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Dawn’s hands shook as she entered the house still reeling from the shock of finding Spike in the crypt. She was dying to tell Buffy he was back, but she had decided that she wouldn’t. If only she could make him see how much Buffy was hurting without him. It wasn’t guilt for using him, well not entirely.



She rounded the corner and entered the living room tossing her jacket on the end of the sofa. Buffy sat at the other end, her legs pulled up beneath her. The television was on, but instead of watching the show, the Slayer was looking at the arrangement of flowers sitting in the center of the coffee table. Next to it was a nearly empty pint of chocolate marshmallow ice cream. Apparently, she’d been there for a while.



“So where did the flowers come from?” she asked plopping down on the free end of the couch and helping herself to what was left of the ice cream.



“Not really sure,” Buffy replied with a shrug.



“You don’t know?” Her lips curved into a smile. Maybe she had gotten through to Spike after all. She had just left him, but maybe he had ordered the flowers before she had even found him in the crypt, or maybe he had sent Clem over with them.



“Well, no,” she answered smiling back. “It was probably Ryan. Who would have thought I’d actually meet a nice guy in the cemetery?”



“You think Ryan sent them?” Dawn asked studying the carton of ice cream in her hand so that her sister wouldn’t see her disappointment.



“Sure. He was so sweet last night,” the Slayer replied smiling at the memories of her impromptu date the night before. “Why? Do you think it might have been someone else?”



“No, I’m sure you’re right,” she lied as she placed the ice cream on the table suddenly not feeling all that hungry anymore. “It probably was Ryan. I, um, better go clean my room.”



“Clean your room?” Buffy looked thoroughly confused as she watched her sister leave the room. “O-kay. I’m going to head out for a quick patrol. Don’t wait up.”







Damn,” Dawn sighed swinging her bedroom door shut behind her. This was going to be harder than she thought. Even though her sister was sure it was the guy from the cemetery that had sent the flowers, she knew better. There had to be a way to get her to realize that without ratting out Spike.





***





“Buffy?”



“Ryan?” she stashed her stake into the waistband of her skirt as the young man emerged from the shadows. “What are you doing here?”



“I could ask you the same thing,” he laughed. “Beautiful girl hanging out in a dark cemetery.”



“We’ve all got to have a place to hang out,” she replied thankful for the darkness that covered up the bright shade of red her cheeks were turning. “After last night, I didn’t think I’d see you here again. Those guys could still be around.”



“Yeah, but I couldn’t let them scare me away knowing you might be here.”



Her stomach did a summersault when he took her hand and looked into her eyes. He was going to kiss her. She was sure of it. Her eyes fell shut as she tilted her head up to meet his lips.



“What was that?”



“Wh-what?” Buffy gasped her lips tingling from the feel of the cold air hitting her skin where his warm breath had been only a moment before. “I didn’t hear anything.”



“Maybe we should go somewhere a little less secluded,” he suggested.





***





“Bullocks,” the vampire hissed as he barged into the crypt slamming the steel door shut behind him with a satisfying clang.



Clem emerged from behind the fridge door to look at the obviously furious vampire. “Bad night?”



“You could say that. Mate,” Spike growled flopping down on his worn out chair. “You’d think a vamp could take a peaceful walk in the cemetery, but no…”



“I take it you ran into Buffy?” the wrinkled demon asked between mouthfuls of canned cheese.



“That would have been impossible,” he snorted. “Stupid bint was too wrapped up with her latest boy toy.”



“She has a new boyfriend?” Clem asked failing to cover the surprise in his voice. “I mean, that’s great that’s she’s decided to move on with her life. It doesn’t bother you, does it?”



“Why should it bother me?’ Spike shot his friend a glare. “She should move on. Just thought the Slayer would have better taste than that little boy she picked out. Didn’t even have the decency to leave the cemetery before he started pawing her.”



“You pawed her in the cemetery,” Clem reminded him.



“I live her,” he objected, “and I didn’t paw her, we made…never mind. It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past now.”



“Sure, it is,” the demon replied with a shrug as he replaced his snack in the fridge. “Just saying you seem a little preoccupied to say it’s all in the past.”



“I said it was in the past, mate.” Spike’s hands curled into fists on the arms of the chair as his face began to change.



“Hey, it was just an observation.” Clem raised both hands in surrender. “Listen, I need to go out for a bit.”



“Been going out quite a bit lately,” he observed his face returning to its normal features. “Don’t have a lady friend, do you?”



“Me?” He blushed. His ears flapped against his head as he shook his head. “Just got to see a guy about a cat, expecting a big liter. Don’t wait up for me.”





***





Clem walked down the alley behind the Bronze glancing about nervously. He was beginning to think dealing with these vampires was more trouble than it was worth. They had insisted they meet behind the Bronze, not even brothering to remember that he couldn’t morph into human form. He only hoped that if he did run into one of the Bronze’s patrons that they would have drunk enough alcohol to chalk up his “skin disorder” to a drunken hallucination.



This time they had better come though. Not that they had exactly failed the last time. They had delivered the flowers like promised. He just hadn’t counted on Buffy finding a new guy. Maybe he should contract his “partners” to get rid of the guy. No, that wasn’t the answer. If this new guy disappeared, Buffy was bound to blame Spike when she found out that he was back in town. He just had to be patient and stick with the original plan.



“Where are you guys?’ he hissed into the darkness. The sound of the partiers in the Bronze seemed closer than ever. It was only a matter of time before he got caught. What if one of them happened to be a member of the Initiative? They had disbanded after the battle under Sunnydale, but that didn’t mean there weren’t a few of their kind lurking about. He knew what Spike had gone through while trapped with them. He’d never survive it.



“Would you keep it down!” the blond vampire growled as he emerged from the shadows. “Anyone within two blocks knows we’re here!”



Clem nearly jumped out of his skin—no mean feat considering the amount of skin draped over his lumbering frame—as the vampire stepped into the circle of light made by the streetlight followed by his dark-haired minion.



“Sorry,” Clem mumbled. He had been keeping quiet. As quiet as he could be. With his bulk, stealthiness wasn’t exactly his strong point.



“Yeah, whatever,” the blonde’s companion replied with a snort. “Could we just get on with this? I’m hungry, and the pickings are getting slimmer inside as we speak.”



“Yeah, this will only take a minute,” he told them digging in one of the deep pockets on his vest. After a moment, he pulled out a long velvet covered box. “I need you to get this into Buff…the Slayer’s bedroom—preferably on her pillow.”



“You know, your crush on that girl isn’t healthy,” the first vamp commented taking the box ad venturing a peek inside. The item inside made him raise his eyebrows suspiciously.



“It’s not from me!” Clem snapped. “It’s for a…never mind who it’s from! Are you going to do it or not?”



“It’s going to be tough getting into the Slayer’s house,” he commented shoving the box into his back pocket. “The whole no invitation thing and all.”



“I’m sure you can get around that,” he replied impatiently. “I’ll double your fee.”



The vampire shrugged as he turned and joined his companion who had already given up on the conversation and was heading for the backdoor of the Bronze. “Who am I to judge how you waste your money?”





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