Dawn gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror admiring the contrast of her dark features against the white satin. Eight years ago, standing atop that tower, she never thought she’d ever see this day. So much had happened in the last few years making their encounter with Glory look like nothing more than a bad dream.

Willow and Tara were still together even after Willow’s brief affair with Oz who had visited Sunnydale for a few months about the time Dawn had started at the university. She had been afraid it was going to be the end of their relationship. The usually timid Tara had been understandably furious when she had found out, but after a few months separation, the couple had reunited. They had bought a small house on the outskirts of Sunnydale. Willow was now teaching classes at the university mainly in ancient history and mythology, while Tara had become a social worker helping strangers like she had helped Dawn when her mother had died. At home, they had both continued their study of magic, Willow becoming so strong in the craft she even amazed Giles.

Xander and Anya had married almost a year to the day after Glory’s defeat. The wedding had been a small affair, but Anya had done her part as a good American and spared no expense on her dress and the decorations. Surprisingly, after his stint as the local ice cream man, Xander had done extremely well for himself, progressing through the ranks at the construction site until he found himself in an office in charge of purchasing. Anya had continued to work with Giles at the Magick Shop enjoying the world of retail too much to ever leave. They had a daughter during Dawn’s sophomore year, naming her Joyce in honor of Dawn’s mother. At three, Joyce had learned to talk; her sentences clipped and precise like her mother’s. They all hoped this would change when she started school and was around other kids her age.

After their battle with Glory, Dawn and Buffy had returned home. Buffy had returned to college to complete her degree, but had yet to really make any use of it. Instead she continued with her slaying duties. The allowance Buffy had grudgingly agreed to accept from the Watchers Council more than supporting both the girls. Even with an older sister who was the Slayer, Dawn had managed to have a reasonable normal life afterwards, eventually going to college, and while there meeting Andrew, the man she was about to marry.

She couldn’t help, but feel guilty for leaving Buffy. While their friends had gone on to be more than reasonably successful, Buffy had stayed at home to continue her role as Slayer and to take care of her younger sister. She claimed to be happy, but deep down; Dawn knew there was something missing.

Spike had left Sunnydale a few months after the final battle with Glory. He had stuck around in hopes that now that the chaos was over, there might be a chance that Buffy would accept him. The Scoobies had accepted him as a member of the group, and even Buffy was friendlier with him, but that was all there was—friendship—and Spike wanted so much more than that. Finally, the frustration of waiting had gotten too much, and Spike had left town. Buffy had claimed not to care, but Dawn knew differently. Her sister had spent a week after Spike had left moping about the house, even refusing to bother with going out on patrol, but when asked what was wrong, she had insisted there wasn’t a thing the matter. Dawn had received letters almost every week updating her on Spike’s whereabouts. Letters from all over the world, and when they arrived, Dawn would find them laying on the kitchen table and her older sister locked in her room, supposedly reading a book or otherwise occupied for the evening until she left to patrol the dark streets of Sunnydale.

“Are you ready, Niblet?” Buffy asked as she entered the dressing room carrying Dawn’s bouquet. Dawn smiled at her use of Spike’s nickname for her. She had begun to use it a few months after Spike’s departure apparently not even aware that she had adopted its use. “Giles is starting to get impatient. You’d think he was getting married rather than just giving you away!”

Dawn smiled at her sister. It was nice to know that she wasn’t the only one who had a stomach full of butterflies. She had asked Giles to give her away in the absence of her father. They had tried to reach him, but like with their mother’s funeral they had yet to have any luck finding anything on his whereabouts.

Dawn was nearly ready. She was sure their guests where becoming rather impatient for the wedding to begin, but there was one more thing she had to do. She had something she had to tell Buffy, and she had to know before she walked down the aisle as Dawn’s Maid of Honor. She should have told her weeks before, but she was almost afraid if she had, Buffy might have refused to come! Now, she had run out of time. She had to tell her.

“Buffy,” she said nervously, “I invited Spike to the wedding.”

“You what?” Buffy asked shocked.

“I couldn’t get married without Spike here,” Dawn explained. “I invited him, and he said he would come. Please, don’t be mad. I know you don’t want to see him…”

“No, Dawn, I’m not mad,” Buffy interrupted helping Dawn to attach her veil to her long, chestnut tresses. “It’s your wedding, and I wouldn’t have expected you not to invite him. I’m sure he doesn’t even think of me any more.”

“But that’s not true, Buffy…”

“The music’s starting,” Giles head popped around the edge of the door before Dawn was able to tell her sister that Spike had far from forgotten her. In fact he had asked about her in every letter. Dawn took a deep breath and took Giles’ offered arm. It was going to be the happiest day of her life, but it was also going to be the longest.

Dawn stood at the back of the hall with Giles as the music began to play. She felt the typical anxiety experienced by every bride on the wedding day plus a little bit more as she watched her sister’s progress down the aisle. Even from the back, she knew Buffy’s eyes were scanning the crowd sitting on either side of the aisle looking for the pale vampire. Dawn knew nothing would happen at the wedding, but at the reception afterwards anything could happen. She just hoped Buffy wasn’t too angry about Spike’s presence. They really hadn’t been given a chance to talk before Giles had announced the beginning of the ceremony.

Dawn felt herself start to calm down when her eyes met Andrew’s as Giles guided her down the white runner covering the aisle. She had never felt so strongly for a man. Her feeling outweighing even those of the teenage crush she had had for Spike so many years ago. He hadn’t even been surprised when she had told him of her true origins and of her older sister’s profession by stating like most of the lifetime citizens of Sunnydale he knew of all the strange occurrences in their town, but never mentioned it.

Meanwhile, the blond vampire the bride, and not to mention the Maid of Honor, were so worried about sat quietly in the back of the room blending in rather well. Perhaps, it was his hair, while still blond, it was no longer the glaring platinum it had been during his stay in the ‘Dale, the nearly unruly curls lightly framing his still angular face, or perhaps it was the suit he had worn for the wedding, the only similarity to his old leather duster and dark ensemble being the identical dark hue of the outfits.

He hadn’t really been surprised by the invitation the little bint’s big day, and yet in a way he had. Although at times, it had taken some time for her letters to catch up to him—he seemed to be constantly on the move, never really finding any spot that seemed to be worth setting up residence—nearly every letter for the last few years had mentioned this Andrew bloke in some way. Even with the miles separating them, Spike had known his Niblet was in love, perhaps before she had even realized it herself. He smiled at the thought of his old pet name for the Slayer’s little sister. That was what he found hard to believe. It was one of those bleedin’ Hallmark moments. His little Niblet all grown up. It was one of the worst clichés of the twentieth century, but it certainly was true. She was no longer the gangly teenager she had been when he had decided to leave Sunnydale. Instead she was a tall, dark, beautiful young woman with an ageless strength in her brown eyes, himself and the Scoobies being the few that knew the hardships she had faced and the energy hidden inside her being the reason for that strength.

Her beauty very nearly rivaled the Slayer’s. She was a very close second in Spike’s eyes, who even after eight years and traveling halfway around the world in an effort to put his thought’s of Buffy to rest, was still haunted by the Slayer’s face. He had told her that night when they were gathering their weapons for the impending battle with Glory that he knew that she would never love him, and he had been right. The last eight years had proven that. More than ever, he knew that he didn’t stand a chance, but that did not dismiss her from his thoughts. Seeing her again entering the room her sun-kissed hair in blaring contrast to the midnight blue dress that clung to her still shapely body—he’d have to remember to compliment Dawn on her choice of wedding attire—had brought back all those old feelings to the surface. He fought hard to keep them in check. Although in her letters Dawn had reported that big sis had been rather broodish since his departure, he knew he still meant nothing to her. He would stay long enough to help his favorite girl celebrate her big day, and then he would once again hit the road. He wasn’t going to set himself up to have his heart broken yet again!





The wedding had been a beautiful event, Buffy had to admit. That was once she had managed to tear herself away from searching the crowd for Spike. She had taken a stake to the stomach without crying, but the sight of Dawn standing at the altar had made more than just a couple tears stream down her cheeks. How she wished her mom could have been there to see her youngest daughter getting married. She would have been so proud, and probably sobbing uncontrollably herself! Andrew thought Dawn’s sister had given him a hard time. He should have been thankful he never had to meet Joyce! The hard time Buffy had given him would have been nothing compared to what their mom could have dished out! Of course, with Andrew things probably would have been different. Joyce had been fairly nice to Riley when she finally met him. It was when Buffy’s work tended to follow her home that, in the shape of Angel and later Spike, that Joyce had gotten defensive.

Buffy smiled as she remembered Joyce, the memories of her late mother no longer bringing the sharp twinge of pain it used to. So far things had gone wonderfully. She could not help but be thankful for that since she tended to have a problem with special occasions, birthdays in particular, although the last few had actually passed without incident. She had yet to spot any sign of the peroxide pest, and had began to wonder if he had even shown up for the wedding at all. She couldn’t see him disappointing Dawn by not showing up, but it had been eight years. Things change, and perhaps his affections for her little sister weren’t as strong as it used to be. They had only completed their dinner and the appropriate toasts had been given. There was still plenty of time for Spike to show his face.

Buffy couldn’t help but look at the crowd sitting around the small dance floor with dread as she followed Giles. She didn’t know how he had managed to stay hidden away from her—he was never one to blend—but she knew he was out there watching her every move. Dawn had insisted that Buffy should dance with Giles, even though for that evening he was operating in the “father capacity”. She had stated that while she loved Giles in that sense, he really was Buffy’s father, so to speak. It had been many years since Buffy had thought of him as only her Watcher. This forced Buffy to wonder who exactly Dawn had chosen to dance with in Giles’ place. Perhaps, she planned on dancing with her new father-in-law, Buffy thought, as she watched her baby sister pulled someone out of the crowd. Buffy felt lightheaded when she saw who followed Dawn from the crowd. His hair and clothes were different, but there was no mistaking those cheekbones. Of all the people she could have chosen for a father/daughter dance, but she supposed the fact that he had watched over her and did his best to protect her in those dark months of hiding from Glory, which was a lot more than any effort their own father had put forth, made him the best candidate, at least in Dawn’s mind. Buffy might not have liked it, but it was Dawn’s wedding, and right at that point, she really couldn’t voice any complains anyway.

“Buffy,” Giles whispered to her drawing her attention away from her sister and the vampire. She turned her head to see her Watcher wincing in pain, and noticed that after seeing Spike her fingers had tensed, and Giles’ hand was quickly turning a rather nasty shade of purple.

“Sorry,” she muttered making a conscious effort to loosen her grip.

“Is there anything wrong?” Giles asked, apparently seeing Spike again and the intense pain in his fingers hadn’t been enough to answer his question.

“No…yes,” Buffy tipped her head slightly towards the other couple, hoping not to draw attention to the fact that they were speaking of them. “I just can’t believe he’s here.”

“Well, yes,” Giles replied. “I was rather surprised that he was able to make it in time, but I’m sure he didn’t want to disappoint Dawn.”

“No, I’m sure he wouldn’t,” Buffy shot back sarcastically. Of course, he’d always had a soft spot in his heart for her sister, but she couldn’t help but expect him to have ulterior motives for his visit.

“I assure you, Buffy,” he told her catching her tone, “Spike has changed quite a bit over the years.”

“I can see that,” she said as her eyes ran over his body. Nothing of the old Spike remained, other than the face and the piercing blue eyes. Apparently, he had had a run in with the fashion police and finally given up on the punk look. She had to admit, he had made a pretty good choice. If she had ran into him at the Bronze—not knowing who he was, of course—she would have done a double take and probably a third and fourth.

“Not just in appearance, although I will say he has much improved on that aspect,” the Watcher stated. “I’ve spoken with Trevors, and apparently while on his travels, our Spike has proved himself quite an asset. He’s made no attempt to remove the chip in eight years, and he’s no longer arbitrarily attacking demons just for the sake of them being the only ones that he can hurt. From all the Council’s reports, he’s actually saved quite a few people in the last few years. He said Spike would have made an excellent candidate for the Council if it weren’t for the demon factor. Apparently, our Spike has grown into his own. While, he’s never stayed anywhere for more than a few months, he’s actually become rather financially stable…”

Buffy let Giles drone on as she continued to study Spike, adverting her eyes just in time when he spun Dawn about the dance floor. After all those months of trying to prove to her that he was really good, he’d gone out and become a traveling version of Angel. Well, maybe not a carbon copy, Angel was looking for redemption. She really didn’t know what Spike was looking for. Years ago, she would have said he was doing it simply to impress her, but now she was sure that wasn’t the case. If he had any interest in her anymore, wouldn’t he have tried to contact her over the years? Sure, Dawn’s letters would have the occasional “Say hi to Buffy” tacked on the end, but that was a far cry from saying he still had feelings for her.

Why did she care anyway? She asked herself after hearing his laughter float across the dance floor mixing with Dawn’s after a private joke. Had she ever heard him laugh when he was in Sunnydale? Perhaps an angry sneer on occasion, but never a true heartfelt laugh. It really didn’t matter. After her failure with Riley, and later with Spike, even though they really weren’t involved, but he had claimed to love her, and he had left, Buffy had lost all interest in having a relationship. She seemed to have a knack for making men run away—far away.

“Okay, Giles,” Buffy pulled herself away from her thoughts to hear her Watcher still droning on about Spike’s finer points. “Spike’s a great guy now, got it. You really don’t have to sell him to me. You act like you expect me to date him or something!”

“It wouldn’t be a particularly bad idea,” he suggested.

Buffy’s eyes grew wide not believing she had actually suggested that she date Spike. This had to be a sign of another apocalypse coming, and they had managed to have such a nice, long break since keeping Glory from destroying the world. “Could you say that again?”

Giles let go of her hand for a moment to push his glasses further up his nose. A sign that Buffy had learned after years of experience meant that she wasn’t going to like what the Watcher was going to say next. “I’m only saying that when he was in Sunnydale he tried to prove he was good in an attempt to gain your affection. Now after all this time, he’s done it for himself, not simply in attempt to get to you…”

“So you’re saying, since this time he’s decided to be the guy in the white hat all for himself, I should go begging him to love me?”

“I’m not saying that,” Giles replied. “I’m simply saying that I know you still have feelings for him, perhaps they’re a little mixed at the moment, but they are still there. You’re still a young woman, but you can’t be the Slayer forever. Right now that’s all you do. I remember a young girl telling me that she wanted to be a normal girl with a normal life…”

A normal life? Sure she’d wanted that for a long time, but she had also accepted a long time ago, that she was the Slayer. She would never have a normal life. She might come darn close, but as soon as the sun went down—and occasionally before the sun went down—her life was anything but normal. Now Giles seemed to think that if she dated yet another vampire, Spike, no less that her life would be normal!? Obviously, he must have hit the “special” punch once too often that evening!



