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Author's Chapter Notes:
First of all I went to thank whoever nominated me for the Forbidden Awards. *hugs* thank you so much....
Second thanks to everyone that's been reading this. I'm so sorry that it's taken me two weeks to update, RL just kind happened. LOL
Anyways... this chapter beta'd by one of my best friends and even though she's not a Spuffy fan she did this for me. *hugs you tight* Tis. Love you, sis.
Oh and no real warning in this chapter... especially if you've been reading this right along.
Spike hadn’t gotten far when his cell phone rang. Answering it he was soon reminded that he had forgotten once again about Angel and Dru. This time he was supposed to have met them for dinner half an hour earlier, but with everything he’d been doing he’d forgotten… again.

That was so unlike him. He never forgot important things. And never a dinner date with his best friends, not even when he was working on a case. It might take him a few days to get back to them if he was ass deep in alligators but he never forgot.

Starting his car he apologized to Angel, promising to be right there. Knowing that Dru would worry he added “Tell her not to worry.” Then he headed straight for the restaurant.

Fifteen minutes later, Spike was sitting having dinner with the happy couple. At first they sat idly catching up on everything but Spike was so tense he couldn’t enjoy anything. He was waiting for one if not both of them to ask about where he’d been and what he’d been doing when Angel called.

Then just as he started to relax, it came, “Why are your bees buzzing so, love? I thought you told them no more, time for Spike to rest?” Dru asked as she sipped her chardonnay.

The blond swallowed his draft and tried to figure out something to tell them. He had a feeling that Dru, more than Angel, would be the one to catch on things.

She had a strange sixth sense about people. Most of the time he was grateful for it, but others, like tonight, he cursed it because she not only knew he was distracted but she also knew his mind was on a case rather than there with them. Damn it all.

Nodding he decided to tell them a partial truth, only leaving out the who and what of it. “Yeah, I should be relaxing. Had planned on not working while I was out here but this big case came up and needed my attention. Working with my old partner on it, don’t want anything to happen to the girl. Shouldn’t take too long with both of us on it.” Shrugging Spike went back to his meal, trying his best to act like the case meant nothing to him.

“Anything I can help you with?” Angel inquired pausing to take a drink.

“Nah we’ve got it pretty much solved, mate, thanks. Wouldn’t want you working on your holiday, especially when you and Dru are alone for the first time since the lil’ bits were born. ‘Sides think I’m ready for another God child,” he added winking teasingly.

He hoped if he got them on the subject of having another one and off of the subject of the case they’d forget about it.

Angel laughed reaching over to take Dru’s hand giving it a light squeeze before he told him that they were in fact trying to get pregnant with a third child for the last few months. Spike beamed at his best friend.

As the two men sat and chatted about the two they already had and the potential third, Dru watched them. She’d decided not to press any more about whatever seemed to be distressing Spike so. He didn’t want to talk about it. She sensed that.

So she watched Spike- studied him in fact. He seemed different. Since they’d arrived in California he’d had this dark aura around him. One that spoke of danger and it seemed to grow darker and larger every time she saw him.

That worried her. Even when he’d been back in New York deep in some of his worst cases he didn’t seem this bad. She knew there was more that Spike wasn’t telling them.

‘Protecting us’. Those words floated though her mind’s eye as she observed. Yes, she thought, that’s what he’s doing. He’s trying to protect us from whatever evil he’s dealing with.

For the rest of the dinner Dru remained fairly quiet, content to let the boys catch up and tease one another. She rather enjoyed them poking one another like they used to when they’d all spent more time together. It was nice to see her husband’s playful side come out again. He didn’t have nearly enough fun time with her and the children anymore now that he’d made detective.

But aside from wishing her Angel had more time with his friends, this opportunity let Spike relax so that she could read him better.

She couldn’t get much but what she did worried her. She saw horrible images of twisted and mangled bodies, witches, demons, werewolves, all sorts of creatures that Spike had dealt with over the past several months. Nightmarish things. In among all the terrible images she saw a flashback to Buffy’s last miscarriage.

“The demon’s rage kills the tiniest of victims,” she whispered in horror.

Both the men fell silent and turned to look at her for a moment. Waiting for her to say more. When it became apparent that she wasn’t Spike said, “Come again, pet?”

Dru turned sorrowful eyes on him, “Buffy…” she said trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Oh, god no…” Spike whispered as he flew from the table; then the restaurant.

Angel sat blinking at the sudden turn of events. One minute they’d been reminiscing about the good ol’ days; the next it was like someone dropped a lead blanket over them.

“Dru, honey, what was all that about?”

“Danger’s all around them. It clings to them like satin gloves.” Dru ran her hand down her arms as if she really were trying to get some invisible thing off of them while staring off into the dim dining room filled with people.

He knew that look all to well. It meant she was having a vision, and a frightening one at that. Reaching over, he pulled her to him and held her tight. “Who, Dru? Who’s the danger around?” the brunette detective murmured, trying to sooth his wife.

Clinging to him as if he were her only hope, she whispered into his shoulder, confirming what he’d already suspected. “Buffy and Spike.”

~*~

Buffy was so glad when the last of the dinner time crowd cleared out and she could finally collapse on one of the stools at the end of the counter. She’d thought the day would never end.

Thankfully it had and without any major catastrophe happening, to boot. Spike never showed up, Riley didn’t show up. