can I live a normal life? I want to speak with the Powers That Be," Angel declared forcefully.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's easier said than done, bud. The Powers That Be don't live in our reality. You have to approach them through channels. Very dangerous channels," Doyle threw his hands up in defense.

"Yeah, you know what? Start approaching!" Angel said in a threatening tone of voice.

"All right. All right. Maybe we can try the Oracles. But hey, if they turn you into a toad... don't say I didn't warn you," Doyle surrendered his stance on the subject.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel and Doyle stand in a huge dark underground cavern staring at a brilliantly white door with the words 'The Gateway for Lost Souls' above it in a foreign script.

"The Gateway is under the post office?" Angel asked in an incredulous voice as he turned to Doyle.

"It makes sense if you think about it. Now listen to me, the Oracles are finicky and unpredictable. You do get in, don't dilly-dally. Ask your questions and get out," the seer told Angel.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Not allowed. I'm just a lowly messenger, you're a warrior. Now if your heart is pure... and I do this right..." Doyle mused as he threw some herbs into an urn in the middle of the cavern. He began to recite the calling ritual as he put a lighter to the urn and ignited the herbs, "We beseech access to the knowing ones... You're in..." Doyle said as the urn burst brightly into flames.

The doorway began to glow and Angel stepped through it into a pristine white marble chambers. Angel grimaced as his eyes adjusted from the darkness of the cavern to the brightness of the chambers. When his eyes became accustomed to the room, he could see two beings at the other end of the room; a woman and a man.

"Come before us, lower being..." the male sing-songed
"... What have you brought us?" the female finished in a lilting voice.

"Was I suppose to..." Angel asked in a confused tone.

"You call us forth and bring us no offering?" the male tilted his head in confusion.

"I brought you this," Angel said as he hastily took off his wristwatch. He watched as his expensive Rolex flew off his hand into the waiting hand of the female.

"I like Time. There is so little and so much of it," she murmured as she examined the timepiece.

"Well?" asked the male.

"What's happened to me?" Angel questioned.

"It's true then, brother," the female intoned as she stepped to one side of Angel and stared at him.

"He is no longer a warrior," the male followed suit and stepped to the other side of Angel.

"It was the demon's blood. It wasn't the Powers That Be that did this?" Angel was feeling a little nervous at how the two beings were looking at him.

"The Powers That Be? Did you save humanity? Avert the Apocalypse?" the male demanded.

"You faced a Mohra demon. Life goes on," the female said dismissively.

"My life as a human... I'm not poisoned or under some spell?"

The female looked away as if consulting someone only she could hear before looking back at Angel, "The Auguries say no. If it has happened it was meant to be."

"From this day forward, you will live and die as any mortal man," the male sing-songed.

"Privy to all the attendant pains... and pleasures," the female began her sing-songing again also.

"That which we serve is no longer that which you serve. You are released from your fealty," the male said in his strangely lilting voice as both he and the female turned and walked away from Angel.

"That's it? I'm free?" Angel asked, but received no answer as the man held up his hand and Angel flew backwards out the door he entered through. He landed on top of a very disgruntled Doyle.

"It didn't work?" Doyle asked as he extricated himself from the sprawling ex-vampire who was staring at the white marble doorway.

"What?"

"Look at your watch, Angel, you just went in this instant," Doyle informed Angel as he helped him to his feet.

"I can't do that, Doyle. Next time remind me to bring a gift," Angel muttered as he pushed back his sleeve to show the Brachen demon his bare wrist.

"Oh, I knew I forgot something. So... what happened? What did they say?" Doyle asked to cover his embarrassment.

"They're a little confusing but... the gist of it is... it's real. I'm free. I mean what do I do now? I have my whole new life spread before me. I don't know where to begin," Angel told the seer.

"Right. It's overwhelming. You can pretty much do what ever you want now. The question is, what do you want?" Doyle asked, although at the back of his mind he knew what Angel was going to say.

"Go to Sunnydale, of course. Go to Buffy," Angel answered. He mentally began his argument on how to win Buffy away from Spike. After all, now that he was human, how could a vampire without a soul compete with that?

Doyle heard a little voice pipe up telling him that he and Cordelia had better go along. They were all in store for a bumpy ride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike couldn't believe he had let his mate drag him shopping even if he had to admit watching her model formal gowns had him hard and ready all afternoon. And the two dresses they picked for the auctions were hot, sexy and classy. He absentmindedly listened to her chatter about Christmas being only four weeks away as he went over what the Watcher had told them had happened with Peaches the night before.

"Oh God, that's Angel's car parked outside our house!" Buffy exclaimed when Spike turned the Desoto down the street their home was situated on.

"Should've known he wouldn't leave with his tail tucked between his legs, luv," Spike said as he pulled to the curb about a block from the house and switched off the engine. He rolled down the window and pulled a cigarette from the inside pocket of his duster. Spike lit the cigarette and then sat there flicking his lighter open and closed.

Buffy could feel the tension, nervousness and downright fear rolling off of Spike. Finally she grabbed him and using her Slayer strength she slid him across the bench seat towards her. Ignoring the surprised look on his face, she swung herself around so that she could settle on his lap facing him. Buffy pressed her body up to his as she gripped the lapels of his duster.

Spike threw the cigarette out the window and automatically settled his hands on her hips pressing her even closer. The feel of the Slayer's body next to his was like nothing he had ever felt before and he was terrified he was going to lose her.

"Spike, please tell me what's wrong?"

"I love you, Buffy. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. It's not like it's the first time the poofter has come around and... " Spike broke off and Buffy could see the memories filtering through his mind of all the times that Drusilla had dropped him for Angelus without a backward glance.

"You're not going to lose me. You're mine and there's no way I'm letting you go," Buffy assured him as she buried her face in his neck.

"He's gonna challenge the claim. You know that, don't you, pet?" Spike asked as his hands moved up Buffy's back and buried themselves in her long blond hair. While they were out shopping she had stopped in at the salon to have a perm and the silken curls glided through Spike's fingers like water.

"I know, baby, but you're strong. You're not the vamp you use to be. You have the Gem, you have Slayer blood and you have me. You. Have. Me."

"Until you see him and then you will..." Spike didn't get to finish his sentence before he felt the Slayer's blunt teeth tear into his throat. The brutality and possessiveness of the act excited him even as it reassured him of his place in his mate's life.

Buffy pulled away from Spike and watched with great interest as the blood trickled down his neck to his collarbone to disappear under his shirt. Then she smiled at him before smashing her lips to his and when she pulled away, for once he looked like the one totally ravaged.

"Now are you ready to go face him?" Buffy whispered as she slid off of Spike's lap and back onto the seat beside him.

Spike nodded and slid over behind the wheel of the Desoto. He started the engine and the car purred to life. In just a few seconds they were pulling into their driveway. When they were finally parked, Spike climbed out and came around to open the door for Buffy.

Buffy had learned very early on that the Victorian gentleman in Spike was alive and well, and he expected her to let him treat her like a lady. She waited until he opened the car door for her and then waited for him to open the trunk to remove the purchases they had made that day.

"Five heartbeats inside, luv. Two of them are our Watchers. I don't recognize the other three. Appears Peaches brought reinforcements," Spike said as he closed the trunk.

"Well, one of 'em is probably Cordelia and the other might be the friend with the visions," Buffy replied as she held the garment bags holding her new dresses and Spike's new tux very carefully so not to drag them on the ground.

Spike held the front door open for his girl. As he kicked the door shut behind her, he gathered all the bravado he had learned over the last century and swaggered into the living room.

"Rupes, Reg, I see you both are havin' a drink. Mind if I join you?" Both men in question raised their glasses to the blond vampire as he made his way to the sideboard and poured himself a drink.

Buffy's voice floated down from upstairs, "Don't forget you are taking me out tonight, Spike."

"As if I could forget. We ran into Red at the dress shop and they talked about it for 20 soddin' minutes," Spike muttered as he took a gulp of his whiskey. He set his glass down long enough to slip his duster off and toss it across the back of one of the armchairs. Spike ignored the gasps as his Slayer ravaged neck was revealed. He grabbed his glass again and settled down in the chair he had laid his coat across.

"I heard that," Buffy said as she entered the room. "Angel, we didn't know you were stopping by for a visit or we would have gotten home sooner."

Spike mentally rolled his eyes, earning him an evil eye from Buffy. If he had known Angel was coming back he would have taken her and ran away for the weekend. Spike was just a little surprised when instead of getting a chair from the dining room Buffy came over and settled in his lap. His empty hand came up and curled around her waist.

"Buffy, I don't know how to say this, but I fought a Mohra demon and its blood mixed with mine and made me human. We can finally be together. Be everything you wanted," Angel stood and announced as soon as he saw Buffy curl up with Spike.

Buffy was speechless for a few seconds. Before, this would have been a dream come true, but now it seemed the Fates had played a cruel trick on Angel.

"Wow, Congratulations, Angel. I'm so happy for you," Buffy finally said when she found her voice.

Angel couldn't understand what was going on. Instead of flying into his arms like he expected, Buffy continued to snuggle up in Spike's lap. What the hell was going on here?

"Buffy, we can have the normal life you have always said you wanted. The normal life I have always wanted for you. You don't have to stay with Spike and pretend he is a substitute for me," Angel blurted out as he moved closer to the couple in the armchair.

"What? Spike is not a substitute for you," Buffy growled as she leapt up off of Spike's lap, "You left me to find someone and I have. Spike is that someone, Angel. You may not like it, which I'm sure you don't, but it's reality. What we had together was a first love, and I will always care for you. But, and it's a big but! I'm in love with Spike. There's nothing you can say that will change that."

"No, but there's something I can do about it," Angel growled and in a sudden, unexpected move that caught all the others in the room off guard, he launched himself at Spike stake in hand. The stake plunged into Spike's chest and directly into his heart. Both Angel and Spike looked down at the stake; one in astonishment and the other in smirking triumph.

"Oh do it, again. It tickles. You know, in a good way."

Angel withdrew the stake from Spike's chest and watched the wound close before his eyes. Okay, that wasn't normal. Vampires were supposed to dust when a stake was inserted in their hearts, but before Angel could say anything he had a pissed off Slayer glaring at him.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing, Angel? Do you really think killing my boyfriend would win you points in your favor?" Buffy demanded.

"But it's Spike, Buffy. You remember; the same Spike that came here to kill you, the same one that stalked you all over Sunnydale on Halloween when that spell happened. He's my errant grandchilde, for fuck's sake!" Angel stared daggers at Spike never taking his eyes away from the blond vampire through the entire rant.

"He's also the Spike that helped me defeat Angelus. The only vampire I have trusted alone with my mother and who still has an invite into her house. That's how I knew he would help me play a trick on Parker when he dumped me in the middle of the UCSunnydale Commons; you know, the 'normal' you wanted me to find," Buffy ranted in return.

"Going through boyfriends like Parker is what a normal girl does, Buffy. I'm sorry you were hurt and misplaced your trust with the boy, but it's part of a normal life and now that I am mortal, we can have that. The only reason I left you was so that you didn't have the complications of dating a vampire. Yet here you are with my grandchilde. I'm finally free to be with you in all ways. We can walk in the sun together," Angel pleaded with the little girl in Buffy that he loved from day one. She had to be in there somewhere. This rough exterior would fade away to the sweet, innocent girl he loved once he got her away from Spike.

Buffy smirked at Spike before turning to her Watcher, "Giles, could you open the curtains, please? I don't know why they are closed on such a beautiful fall day."

Giles moved over to the curtains and opened them wide, letting the sun flood the living room. He grabbed his and Reggie's glasses to pour them each another drink. Giles had the feeling things were going to get worse and he wanted to be pleasantly plastered when they did.

Spike leaned forward to stick his hand into the light. He twisted his hand around, first looking at the palm and then at the back. When nothing happened he sat back against the chair and smirked at Angel. This was getting good and he hadn't even said a word yet.

"You're going to choose him? Over me?" Angel asked in the most incredulous, jealous voice that Buffy had ever heard.

Buffy's patience came to an abrupt end and before she turned back to face Angel she let her eyes bleed iridescent green-gold and her Sultana fangs to descend. She whirled to face him, ignoring the looks of shock from Cordelia and the man next to her on the couch. Buffy's entire focus was on her former lover.

"Yes, I am choosing him over you. He's mine. My mate, my vampire, my Aurelian," Buffy growled.

Buffy's patience came to an abrupt end. Before she turned back to face Angel she let her eyes bleed iridescent green-gold, and she allowed her Sultana fangs to descend. She whirled around to face him, ignoring the looks of shock from Cordelia and the man next to her on the couch. Buffy's entire focus was on her former lover.

"Yes, I am choosing him over you. He's mine. My mate, my vampire, my Aurelian," Buffy growled.

Angel stared at Buffy. His jaw dropped in surprised shock, but before he could utter a word the front door slammed open. Willow, Xander and Anya all spilled into the house happily laughing.

"We found an apartment we like," Anya gushed. Then her eyes came to rest on Angel, "What's he doing here? I thought he finished his stalking game and went back Los Angeles?"

Buffy turned her head to smile at her newly arrived friends and Angel could see that none of them seem the least bit surprised or worried that she had she didn't look like she normally did. The glowing eyes and fangs receded to leave the darling face of the girl Angel loved so much.

"Hey guys," Buffy said, "I think everyone knows each other. Oh, except Cordy's friend there. I don't think we got a formal introduction."

"My name is Allen Francis Doyle, Mistress," Doyle told Buffy as he took her hand and bowed down to kiss it. He ignored the surprised looks on both Angel and Cordelia's faces, "But my friends call me Doyle."

"I am pleased to meet you, Doyle," Buffy murmured graciously.

"We haven't finished our conversation yet, Buffy," Angel proclaimed loudly now that the shock had wore off a bit. Angel moved towards Buffy in hopes of pulling her aside to talk more privately, but she managed to sidestep him and moved out of his reach. He pulled up short and turned to glare at Spike when he heard the blond vampire's menacing, possessive growl.

"Well, it's time for me to get ready for the date. Willow, Anya, would you like to see the dresses Spike picked out for the jewelry auctions?" Buffy smiled as both the Scooby ladies nodded and raced up the staircase. She turned back around to address Cordelia, "Cordy, you can come, too, if you want."

Cordelia nodded gratefully. She was ready to get away from the testosterone poisoning. Cordelia was surprised as hell when Buffy linked their arms together as they went upstairs.

"You vamped her?!" Angel turned on the blond vampire.

"What?! I did no such thing..." Spike defended himself. There was no way he was going to have this conversation without another drink. Spike stood up, glass in hand, and moved towards the sideboard.

"Well, she just couldn't have vamped by herself! What did you do Spike?" Angel snarled as he grabbed Spike by the arm. Spike looked down at the hand on his arm and then back up into the face of the ex-vampire.

"I didn't do anything to her, Peaches. It was great-great-granddaddy that started all this," Spike stated before pulling effortlessly away from Angel. He poured himself another drink and returned to settle himself into the armchair.

"Started what? I didn't leave her here to be picked up by you, Spike!"

"No, you left her here to be shot down by stupid little ponces like that git Parker, who have no idea who or what the real Slayer is," Spike shot back, his irritation level rose rapidly.

"I left her so that she could have a normal life, not be dragged down by the likes of my reckless, irresponsible grandchilde!" Angel moved so he towered over the blond vampire, forcing Spike to look up at him.

"'m not being reckless or irresponsible, Peaches. I take care of my women. I bloody well took care of Dru for over a century," Spike growled. He was tired of Angel casting aspersions on him. Spike knew he had done the best he could after being abandoned not only by Angelus, but by Darla, too.

"And speaking of Drusilla, you're the vampire who thought that taking Drusilla to Prague was the best thing for her?" Angel seemed to imply that Spike should have known what evil lurked in Prague, as if he were the bloody seer instead of Drusilla.

"What the fuck do you know about Prague? You were still in the damned gutter suckin' on rats when that happened. How was I to know that the gypsies that cursed you would be there? Hell, I didn't even know about the curse till we came to Sunnyhell. Darla told us you didn't want us anymore and had moved on. Besides Dru wanted to go and you know how she gets. No talkin' sense to the crazy bint," Spike announced as he took a long swig of his whiskey.

"Drusilla told Angelus when he came back a few years ago, and yes I know how she gets. You should have had sense enough not to have taken her!" Angel leaned over and growled in Spike's face.

"She may have told you some of it, Angelus, but she forgot to mention that she knew what was goin' to happen. She wanted to go to Prague to force me to come to Sunnydale. She knew I would never have come here without good reason. I am not fond of Hellmouths," Spike informed the ex-vampire.

Angel backed off a little before asking, "And now that Dru's not a factor... you moved in on Buffy? How the hell did she become a vampire, Spike? If not by your hand?"

"She's not a bloody vampire, you idiot. She's the Sultana!" Spike shouted as he jumped to his feet. He could feel Xander move to stand beside him in support and he nodded to the boy who continued to glare at Angel. Spike sat back down in the armchair he had just vacated.

"The what?" Angel asked, trying to wrap his mind around Spike's words.

"The Slayer Sultana," Giles said quietly from his place on the couch.

Angel glared at Spike as he sat down opposite Giles. He rested forearms on his knees and folded his hands. "Knowing this is the Hellmouth, and strange things happen here, I ask, 'What is the Slayer Sultana?'"

"Given the right circumstances a regular Slayer can become like..." Giles pondered what to say for a moment. "I guess the best way to say it is an ultimate Queen Slayer. And Buffy's filled all the requirements," Giles informed Angel in his slightly slurred voice. Yep, being pleasantly plastered did wonders for dealing with what was going on here.

Angel rolled his eyes a little and leaned back into the loveseat. "Do I dare ask how?"

"Well, she got nearly drained by the Master," Giles announced the first Sultana criteria.

"She drowned in a pool of water," Reggie recited the second Sultana criteria.

Angel raised an eyebrow wondering who exactly this man was that the gang in Sunnydale so readily accepted his presence. He reminded Angel vaguely of the other Watcher that had stayed in Sunnydale the year before.

"I resuscitated her," Xander said as he remembered how he saved Buffy's life so many years before.

"Which called another slayer," Giles disclosed. Uh oh, he was starting to sober up. Giles wanted to get up and get another drink, but then thought better of it. There was a big difference between plastered and drunk and the line was very subtle.

"And I claimed her," Spike smirked proudly.

Angel looked up at each individual in turn and growled at Spike, "What are you doing claiming my girl?"

"I didn't see any claim of yours on the girl. Besides she claimed me in return, Peaches. It wasn't a whim on either of our parts. I love her," Spike responded, the pride in his voice quite evident to all those in the room.

"And why did I feel the connection break between Spike and I?" Angel asked, looking at Giles. That had been the most horrible feeling he had experienced inside his vampiric family since he had dusted Darla.

"By claiming Oz and Willow as part of her family, Buffy started a new clan," Giles informed Angel of the life-changing event that had occurred just a few weeks before.

"How is that possible, Giles? Don't you think she's going at this Sultana thing half-cocked?" Angel questioned the Watcher.

"No one knows anything about what it is to be a Sultana, Angel. Buffy's the first slayer not to die in the change over process. Not to mention the fact that the Chronicles only reveal themselves when an event occurs," Giles sighed, wishing he had more information himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upstairs Buffy had opted for a fast shower, being careful not to ruin her new perm while the other three girls caught up on the gossip. When she stepped out, she toweled herself off quickly and slipped on a bra and panty set. Buffy slipped back into the bedroom from the master bathroom and found the other females admiring the furnishings of the room.

"Buffy, this is the headboard from that store in the mall, isn't it?" Willow asked as she stroked the soft leather.

"Ya, most of the furniture is from there, except what mom has brought over," Buffy answered as she pulled out one of the garment bags out of the closet. She opened it and picked out a little black dress; one that every woman should have whether she needs it or not. Buffy slipped on the dress and asked Willow to zip her up while she put a light coat of make-up on her face.

"Spike, huh?" Cordelia asked, getting right to the question foremost in her mind.

"Mmm, ya, Spike," Buffy answered dreamily as she pulled the other dresses she had purchased out of their bag and laid them on the bed for the other two to admire.

"Angel is being rude to Spike down there," Willow practically growled as she tilted her head.

"I don't hear anything," Cordelia stated curiously. She tried hard to hear what was going on downstairs, but everything was too muffled for her to hear.

Willow's focus came back to the room she was in, "Oh, I was listening in on the conversation through Spike. Sorry."

"What do you mean through Spike?" Cordelia suddenly wondered how much Doyle had left out of his explanation to her and how much Doyle really knew himself. The Powers That Be were tricky that way.

"I... um," Willow threw a quick glance at Buffy before blurting out, "I sorta belong to Spike and Buffy now."

"Belong? Belong to them how?" Cordelia asked in a confused voice. She sank down into one of the armchairs beside the window.

"Things are changing here, Cordy. There are things that Angel has to accept. I am changing and it's not a bad thing, really," Buffy told the ex-cheerleader, "Spike makes me happy. I'm happier than I ever was with Angel. I really do still care for him, but he took the easy way out and abandoned me. Spike and I are making our own clan. We've already have two clan members; Willow and Oz."

"But you're not a vamp, right?"

"What? No," Buffy laughed, "I am something called the Slayer Sultana. Sorta like an ultimate Slayer."

"Things are never easy with you, are they, Buffy? So how did you get together with Spike of all vampires?" Cordelia questioned.

"No, they never are. I think it's the influence of the Hellmouth," Buffy giggled, "Spike... well, Spike came back to town for the Gem of Amara, which he found. I fell for this smooth talking guy named Parker who was rude and sorta dumped me in the middle of the campus. I saw Spike and a plan for revenge popped into my mind and it just kinda went from there. Which dress do you think is best for the auction at Mom's gallery?"

Buffy held up first a red dress than a white dress. Both Willow and Cordelia indicated the red dress would be great for the auction at the gallery, while Anya indicated she didn't know enough about human rituals to have a preference.

"So, you're working with Angel, now. How'd that happen?" Buffy asked Cordelia as she put the gowns back in their protective bags. She hung them in the closet and then turned to look at the three very different women in the room with her.

"I met him at a party, almost got ate by a vamp, and didn't have anything better to do that week," Cordelia chuckled. She shifted in her chair wondering why she suddenly felt comfortable with the other women in the room. They hadn't gotten along at all before.

"That guy with you, Doyle, he likes you. Has he given you any orgasms yet?" Anya asked Cordelia. She, too, wondered why she wasn't feeling weird talking to her boyfriend's ex.

"No, no orgasms. Do you really think he likes me?"

"Oh ya, the way he looks at you, Cordy, he really, really likes you," Buffy assured the ex-cheerleader as both Willow and Anya nodded in agreement.

"Okay, are any of you wigged out by the fact that we are all in the same room and we are getting along?" Buffy inquired as she headed for the closet door, "Time for Spike to get ready."

Buffy pulled out a pair black dress pants, a black silk dress shirt and a blood red tie. Then she laid them on the bed. She moved to the bedroom door and indicated to the others it was time to get back downstairs. The four women trooped downstairs to find a living room full of silent men.

Spike leaped to his feet and made his way over to her acting as if he had to reassure himself. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, all the while communicating his love to her through the claim. He ignored Angel's grumbling in the background.

"You need to get cleaned up, baby," Buffy said as she reached up to tap his neck where she had bitten him, "Don't want to scare the little old ladies at The Sage Room." Buffy watched as he smirked at her and went bounding up the stairs. She could feel, regardless of all his moaning and groaning, that he was just as excited as she was about the date.

"Where do you get the nerve to accuse Spike of turning me? Didn't you see me in the sunshine the last few days you were watching me?" Buffy asked Angel as she decided to forgo any niceties.

"I wasn't . . . watching you . . . I was assessing the situation to see what was in Doyle's vision. When you turned into the vampire's demon what did you think I would assume, Buffy?" Angel stated as he stood up and moved closer to Buffy.

"Did I look like any vampire that you've ever seen before, Angel?" Buffy asked as she skirted around Angel and sat down in the armchair that Spike had recently vacated.

"For all I know you could have been a daywalker," Angel said as he came to realize that Buffy wasn't going to allow him to get close to her and neither did it seem were the others. Both Willow and Xander came up to stand on either side of the armchair that Buffy was sitting in.

"What the hell is a daywalker? Giles, what the hell is he talking about?" Buffy questioned her Watcher as she sat up straight in her chair. Why had Giles not mentioned this years before when the gang's most secret fears had been uncovered by that boy and his dreams? Buffy silently moaned as Spike saw the memory of her being a vampire and that he was instantly sorry he hadn't been around to see that one. He told her all the naughty little things he would have enjoyed doing with and to her as a vampire, even though he enjoyed her as the Sultana even more.

"A daywalker is a slayer-vampire hybrid that retains the soul and has none of the weakness usually associated with vampires," Giles stated. The room filled with tense silence as everyone considered the information the ex-Watcher told them. It was then that Giles decided that, yes, it was time for another drink. He went to the sideboard and poured himself yet another healthy portion of alcohol.

"What's a what?" Xander's confused voice broke through the quiet room like a firecraker.

"Well, you could have asked instead of accusing Spike of being reckless and irresponsible," Buffy grumbled. She was still upset that her beloved mate had been insulted in his own house.

"There hasn't been a daywalker alive in 6 centuries. When I heard about them they were myth," Angel defended himself. It was then that he realized not too many of the people in the room even cared about his explanation of his actions. Certainly not any of those he left behind in Sunnydale.

"The Slayer Sultana's a myth and yet here I am," Buffy quipped in a snarky tone of voice.

"Yes, but you just said you weren't a daywalker. So you haven't gotten all the perks yet," Angel remarked a tad snidely. He wasn't enjoying this side of the girl he loved and wished he could do something about it.

"Well, Mr Information Guy, why don't you tell us all the perks," Xander piped up, only getting a hate-filled glare from Angel for his trouble.

"How did you know I accused Spike of being reckless and irresponsible? You were upstairs the entire time."

"He told you the claim isn't one-sided. I listened in and so did Willow," Buffy informed her ex-boyfriend.

"Eavesdropping now, are we, Buffy?" Angel growled.
"Whatever it takes to keep my mate safe."

"Frustrated with Spike though I am, and always will be, he's Drusilla's childe and I will not take that from her no matter how much the boy grates on my nerves," Angel continued to growl, trying to discover some way to verbally get between the Slayer and his grandchilde. He hoped that the mention of Dru would do it.

"Dru dumped him again, Angel. She treated him less than dirt. I'm picking up the pieces, just as he's picking up mine. You should've thought of that when you were Angelus and took her away from him." Buffy jumped to her feet and stalked towards the dark haired ex-vampire. She knew exactly what he was trying to do with his hurtful words.

"Drusilla has been known to be finicky when nothing goes her way. I wonder what Spike did this time, look at another girl?" A moment of silence hung in the air while Angel looked real close at Buffy and then it dawned on him. "Drusilla has visions. She saw something. She saw you around him. That's why she left him." Angelus scoffed. "Drusilla always wearied of the competition."

"Angel, I told you that things are the way they are suppose to be. Why do you keep fighting what is meant to be?" Doyle asked the ex-vampire.

"Because it wasn't supposed to be like this. Not with her and not with him of all creatures," Angel grumbled. The day had gone from bad, to great, to the worst ever for him and he wasn't happy about it.

"You don't know that, Angel, and neither do I. The Powers That Be have condoned this mating and that's all you need to know," Doyle said. He wondered how far the ex-vampire was going to push things and who would get hurt the most.

Before Angel could answer, Spike reappeared in the living room door. He was freshly showered and handsomely dressed in the dress pants, silk shirt and red tie that Buffy had laid out for him. Brand new boots adorned his feet.

"Harris, here's the down payment for that apartment. Just like I promised," Spike said as he handed Xander a white envelope. Then he turned to Buffy to hand her a large rectangular box, "And for you, Slayer, jewels to adorn your beauty."

Buffy took the box from her mate and gasped in surprise when she opened it. Inside was a diamond pendant with matching earrings and bracelet. She motioned for Spike to help her put on the necklace while she put the earrings in and placed the bracelet on her wrist. Buffy leaned up and kissed Spike's cheek.

As Spike ushered their friends and other disgruntled guests out the front door, Giles took the oppertunity to speak up about Harmony. Spike assured the Watcher that they would start looking for new digs for the vampiress minion the very next week. Spike locked the front door, whisked his golden Slayer away to the Desoto and was roaring down the street before anyone else was allowed to get a word in edgewise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doyle and Cordelia came down the stairs of the mansion to find Angel staring out a window, his hands jammed in his pockets and a frown on his face. The Brachen demon motioned to Cordelia to sit down on the couch while he approached the ex-vampire.

"Hey, that Mohra demon regenerated more then just you," Doyle announced softly. He came up beside Angel and stared out the window, too.

"What?" Angel asked as he shook off his reverie and looked at the shorter man standing next to him.

"I had a vision. It regenerated itself in the tunnel where you fought it. It headed to Sunnydale immediately afterwards. I see some sort of factory. Hmmm, I thought I tasted salt," Doyle said as he tried to recall all the details to the fast paced vision he had had upstairs.

"It needs a lot of salt to live," Angel commented as he began to pace, trying to come up with where the demon might go once it got to Sunnydale.

"Well, it was very much alive in this vision and angry if I might mention. It's here in town," the seer reiterated as he went over to sit by Cordelia.

"I'll have to kill it again," Angel announced as he grabbed the car keys off the fireplace mantle. The trunk of his car was where the weapons were.

"Yeah, but you're human now. They released you," Doyle shouted as he jumped to his feet, closely followed by Cordelia. The pair followed Angel out to the car, watched as he popped the trunk, and began to sort through the weapons stored there.

"You want to let that thing roam free? You saw it in a factory. There is a saline plant a few miles north of town. We'll start there," Angel replied as he took an axe and a sword out of the trunk and laid them on the backseat of the car.

"Yeah, but if it can regenerate itself, how can you kill it?" Doyle asked as he glanced at Cordelia trying to convey a message that she wasn't getting. She scrunched her nose and shook her head ever so slightly.

"We'll figure it out. Here's the book of Kelsor. You'll read, and I'll drive," Angel said as he pulled the book from the trunk and tossed it to the Brachen demon.

"Don't you we should bring someone a little supernatural?" Doyle questioned as he grimaced his face, frowned and rolled his eyes at Cordelia again. This time she caught the hint and nodded, ever so slightly.

"No, I want to handle this on my own," Angel announced as he slid into the driver's side of the Plymouth convertible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two dark-haired men entered the deserted saline plant. They were both thankful that it was closed on Saturdays and so there were no workers except the janitorial crew to have to deal with. Not that telling them that was a gas leak in the area wouldn't work fabulously, but it was easier if no on was there to start with. Gotta love 'the Sunnydale denial factor' at work. Angel stood peering into the darkness and Doyle read from the book.

"Okay. This is not good. It doesn't just come back. It comes back bigger and stronger. I think we should go back and get Buffy and Spike," Doyle disclosed his findings from the book.

"I know what I'm doing," Angel pronounced confidently.

"Look, Angel, this isn't your average demon we're fighting here. It nearly licked you before, and now you're a mortal," Doyle said. He hoped Cordelia got a message to Spike and Buffy before something terrible happened here with him and Angel.

"If I am going to convince Buffy to be with me instead of Spike, I need to be able do this on my own. I can't risk her life every time some minion of hell..." Angel stopped arguing with Doyle. "Just tell me how to kill it," Angel growled menacingly. He watched as Doyle quickly went back to looking at the book. The seer seemed to have momentarily forgetten Angel wasn't a vampire anymore.

"Uh, 'It regenerates until the dark future it envisions is upon us.' Oh, 'to kill the beast one must bring darkness to 1000 eyes'." Doyle recited from the book before placing it in a backpack he was carrying. Out of the pack he grabbed a small crossbow and some crossbow bolts. He quickly and efficiently loaded one of the bolts into the bow.

"Funny, I only saw two," Angel quipped.

"Keep up the glib. It makes me feel like we have a chance," Doyle quipped back before noticing Angel gagging over the two dead bodies of the janitorial crew, "Take it easy, mate."

"The blood," Angel coughed as Doyle moved to support the newly human man.

"It's never an easy sight. It's part of being human now, but hey, at least we don't have to see if the gas leak story would have worked," Doyle joked, trying to get Angel's mind off of the blood. Who would have thought an ex-vamp would get so sick from blood?

"I'm going to kill that thing," Angel snarled.

"Just remember that it's brutal, deadly, and..." Some inner sense made the seer look up at the catwalk above the two men, "here!"

The Mohra demon jumped down on the two men from the catwalk, knocking Doyle out almost immediately. Angel and the demon continued to fight. Only the knowledge of skills learned for over two centuries kept the newly human from getting killed right off. When Angel realized he wasn't going to be able to kill it with sheer force, he decided a game of cat and mouse would be better. He hoped that the demon would slip up and he could take advantage of it. Except Angel's luck that day was bad; instead of the demon slipping and losing the advantage, it happened to the ex-vampire instead. The Mohra demon stood triumphantly above him, foot placed firmly on Angel's neck as it got ready to deliver the death blow.

"The end of days has begun and can't be stopped. For any one of that falls, ten shall rise," the demon announced gravelly as it raised its sword ready to stab Angel.

Its actions were prevented when a small blonde warrior fell upon it from above knocking it off of the ex-vampire. Buffy used her advantage and grabbed the demon's sword away from it. She circled it carefully, looking for its weaknesses and learning its strengths.

"A great darkness is coming," the Mohra growled as it began to circle the small warrior.

"You got that right. Bring it on," Buffy growled back as she beckoned the demon towards her with her free hand.

Buffy launched herself towards the demon, the sword raised in her outreached hand. As they continued to fight the Mohra demon managed to wrap its morgenstern around the sword, loosening Buffy's grip on the weapon. In retaliation, Buffy kicked the demon into the wall.

"Come on, this is the great warrior of darkness?" Buffy quipped.

The demon was momentarily distracted by a chuckle on the catwalk above it. Looking up it saw a pale man with bleached hair, wearing all black. Once again, the Slayer uses the demon's distraction and managed to step on the chain of the morgenstern, kicked the demon hard and made the demon let go of its weapon, too. At that moment, the Mohra picked up the Slayer and threw her against the wall which caused her to lose her breath.

Buffy was pissed. Pissed at Angel for trying to take this on by himself. Pissed at the demon for being in Sunnydale and dragging her out of her warm, Spike-filled bed to come fight it. Buffy kept her face down as she let her Sultana features bleed through. When she raised her face to the demon, it's triumph-filled face suddenly became terrified.

"No... This isn't possible. When the Slayer's champion became human it was suppose to tear things apart. Together you were powerful, alone you were suppose to be dead," the demon said in confusion.

"Changed champions, chump," Buffy announced as she indicated the figure leisurely standing on the catwalk, smoking a cigarette.

Angel grabbed a handful of salt and threw it in the demon's eyes. Angel tried to go around the Mohra to Buffy, but was instantly thrown across the room by the angered demon. He laid there studying the Mohra.

Buffy leaped up from her crouch and launched herself at the demon. She knocked it into one of the barrels of salt on the opposite side of the room as Angel. The Slayer and the demon continued fighting until Angel began to shout.

"The light of a thousand eyes.. The jewel in its forehead! You have to smash the jewel."

Buffy nodded slightly before picking up the morgenstern and moved towards the demon with her goal set firm in her mind. As she raised her arm, weapon in hand, the demon began to shout in denial, but it quickly vanished in a bright light when the Slayer's weapon connected with the jewel in its forehead with a direct hit.

"'m your champion, huh?" Spike asked once he had jumped off the catwalk and moved to stand behind his mate. He rested his hands on her shoulders, and they both ignored the snort that Angel gave from his place on the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"You again," the male oracle said blandly.

"What have you brought me?" the female oracle asked.

"Famille Rose vase," Angel answered as he threw the vase towards the female oracle, "China dynasty. Circa 1811."

"Lovely."

"Why are you here, lower being?" the male oracle questioned.

"I want to know what the hell is going on. Is it true what the Mohra demon said about other warriors of darkness coming? What is all this with my grandchilde claiming MY slayer?" Angel demanded forgetting he was talking to two beings more powerful than he was.

"I think you need to talk to your guide," both oracles sing-songed together. They disappeared in puff of smoke and in their place stood a short man in a tacky leisure suit and a fedora. He took a long puffing sniff and surveyed the room until his eyes fell on Angel.

"Angel, old pal, what can I do you for?" asked the Powers To Be's messenger boy.

"Whistler," Angel growled as he moved closer to the other man. He went to grab the suit's lapels when he realized Whistler wasn't really there; it was just a projection of the demon.

"Sorry, old pal, can't have you roughing me up, even if you wouldn't do much damage now that you are mortal," replied Whistler as he took off his hat and cracked his neck. He crammed the hat back on his head and stared pointedly at the ex-vampire. "I'm here. Ask your questions."

"The Mohra demon said more warriors for darkness are coming. I want to know if it's true. What will happen to the Slayer when these soldiers come?" Angel asked gruffly as he turned and found a marble chair to throw himself into.

"The Slayer now has the means to fight all of the coming darkness," Whistler answered as he, too, lowered himself into a marble chair.

"I want to break the claim. There is no way that reckless grandchilde can be her champion. It's me. She always told me that I'm the champion," Angel stated emphatically as he jumped to his feet and began pacing.

"Even if the Powers That Be could break the claim between William the Bloody and the Slayer Sultana, they won't. As for being her champion, he wouldn't need the claim to become it. If things continued the way they were going, she would have died and broken the chance to become what she was meant to be," replied Whistler nonchalantly. He sat there examining his fingernails ignoring the pacing man.

"There is no way that she would ever chose Spike for her champion. He is cruel, ruthless and as evil as they come. He was taught by the best. No, I can't. No, I won't believe it till I see it," Angel growled.

"That can be arranged," Whistler said quietly. With the wave of a hand, he and Angel vanished from the white marble room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel and Whistler stood in what appeared to be a dusty crypt. On the sarcophagus laid a Spike so beat up that if it wasn't for his trademark bleached hair and black clothes, Angel wouldn't have recognized the younger vampire. His face was badly bruised, one eye swollen closed. His shirt was torn open and Angel could see burn marks littering the vampire's chest. Several ribs appeared to be broken and out of place.

The door slammed open and what appeared to be Buffy dressed in a sleeveless hot pink shirt, pleated skirt and high heels entered the crypt. She had a big, plastic smile on her face as she marched briskly over to stand next to the wounded vampire.

"Spike! You're covered in sexy wounds," Buffy said cheerfully as she took in his appearance. At her words, Spike turned and stared at her as if he was trying to figure out who she was.

"Yeah," Spike muttered as he started to sit up, "I feel real sexy. Where you been?" Spike was barely able to sit the rest of the way up.

"I fell down and got confused. Willow fixed me. She's gay," Buffy announced happily.

"Will fixed you? I thought they'd melt you into scrap." Spike said in a confused voice. He visibly winced as he shifted himself around on the stone pyre.

"They were confused, too," Buffy answered as she once again smiled brightly, "Do you want to ravage me now?"

"Give us a minute. Got some bones need mending," Spike muttered weakly. He winced again as he tried to find a comfortable position to sit in.

"Why did you let that Glory hurt you?" Buffy asked as she moved closer to Spike.

"She wanted to know who the key was," Spike answered weakly.

"Oh well, I can tell her, and then you'll..." Buffy broke off and turned to leave the crypt.

"No!" Spike's shout turned into a cough, "You can't ever do that. Glory never finds out."

"Why?"

"Cause Buffy, the other, not so pleasant Buffy, anything happened to Dawn, it'd destroy her. I couldn't live, her bein' in that much pain. Let Glory kill me first. Nearly bloody did," Spike said quietly.

Buffy frowned slightly before leaning and kissing Spike softly and gently on the lips. Spike began to kiss her back, but then frowned and pulled away. His face changed into a look of amazement. He leaned towards her as if he was going to kiss her again, but she pulled back and started to walk away.

"And my robot?"

Buffy turned back around and stared at Spike, "The robot is gone. The robot was gross and obscene."
Spike lowered his head in shame, "It wasn't suppose to...

"Don't. That... thing, it... it wasn't even real." Buffy turned and walked a few more steps before stopping and to say, "What you did, for me, and Dawn... that was real."

Spike lifted his head to watch her retreating back in time to catch her look at him over her shoulder and her parting words, "I won't forget it."

~~~~~~~~~~~

With the wave of a hand, Angel and Whistler changed scenes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The ex-vampire found himself standing inside Buffy's house, watching Spike go into the living room to gather weapons and Buffy standing at the stairs just inside the front door.

"We're not all going to make it," Buffy stated quietly.
"Yeah," Spike said as he grabbed a few weapons from the chest and returned to the foyer," Hey. Always knew I'd go down fightin'."

"I'm counting on you to protect her."

"Till the end of the world. Even if that happens to be tonight," Spike pledged solemnly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another wave of a hand and once again the scene changed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel watched as Buffy turned and took a leap off the tower into the blue swirling portal. He could hear Dawn sobbing on the platform nearby.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"The witch resurrected her, Angel, but it raised an evil you are acquainted with quite well," Whistler replied, "The First Evil doesn't take well to the dimensions being breached." He waved his hand, again. Angel realized his human body was getting a little sick to its stomach with all this jumping around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel realized that they were standing in one of the many churches that dotted the Hellmouth landscape and even though he was now human all the crosses made his skin crawl.

Buffy was standing in the middle of the center aisle, beautiful in the blue light pouring in from the stained glass window. Spike was lying on the floor on top of a smashed pew.

"I tried to find it," Spike said.

"Find what?" Buffy asked.

"The spark. The missing... the piece that fit. That would make me fit. Because you didn't want..." Spike's voice hitched as he began to cry, "God, I can't. Not with you looking." He stood up and drifted into the shadows. He stared out a window, his back to Buffy. He turned his head slightly before speaking again. "I dreamed of killing you."

Without taking her eyes off of Spike, Buffy bent down and picked up a large splinter from one of the broken pews. She watched as Spike began to pace and speak again.

"I think they were dreams. So weak. Did you make me weak? Thinking of you, holding myself, and spilling useless buckets of salt over your ending? Angel, he should've warned me. He makes a good show of forgetting, but it's here, in me all the time," Spike stated as he moved around the room to stand behind Buffy, "The spark. I wanted to give you what you deserve, and I got it. They put the spark in me and now all it does is burn."

Buffy's face filled with shock, followed by disbelief and then after a few seconds comprehension, "Your soul."

"Bit worse for a lack of use," Spike laughed bitterly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whistler waved his hand and the scene changed again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel could see that he was in a house he didn't recognize. Buffy was sitting on the bed, her eyes filled with tears as Spike stood in front of her.

"You listen to me," Spike demanded as he knelt in front of her "I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes, a lot of wrong bloody calls."

Spike looked up into Buffy's eyes as he continued, "Hundred plus years, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of: you."

Buffy turned to look away from him, but Spike's hand ghosted her cheek slightly, "Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say, "I love you," it's not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you, and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the one, Buffy."

Tears rolled down Buffy's cheeks and she said quietly, "I don't want to be the one."

"I don't wanna be this good looking and athletic. We all have crosses to bear," Spike chuckled along with Buffy, "You get some rest now. I'll check in before first light. You can decide how you want..." Spike stood up and walked towards the bedroom door.

"Spike," Buffy's quiet voice caused the vampire to turn and look back at her, "Could you stay here?"

"Sure," Spike said as he looked at the chair he was standing next to. He took off his coat and threw it down. "This old diabolical torture device, the comfy chair. It'll do me fine."

"No, I mean here," Buffy said as she patted the bed beside her, "Will you just hold me?" She scooted back to the headboard still patting the spot beside her.

Spike nodded slightly before going to sit beside her on the bed and put his arm around her. She curled up next to him, cuddling up to his chest as he swung his booted feet up onto the bed. Spike put his other arm around her and settled her in closer to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"One more, Angel, then we're done," Whistler pronounced with a wave of his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel could tell they were in the basement of Buffy's house. A cot was against the wall and he could see where Spike's infamous duster was tossed across one end of it. Angel watched as Spike approached Buffy.

"Where's the trinket?" Spike asked.

"The who-ket?"

"The pretty necklace your sweetie-bear gave you. The one with the all the power. I believe it's mine now," the vampire informed the Slayer.

"How do you figure?"

"Someone with a soul, but more than human? Angel meant to wear it, that means I am the qualified party," Spike said as he held out his hand towards Buffy.

"It's volatile. We don't know..."

"You'll be needing someone strong to bear it, then. You planning on giving it to Andrew?" Spike scoffed.

Buffy looked down at the amulet in her hand and then back up at Spike, "Angel said the amulet was meant to be worn by a champion."

Spike looked down at the floor, the disappointment very apparent in his facial expressions, but Buffy approached him, opened her hand and let the amulet spill from her hand into his.

"Been called a lot of things in my time," Spike remarked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whistler waved his hand one more time and the two men were back in the white marble chambers of the oracles. Angel sat down heavily in the marble chair he had sat in before.

"The promise of humanity isn't all it's cracked up to be these days. The one person who would have appreciated it not a year ago, has moved on. I wish to return to the way I was. Become a soldier for your cause again," Angel told Whistler.

"You'll have to give something up, Angel, something important to you. There is a prophecy that you were supposed to have learned of at a later time. One that says a vampire with a soul, who would help prevent the apocalypse would become human. That is the price you must pay. In order to return to your vampire status, you must give up any and all hope of ever being human again. Is it worth it to you, Angel?" Whistler questioned even though he knew the answer already.

Angel silently nodded his acceptance of the terms to Whistler's apparition.

Willow crept out of bed and opened the trunk at the foot of it. She pulled out some spell components. She quickly looked over at her sleeping roommate, who snorted in her sleep but didn't wake up. Willow carefully closed the trunk lid, and she attempted to make as little noise as possible. Then, she snuck into the bathroom. Willow silently closed the door behind her.

Willow sat in the middle of a circle of red candles that she lit with a plastic cigarette lighter. She surrounded herself with incense, a goblet, a bowl in the center of a pentagram and a tray of different herbs.

"Harken all ye elements, I summon thee now," Willow chanted. She dropped a pinch of herbs into the bowl in front of her. "Control the outside, and control within; land and sea, fire and wind. Out of my passions, may a web be spun. From this eve forth, my will be done. So mote it be."

Willow poured the liquid from the goblet into the bowl. A flicker of electricity connected her to the candles, and all the flames flared up signifying that the spell was successful.

BUZZZZZZZZZ

Willow sat straight up in bed. Whoa, that was a strange dream, she thought. She stretched out her arms above her head. Willow glanced at the clock, and she realized she needed to get moving to be on time to meet the gang for breakfast at Giles's apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow stepped into the courtyard outside Giles's apartment where she found Spike and Buffy both standing there in the early morning sunlight. She studied the pair unobserved. Willow was glad to see that they hadn't been overly affected by Angel, and his visit right around Thanksgiving, hadn't overly affected them.

Smoke swirled around Spike's head as he spoke quietly, "I swear we better have someplace to move that ditzy bint by the end of the week, or they are going to kill each other."

"I thought you put a down payment on that other mansion by Angel's," Buffy replied. She leaned into her vampire mate, and she smiled brightly up at him.

"I did. It was for sale when we moved there after your Watcher torched the factory, but just as soon as I wanted the bloody thing someone else placed a bid on it, too," Spike growled. He dropped the cigarette and ground it out with the heel of his boot. Then, Spike put his arms around Buffy.

Now that the blonde couple stopped speaking, Willow heard the vampiress screeching her displeasure to Giles. Giles, in turn, had no qualms about voicing his returned ire.

"I don't like pig's blood. I told you to buy me that special otter's blood. I can at least stomach that," Harmony's whiny voice floated over the courtyard to the eavesdroppers.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Giles replied loudly. The eavesdroppers heard the ire in the Watcher's voice.

"What does that mean exactly?" Harmony asked in a confused voice.

"Yeah, they're beginning to sound like they should get married or something. Although that picture ... ewwww," Willow said. She scrunched up her nose at the thought.

Spike and Buffy jumped a little. They had been so engrossed in the argument inside they hadn't heard Willow's approach. They both gave slight waves to the redhead.

"Hey, Will," Buffy greeted her friend. "I guess we better get inside, huh?"

The three nodded slightly in agreement and moved forward as one. Spike opened the apartment door, and he motioned the two girls inside. He closed the door behind him. Spike immediately bumped into the backs of the Slayer and the Wicca. Spike was about to ask why they had stopped when he noticed exactly what was happening.

"It's just so sudden I don't know what to say," Harmony whispered to the man kneeling in front of her. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

"Just say yes, and make me the happiest man on earth," Giles pleaded. He grabbed Harmony's hand in both of his.

"Oh, Rupie Pooh! Of course it's yes!" Harmony gushed. She flung herself into Giles's arms, and they started to kiss in earnest. The duo appeared to be in a world of their own. They didn't even realize they had an audience.

"Consider my mind boggled," Willow whispered. She scooted past the still embracing Watcher and vampiress to sit down at the table.

"Um, Giles?" Buffy attempted to get the attention of her Watcher to no avail. After a few moments, she shrugged. "Xander and Anya should be here in a few minutes, and we can start eating. Looks yummy, Giles."

The table was already set with white plates and silverware on top of rust colored placemats. There were covered plates and bowls that sat around the centerpiece. Willow had already lifted the lids to check what was on the menu. She licked her lips several times, and she looked like she wasn't planning on waiting for the missing members of the gang.

"Where's Reg?" Buffy asked. She and Spike skirted the still smooching couple. They both wondered how much longer before Giles was going to need to take a breath.

"He's having breakfast with your mum," Spike answered. He pulled a chair out for Buffy, and then he settled himself in the one next to her.

"Holy moley! What the heck is going on here?" Xander's surprised voice heralded his and his girlfriend's entrance. The couple stood in the doorway. Their mouths were agape as they stared at the mindboggling sight in front of them.

"Not entirely sure, Harris." Spike was first to speak up. "Bring those doughnuts over here. I sure hope you got the jelly filled. Strawberry's my favorite," Spike waggled his eyebrows at his now blushing mate, who gently whacked him on the arm.

"Oh guys. You'll never believe what's happened. Rupie Pooh and I are engaged to be married." Harmony gushed when she and Giles finally broke apart. She rushed around showing off a thick silver signet ring to the other girls in the room, who all politely told her it was quite beautiful.

"Sit down." Giles motioned Xander and Anya towards the table, and then he turned to Harmony. "Oh darling, I'm sorry I only have pig's blood for you. I'll go out to get that special otter's blood later."

"Oh thank you, Rupie Pooh," Harmony said. She didn't notice how the others cringed at her nickname for the Watcher.

Giles hurried into the kitchen, and in several minutes the ding of the microwave was heard. When he came back into the living/dining room, he handed a cup with the words 'Kiss The Librarian' on one side to Harmony.

"Here you go, darling. It's 98.6. Just the way you like it," Giles said. He leaned down, and he kissed Harmony quickly on the lips before he sat down in his chair.

The newly engaged bride and groom discussed wedding plans as the breakfast progressed. The rest of the table were totally unsure of what they were supposed to do or say. So, they pretty much didn't say or do anything except eat. Their reprieve came when Spike's cellphone rang. The call turned out to be from the realtor who announced that the bid for the mansion on Crawford Street had gone through. Spike was now the proud owner of a rundown, piece of crap, mansion.

The mated Slayer and vampire used the excuse of inspecting the property to escape the cooing of the two lovebirds. The other three members of the Scoobies soon trailed behind them.

"Wow, love's in the air, isn't it?" Willow muttered, "There's Giles and Harmony. Oh, also Mrs. Summers and Reg. Spike and Buffy are so darned happy, I don't think even Angel and his crew descending on them would bother them at this point. And you, you demon love magnet Xander, you have yourself another demon. Well, she's an ex-demon. God, I hope Oz gets back soon."

"Willow, quit babbling, and what do you mean demon love magnet?" Xander asked. He put his arm around Anya who leaned into his side.

"Well, let's look at your bio, Xan-man. We have Insect Lady, Mummy Girl, not sure Cordelia qualifies as a demon, and Anya," Willow announced.

"I'm sorry you are missing Oz, Wills. I am sure he will be back soon. Maybe you should find a hobby to do or a club to join to occupy your mind." Xander's voice filled with a slight amount of hurt. He hadn't sought out demon girlfriends.

"Yes, you're right, Xander. Thanks for being such a great friend. You, too, Anya." Willow hugged the ex-demon and her demon magnet boyfriend. "There's a Wicca group starting up at the college next week. That would be perfect." She bounced out of the courtyard, her face aglow with possibilities.

"So, wanna go back to our apartment and have lots of orgasms?" Anya asked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you trust me, Slayer?" Spike asked as he dangled the scarf in front of Buffy's face. They sat in the kitchen and enjoyed some hot chocolate in the afternoon sun. They were both happy to get away from the newly aquired mansion and back to their clean little house.

"Of course I do," Buffy answered. She turned her head to let Spike put the scarf around her eyes. Buffy allowed him to pull her to her feet and guide her to the other side of the kitchen.

Spike grabbed his mate around the waist, and he hoisted her onto the counter. He felt her shiver with anticipation as he opened the fridge door. Spike grabbed a jar, unscrewed the lid and delved his fingers into the contents.

"Open up that hot little mouth of yours, luv," Spike murmured. When Buffy followed his directions, he plopped a maraschino cherry onto her tongue.

"Mmmmm, love cherries." Buffy licked her lips seductively.

"Me, too. Unbutton your shirt, and let me see your cherry red nipples." Spike quirked an eyebrow while he watched his Slayer hurry to comply with his wishes. He grabbed another jar out of the fridge, and he repeated the procedure from before.

"Spicy, hot pepper. Drink now. Cruel, cruel vampire." Buffy puckered her mouth. She took several quick breaths as she tried to cool down her flaming mouth. She smirked to herself when she heard her mate catch his breath. Buffy gulped down the glass of water that Spike shoved in her hand.

"Well, sweets, hitch up your skirt and rid your spicy little quim of undies." Spike had to suppress a groan when he watched Buffy jiggle around on the counter as she pushed up her skirt and pushed down her lacy thong panties. He was pleased to see her pubic hairs already glistened with her arousal. He grabbed a plastic jar out of the fridge, smeared his finger with the contents, and offered the covered digit to Buffy's mouth.

"Sweet... sticky... honey... yum." Buffy sucked on Spike's fingers long after the honey was removed. She knew he was watching her slide her mouth over the digits as he pretended it was some other part of his anatomy.

"Oh ya, I can see all your sweet, sticky honey, luv..." Spike was done playing. It was time to get down to some serious shagging.

Buffy squealed in delight as Spike somehow managed to simultaneously flip her onto her stomach and remove her unbuttoned shirt in one move. She wiggled her bottom against his denim clad cock when Spike pulled her body up against him. Buffy shuddered in pleasure as Spike's hands played with her nipples.

Spike nipped along Buffy's neck and shoulder blade. He was pleased when she began to moan and shudder. When he got to a particularly sensitive spot, he secretly smiled as her hips rolled and bucked frantically trying to put pressure on that special little spot at the apex of her thighs. Spike pulled away for a second to smirk down at his impatient mate.

"Sweets, I want you to get a tattoo right there in that sensitive spot on your shoulder blade. I designed a pretty little S decades ago that would be perfect," Spike whispered against Buffy's ear. His hands slid down her stomach and around her hips to avoid the counter she was pressed against. He used one hand to part her upper folds and the other hand to rub her needy little button. Spike used the claim to make Buffy's nipples feel as if he was gently twisting them in time with his rubbing fingers lower on her body.

"Only if you get one, too," Buffy shrieked as she came hard and instantly. She ripped the blindfold off and bucked Spike off with her hips. Buffy whirled around, and her hands cupped Spike's face as she smashed her lips to his in a fiery kiss. Buffy dropped to her knees in front of her mate, ready to pleasure him, but she was interrupted by a loud banging on the front door.

"Expecting someone, Slayer?" Spike asked. He watched Buffy's forehead crease in a frown, and she shook her head. "Better get yourself together while I go answer the door then."

Buffy scrambled to her feet. She straightened her skirt and Spike adjusted himself. He ambled out of the kitchen as she began to frantically pull on and button her shirt. When Spike's 'Bloody Hell' sounded from the foyer, Buffy rushed to see what was going on.

Spike, Xander and Anya leaned heavily against the front door while the hairy arm of a demon waved around frantically as it tried to push its way into the house. Buffy grabbed a small dagger from the drawer in the nearby table. She stabbed the demon's arm. It yelped from the sudden pain, and it dragged its arm back out the door. The door slammed shut loudly putting the three people leaning against it off balance, and they fell to the floor.

"Board up the windows, and barricade the doors," Xander yelped. He visibly flinched as the door reverberated under the demon's fist.

"Demons! They keep coming and coming. They broke into the apartment. We killed a Pargo demon by drowning it, but when more showed up we ran away," Anya gasped. She was out of breath from the frantic run they had taken from their apartment.

"Yeah, we thought we'd lost them, but just as we got here that one jumped out and...." Xander began to shudder. It was obvious he couldn't continue what he was going to say.

"It handed him some flowers and kissed him. I have never seen a Qikl demon actually try and copulate outside its own species before," Anya informed Spike and Buffy, "And I'm not even sure this one's a female."

Four sets of eyes opened wide when loud, angry growling sounded from the other side of the door. Spike, Xander and Anya rolled over to peer out the small windows that ran from ceiling to floor next to the door. They pressed their faces against the glass.

"What? What's going on out there?" Buffy asked when the others gasped.

"Ya gotta see this, luv. Peaches is out there, in full game face, challenging the Qikl for the right to court Xander." Spike chuckled happily as he threw a look at his mate over his shoulder.

"Say what?" Buffy flung open the door. Her jaw dropped when she saw her ex-boyfriend battling the demon, but for some reason she was inexplicably happy about it too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How about a daytime ceremony in the park," Harmony said. She moved over to her Rupie Poo and climbed into his lap.

"Fabulous. I'll just enjoy my honeymoon with a big pile of dust," Giles replied. He curled his hand around Harmony's hip as he wrote something in a notebook.

"Under the trees. Indirect sunlight only," Harmony whined. Her lower lip stuck out in the patented Kendell pout.

"Warm breeze tosses the leaves aside, and again? I'm registering as Mr. and Mrs. Big-Pile-of-Dust, darling." Giles grimaced in pain as he thought of his ladylove dusting.

"Stop it! This is our wedding, and you're treating it like a joke," Harmony cried. She tried to leap up from Giles's lap, but he wouldn't let her.

"I'm not. I just don't want to lose you now that I found you. I lost Jenny, and I don't want to lose you," Giles said soothingly as he nuzzled against Harmony's neck.
"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. Well, where would Jenny like to register? Can we use the photo-taker Jenny would've wanted? How about what kind of flowers would Jenny want?" Harmony cried, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey! You think I don't live with the shadow of all those young boys you used to date over my head.? Do you think that I'm not wondering if you're going to think of them on our honeymoon when you're making sweet love with me?"

"Oh Rupie Pooh, I'm so sorry. I never even thought about that. Please forgive me?" Harmony immediately pressed sweet little kisses all over Giles's face.

Giles began to play with the top most button of Harmony's shirt as he said, "Wanna go upstairs and get a head start on the honeymoon, darling?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike, Buffy, Xander and Anya watched the Qikl demon and Angel circle each other. The two demons tossed insults and death threats at the other. It was then that they noticed the dark shape of Cordelia as she attempted to sneak past the two combatants into the house. When the two supernatural creatures launched themselves at each other, she took the opportunity to streak towards the open door.

"What is going on?" Buffy asked the newcomer happily. She leaned into Spike, and she looked up at him with happiness shining in her eyes.

"Not sure. Mid morning Angel and Doyle got so antsy about wanting to come to Sunnydale." Cordelia rolled her eyes. "We started out at dusk, and everything was okay until we hit the city limits," Cordelia announced, "Then they both started to go crazy, asking me all sorts of weird questions about Xander."

"Questions about me?" Xander asked. He kept his eyes on the two battling demons on the front lawn. Xander was getting a bit worried about how possessive the vampire half of that argument was sounding.

"Oh ya. They wanted to what you liked, what you didn't like, how you kissed, and even how you were in bed. As if I knew that! Then Angel got all grumbly and jealous of Doyle's questions. So, he hit Doyle over the head. Doyle's still knocked out in the car." Cordelia pointed out towards Angel's convertible parked half way down the block.

A feral roar and the cracking of a neck pulled the group's attention back to the fight happening on the front lawn. A dull thud sounded the Qikl demon's fall to the ground. Angel's yellow demon eyes fell on the group just inside the doorway. His gaze lit on the object of his desire. Before anyone uttered a word, Angel streaked across the yard and swept Xander into his arms.

"Xander, my beloved," Angel rasped. He mashed his lips down onto the lips of the flabbergasted human. He ignored the cries of outrage from said human's girlfriend. Before anyone could say or do anything, Angel became lax. He fell to the floor at Xander's feet.

"Don't touch my Xander," Doyle screamed. He stood in the doorway. In his hands he held the tire jack from Angel's car that he then dropped to the ground. Doyle leaped over the fallen vampire, and he grabbed Xander by the hand. He pulled Xander through the house towards the kitchen.

Anya took up chase. She followed her demon love magnet, and his newest demon wannabe lover, to the kitchen. She found them playing a game of keep away around the kitchen table. She practically growled in outrage, and she stomped one foot in anger. "Make him go away, Xander."

"Buffy, call Giles. Pleaaassse," Xander screeched. He was getting out of breath, and he didn't know how much longer he could outrun the other man. "Ropes. Need ropes."

"Okay, I would be happy to call Giles," Buffy called from the hall happily. "There are ropes in the weapons chest, Spike."

"Gotcha, Slayer," Spike announced. His voice was filled with unrestricted happiness.

Xander heard Buffy on the phone in the front hall happily talking to Giles and Spike banging around the weapons chest in the living room. We're overrun by lovesick demons, and those two are way to happy about it? He thought to himself. Xander's inner musings were interrupted when the back door banged open.

"What is that?" Anya exclaimed when she saw the small furry demon, "I thought I knew all the demon species." She grabbed the broom in an attempt to push the fuzzy creature back out the door. Instead the creature sidestepped the broom and launched itself at Xander.

Xander tried to leap out of the way of both Doyle and the furry demon, but he tripped over his own feet. Sprawled on his back, the furry demon leapt on his chest where it settled contentedly and started to coo.

"Bloody hell, Whelp. Where did you find the Tribble on steroids?" Spike asked happily. He caught a hold of the back of Doyle's shirt and easily pushed the Brachen demon into one of the kitchen chairs. In a matter of minutes he had the other male tightly secured.

"Giles is on his way," Buffy proclaimed when she came into the kitchen. Her voice was fused with happiness. "Close the door, Anya, before anything gets in. Um, Xander ... just do whatever it is you're doing. Spike, help me tie up Angel."

"My pleasure, luv." Spike smiled happily at Buffy. He was just so gosh darned happy not even Angel being in his house bothered him. The vampire and the Slayer left the kitchen. The others heard them dragging the older vampire around in the other room as they tied him up.

Anya was about to close the backdoor when she noticed Joyce and Reg sneaking in the gate from the alley. She motioned them to hurry into the house. Once the older couple was inside, Anya closed and locked the door.

"What's going on here?" Joyce asked. Her eyes darted back and forth from Xander on the floor with the cooing demon to the handsome young man tied to the chair proclaiming his eternal devotion to the man on the floor. Her attention snapped back to the young woman. "We heard there were 'gang members on PCP' over here. So, we drove by to check it out. Did you know that the front yard is filled with demons?"

"Apparently wealthy demons," Reggie announced, "You should see the pile of presents and money stacked on the lawn." He took Joyce's hand, and he guided her over to one of the unoccupied chairs. Reggie sat down beside her.

Spike and Buffy held a squirming, slightly out of it Angel, between them when they entered the kitchen followed closely by Cordelia. The two blondes plopped the irate vampire down in the remaining chair.

"Mom, Reg. I'm so happy to see you," Buffy cried happily. She rushed over to give her mother, and her mother's boyfriend, a big hug. "Spike's happy, too. Aren't you, baby?"

"Absolutely, luv," Spike answered. He smiled happily at his mate. He crossed the room to kiss Buffy on the cheek.

Everyone's eyes lit on the backdoor when a quiet knock sounded on it. Anya sidled towards it while Spike and Buffy fell into fighting positions.

"Who's there?" Anya called out. She knew she wasn't going to open the door to just anyone.

"Giles and Harmony," A familiar voice answered, "Let us in."

Anya hurriedly unlocked the door and opened it. She ushered the Watcher and the vampiress inside. Then, she closed the door behind them, and she relocked it.

"Rupie Pooh, why are we here again?" Harmony whined, "I want to go back home and continue our cuddle time." She plastered herself to Giles's side. Her hands rubbed up and down the Watcher's chest.

"As soon as we ascertain what is happening here, Harmony, darling," Giles assured the girl at his side. He linked his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Oh Xander, my darling," Angel piped up, "As soon as I get out of these ropes, I'm going to steal you away. We will spend the day making sweet passionate love underneath the sun."

"You'll be dust, you big Xander stealer, and then it will be me loving him." Doyle tried to kick out at the vampire, but he missed. So, he turned his big brown doe eyes towards the boy, and he pouted as prettily as he could.

"Xander knows I'm the only demon for him." Angel shouted, "You were right, my darling. I was checking out your lovely neck that night while we were searching for Buffy. You were so handsome in the half-darkness. The night I was offering you to Spike, it was all I could do not to throw you down and..." Angel's voice became muffled when Buffy happily stuffed a nearby dishtowel into the vampire's mouth.

"Thank-you for shutting the big lug up. Now I can tell my dandy Xandy how much I adore him." Before the Brachen demon could say anything else, Buffy bounded across the kitchen, and she stuck a dishtowel in Doyle's mouth, too.

"Thank-you, Buffy," Xander exclaimed from his position on the floor, "That is one of the creepiest things I have ever had happen to me. Even creepier than Preying-Mantis woman or the Inca princess..." Xander's voice trailed off, and you could almost see a light bulb pop on over his head. "Buffy, Spike, how are you feeling right now?"

"Happy," the mated pair said in unison. Then Spike continued on, "I don't even care that the Poof is here. Nothing can interfere with my happiness at this moment." Spike and Buffy fell into hugging each other.

"Willow," Xander muttered. He shifted the 'Tribble' off of his chest and sat up. "I think Willow had something to do with this."

"Whatever do you mean?" Giles asked.

"This morning after we left your place she said Spike and Buffy were so happy that even a visit from Angel wouldn't bother them." Xander began to lay out his brainstorm. "They didn't start to act so sappy until they saw Angel standing outside."

"Oh, oh." Anya bounced on her feet and pointed at her boyfriend. "And she said that you were a demon love magnet."

"Well, the other odd thing is that Giles and Harmony have suddenly decided to get married," Xander observed, "Did Willow say anything about that?"

"Yeah, she did," Spike answered, and he got a look of deep concentration on his face, "Now what was it? Ah, yes, and I quote, 'they're beginning to sound like they should get married or something'."

I think we need Willow to figure this out," Reggie said, "We should call her. Don't forget to tell her to sneak in the backdoor."

Buffy nodded. Then, she hurried into the other room to give the young witch a call. She forgot temporarily, in her happiness, she could communicate to the witch through the claim. The others could hear her soft voice rise and fall in cadence as she talked. In a few minutes, she came back into the kitchen, and she indicated that Willow would be over in as soon as she could get there. Buffy snuggled up against Spike's side.

"Giles, Willow said that she dreamed last night that she did a spell," Buffy informed the Watcher. Her voice was filled with worried happiness. "She didn't think anything of it until I told her what was going on."

"This whole mess is because of a dream spell?" Cordelia asked, "Is that normal?"

"No, it is not," Giles answered, "Apparently I need to call Serina once again and ask her if she can make the journey to Sunnydale a bit sooner."

"Good idea, Watcher," Spike said happily, "We have enough chaos around here without adding magic to it." The vampire was interrupted by loud growling and ear-piercing screams from the front of the house. Spike and Buffy looked at each other before they raced for the front door.

When the door swung open, the mated couple saw that the demons that had congregated looking for Xander had found two of the commandos. For some reason, that they were the demon-hunting commandos plaguing Sunnydale hadn't sunk into the brains of the demons, and they merely thought that the two humans were there for Xander-loving, too.

Some of the others had followed the Slayer and her vampire to the front door, including Xander and Anya. When the demons saw the young teenager, they dropped the commandos. The demons moved closer to the house until a growling game faced Spike stopped them.

A demon with large, floppy ears and alot of loose skin stepped out of the crowd. He raised his hand in greeting to Spike, "Hey Spike, missed you at the last kitten poker game. We were just wondering if Xander could, you know, come out and play."

"Hey, Clem," Spike growled out his greeting. His voice was a mixture of happiness and exasperation. Spike wasn't worried about Clem being a threat to anyone in the house. The loose skinned demon was basically harmless unless you were a kitten. "Xander belongs to the Slayer and I."

One of the other demons stepped forward, and he bellowed, "I don't see your claim on him. Send our pookie bear out."

Spike huffed, and he snarled happily at his mate, "Buffy, time to expand the clan, unless you want to take on the entire Sunnydale demon population."

Buffy simply nodded in agreement. Her Sultana fangs descended, and her eyes glowed green-gold. She hissed at the demons in the front yard as she forgot about the two commandos still out there somewhere amidst the chaos. Buffy grabbed Xander's hand, and she gently bit into his wrist. She swallowed a minute amount of blood. She raised her head to lick the punctures closed.

"I claim thee, Alexander LaVelle Harris, as one of our own, belonging to the clan of Sultana-Aurelius. Our Witness," Buffy proclaimed, her voice filled with her happiness. She dropped Xander's arm, and she turned her glowing eyes on to the crowd of demons.

The less aggressive of the demons, including Clem, slinked away. That left only the most combative ones who all milled around as they tried to determine if they should rush the house to get to their intended goal.

Xander's eyes widened with wonder as he could feel the others at the edge of his consciousness. He felt kinship with his new family, and he knew he would never need to rely on his human family again. Xander was in awe at how much love and devotion he felt towards the others. A quick mental lesson from Spike showed him how to block his thoughts and feeling from the others so that they each could have privacy.

Guys, can we include Anya? I don't want her to feel left out, Xander asked.

Buffy nodded to the teenager. She moved to Anya, and she took the other girl's arm. She waited a moment for Anya to protest. Buffy bit gently into Anya's wrist, then pulled away, and said, "I claim thee, Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins, as one of our own, belonging to the Clan Sultana-Aurelius. Vengeance is ours."

With a puff of blue-gray smoke, a rather tall blue-gray demon appeared on the already overcrowded front porch. He was bald, had several sets of horns, pointed ears, a white beard and clawed hands. Sharpened teeth graced the demon's smile.

"Hoffy," Anya cried, "What are you doing here, you bastard?" She removed her arm from Buffy's grasp, and she marched over to the demon where she wagged a finger in his face. "Xander might be a demon magnet, but he's mine. You'll just have to find someone else to have orgasms with."

"My dear Anyanka, I'm not here for your precious human boy," D'Hoffryn said politely, "If I was here for any of you, it would be Miss Rosenburg. What a brilliantly vicious spell, even if she only dreamed it."

"I didn't mean to," Willow said contritely. She had come in the back door of the house to find Angel and Doyle glaring at each other as they struggled to get their ropes undone. When she used the bond, she realized everyone else had moved to the front porch. She felt the new additions to the clan as well, and she smiled.

"In other circumstances, you would have been deliciously effective as a vengeance demon." D'Hoffryn waved his hand in dismissal at the petite red-haired witch. "I'm here to congratulate Anyanka on fulfilling her destiny. Over a century ago, the Powers That Be came to me to reveal that one of my demons would be needed to fight with a Slayer."

"And you knew it was going to be me?" Anya asked curiously.

"No, my dear Anyanka," D'Hoffryn answered. He moved closer to the young woman, and he smoothed a hand over her hair. "Not till last year when you lost your amulet. That's when I knew that the time of the Sultana was at hand."

"But, Hoffy, how could this be in your best interest?" Anya questioned her former boss. She knew how self involved D'Hoffryn was, and he didn't do anything that didn't serve his own purposes in the end.

"I contacted my friend Melvin. You know the one with the inside scoop to the oracles." The others just nodded like they knew what he was talking about. "He showed me how bad things would have gone."
"How bad?" Giles asked.

"The big dolt of a vampire tied up in the kitchen attempted to take on the senior partners of Wolfram and Hart. Instead he destroyed the dimension." D'Hoffryn waited for the gasps and murmers to die down before he continued on. "This is the one dimension that holds the wolf, the ram and the hart back from taking over all of the dimensions, including mine."

"What did you do, Hoffy?" Anya asked suspiciously. She moved over to Xander, and she took his hand.

"I went to the Powers with my knowledge, but they kept going on and on about Angelus and his soul." D'Hoffryn let out a fierce growl, and he pulled hard on his beard. "Stupid higher beings! They can't see past their own noses. I told them for nine months they were relying on the wrong vampire to get the job done."

"What changed?" Giles inquired.

"My demons review all wishes, even those that are not asked in vengeance," D'Hoffryn told the Watcher, "A few months ago, one of my girls brought me a wish asked for by Joyce Summers." D'Hoffryn pointed to the older Summers woman.

"Me? I don't remember making a wish. It wasn't bad was it?" Joyce's question ended beseechingly.

"Of course not, my good woman. You merely wished that your daughter would find the love of her life, a man who would treat her right and would know exactly who she is." D'Hoffryn's hand gentled on his beard, and he stroked it as if soothing himself. "From my look into the future, I knew that was to be William the Bloody here, so I went to Kibene at the Well of Devotion.

"Hoffy, what did you do?" Anya demanded.

The big blueish-gray demon actually looked a little ashamed of himself. "It appears I need to brush up on my courting skills."

Anya began to laugh. Soon she had fallen to her knees, and the former vengeance demon was literally rolling around on the ground laughing as the others stood gaping at her.

Buffy used the distraction to sidle over to Willow, and ask happily, "Can you remove the spell, Willow?"

Willow nodded, and she began to intone an incantation, "Let the healing power begin. Let my will be safe again. As these words of peace are spoken, let this harmful spell be broken." As soon as she had spoken the words there was a crash of thunder and a bolt of lightning.

Three things happened at the same time. The happiness spell finally wore off of Spike and Buffy, not that they noticed that much. The demons that remained in the front yard all took on a dazed look. They were easily run off by a growl from Spike and a well-placed stake in the ground by Buffy. Giles and Harmony flung themselves away from the other. Both spitted and spluttered as they thought about what had almost happened if not for the call from Buffy that had interrupted their plans earlier.

Buffy eyed the courtship gifts. Some of the items were quite valuable, not to mention the neighbors would probably notice the pile in the morning. So, she indicated to Spike, Xander and Reggie that the stuff probably should be hauled into the garage.

Giles had gone inside for a drink of whiskey as he muttered about the taste of Harmony lingering in his mouth while Harmony gagged out that she had kissed 'old man lips'. The formerly betrothed pair ignored each other even as Harmony continued to complain until Spike instructed her to go to the mansion. Once she got there she was to check in with Brian, the head minion, to see if he had anything she could do for him.

Cordelia, and the still apologetic Willow, adjourned to the kitchen to take up the task of untying the now embarrassed Angel and Doyle. They rejoined the others in the living room. Neither Doyle nor Angel could look at Xander in the eye.

Spike chortled when he took in the mortified vampire and demon. The peroxide blond vampire couldn't resist ribbing his grandsire a bit. "Come on, Peaches. It's not like Harris is the first male you've ever macked on."

"You would know, wouldn't you, William?"

"Of course, I would you big poofter. I was there, wasn't I?" Spike said mysteriously. He sat back in his chair, and he patted his lap for Buffy to sit down in it. Once she had settled there, they stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes until she wrinkled her nose.

"Angel, how could you?" Buffy asked disgustedly.
"It was Angelus that did that, Buffy, not me," the vampire muttered morosely.

"Just keep telling yourself that, Peaches. Maybe someday you'll believe yourself," Spike commented. Then, he turned to Willow. "So, Red, what the bloody hell happened here?"

"I don't know," Willow cried, "I dreamed I cast a spell. That's all." She twisted her hands in her lap. Willow leapt to her feet, and she rushed into the kitchen where the others could hear her banging around in the cupboards.

Cookies. I make cookies when I feel guilty, Willow told the clan through the link.

"I'm calling Serina in the morning to advise her of the situation," Giles commented. He took another long drink of his whiskey. "I will urge her to partake in her journey to Sunnydale sooner."

Anya had finally calmed down from her hysterics enough to restart her questioning of D'Hoffryn. "So, Hoffy, Kibene finally got you in her grips. What did you do?"

"As you very well know, Anyanka, Kibene cannot make feelings appear that are not already there," D'Hoffryn announced quietly, "We simply looked into the hearts of the Slayer and the Vampire, and we realized that they locked their true feelings for each other away under the guise of being mortal enemies."

"What did you do?" Anya asked again. She moved in front of the head vengeance demon. She stood there indignantly with her hands on her hips.

"We merely lifted the rejection from their hearts so they could see each other in a new light," D'Hoffryn muttered.

"So our getting together was a lie?" Buffy cried. She struggled in Spike's lap, but the vampire wouldn't let her go.

"No, Sultana, of course not. I have a question for you." D'Hoffryn hurried to assure the Slayer. "If you didn't trust the vampire, why did you never revoke his invitation to your house?"

"Yes, luv. Why was my invitation still good at your mum's?" Spike asked his mate. He began to seductively circle the sensitive spot on her back that he had discovered just a short time before.

Buffy glanced at Spike through her lashes, and she squirmed a bit as his hands began to affect her. "I knew you would never attack us at home. Oh, and Mom really likes you. Don't you, mom?" Buffy turned and glanced at her mom.

"Of course, I do," Joyce assured her daughter, "Spike is such a gentleman, which is more than I can say about other vampires I've met." She looked pointedly at Angel.

"I need to finish this up here," D'Hoffryn said, "So, once the Slayer and Spike mated, I took the news to the Powers That Be. They informed me that I was to return all of Anyanka's powers once she became part of the Sultana Aurelius clan."

"Will I have to once again exact vengeance on anyone?" Anya asked almost eagerly. She rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"Only if your clan is involved, Anyanka, and only in protection. Here is your amulet. Please be careful this time." D'Hoffryn handed the young woman a necklace.

Anya put the amulet on and a bright light shot through her body. She beamed in delight before she asked, "Anyone want to try it out?"

"Sure," Buffy answered, "I wish that those commandos outside would think that nothing out of the ordinary happened here tonight."

"Done." Anya's visage flashed to her demonic face and back as she granted Buffy's wish.

"On that note, I'm off to visit Kibene." D'Hoffryn disappeared much like he had appeared, with a puff of blue-gray smoke.

Willow entered the living room carrying a plate of oven-warm cookies. She circled the room, offering everyone a cookie as she said sorry to them all again. Everyone sat quietly for a moment as they munched on their cookie.

"Well, I think we have to get going, too," Cordelia said. She waved good-bye to the Sunnydale crew before she herded the still embarrassed Doyle and the slightly irate Angel out the door.

Angel couldn't figure out why he hadn't been able to speak during the discussion. He didn't know that the head of the vengeance demons had cast a little silence spell on him. Once the AI gang hit the Sunnydale city limits, the vampire could speak again. He grumbled all the way home much to the exasperation of both Cordelia and Doyle.

"Well, this has been an interesting day," Giles muttered. He took his glasses off and polished them on his shirt tail. "I'm going home now. Good evening." Giles was about to leave abruptly when Xander and Anya said they'd walk him to his car before they returned to their apartment.

"We have much to talk about before the orgasms commence," Anya divulged. She then followed Xander and Giles out the back door.

"Mom, Reg, can you make sure Willow gets back to the dorm okay?" Buffy inquired, "We don't go out after dark alone now, especially with those commandos spying on us."

"Sure honey, we'd be happy to," Joyce answered quietly. Then she turned and looked shyly at Reggie. "Would you like to come over for some coffee afterwards, Reggie?"

"That sounds delightful, Joyce." Reggie picked up Joyce's hand, and he kissed the knuckles. He enjoyed the flushed look that graced the elder Summers's cheeks. Reggie escorted the two ladies out the back door to where Joyce's car was parked.

"Alone at last," Spike whispered in Buffy's ear, "I believe we were in the middle of somethin' before."
Buffy nodded, and she slid down to the floor. Her hands reached for Spike's zipper.

~~~~~~~

Hours later, after great sex and patrolling, Spike and Buffy were curled up on the couch watching the late show when a flash of light from the kitchen caught their attention. The mated pair cautiously made their way towards the other room. Their eyes widened, and they glanced at each other when they saw what had caused the bright light.

On the kitchen floor, naked as the day he was born, laid Doyle. He looked up at Spike and Buffy. "M-mistress," he stammered out, before he collapsed in a faint.

Buffy stared at the naked man in shock. This wasn't something she expected, but for some reason she felt that the Brachen demon belonged to her. When Buffy glanced at Spike, she could feel that he felt the same way she did. She silently directed her mate to find the unconscious man something to wear while she called Los Angeles and Cordelia.

He's gonna be fine, luv, Spike transmitted to his mate. He knew she was a little worried about Doyle. Spike dashed upstairs for one of his shirts and a pair of jeans. The Brachen demon looked slender enough to fit in Spike's clothes.

I'll take you word on it, sweetie, Buffy transmitted back while she dialed the number of Angel Investigations, But with all the demons coming out of the woodwork we really need to find us a family demon doctor. Buffy paused in her dialing. Did you let Tribble out for the night? Buffy's only answer was Spike's quiet chuckle echoing through her mind.

Buffy finished dialing the phone number, and she waited for someone to answer. She was hardly surprised when a tearful Cordelia answered the phone. "Hey Cordelia. Mind telling me how I got a naked Doyle in the middle of my kitchen at..." Buffy glanced at the nearby clock. "2 in the morning?" She pulled the phone away from her ear when Cordelia let out a whooping shriek.

"He's where, and he's what?" Cordelia demanded to know. "No. Don't tell me. I'm leaving for Sunnydale right now. I'll be there in under 2 hours." She hung up on Buffy, but not before the Slayer heard Cordelia insist on Angel's car keys.

"Cordy's on her way," Buffy informed Spike when he walked past her with one of his many black outfits in his hands. "It's a good thing I don't have any classes tomorrow, erm, today because somehow I don't think I'd be going."

Spike chuckled. He entered the kitchen, and he found that Doyle had joined the land of the concious again. Spike handed the other man the clothes. "The Slayer and 'll be in the living room, mate." Then he left Doyle alone to get dressed, and he joined Buffy back in the living room.

Doyle hurriedly dressed, and he joined the Slayer and her mate in the living room. He knew they were anxious to hear how he ended up in their kitchen. Doyle cursed the Powers for sending him to the Sultana naked.

When Doyle entered the living room he took the time to study the mated pair that the PTB had tied his life to. Spike sat sprawled on the couch with a glass of whiskey in one hand. The other hand was wrapped around Buffy's shoulders while he caressed her upper arm. The vampire looked at ease and relaxed with his new status as clan leader. Buffy sat with her feet curled under her body and her torso twisted slightly towards Spike. she could easily see Spike's face and the television screen. She leaned her head against the vampire's bicep, and she was laughing at something on the television. If Doyle didn't know better, he would swear they were just any other young couple in love.

Spike looked up to see the Brachen demon hovering in the doorway. He gestured towards one of the armchairs. "Pull up a chair, mate. Got somethin' to tell us, 'm sure."

"Yes, I do," Doyle sighed. He took the indicated seat, and he slumped bonelessly into the chair. "I'll make a long story short. I sacrificed myself, and the Powers To Be decided to elevate me." He glanced quickly over at the blond couple. When I called Buffy Mistress I was acknowledging her as the Sultana. So, now they made me a conduit directly to them for you." Doyle blinked when two sets of blazing eyes fell upon him.

"Somehow I think it would be best if you gave the long story," Buffy replied, "What exactly do you mean by 'elevate'?"

"D'Hoffryn's meddling changed the timeline," Doyle announced, "If he hadn't, Spike would be chipped and chained to the Watcher's bathtub. You, Mistress, would be dating one of the commandos."

"What?" the two blonds cried. Buffy snuggled closer to her mate, and she sighed when he gathered her in his arms. They both needed some soothing that they could only get from each other. Mine. Always mine, Spike assured his mate through the claim.

"Yes, she's always yours, Spike," Doyle said. He didn't have to hear the words to know what the vampire was thinking. "Sometimes the route to getting the girl isn't all that easy."

"I would have died like Sabina, wouldn't I?" Buffy whispered in horror. The thought of dying in such pain like the previous could-have-been Slayer Sultana, and in such urgent need of Angel, scared her just a little.

"No, Mistress," Doyle answered sadly, "You would have died saving the world from becoming Hell on Earth." He hated telling her that little tidbit. "The blackness you saw in Willow would have been the result of her resurrecting you. She would have also released the First Evil into the world. There are other dimensions that parallel this one, so I'm sure somewhere she already has and will again."

"Do any of these dimensions have anything to do with us?" Buffy asked.

Doyle tilted his head as if he was listening to something. "Not at the moment," he answered, "The Powers are being very quiet about what's happening in the other dimensions for some reason. I think some bad things are coming our way."

"As cryptic as ever," Buffy growled, "The Powers have anything to say about the commandos?" She was still peeved that somewhere versions of her mate had a chip inside his head.

"Just that you already have the inside scoop with them," Doyle replied. He watched as Spike got up to refill his glass. "Mind if I have one, too?"

"Go for it, mate." The vampire grabbed a Diet Coke out of the mini-fridge for his mate. Then, he settled himself next to her again.

"Will you be staying here in Sunnydale?" Buffy asked. She popped the top of her soda can, and she took a sip. "Or do your plans include what Cordy wants to do?" Buffy had noticed how upset the ex-cheerleader had been because of Willow's dream spell.

Doyle looked down at his hands. "I can stay, Mistress, or I can go. I am yours to command." He was so busy berating himself for getting involved with the brunette woman, even though he was thoroughly smitten, that he failed to see Buffy rise from the couch and approach him.

"Mine, huh?" Buffy asked. She looked down at the saddened demon. Ours, Spike? she asked her mate silently.

It appears so, luv the vampire chuckled, Might as well initiate him. Spike had no problems letting his mate pick all of the clan members. So far her choices had been spot on. He watched as his mate delicately picked up the Brachen demon's arm, and she brought him into the clan as their Conduit. Spike heard scratching at the door that he recognized as Tribble's. He hopped up to answer the door, and he let the furry creature amble into the house.

In the living room, Buffy answered the phone. She discovered it was Reggie, who had been up late looking through the Slayer Sultana book. "Yes, Conduit to the Powers, Reg." Buffy paused to listen to the ex-Watcher.

"Did you inform the group in Los Angeles of the Conduit's return?" Reggie asked.

"Yeah, I called Cordy already. She's on her way." Buffy paused to listen to Reggie, again.

"When do you want to drop Tribble off at your mother's house, or should we stop by your house to watch him?"

"How about you and mom stop by here about 6 p.m. If that's okay?" Buffy glanced over at Spike for confirmation. When he nodded, she replied to Reggie, "Okay, see ya then. Bye." Buffy hung up the phone, and she caught Doyle's quizzical expression. "We're going Bronzing tomorrow, and they're going to come watch Tribble for us."

"You kept the fuzzy thing?" Doyle looked at the strange creature that appeared to be sniffing his pant leg. He reached out to touch it, and after a few pats the thing was trilling much like the creature from the television show. For some reason the Brachen demon found the sound very soothing, and soon he was yawning. Doyle's body had been through the ringer between jumping through the portal in Los Angeles, the meeting with the PTB, and his reappearance in the Sultana's kitchen.

"We have no bloody clue where the runt came from," Spike drawled. When he saw Doyle yawning, he nodded his head up the stairs, and he said, "Slayer's got the guest room all set up if you wanna get some kip before the Cheerleader gets here."

Doyle nodded while he started for the stairs. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, and his eyes flashed. Doyle spoke in a far away voice, "I am yours, Mistress, but temptations that will end this dimension are coming for Angel. Others will join the souled vampire in his fight; the ex-Watcher, the street fighter, the misplaced genuis, and the empathic one. The path will be perilous, and so I must continue to give him guidance. Cordelia will be the seer, and if she joins us the visions will not hurt her." Doyle fell against the wall in exhaustion.

Spike and Buffy carried the worn out new addition to their clan up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. They pondered what the half Brachen said, but they decided nothing could be figured out until Doyle woke up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy sat in Professor Walsh's classroom while she listened to a lecture. While the teacher droned on about communication and language, Buffy glanced around the classroom. She noticed that several of the students had bleeding holes where their hearts should have been. She nudged Willow who stared at the students in horror.

"What's going on?" Willow asked in a whisper. She knew something weird was going on because no one seem the least bit fazed about the injured people in their midst.

"Slayer dream," Buffy whispered back. They watched as the professor called two other students to the front of the classroom.

"No offense, Buffy, but you don't have to share these. They're scary."

"Sorry, Wills." Buffy's attention was drawn to the pair in front of the class.

"Don't worry. If I kiss you, it'll make the sun go down," the male student said.

"Fortune favors the brave," the female student answered. The pair kissed, and the room darkened when night suddenly fell.

Outside the classroom, Buffy and Willow could hear a little girl humming. They jumped to their feet to follow the sound to its source. They found a little blonde girl in a red flowered dress standing in the hall holding a small ornate box in her hands. Her humming turned to chanting.

"Can't even shout. Can't even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by looking in windows, knocking on doors. They need to take seven, and they might take yours. Can't call to mom. Can't say a word. You're gonna die screaming, but you won't be heard."

Someone touched Buffy and Willow both on the shoulder. They both jumped and gave twin shrieks. When they turned they saw a humanoid creature wearing a dark suit. Both girls shivered when they saw the evil face of the monster.

Buffy jolted awake from her odd dream only to hear pounding on the front door. Her vamp detector was going haywire. So, Buffy knew that Angel had accompanied Cordelia. She smiled up at her mate, and she thought, God, I love you so much, Spike. Buffy shuddered deliciously as she watched him cockily swagger to the door. Tomorrow they were going to go the tattoo parlor so that they could be marked in yet another fashion that they belonged together. Buffy heard Cordelia before she saw the brunette girl.

"I told you I don't need a chauffer, Angel," Cordelia snarled, "I've been driving since I was sixteen." She stomped into the living room, and she flopped into one of the armchairs. "Stupid vampires."

Buffy giggled at the exasperated look on Cordelia's face. "Doyle's upstairs resting. He'll be down in a minute. He has a lot to explain to both of you and Angel."

Outside the house, Commander Sid Barkley was talking into his walkie-talkie. "Yes, Professor Walsh. Two subjects, a male and a female, have entered the home of the individuals you assigned me to watch. Both are Caucasian brunettes, but the male subject is an HST." He paused to listen to the voice on the other end of the communication device. "Yes, Ma'am. I will be looking for Privates Freeman and Hayes to be joining me shortly." Barkley clicked the walkie-talkie off, and he returned to observing the house.

"You did what to me when you kissed me good-bye?" Cordelia shrieked. She stood toe to toe and nose to nose with Doyle. "Now you're telling me if I don't become part of Buffy's little crew my brains are going to dribble out my ears?"

"If I had known I was coming back I wouldn't have done it, Cordy," Doyle replied calmly, "It's not something I can take back like jewelry." He knew he had some bridges to mend before... Doyle stopped mid-thought when Cordelia threw her arms around his neck, and she smashed her lips to his.

Cordelia pulled away from Doyle. "You know you're an idiot, Doyle. Can we get this over with so we can go home? I'm tired and cranky." She smirked at Buffy. "Should have known something was up when the four of us girls could sit in one room and not insult each other." Cordelia broke away from the Brachen demon, and she flopped down on the couch next to Buffy.

"Are you sure about this, Cordelia?" Angel asked, "It's an big step, and I'm not sure you're ready to take it." Four sets of eyes turned his direction, and the vampire suddenly wondered what he had said wrong.

"So what exactly does this claiming entail?" Cordelia asked Buffy. She focused her attention on the Slayer, and she ignored the males in the room.

"Spike or I will bite you on the wrist, and then say the claiming words," Buffy answered. She nodded towards Spike. "He'll show you how to block the rest of us. That way won't hear anything embarrassing." Buffy blushed profusely when she felt, rather than saw, Spike's leer at her from his seat beside her.

"Well, that sounds better than my brains dribbling out my ears," Cordelia declared. "Let's go for it." She offered her wrist to Buffy.

"Cordy, you don't have to do it this way," Angel announced, "We'll find a way to help you." To tell the truth, he was feeling more than a little bit jealous. It appeared Spike and Buffy wanted everyone but him in their little clan. He crossed his arms, and he told himself he wasn't brooding.

"No, I don't want to wait," Cordy said. "It's my brains and my decision. I want to do this." She looked down at her lap. "I've never really belonged before. The closest I've ever come was with the Scoobies, and I want to feel that again."

Buffy let her Sultana game face slide forward while she gently grasped Cordelia's arm in her hands. She stared up into the other girl's face while she bit into the offered flesh. Buffy removed her fangs, and she whispered reverently, "I claim the, Cordelia Marie Chase, as my own, belonging to the clan of Sultan-Aurelius. Our first Seer."

"First seer, luv?" Spike asked. "Where did that come from?" He placed his hand on top of Buffy's on Cordelia's arm. "Welcome to the clan, cheerleader." Spike showed Cordelia how to block her thoughts from the others.

"I don't know." Buffy smiled up at Spike before she turned her attention back to Cordelia. If you need any of us, all you have to do is lower the shield and speak.

Wow. That's different, Cordy thought, Thank-you, Buffy. She impulsively hugged the Slayer. ''We should be getting back to Los Angeles before daylight. Come along, Doyle. You have a lot of making up to do." Cordelia rose from the couch, and she regally marched out of the house.

Doyle followed her with his gaze mesmerized by the sway of her hips. "Cordy, darling, you know I'm not a rich man," he practically whined, "There's no way I can afford the making up you are accustomed to."

Spike and Buffy chuckled at Cordelia and Doyle's actions on the way to the car. Think we should give the Brachen some dosh to spend on his woman?
Buffy chuckled. Her good mood lasted only until she saw Angel brooding and grumbling about the unfairness of it all.

Spike and Buffy mentally rolled their eyes at each other while they walked a grumbling Angel to the front door. Nothin' like not being allowed into an exclusive club to piss ole Angelus off, Slayer. Spike mentally smirked at his mate.

My fangs aren't going near anything of his, Spike. The PTB would have to beg me first.

Spike laughed internally. Damn well better not let those pretties touch his flesh, he teased. I'd be a cranky vamp, not to mention a brassed off mate.
Buffy mentally cooed and cuddled her vampire.

You're the only one for me, Spike. Just remember I chose you, to be my mate.

That you did, luv. Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy while they walked their guests to the door.

Giles listened through his pounding headache to the ringing tones on the other end of the phone. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to get so drunk after leaving Spike and Buffy's house, but he wanted to erase the idea out of his head of being engaged to Harmony Kendall. Vampire or not, he had been the librarian in the school from which she had graduated from. In the words of the Scoobies, that 'wigged' him out.

The phone on the other end was picked up. A sweet, lyrical voice spoke across the telephone lines, "Hello?"

"Hello. This is Rupert Giles," the Watcher replied. "May I speak to Serina Brennan, please?" He had never actually spoken to the coven member that his friend, Althenea, had recommended for the mentoring of Willow and for the opening of the newest coven branch in Sunnydale. Up to this point all communication had been between Willow and Serina.

"This is she," Serina answered. "I'm so glad to finally speak to you, Mr Giles. Althenea has spoken so highly of you on several occasions that I feel that I already know you."

"Please call me Rupert, Ms. Brennan." Giles was glad the woman couldn't see his blushing cheeks or the physical reaction his body had to her voice. It was quite embarrassing really. He felt like a teenager on a date to the prom. He figured it was some residual of the dream spell.

"Only if you call me Serina, Rupert." Serina sat down on the couch, and she curled her feet up under herself. He has such a sexy voice, she thought to herself. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"There was a bit of a magical fiasco here in Sunnydale yesterday." Giles took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. His headache ebbed and waned in throbbing waves. "Willow dreamed about a 'Thy Will be Done' spell, and somehow the spell manifested itself in real life."

"Interesting. This reminds me of a story I read many years ago when I first came to the coven," Serina replied, "Please tell me exactly how the spell revealed itself outside of the dream world."

"Apparently she told Spike and Buffy that my, and I use this in the loosest of terms, roommate and I should get married," Giles sputtered. "It was very inappropriate."

"How so, Rupert?"

"The young ... woman who has been staying with me is a fledgling vampire pledged to Spike and Buffy," Giles muttered. It was so embarrassing to talk about. "She went to high school with Buffy."

"I see." Serina tried to keep a straight face when she heard Giles' voice. "Were there any other repercussions to Willow's dream spell?"

"Yes, there were." Giles sighed. "Another young person in our group was told they were a demon love magnet because he tends to attract demons for girlfriends. He was assaulted by several demons and a strangely mutated gerbil who all attempted to copulate with him." He shuddered at the mental picture of Angel and Xander in the throes of passion.

"Was the Sultana and her mate affected in anyway?" Serina asked.

"They said they weren't, but Willow only said they were immensely happy." Giles said firmly. "I really don't think they noticed the difference."

"Interesting." Serina declared. "Give me three days to do some research. Then, I'll be on my way to Sunnydale. I think it's best if I come right away and start training Willow."

"Yes, we had the same idea. Thank you, Serina."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No backing out now, luv." Spike caught the retreating Slayer around the middle. He lifted her off her feet, and he carried her into the tattoo parlor. "I want my mark on you. Not to mention we have a meeting with the minion."

"But, Spike," Buffy whined, "It'll hurt." She struggled in the confines of her mate's arms. Buffy immediately stopped her actions when Spike placed his mouth softly over his claim mark on her neck, and he flicked it with his tongue.

I promise to make it worth your while, Spike purred sensuously into Buffy's mind. After patrol, we'll play for hours with that pretty new toy we got at the Prisilla's.

The chains, too? Buffy purred. Ronald's not here yet. Let's go back outside and take the edge off. She rubbed her pert ass against Spike's crotch. She smirked when she felt him rise to the occasion.

Maybe I don't want to take your edge off, luv. Spike smirked. His hand slipped down to splay against his mate's lower abdomen and push her closer to his growing hard on.

Good thing I wore a skirt and halter top then, isn't it? Nice easy access. Buffy shot her mate an image of her bent slightly over with her ass up in the air, her hands pressed into the wall of the building, and her legs spread wide while he pumped his cock in and out of her sex from behind.

Spike immediately sent back a picture of her on Buffy knees while she engulfed his shaft with her hot mouth, and he brought her to the brink of orgasm over and over while withholding her release. The air filled with the perfume of her arousal. Spike decided right then and there that her idea had good merit. So, he turned around, left the tattoo parlor, and started to search for a secluded spot to fuck his mate.

In the middle of the nearby alley, Spike found a deep and dark doorway that was perfect for his needs. He pushed Buffy up against the wall, and he held her there with his body. "Is this what you had in mind, minx?" His hands ghosted to her sides and under her halter top. Spike almost cruelly tweaked Buffy's hardened nipples, but the needy whimper that answered his question told him he wasn't hurting her at all.

Buffy moaned when bolts of arousal shot from her breasts to her womb. She never thought she would get so turned on by the thought of a quickie in an alley, but obviously she was wrong. She whined in protest when Spike pulled away from her breasts, and he grabbed her hips. "No, don't touch me, you big bad vampire." Buffy pleaded in her sexiest voice.

"Keep your hands on the wall, Slayer," Spike growled in Buffy's ear while he fell easily into her game.. "Caught ya square 'n fair. Now I'm gonna give you the fuckin' you deserve." Never in his unlife did he ever imagine he would love playing sex games with a Slayer, but with Buffy they turned him on more than any cruel torture that Dru could have ever thought up.

Buffy closed her eyes, and she whimpered while she played the part of the captured Slayer. She hissed with mock refusal when Spike pushed her skirt up off her ass, and her panties down around her knees. Buffy stomped on Spike's feet in an attempt to make him lose his cool, but all it got her was a slap on the ass that caused more moisture to seep from her slit.

"What a horny little Slayer!" Spike purred. "All wet and slick for the Big Bad." He thrust his hand between Buffy's legs to check just how wet and slick she really was. "Can't spread your legs very far apart. It's gonna make you so nice and tight."

"Please. I'll do whatever you want," Buffy whimpered. The feel of the vampire's cool fingers lightly brushing her hot sex made her mewl in needy arousal.

"I know you will." Spike unbuttoned his jeans, and he freed his erection. He stroked his hard on several times before taking a position behind Buffy. Spike lined his cock up with the opening of her pussy. He grabbed a hold of the Slayer's hips, and in one smooth move he shoved his shaft into her to the hilt.

Buffy leaned her forehead against her bicep, and she shuddered with pleasure when Spike filled her aching void. She licked her suddenly dry lips while she gasped for air. Her pussy felt so full, and he hadn't even moved yet. "Please," she whimpered again.

"Please what, Slayer?" Spike growled. His eyes crossed when she tightened her inner muscles around his shaft.

"Please, fuck me." Buffy wept. She tightened her inner muscles as much as she could, and it felt so good that she continued to clench and release her pussy around Spike's shaft. Buffy didn't know what was going on, but she felt so hot and horny. She nudged her mate with the claim in the hopes that he would do something ... anything ... to make her come, but he shielded himself from her.

Spike gritted his teeth when Buffy continued the inner undulations on his erection. It took all of his willpower to not ram his cock in and out of her tight heat more rapidly. Spike felt his mate nudge at his mind, but he ignored it. She started this game, and he was going to finish it. He knew she would be as pliable as wet clay in a matter of minutes, and his patience was dutifully rewarded.

"I'll take your place in the chains, Spike," Buffy implored. "I'll do what ever you ask of me. Please fuck me harder now. Please let me come."

"You'll stick your cute little arse in the air and let me put my cock in your ass while I shove our new toy up your pussy?" Spike snarled. He wanted to make sure she knew what she was getting into. "You'll bare your neck and let me sup on your blood while I fill you with my cum?"

"Yes," Buffy growled. "Oh God, yes." She was immediately rewarded with Spike plunging in and out of her wet sheath harder. Buffy's breath hitched when her mind was flooded with a vision of exactly what Spike had planned for her later that night. Her pussy tightened almost painfully around his shaft. Buffy yowled loudly as she orgasmed.

Spike smiled to himself when Buffy conceded to his wishes, but he knew she would enjoy every second of what he had planned for her hot little body. He decided to show her exactly what he was going to do while he rammed his cock into her. Spike groaned when his mate nearly squeezed his dick off with her orgasm. Nothing had ever felt this good in his unlife, and with that thought he flooded her insides with his cool cream.

The mated pair floated down from their orgasmic high together, and in a few minutes Buffy giggled. She peeked over her shoulder at Spike, and she bit her lip before she huffed out, "Now I'm all sticky."

"Easy to remedy, pet," Spike muttered. He pulled his erection from his mate's depths, and he dropped to his knees behind her. Spike buried his face between Buffy's thighs while he slid his hands from her hips to her upper thighs. He licked her clean of their combined spendings. Spike gave a few quick licks to her overly sensitive clit, which made her groan and shudder, again. He pulled away, but he found the globe of her ass so enticing that he shifted into game face so that he could sink his fangs into her flesh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike and Buffy stood outside the tattoo parlor, again. Buffy was much more relaxed this time. So, she had no problems entering the establishment to talk to the receptionist who handed her a clipboard and paperwork. Buffy bounced back over to where Spike had slouched in one of the waiting room chairs. After much whispering and some hard love taps from Buffy to Spike, the paperwork was finished and in the hands of the receptionist.

After a few minutes the tattoo artist came to get the vampire and the Slayer. Buffy lifted an eyebrow when she realized it was Ronald Jones, the Uixa demon who worked for the Initiative and had pledged loyalty to the Sultana. She and Spike followed the demon into the back where they were introduced to Ronald's cousin, Richard, who also pledged his loyalty to the Sultana.

"Little bloody suspicious, gentleman," Spike snarled. "Us wanting tattoos, and your cousin coincidently has a tattoo parlor right here in Sunnyhell." He circled the two demons while he sniffed the air.

"Spike..."

"It's okay, Mistress." Ronald said hastily. "I can understand your mate's worries." He turned his full attention to the irate vampire. "Richard has lived here on the Hellmouth for the past fifteen years. When I contacted him to let him know that my mate and I had been transferred here for a top secret mission, our suspicions were aroused."

"How so?" Buffy asked.

"What reason would the military have for building a hidden installation in Sunnydale?" Ronald questioned rhetorically. "For the demons, of course. The first briefing we had confirmed this. Supposedly this entire operation is to test behavior modification chips, but I have a feeling it's something more."

"I hate to interrupt, cousin, but let's talk while we work on the Slayer and her mate," Richard declared in a quiet voice.

Spike showed the two demons the tattoo that he had designed. Spike and Buffy settled into the chairs while the vampire sent his mate calming thoughts. He could tell she was still a little nervous about the whole procedure. So, to take her mind off of what was about to happen, he spoke to Ronald. "So mate, what was it you wanted to discuss with us?"

"Several things, Master Spike," Ronald spoke softly. "The first being that Professor Walsh has found your history from your human days." He gently swabbed Buffy's back with alcohol.

Buffy sighed, "That's my fault, I think. She was being all question woman and I sorta bragged about you." She hissed when Ronald made the first tiny poke with the needle of ink. "Have you done this before?"

"Yes, Mistress," the Uixa demon assured the blond Slayer, "Richard's the black sheep of the family, and he taught me everything he knows. I even have a tattoo license for the state of California." Ronald had a proud look on his face.

Buffy turned to look at her mate. "I'm sorry, Spike. All I told Professor Walsh was your last name and that you graduated from college in England." She hissed again, before continuing. "I had no idea she would be able to track you down."

"It's not a problem, luv," Spike replied in a reassuring voice. "In fact, 'm quite chuffed that you were braggin' about me." He ignored the tattoo needle and concentrated on Buffy.

"Professor Walsh plans on arranging a meeting after the first of the year with either or both of you," Ronald announced. "She plans on capturing you both, but especially you, Mistress." He gulped noisily when the room was filled with growls from Spike.

Spike was greatly disturbed by the news that the head of the commandos wanted his mate. He trembled with suppressed rage until he felt Buffy and each of the other clan members, including the very distant werewolf, mentally reassure him that no one was going to mess with the Sultana-Aurelius clan. Spike physically relaxed, and he allowed Richard to continue working on the tattoo.

"We'll meet in a very public place, Spike," Buffy delivered in a very reassuring voice. "In the middle of the day with the entire gang in attendance." She sent soothing vibes to her vampire mate. "Tell us more, Ronald."

"It has to do with room 314," Ronald continued, "The rumor mill says that Professor Walsh is attempting to build an ultimate fighting machine." He stopped speaking for a moment to work on a particularly complex part of Buffy's tattoo. "Only the most fierce and deadliest of the demons captured are being taken there."

"Rumors are fine," Buffy remarked. "What we need is some hard evidence. Willow's been doing some hacking, but everything keeps dead ending at a website for an ethnic grocery store in L.A.'s Koreatown."

"Doyle and the Cheerleader can check that out for us." Spike declared. He mentally sent a message to the clan members in question. In return Doyle and Cordelia acknowledged that they would check the lead out, and they'd get back to Spike with their findings.

"I was able to get some information for you," Ronald said. He pulled a paper from his pants pocket, and he handed it to Buffy. He continued to talk while she unfolded it and looked at the contents. "That's all of the entrances in and out of the Initiative. The main one that is the most watched is inside the Lowell house fraternity. This entrance..." Ronald stopped to point at an X on the map, "No one knows about except you and us."

"How is it possible that the bloody soldiers don't know about it?" Spike asked. He was glad that Richard was doing the finishing touches on the tattoo.

"It's really nothing more than a crack in the bedrock in those caves north of town in Breaker's Woods," Richard replied. "I don't think the builders even knows it exists."

"And you know about it because..." Buffy trailed off. She sat up, relieved that the tattoo session was over. Buffy waited for Ronald to finish taping gauze on her skin decoration.

"Used to play there when I was a kid," Richard answered.

Spike stood up, and he gently put his t-shirt back on. He was careful not to snag the gauze on his back, but Spike knew with Buffy's and his accelerated healing that the tattoos would be completely healed in 24 hours.

Buffy stretched her aching muscles. Between the wild alley sex and having to sit in one position for so long, she was a bit sore. Buffy turned to look at Ronald. "We'll check out the back entrance in the caves. You keep searching for what's happening in that private section 314."

"Yes, Mistress." Richard bowed slightly at the waist.

Chapter 16 HUSH

Serina stepped into the airport terminal with her carry-on bag in hand. She glanced around at the milling crowd while she tried to determine the identity of Rupert Giles by looks alone. That's when she noticed a very properly dressed man sitting next to a sprawling, sardonic bleached blond man. She was busy admiring the blonde's features when he turned to look at the ladies bathroom exit, and his features lit up giving him the appearance of a fallen angel. Serina watched as a petite blond haired girl strolled over to the two men.

"That was not very nice," the girl said in an admonishing tone. "Sending Harmony to Angel for secretarial training." She plopped down next to the blond man. "I just had to listen to him rant about her for the last ten minutes. I finally had to hang up on him."

"I'm a bad, rude man. Besides, she was distracting the head minion, pet," the blond man replied in a lower class British accent. He flung his arm around the girl's shoulders to pull her close to his side. "Brian said that the others were going to hold her down and stake her. She kept mentioning unicorn wallpaper." The man shuddered violently in his seat.

"Miss Brenan's plane should be here now," the older man's crisp British accent was much more refined than the blond man's. "Buffy, did either of you hear back from Cordelia or Doyle?"

"It was a dead end, Giles," Buffy answered. "They did find Wesley though. Doyle said he's the ex-Watcher." She poked the blond man in the side while she giggled. "Wes' pretty put out to find out that he's related to one of the most notorious ... gang member on PCP ... in the history of the Council."