Buffy strolled about the edge of the reception hall her eyes scanning the crowd carefully. Now that the traditional wedding dances were over everyone was milling about freely, but rather than joining the other guests, she had chosen to stick to the outskirts watching for any sign of Spike.

Surprisingly, he had yet to confront her. For some reason she found it necessary to tell herself that was because of her excellent job of avoiding him, and not that he hadn’t bothered to search her out. She had caught sight of him once or twice as the evening had worn on as he had socialized with each of the Scoobies in turn. They had all become more accepting of him after the battle with Glory. He had proven himself, even to Xander, when he had fought by their side and then later took care of Dawn in Buffy’s absence before the Council had given Giles the spell that enabled him and Willow to bring her back. Xander had even hugged the vampire when welcoming him back—a sight that Buffy still had trouble believing—and allowed him to hold Joyce for a while.

Spike had even taken the little girl out on the dance floor for a time. Standing a fair distance away, watching the smiling vamp whirl the laughing girl around in circles, Buffy had a hard time remembering the Big Bad that had originally come to Sunnydale out for her blood. Yet, even after he had reacquainted himself with all her friends, he still hadn’t made an effort to find her. She was beginning to feel rather stupid. All those years ago, she had gotten so angry with him for following her around, and now here she was at her own sister’s wedding stalking him.

Maybe he really didn’t care if she was there or not. When he had left, they hadn’t parted on the best of terms, but it hadn’t been on the worst either. Spike had simply wanted to move on. After Glory, things in Sunnydale had pretty much quieted down. Dawn had Buffy there to take care of her, and there really wasn’t anything holding him there. She had known exactly what he had meant when he had told her that, but she just couldn’t say what he had wanted to hear. It had been bad timing, pure and simple. It wasn’t just the Glory thing either. She just wasn’t ready for another relationship human or vampire. After Riley had left, it had pretty much proven her track record, get involved and then they leave you. Xander, Giles, and Spike had been the only men in her life that hadn’t walked out on her, and she was thoroughly convinced that was because they hadn’t dated. Then Spike had to go and ruin the theory and leave her too. It was obvious just from appearance alone that Spike had changed quite a bit in the last eight years. His feelings for her might not be the same, or he might not even have those feelings at all. He could even be involved for all she knew. Dawn would share what Spike wrote in his letters with her from time to time, but she knew that was something her sister wouldn’t announce. She had never lost the childish fantasy that her older sister and Spike belonged together!

Buffy sighed in frustration. She was being ridiculous! It was Dawn’s wedding, and since Joyce wasn’t able to be there, she was the one to act out the role of the proud parent. Instead, she was lurking in the shadows and stalking one of the guests who apparently didn’t know she was alive anymore. Granted, she spent most of her free time roaming about a cemetery staking the undead, but you’d think her social skills would be a little more refined than this!

“Buffy?” the sound of Willow’s voice stirred her from her thoughts. She had been so worried about Spike she hadn’t noticed Willow standing just next to her until she said her name. She was dressed in the same dark blue that Buffy wore which marked all of the female members of the Scoobies as the bridal party. Although Willow had made a witty comment about them all dressing alike while they were getting dressed, she did look great in it. It was much better than her usual eclectic outfits that she had worn since high school, apparently forever refusing to get any “grown up clothes.” Buffy could see the little crease forming between Willow’s eyes, a sure sign that she was confused. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Will, I’m fine,” Buffy answered hoping that would be enough of an answer, but knew it wasn’t. The Scoobies never accepted one sentences answers, especially from her. Ever since she had returned, she couldn’t mope around her friends without them thinking something dire was wrong.

“You didn’t look fine,” Willow objected. “You were all like in stalker mode. You can take one night off you know! Besides, it’s a pain to chase vamps in heels!”

Buffy smiled at Will’s attempt to cheer her up. She already knew how much fun it was to try to run through a dark cemetery in heels was from first hand experience. The numerous twisted ankles over the years weren’t exactly pleasant memories, but Will was trying. As long as she was trying to get her to smile, she wasn’t bringing up the subject of Spike, which she was sure would be coming up shortly.

“Really, I’m fine, Will,” Buffy insisted. “It’s just a little overwhelming. You know Dawn getting married, all the relatives I don’t even remember having…”

“Spike showing up after eight years,” Willow supplied.

Okay, she hadn’t expected him to pop up in the conversation quite so abruptly. “Well, I was a little surprised that he showed up.”

“You know, he’d do anything Dawn asked him to, but that’s not what’s really bothering you, is it?” she dug a little deeper.

“I’m not bothered by the fact he’s here,” she insisted her voice a little too loud to make it sound believable.

“Really?” her friend eyed her suspiciously. “Then why haven’t you even said hello to him?”

“I just haven’t had the chance,” she replied. “Besides, he hasn’t bothered to try to say hello to me.”

“You can talk to him first, Buffy,” Will suggested. “He doesn’t bite. Well, not anymore he doesn’t. Well maybe he does bite other demons…”

“Okay, Will, I get the idea,” Buffy laughed cutting her off before she could go off on this latest tangent. “I’ll be all congenial next time I see him, promise, but right now, I think I’m going to go outside and get some air before I have to deal with the relatives. Dawn’s much better at this than I am.”

Buffy headed for the door before Will could say another word. She hated leaving her best friend just standing there like that, but she really wasn’t up to a long discussion about Spike, considering she’d just spend the last few hours thinking about the vampire! Once outside and feeling the cool night air touch her skin, she sighed in relief. It was just what she needed, not to be surrounded by people or worrying about Spike sneaking up on her!

“Rough night, Slayer?” the sound of an English accent just behind her startled her. Quickly, she spun around to find Spike leaning against the wall, a half smoked cigarette dangling from his fingers. He was standing extremely close to the door Buffy had just exited. It was a rather good thing she wasn’t going to patrol that night with as observant as she was being she’d be dead before she got a block!

“Yeah, you could say that,” Buffy answered trying desperately not to sound as nervous as she felt. “It’s not every day your little sister gets married.”

“Well, you hope not. Kidding, Slayer,” he added when she glared at him. He may have changed in the looks department, but he was the same old sarcastic vampire who loved to get under her skin. “Seriously, never thought I’d be attending Niblet’s wedding. Even after we killed Glory. Kind of hard to picture her all grown up.”

“They do that,” Buffy agreed taking a seat on a nearby bench. This was going a lot better than she had thought it would. “I know she’s really glad you could come.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Spike tossed what was left of his cigarette to the ground, and joined her on the bench. She felt a little uncomfortable with him being so close, but she didn’t make a move to put more distance between them. “She means the world to me.”

“Well, I know she’s glad you came,” she said softly as his blue eyes caught her own. “She really missed you.”

“Is she the only one,” Spike said after a moment’s silence, “that missed me?”

“I…I,” Buffy sputtered. His gaze seemed to wipe every intelligent thought from her mind. “We all did.”

“All, of you?” Spike pushed.

Buffy shifted nervously. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. This was exactly what she had been afraid of! There hadn’t been a day since he had left that she hadn’t thought of him, but she couldn’t tell him that. He was only there for the wedding. She wasn’t going to tell him about her feelings only to watch him leave her like all the rest.

“How long will you be staying?” she asked when she finally found her voice.

Spike blinked a moment as he realized what she had said and smiled sadly. “I don’t know, maybe a few days. Thought I might check out a few of the old haunts.”

“Where will you be staying?” she asked happy that the course of the conversation had changed.

“Well, I guess my old crypt ought to still be open,” Spike commented as he reached into his jacket for another cigarette, “just wipe off the dust a bit, and it will be good as new.”

“You could always stay with me,” she suggested, not realizing what she had said until the words were already out of her mouth. What was she thinking? She had spent the entire evening trying to avoid him, and now she was asking him to stay with her.

“What?” Spike asked his voice filled with disbelief.

“Well,” she explained quickly, “with Dawn leaving, I’ll have that entire house to myself. It would be nice to have the company. Besides, it’s better than sleeping in a dusty old crypt, isn’t it?”

Spike’s smile grew as he placed the cigarette to his lips. “That it is,” he agreed.

Looking at Dawn’s happy smile, Buffy regretted her decision to invite Spike to stay at the house for what had to be the thousandth time. It was only a matter of time before her sister and the Scoobies would have found out, but she wished she would have had more time to think about what she had done before she had to attempt to explain her actions to them. She didn’t know why she had opened her big mouth! He had already said he was going to stay in his old crypt. So it wasn’t like he was out on the streets! The words had just come out of her mouth before she could even realize what she had said, and now there was no way to take them back.

“I can’t believe you asked him to stay at the house!” Dawn cried happily, obviously pleased with the way things had worked out. She had been so afraid that her sister would throw a fit when she found out that Spike had been invited to the wedding, and now they were going to be living together! It couldn’t have gone better if she had actually planned it that way!

“Dawn, it’s no big!” Buffy insisted her sister’s happy tone grating on her nerves. She knew exactly what Dawn was thinking, and the fact that Spike was staying with her did not even come close to what she was hoping would happen! “He’s a houseguest and nothing more!”

“And nothing more?” she repeated. “Come on, Buffy, I’ve seen how you acted every time I got a letter from him. You missed him, admit it!”

Buffy shifted under her sister’s gaze. Yes, she had missed the annoying, blond vamp, more than she’d like to admit, but she wasn’t going to tell Dawn that! “Sure, I missed him,” she confessed, but then continued quickly after Dawn’s pleased expression, “but as a friend, Dawn. He did a lot for us when Glory was around, and I did come to think of him as a friend. It’s not more than that. Besides, I’m not looking to get involved with anyone, and it’s been eight years. I’m sure he’s found someone else.”

Had he? She asked herself silently. For some reason the idea of Spike moving on hurt. Some of the things he said to her outside had inferred the opposite, but he’d always been hard to read. Just because he sounded like he still cared, didn’t necessarily mean he still did. He hadn’t actually said he did, did he? Buffy rolled her eyes in frustration. Why was she even thinking of this in the first place. Just as she had told Dawn, he was a friend, nothing more!

To Buffy’s surprise, Dawn began to laugh after her last statement. “What?” she asked. This was not exactly the response she had expected.

“Nothing,” Dawn laughed. “It’s just that I know how much you hate to have to eat your words.”





The heat of the jungle was oppressive, not that it bothered him anymore. After the events of the last eight years, very little bothered him anymore. Well, that wasn’t completely true. There was one thing, one person that annoyed him immensely!

He gazed down at the body at his feet. Its breath was coming in heavy gasps, and its body trembled with fear. Not quite dead yet, but it soon would be. He never killed outright, not since those first few clumsy kills. He had found it rather pleasant to watch them lie at his feet and die on their own.

This kill was not as pleasing though. They hadn’t been not for the last five years. He had come to the jungle with only two things on his mind killing some demons and her. At first, it had given him incredible pleasure destroying every demon he had come across all the while it was her face he had pictured in his mind. He hadn’t been there long before he had come on a nest of vamps. He knew what his orders were, but the pull had been too strong. It had been weeks since he had felt the pleasure of being bit. That also being her fault. Hers and that pathetic neutered vamp that had led her to his little hideaway! It was only moments before they were on him. He offered no resistance when their fangs plunged into his body, and it was only a few more moments before he was reborn.

Even though he wasn’t, he had never felt so alive than he had at that moment. His strength had returned, and he felt like his old self again. How did he ever let her convince him to let that doctor reverse what Dr. Walsh has done? Yet another thing he could hate her for. Surely, it was utter jealousy on her part. He had been strong, just as strong as she was, but she had to be the one. The Chosen One. Couldn’t stand to share the spot light!

No one had realized the change when he had returned to the camp. That was until it was too late. He had managed to change his entire company before they even knew what hit them. They had rebelled against him at first, hanging on to the government programmed ideas that vampires were evil. They weren’t evil. They were just superior. He was superior.

He gazed down at the slowly dying boar at his feet. He didn’t feel all that superior at the moment though. It had been a long time since he’d had the satisfaction of human blood. He and his comrades had managed to wipe out every village in a good ten-mile radius. Those they hadn’t managed to plunder had quickly packed up and moved to safer areas. The natives avoided the area at all costs saying it was cursed. He smiled as he remembered the natives whispering about curses and demons, they were right. Demons were among them, but he was far from cursed. He had so much power now. There was no way he was cursed, far from it! This was a blessing if there ever was one!

It had been fairly easy to keep the government aware of there status—not their true status, of course. It had been so easy to keep their true nature a secret from their superiors in Washington. They were their best and brightest. They never thought that anything could have gone wrong with their assignment. Even if the worse had happened, of course, their men would have known their duty and sacrificed their own lives before they would have crossed over to the other side.

It had been and still was so easy to make them believe they were simply continuing their mission. The area was such a hot bed for demon activity that even after eight years, they were still needed in the Amazon to destroy its population. They had no clue that there men had actually become a part of it. Thanks to their still close ties to the government, they could leave at anytime.

Gazing down at the now still body of the boar, Riley knew it was time to return. He would make her pay for everything that she had done. Perhaps, he wouldn’t kill her outright. He could change her, watch her come to the full knowledge of what she had become, let her feel the power she had denied him when she had burned down that warehouse, and just when she came to that realization drive her own stake through her heart. That thought caused him to smile broadly. Yes, that would be wonderful to see! The decision was made. It was definitely time to return to California. But before they arrived in Sunnydale, he had a little business to take care of in Los Angeles.





“Come on, Buffy,” Willow laughed as she attempted to pull her friend from the chair. She had been sitting there sulking for half an hour after she talked to Dawn, but now it was time for her to join in and have some fun “It’s time to catch the bouquet!”

“No, Will,” Buffy shook her head as she was forced to follow Willow and Tara onto the dance floor and join the other girls already assembled there. “I’m too old for this!”

“You’re twenty-eight!” Tara reminded her.

“Technically that’s old for a slayer,” Buffy pointed out.

“And technically, Tara and I aren’t single,” Willow added. “Now quit being a party pooper!”

Willow was right. This was Dawn’s wedding. The least she could do was pretend she was having a good time, rather than sit around obsessing over a vampire that meant nothing to her! Buffy’s thoughts were interrupted as a flash of color went past her eyes and an armful of blossoms were pressed tightly against her chest as she caught the bouquet without even thinking. She looked down at the bouquet. This was so what she did not need. Her mind repeated that fact, as she caught Spike’s glance as he joined the men to fight for a chance to catch the garter.

Buffy watched as the caterers began the slow process of cleaning up after the reception. There were still a few lingering guests chatting in various spots about the room. Dawn and Andrew had long since left, and the rest of the Scoobies hadn’t stayed much longer after the departure of the happy couple. Buffy had chosen to linger for as long as she could really not ready to head home and be alone with Spike. After the garter belt incident she wished that she could think of a way of uninviting him completely, but that would have only emphasized the fact that she had been bothered by the whole incident! Then again, she had every right to be bothered by what had happened!

It was fairly obvious that magic had played a large part in her catching the bouquet. She hadn’t even been paying attention when Dawn had thrown the flowers! Being the Slayer she was able to sense a lot of things other people could not, but sensing danger when a vamp was sneaking up on you was totally different than sensing approaching flora! She had even stood towards the edge of the dance floor leaving the girls who actually wanted a chance at catching the flowers to crowd onto the middle. Dawn had already turned around when Willow and Tara had forced her to join them. Dawn had studied magic for a while with Willow before she had graduated high school. It had not continued for long, mostly due to Buffy’s insisting that after the Glory incident that they should attempt to make what was left of Dawn’s childhood reasonably normal. Her little sister was far from proficient in the craft, but she did have enough knowledge to make sure that Buffy was the one “lucky” enough to catch her bouquet.

It wasn’t much of a surprise that Spike had been the one to catch the garter belt, and Buffy was convinced that magic was involved there also. There had been nothing that she could do about it really other than paint a smile on her face and pretend to enjoy it! What could she do? Insist on a ‘do over’ since her sister had cheated and used magic? That would have gotten her out of it right away, and probably into a nice padded cell. So instead, she had just sat in the chair while the newlyweds’ family had gathered around to watch while Spike had crouched down before her with the garter hanging around his wrist and wrapped his slender fingers about her ankle and pulled off her shoe. She had to admit the feel of his cold fingers grazing her skin had sent a tingle through her body, and she had forced herself to sit still. It had been what had come next that had made her wish they had been alone in his crypt like old times so she could had beat him senseless without disrupting her sister’s wedding day! She knew the tradition was the higher the garter the more good luck the couple would have. Well, if that tradition were true, thanks to Spike, Dawn and Andrew would never have to worry about any bad luck! Her cheeks had flamed impossible shades of red as his fingers grazed up the inside of her thigh. From the glint in his cold blue eyes, and the broad grin on her sister’s face she knew that her embarrassment was far from unnoticed.

“Ready to go, Slayer?” Buffy forced herself not to jump when she hear Spike speak from directly behind her. It wasn’t too hard to see that she had been deep in thought, but she really didn’t want to give him an excuse to ask what had kept her mind so preoccupied. Turning her head so that she could see him, her lips curled into a smile as she took in the fact that he had gotten their coats. Now covering his updated wardrobe was his black leather duster. He smiled back at her when he noticed what she was looking at. “Hey, you can’t expect me to give up everything!” he told her. “It may be a little weathered, but it’s still fine quality leather.”

“It’s almost thirty years old,” Buffy reminded him not really caring to remember how he had originally come to possess the coat. Although she had reminded Dawn of Spike’s past many times when she was younger mostly in an attempt to open her little sister’s eyes when it came to her hero worshipping, now, especially after he had taken care of Dawn during her “absence” Buffy really didn’t want to think about what he had been in the past. It was still true that he could find a way to get the chip removed at any time and go back to being the vampire he was when he had first come to Sunnydale, but after all these years, even though the majority of them had been spent apart, she preferred to think of him as just Spike, and not as a past and possibly potential killer.

“Okay, so I like to hold on to things I’m fond of,” he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “Now, unless you want to hang out with the caterers for the rest of the night. It’s time to go home.”

Buffy sighed as she took her coat. She wasn’t thrilled at the aspect of being alone with him, but she really didn’t have any excuses that weren’t petty and childish. One thing she knew was that he wouldn’t hesitate to point that fact out either, and she was really too tired too argue with him over her maturity and/or lack of it! She followed him to the door not even thinking about the fact that they didn’t have a way home. Giles had driven her and Dawn to the wedding, so unless Spike had also driven they were in for a long walk. She couldn’t stifle a groan at the sight that greeted her when they walked out to the parking lot.

“I told you, I liked to hold on to things,” he reminded her as he opened the Desoto’s door and climbed inside. “Besides, it’s a classic.”

“It’s an antique,” she couldn’t help but mutter as she walked around the care to the passenger side.





The ride home was a fairly quiet one. Spike’s driving had not improved over the years, so Buffy was too busy hanging on to the armrest of the old car until her knuckles turned white to actually worry about conversation. She had battled vampires, demons, and even a god, but his driving had managed to terrify her.

Relief flooded her body when they arrived at her home and she stepped from the Desoto on shaky feet. She fought hard to steady herself as they stepped up the porch, refusing to let him see that he had gotten to her in anyway. Because of her trembling fingers it took a few minutes to unlock the door, and as she entered the house she could hear him laugh under his breath. “Well, if you didn’t drive like a…” she scolded whipping around to face him, but stopping when she saw him standing patiently at the threshold. “What?”

“You know the rules, Summers,” he replied.

Seeing him standing in the doorway reminded her of the last time she had seem him in that same spot. It was a night that she tried to avoid thinking about. The night you died on didn’t tend to give one the warm fuzzies. “You don’t need to be invited, Spike,” she told him forcing the images of that night from her mind.

“Still can’t bring yourself to uninvited me Slayer?” he teased as he brushed past her and into the house.

Buffy cringed at his tone. The fact that she hadn’t bothered to ask Willow to do the spell after all these years spoke volumes. When Spike had first left Sunnydale, she had thought about giving Willow a call, but quickly changed her mind, maybe down deep she had hoped that he might return. Besides it was rather pointless to uninvited him when Dawn wouldn’t have hesitated to reinvite him!

“Just never bothered,” she growled. “I’m going upstairs to change.”

Spike watched as she climbed up the stairs. The dress was even more flattering from that angle. He continued to watch until she disappeared from sight, glad that she hadn’t looked over her shoulder before entering her room to see him standing there gazing up at her like a lovesick puppy. The way she blushed when he teased her made him think perhaps she wasn’t completely immune to him. She had acted that way towards him eight years ago when she had come back, and look where that had gotten him. He might have learned to live with the chip in his head, but that didn’t mean that he was going to put himself through that again. If she wanted him, she was going to have to say it first, and if that didn’t happen he’d just head out for parts unknown again.



Giles placed his glasses on the table and rubbed his tired eyes with his fingers. It had been a long night, and although he hated to admit it, he was exhausted. Walking Dawn down the aisle had made him extremely proud, but it had also reminded him that he wasn’t getting any younger! The excitement of watching his youngest daughter—after Joyce’s death and Buffy’s brief absence he had quickly come to think of her that way—getting married had been more than enough to tire him out, but it was Buffy that had him worried. The tension she felt knowing that Spike was there was so strong it was almost a tangible thing. He had made it even worse with his lecture during their dance, but it had to be said.

Giles still didn’t one hundred percent trust Spike, but what he had done for Dawn and Buffy eight years ago, and the fact that he hadn’t made any further attempts to remove the chip went a long way in improving his view of the vampire. Buffy needed someone now that Dawn would be leaving home. After Spike had left, she had settled into a steady routine of slaying and taking care of Dawn.

He smiled remembering how frustrating it had been for him to get her to take her duty seriously those first few years. Now, it seemed the roles had been reversed. She was getting older, extremely old in terms of the Slayer, she needed more in her life than just slaying, and at this point Spike seemed like the perfect candidate. He was obviously still in love with her—Dawn had shared that much with the Watcher—he knew about her nightly activities, and he could take care of himself when it came to the things that go bump in the night that might possibly follow Buffy home.

The blaring ring of the telephone filtered in from the living room over the sound of the music droning out of the stereo. The phone ringing at that hour of the night never boded well, and in Sunnydale that usually turned out to be an understatement. With a sigh, Giles pushed himself out of the chair and made his way to the living room. The insistent ringing making him wish he had gotten that answering machine Dawn had suggested.

“Hello?” Giles asked his voice scratchy from just being woken up.

“Giles?” the sound of Angel’s voice on the other end of the line was enough to jerk Giles awake. He hadn’t heard from him in years. Between that fact and the tone of urgency in his voice, Giles knew that something had to be terribly wrong. How Giles wished he could just answer the phone and have it be someone trying to sell him long distance like normal people!

“Angel, what’s wrong?” he asked. He really didn’t want to ruin Dawn’s wedding day with yet another catastrophe, but as usual when something pleasant happened in Sunnydale something to counteract that event wasn’t too far behind.

Giles could hear Angel’s ragged breathing coming across the line. Even though Angel had yet to speak, Giles could sense whatever had happened was significant, and whatever it was, it hadn’t angered him but instead distressed him. Giles felt as if the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as he waited for Angel to speak.

“Giles, Faith is dead…”

Buffy closed her bedroom door softly and paused in the hallway. She really didn’t want to go downstairs and face Spike again. She had been stupid to invite him to stay in the first place, but that was already done and no matter how much she wished she could undo it, he was there waiting for her to come downstairs. She could have just stayed in her room and let him find a place to stay for the night, but that would have been childish. She wasn’t twenty years old anymore, and it wasn’t like there was anything between them anymore. Sure, Spike had tossed a few innuendos her way, but that was just him. He always loved to tease her. Even when they had been mortal enemies, he couldn’t resist trying to get under her skin in one way or the other. After all these years, surely the only feeling he had left for her at best was possibly friendship, but at the moment, it wasn’t his feelings that she was worried about.

With a deep sigh, she collected herself and started towards the stairway. Lingering in the hallway hoping that he would go away was just as childish as thinking about hiding in her room all night! The least she could do is go downstairs and tell him where he could sleep, and once she was done being the pleasant hostess, she could run back up to her room and hide. Of course, that brought yet another bothersome thought to mind. Just where was he supposed to stay? He couldn’t sleep on the couch. There was too much of a chance that the light would pour into the room in the morning. There was really only one other option—her mother’s room. It had been where Spike had stayed while he had watched over Dawn while she was “away.” They had blacked out the windows so that it would be safe for him to stay there during the day, and over the years they had never bothered to change the room. It was perfect, well perfect in every way except one. The fact that it was right next to her own room! They would be sleeping with only a wall separating them. There she went again! Like he would be able to reach her through a solid wall, not to mention the fact that he probably had no desire to try in the first place!

Buffy paused at the bottom of the steps and watched Spike who was standing with his back towards the door unpacking a bag he had apparently retrieved from the Desoto while she had been in her room changing. She hadn’t thought she had spent that long in her room, but he had had the time not only to get his things from the car, but also to make a wardrobe change himself. Once again, he was clothed in his trademark black t-shirt and jeans. She had to admit that he didn’t look bad in his usual dark ensemble, but his new look had been extremely appealing—what was she thinking!? She had just been at the top of the stairs debating on ducking back into her room and hiding from him, and now she was standing there checking him out!

Spike turned when she heard her stop at the bottom of the stairs. She had stood there for quite some time. She had tried to sneak down the stairs without him hearing her, and he had to smile to himself as he pretended not to notice her arrival. She was the Slayer, and it appeared that she had seemed to have forgotten that he was a vampire. No matter how lightly she had tried to step he had heard her coming every step of the way! The sight that greeted his eyes when he turned made him stop in his tracks. He would have had to remind himself to breathe, that is if he had been breathing in the first place.

She was wearing a white tank top and a pair of boxer shorts. Definitely not what he had expected her to be wearing. It wasn’t like she had gone out of her way to dress alluringly, but even in a pair of men’s boxer shorts, she was showing far too much skin for him not to notice her. He shook his head in an effort to clear it. Hadn’t he sworn when he had returned to Sunnydale and only a few minutes before when she had headed to her room to change that she wasn’t going to get to him again? This was only a friendly visit. He was there for a few days, and then he would be on his merry way again. He wasn’t going to lay his heart out for her again only to have her grind it under her heel again.

“A little casual for patrol, aren’t we Slayer?” he asked hoping to get the conversation going to give himself something else to concentrate on other than how enticingly shapely her tan legs were.

“I wasn’t planning on patrolling tonight,” she told him sharply. She hadn’t missed the way his eyes had run over her body before he had finally spoke, and she could feel her skin tingle with tiny goosebumps. She only hoped that he hadn’t noticed that she had been staring at him in very much the same way. “Xander already did a quick sweep before the wedding. I thought I might take the night off, considering it’s my sister’s wedding.”

“And Anya has no problem with him running around chasing vamps, what with the little one and all?” he asked his eyes glued to her backside as she walked past him and sat down on the couch. He had promised himself to remember he wasn’t going to be attracted to her again, but she wasn’t looking and wouldn’t notice. So what would it hurt if he enjoyed the view?

“Well, she wasn’t thrilled about it,” she told him as she picked up the remote from the coffee table and flipped on the television. “But considering they do have Joyce, they want her to be safe.”

“So what are the plans for the rest of the evening then?” he asked suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He had expected to go out and chase down a few vamps. Hopefully, they would both come home so exhausted neither of them would have been up to small talk. It wasn’t like he wanted to pick up where they left off. Where they had left off had been a “discussion” on why he couldn’t stay in Sunnydale anymore waiting for her make an admission of her feeling that was never going to come.

“Well, I plan to watch a little television. You can take mom’s room again if you want,” she told him. That had sounded completely rude considering he really hadn’t done anything to warrant it, but hopefully, he would take the hint and leave her alone.

“I’m not really all that tired either,” he informed her and on the inside Buffy rolled her eyes in frustration. “Mind if I join you?”

“If you want,” she told him refusing to take her eyes from the screen as he joined her on the couch.







“Faith’s dead?” Giles repeated into the receiver. This was definitely not what he had expected to hear on Dawn’s wedding night! Surely, Angel must be mistaken. She was in prison, and she was the Slayer. It was one of the safest places for her. It wasn’t like there was a large chance of her running into a vampire or demon behind bars. There had been a few cases of demons turning up in prison, but that was very rare. They were usually extremely weak, hence the fact that the police were able to arrest them in the first place. Thus meaning that they were far from able to take the life of a Slayer. “How could that be?”

“Vampires,” Angel stated simply.

“Vampires?” Giles repeated in disbelief. “Are you sure?” There had been cases of demons in prison, but never a vampire. They could never survive prison life! It wasn’t like there were many jails in the country that would cater to a major sun allergy!

“I think I know a vampire attack when I see one,” Angel snapped. “I’m sorry Giles. I’m angry. This shouldn’t have happened. I don’t know how they managed to get to her, but they must have went to a fair amount of trouble to get access to the prison, and they made no attempt to make it appear that it was anything other than a vampire attack. I thought you and Buffy should know. Whoever they are, they could be headed to Sunnydale.”