"Ha, bloody ha, Slayer."

"Hey, it's true. That's what Principal Snyder said you were when you came by the school that first time." Buffy smirked at the blond man before she turned her attention towards Giles. "You find anything out about my dream, Giles?"

"Nothing as of yet." Giles shook his head thoughtfully. "Anya is checking her sources as we speak." He turned to look across the terminal. "Looks like we have our shadows, though."

Serina looked in the direction that the Watcher had, and she noticed several young men with military haircuts and stances, all the while trying to look casual. She quickly returned her gaze to the trio waiting for her. Serina knew the next few days would be busy with introductions, explanations and planning. She was eager to get started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE NEXT DAY

Serina could feel the disgust pouring out of Willow. It was quite obvious to the new coven leader that whatever Willow had expected from this group she wasn't getting. Serina studied the other girls, dismissing each one until her eyes fell upon a girl with honey-blond hair that she was desperately trying to hide behind. She smiled to herself as she swept across the room towards the group, most of which jumped noticeably when her crisp, British voice addressed them.

"Willow, darling, when you said you were meeting with a Wiccan group, I just had to come down to meet them." Serina kept her eyes the shy girl, who she stood in front of and addressed personally. "I like you, dearie. Tell me your name."

"Oh, she's new. I'm the one to talk to," one of the other girls said while she stood up.

"I wasn't talking to you." Serina announced while she made it quite clear she wasn't going to talk to the other girl.

"T-Tara McClay, ma'am," Tara stuttered.

"Tara. What a beautiful name." Serina grabbed Tara's hand to pull the girl to her feet. "Now why don't you come have a lovely tea with Willow and me?"

"T-that would be nice," Tara whispered while she watched the red headed girl gather their belongings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy came up to the table where Serina, Willow, and Tara sipped tea and quietly chatted. She dropped into the chair, plopped her books on the table amd laid her head down on them.

"Is everything okay, Buffy?" Willow asked. She gave the other two witches a concerned look.

"Walsh's vibes are getting weirder," Buffy muttered. "Ronald slipped us a report that she's hyping the soldiers up on demonic steroids, but he hasn't a clue what's going on with her."

"That can't be good," Willow said. She slouched down in her chair. "Riley's acting a bit more odd, too. He tried to corner me this morning with the 'Spike is bad' propaganda. He was getting quite adamant about it when two of the other frat boys showed up and dragged him off."

"Walsh's pushing for a private meeting after the holidays." Buffy lifted her head off the books to look at the other occupants of the table. Willow had sent her a mental message about Tara, and as soon as Buffy had seen the girl, she had known that the young witch was not going to have any problems with the Scoobies. "I told her no, of course. That the meeting had to be in public with all of us in attendance."

"Bet that went over well." Willow grimaced at Buffy.

"Like a lead balloon," Buffy grumbled. "Then I called Giles. He can't find out anything about The Gentleman except they want seven of something. Knowing our luck, it'll be something nasty and grisly."

"Think positively, Buffy. Maybe they want seven cute cuddly kitties."

"Oh yeah, that's heartening. Maybe they'll offer them up to Clem and make him their god." Buffy giggled at that thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He is becoming more and more aggressive towards the Slayer, ma'am," Forrest said. "We had to drag him away from Miss Summers in the hallway today. Yesterday Saunders and Greene had to drag him away from Miss Rosenburg. He's lucky he's not up on assault charges."

Walsh stared at the man currently strapped to the table. He was whimpering and twitching almost convulsively. Maggie touched his skin. While he looked fevered, he was cool to the touch. She moved to unstrap the red skinned demon on the next table while she spoke.

"It is possible he needs another shot of Whu demon secretions." Maggie looked down at the demon, who suddenly squeaked at her words. Its eyes darted to the bound soldier as it visibly shrank as far away from him as it could in its bindings. Walsh looked back at Riley and then at the demon. "Why would that make a demon scared? Answer me, damn it."

Forrest and Graham stepped forward, tazers in hand, and the red skinned demon stared at the woman with startling blue eyes before it launched a response.

"While the skin secretion of Whu demons make a human stronger, it is extremely addictive. If taken in small amounts it can be an aphrodisiac, but prolonged exposure to the toxin tends to make humans sexually aggressive."

"What's the cure?" Walsh demanded. She glanced over at Riley at the same time the red skinned demon did.

"Cold turkey. The only way the toxin can leave the body is through sexual emissions." The demon scrunched its face up in disgust. "The easiest way to do this would be manual stimulation."

"There is no way I'm jacking Finn off," Forrest blurted out. A frantically nodding Graham joined him. The two soldiers backed slowly towards the door.

"Stand firm, soldiers," Walsh ordered. She could see despite their military training to always obey their commander, the two soldiers were fighting the urge to bolt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pale gray hands opened the ornate box and the faint sound of whispers would have been heard by anyone out late enough to be in the vicinity of the deserted campus church clock tower. Several buildings away the breath of a sleeping boy turned into a faint mist that curled out the nearby window. The mist danced through the air to the clock tower where it settled into the ornate box. More and more curls of mist entered the room until the pale hand slammed the box shut. A horrible gray face with silver teeth fashioned into a perpetual grin graced the face of the creature that held the box. His white sunken eyes and tight skin pulled tight over his bald head were something out of a nightmare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow woke up to the sound of footsteps outside her door, but strangely there were no voices to go with the noise. The lack of vocal sound was quite disquieting to the redhead. She flung back the covers, and she grabbed the robe from the foot of the bed. Willow donned the robe, cinched it at the waist and walked over to the dorm door.

Willow flung open the door, but when she went to ask the passing student why everyone was so quiet, she found that no sounds would come out of her mouth. Willow reached out to grab someone, and even though it looked like the boy squeaked no sound spilled from his lips, either. That effectively answered Willow's question of whether whatever was going on affected only her.

Buffy, something weird's going on, Willow sent out to the Slayer. I can't make any noise, not even an 'eep'. The guy in the hall couldn't speak either.

Yeah, we've got the same problem here, Buffy replied. So does Xander and Anya. I contacted Doyle and they're fine down in L.A. So, it's just us.

I'll get Serina and Tara and meet you guys at Giles' Willow said while she got dressed. When she was done, she went up one flight to the other witch's room where she quietly knocked on the door. She smiled at Tara when the honey-blond opened the dorm room door.

Willow and Tara walked down the sidewalk hand in hand like many of the other people that they saw; each person scared to lose contact with their companion.

The only business that appeared to be open and doing business was the liquor store. The two girls heard sirens, horns honking, and dogs barking, but no human voices were heard from any one. They passed a prayer meeting with the words Revelations 15:1 on a nearby chalkboard.

I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues--- last, because with them God's wrath is completed,* Tara thought to herself. She had studied the Bible extensively with her mother before she'd died.

A man with a dry erase message board saying 'message boards $10 stood in front of the magic shop. Willow and Tara stared at each other and both nodded. Willow dug a $20 bill out of her jeans pocket, handed it to the man, and then picked up two boards and two pens. They were about to walk on when Tara held up her hand. She quickly wrote, Serina needs one.

Willow nodded before quickly digging out another $20 bill and buying two more boards, just in case. The two girls quickly made their way to Serina's where they handed the woman one of the boards. Then the three of them hurried on to the Watcher's apartment where they knew the gang was waiting for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once inside Giles' apartment, Willow introduced Tara with a quickly drawn note and then went to stand by each person she hadn't met while writing their name on her dry erase board. Tara noticed that only one person in the room had a non-supernatural aura, but even his had an unusual flux about it. It was a colorful light show for the young wicca. She could see the magical powers in Serina, Willow and Giles and the demonic powers in Anya, Spike and Buffy. Theirs were the most dramatic and powerful she'd ever seen before in her life.

It took only a few minutes of watching the interactions of the group for Tara to realize that some of the group could communicate telepathically. She found the idea fascinating and watched them closely. Tara could tell the two blonds, Buffy and Spike, were the leaders but that Buffy, more than Spike, deferred to her mentor, Giles. She stood behind Willow and watched with amazement as Willow deftly surfed the web. Tara's attention then turned to Anya and Xander, who were watching the television.

Xander put his hand up in the air and snapped his fingers. Then he pointed to the television before turning the sound up. The reporter on the screen was talking about Sunnydale.

"Big news item from Sunnydale California. Apparently the entire town has been quarantined due to an epidemic of, as strange at this may sound, Laryngitis. It seems the town has been rendered unable to speak. There's no word yet what might have caused this or what other effects might be seen from this epidemic.

"Local authorities have issued a statement, a written statement, I should say, blaming recent flu vaccinations. A few skeptics call it a city wide hoax. In the meanwhile Sunnydale has effectively shut down all schools and businesses will be closed for the time being and residents are advised to stay home and rest up. Centers for disease control have ordered the entire town quarantined. No one can go in or out until the syndrome is identified or the symptoms disappear. We'll bring you more on that as it develops."

Willow turned her attention back to her laptop. One of the files captured her attention, and she remembered the rings that Spike had found with the Gem of Amara. They were the rings that allowed two people to communicate telepathically. Just what Giles needs to stay in communication with us. She sent the thought out to the others, who readily agreed, and then she proposed the idea to the Watcher.

Buffy and Spike decided that patrolling was of the utmost importance after dark since the town would probably be in total chaos. They left the others diligently researching while they checked on Joyce, Reggie, and the minions. Spike and Buffy even took a chance on visiting Willy at the Alibi Room, but the depressed bartender had no clues about what was happening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1988

Chapter 17, Hush part 2

Spike and Buffy meandered through downtown Sunnydale. They had already killed several demons that had attempted to take advantage of the widespread voice loss. Worse was the chaos perpetuated by humans. It reminded Buffy of the Band Candy incident, which she proceeded to tell the blond vampire about.

At the entrance of the magic shop, Spike and Buffy encountered Graham. He had been assigned crowd control by Walsh. The trio stared at each other for a few long moments before they were attacked by a demon pilfering the magical components of the shop.

Graham drew back from the fight to watch the Slayer and the vampire dispatch the creature in perfect tandem, almost as if they had telepathic communication. After they had nodded politely and continued down the street, the soldier took time to tail them to watch their actions. It was a few blocks later when the blond couple moved in to break up a fight, and hose down a burning cop car, that Graham realized that maybe his assessment was correct. The pair did have innate communication. He decided he wanted to know their story without Walsh's prejudices coloring his perspective.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door of the deserted church opened slowly, and outside the cool winter wind tossed the leaves around. The Gentlemen floated out of the building followed closely by their human-like minions. Hunched over and garbed in straightjackets, the minions dragged their buckle clothed hands on the ground. The noise announced their coming for anyone awake to hear it.

Serina rose from her bed with an uneasy feeling. She put on her robe to go downstairs. Serina was about to enter the kitchen when the sound of metal dragging along the pavement caught her attention. She went to the window to peer out. Across the courtyard she could see a man floating along in the air. Serina leaned closer to the window to see better. She jumped back in surprise when a horrible face appeared on the other side of the glass from her.

Across town at the campus, the floating monsters glided through the dorms until they got to the room that they were most interested in. One presented the door to other with a flourish of his hands, and then he knocked. The college boy inside opened the door, but the loss of his voice kept his screams silent as the minions rushed him. They hoed him down on the bed while the Gentlemen produce an old fashioned doctor's bag from which one of them pulled out a scalpel and proceeded to cut out the boy's heart.

By the next morning, Serina had devised a silent spell to cast the face she'd seen onto a bowl of water. She confidently showed the picture to Giles, who immediately went to the bookshelf to pull out a book titled, 'Fairy Tales'. The two worked silently and quickly once they figured out what was going on. Then Giles called a Scooby meeting, using the communication ring he and Buffy were each wearing.

When the group had gathered, Serina and Tara retired to Giles' bedroom to do a voice restoring spell and to go over the plans for the coven. Since they didn't have the telepathic capabilities the others had, they didn't want to slow the conversation down. Serina had noticed the glances that Tara had thrown back over her shoulder as they climbed the staircase. She had been filled in on everything that had happened in Sunnydale the past few months, and she wondered how Willow was going to juggle a werewolf boyfriend and a wiccan girlfriend. Things were going to get interesting very soon. The spell was a complete failure, much to the disappointment of both women, but the talk about the coven was a success.

Giles held up the picture that Serina had drawn of the creature she'd seen. He directed his thoughts to Buffy, who then transmitted them to the rest of the group. The Watcher was intrigued by the ease in which the Sultana and her clan communicated. He picked up the drawing that Serina had made and passed it to Xander, who looked at it before he passed it on.

Who are the Gentlemen? Giles projected to the group. They are fairy tale monsters. He picked up the book on fairy tales, turned to the bookmarked page, and handed it to the nearest person to hand around the room. They want human hearts. Seven of them.

I knew it wouldn't be something simple like kittens, Buffy groaned. She leaned her head against Spike's shoulder.

That explains the body I saw this morning at the dorms, Willow announced. I only got a glance at it, but the poor guy looked absolutely terrified, and there was a big old hole in his chest. She shuddered at the memory.

They have at least three of them then. Giles held up the newspaper to show the headlines; 'Brutal Slaying' and 'Fifteen Year Old Stabbed, Heart Missing'.

How do we kill them? Xander asked. Can Buffy stake them?

In the tales, no sword can kill them, Giles said. But the princess screamed once, and they all died.

What about using this? Willow grabbed a CD out of her pack to show the others. I think we have one left over from last year when we had the party at Buffy's.

No, only a real human voice will do, Giles informed the group. But I have no idea how to do that, unless you think that Doyle and Cordelia could sneak by the quarantine.

I don't think so, Doyle piped in from L.A. It's big news down here. They've called in the National Guard, and the town is surrounded. The only way in would be if we had a transporter from Star Trek or something.

It was just a thought, Doyle, Buffy projected back to the Conduit. Don't worry about it. We'll get it figured out. Spike and I'll patrol tonight.

That would probably be the best idea, Buffy, Giles announced. He gathered up the books before he pressed Willow into doing another web search to try and find out anything else about the predicament they were in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Look, luv. Red pinpointed where the three victims were killed last night. Spike laid the map out on the table and pointed to the three spots. Then he circled the area between them with a forefinger. I figured we'd try looking in this area first.

Sounds good. Buffy picked the crossbow up off the table. She hoped that most people took the news reports seriously and stayed off the street. The rest of the gang were hold up at Giles' with express orders not to answer the door to anyone without the code knock. Anya's idea earlier in the day to wish their voices back hadn't work, as they found out the wishes needed to be voiced out loud to work.

The Sultana and her vampire left their house, and they moved quickly towards their destination. The pair stayed on the alert as they continued to scan their surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. The quiet of the neighborhood they were surveying made the sound of clanking metal hitting the ground all that much louder.

There's three of them. Buffy pointed down the street towards the advancing minions. We can take out two with the crossbows.

That should make things a bit easier. Spike slung the crossbow off of his shoulder at the same time Buffy did. The two aimed and fired simultaneously. They both hit their targets directly between the eyes.

The remaining minion blinked in surprise as his companions dropped to the ground lifeless. He peered questioningly at the advancing duo before loping off towards the deserted campus church at the end of the block. The minion hoped to get to the safety of the others of his kind before the two warriors killed him.

Spike and Buffy stalked down the street while they followed the minion. They stopped long enough to pull their arrows out of the dead bodies, and they rearmed their crossbows. The two blonds entered the church cautiously where they were able to kill two more minions before abandoning their weapons. With the astute communication that the Slayer and the vampire seemed to have even before their mating, the pair launched themselves across the room towards their adversaries.

Graham followed the straight jacket clad creature in the hopes of finding its hiding place. He hit the thing he was following with a lethal dose of electricity as soon as it touched the door of the deserted church. Graham carefully entered the building to find that he was not alone. He watched in wonder as the pair quickly dispatched several more creatures before one of the nasty looking minions broke free from the fighting and raced up the nearby stairs.

Buffy sprang back from her confrontation to follow the escaping minion up the stairs. She was quickly followed by Spike, who had thrown off his opponent. Graham zapped the one remaining creature with his tazer gun before he too ascended the stairs. Upstairs the three were swarmed by even more straight-jacketed, pock-marked creatures, and Graham lost his tazer gun in a fierce struggle.

The Gentleman grinned even wider than before at treasure they had been given. Their last two hearts had come to them. How fortuitous. The lead Gentleman floated over to the table where he picked up his scalpel. He commanded the minions to hold the fighting girl tightly. Things couldn't be better than this, he thought.

Buffy struggled against the creatures holding her while she wondered how she was going to get her voice back to defeat the Gentlemen. She glanced down at the table where she noticed a small wooden box with ornate paintings on it. Her mind flashed back to the dream she'd shared with Willow. The little girl was carrying that very same box.

Spike, Buffy screamed, The box on the table. Smash it. She struggled harder while she tried to get to the table.

Gotcha, Slayer. Spike swung around abruptly. His attackers hurled away from his body, and they laid sprawled on the floor several feet away. Spike leaped towards the table with the minions hot on his trail, but he managed to get the box and smash it to the ground. Pieces of mist swirled up and three of them entered Spike, Buffy and Graham, while the others floated out the window.

Buffy choked a bit when the mist entered her body, but that didn't stop her from throwing back her head to scream at the top of her lungs. The sound reverberated off the walls of the small room until the heads of the Gentlemen exploded with loud pops and the flinging of nasty green slime.

Graham stared silently at Spike and Buffy while they stared back at him. Somehow he didn't think the two of them or their friends were the menace to society that Walsh and the other fanatics on her team thought they were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Graham glanced around to make sure no one was tailing him. He'd asked if he could take Finn's place on the team that tailed Spike and Buffy. Graham wanted a chance to see the duo in action and possibly get a chance to talk them. He'd ordered the other soldier on duty to take the evening off. Graham knocked on the door of Giles' apartment. The door opened and light spilled out into the courtyard.

"I'd like to talk," Graham said quietly.

Chapter 18 Helping the Immortal Guardians

Mistress, Doyle said softly into the Sultana's mind. I need to speak to you and Spike about the other dimensions.

Can't it wait till we're there for the WRH auction? Buffy sighed. She rolled over to shake her mate awake.

Sorry, no, Mistress, Doyle replied. The other Guardians need some help. You need to go the Sunnydale branch of The Celestial Council. They are an inter-dimensional firm of attorneys similar to Wolfram & Hart. However where WRH deals with the darker, more ambiguous side of demonic life, the CC deals with the Light.

And we should let WRH sell the treasure, because? Buffy growled. She didn't like the sound of WRH.

We will be dealing with them soon enough, Doyle assured the Slayer. This is a good opportunity to meet and greet.

So it won't be just me and Spike going to the auction?

No, we'll all be going. Doyle grinned across the connection. Cordy's having a grand time picking out a dress for herself and tuxes for us guys.

Can we get back on track now? Cordelia broke in. Buffy, at the CC they should be able to insure that your house belongs to you in every dimension possible. Wes had a look through his books. He says there's a ritual that would make the house ownership tied to your blood.

Why do we need to do this, cheerleader? Spike asked. He'd been silent since Buffy woke him up while he listened to the banter.

One set of Immortal Guardians, not a Slayer Sultana and her mate, but a Slayer Seraph and her demonic Seraph are traveling through dimensions running from the black Willow, the Conduit replied for the clan Seer. They are accompanied by the Child Key, the demon Watcher and the Justice Demon.

Ooookay, that was just a little wierd, Buffy muttered. What's this got to do with us?

As established Immortal Guardians, Mistress, you and your mate are in the unique position to insure that the other guardians have permanent residences in all the dimensions.

So, we go see a lawyer, set up our house to belong to all the Spike's and Buffy's, and then what?

Might want to make your mother part of the clan and do the same thing to her house, Doyle replied. Just to give the Guardians a couple of choices.
What about that one vision where Sunnydale was a big hole in the ground? Cordelia asked.

What? Spike and Buffy pronounced as one.

Relax, guys, Cordelia said soothingly.

That's something the dimension hopping Guardians dealt with. Just add a few other locations to the list, and it's nothing to worry about. Sheesh.

I suggest a place here in Los Angeles, for sure.

Maybe something the rest of us could use, Cordelia huffed. This little office is kinda scrunched now that there's four of us.

I looked around the real estate websites, Doyle said. There's one place that looked interesting. A hotel called the Hyperion.

Look into it, Spike told the Brachen demon. Get back to us ASAP. Slayer 'n I'll go to the lawyers tomorrow.

On it. Talk to you then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning found Spike and Buffy waiting in the outer office of The Celestial Council. The two had discussed where to have other residences late into the night. They had finally agreed not only to the Sunnydale and Los Angeles residences, but to one in New York City and another in London. They both looked up when the door to the inner office opened.

"Hello, you must be Spike and Buffy." The dishwater blond woman held out her hand. "My name is RoseSeri Hassib. It is an honor to have the Slayer as one of our clients."

"Thank you." Buffy took RoseSeri's hand while she eyed the petite woman carefully. "You're not human, are you?" Her newly acquired Sultana senses came in handy, that's for sure.

"Not quite." RoseSeri gestured towards the door to the inner office. "Why don't we get a bit more comfortable?" She ushered Spike and Buffy inside, and she got them settled in chairs before she continued her explanation. "You're right, Miss Summers. I'm not human. I'm a Penhuibin, which is to say I share my body with a non-corporeal angel."

"Wow, I'm getting good at this," Buffy chuckled. She took Spike's hand before she revealed her identity. "My Conduit said that we can trust you implicitly. I'm more than just a mere Slayer. I'm the Slayer Sultana."

"Sultana, it's a pleasure." RoseSeri blinked in astonishment. "It would be a great accomplishment to have you and your mate as clients." This would be a great coup for her firm. Maybe even enough to get her a full partnership.

"We're looking into making our house belong to us across the dimensions," Buffy replied. "There's a hotel in L.A., a penthouse suite in New York City and a residence in London we'd like to look into, also." She handed a file full of faxes over to the Penhuibin.

"Don't forget your mum's, luv," Spike interjected. "That'll give the travelers and the guardians two houses in Sunnyhell to live in, if need be."

"Thanks, Spike." Buffy leaned in to kiss the vampire on the cheek. She smiled to herself when she heard RoseSeri sigh at the sight. Buffy turned her attention back to the lawyer. "Doyle and Cordy mentioned a ritual that would use our blood to tie the ownership to us in all dimensions."

"I'm happy to do this for you, but may enquire as to who these travelers are?" RoseSeri looked from one blond to the other. "It seems a little excessive."

"There are others, counterparts, if you will," Spike said. "They need safe havens where ever they go."

"I understand." RoseSeri nodded. This was a big undertaking. The blood ritual alone would take delicate balancing. It was the ritual that would allow the house ownership to transcend the dimensional walls. "However, I'm not sure that the magic users employed by the CC are strong enough to do the amount of magic that is needed for this."

"That is so not a problem," Buffy announced. "We have several great magic users already in the clan. Here's Giles' phone number. He'll get the others in touch with you." She grabbed a small pad of paper off the desk to write the Watcher's number down. Then she handed the pad of paper to Spike, who wrote another number on the page.

RoseSeri's eyes widened in recognition. Lawyers around the world had been wondering for over a century when someone would show up at the Bank of London claiming to be the Chesterfield heir. Little did any of them realize THE Chesterfield heir would be the claimant.

"You look kinda strange there," Buffy said. "Are you alright?" She glanced over at Spike.

"This is just unexpected is all," RoseSeri answered. "All lawyers, human or demonic, know about the Chesterfield fortune. The last heir of the line, Lord William Jamison, disappeared with his mother in 1880."

Buffy reached out to take Spike's hand. Now that they were mentally connected they had no secrets whatsoever, and the Slayer knew the reason behind the disappearance of William's mother. She could feel the tremendous love and guilt that went hand in hand when the bleached blond vampire thought about the woman who had brought him into the world. At times like this, she wondered if there was a way to contact someone who had died. If her mate could hear his mother's forgiveness from her own lips, maybe it would ease some of the sense of loss the vampire still felt, even after all these decades. Buffy also knew that Wesley was on the wrong side of the family to know that Spike had a big inheritance awaiting him in England.

"We look forward to seeing you in a few days," Spike said. He rose to his feet, and he stuck out his hand. "There's an extra commission in this if you get the ritual done within five days."

"Of course." RoseSeri rose to her feet, also. She shook Spike's hand, and then she shook Buffy's. "I will contact you when its time."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A FEW DAYS LATER

"It's done," RoseSeri announced. She glanced at the tired witches and mages. "The buildings now belong to William Jamison and Buffy Summers. So mote it be."

"So mote it be," intoned the magic makers.

"Thank-God," Buffy muttered. She watched as the cut on her wrist healed itself instantly. "Now, the others need to be informed."

"As you command, Sultana," RoseSeri said reverently. She had some business in other dimensions now. It was time to earn her commision.

Chapter 19 AUCTION AT WRH

Christmas had been extra special for the Scoobies this year. They had gathered at Spike and Buffy's house for a gift exchange and a wonderful dinner. Joyce and Reggie did most of the labor intensive cooking, while the other couples brought other goodies. Giles kissed Serina under the mistletoe, and later they were caught eyeing each other. Buffy quite happily mentioned that she thought that the Watcher needed someone in his life.

What the others didn't know was that Willow had found herself attracted to Tara. In a private mental conversation with the absent Oz, the witch and the werewolf decided that they wanted to make a wolf pack within the clan. Oz had told Willow to keep it a secret until he got home, and gave her permission to court Tara in both of their names. Both were sure that Spike and Buffy wouldn't care, but at the moment both Willow and Oz wanted things to remain private.

Buffy glanced over at Spike. He was tapping his leg in time with the song pouring out of the radio. They were on their way to L.A. for the WRH auction of supernatural items from the Amara treasure. They were to meet Angel and the others at the Hyperion hotel. Cordelia's mental commentary of Harmony's antics were hilarious to the Slayer and her mate. It made Buffy wonder how Cordelia ever put up with the blond female in high school.

Buffy knew from the same chat with Cordelia that Angel had actually been at the Hyperion in the past. When the Slayer found out that he had abandoned a woman to a demon that inhabited the hotel, she felt like she knew the ensouled vampire less and less. It made her glad that she was now involved with Spike. He was straightforward, in your face, and let you know exactly how he felt and where you stood with him.
There was no hiding with him, no secrets and no second guessing. Buffy knew that somewhere inside her mate was the vampire who had rolled into town wishing for her death, but she also knew that his demon was also fiercely protective, loyal, and loving.

Spike and Buffy's arrival at the hotel was greeted by three welcoming individuals and one very pouty vampire. Buffy just rolled her eyes at Angel's mutterings. He was terribly upset that the others had outvoted him about moving into the Sultana owned hotel. With the five of them stuck in the little office he had rented before was getting on everyone's nerves. He just didn't want to admit it. Buffy and Cordelia went upstairs to look at dresses. Buffy had brought her red dress from Sunnydale, and Cordelia and Harmony had bought dresses at a posh boutique in downtown Los Angeles. Spike took Wesley and Doyle out for a drink, leaving Angel behind to answer the phones with Harmony.

Soon, it was time to get ready for the auction. The women donned their dresses. Buffy in red, Cordelia in black, and Harmony in hot pink. Buffy and Cordelia rolled their eyes at the mental complaints about the tuxes made by Spike and Doyle, but they both were pleasantly surprised at how good the guys looked all dressed up, even Angel. Spike had hired a limo to take them to the auction in style. As much as he loved the Desoto, it wasn't the kind of image they were trying to project for this event.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy circled the room slowly. Her Slayer senses were screaming at her to take out her stake to slay a few of the occupants. It was only the calming thoughts from the others of her clan that stayed her hand. However, she could feel Cordelia and Doyle taking note of the ones that bothered her the most. When Angel was cornered by one of the lawyers who didn't seem too happy to see the vampire, Cordelia and Doyle told her about their first official AI case.

"So, Angel." Lindsey McDonald looked the uneasy vampire over carefully. He snagged a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter. "What brings you to our little corner of the world? You planning on throwing another Wolfram and Hart client out the window?"

"No," Angel grumbled irritability. "I'm here with the owners of the Amara treasure."

"Ah, they hired you as a guard, then," Lindsey fished for information. He took a sip of his drink.

"Gramps!" Spike greeted Angel with a hearty slap on the back. "Introduce me to your friend." He eyed the lawyer, taking in the handsome face and clean cut looks. Buffy said that of all the law firm employees, this one was the most ambiguous. He was ambitious, but there was still something human buried deep in his heart.

"He's no friend of mine," Angel grunted as he shrugged Spike's hand off his shoulder. "Spike, this is Lindsey McDonald. He's a lawyer here at Wolfram and Hart. McDonald, this is Spike, a relative."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Lindsey commented. He recognized the name, but any pictures he had of Angel's family were few and old.

"I'm sure it is," Spike replied confidently. He smiled at Buffy who was coming up behind Lindsey. "Have you met my mate, lawyer man?"

"No, I haven't had the pleasure." Lindsey stared at the petite blond woman while she snuggled into the vampire's side. He found her quite pretty, but nothing too special. After all, he lived in a town where pretty girls were a dime a dozen, but she did seem vaguely familiar.

"Slayer, I think this bloke doesn't care too much for the poofter here." Spike smiled down at Buffy. "Can't imagine why. It's not like he's ever had to live with the old sod."

"Slayer?" Lindsey's eyebrows shot up. Now he recognized her as the Sunnydale Slayer. She looked a bit different than her photographs. There was a maturity to her face that she didn't have before.

"Yes. Ignore these two. We do." Buffy stuck her hand out to the lawyer. "Buffy Summers. Glad to meet you."

"Lindsey McDonald." The lawyer took the Slayer's hand in greeting. He shuddered when a shock of electricity shot through him. He gasped in surprise when both the Slayer and Spike gave him knowing glances, and he could tell that Angel was oblivious to the whole thing. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Summers. I didn't realize you were in town."

"Oh, yes," Buffy said airily. She pulled her hand away from the lawyer, and she smiled up at Spike. "It's nice to be back in Los Angeles, even if it's just for a little while." She glanced around the room. "Your building is quite nice. I remember seeing it from my father's office when I was little."

"Buffy?" Cordelia interrupted. "Do you think you could come help me?" She rolled her eyes, and continued in a sarcastic tone. "Harmony got into it with some demon chick from the filing department. I need you to calm her down. You know, I don't remember her being this high strung before she was vamped."

"Sure, Cordy." Buffy reached up to kiss Spike on the cheek. "Be good, and don't kill anyone until after they pay for their purchases." She turned to follow Cordelia to the other side of the room where a mussed up Harmony was waiting for them.

"She's a fire cracker, isn't she?" Lindsey mused, almost to himself. He watched the vampires watch the Slayer stride away. Lindsey noted that Angel's eyes were filled with pain at the sight of the happy girl while Spike had nothing but pride in his face.

Spike was proud of his girl. She was taking everything that life threw her with poise and confidence, and he was glad he'd been there to pick up the pieces after Angel had dumped her. His life was on the upswing now. Finally, he turned back to Lindsey, and he pulled a card out of his tuxedo pocket. He handed it to the lawyer as he said, "If you're ever needin' a new job, lawyer boy, give this number a call. Tell 'em William the Bloody gave you their number." He sauntered off towards the women.

Lindsey looked down at the card and read 'RoseSeri Hassib, The Celestial Council'. He recognized the number as being from Sunnydale. Lindsey was very surprised. Anyone could join up with Wolfram and Hart, but the CC required a personal invitation. Lindsey wondered what he'd done to deserve such an honor. Something told him he was in dire need of checking his ethics, and he needed to do it sooner rather than later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Excuse me. Are you the Slayer?"

A deep, cultured voice interrupted Buffy's enjoyment of the view of the L.A. skyline. She turned around, and immediately her hackles rose. The voice belonged to a handsome, dark-skinned man dressed in what appeared to be an Armani suit. There was something about the man, though, that made the Sultana growl. "One of them," she spat out.

"I must introduce myself." The man bowed. He tried to grab Buffy's hand, but she backed away. "I am the Immortal. I see you are here with Angelus and William. May I be of service to remedy your loneliness?" He stepped back suddenly when Buffy growled at him in warning.

"I'm not lonely," Buffy snarled. "I am here with my friends." She knew that revealing Spike as her mate needed to be done at just the right moment for maximum shockage.

"Yes, I can see that," the Immortal said. He gathered up his courage, and he stepped forward. He looked Buffy in the eye as he sent as much of his charm as he could towards her. "Yet, you are still alone. Let me help you. Let me sweep you away to somewhere more private where we can enjoy ourselves." No woman had ever resisted his charms before.
"I'm perfectly happy with who I came with." Buffy glanced over at Spike. This jerk is trying to thrall me or something.

The Immortal was surprised when the Slayer didn't automatically fall for his 'captivating' wit. He was even more surprised when the blond vampire that she arrived with returned her look with an arched eyebrow and a sneer. For a moment, the Immortal thought that Spike was sneering at Buffy, but he soon realized that wasn't the case. The Immortal stepped back in surprise when the Slayer's eyes began to glow and fangs descended from her gum line.

"I warned my mate about not killing potential buyers before the big sale, but in your case I might make an exception," Buffy growled. She tilted her head as if she was listening to something only she could hear. "Oh, Spike tells me that you boinked both the hos at the same time."

"I beg your pardon?" The Immortal stepped back another step when two dark haired people stepped up behind the Slayer. "I wouldn't call Darla and Drusilla whores,. They were ladies with wonderful and refined tastes."

Buffy snorted out loud at the man's statement. It was obvious to her that the Immortal was quite delusional. Buffy studied the Immortal, and the Sultana found him to be sorely lacking. He reminded her of Angelus, only out for himself and his own pleasures. Here was a creature that had the capacity and time to do good, but he wasted it on silly pursuits.

"How may I help you, Mistress?" the Conduit asked politely. Doyle could feel the Slayer's agitation, as could the others of the clan. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Spike bearing down on the little group while those nearby moved away to get out of the line of fire.

"I see before me, a man who could be doing the world a great amount of good, but instead he acts like he is a self-indulgent child." The Sultana tilted her head while she studied the Immortal. "He thought he could thrall me, but all he really did was insult me and my mate." Buffy wondered about what she had said. This wasn't her usual mode of speech. She was much more Valley Girl.

I think you'll find, that over time both you and Spike will become more intuitive, Doyle whispered into her mind. You'll become more comfortable with the ability to read the hearts of others. For now, let the Sultana guide your actions.

"I'm sure you're used to getting what you want," Buffy sneered. When Spike slipped in beside her, she slipped her arm around his waist. "But I think you'll find that I'm a tad bitchier then the usual Slayer type. I think it has something to do with dying."

"Is there something wrong here?" Lindsey had seen the trouble brewing. Normally he'd be up for a good fight, but he knew Holland wouldn't be too happy with bloodshed happening with all the Wolfram & Hart clients present that night. Things might go badly, and Lindsey didn't want those consequences on his head. He signaled the head auctioneer to start seating the guests.

"Everything's fine, Mr. McDonald," Spike replied with disdain. "My girl was just telling this pillock to go shove it up his arse."

"Time to take our seats," the auctioneer called out. "Once everyone is seated, we shall begin the sale of the magical portion of the infamous Amara treasure. For the non-magical items, there will be an auction in Sunnydale at the art gallery on Main Street."

Lindsey gestured towards the door to the room where the auction was being held. He would never tell anyone this, not even under the threat of death, but something about Buffy Summers scared the piss out of him. He had no doubts that if her little group decided to take out the evil in the room with them that they would win. Hands down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That went pretty well," Buffy said. She leaned back against the limo seat while she cuddled next to Spike. "We got out of there without any bloodshed, and we didn't blow up the building. So, go us."

"You felt the evil, though," Cordelia muttered. "I mean, we went to school on top of the Hellmouth. I wouldn't be surprised if they had one in the basement."

"Well, at least we can identify some of the creatures we will be up against here in Los Angeles," Wesley said politely. "I'll collect names from everybody when we get back to the hotel. That will be quite helpful, I believe."

"Of course, it will, Wesley," Buffy commented. She laid a hand on his sleeve. "I think being away from the Council's influence has done you a lot of good. As we match names with faces, Spike and I will try to work on matching levels of evil, too. How does that sound?"

"That would be most helpful, Buffy," Wesley assured the girl. He thought she had a maturity now that she hadn't had the last time he had seen her. Wesley decided that being mated with Spike had done the Slayer good. He smiled around at his friends and colleagues.

Chapter 20 Doomed, Sultana Style

Buffy was surprised when the doorbell rang. Neither she nor Spike were expecting visitors. It wasn't a Scooby, since they all knew they were welcome to walk in without knocking. She went to the door, answered it, and raised her eyebrow when she saw her two guests.

"Ms. Summers." Graham Miller stuck out a piece of paper to the blond girl. "I'm here on behalf of Professor Walsh to invite you and your significant other to a meeting." He lifted an eyebrow in return in the hopes that she wouldn't say anything about their prior get together after the laryngitis scare.

"It's a possibility," Buffy said. She took the paper from Graham. "Why is Riley here?"

"Professor Walsh ordered me to apologize for my previous actions," Riley said in an apologetic tone. "However, I still feel the need to warn you about your choice in boyfriends."

"Finn," Graham growled. "Shut your mouth."

"Alright, buddy," Buffy said. "My choice in boyfriends is none of your bees wax."

"Are you a demon?" Riley demanded. He stepped towards the petite blond girl. He stopped up short when a growl emanated from somewhere in the bowels of the house.

"Finn." Graham gritted his teeth. "Stand down. I told you to shut your mouth." He turned to Buffy. "He's supposed to just apologize. I'm terribly sorry about this."

Buffy put her hand up. "It's okay. Tell Professor I'll meet her on Friday at two at the cafe just off campus. Finn is welcome to come hear what I have to say."

"Of course, Ms. Summers." Graham nodded to Buffy.

Suddenly there was a terrible rumbling, and the ground started to shake. Buffy stayed in the doorway while both Graham and Riley fell to the ground. After a few moments, the earthquake ended. The two soldiers shakily got to their feet, and they looked around.

"Wow. That was some ride," Riley said in awe. "That was my first earthquake." He glanced over at Buffy's pale face.

"You okay, luv?" Spike called out from inside the house. He ambled down the hall from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Spike." Buffy smiled over her shoulder at him. "But you know... earthquakes are not of the good." She held her hand out to her mate. "Graham and Riley are here to invite us to a meeting with Walsh."

"Sounds like a party," Spike drawled as he draped his arm over Buffy's shoulders. "Now if you gentleman don't mind, we need to check on our friends."

"Yes, we must return and check on things, too." Graham herded Riley away from the house. He wondered why Buffy had such an aversion to earthquakes, but he knew he couldn't ask with Finn standing next to him.

Buffy watched the two men until they were half way down the street. Then she closed the door, and she started to internally check in with the others. Xander and Anya were fine, as were her mother and Reg. Then, she checked on Willow.

I was in the library, and I almost got buried under some nineteenth century literature, the witch answered. And I don't have to tell you how hard it is to dig out from under some of that stuff. You and Spike okay?

Yeah, we're just peachy. We're having a meeting with Professor Walsh on Friday at two. Can you make it? Buffy asked.

Yeah, sure. Willow glanced over her schedule. I'll get Tara and Serina to come with.

Sounds good Buffy replied. How's things on campus?

Porter house is blacked out, but you know what that means, Willow let out a giggle. Aftershock Party.

Ah, this from the dorm that gave us the 'Somebody Sneezed' party and the 'Day that ends with Y' party. Buffy gave a mental laugh. I wanna go talk to Giles. We'll catch you later

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Something horrible is going to happen." Buffy paced back and forth. She couldn't believe Giles and Spike were sitting in the courtyard of Giles' apartment, acting as if nothing was happening.

"It was an earthquake, luv." Spike tried to reassure his agitated mate. He understood her apprehension of the event, but he knew she needed to calm down enough to explain her feelings to her Watcher.

"A not uncommon occurrence in southern California," Giles replied. "No reason to think it was anything more."

"Oh I so have a reason." Buffy sighed. "The last time we had an earthquake, I died."

"You won't die again." Spike reached out to pull Buffy down on his lap. "I won't let you!" He cuddled her warm body close to his own.

"Yes, I know that." Giles reached out to pat Buffy's hand. "That's why I completely understand your anxiety, but unless evidence suggests otherwise, I think we can assume this is just a shifting of land masses and not a portent of impending doom."

"Oh, alright." Buffy stuck out her lower lip. "For now, we'll pretend that the quake wasn't a bad omen and go on with our lives as if the Master isn't going to rise and turn us all into billions of happy meals on legs."

"Be that as it may, I think we should take a few minutes to discuss the upcoming meeting with Maggie Walsh," Giles replied. "Do you think it's safe?"

"Broad daylight, everyone from Sunnydale present." Buffy put her arm around Spike's neck and relaxed against him. "Let them know from the get go that others outside Sunnydale know what we're up to. I think it'll be okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the campus, Willow decided to go to the party at Porter house. She spotted a guy she had tutored at one time in high school, but when she tried to strike up a conversation his girlfriend got jealous. Willow rolled her eyes at the girl before she said 'bye-bye'.

Willow wandered around the party for a few more minutes before she felt something odd coming from one of the upstairs rooms. She climbed the stairs while she ignored the party goers that seemed to be making out on every step. Willow got to the top of the stairs, looked around cautiously, and went down the hall towards the room.

Willow opened the door carefully, hoping that nothing jumped out at her. She peered into the darkness, and then suddenly the lights came back on in the room. Willow gulped in horror at the sight in front of her. One of the frat boys laid on the bed with his throat cut. Then she noticed that a pyramid with an eye in the middle was carved into his chest. There was a scream from someone behind her.

Buffy? Willow sent out softly. I think I just found your bad omen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure you're okay?" Buffy asked Willow. She and Spike had rushed right over to where Willow had attended the party. "Why did you go to the party anyway?"

"I'm fine." Willow smiled wanly. "You know how it is in Sunnydale. What's a party without dead bodies, right? And hey, he wasn't a zombie!"

"That's always of the good," Buffy replied. "Now why don't we go back to Giles'. I'm sure he'll have lots to tell us by then." She helped the redhead to her feet, and the two females let Spike escort them to his Desoto.

It only took a few short minutes to get from the campus to Giles' apartment. For a town the size of Sunnydale, it was surprising how many people actually walked instead of using cars. The three of them went into the apartment complex, only to find Xander and Anya already waiting for them with the prerequisite Scooby meeting donuts in hand.

"You know, I could swear I've seen this symbol somewhere." Buffy scrunched her face up in thought. "If I could just remember where. I mean...it's like..."

"It's the end of the world," Giles interrupted the Slayer.

"No, I was gonna say on the tip of my brain, but that'll do," Buffy answered absentmindedly. She was trying hard to remember where she'd seen the symbol before.

"What do you mean end of the world?" Xander stuffed a donut into his mouth.

"It's the earthquake.. and ... uh the symbol," Giles said. "Taken together it means the end of the world."

"I told you so." Buffy got back into the conversation. "Guess next time you won't be so 'poo poo southern California' when I say it's the end of the world."

"Of course, dear." Giles rolled his eyes at the Slayer. "Now, any ideas where you might have seen this symbol?" He handed the paper to Buffy again.

"Well, it's not like I do much besides go to college and wander around cemeteries memorizing stuff on the sides of mausoleums," Buffy said while she studied the picture more closely. Then, she handed it to Spike, since he was the one that patrolled with her most of the time these days.

"Think that's where we saw it, pet," Spike drawled. He handed the paper back to Giles. "Why don't we get some weapons and go check it out?"

"Sounds good to me," Buffy answered. "You guys keep researching." She got up from her seat, and she and the vampire left the apartment, bound for their own house and the weapons that were housed there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once Spike and Buffy entered the cemetery, Spike quickly pointed out the mausoleum that he was sure the pyramid symbol was on. Buffy nodded to her mate, and the two snuck up on the small stone building. They burst through the door to find an ugly, green demon with red eyes removing the bones of a child from a coffin.

"Hey, the door was open," Buffy said to alert the demon of their arrival. She was pleased with herself when she noticed the evil aura that surrounded the demon's heart. Looks like those Sultana powers are getting stronger, she told the others.

The demon roared in anger when it saw the intruders, and the arrow now protruding from its shoulder did nothing to calm it. When the two newcomers started to attack the demon in tandem, it knew it didn't stand a chance, and it quickly started to look for a means to escape. The fight had moved outside by then, and the demon took the chance that the female was the weaker of the two. It picked her up and smashed her into a nearby headstone, and it made its escape when the male went to help her.

"Did you get the demon?" Buffy asked huskily. She hated it when she got the wind knocked out of her. Not to mention now her head ached. Why did grave stones have to be so darned hard?

"Sorry, luv, I was more concerned about you," Spike murmured as he picked his mate up off the ground. "Rupes' found out what kind of demons we're dealin' with. Why don't we hightail it back to his flat? I can hear the soldier boys trompin' this way."

"Okay." Buffy leaned against Spike. She was feeling better already... go Slayer healing... but she loved the feel of his cool, lean body next to hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"A Vahrall demon," Giles said. He handed the book to Buffy, who had Spike looking over her shoulder.

"I said ewwww," Willow commented. "There is a definite revulsion factor going on here." She shuddered visibly.

"Yes. Slick like gold and gird in moonlight, father of portents and brother to blight," Giles replied, remembering what the book had said.

"Limbs like talons, eyes like knives, bane of the blameless, thief of lives," Buffy continued from where Giles had left off. "And pretty ookie in real life, too." She nodded. "Somehow I don't think this thing was digging around for the bones of a child for fun."

"Well, demons got some pretty hilarious ideas of fun," Xander quipped. Then, he poked fun at Spike. "Just look at Junior here, dating a Slayer and hanging out with humans."

"Ha, bloody, ha." Spike sneered. Through the clan connection, he knew that Xander was just teasing. "Maybe we should have taken you along, demon magnet."

"Bones of a child, though. I saw that." Willow pulled out one of the books in the pile in front of her, and she flipped through the pages. "An ancient ritual uses the blood of a man, the bones of a child, and something called the word of Valios? It's all part of the sacrifice, um, the sacrifice of three." She handed the book to Giles.

"Oh, and let me guess, please. It ends the world," Buffy muttered sarcastically.

"Well, yeah." Willow chewed her lip for a moment. "It's not big on the details though. It doesn't say how the world ends or what the ritual entails exactly."

"I've never heard of the word of Valios." Spike placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Now, if we could just figure out what it is, maybe we'd be able to stop this whole thing."

"Okay, Giles, you keep looking. Maybe Reg has an idea. You should call him just in case." Buffy got to her feet. "Spike and I will check out the magic shop. See if they have a book called the word of Valios. Willow and Xander, you check out the book archives at the museum. Anya, you got any contacts you could ask?"

"I got a few," Anya said proudly. "I'm only too happy to help." She snapped her fingers and disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Nothing," Spike grumbled. He hadn't been in the magic shop since delivering his 'Love's bitch' speech to Buffy and Angel the year before. "Don't think the others are doing so well, either."

"Well, Anya did find out that it was a fifteenth century talisman. That should be a big help." Buffy patted Spike's arm before she grabbed his hand. "Let's go tell Giles." They took off walking towards the Watcher's apartment, having decided the walk to the magic shop would be a nice change from the Desoto.

When they got to the apartment, Spike and Buffy found Giles lying on the floor with a big knot on the back of his head. Buffy became agitated when she realized that her Watcher had been attacked, and that they'd had no clue. She felt her fangs descend in frustration.

Relax, luv, Spike cooed soothingly. Just make him part of the clan. He caressed her back in a relaxing manner.

"I'll try not to hurt you," Buffy whispered. She sank her teeth into Giles' wrist, took a sip, and removed her fangs from his flesh. "I claim thee, Rupert Edward Giles, as my own, belonging to the clan Sultana-Aurelius. My Watcher."

"Buffy," Giles said softly. He could feel the other members of the clan touching his mind, each one making sure that he wasn't too terribly hurt now that they knew that he had been attacked by the very demons they were looking for. "Oh, my. What an experience." Giles listened carefully to Spike's instructions on blocking out the others.

Spike went into the kitchen to get some ice for Giles to put on the bump on his head. He decided that they were going to seriously have to search for a spell that kept other demons besides vampires out of their houses. This was just ridiculous.

Buffy let her fangs recede before she asked, "Now tell us what happened? Anya did find out that the word of Valios was a talisman."

"Yes, it is. I blame myself entirely." Giles took the bag of ice from Spike, and he flashed the vampire a grateful smile. "I had it here."

"You did?" Buffy gasped. "Okay, I thought you were just being hard on yourself, but..." She gave the Watcher a concerned look.

"I bought it at a sorcerer's sale." Giles winced when he put the ice on his head. "I really only glanced at it the one time. I thought it was a knock off." He closed his eyes against the pain.

"Well, they have it now," Buffy said. "And they probably have their sacrifices by now, too. So they're on their way to perform the ritual, but where?"

"The Hellmouth," Giles muttered. He laid back on the couch. "They're going to open the Hellmouth. The one in the library."

"Looks like we're going back to high school," Buffy quipped. She rose to her feet. Meet us at the high school, guys, she thought to Willow, Xander and Anya.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike and Buffy arrived at the ruins of Sunnydale High to find the others waiting for them already. Buffy wondered briefly where the current high school classes were being held, and she found herself grateful that they weren't learning atop the Hellmouth like she had. The five of them quickly approached the almost burned out building.

"Be careful, you guys," Buffy said warningly. "Spike and I checked it out a few weeks ago, and it's not all that stable."

"Any ideas where we should check first?" Xander asked.

"I'd say the library," Buffy replied. "If they're not there, we can head down to the basement. Getting the sacrifices out is our first priority."

"Will do," Willow said. She reached over to pat Buffy on the arm. "I'm glad Giles is okay, too. It's nice having him in the clan, Buffy. You did the right thing."

"Yeah, Slayer." Spike kissed Buffy's cheek. "Now quit your frettin', and let's go demolish the bad guy. It's been awhile since we've had a good fight."

"Oh, alright," Buffy mumbled. She felt closer to her friends now than she had ever been before, and she found that she really enjoyed the feeling. "Let's go."

The five of them crawled through the broken door into the hallway. Debris and broken lockers littered the floor. They walked up the hallway towards where they knew the library to be.

"Sunnydale High," Xander muttered. "These walls, if they were still walls, what stories they could tell." He stepped in something that squished under his weight. "Ewwww. Mayor meat. Extra crispy."

"Heard about that one," Spike chuckled. "The dream of every high school student in America."

"I think we're pretty close to the library," Willow said. She turned down another hallway, and she stopped in front of the swinging door that marked the entrance to the room they were looking for.

Together they slipped inside where they found a gaping hole in the middle of the floor. From somewhere below them, they heard a growling chant.

"Whoa. Check out the new floor plan," Willow said softly. She quietly snuck up to the edge of the hole, and she gasped. "The demons are down there."

"How many?" Buffy asked.

"Three," Willow whispered. "But I don't see any sacrifice people." She continued to search the surrounding area for any people.

Anya snapped her fingers. "Three demons, three sacrifices. I bet they're some kind of kamikaze demons."

"Well, it's not gonna happen," Buffy grumbled. "Spike, you help me attack the demons. You guys get the other stuff to Anya so she can pop it over to Giles."

"Right, then." Spike jumped down into the pit where the Hellmouth was opening, and he pounced on one of the demons causing it to drop the bottle of blood that it was holding.

Buffy jumped down behind Spike, grabbed the bottle of blood, and tossed it to Anya. Then, she took on another of the demons. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Xander and Willow had joined her and Spike, and that Willow had been able to grab the bag of bones from the third demon. Buffy heard Anya pop out and back into the room above them.

"Oh, be careful, Xander," Anya cried out when one of the demons punched him in the stomach. "If you're bruised too badly it'll make the orgasms painful."

"Yes, dear," Xander huffed. He grunted when the demon landed another punch in his stomach area.

"Anya, the talisman." Willow ducked from the demon's blow, and she pointed to where the talisman had fallen on the floor. With a wave of her hand, the emblem flew to the justice demon's hand.

Anya popped off to Giles' apartment, where the two of them disposed of the blood, took the children's bones back to their proper resting place, and took the word of Valios to have RoseSeri put in their ever-growing vault of mystical objects. They knew from the others running commentary that after the loss of the ritual objects that the demons had been easily defeated and the Hellmouth had been closed again.

It was time to prepare for the meeting with Maggie Walsh and the Initiative.

Chapter 21 MEETING MAGGIE

Maggie Walsh, Graham Miller, and Riley Finn entered the outside seating area of the coffee shop situated just off campus. The professor hadn't expected the Slayer and her group to pick such a public place to meet. Most of the hostiles that the Initiative had dealt with on a regular basis preferred the darkness. Walsh didn't realize that her group was ill prepared for dealing with beings that were more human than demon.

"Afternoon, Professor Walsh." Buffy's called out to the older woman. "Why don't you guys come on over and sit down?"

"Miss Summers. How nice to see you ... and all your friends." Walsh looked at the group of people waiting for her while she moved over to sit down across from Buffy. This was no time for small talk, in her opinion. So, she launched right into why she wanted to meet with the Slayer. "I want you to agree to come in for some tests."

"Not bloody likely," Spike growled. There was no way he was going to turn over his mate to the professor.

"We could just take you." Walsh gave the group a knowing smirk. "After all, you are harboring a hostile." Whatever reaction she was expecting, she didn't get it.

"That wouldn't be in your best interest." Giles returned the professor's smirk, but where he had hadn't reacted to hers, she flinched and sat back in her seat.

"Are you threatening us?" Riley gave the petite blond woman a steely look. He was still smarting from when she ignored his warnings about the vampire she was currently holding hands with.

"If I was threatening you, Riley, you wouldn't have to ask. You'd know." Buffy gave the male human a stony look.

Spike took this opportunity to lean forward, and he asked a still slightly shaken Walsh, "So, what's in Room 314?"

Before she could stop herself, Walsh gave a start at the vampire's question. She resisted glancing at Graham before she sputtered, "How do you know about that?"

"We have our ways," Buffy replied. She twirled a lock of hair in a careless manner. "Answer the question."

"It's classified," Walsh sneered at the blond. "I don't need to tell you anything. You're just civilians. You interest us, but you are still just civilians.

"Since you're newcomers to the Hellmouth, let's be perfectly clear about something." Buffy gave Walsh a wide-eyed innocent look. "We are what stands between you and world endage."

"World endage," Walsh scoffed while she gave Buffy a skeptical look. "I find that hard to believe. Nowhere in your files has it been mentioned that the world is about to end."

"Every May, just like clockwork," Buffy replied in a perky voice. "And, I've only died once because of it. Go me!" She arched an eyebrow at the professor; almost as if she was challenging the woman to prove her wrong.

"What's in room 314?" Spike suddenly asked before he sniffed the air. Graham and Riley's scents stayed the same, but Walsh's changed. Spike relayed this information to the others in the clan.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Walsh spluttered. "Not only is it classified, it's none of your business." She still wondered how the vampire knew about the secret power, and why he was so interested.

"Don't lie to us." Spike leaned back in his chair, and he gave Walsh a cold look. "We're not bloody stupid, you know."

"She told you it's classified," Riley announced. He felt the urge to stick up for his mentor.