“Well, yes, of course, I’ll inform Buffy…”

“Maybe I should come to Sunnydale,” Angel suggested. Faith was dead. There really wasn’t anything left for him to do in Los Angeles. He had failed one Slayer, and he didn’t want to fail another.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Giles told him rubbing his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. “Buffy wouldn’t exactly be overjoyed to see you under the circumstances.”

“Meaning she still hasn’t really forgiven me,” he stated softly.

“Well, not exactly,” Giles agreed.

“If she needs me, you know where I am,” Angel replied and Giles heard the receiver click on the other end of the line.

Who said a vampire can’t feel pain? Spike had just disproved yet another myth. His backside had been asleep for hours. If that weren’t bad enough the movie they had been watching was long since over. Now gracing the screen was an enthusiastic and equally annoying man desperately trying to sell a rack of swords. Puny little things, a set of steak knives compared to his own private stash of weaponry, they’d be lucky to stand up to a fledgling vampire attack!

The remote was laying on the coffee table only a few feet away. He was dying—figuratively speaking, of course—to turn off the television and end the man’s mindless babbling, but he didn’t dare move for fear of waking the Slayer who now lay sprawled the length of the couch sound asleep with her head using his lap as a pillow.

He smiled sadly as he gazed down at her sleeping face. What he would have given eight years ago to be in just this sort of position. He wasn’t going to get delusional now. The only reason she was allowing this close contact was that she had been desperately fighting sleep until exhaustion had finally won out. She still didn’t truly trust him and never would. The last eight years had proven that fact. He had kept in touch with the Niblet, and every letter he had received had been filled with how much Buffy missed him—missed him so much he hadn’t heard a single word from her in eight years! He hadn’t made any effort to keep his whereabouts a secret. Now a word, not a single crumb making it obvious that she wasn’t interested and never would be!

A rather persistent itch on his cheek brought Spike round from his thoughts. It wasn’t an itch really, more of an unpleasant burning sensation, becoming more searing by the moment.

“Oh, bloody hell,” Spike growled as he noticed the pale rays of morning sunlight beginning to filter through the curtains. He lifted the Slayer from his lap as gently as he could as he proceeded to stand and escape the burning rays. Her muffled groan of protest let him know he hadn’t been all that gentle.

Still even after the jarring motion, she managed to settle right back to sleep. Spike stared down at her still sleeping form. His cheek still tingled where the light had made contact. He could have burnt to a crisp beneath her, and at best she might have rolled over!

Behind him he could hear the strains so the National Anthem begin to pour from the television speakers, a definite sign it was past his bedtime. Quickly he grabbed the remote, pushed a button, and the screen went blank. Then he turned back to Buffy. He could have just let her stay there—she seemed comfortable enough, but instead he bent over and gathered her limp body into his arms. This time instead of protesting, she curled up in his grasp her head nestled lightly against his neck.

It was amazing, he thought as he made his way up the stairs to her bedroom, how complicated she could make things even when she was unconscious. He laid her out on the bed, his hands reluctantly leaving the Slayer’s body. It had definitely been a mistake to come here. Although, he had promised himself at least a thousand times before he reached the Sunnydale city limits that this would only be a visit, he was finding himself wanting to stay more with each passing moment.

Quickly, as if he wanted to do it before he had a chance to change his mind, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. “Good night, Buffy,” he whispered softly, and then just as quickly stood up right and made his way to the door.

“Spike,” the sound of her voice filtered through the room, so lightly if he hadn’t been a vampire he would have missed it completely. Instantly, he stopped his hand poised over the doorknob and looked over his shoulder expectantly. Not surprisingly, she laid on the bed still asleep a small smile curving her soft lips. So much for a romantic moment!







“Time to get up, Spike,” Buffy’s voice pierced through the sleep clouding his mind. He groaned in annoyance. It felt like he had just lay down, and she had managed to interrupt a particularly enjoyable dream.

“Go away, Slayer,” he warned opening his eyes halfway. She was standing by the door. She was fully dressed and had already managed to do the hair and make up thing. Even from across the room, he could catch the faint scent of vanilla. Apparently, she had been up for quite a while.

“And Dawn says I’m a grouch when I get up,” she teased.

“Can’t you let the dead rest in peace?” he growled back at her.

“Look, there’s nothing I’d like better than to let you sleep the night away, but Giles just called.”

“And what did the Watcher want, luv?” he asked shooting her yet another sleepy glare. Since when did he have to snap to attention just because her bloody Watcher called?

“He needs us at the Magick Shop,” Buffy told him. Giles had had that ‘I’m trying to make this sound routine, but something big is happening’ tone to his voice when she spoke to him. She really didn’t have the time to coax a grouchy vampire out of bed, but Giles had insisted that Spike be at the meeting too. “He’s called a meeting…”

“You forget, I’m not a Scooby,” he reminded her as he managed to roll over to his side and propped himself up on his elbow. He may be a grouch when he woke up, but he definitely looked delicious when he got up. His blond hair was a riotous mess of blond curls, and the sheet had fallen dangerously low on his hips revealing his chest and stomach. His pale skin showing the outline of the tight muscles underneath. Is he naked under there? Where had that come from? Focus Buffy!

“Look, Giles asked that you be there,” she snapped angry with herself for letting her mind wonder. “Are you coming or not?”

“Pushy, pushy, Slayer,” he teased. He hadn’t failed to notice how her eyes had began to wander the moment he rolled over, and he rather enjoyed the blush coloring her cheekbones as she now tried to focus on something just over his shoulder. “I’m up, just give me a minute to get dressed.”

Spike reached down to flip the sheet off his legs, and Buffy hastily left the room, not so gracefully banging into the doorframe as she did so. She was fairly certain he didn’t have anything on under that sheet, but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out! Hearing Spike’s soft laughter through the door made her blush all the more as she just short of ran back down the stairs.

Continue

A cold shiver ran down Buffy’s spine as she approached the table in the back of the shop. It had been so long since they had met like this. Not that they had avoided it. There just really hadn’t been a reason since that last night before the final confrontation with Glory. There had been your miscellaneous vampires and every once in a while a demon just to keep things interesting, but after that night it had been like the Hellmouth had closed for business. Now here they were—all of them, including Spike—almost like a family reunion.

“So what’s up?” Buffy broke the silence as she came to a stop next to where Willow was seated. There was no point in prolonging the suspense.

“Nice to see you again too,” Xander shot back quickly.

“Sorry,” Buffy apologized. “Just thought if it’s important enough to have us all here, we’d better get the ball rolling.”

“Buffy’s quite right,” Giles added. “This is rather urgent.”

“And it’s way past Joyce’s bedtime,” Anya complained shooting a look over to the corner where they had set up a playpen for the little girl. With Dawn off enjoying her honeymoon, they had lost their usual babysitter, and they had learned from previous experience that Joyce wouldn’t accept anyone else.

“Yes, we’ll try to keep this brief,” Giles responded barely hiding the annoyed tone in his voice. “I received a call from Angel early this morning…”

“So Angel has a problem, and we’re supposed to rush to his aid?” Buffy interrupted.

Spike shot Buffy a questioning look. Her tone at the mention of the love of her life was definitely not what he had expected. Although, the fact that he had contacted the Watcher and not Buffy herself seemed rather suspicious. Now that he thought about it, the poof hadn’t been at the wedding. He couldn’t believe that Buffy wouldn’t have invited him to the ceremony personally.

“Buffy,” Giles responded sharply, “Faith is dead.”

The silence following the last statement was deafening. The only sound in the room was the occasional sound of Joyce laughing in her playpen, and even she seemed to quiet down quite a bit.

“What you mean dead?” Willow’s voice broke the silence. The sound of her voice seeming to break the spell and time began to move again.

“It usually means not alive,” Xander supplied helpfully.

“I know what dead is,” Will stuck her tongue out in Xander’s direction. Same old Scoobies. Spike couldn’t help but think as he witnessed her reaction. Dead Slayer, the world coming to an end, whatever disaster you might have and they could handle it with a large helping of sarcasm. “I mean how? She was in prison. People don’t normally die in there. Well, unless they’re on death row, but that’s a whole different story…”

“Actually, this was a vampire attack,” Giles cut in before Willow could really get rolling.

“Vampires?” Buffy was the first one to speak after this bombshell. “I didn’t think a vampire could survive in prison.”

“We can’t,” Spike answered. “We don’t really do well with the whole being locked up in a cage during the middle of the day thing.”

“Precisely,” Giles continued. “That is why Angel called. This group of vampires apparently went to a great deal of trouble to get into the facility. They also made it a point to make sure that the fact that it had been a vampire attack was more than obvious. It was quite a messy scene…”

“Ummm, Giles,” Buffy broke in, “details really aren’t necessary.”

“Oh, yes, sorry,” he muttered realizing just how morbid the conversation had been getting.

“So, what exactly does Angel want us to do about this?” Buffy asked the bitter tone returning to her voice.

“Well, he was actually calling to warn you. Seeing how much trouble they went to in order to reach Faith. It seemed a logical conclusion that their next stop would be Sunnydale…”

“So he called to warn me to watch my back,” Buffy spat out. “Isn’t that sweet of him?”

“Buffy, he did offer to come to Sunnydale…” Giles started.

“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Buffy said to no one in particular as she headed across the room towards the training room. “He wouldn’t want me to kick off before I said I forgave him for what he pulled!”

With that Buffy slammed the door to the training room behind her, scaring Joyce to the point that she burst into tears, and knocking a few articles of what Giles could only hope was the less pricey merchandise off the shelves to shatter on the floor. Anya rushed across the room, scooping Joyce into her arms and tried to calm her back down, while the rest of the Scoobies sat at the table staring at each other with looks of major discomfort on their faces.

“Okay,” Spike asked, “what exactly was that?”

“Um…well,” Willow stuttered. “You see, Buffy and Angel haven’t been getting along all that well…”

“That’s an understatement,” Xander added under his breath.

“Perhaps, it would be better if you asked Buffy about it,” Giles suggested obviously not really that wild about explaining the situation either.

Spike faced the closed door. From within the training room he could hear the sounds of Buffy working out. He didn’t have to strain at all to hear her fists smacking against the punching bag, and he dreaded going inside the room. Just what had the poof done to piss the Slayer off this much? He was quickly wondering if he really wanted to know!

Finally, with a sigh, he opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit training room. The only light in the room was filtering in the small windows from the streetlight outside in the alley. Apparently, in her rush to start bashing the crap out of the punching bag, Buffy hadn’t bothered with the light switch. Spike reached for it himself, but then changing his mind he thought better of it. Better to leave things just the way they were. He had the distinct feeling that his intrusion was going to annoy her enough on it’s own.

“Buffy?” Spike asked and then waited patiently for a response. “Buffy?” he asked a little louder when she refused to answer.

“What?” she growled as her foot landed with a hard thud against the bag causing it to swing out and then nearly smack into her on the back swing.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Spike asked as he found a seat on a narrow bench a safe distance away.

“Not particularly,” she answered continuing the assault on the bag.

“Okay,” he said slowly. As usual this wasn’t going to be easy. Was anything ever easy with this woman? There quite possibly was a group of vamps roaming around out there somewhere gunning for the Slayer. They really didn’t have time for her stubbornness! “Well, let see, we wig out at the mention of Angel’s name. So, what did the poof do this time, Slayer?”

“I…did…not…wig…out…over…that…jerk,” she replied punctuating each word with a thud of her fist.

“Hit the nail on the head, I believe. Now, would you mind telling me what he did, so we can take care of the business at hand?”

“I told you, I do not want to talk about it!”

At this statement, Spike sprung from the bench placing himself between the tiny blond and the bag. “Well, we’re bloody well going to talk about it!” he told her.

“Fine,” Buffy panted letting her hands drop limply at her side. “You really want to know what’s wrong?”

The glare she gave him made Spike think twice. He hadn’t seen her look so angry since that night she had confronted Glory. What in the world could Angel possibly had done to make her this angry? “I wouldn’t have came in here if I didn’t.”

“Fine,” she repeated. “He left me! Are you happy now!?”

That was still bugging her? He had left for Los Angeles years ago. Why was it such a big issue now? “That’s old news, Slayer,” Spike said carefully keeping an eye on her hands. He knew it was just a matter of time before she started swinging. “What’s really bugging you?”

“I knew you, of all people, wouldn’t understand!” she screamed at him as she turned and headed for the back door of the shop.

“Understand what?” Spike called after her as she swung the door open.

“He left me for Cordelia!” she answered quickly as she stomped out the door leaving Spike standing in the empty training room, the punching bag still swaying behind him, and his mouth open in shock.



Spike stared at the door for a long moment before raising the cigarette to his lips. He held the flame of the lighter to its tip for a moment and inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs. Nothing was going to calm his nerves after that little confrontation, but he had to do something. Even if it were something as small as smoking his last cigarette.

What the hell was that? He had come back to Sunnydale for Dawn’s wedding, short and sweet. He should have known better. Nothing was ever easy in this town. He could feel the anger rising, and he really didn’t feel any need to fight it back down. Part of him wanted to head straight for Los Angeles and wring that poof’s neck. How many times had he listened to her tell him how perfect her beloved Angel was. How he, himself, would never compare simply because he didn’t have a soul. Now her dream vampire had moved on with no thought of how much he would break the Slayer’s heart. Had he even bothered to tell her face to face? He probably had. Angel could never resist a big emotional show!

He was also furious with himself. He should have been here for her, not that she would have turned to him for comfort of any sort. He should have been there anyway, in the background as always, but still there for her when things looked their worst. Why hadn’t the Niblet told him? Buffy had probably made her promise not to, but since when did Dawn decide to listen to big sis?

“Bloody hell,” Spike grumbled under his breath as he flicked cigarette ashes to the floor not caring about the lecture he’d receive from the Watcher when he discovered them in the morning. Giving the still swinging punching bag one last look, he made his way to the door. The Scoobies would probably wonder what had happened to them, but let them wonder. There was a band of vampires out there somewhere looking for a Slayer to kill, and his Slayer was out there with them roaming about with her mind on anything but protecting herself.

He knew exactly where she’d be, and quickly made his way to the cemetery. In a way it was rather morbid, but since her return she had always gone back to that place when she needed to think, especially when it was something particularly upsetting. He strongly doubted that had changed while he had been away. So it was no surprise at all to see her sitting there on the very spot where she had been buried, staring blindly at her mother’s headstone. From the way her shoulders shakily rose and fell he could tell she had recently been crying and was putting forth a huge effort to keep the tears from flowing again.

“Buffy,” Spike said softly his hand tentatively reaching out towards her shoulder.

Buffy swung around before he could say another word, jumping to her feet and swinging the stake she held straight for his heart. She may have been upset, but there was nothing wrong with her reflexes. Spike barely managed to catch her wrist before the stake plunge home into its target.

“Bloody hell, Slayer,” he cried out looking down at the small tear in his t-shirt that the stake had caused, not letting go off her wrist until he felt her arm finally relax. “It’s just me!”

“What do you want?” she demanded icily letting her hand fall limply to her side not seeming to care when the stake fell to the ground and rolled a safe distance away. Spike couldn’t help but feel a little more relaxed now that she was unarmed.

“We need to talk,” he told her sternly.

“We already talked,” she spat out turning away from him to sit on a nearby tombstone. “You already know how pathetic I am, so just leave me alone.”

Spike could feel his heart being ripped out by those words. He hated Angel even more, if that were possible, for making her like this. She sat there looking so small, completely helpless, her eyes refusing to look into his own. He almost missed that glare of hatred that she used to give him so readily!

“It’s not your fault that Angel can’t see what a wonderful person he’s lost,” he told her softly.

Buffy snorted in disbelieve. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” he could hear the tears in her voice and knew she wouldn’t be able to hold them back much longer. He couldn’t stand to see her cry, but he didn’t know what he could do or say to prevent it. “He left me just like the rest, him, Riley, you…”

She stopped speaking quickly and closed her eyes tightly as if realizing what she had just said. It took a moment for it to sink in for Spike also.

“Buffy,” he placed his hand beneath her chin and urged her face upwards until he could look into her eyes. “I didn’t leave because I wanted to…”

“No,” she shook his hand away from her and jumped up from her seated position. He could sense her muscles tensing and prepared for the onslaught that was about to come. At least, this was the Buffy he knew. She acted on her anger. She didn’t sit around sulking like a lost puppy. “You left because I’m hopeless. I’m the Slayer, and that’s all I am. I can’t even have a normal relationship!’

“Well, maybe not normal,” he told her casting a quick glance to the ground just to make sure the discarded stake was still a safe distance away. “But you could have one if you’d let yourself.” Spike could see the old fire returning to her eyes at his words, and even though he knew it would probably result in him being on the receiving end of a sound thrashing he relished that look.

“Let myself?” she said through clenched teeth forcing herself to keep control.

“Yes, let yourself!” he shot back trying to sound just as angry when he felt anything but at seeing her returning to her old self. “Two men make the mistake of leaving you and you go into hiding!”

“Hiding?” she repeated not believing he had the nerve to say these things to her.

“Yes, hiding!” Spike insisted. “How long has it been Buffy? You haven’t even gone out on a date since I left, have you?”

“I don’t need to date,” Buffy insisted. “I’m the Slayer. I had Dawn to take care of…”

“Those are just excuses,” Spike shouted back at her, “and you know it! How long has it been since you have even kissed a man? Do you even want to…”

Spike was unable to finish his rant as Buffy grabbed the lapels of his duster, pulling him off balance he fell against her body. He nearly cried out in shock at the feel of her lips pressed soundly to his own. He was so surprised by her sudden move it took him a moment to react, but at the feel of her tongue licking softly across his lower lip his arms wrapped about her tiny waist crushing her body against his own.

The kiss was over as quickly as it began. Buffy pulled away from him roughly an started for the entrance of the cemetery, leaving him standing on the spot staring at her retreating back in disbelief.

“What was that?” he called to her when he could finally get his feet to move to follow her.

“You asked me if I wanted to,” she tossed the words angrily over her shoulder as she continued to walk. “I wanted to, so I did. Now, I’m leaving.”

Spike quickened his pace in an attempt to catch up with the Slayer. She didn’t have much of a head start, and she wasn’t running, but she was still managing to stay ahead of him.

A deep growl emerged from the bushes behind Joyce’s headstone as the bushes parted to reveal a pair of sickly yellow eyes that followed the vampire and the Slayer as they left the cemetery. The gnarled hands that gripped the branches on either side of the eyes clenched tightly causing even the thickest branch to splinter in its hold.



Continue

Don’t stop! Don’t turn around!

That thought ran through Buffy’s head over and over again as she forced herself to continue her steady pace towards home. She could hear Spike just behind her calling her name, begging her to stop and talk things out with him, and she could feel her resolve weakening with every step. She couldn’t face him now! She had managed to take one disaster and turn it into a major catastrophe!

She still had a hard time believing that she had just kissed him! Wasn’t she the one that had promised herself that she wasn’t going to get involved again? Then she lets one phone call from Angel to upset her to the point that she all but told Spike how much his leaving had hurt her, and if what she had said hadn’t gotten through, then that kiss had confirmed it! It hadn’t been completely her fault though. He had egged her on! If he hadn’t shown up in the first place, she wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place! It really didn’t matter now. All she needed was to get home. Let Spike think what he wanted. She’d go to bed, and tomorrow she’d start looking for the vampires that had killed Faith and pretend the events of this evening had never happened.

She couldn’t hold in the sigh of relief when her hand made contact with her front door. Her fingers shook as she tried to fit the key into the lock. She could hear the thud of the combat boots Spike always wore as he ran up the steps of the front porch, and she forced herself to calm down long enough to get the door open. Swinging the door open, she sprinted inside heading straight for the stairs. Buffy felt relief flood through her body the moment she reached them.

“Buffy, stop!” Spike said sharply from just behind her. She had to stifle a cry when his fingers wrapped about her elbow stopping her retreat just as her foot landed on the first step. She could have easily broken his grasp, but instead she spun about to glare at him.

“Let go of me, Spike!” Buffy growled trying to sound furious, but instead her voice sounded pleading.

“Not this time, Slayer,” Spike tightened his grip on her arm waiting for her to lash out at any moment, but he refused to let her get away. “We need to talk…”

“There’s nothing to talk about!” she snapped cutting him short as usual, but she made no attempt to leave.

“Nothing to talk about?!” he sighed in frustration. “You kiss me like that, and you think there’s nothing to talk about?!”

She opened her mouth for another denial, but then shut it just as quickly. She had to gather her thoughts. Her impulsiveness was what had gotten her into this mess to begin with! She couldn’t let him frustrate her again. She had to stay calm, make him understand that there could never be anything between them. She was the Slayer. It wasn’t that she couldn’t have a normal relationship, she couldn’t have any relationship!

“Spike, please,” she pleaded, “we can’t do this. We’ve got to find those vampires that killed Faith.” She knew it was a long shot, but maybe if she could remind him of why they had gone to the Magick Shop to begin with, he’d remember that they should be patrolling not arguing over a stupid kiss!

“Don’t change the subject, Slayer,” he warned her softly. “You’re not putting me off this time! You feel something for me, and I’m not going to just drop it and go away like a good little boy! Admit it, Buffy, there’s something there!”

“I…I…” she felt ridiculous standing there with her mouth opening and closing with no excuses coming readily to her lips. “I’m the Slayer…”

“Right,” Spike laughed coldly taking a step closer to her, “and there’s a no dating clause in the job description…”

“I have a duty to protect…”

“To protect the world, blah, blah, blah,” he cut her off. His arm snaked about her waist pulling her against him before she had a chance to react. She had to tilt her head in order to make eye contact, her heart beginning to race at the look of determination in his blue eyes. “You’re beginning to sound like a broken record, Summers, and I’m getting rather tired of the same old dance.”

“Spike…” Buff commenced with her fish impression for the second time during the confrontation. She had completely run out of convincing—at least, convincing to her—explanations, but she had to say something. There was only one thing she could do. She knew she it was a lie, and it would hurt him, again, but she couldn’t let this happen. “Spike, I don’t…”

Her refusal was cut short as he bent his head quickly and pressed his lips firmly against hers. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she cried as the saddened assault. She placed her tiny hands against her chest in a vain attempt to push him away, hating herself for enjoying the feel of the hard muscles through the thin cotton t-shirt and for the fact that her hands had suddenly developed a mind of their own. Instead of giving him a shove that should have landed him back out on the porch, her fingers clenched the material of his shirt in an attempt to pull him even closer.

“Spike, don’t…” she whispered breathlessly against his lips when he drew back slightly. She refused to open her eyes. She couldn’t look at him. There would be no way to disguise what she was feeling if he could see her eyes.

“No more words, Slayer,” he told her his breath tickling her lips sparking every nerve ending in her body to life. “You’re much more truthful this way.”

She didn’t even attempt to protest when his lips returned to hers. This time the pressure was light, and she found herself twining her fingers through his soft blond curls, pulling his head closer, urging his to deepen the kiss. Spike growled at her reaction, the arm about her waist tightening its embrace, while the other hand released its grasp on her arm to find its way beneath her shirt.

She could feel him smile against her lips as his cool fingers skimmed over her rib cage. Not a single refusal came to mind as he lowered their bodies to the steps. She didn’t even mind the pressure as the corners of the stairs dug into her back. All she could concentrate on was the way he was touching her. She’d worry about trying to explain her actions away in the morning.

“Spike, please,” she moaned as he trailed kisses down her cheek to press his lips to the erratic pulse point beating at the base of her throat.

“Please, what, Buffy?” he asked his voice muffled against her neck. He raised his head so he could look into her eyes. “Just say it,” he pressed smiling sadly at the look of confusion that passed over her features. “Tell me, you love me.”

Her eyes widened as his words registered through the haze in her brain. “I…I,” she couldn’t say it. There would be no way to explain that one away in the morning, but she couldn’t stand it if he stopped touching her.

A shrill ring cut into her thoughts, quickly bringing her back to reality. Spike groaned at the interruption. “Ignore it,” he insisted as she turned her head toward the phone.

“I can’t. Something must have happened,” she told him, knowing after the relative quietness of the past few years, it was never a good sign when her phone rang at that hour of the night. She heard the blond vampire curse beneath his breath as she managed to wiggle her body from beneath his and stood, a torrid blush marring her cheeks when she saw that the front door was still open! Quickly, she walked towards the phone trying desperately to forget what she had almost done.

“Hello?” she spoke into the receiver trying to keep her voice steady.

“Buffy?” Giles voice came through the line. “I’m not disturbing you am I?”

Was the man psychic? Buffy couldn’t help but think before she answered. “No, there’s nothing going on here. What’s wrong, Giles?”

“I just spoke to the Council,” he informed her and her heart sank. It was never good news when Giles spoke to the council. “I know it’s late, but there have been some developments that we should discuss. I could be there in fifteen minutes?”

“Sure,” she answered relieved that she wouldn’t have to spend the evening alone with Spike. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She placed the receiver back in its cradle, and then headed for the kitchen refusing to even glance at the vampire still lounging on her stairway.

Continue

The room was as quiet as a tomb, and Buffy knew from personal experience that it was an understatement. Her living room made a tomb look like almost a fun place to be! She sat in the chair, her body tense, willing herself not to fidget nervously as she hesitantly glanced over at Spike who sat on the couch. He sat there slouched over, elbows propped on his knees, head bowed as he intently studied his Docs. The only movement he made was his hands clenching and unclenching so tightly, Buffy swore she could hear his knuckled popping from across the room.

“Spike, I…” she began hesitantly, only to be quickly cut off.

“Don’t even say you’re sorry, Slayer,” Spike growled refusing to look up. She began to shift nervously in her chair when she took notice that he was back to referring to her as the Slayer rather than using her name.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked sounding almost cross. “What happened…what almost happened was wrong…”

“Wrong?!” Spike’s eyes flashed with anger as he glared at her. “You wanted it just as much as I did.”

Buffy shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She was an idiot! What happened to leaving good enough alone, and where was Giles when she needed him? He had had such perfect timing earlier. When Spike had kissed her, the last thing she had wanted was for him to stop. If it hadn’t been for Giles’ phone call, she would have been up in her room with Spike at that very moment. She felt a tingle in the pit of her stomach when she thought about what they could have been doing rather than having this conversation. “I’m the Slayer…”

“Bloody hell,” he rolled his eyes at her use of the familiar excuse. “Couldn’t you at least come up with a new excuse! You want this. You deny it, but your body tells an entirely different story. You do feel something for me.”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel,” she snapped angrily. “I am the Slayer. Whether I like it or not, I’m never going to have a normal relationship.”

Buffy cringed when Spike began to laugh at her last statement. “Normal?” he laughed. “Hello, Slayer! Open your eyes! I’m a chipped vampire who’s in love with my mortal enemy! I remember a time I wanted to taste your blood as you died! That’s not exactly what you would term as ‘normal’! I’m so sick of being compared to Angel and Riley!”

“I’m not comparing you to anyone!” Buffy objected.

“Yes, you are!” he countered. “Just because things didn’t work out with the poof and Captain Cardboard, isn’t my fault. Why don’t you grow up and start living in the here and now!”

She could only stare back at him as her brain worked desperately for a defense. He was right. It was because of Angel and Riley that she refused to get involved again, but he couldn’t deny that if she hadn’t been the Slayer, either of her previous relationships could have been successful! “Spike, I…” she paused still thinking of what to say.

Buffy jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. Finally! She though as she literally jumped out of the chair she was sitting in and ran to answer the door. Not exactly the most graceful of exits she could have hoped for, but at least it had gotten her away from Spike’s scrutiny! She threw the door open so hard she could hear the hinges creak in protest, and stood there facing her Watcher with a grin pasted on her lips.

Giles jumped in alarm as the door swung open. With the events of the last twenty-four hours, the last thing he needed was more surprises. He wasn’t getting any younger. He eyed Buffy who stood in the doorway suspiciously. She looked very much like the child who had just gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “May I come in?” Giles asked lightly when the girl made no move to let him enter.

“Oh, yeah,” Buffy answered quickly as if she had just realized he was there. “Come in Giles.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him over the threshold so roughly that he stumbled on the way in the door.

“Is everything alright, Buffy?” he asked as he followed her towards the living room.

“Everything’s fine,” she told him her voice entirely too happy as she sat down in the nearest chair.

Giles eyed her apprehensively. The he took in the look on Spike’s face. Judging from he irritated glare the vampire was giving the overly happy Slayer, Giles was fairly sure that things were far from “fine”. He could feel the tension hanging in the air between them like it was a tangible thing, but he really didn’t have the time to play matchmaker at the moment. Especially, not after the discussion that he had just had with the council. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked really not knowing where to start.

“There’d have to be something going on first, for you to interrupt,” Spike growled under his breath, and Buffy shot him a dirty look hoping that it would be enough for him to keep his mouth shut.

Giles pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he felt a huge headache coming on, and it wasn’t just his normal expression of distrust as he joined Spike on the couch. Giles was fairly sure that he would have a full-blown migraine before the end of the night. “Yes, well, I needed to speak to you,” he told Buffy as he replaced the wire rimmed glasses. “As I said on the phone, I have just spoken with the Council.”

“That’s never good news,” Buffy groaned.

“True, they are rarely the bringers of good tidings,” Giles sighed, “and unfortunately they are staying true to form this time.”