"Shut up, Finn," Walsh snarled at the young soldier. She could fight her own fights; she didn't need some young upstart to do it for her. "Otherwise, you might find yourself at the South Pole herding penguins."

"Yes, Ma'am," Finn said in a contrite tone.

"Miss Summers, we are the United States government. If we want to test you, we will," Walsh said with confidence. She was tired of Buffy's blasé attitude. Maggie Walsh was used to getting what she wanted by any means necessary. No college blond, and her rag tag group of idiots, was going to stop her from reaching her goal.

Buffy turned to look at Giles, and she cocked an eyebrow. At the Slayer's mental prompting, the Watcher pulled a brand new cell phone out of his pocket. After the push of a single button, he put the electronic gadget to his ear.

"Quentin, it's Rupert Giles. The United States Army has just threatened the only active Slayer." Giles gave Walsh a very Ripperesque smirk. "They wish to do experiments on her." He paused to listen to the person on the other end. "Yes, you can call me back at this number." Then, he hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Walsh demanded to know.

"Someone with more power than you, Miss Walsh," Giles answered. He refused to address the woman with any titles of respect.

"That's Professor Walsh to you," Walsh said. She glared at the British man. She was quite sure there wasn't anyone in the world with more power than the United States government. "Personally, I doubt an unemployed librarian knows anything about power."

Before Giles or anyone else could reply to the professor's words, Riley's walkie-talkie let out a squawk "Finn, are you with the Professor?" the disembodied voice bellowed.

Riley grabbed the walkie-talked from his belt, and he spoke into it, "Yes, sir. Professor Walsh is sitting right beside me."

"Tell her to stand down immediately," the voice bellowed. "We just got a call from the President of the United States. She is to leave the Slayer and any of her people alone."

"What?" Walsh grabbed the walkie-talkie. "What do you mean we are to leave them alone? They are vital to our research!"

"You heard me, Professor," the voice answered. "It came from the top. Buffy Summers and her contingency are off-limits from here on out."

Walsh rose to her feet, and she pointed a finger at Buffy. "I will have my tests. Just you wait and see, Miss Summers." She turned to leave the coffee shop, followed closely by Riley. Both of them failed to see the grimace of sympathy Graham shot at Buffy and her group.

After a few moments, Xander said, "Well, that was about as fun as a case of syphilis at Thanksgiving."

"You'd know, wouldn't you, droopy boy?" Spike asked in a snarky tone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ronald Jones, the Uixa demon pledged to the Clan Sultana-Aurelius, watched from his spot in the darkened closet. He knew that Walsh was off site with the Slayer and her group. He figured this would be his chance to get inside of Room 314. He noticed over the past few days that the door to said room took several minutes to fully close. Ronald's plan was to slip inside the next time another person went inside.

Ronald slipped out of the closet, looked both ways to make sure no one was around, and grabbed the door to Room 314 just before it closed. Once inside he realized that it wasn't just a room, it was an entire section. He walked confidently down the hallway to the biggest door. Ronald could tell there weren't any humans in the room, but there was something that felt off.

Ronald pushed the door open, and once inside, he had to hold back a gasp. Lying on the steel table in the middle of the room was a creature that appeared to be part man and part demon.

"This is bad," Ronald muttered as he inched closer to the table. "Very bad. What on earth are these humans thinking?"

Ronald pulled a small digital camera out of his pocket. He quickly took several pictures of the creature while he wondered just how many demons the Army had tried to merge together in one body. Then, Ronald moved over to the computer terminal, but he soon realized he didn't have the know-how to hack in.

Ronald made a mental note to bring up codes and computer languages at the next Uixa council. The world was changing after centuries of being stagnant with just spoken and then written languages. The Uixa's needed to grow and change too. Maybe some of the teenagers would be interested.

Ronald knew he needed to get the pictures he had taken of the nightmare creature to the Slayer. It wasn't alive, -- even he could tell that -- but the Uixa demon could feel the underlying evil supernatural feel of its demonic parts. He made sure the hallway was clear before he left the room. He did the same thing when he left the entire 314 section. Ronald met his wife Betty at the base's checkout point. He was nervous about carrying the camera out of the Initiative with him. Both he and his wife breathed a sigh of relief when they made it past the guards without being detected.

"It's time to do something else," Betty muttered as they hurried across the U.C. Sunnydale campus. "The human's government has no idea what they're playing with here."

"What happened?" Ronald's eyes darted around to make sure nobody could overhear them.

"Walsh is wanting Polgara's, Ronnie," Betty said in a quiet, but firm voice. "Chipping vampires is one thing, but all these other demons? This just isn't good."

"I know, baby." Ronald grabbed Betty's hand, and he gave it a squeeze. "We'll figure something out. Let's find the Sultana's witch. She'll know what to do with the pictures I took.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow passed the pictures out to the other Scoobies. After Ronald and his wife had dropped a digital camera off with her, the redhead had called a meeting with Buffy and the others. Then, she had printed off the pictures.

"Well, I can see why Walsh didn't want to tell us anything," Xander said. He grimaced at the picture one more time before he threw it down on the table. "Maybe she should change her name to Frankenstein."

"I'm working on hacking in to her system." Willow walked over to where her laptop sat on Giles' desk. "That's the easy part. Hiding it? That's the hard part."

"We can't do much until we know exactly what Walsh is planning." Giles shook his head as he studied the picture in his hand. "Normally, I'd say destroying this creature would be easy for Buffy, but I have this feeling there's more to it than just grafting human and demonic parts together."

"We need to talk to Graham some more." Buffy decided this would be the best course of action until Willow was able to finish her hack job into the Army's computer.

"He'll be at your birthday party this weekend, luv." Spike grinned at his mate. "We'll hit him up for info then."

Chapter 22 Birthdays Are Better if Buffy's A Sultana

Graham knocked on the door of Spike and Buffy's house. He gripped a present for the Slayer in his other hand. He admitted that he was a bit nervous about seeing the couple again after the meeting with Walsh. They probably had some tough questions to ask him. He had nosed around as discretely as possible about Room 314. He didn't want Walsh to suspect him and lessen his chances of helping the Slayer and her friends.

Buffy opened the door, and she smiled when she saw Graham. "Hey, glad you could make it," she said. "Come in and meet everyone."

Graham followed the cheerful Slayer into the living room. He recognized most of the people already present, but he was surprised to see Ronald Jones and his wife Betty at the party. Graham hadn't realized the newly discharged soldier knew Buffy or her friends. When Willow came to take Buffy's present, he willingly gave the gift up to the red haired woman.

"Come meet my mom and Reggie." Buffy put her arm through Graham's arm. "They've wanted to meet you."

"Okay." Graham gave Spike a desperate look. He had never been comfortable meeting a girl's mom, even of girls he wasn't dating.

"Don't worry, mate." Spike smirked. "I'm reasonably sure Joyce left her axe at home."

Graham gulped. "Axe?" He turned to stare at the older woman.

"Don't listen to him." Joyce came forward with her hand held out to shake Graham's. "That's only for future son-in-law vampires."

"Ma'am," Graham said. He shook Joyce's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Joyce took Graham's arm away from Buffy. "Why don't you come talk to Reggie and I while Buffy does the birthday thing."

"Thanks, Mom." Buffy grinned. "I need to go make sure Spike didn't give me another blue arm."

Spike rolled his eyes at his mate. "I don't know if I can get a refund for that blue arm, pet." He bit his lip while he wiggled his eyebrows at Buffy.

Graham listened in amazement as the two blonds continued to banter back and forth. Finally, Joyce pulled him towards a man who looked like desert nomad, right down to the long flowing black hair.

"This is Reggie Bey," Joyce introduced her boyfriend. "Giles will be joining us in a few moments."

"I really don't know much about Professor Walsh's secret project," Graham protested.

"We've discovered that she's making a demon-human cyborg," Reggie said quietly. Most of the guests at the party knew about the creature, but the ex-Watcher didn't want to interrupt Buffy's opening of her presents with business. "We'd love to know the purpose for the chipped vampires, as we feel it would help us know the cyborg's purpose."

"Well," Graham felt a bit out of his element spilling the Initiative's secrets, "We had hoped to use the chipped vampires as weapons. The chip can be turned off when we need them to eliminate an enemy target."

"Vampires are a bit too unpredictable, I would think," Giles said as he came up to the group. "Not many have the control that Spike has."

"Not many care about anyone besides themselves like Spike," Joyce replied.

"We need to know more about Room 314 and the cyborg." Giles gave the others a concerned look. "We know from experience that playing God, especially on a Hellmouth, can result in disaster."

"I'll do what I can, but I need to be careful." Graham shifted nervously. "Finn's acting odd, and Professor Walsh is more on the alert now that she's met with you." Little did the soldier realize that Maggie Walsh would have too many of her own worries soon to worry about him.

"Be careful and do your best," Giles cautioned.

Hours later, Graham stumbled towards the college campus with the knowledge that his ex-team mate Ronald Jones, along with his wife, was a demon. The Jones' both looked so human. Then, he met the Hassib's. There was nothing at all demonic about that family at first glance, Graham decided. They weren't undead like vampires, yet they shared their bodies with angels. There was also Clem. He was quite wrinkled and had a taste for kittens, but Graham didn't get an evil vibe from him.

Maybe it was time to rethink the whole military thing like Ronald had. It wasn't like he'd signed up to fight demons after all. The stories that Graham had heard that night at the party about the Slayer's group told him that maybe the army's ideas might be a whole bunch of badness. He knew he needed to make a decision soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giles and Serina left the birthday party together. They decided to go get a drink together and to become better acquainted. They discovered quite by accident a quaint little watering spot with cheap drinks and a cheaper atmosphere.

After a few drinks, Serina excused herself to use the bathroom. When she returned to the table she found Giles deep in conversation with a fellow countryman.
Giles looked up when Serina approached the table. "Serina, this is Ethan Rayne. I was just telling him about Buffy's changes."

"Ethan Rayne. Now where have I heard that name before?"

"Buffy mentioned him earlier." Giles grimaced. "He likes to cause havoc." The ex-librarian remembered the last few times his old 'friend' came to town.

"Ah yes. Reggie's mentioned him too." Serina gave the chaos mage the once over. "Not a very good reputation it seems."

"Old Ripper never mentioned you though." Ethan winked at Serina as he tried to lay on the charm.

"As if I'd mention a classy lady like Serina to an old reprobate like you." Giles rolled his eyes when Ethan tried to kiss Serina's hand.

"You don't trust me." Ethan covered his heart with one hand and tried to look hurt.

"Not any further than we can throw you." Giles rose to his feet, and he helped Serina into her chair. "Buffy and her mate, William the Bloody... you do know who William the Bloody is, don't you, old man?"

"One quarter of the Scourge of Europe." Ethan nodded with a touch of trepidation. Anyone who ran in the magical circles he did heard of famous vampires.

"They know you're here. Anything happens that seems odd or out of place, they'll know it was you." Giles gave Ethan a sly smirk.

"You taking all my fun away," Ethan muttered with a pout.

"Your idea of fun is not normal, Ethan," Giles replied. "Buffy says no hard feelings, and you're welcome to stay in Sunnydale as long as you're a good boy."

"I don't think so," Ethan grumbled. "You goodie two shoes are boring."

Serina leaned in to whisper to Giles, "Isn't that woman at the door that Walsh person?"

Giles turned just enough to see that Maggie Walsh had indeed entered the bar. He gave Ethan a sly grin. "Now her? You can cause as much chaos in her life as you like."

"Watch a master at work." Ethan returned Giles' grin with a sly one of his own. He rose from the table to make his way over to Walsh.

"Is he really that good?" Serina asked, her eyes on the charming chaos mage.

"Oh yes. Don Juan Rayne, we used to call him." Giles shook his head. "He might be evil, but he charmed the knickers off even the most reluctant of women. I've seen it with my own eyes." He remembered the time that Ethan had charmed the friend of his maiden aunt's into his bed. Ethan always did like a challenge, Giles thought to himself.

"Does he use magic?" Serina gasped. She didn't approve of using magic to coerce actions in others. It was unethical.

"No, unless he himself is magical like that." Giles smiled at Serina. "Ethan's family used to be in the Council, but as you can see Ethan isn't interested. He's the last of the Raynes, and I seriously doubt he'll ever reproduce."

Giles and Serina fell silent while they watched Ethan sweet talk his way into the college professor's good graces. After several drinks, Walsh's pager went off, and she hurriedly said good-bye as she left.

Ethan strolled over to Giles and Serina's table with a grin on his face. "When she wakes up later, she'll be that which she hunts." The evil Brit actually shivered while he made his next statement. "I could see inside her mind. She actually believes that creature she's creating loves her. That as its 'mother', it will never harm her."

"What do you think?" Giles asked. He was honestly interested in Ethan's opinion.

"I think I want to be as far away from this hick town as possible when it wakes up." Ethan shivered again. "It's almost indestructible with a uranium power core. Uranium! What is that woman thinking?"

"Chaos?" Giles grinned as he ribbed his old friend.

"World Domination?" Serina announced both words with capitol letters.

"Really. Some people." Ethan grinned in return. "So, Ripper, remember that time we put slime in old man Wilson's mail box."

"That wasn't my idea!" Giles protested.

"Yeah, right, old man."

Serina giggled at the men's antics. When they weren't at each other's throats they acted like little boys. She could almost see the carefree youngsters they used to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie Walsh woke up slowly. Between the drinks she'd had with the charming British man, and the wreck Finn had made of his latest mission, she finally fell into bed in the wee hours of the morning. Walsh was glad she didn't have a class to teach that day. She was just too tired to deal with a bunch of whiny college students.

Walsh sat up, stretched, and yawned. She noticed that her voice sounded odd. She let out a scream when she saw that her arms were muscular and scaly. Walsh let out another scream when her bed collapsed beneath her. When she climbed to her feet, she realized that her center of gravity had shifted. Walsh rushed to check herself in the bathroom mirror.

"Ahhh," Walsh moaned when she saw her reflection. She rubbed her face with her hands, but nothing changed. She was still a monster.

Outside her room, Maggie could hear her soldier/students get ready for class. Most of them had extra-long Thursday classes. Thank God! All she had to do was wait until the coast was clear. Then, she'd go find someone to help her. Maybe the Slayer.
Maggie tried to sit still in her room until the activity died down elsewhere in the house. However she didn't count on her new body's urges.

Kill. Hunt. Fuck.

"Huh?" Walsh grunted. That last urge caught her by surprise even as she shook her head in denial. That wasn't a priority at the moment. Little did the professor realize that female Fyral demons were the sexual dominant of the species. They had to be since the males were only interested in fighting.

Knock. Knock

"Professor Walsh?" Riley Finn's contrite voice sounded through the bedroom door. "I want to apologize for my failure last night. I'll do better next time. Please give me another chance."

Walsh grunted in response. The boy had better confidence in his abilities than she did.

"Professor?" Finn's voice changed to being concerned. "Are you okay?"

Maggie rolled her eyes again. Go away, she growled. To her it sounded like English, but it didn't to the soldier standing outside her door.

Riley grew even more worried. Whatever made the noise inside of the Professor's room didn't sound like the Professor. He withdrew his sidearm, and with one hand he reached for the knob.

Walsh watched as the doorknob started to turn. She couldn't remember if she had locked it the night before. Finn couldn't see her like this! Walsh leapt to her feet, but before she could reach the door, it opened.

Riley gasped when he saw the huge demon in Professor Walsh's room. A quick glance told him that there was no one else in room. He raised his gun to fire at the creature.

Kill. Hunt. Fuck!

Walsh pushed down the primal urges running through her body. She would NOT have a sexual encounter with a subordinate. Bad things happed to superior officers who did.

Maggie stepped towards Finn. She reached out to grab him, hoping she could knock him out before he shot her or something worse. Walsh looked into his beautiful brown eyes, and she felt her control slip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Finn didn't show up for class or tutoring today." Forrest complained. "If he doesn't shape up, he'll be discharged."

"Yeah." Graham nodded his head. "If his obsession with Buffy Summers doesn't piss her boyfriend off first."

"He's still bothering that woman?" Forrest reached the front door of Lowell house before Graham. "What's so special about her?"

Graham shrugged, not wanting to reveal what he knew about the blond girl. The other members of the platoon knew she was the Slayer involved with a sub terrestrial, but that was about all.

"She's cute and all, but nothing special that I could see," Forrest continued.

"I think those demonic steroids messed with his brain." Graham made the universal sign for crazy around one ear.

"Maybe," Forrest chuckled.

The two soldiers started up the stairs. That's when they noticed things were out of place. Several pictures were crooked, and a couple of tables were knocked over. Graham and Forrest dropped their books, and they unholstered their weapons. They moved with great caution down the hall until they heard a moan from Professor Walsh's room.

Graham gave Forrest a nod, and together they entered the room ready to shoot. What they found was a bruised, half-naked Riley Finn laying half off the broken bed.

"Finn, what's going on?"

"Sub terrestrial Hostile," the young man muttered. "Kidnapped Professor Walsh. Attacked me."

"Attacked you?" Forrest eyed the love bites that littered the other soldier's lean body.

"That's what I said." There was no way Riley was going to reveal exactly what had happened with the hostile. Something were just too horrifying to share.

"Whatever you say, man." Forrest put his weapon away. "Why don't you tell us exactly what we're looking for?"

Riley described the monster that had attacked him. He neglected to say anything about the sex of the hostile. He tried to be as brief as possible, but he was sure the other two men were laughing at him.

Which, of course they were. Oh, not because Riley had been attacked and molested like he thought. He kept fondling himself unconsciously every few minutes as if to check if his penis was still there. It was an action too obvious to be missed.

"Well, get yourself cleaned up, Finn," Graham ordered. "Then, we'll go in search of your hostile."
"Not my hostile," Riley muttered, but he nodded his head anyway. He stumbled off towards his own room.

"Why are we taking him with us?" Forrest asked.

Graham smirked. "Bait."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie Walsh awoke to find herself a prisoner in her own private zoo. No matter what she said no one seemed to understand her. However, she was proud to see that Project 314 wasn't being abandoned by her team. Although for some reason, Graham didn't seem too happy about the project. Even in her current state, Maggie wouldn't have been surprised if the soldier went AWOL. Maggie Walsh remained a 'guest' of the Initiative for a long time. Within a few weeks of being captured, she was shipped off to the Belize compound. There she remained a Fyral demon until she had another encounter with Ethan Rayne. However... that's different story, dear readers.

Chapter 23 Have Some Faith

Buffy moaned in pleasure as she sank into the bath water. Patrol had been hard the past few nights because she and Spike had to work hard to avoid the Initiative patrols. Her Sultana powers told her that most of the soldiers weren't evil, but there were a few that gave her the heebie-jeebies.

Spike leaned against the doorjamb as he watched his mate enjoy her bath. The bleached blond considered how much his life had changed over the past few months. He had come to Sunnydale to kill the Slayer, but now they were mated. What amazed him the most was how she let him feed on her. Just a few mouthfuls on a daily basis, usually during sex, was more than enough to keep him going.

"Hey, baby." Buffy didn't have to open her eyes to know her guy was watching her. "Come join me." She held out a warm, water-soaked hand.

"Maybe I just want to watch, Slayer." Spike stared at Buffy. "I like to watch you."

"I know you do." Buffy grinned as the memories of Spike watching her filtered through her mind. "You were a very, very bad vampire that first night."

"What can I say, baby. I've always been bad." Spike stalked towards the tub, shedding clothing as he walked. "You're a tricky girl, not doing anything by the handbook."

"Well, I've never read it. So, how can I do anything by it?" Buffy opened her eyes when she felt Spike step into the bath. "Besides, I don't think the handbook would have helped me against a certain bleached blond pain in the ass vampire."

"Come here, luv. Let me be a real pain in the ass." Spike pulled Buffy close, and he palmed the globes of her ass in his hands, with his pinkie fingers resting close to the puckered hole hidden there.

Buffy closed her arms around Spike's neck, and she pulled his face to her throat. "I love you, Spike."

The vampire covered the Slayer's pulse point with his mouth, and he lightly sucked on her soft, delicious flesh. I love you, too, Buffy. I'm drowning in you. You're in my gut, my heart. You're my everything.

"Oh, Spike," Buffy moaned while she wiggled in pleasure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you ready yet, Slayer?" Spike called up the stairs even though he knew she wasn't.

Someone left hickeys all over me! Buffy's indignant voice echoed through Spike's mind. There is no way I can show up at Mom's gallery with love bites all over me.

I have them too, luv. You don't hear me complaining. Spike looked up just in time to see Buffy descend the staircase. "Hello, cutie," he said. "Let's stay home."

Buffy rolled her eyes at Spike's reaction to her dress, hair, and makeup. If he had his way, she'd stay in bed all the time. When she reached the bottom steps, she slipped into Spike's arms. "I hope this all goes okay tonight. Last time I had anything to do with Mom's gallery, we were fighting zombies."

"That sounds like quite a tale, Slayer." Spike helped Buffy put on the wrap that came with her dress. "Tell me all about it on the way."

Spike and Buffy left their house to drive to the gallery where the jewelry auction was being held. The Slayer regaled the vampire with her zombie tale. When they arrived at their destination, Spike helped Buffy from the Desoto.

"McDonald accepted your invite, Buffy," Spike whispered into the blond woman's ear. "Make sure to introduce him to lawyer-girl."

"Gotcha. Let's go mingle." Buffy grabbed Spike's hand. "This auction should be a lot less hectic than the last one."

Spike and Buffy entered the art gallery. She went to find the female Scoobies while he found Clem to talk to. When RoseSeri arrived with her mates, Buffy broke away from her friends to do the introductions that Spike had suggested.

"RoseSeri, this is Lindsey McDonald." Buffy smiled at the woman. "Lindsey, this is RoseSeri Hassib from the Celestial Council."

"Charmed." Lindsey bowed over RoseSeri's hand.
"Thank you, Buffy." RoseSeri nodded to the Slayer before she turned to the male lawyer. "Now, Mr. McDonald, the top partners at the CC are willing to triple any offers set forth by Wolfram & Hart."

"Lindsey's eyebrow shot up. "Triple? Are you pulling my leg?"

"Absolutely not!" RoseSeri assured the male lawyer.

"You've got yourself a deal." Lindsey stuck out his hand. He smiled widely when RoseSeri shook it.
"Excellent. I'm sure you'll enjoy life on the Hellmouth," RoseSeri said.

"Oh yeah, the thrill of a lifetime," Buffy chuckled. "I need to go find Spike. Welcome to Sunnydale, Mr. McDonald." She gave the two lawyers a smile before she wandered off.

Before long, the auction started. It didn't do quite as well as the one in Los Angeles, but everyone was happy with the results. Joyce received a hefty commission, and Spike and Buffy added a nice sum of money to their growing bank account. Giles even had a nice talk with Mr. Bogerty about the magic shop. Everybody went home happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across town, at Sunnydale General Hospital, a dark-haired girl moaned and twitched. She was starting wake up from her nine month long coma.

Buffy moaned in her sleep too. Spike, who was downstairs watching a late night B horror flick, stiffened as the Slayer dream started.

Spike watched his mate and another girl he knew from Buffy's memories to be the other Slayer make the bed in Buffy's bedroom at Joyce's house. He listened not so much to the words but to Buffy's inner thoughts. What the other said about a sister coming was interesting, but odd. Spike's eyebrows shot up when the mood changed, and Buffy had a hold of a knife in the other Slayer's gut.

Buffy woke with a start, to find Spike standing at the bedroom door. She waved him over for a snuggle.

"That was one weird dream, luv."

"Yeah, it was," Buffy answered with a huff. "Why the heck was Faith in it? I think I'll go check on her after my morning classes. Just to make sure she's still in her coma."

"Might be a good idea." Spike curled his body around Buffy's. "Do you have a little sister, Slayer? That ponce father of yours leavin' little ones around?"

"I don't think so, but that was weird." Buffy yawned. "Then, again, Slayer dreams usually are. You missed the one with the Gentlemen."

He didn't miss much, Willow broke in. Not to interrupt, but Tara, Serina and I are checking out some mystical hot spots first thing in the morning. We could check on Faith, if you'd like.

Thanks, Willow, Buffy mumbled sleepily. She drifted off again, content in the arms of her mate.

You're up early, Red, Spike said softly. Everything okay?

Just peachy, Spike, Willow replied. Checking mystical energies works best between two and three in the morning when on the Hellmouth.

Get some rest, pet. Spike cuddled up to Buffy, and he drifted off to sleep himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Buffy should be pleased that Faith isn't awake," Serina observed. "That girl sounds like a real piece of work."

"Oh, she was." Willow nodded. "She teamed up with the Mayor when he tried to ascend. I don't think she'll cause Buffy any problems now anyway."

"Is there something we could do to warn us if she wakes up?" Tara asked in a soft voice.

"That might be a good idea, but not here." Serina smiled at the young Wicca. "That one nurse keeps looking at us oddly."

"Hey, isn't that Riley?" Willow had been distracted by a commotion down the hall. "I don't think it's a good thing that the Initiative is here where a comatose Slayer is at."

"Me either," Serina added. "We might want to put a tracking spell on Faith too. Just in case, the soldiers are somehow able to get a hold of her."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow woke up that night, and she knew that Faith was awake. She wondered what exactly Buffy's latest Slayer dream could have meant. Spike seemed disturbed by Faith's reference to a little sister.

Buffy, Faith's awake, Willow said. How are we going to handle this?

Well, I don't think she's gonna be too happy with the knife in the gut thing, Buffy answered with a sigh. I guess we wait for her to come to us.

We need to keep an eye out for Riley and his boys, Willow added. They're really interested in her.

I guess if they can't get to me, then they'll try for her. Buffy blanched at the idea. She didn't really like Faith, but there was no way she wanted the young woman to fall into the hands of the Initiative. Meet me at the campus at ten. We'll do coffee before class.

Did you hear? Willow asked. No one can find Professor Walsh. We have a new teacher.
Cool. Do you know who?

Believe it or not, Reggie, Willow answered excitedly. It appears he has a degree in psychology.

Cool! Buffy yawned. Been tired lately. I'm going home early tonight.

Night, Buffy.

At ten the next morning, the Slayer and the witch met just as planned. They were about to head out across the sunlit campus when they were confronted by Faith.

"Hey, B, long time, no see." Faith smirked at Buffy.

Before Buffy could respond several soldiers surrounded the three girls. Riley was noticeably absent. "Step away from her, madam." One of the soldiers ordered Buffy. "She's a dangerous criminal. We have to take her in."

"You mean take her to your not so secret lab and experiment on her," Buffy scoffed. "Well, you can't have her." She grabbed Faith's arm. "You tell whoever is in charge now that the Slayer's stick together."

"We do?" Faith asked in astonishment. "Since when?"

"Since now," Buffy replied. She stepped between Faith and the soldier. "Like we told Walsh, leave us alone. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

The soldier laughed. He'd heard the stories about this girl, but he was sure he could intimidate her away from his prey. "A little girl like you doesn't scare me. Now give her to me."

"You're new, aren't you?" Buffy asked with disdain. "You guys come to the Hellmouth thinking you know all when really you don't know shit."

"Well, that's the government for you, B," Faith said. "Be thankful you never had to deal with Social Services." The dark-haired girl shuddered.

The soldier took a step closer to the three girls, but a menacing growl behind him halted him in his tracks. He turned to find a slender, bleached blond man, a dark-haired man, and another woman behind him.

"You touch my mate, and you'll learn the meaning of pain," the blond growled.

"I don't think so, punk." The soldier chortled. There was no way this little man was a vampire. For one thing, vamps don't go out in the sun much. "Now, in the name of the United States government, you're all under arrest."

"Scatter!" Buffy yelled. She grabbed Faith's arm, and she pulled the other Slayer away from the soldiers.

"Anyanka, send these gits to Timbucktoo or something," Spike said.