“So what curve have they decided to throw us this time?” she asked knowing how long Giles could go on before he got to the point. “Just, please, don’t tell me that there wasn’t any mentions of gods!”

“Fortunately, not this time,” Giles smiled weakly. “Although this could very well be nearly as bad. The new Slayer has been called.”

“Well, it’s that great,” Buffy sighed wondering just what that had to do with her. “I’ll have to remember to send her a ‘Slayer warming’ gift.”

“The thing is, Buffy,” the Watcher continued, “she will need training.”

“That’s what her Watcher is for,” Spike eyed Giles suspiciously. He was trying very hard not to say something that was shaping up to be incredibly unpleasant.

“Yes, but the Council has decided, under the circumstances, that it would be better that she be here in Sunnydale to help us find those responsible for Faith’s death, and they have decided that Buffy will be responsible for her training.”

“What?!” Buffy snapped to attention, all of the previous conversation with Spike quickly overshadowed by the new developments. “I don’t have the time to be training some kid! You’ll just have to tell them to find someone else to baby-sit her!”

“I did try to make them understand that you needed to concentrate all your efforts on finding Faith’s killers while keeping yourself safe, of course,” Giles explained, “But, as usual, the Council has already made up their minds. She’s already on her way here, and if you refuse to train her, they had said that they will take away your allowance.”

Buffy groaned as she got to her feet and began to pace the floor. Take away her allowance! What was she—twelve years old now! Next thing she knew the Council would make her go to bed without dessert if she didn’t do what they told her to! She wanted to tell them what they could do with their allowance, but she knew that she couldn’t. It had been that allowance that had gotten her through the last few years, sent Dawn to college, kept the house from falling down around their heads. At her age, with no experience whatsoever, she’d be lucky if she could find a job flipping burgers!

“Don’t worry, luv,” Spike told her softly sensing her distress. “I’ll still be here to watch your back.”

“Yes, uh,” Giles stuttered as he watched Buffy make her fourth trip across the room. “Actually, Spike, the Counsel would like you to assist Buffy with training the new Slayer…”

“Me?” Spike demanded in disbelief. “Did they forget? I’m a vampire! I don’t train Slayers, I kill them! Well, I used to!” Spike added catching the look Buffy shot him out of the corner of his eye.

Giles stood up uncomfortably. Argument was pointless. He wasn’t any happier about the situation than they were, but as usual the Counsel already had things in the works, and their ultimatums were foolproof. “I wish there was another way,” he told them honestly, “but we really don’t have any other choice. Her plane will be arriving soon. We can meet at the Magick shop tomorrow evening and sort out things then.”

“Buffy?” the voice sounded like it was a million miles away, but it was enough to rouse the Slayer from her thoughts. Buffy turned to face the girl who had spoken, her green eyes blank as if she didn’t recognize the person standing next to her.

“What?” she asked her eyelids fluttered for a moment as her mind centered back in on reality.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You looked all oogie.”

Buffy smiled at the last statement. Tara was the only adult she knew, other than Willow, who would use the word “oogie”. She had to admit; she was definitely feeling rather oogie at the moment. For years, other than the occasional vamp or demon, her life had been so peaceful, board line normal even, and now everything was crashing down around her—vampires, new slayer, Spike. Spike—he was on her mind far too often. Her mind was made up, and her obsession with thinking about the vampire only proved her point. She should be concentrating on the band of vampires looking to kill her not the blond vamp sitting just across the room with Joyce perched happily on his lap while he was deeply engrossed in a conversation with the girl’s father. The vamp that once this latest threat was over would be leaving her again, just like the rest.

“Buffy?” Tara asked again placing her hand lightly on the girl’s shoulder. “Earth to Buffy.”

“Sorry,” Buffy smiled weakly. “Just a little worried, I guess, with all that’s going on.”

“Well, that’s understandable,” Tara smiled encouragingly. “What with the new slayer and all.”

“Yeah,” she answered, at least she had one friend who didn’t think her life revolved around Spike. “I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but what is the Council thinking? This is the Hellmouth, not slayer training camp!”

“Well, the Council never did seem to major in logic,” Tara agreed pulling over a chair and taking a seat next to the Slayer, “but maybe she won’t be that bad. She is a slayer after all.”

“Yeah, a fifteen year old slayer with no training and hormones in full gear!” Buffy rolled her eyes at the thought.

“Well, you did make it through Dawn’s dating years,” Tara laughed.

“With my sanity barely in tact!” she agreed with a laugh. “I really have enough on my mind without having to worry about without having to worry about watching over some manic teenager.”

“Well, you’ll have Spike there to help you,” Tara reminded her.

Buffy sighed in irritation. It seemed impossible to have a conversation that didn’t pertain to Spike in some shape or form lately! “Yeah, for as long as that lasts,” she said under her breath.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t leave you when you need him,” Tara assured her.

Buffy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Apparently, Tara wasn’t as observant as she thought. Of course, he would leave when she needed him most. Men leaving when she needed them had become a tradition in Buffy Summers’ life. “I wouldn’t bet my life on it,” Buffy sighed.

“Oh, Buffy, you know that’s not true,” Tara protested. “He cares about you too much to let anything happen to you…”

“Yeah, they all care too much to let anything happen to me,” Buffy replied softly, intently studying her shoes. “They just never care enough to stick around.”

“What?” Tara asked. “Is that why you’re so upset lately? I’m sure…”

“Tara, please,” the Slayer lifted her eyes blinking rapidly. The tears were threatening to spill over, but the last thing she could allow herself to do was cry, not with the Scoobies and Spike sitting just across the room. “It’s not important.”

“But it is important! If you…”

“Tara, I…”

The tinny ring of the bell above the door cut Buffy’s reply short. Never had she been so thankful for an interruption. She leapt from the chair and crossed the room to meet the Watcher at the door leaving Tara to stare at her back her with a concerned look on her face.

Giles hand flew to his chest as he nearly ran into Buffy standing just inside the door. “Buffy, you really must stop lurking in doorway,” he scolded her.

“Sorry, Giles, just anxious to meet the new Slayer,” she forced a smile to her lips and peaked over his shoulder at the small red head lingering on the threshold, “which must be you.”

“Um, yes,” Giles replied eyeing the girl before him suspiciously. Surely, she and Spike weren’t bickering again. “This is Leah,” he added ushering the girl into the room.

“Leah, huh?” Xander began looking up from his tête-à-tête with Spike to eye the girl appreciatively only to be elbowed sharply by his wife.

“Yeah, Leah,” the new arrival answered sharply returning Xander’s look with a very annoyed look of her own, “and before you ask, no I do not have a twin brother, and no I have not seen Darth lately.”

“I wasn’t going to ask that,” Xander answered a blush rising on his cheeks as Spike raised an eyebrow mockingly. “What? I wasn’t!”

“You’ll have to forgive, Xander,” Anya jumped in. “Sometimes he forgets he’s not a sex starved teenager anymore.”

“What? I wasn’t…I mean…” Xander stuttered.

“Give it up,” Spike handed Joyce to her father as he stood up and faced the new Slayer. The appreciative look he gave the girl made Buffy’s skin crawl. It vaguely reminded her of the look he had given her when they had first met. What was he doing looking at her like that? Not that it bothered her though! “So, you’re the new Slayer.”

“I think we already established that fact,” Leah reminded him not even flinching under his intense scrutiny. From Buffy’s view point it appeared she was actually rather enjoying it! “And you are?”

“And I thought my reputation proceeded me!” Spike’s lips curled into that wicked little grin of his.

“You must be Spike,” the girl returned the grin. “My Watcher told me about you. The vampire with a chip who helps the Slayer.”

“See, I knew I hadn’t lost my popularity,” Spike answered playfully.

“Um yes,” Giles interrupted as he vigorously scrubbed his glasses with his handkerchief. He was becoming quite certain that he was going to wear a hole through the lens before this situation came to closure! “If we could finish with the introductions, Buffy and Leah really should commence with training, and the rest of us have research to do.”

“Oh joy,” Xander sighed. “More reading. You’d think we would have managed to have read every book in this place.”

“Poor Xander,” Willow teased, “too much reading makes brain go boom!”

“Funny, Will…”

“Actually, Giles,” Buffy jumped in, “I thought we could put off the training until tomorrow night. I mean, I’m sure Leah’s tired from her flight, and I really should patrol…”

“We really should begin training immediately…”

“That’s fine,” Spike told the Watcher his gaze locking with Buffy’s momentarily then quickly returning to the young Slayer before him. “I’ll start Leah’s training while Buffy goes out. That is if the lady doesn’t mind.”

“I couldn’t think of anything I would enjoy more,” Leah answered. “I’m sure we can get along just fine without Buffy.”

Buffy threw a glare at the retreating girl’s back as she followed the vampire to the training room. “God, obvious much?” Buffy hissed as the door closed behind the two.

“What do you mean?” Willow asked quickly becoming confused.

“It’s like we have Faith, Jr. on our hands,” Buffy complained, “and of course Spike is more than happy to encourage it!”

“What you mean, Buff?” Xander asked feeling just as confused as Willow. “He’s just being his usual irritating self.”

“Irritating, he was being a letch!”

“I think someone is jealous,” Anya added happily.

“I am not jealous,” Buffy told the ex-demon sharply.

“Then why is it bothering you so much?” Tara asked still sitting in the chair next to Buffy’s now empty one.

“It doesn’t,” she snapped as she headed towards the training room.

“So where are you going?” Xander asked.

“No where!” Buffy tossed over her shoulder as the door slammed shut behind her.

Buffy let the door slam shut behind her not caring what the Scoobies thought of her or her reaction to Spike and Leah. She had every right to be angry. A new Slayer on the scene, and he’s all over her….

Or rather, she was all over him…The scene that greeted her when she entered the training room made her stumble over her own feet. Spike laid spread eagle on the mats and sitting on his chest was the new Slayer, her knees pinning the vampire’s arms down. Even from across the room, she could see the leering grin on Spike’s lips. He looked like he was enjoying himself. Looked like he was enjoying himself? He was having the time of his unlife, and the last thing she wanted to do was witness their little “training session”! Buffy spun back to the door her fingers fumbling with the doorknob as her eyes misted over with tears. The fact that she was on the verge of crying upsetting her nearly as much as the scene she had just witnessed.

“Buffy?” the sound of Leah’s voice brought an end to her attempt to escape. Blinking furiously to fight back the tears, she steeled herself and turned around to face the couple in the middle of the training room floor. “Are you alright?”

Buffy forced herself to smile at the younger girl who still sat atop of her vamp….Spike. The look on Leah’s face was more irritated than concerned. Buffy clenched her slender fingers into fists until her knuckles turned white. “I’m just fine,” she answered her voice coming out just a tad too chipper. “I just thought I’d see if you needed any help training, but I see you’re doing just fine without me.”
“Buffy?” Spike lifted his head slightly only to realize that he had brought himself face to crotch with the Slayer upon his chest and quickly laid back down.

“Oh, we were doing just fine,” Leah informed her happily as she reached down to draw her fingers lightly over Spike’s cheek.

The sight of the girl’s hand caressing the vampire’s pale skin was the last straw. Spike was apparently quite happy where he was, and the girl was making it obvious that Buffy was interrupting. She couldn’t hold back a snort of disgust as she stormed across the training room.





Spike flinched as Leah’s fingers ran over his face. They had been training before Buffy had entered the room. It had been completely innocent. So, of course, Buffy had to make an appearance just as he had landed in a completely non-innocent position.

At the sound of Buffy’s voice his mind went into overdrive. He could hear Leah answering the older Slayer, doing nothing more than baiting her. He needed to say something, but not a single thing came to mind that Buffy, in her present state of mind, wouldn’t twist into something depraved. It didn’t happen very often, but this time he was innocent!
Hearing the door open finally brought the vampire’s mind back into focus. With a quick snap of his right arm, Leah flew into the air landing a good five feet across the training room.

“Hey!” Leah protested jumping up from her position on the floor. “What did you do that for?”

“You know exactly what that was for!” Spike growled fighting hard to keep the demon from coming to the surface.

“Oh, did I hurt Buffy’s precious feelings?”

Spike rolled his eyes at the Slayer before him. It must have taken her years of practice to be this big of a bitch! It was such a shame they hadn’t met a few years before his run in with the Iniative! He was fairly certain that even her Watcher would have thanked him!

“Where do you think you’re going?” Leah asked as Spike started for the door, her voice rising in protest at the prospect of losing her audience. “Got to go baby-sit poor Buffy?”
Spike stopped just a foot short of the open door, not bothering to turn or keep his game face from surfacing. “If anyone needs a babysitter, it’s you,” he spat. “One that would take you over their knee and give you a good spanking!”

“You can’t talk to me like that!” the girl wailed. “I’m the Slayer!”

“No,” Spike rolled his golden eyes in frustration. “You’re a Slayer. Now, go tell Giles to take you home!”

With the final order given, Spike left the room before the brat had a chance to whine a bit more. The alley behind the shop was empty, but he knew where Buffy would be headed. It was where she always headed when she was upset. He didn’t like her wandering around Sunnydale alone in her present mood, but at least the walk to the cemetery would give him some time. He needed to calm down himself. Seeing him all fangy was not going to endear him to the Slayer.







Spike sighed in relief when he spied the flickering light of the television through the window of the Summers’ home. He could barely hold down his panic when he had arrived at Joyce’s gravesite and Buffy wasn’t there. The fact that there was no sign of a struggle vaguely helped him not go off the deep end. He had searched a few other scenic areas of the ‘Dale before giving up and heading for the old home site. Apparently, seeing him with his head clenched firmly between Leah’s thighs wasn’t as upsetting as he supposed.

“Buffy?” Spike asked tentatively as he entered the house. He could see her sitting curled up on the couch well on her way to polishing off the pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream she was working on.

“Go away, Spike,” she hissed not taking her eyes off of the television set.

“Buffy, we need to talk,” Spike told her softly, settling into a chair facing the couch.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she answered downing another scoop of ice cream.

“Damn it, you can’t just storm out like that,” he was quickly losing his cool, “and say we have nothing to talk about!”

“Oh yes, I can,” Buffy snapped slamming the ice cream on the coffee table and jumping to her feet. “You couldn’t get one Slayer, so you decided to go after a younger model! Talk over!” With that, Buffy stormed out of the room and up the stairs to her room, leaving Spike sitting in the darkened room staring thoughtfully at the half-eaten container of ice cream.

Buffy played absently with the ear of her stuffed pig. She made no sound, but the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She made no attempt to stop them this time. She was too angry to care at this point.

He actually had the nerve to search her out after the little scene she had witnessed in the training room. She had hoped that he would have given her some time to calm down, but she knew that was too much to hope for. Spike always had a gift for being there when she didn’t feel like talking.

She could hear the thud of his heavy boots as he made his way up the stairs and knew that it was useless to hope he might just bypass her room. There was no way he’d just go to bed and let her have some peace for the rest of the night. She should have told him to get out before she had run and hid in her room. Hadn’t that been part of the plan when she had been gorging herself on mint chocolate chip? She had been so furious when he had sat down across from her, but she just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t send him away. If she had, she knew this time he would leave for good.

Buffy didn’t even raise her eyes when Spike knocked lightly at her bedroom door. She expected it really. She knew the vampire well enough to know that he could never leave well enough alone.

“Buffy, please,” he called through the wooden door, “you’ve got to talk to me.”

“No, I don’t” she answered angrily slamming the stuffed animal on the bed next to her. She really wanted to hit something, break something, and the knowledge that Spike was right about her jealousy just made her all the more angry. “Can’t you just leave me alone?”
She could hear his growl of anger even through the door. “Right then.” He answered so low that she had to strain to hear him, “I, bloody, will leave you alone!”

She forced herself to stay seated after that comment, her whole body tense until she heard the door to his room shut behind him. What was she doing? What happened to not wanting to get hurt? But wasn’t she hurting now? All because she might lose him.





“Honey, could you take the bags upstairs?” Dawn asked placing the last piece of luggage next to the couch. She hadn’t realized how carried away with the souvenirs they had gotten until she had packed their things. “I want to call Buffy and let her know we’re home.”

“You know,” Andrew told her hefting a second duffel bag over his shoulder, “if we had come back next week like planned, you wouldn’t have to all her in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sorry, honey,” Dawn replied kissing her husband lightly on the cheek. “There’s something wrong. I couldn’t just sit there worrying. I’ll call Buffy, and then I’ll meet you upstairs, and we can finish the honeymoon.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he replied with a smile as he grabbed two bags in each hand and headed for the stairs.

Dawn did feel guilty for cutting their trip short, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong in Sunnydale. She wasn’t going to feel better until she had a chance to speak with her sister.

Dawn held the receiver to her ear with her shoulder as she dialed. She only got to the fourth number when there was a knock at the door. She nearly dropped the receiver as she fumbled it back onto the cradle. No one knew they were home, and it was way too late for salesmen. The second knock, more forceful this time, let her know that whoever it was had no plans on leaving anytime soon.

“Coming,” she called over the sound of the third knock as she made her way to the door and swung it open. It took her a moment to recognize the person who stood before her, but her eyes grew wide when realization finally sunk in. “Riley?”

“Dawn? Is that you?” the man before her smiled sweetly. “You’ve grown so much.”

“Riley?” she repeated the shock of seeing him slowly wearing off. “We thought you were…”

“Dead?” Riley finished the sentence for her. “Had a couple of close calls, but I’m back.”

“After all this time?”

“Well,” Riley shrugged, “you know the government. Got stuck in South America longer than planned. Then there was debriefing after debriefing, but I’ve come home.”

“Have you seen Buffy yet?” Dawn tried to cover up the tenseness in her voice. “I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

“Not yet,” Riley answered. “With the way things went when I left, I wasn’t sure she’d be too gung-ho to see me. I thought maybe we could talk. Maybe you could help smooth the path?”

“Yeah, well” Dawn hesitated. Something felt strange, but this was Riley. He wasn’t exactly a prizewinner when it came to being a boyfriend, but he was harmless.

“Dawn, can I come in?” Riley pushed.

“What? Oh yeah, come in,” Dawn answered moving back from the doorway so Riley could enter.







Buffy hesitated taking a deep breath as she held her fist in the air only inches from the door. She had been so ready to do this when she had left her room, but now she really didn’t know if she could go through with it. What was wrong with her? She just wanted to talk to him, try to at least make some sort of peace between them. She couldn’t afford to have him angry with her or take the chance that he might leave, not with a new Slayer to baby-sit and vampires hunting her down. They were just going to talk that was all. So why was she so nervous? She was just being stupid. He probably wouldn’t even answer her knock anyway!

“Buffy?” the sound of his voice behind her made her jump in surprise as she spun around to face him. “Did you want something?”

Buffy just wanted to melt into the wall, but instead she just stood there her mouth opening and shutting in a perfect fish impression. The door to the bathroom was open behind him and the light was still on inside. So wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn’t even heard him leave his room. Now he stood before her his hair still damp, wearing nothing but a towel draped loosely about his waist. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the small droplets of water that still clung to his chest as she felt her cheeks begin to burn. She wasn’t prepared to see him this way.

“Buffy?” Spike repeated.

“Huh, what?” Buffy asked quickly forcing herself to make eye contact. The moment their eyes met she knew she had made a mistake. The ability to actually form a coherent sentence was long gone.

“I asked,” Spike said slowly grinning slightly at the Slayer’s discomfort. “if there was something you wanted. I’m sorry if I disturbed your sulking with all the noise while I took a shower.”

“What? No you didn’t disturb me,” a glare came to her eye when she finally realized what he had just said, “and I wasn’t sulking!”

“That’s what I would call it,” Spike shrugged and Buffy couldn’t help but wonder how many more times he could repeat that action before the towel dropped. Quickly, she pushed that thought from her mind, making a point of listening to what the vampire had to say.

“Now, was there something you needed?” Spike asked once more.

“I, um, I just wanted to say, I’m sorry,” Buffy took a deep breath and continued quickly before she lost her nerve. “I didn’t mean to… I mean, I know you were just training…I…”

“Apology accepted,” Spike shrugged again. “Now, if I could be in my room? Sun will be up soon, and I was never a morning person.”

“Spike?” she asked softly.

“What Slayer?” he sighed knowing he wasn’t going to get into his room until she got her little speech out of her system.

“Don’t leave me…” Buffy replied softly, barely a whisper.

“Wh…” Spike’s question was cut short as the Slayer fell into his arms and pressed her lips tightly to his. Her arms snaked around him, and he nearly cried in surprise when one hand ventured lower yanking the towel from his hips. He didn’t understand what had brought on the change. He had learned years ago, he’d never understand Buffy, but he knew enough that this particular moment was not the time to ask questions. Instead, he pulled the Slayer tight against his body, one hand roaming upwards to tangle his fingers in her long golden hair. He picked her up slightly, carrying her towards his bedroom door, and used his foot to kick it open. He’d worry about questions later.

Spike raised his lips from Buffy’s and gazed down into her eyes questioningly. She drew in a long, unsteady breath as the thoughts and doubts assaulted her brain. She hadn’t meant for this to happen when she had come to his room. She was only going to apologize, tell him he was right. She had been unfair and jumping to conclusions over what had happened in the training room.

It had taken her over an hour to gather the courage to face him. The he had been there, standing behind her wearing nothing but that towel, and her resolve not to get involved was gone.

She could see Spike watching her—waiting. She knew what he was waiting for. He was expecting her to change her mind. Wasn’t that what she was supposed to do at this point?

She smiled sweetly as she raised her hands to hold his face between them. The pale skin beneath her fingertips was still slightly warm from his shower. Spike’s eyes fluttered shut as he leaned his face into her palms.

“I love you,” the vampire’s eyes shot open at the sound of her quiet declaration.

“Buffy?” he asked not believing his ears.

“Just kiss me,” she ordered softly.

Spike didn’t need any further urging. His arm snaked about her slim waist pulling her body against his as his lips slipped over the softness of her own. She whimpered against his lips as his free hand stole beneath the lacey shirt she wore to find the swell of her breast. Quickly, the clothes she wore felt way to constricting, and she moved restlessly against him.

Spike growled deep in his throat at the feel of her body moving against his. Quickly, his hand withdrew from her breast, and she moaned in protest at the loss of the caress. He grasped the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her blond head, tearing it in his haste to rid her of the garment.

Abruptly, Buffy found herself falling on the bed. Her breath caught in her throat as Spike’s fingers hooked in the waistband of her pajama shorts pulling them down her legs, his black polished nails lightly grazing her skin in the process. Spike’s eyes raked down her body appreciatively, his brows rising when he took notice to her lack of panties.

She could feel every inch of her body flush with warmth as he gazed down at her. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the fact that she was blushing. It wasn’t like she could claim it was her first time—not ever her first time with a vampire—but this time was different. Maybe it was the fact that she had held him at arm’s length for so long, but she really didn’t want to think about that. She’d wasted way too much time thinking too much, she decided as she reached up to wrap her slender fingers about his biceps and with a little tug he fell on the bed beside her.





Buffy sighed happily; tilting her head back to rest on the blond vampire’s shoulder as he gently nipped the nape of her neck. Everything seemed so quiet and peaceful—a rare occurrence for Sunnydale, especially for the resident Slayer.

“Second thoughts, pet?” Spike whispered noticing her silence.

“Mmmm…what?” she asked taking a moment to realize he had spoken.

“You just seemed rather deep in thought,” Spike informed her giving her earlobe a playful nip. “Just wondering if I should prepare myself for the ‘we made a mistake’ speech.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” she laughed rolling over in his arms to face him. She pressed her lips against his now cold ones enjoying the intimate feel of his body pressed against hers.

“So, what is it then, luv?” Spike asked, but not before thoroughly returning the Slayer’s kiss.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she replied absently, “just thinking of all the ‘I told you so’s’ when we see the gang again.”

“So, the Scoobies were on old Spike’s side, eh?” he teased.

Buffy gave him a glare that just didn’t have the same effect with the addition of her playful grin. “Well, you could say that. At least, Dawn’s not due back for another week.”

Spike traced his finger lightly over her collarbone. “An entire week, eh? Whatever shall we do to pass the time?”

“Actually,” she said slowly as his hand ventured lower, “I was thinking we might find our little vampire friends. I’d rather there not be an undead welcome wagon.”

“Well, that’s not exactly what I had in mind,” he told her covering her lips with his before she had a chance to protest. The phone took care of that for her.

“Don’t answer it,” Spike groaned against her lips.

“You know I have to,” she reminded him reluctantly, untangling herself from the vampire’s arms and reaching for the receiver on the nightstand. “Hello?”

The look on Buffy’s face after the greeting told him their plans weren’t going to happen anytime soon. Quickly, he made a mental note to disconnect the phone in the future.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” Buffy ended the conversation and turned to face Spike her expression a mixture of worry and irritation.

“So who’d missing this time?” he asked already having a fair idea.

“Did you send Leah out to patrol?”

“What? No,” he answered quickly, “I told her to find Giles and go home.”

“Well, it looks like the Slayer-in-training decided to give herself a promotion,” she told him getting up from the bed and heading for the door. “It looks like we’re going on a Slayer hunt. Get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs.”





Buffy dressed quickly and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. There really wasn’t time to worry about fashion. She rushed down the stairs rolling her eyes when she saw that Spike wasn’t waiting for her. She turned back to the steps, thinking to call up to the vampire, but was interrupted by the phone yet again.

“Giles, we’re…” she began as soon as she brought the receiver to her ear.

“Buffy?” the sound of Andrew’s voice cut her short. He sounded so weak, and for some reason even though he was hundred of miles away that worried her.

“Andrew, it’s good to hear from you, but I really…”

“Buffy,” he repeated, “I can’t talk long. It’s Dawn.”

“What’s wrong Andrew?” she asked the nervous feeling becoming nearly overwhelming.

“We came home early. Dawn answered the door. There was…there…” Andrew’s sentence was interrupted by a rough cough.

“Andrew, please,” she pleaded. “Where are you? What happened to Dawn?”

“I’m in the hospital,” he replied. “It was vampires. The neighbors found me, but they have her…Buffy? Buffy?”

Buffy couldn’t answer. She had already left the house leaving the door hanging open in her wake. The receiver dangled over the edge of the table, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of Andrew calling her name.

Buffy groaned in frustration as she studied the slightly flattened grass before her. Someone or something had wandered through the dark cemetery fairly recently. She knew from past experience that vampires tended to make an effort to cover their tracks, especially when in Sunnydale. There weren’t too many that wanted to face her. She was fairly certain that this rather obvious trail had been left for her.

She knew she should have waited for Spike before she ran off to rescue her sister, but there just hadn’t been time. These vampires had gone to a large amount of trouble to reach Faith, and she knew it really wouldn’t faze them to kill her sister, bait or not. She was sure he’d be able to figure out where she had gone. He might not figure out right away that Dawn was the reason, but he had been around long enough to know if there was trouble in Sunnydale, Dawn would manage to be right in the middle of it—honeymoon or not.

Her eyes scanned the cemetery taking in the dark shadows hoping not to miss anything that might possibly be lying in wait amongst them. She couldn’t afford to overlook a thing. These vampires were just too good. She exhaled a long, annoyed breath as her eyes settled upon a dark figure just a few feet ahead of her. It was a young man, leaning nonchalantly against one of the many headstones of Sunnydale’s dearly departed. In any other town, she would have been surprised to see someone lounging about the cemetery at such a late hour, but this was Sunnydale. In this town, the cemetery was just as popular a nightspot as the Bronze! Well, she really didn’t have the time to deal with a late night partier, but she would have to get this man out of harm’s way. She had more than enough of a job trying to find her sister and the new Slayer. She really couldn’t be expected to watch over the rest of the town’s populace on top of that little task!

“Um…excuse me?” she asked tentatively tucking Mr. Pointy behind her back as she emerged from behind the tombstone that she had been crouched behind. “You really shouldn’t….” The person slowly turned to face the sound of the soft voice behind him, and Buffy’s voice ground to a halt, her eyes fluttering in recognition and then disbelief.

“Buffy, it’s good to see you again,” the figure greeted with a smile.

“Riley?”





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





“You know, Slayer,” Spike laughed softly as he came down the steps pulling on his coat, “when I find that little Slayer-in-waiting I think I’m going to put her over my knee…No wait. She’d probably like that.”

He knew the present situation really wasn’t any laughing matter, but he couldn’t help himself. After the last few hours, he could be facing Glory for a second time and still be elated. He still couldn’t help but think it was all a dream. He had actually pinched himself once or twice while he had been getting dressed to prove it wasn’t. She had actually come to him, woke up in his arms, and hadn’t denied what had happened. He couldn’t stop playing that scene in his mind…so perfect until the Watcher had interrupted. It didn’t matter though. They’d find the little AWOL Slayer, kill the bad guys like they had always done, but this time it would be different. This time he would have his Slayer to come home to.