"Okey, dokey." Anya switched to her demonic visage, and with a wiggle of her fingers the soldiers disappeared.

"Too bad we couldn't make most of the Initiative forget about us." Xander stared at the spot where the soldiers had been. "The higher ups anyway. Graham's not too bad for a soldier."

"Done!" Anya announced.

"Wow, you're good." Xander grinned at his girlfriend.
"Of course, I am." Anya smiled back.

Meanwhile, Buffy and Willow dragged Faith towards Buffy's house.

"So, another vamp, B?" Faith wiggled her eyebrows. "What happened to good old Angel?"

"He left me." Buffy gave Faith a glare. "But Spike's much better. He's not commitment leery."

"That was Spike? 'Kidnap Will and the Xan-man' Spike?" Faith's eyebrows rose. "He's a hottie. By the way, how'd he get out in the sun like that?"

"Trade secret." Buffy wasn't going to tell the other Slayer about the gem. At least, not yet. "By now, the Council is sure to know you're awake. We need to get you out of town before they figure out where you are."

"Angel wants her to join him." Willow had a far away look in her eyes. "Cordy and Doyle are on their way. They should be here in a couple of hours."

"Great." The three girls stopped outside of Spike and Buffy's house. "Well, Faith, welcome to Casa Slayer-Aurelius." Buffy turned to Willow. "Why don't you go on to class? Tell Reggie what happened, and take really good notes."

"No problemo," Willow said. She hurried back towards the campus.

Faith and Buffy went inside the house to wait for Cordelia and Doyle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giles made it back to his apartment just after dark. Serina and he had a nice afternoon exploring a temple that she had discovered nearby. He switched on the light, but nothing happened. This puzzled him, and he tried it a few more times until a slight noise behind him caught his attention.

The desk light came on, and Giles could see three men waiting for him.

"Hello Rupert," John Flesher, head of the Council's black ops teams, said. "We're here for Faith."

"Be that as it may, she's not here in Sunnydale anymore," Giles replied. "She's someplace where she won't cause any problems, and she may very well learn how to be the Slayer she was meant to be.

"Travers will be very angry," Flesher said.

"Well, Quentin can kiss my arse," Giles said with a smirk. He leaned closer to Flesher. "I talked to Ethan recently. He remembers your aunt with great fondness."

Flesher growled in anger. Even after all these years, he was still mad at Rayne for seducing his relative. Especially since his aunt had sung Ethan's praises for years.

"Oh don't be grumpy." Giles gave the other man a very Ripper-like grin. "I'm sure if I asked nicely he'd come for a visit."

"Tell us where the Slayer is," one of the other men growled.

Giles recognized him as Miles O'Brien, Flesher's second in command. "No! She's gone." He stood up straight as he could. "Get out of Sunnydale before the other Slayer decides to kick you out."

"We're trained to deal with Slayers, Rupert." Flesher smirked at the ex-Wacher. "And their Watchers, too."

"Ah, yes, you're trained to deal with lonely little girls. Not Slayers who have thwarted as many apocalypses as Buffy," Giles informed the black ops man with a sneer. "She's got resources and reserves you can't even imagine. Get out of Sunnydale."

"Travers will hear of this!" Flesher stood, and he swept out of the apartment followed by his minions.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Giles called after them. He shut the door, and he went to the phone. Maybe it was time to talk to Quentin Travers personally.

Chapter 24 Stardom Sucks

"Adam's escaped!"

Graham raced down the hallway away from Room 314. This was bad. Very bad. First, he needed to contact Jonathan. Jonathan would know what to do. Then, he needed to contact the Slayer and her friends, if not for any other reason than for backing up Jonathan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was an unknown demon attacking coeds by the edge of the woods near the Sunnydale University campus. Giles suggested that the awesome and powerful Jonathan would be the Scoobies best bet for help researching. The ex-Watcher was always amazed at how fast the young man was able to find information that always eluded him.

"I think Jonathan would be a fine addition to the clan," Giles suggested at the end of the research session. Very little had been found, but Jonathan had assured Giles that the demon would stick to unpopulated areas.

"I agree," Buffy nodded. She had been looking at the young man when Giles made his suggestion. The Slayer Sultana was curious about the strange look of terror that had crossed Jonathan's face. After all, nothing scared Jonathan. Buffy turned to her mate, and she asked, "Don't you agree, Spike?"

"Never would have realized I loved you without good old Jonathan," the vampire agreed.

"No, no. That's quite okay," Jonathan protested. He glanced at his watch. "Look at the time. I've got to be off. People to see, things to do."

The Scoobies watched as the smartest, richest, most powerful man in Sunnydale rushed out of the front door of Giles' apartment. All of them thought it was a bit odd, even Buffy, but they quickly dismissed it. After all, rich people were known for their idiosyncrasies.

"This is so good!" Xander stared at the television. "Did you know Jonathan did his own stunts when he filmed The Matrix?"

"You've told us that a bajillion times already," Anya huffed. She loved Jonathan just as much as the next girl, but he was getting in the way of her Xander induced orgasms. "Am I going to have to dress up like Jonathan to get my orgasms, Xander?"

"What?" Xander turned to look at his girlfriend. "Eww, Anya. I love Jonathan, but I just don't swing that way."

"Jonathan seemed leery of being in the gang," Buffy said slowly. "You don't think he hates us, do you?"

"I'm sure he doesn't, Buffy. I'm sure he's just busy." Giles offered as an explanation. "After all, everyone knows Jonathan can solve any problem."

"I was going to ask him to patrol with us tonight." Buffy looked at Spike. "Do you think we can handle it without Jonathan?"

"It might be hard, pet, but let's hope we can muddle through." Spike assured his blond mate. "We don't dare stop just because our best fighter's busy elsewhere."

"Graham called earlier," Giles said. "It seems the cyborg in Room 314 has escaped."

"Do you think Jonathan knows?" Willow asked.
"I'm sure he does." Giles patted the red-haired girl's shoulder. "I bet that's what Jonathan was off to take care of."

"I bet you're right." Willow had a dreamy look on her face. "He's so good with magic. I'll never be as good as he is."

"S-sure you will," Tara stammered. "Someday. After all he found Serina to mentor you."

"Thanks, Tara." Willow smiled at her girlfriend.

"So, a demon and a cyborg. Are you sure we can patrol alone?" Buffy asked in a tiny voice.

"Of course, luv." Spike grabbed up Buffy's hand. "We'll be okay."

"Well, um, let's get this over with then." Buffy rose to her feet, and she gathered her weapons. She gave the Scoobies a little wave as she left the apartment.

Spike nodded to the Scoobies, and he followed his mate out the door. He hurried to catch up with Buffy. "Are you feelin' up to this, Buffy?"

"I don't know. I feel really weird." Buffy shrugged. "Like something's wrong, you know."

"Mmm, you've been antsy today," Spike replied. "Maybe it's just 'cause Jonathan refused to be part of the clan."

"That's the thing, Spike. He seemed panicked when Giles mentioned it. Why would he not want to be in the clan?"

"That is odd, but I'm sure it's nothing." Spike took Buffy's hand. "He's just a busy man, like the Watcher said, especially now that the thing in Room 314 is loose."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Buffy squeezed Spike's hand. "Let's go see if we can find any suspicious looking demons."

The vampire and the Slayer started out on their patrol. After a poor showing in two cemeteries, Spike suggested that they go to the mansion to talk to the minions.

"Master Spike." Brian, the head minion, rushed forward. "You're just in time to see Jonathan in the Matrix."

"Actually, we're here to ask if there's been any new demonic activity sighted in town," Spike said.

"Not really," Brian said. "Although some vamps got kicked out of a cave in the hills above Brutside Park, or at least that's what they said."

"Thanks... I think." Buffy sighed. "Alright, I guess we should go kick demon butt."

"Do you want to wait for Jonathan?" Spike asked. "It's okay if you do."

"No." Buffy shook her head. "We need to do this. I need to stand on my own two feet and fight. I am the Slayer. That should mean something, right?"

"Sweetheart." Spike took his confused mate into his arms.

"And another thing, how did he film the Matrix if he never left Sunnydale?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jonathan collapsed against the bathroom door. He had thought things would be perfect in this new reality, but they were quickly falling apart. Everything had been going great until he was confronted by the monster from Room 314. It had laughed at him and called him a fake.

Then, when Jonathan arrived home there had been a hysterical woman on his front step. Apparently, she had been stalking him when a demon of some kind had attacked her outside his estate. When she had shown him a drawing of the symbol on its head, he had felt shaken. It was the symbol he had used for his augmentation spell.

Jonathan hurried into his bedroom where he pulled out an overnight bag. He scrambled around the room, gathering clothes and toiletries. It was time to get out of Sunnydale. Maybe the creature would follow him, and nobody else would get hurt.

Jonathan finished packing, and he slipped down the stairs to avoid the twins, his current girlfriends. He made it to the garage without getting caught. There, he slipped inside his fasted car. Jonathan started the motor, gunned the engine, and left Sunnydale behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike and Buffy cautiously approached the cave. At the entrance, they each took a weapon, and they stored the extras behind a bush.

"Not sure what beasty lives here, pet, but he sure is rank." Spike wrinkled his nose. "Smells like it's been rollin' in rotten sewage."

"Yum." Buffy gagged at the thought. "Thanks for the mental picture."

The two blonds entered the cave, exploring until they came to a crack that went deep down into the earth. They were about to turn around and go back when they were attacked by the demon with long fangs, long arms, and a strange mark on its forehead.

"You can do this, luv," Spike encouraged Buffy. "I've always known you could fight alone. Now's your chance to prove it."

Buffy kicked the demon hard across the face, and it backhanded her across the cave. However, when she realized she was actually hurting the creature, her confidence grew. After a few minutes of intense fighting, Buffy got the advantage, and she threw the demon into the crack in the earth.

"Didn't I tell you?" Spike stopped talking long enough to shake himself. "Why that soddin' git," he exclaimed.

"Ugh, God, that so sucks," Buffy muttered as her world righted itself in her mind. "But, at least one demon down and one to go."

Spike and Buffy left the cave, collected their weapons, and headed back towards town. At the city limits, they ran into Graham and his unit of Initiative soldiers.
Graham waved the blonds away from the unit where he said, "Adam was unaffected by whatever the hell happened to the rest of us."

"So, Jonathan didn't destroy the creature?" Buffy asked. "And, it's immune to magic."

"No, there wasn't any destruction." Graham shook his head. "The creature is calling itself Adam."

"Oh, handy. Who does he fancy as his Eve?" Buffy muttered. She stared at the soldiers who were shifting with unease.

Graham glanced at Buffy, but he kept quiet. He had overheard Adam talking about Buffy, but he didn't want to upset Spike.

"Anything else on Mr. Bits you wanna tell us?" Spike had caught the soldier's glance at his mate. There was no way he was going to let anything happen to her.

"I'm getting some information off the main frame this weekend." Graham swallowed nervously. "I'll have it for you Saturday night. Come to the Lowell House frat party as my guests.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Buffy asked.

"Mmm, yeah, I'm the only one that remembers your problems with Walsh," Graham said. "To everyone else, you're my friend. Although, you're gonna have to reject Finn again."

"Riley? Why?"

"He's still obsessed with you, Buffy," Graham said. "I just don't get why he won't get a clue."

"Me either." Buffy sighed.

"We need to go, Graham," one of the soldiers called out.

"We'll see you Saturday." Buffy waved as she and Spike walked away.

Chapter 25 Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing

Spike and Buffy walked towards the Lowell House fraternity. They were going to meet Willow and Tara at the frat house, and Xander had said Anya and he would try to meet them all later. He had to work late that day.

"You know, we haven't had the best of luck with frat parties," Buffy said. "We had the fear demon thing, and then Willow found that dead guy at the other one. Wonder what kind of supernatural thing we'll find this time."

"Hope you didn't jinx us," Willow said as Tara and she joined Spike and Buffy.

The Slayer laughed. "Oh, forgot that frat party Cordy and I went to junior year. Bondage, snake guys, and Xander in drag. Wish we had pictures."

"Maybe we'll break your bad streak of terrible frat parties," Tara said shyly.

"We can hope," Buffy grinned. She linked arms with Spike. "So, you see any demons or dead parties at Graham's party, I say run."

The four friends strolled across the campus, chatting about Faith, Adam escaping, and Jonathan's quickly disappearing spell. As they approached Lowell House, Buffy started to become agitated. She could feel something was off. When the Sultana saw the frat house for the first time, she gasped in horrified disgust. To her eyes, the entire building looked like it was melting from within. Odd colors and sparks of light danced across the molten surface.

"That's so not normal," Buffy said as she stared at the building.

"What?" Willow asked. She then blanched when Buffy sent her a mental picture. "Oh, that is disturbing.

Giles, I need you to figure out what has happened in the past at the frat, Buffy told her Watcher. Xander, you and Anya back up Giles.

Gotcha, Xander answered. I'm off work in ten minutes.

"Okay, I'm going in," Buffy said.

"Right behind you, pet." Spike quietly reassured his mate.

"Us, too!" Willow declared. She gripped Tara's hand. What are we looking for?"

"Well, you know, demons, dead bodies, or any other out of the ordinary happenings," Buffy shrugged. "Typical Sunnydale party."

"Gotcha." Willow gave a nervous thumbs up.

The Slayer, the vampire, and the two magic users cautiously entered the frat house. They were surprised to find what looked like a regular party going on. Several couples chatted at the punch bowl. A game of 'Spin the Bottle' was being played in the living room area.

Hmm, maybe I'm misreading my new skills, Buffy replied as she surveyed the party.

I say we mingle until we find something funky, Willow suggested. She spotted a soldier in the crowd. "There's Graham."

"Hey, guys, glad you could make it," Graham greeted the Scoobies. "Our very first party, you know. Lowell House has only been campus property for about twenty years, and this is the first time the building has been used for a frat."

"I didn't know that," Buffy commented.

"Hey, Graham, come on. They're doing body shots," Riley called out.

"Give me a few, Finn," Graham called back. He turned back to Buffy and the others. "He's been really strange since that demon broke in here at the frat house a couple of weeks ago." He lowered his voice. "Confidently, I think the demon molested him, and now he's reaffirming his manhood."

Buffy wrinkled her nose. The thought of Riley's manhood was kinda gross to the Slayer.

"What kind of demon?" Willow asked.

"Fyral," Graham replied. He gave a small grimace as he remembered how much the demon had fought them when it had been captured.

Spike chuckled. "Had a couple of those do a job for me once. It's the female of the species that thinks about procreation."

"What do the males think about?" Tara asked.

"'Kill. Hunt. Maim.'," Spike chuckled again. "Makes for very boring conversations."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I seem to remember some of our early conversations contained those words."

"Well, yeah, but they were usually surrounded by other words, luv." Spike gave Buffy a wink.

"The disc is in my room, Buffy. On the desk." Graham glanced to where Riley was making cow eyes at Buffy. "I need to keep Finn out of trouble. He's so close to a discharge as it is."

Spike and Buffy nodded. They gave Graham, Willow, and Tara a quick good-bye before they climbed the stairs to Graham's room. Graham went over to Riley while Willow and Tara joined the game in the living room.

The disc was easy for the Slayer and the vampire to find. However, the mated pair took one look at each other, and they sprang at each other in passion. Their lips slammed against each others as they ripped their clothes off.

Can't you two block that kind of stuff? Xander shouted. He had been busy looking through a book of old newspapers at the Sunnydale News Today office.

No, no. Please continue, Anya said. This is better than a porno movie. A vampire and a Slayer both have such stamina.

Oh, Lord, Giles muttered. This is not the time for sex, Buffy. He was grateful when Spike and Buffy slammed closed their minds.

It's not just them, Willow broke in.

Everything's going wonky. People are freaking out, and mostly about sex things.

Oh found something, Xander said excitedly. It appears that Lowell House used to be a house for wayward teens for about thirty years. Then, the college bought the house as part of an expansion project. It was used for storage until the soldiers opened their frat.

Oh my! Giles exclaimed.

What? Xander and Willow said the same time. Jinx

Serina has informed me that certainly explains quite a bit. Teenagers tend to put off quite a bit of psychic energy, Giles replied.

Why is it all sexual though? Willow asked. She gave a mental gasp that brought the others to alertness. Goddess, something just attacked Riley. He's stuck to a chair.

It was quiet for a few minutes before Willow said anything else. At least Spike and Buffy weren't broadcasting their sexcapades to the clan, but Giles started to worry. Things inside the frat house were starting to escalate quickly.

Hey, the lady in charge, a Mrs. Holt, is still alive, Xander said. She lives over on Wilkins Street.

I can't get to Spike and Buffy! Willow exclaimed. Now Tara's a bit freaked. We'll meet you at Wilkins Street.

Okay, Willow, Giles answered. Serina and I are on our way.

Us, too, Xander said for himself and Anya.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forty-five minutes later, the Scoobies stumbled out of Mrs. Holt's house in a daze.

"I'm really surprised Halfrek never visited any of those poor children," Anya muttered. "Suppressing sexual urges is as bad as exploiting them."

"Well, that explains what is happening at the frat house even more than before," Serina replied. "I'm sure the manifestation is a poltergeist. Willow, Tara, and I should have no trouble banishing it."

"Anya and Xander should go to the frat," Giles suggested. "They can tell us if the exorcism works and check on Spike and Buffy. I'm a bit worried about the whole incident now."

Xander blanched and grimaced, but nodded his head in agreement. He accepted the whole Spike and Buffy relationship. He really did. However, he didn't want to be that up close and personal with the sex part.

As the witches waited for the signal from Xander and Anya, they prepared for the exorcism ceremony. Tara lit the candles while Willow sprinkled the sand. Then they joined Serina in a circle around the candles.

We're here, Xander said a few minutes later. Why didn't you mention the angry vines, Willow?

"Children of the past," Tara chanted. "Spirits of Lowell House, be guided to our light. Come forth and be known to us."

Giles gulped when he saw a crowd of ghostly children surround the witches.

"We implore you... be still," Tara continued. She looked at the ghosts.

"Find it in your hearts to leave our friends passage," Serina said.

"Transform your pain. Release your pain." Willow looked uncertain about what to say next. "And... um... get over it."

A wind swirled through the room, blowing the witches' hair. The children stared at the living humans as the breeze intensified and filled with a screeching sound.

"Find here the serenity you seek, the peace..." Tara was interrupted by a louder screech. Then, as suddenly as it started, the wind stopped.

Did it work? Giles projected cautiously.

No more poltergeist activity here, Anya answered. Although, when Graham sees his bedroom, he won't be happy. Spike and Buffy had some really spectacular orgasms.

ANYA! Several clan members said as one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several days later, Willow announced, Oz is coming home! I think we should celebrate.

Chapter 26 The Grand Finale

"How are we supposed to defeat Adam if he's that strong?" Buffy asked as she watched the video of the cyborg's easy escape from the Initiative.

"Patrol has been quiet since he escaped," Spike noted dryly. "Not sure if it's linked or not."

"The power core is here." Willow pointed at the computer screen. "If it is removed, he will die."

"But the schematics pretty much say he's invulnerable," Serina said. She peered over Willow's shoulder at the computer. "I'm not sure Buffy, even with her Sultana enhancements, can defeat him." The British witch looked concerned.

"If only there was a way to send our powers through the clan link to help Buffy," Willow said.

"There are a few spells that would do just that, but they're dangerous." Giles glanced over at the bookcase. "We really need a more central location to have our meetings. Somewhere besides here or my flat."

"Yes, linking spells can be dangerous." Serina tapped her chin. "I'm sure that we'll do just fine. Both you and I know ancient Sumerian, Rupert."

A knock on the door interrupted the discussion.

"Oz's here," Willow said excitedly. She grinned at the Tara. "Wait till you meet him." She leapt to her feet, and she hurried to the door which she flung open.

Oz stood on the other side of the door. He gave a small grin when he saw Willow. They wrapped their arms around each other. When Tara approached the two red-heads, both Oz and Willow welcomed her into their embrace.

Buffy gave Spike a wide-eyed look, but he just shrugged. He had no idea what was going on, but it didn't bother him in the least. He was actually quite monogamous for a vampire. Usually it was the more the merrier in vamp relationships. So, a triad didn't faze him in the least.

"Well, um..." Giles cleared his throat. "How about Serina and I go back to my flat to find that linking spell?"

"You're not staying for Oz's welcome home party?" Willow asked. "Ronald and Betty will be here soon. Graham and Clem, too."

"No, I think we need to find this spell before Adam attacks." Giles nodded. "But you have your fun."

"Okay, Giles." Buffy smiled at the Watcher. "Let us know if you find anything."

"Brian's supposed to be checkin' in later," Spike said. "He and the other minions are on the lookout for Adam."

"Oh hey, look at this." Xander pointed at the screen. "It's the Initiative floor plans, including Section 314."

"Interesting. Check with Graham to see if they've explored every nook and cranny of the facility," Serina said as Giles and she left.

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Later, after Giles found a linking spell and Oz's welcome home party had dwindled, Spike and Buffy were quietly discussing the upcoming fight, when the doorbell rang.

Buffy tilted her head, and she extended her senses. "It's a vamp. You expecting anyone?"

"No." Spike rose to his feet. He sauntered to the front door, and he flung it open.

"Hey, chief. Got some information for you." Sam Lawson grinned at Spike.

"Who's this?" Buffy asked when she came up behind Spike.

"Lawson. One of Angel's." Spike kept his eye on Lawson while he pulled Buffy closer. "Some vamps he hangs out were hired by Adam as mercenaries. When Sam here learned I was the Master of Sunnydale, he paid me a visit."

"You're just telling me this now?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"Couldn't let Adam get wind of it," Spike drawled. "What did you find out?"

"Adam's holding up in some caves near the Army complex," Lawson replied. "You gonna need any help, chief?"

"We need any help, luv?" Spike asked Buffy.

Buffy had spent the last few minutes studying the new arrival. She had to admit that he was a handsome vampire. Not as hot as Spike, of course, but easy on the eyes. However there was something different about Lawson. Buffy looked at Spike, and she shrugged. "The more the merrier, I guess."

"Head over to the mansion, Lawson." Spike nodded his head in the direction of Crawford Street. "Brian will find you a room."

Lawson nodded his head in return before he started off towards the mansion.

"He's different," Buffy said softly.

"Peaches made him after the soul." Spike watched the dark-haired vampire stroll away.

"Interesting. Yet another secret he has." Buffy shook her head. She was glad that Spike didn't hide his past from her like Angel did. She knew she'd chosen the right Aurelian for her mate, and she was thankful for him.

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At dusk the next day, Lawson lead the Scoobies to the entrance of the caves where Adam and his demonic followers were hiding out. The plan had Spike and Buffy going after Adam with the help of Giles, Willow, and Xander via the linking spell. Brian and the other minions would deal with Adam's minions while Serina, Tara, Anya, and Oz would protect the spell casters.

The group moved through the cave slowly and carefully, killing demons as they went. The gang came to the biggest of the caves where Adam sat linked to the Initiative computers.

The spell casters set up at the side, surrounded by their protectors while Spike and Buffy took Adam head on. Buffy gasped when Riley lurched forward. He was still alive, but under Adam's control.

"I see you recognize my brother," Adam said. "Soon, Slayer, you will be joining our little family."

"I don't think so," Buffy replied. She slipped into the Sultana game face. "You're so not my type."

"You've accepted a vampire and I am better, more enhanced than some crossbreed," Adam sneered.

"Better a crossbreed than a Frankenstein monster," Spike sneered in return.

We're ready, Buffy, Willow said.

Hit me!

The Slayer Sultana smirked at her foe as she felt the extra power flood through her body. She thwarted every attack Adam attempted while Spike easily took care of Riley. The Slayer and the vampire overwhelmed their opponents. Buffy casually plunged her hand into Adam's body, and she pulled out Adam's power source breaking the monster's hold on Riley.

Buffy and Willow's voices merged as one, and the power core rose from Buffy's hand, whirled in the air, and disappeared.

"That was strange." Buffy's face returned to normal, and she fainted.

Spike caught Buffy before she hit the floor. He carried her over to the chair that Adam had vacated. He cuddled the Slayer close before he glanced at the computer screen.

"Get over here, Red," Spike grunted. "Mr. Bits let the demons in the lock up loose and locked the doors on the soldier boys."

Willow rushed over to the computer. She studied the screen for a few minutes before her fingers flew across the keyboard.

Spike told Brian, Lawson, and the other minion to head out before Riley woke up and saw them. Besides, they would have to do patrol in the Slayer's place. Spike was sure she wouldn't be up to it later.

"So, are we having our annual post apocalyptic party?" Xander asked. "I'll get the movies."

"Oh, Tara and I can get the munchies." Willow grinned as she looked up from the keyboard. She punched one last key with a flourish. "You know, there's a house for rent down the street from you guys." She looked at Spike and the now alert Buffy.

"We can be neighbors." Buffy crawled out of Spike's lap. She stretched slowly. "Dang, I'm tired. Let's get out of here."

Riley groaned as he came to. He saw the retreating Scoobies, and he called out, "What about me? You can't leave me here."

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"That was Graham." Buffy dropped the cordless phone on the coffee table. "They found Riley with Adam's body. He'll be okay in a few days. The Initiative is being shut down. Riley's getting some kind of medical discharge, and Graham's staying in Sunnydale as the official liaison."

"Now that the fight is over, let's watch some vids." Xander rubbed his hands together. "I'm putting a preemptive bid for 'Apocalypse Now'."

"I feel strangely alert," Willow said. She leaned into Oz's side as she pulled Tara against her.

"Me, too." Buffy smiled. "I really expected to be more pooped after the battle."

"Well, movie goodness for all then," Willow replied. "Pop in that movie, Xan-man, and someone pass me the popcorn."

"Gotcha." Xander put the video tape into the VCR. Then, he sat back with Anya.

Soon, the clan members in the room were asleep, leaving only Serina and Tara awake.

Spike and Buffy hiked across the desert. Soon, they came to an oasis where they found the clan members waiting for them.

"Okay, does anyone want to tell me what is going on here?" Cordelia asked.

"Buffy sucked us all into one of her dreams again," Willow answered.

"Why do I get all the blame?" Buffy protested. "Besides, now Giles can see how weird my dreams are."

"Thank you, Buffy," Giles gave a mild reply. "I'm sure I'll have the distinction of being the first Watcher to participate in a Slayer dream."

"Welcome to the Oasis." a gentle voice said.

The Scoobies turned to find a dark-haired woman standing nearby. She was dressed all in green, and she held her arms open in a welcoming gesture. "I am Anqet. I have been waiting a millennium for you."

"Uh, sorry?" Buffy blushed.

"Not your fault, my dear." Anqet smiled a soft grin. "However, I've always known it would be you to become the Sultana, Buffy. I've known for centuries, ever since Heinrich Nest, the vampire that Sabina knew as Marcus Aurelius, was turned."

"I know you," Anya said suddenly. "You're Kibene, Keeper of the Well of Devotion."

"Yes, Anyanka, that is one of my many names and responsibilities." Anqet gave the vengeance demon a small nod. "I am also the Power that revealed you role in this to Hoffy."

"You're the who mojoed the Slayer and me." Spike lifted an eyebrow.

"I only revealed that which was already there, William." The goddess glided over to the mated pair. "You would have found each other eventually."

"Well, my sinister attraction is irresistible." Spike smirked at Buffy.

"Ego, much?" The Slayer rolled her eyes at her mate.

"Dawn is coming, Clan Sultana-Aurelius." Anqet looked around at the group. "More will join you in your fight. Even one who will be surprising."

"Um, okay, I do have a question?" Buffy pointed to the edge of the oasis. "Who's the guy with the cheese?

Buffy awoke with a start as did the others. She pouted before she said, "I really wanted to know who the cheese guy was?"