Spike paused at the bottom of the steps waiting for the Slayer to join the conversation. Surely, she would have something to say. She would insist that he should take the situation more seriously, but the expected comment didn’t come. He could actually sense that she wasn’t there before he scanned the scene that awaited him at the bottom of the stairway. Quickly, he took in the phone lying on the floor, it’s insistent beeping raging through his head, and the open doorway. She was gone. He knew enough to know that something, more than just a missing Slayer, would cause Buffy to run out of the house without backup. Something had gone terribly wrong, and Buffy had gone out to face it on her own. Quickly, he bent over and scooped the fallen receiver into his cold fingers dialing the number of the Magick Shop. He doubted that the Watcher or the Scoobies would have anymore of a clue what was going on then he did, but he did know if the situation was bad enough for the Slayer to run off half-cocked, he was definitely going to need back up.

“Hello? Buffy?” the Watcher’s voice came through the earpiece his voice filled with hope and worry.

“It’s me,” Spike replied curtly.

“Spike,” Giles acknowledged, “I had hoped that you would be Buffy…”

“Obviously,” Spike told him. He couldn’t help but be impatient. He really didn’t have time for niceties. He needed answers, and he needed them quickly. He wasn’t going to lose Buffy so quickly after their recent epiphany. “Apparently, our little Slayer has decided to go off on the hunt without us.”

“Um, yes,” Giles replied. “I was afraid as much….”

“What’s going on Giles?” Spike demanded. It was so irritating how the man couldn’t just give a person the bad news. It could be Armageddon, and Giles would still be working up to telling you about it.

“Um, well, you see, we just got a call from Andrew a moment ago…”

“Andrew,” Spike asked not quite recognizing the name right away. “Dawn’s husband? What does he have to…”

“They returned from the honeymoon early,” Giles explained and Spike’s heart sunk as he put two and two together before the Watcher had a chance to finish. “Apparently, Dawn sensed that something was wrong. A vampire entered the house, and fed off him leaving him barely alive. It took Dawn. I can only guess Andrew was left alive to let Buffy know of Dawn’s abduction…”

“Right,” Spike cut the Watcher short. “She’s bait to get the Slayer out on her own, and it worked.”

“You mean, Buffy’s…”

“What do you think?” Spike sighed. “We really don’t have time to go over the specifics…”

“Yes, yes you’re right,” Giles agreed. “Xander and I will start searching for Dawn, and I will have Willow and Tara start work on a locater spell…”

“Right, and I will work on finding Buffy,” he growled pressing the talk button sharply and tossing the receiver to the floor as he stalked through the open door.





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





“Riley, is it really you?” Buffy asked her voice barely above a whisper. She could see him more clearly now that she was closer, but she still couldn’t believe her eyes. It just couldn’t be. Not after all these years. She had given him up for dead even before they had battled Glory.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he replied just as softly, still smiling.

“But, I…I thought you were…”

“Dead.” Riley finished the statement with a smirk. “Well, I had quite a few close calls. You know how it is when you’re up against demons, but I made it out. It took me a bit, but I came back.”

“To Sunnydale?” Buffy asked. She couldn’t help but wonder why he was there in the first place. He had left thinking she didn’t care enough to come after him. He’d made no attempt to contact her since then.

“I had to see you again, Buffy,” he told her. “It’s been so long. I thought we could talk…”

He wanted to talk. Why hadn’t this happened years ago? She hated to admit it, but she hadn’t really thought of him since her resurrection. Her mind busy with more pressing matters…getting on with her life, taking care of Dawn…Dawn! What was she doing!? She didn’t have time to be standing in the middle of a damp, dark cemetery having a reunion with an ex-boyfriend at the moment.

“I’m sorry Riley,” she told him quickly. “I can’t tell you how unexp…I mean good it is to see you again, but I’ve got to find Dawn…”

“Running away again,” Riley snarled catching her arm in a tight grasp as she attempted to make her way past him. “It’s always something. Someone’s always more important that dealing with poor Riley…”

“Riley, you’re hurting me!” she gasped the feel of his fingers digging into her flesh surprising her. He hadn’t been this strong since…since…the Iniative, the drugs…Was he?

“I’m hurting you!?” Riley howled his mocking laughter hurting her ears. “That’s what it was always about, wasn’t it Slayer?”

Buffy blinked harder. What was wrong with him? She hadn’t pictured that a reunion with Riley would be a walk in the park, but she never had expected him to sound so cold and bitter—not to mention the viselike grip he had on her arm. She was bound to have bruises in the morning. Apparently, Riley had been and still was even angrier with her than she had ever expected, but for the moment he was just going to have to get over it. She couldn’t put off finding Dawn to go over past uglies with him.

“Riley, I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she gasped yanking her arm from his grasp, “but I have to find Dawn…”

“Dawn,” Riley laughed a little too happily, “it was always someone wasn’t it? Dawn, your mother, Spike…”

“That was…”

“What?” he cut her off with a glare, “none of my business. It was never any of my business was it? Good ole Riley always came second every time…Well, Slayer, not this time!”

Buffy stared at the tall man before her in confusion. She knew she had hurt Riley deeply, but she couldn’t believe that she had hurt him this badly. That he would be holding on to that pain after all this time, and what had he meant with that last statement? Buffy had little time to ponder his last statement, her thoughts interrupted by a jolting pain racing up through her right side and overtaking her entire body. Vainly, she fought to hold on to consciousness as she slipped to the ground. The last thing she saw as her eyes slid shut was the happy glaring grin covering Riley’s face and between his thin lips what looked like…what looked like…





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





Spike watched the entrance to the cave for any signs of life. He didn’t like this place and had not returned to it since the Adam incident. Picking up Buffy’s trail in the cemetery had been rather easy, and when he had seen the signs of a struggle near his old crypt he had taken off at a run ignoring the numerous footprints left at the scene that told him he would be far outnumbered when he arrived at his destination. He had crouched outside the cave for nearly an hour waiting for some sign that there was someone inside. Thanks to their so obvious trail he already knew that they were in there, but he wasn’t so completely over come with thoughts of rescuing Buffy that he was going to run into an ambush!

It seemed more like days than hours, but his patience was rewarded as two figures ambled from the mouth of the cave. Each was rather tall and muscular, and both were wearing the dark green uniforms he recognized to belong to the Initiative. Just when you thought you could say goodbye to bad rubbish, he sneered to himself. He thought he’d seen the last of them when good ole Captain Cardboard had flown out of Buffy’s life. It didn’t really matter who they were. The question now was why they had returned to Sunnydale, and what did they want with his Slayer? Actually, he thought to himself, those questions really didn’t matter either. At the moment, he simply wanted to wipe the whole lot out—no matter how big of a migraine the violence might earn him—and get Buffy out of that cave.

Quickly, he jumped from his hiding place in the bushes, game face already in place. A snarl came to his lips, but the biting remark lay dead on his tongue as a familiar jolt of pain raced through his body, and the ground reached up to meet him.





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





“Wakey, wakey,” Spike snarled at the feel of a hand slapping his cheek roughly. His head was throbbing, but the pain in his lower back was nearly excruciating. He attempted to adjust himself into a more comfortable position, but found himself unable to move his arms. Slowly, he picked his chin off his chest and opened his eyes attempting to focus on the bloody wanker he was going to kill for insistently smacking him about the head.

“Enough,” he growled not as fiercely as he had hoped.

From the stonewalls and the dirt floor, he quickly concluded that he was inside the Initiative caves. The bad part of the scenario was that he was being held up by two rather large members of the afore mentioned regime, and another three of the blokes were surrounding him just in case they lost their grip. Off to his left, he could see Leah and the Little Bit both chained to the wall and directly before him he could see Buffy’s small body chained down to what appeared to be a large stone coffin. Judging from the burnt material and the two nasty bruises marring the skin just beneath, he was fairly sure, she had also had a run in with a stun gun. Apparently, the Initiative’s new weapon of choice. He could see another large figure standing before the place where Buffy laid his back to Spike and partially blocking his view of the unconscious Slayer. He knew instinctively that this one had to be the leader, and silently he vowed to himself, would also be the first one to go.

“You’re awake,” the dim figure growled slowly turning to face the vampire. The sight that awaited Spike when the figure turned almost made him fall to his knees again. “I was beginning to think you were going to sleep the entire night away.”

“You!” Spike snarled with instant recognition.

“Me!” the figure laughed mockingly. “Where you expecting someone else?”

“What the hell do you want, boy?” he demanded fighting to free himself of the two soldiers’ grasp, but with no luck. They were a lot stronger than they appeared.

“What do I want?”the other man laughed. “I warned you Spike! If you touched her I’d come back and kill you!”

“So kill me already!” Spike rolled his eyes in boredom then jerked his head in Dawn and Leah’s direction. “What do they have to do with it?”

“Oh, killing you is going to be fun, but I deserve more than that don’t I?” he asked coldly taking a step closer to the captive vampire. “I’m going to beat your old record, my friend, and then I’m going to kill you.”

“You’re going to kill me,” Spike laughed fighting hard to cover up the panic in his voice. “You’re going to take on two Slayers and kill me? Aren’t we feeling pluckish? What makes you think you can do it boy?”

Riley laughed again at Spike’s words causing Spike to wince at the sound of it. He didn’t think he would ever find a sound more annoying.

“Oh. I can do it,” Riley told him softly. “I’m not a little boy anymore.”

Spike’s eyes grew wide as Riley’s face changed, his teeth became longer. “So, the little boys become a man. Gone out and got himself all bumpy. Color me impressed.”

Riley raised his fist prepared to strike, put his arm stopped mid-swing at a weak sound from behind him. “So, my little Slayer has decided to join the party.”

“Spike?” Buffy asked the dark room blinking her eyes furiously trying to focus on anything.

“Sorry, luv,” Riley told her as he leaned over her prone body. “It’s just me.”

“Riley?” Buffy gasped as her sight returned and she tugged at the chains around her wrists. “What happened to you?”

“Oh come now,” Riley hissed into her ear. “You’re the Slayer, you should know.”

“Riley, I’m so sorry,” Buffy replied as realization dawned in her still hazy mind.

“Sorry!?” Riley’s laughter echoed off the stone ceiling. “Sorry? This is the best thing that ever happened to me! I’m powerful again! No more weak little Riley for Buffy to feel sorry for…”

“Spike…”

Spike’s head jerked at the sound of the soft voice in his head. He hadn’t experienced Willow’s magic since…not since before he had left Sunnydale.

“Spike…” the voice repeated insistently. “Where are you? We found Dawn in the Initiative caves.”

“Where do you think?” Spike answered sharply making a conscious effort not to vocalize his reply.

“You found her? Is Buffy with you?” Willow asked hopefully.

“Oh, yeah, the gang’s all here…”

“So why don’t you bring her home?” Willow asked her tone quickly taking on a worried note.

“Little problem there, Red,” he informed her, “Seems we had a little welcoming army waiting for us.”

“What are you talking about?” Willow asked still not understanding.

“It looks like we’ve been revisited by the Initiative,” Spike informed the witch, “and they’ve had an encounter of the vampire kind…”

“Are you sure?” Willow asked still not believing what she was hearing.

“I think I know a vamp when I see one, Red,” he rolled his eyes in frustration, “and Captain Cardboard is back with revenge in mind.”

“Riley’s back?! Spike are you sure?”

“Red,” he growled impatiently.

“Sorry,” Will answered quickly, “It’s just that Riley a vampire…”

“Red!”

“Yeah, sorry,” she apologized again. “Do you think you can take them?”
Spike forced himself not to moan in frustration. “If I could take them, don’t you think I would have already! It’s not like we’re here for a bleedin’ tea party!”

“Okay—testy!” Willow sighed. “I’ll have Xander and Giles there as quickly as they can get there. In the mean time, let’s see if Tara and I can’t even the odds a bit.”

“Well, make it bloody quick!” Spike told her returning his attention to Riley who was now pacing the length of the cave filling his captives in on his plan with great relish.

“I never thought it would be this easy!” he snickered. “The infamous Buffy Summers taken down by a little stun gun! But wait Spike; you’re going to appreciate this part. I’m going to kill not one but two Slayers tonight! Gonna beat you’re old record, my boy!”

“You know it never pays to brag,” he glared at the younger vampire.. “So you want to kill a Slayer or two, what does the Niblet have to do with it?"

“Oh, that’s the best part,” he told Spike gleefully. “Before I kill Buffy. I was thinking maybe I’d turn her. You know, give her a little taste of the power she was denying me…”

“Yeah, yeah, get on with it!”

“Well, she’ll have to feed, of course…”

“I won’t let you hurt her…”

“Oh, don’t worry,” he told Spike happily. “I won’t let Buffy kill her. She’s going to be mine. Right after I burry a stake right through Buffy’s cold little heart. If I can’t have one of the Summers girls, there’s always the younger model…”

“Will…pick up the pace a bit!” He thought and then said aloud. “And what makes you think the Slayer won’t kick your ass the second you let her loose?”

“You know what it’s like,” Riley told him softly. “That first time you wake up, the hunger…that blinding need…”

“You know I won’t let that happen!” Spike cried violently trashing against the hands that held him.

“You really don’t have a choice!” Riley spat back angrily.

Suddenly, a blinding light filled the cave, and Spike could feel his arms released as the vampires holding and surrounding him flew through the air hitting the walls of the cave. Quickly, Spike sprang into action pulling a stake from his duster—momentarily surprised that they hadn’t bothered to search him.

“What the hell!” Riley screamed in anger.

“You forgot about the witches!” Spike informed him his leg flying through the air and his boot making a satisfied thud against the cheek of one of the vampires who had managed to struggle weakly to his feet. “And now it’s your turn!”

Spike advance on Riley who looked at his now unconscious minions with a look of helplessness. Slowly, Riley backed away from the furious vampire his hands raised in a vain attempt to block the stake in the older vampire’s hand.

“We could talk about this…” Riley pleaded.

“That’s what I hate about fledgling vampires,” Spike growled as he continued his advance. “All talk!”

“Come on!” Riley begged his back now pressed against the stone, which Buffy rested on. “We have two Slayers. We could kill them…”

“Sorry, mate,” Spike growled the point of the stake in his hand pressed tightly against Riley’s chest. “I don’t kill Slayers anymore.” With that, the shocked expression on Riley’s face faded away to dust.

“If you don’t mind,” Buffy looked up at Spike with a thankful look in her eyes. “I’d like to be up now.”

“I don’t know, luv,” Spike smiled playfully twirling the stake about in his hand. “I kind of like you this way…”

“I’m sure you do!” Buffy rolled her eyes but a smile played about her lips. “But I think we should take care of our little unconscious friends before we have yet another siege on our hands.”

“Is there something I’m missing here?” Dawn called out from her position against the wall.

“You’re not missing a thing,” Buffy informed her as Spike pulled at the chains about her wrist breaking them lose, “and remind me when we get home, you are so grounded!”

“That’s not fair!” Dawn whines playfully. “I’m a married woman now!”







The End

**Yes, this was the super-quick rushed ending. I am planning a re-write, but I want to finish my other two unfinished fics firt. So stay tuned! Thanks for reading!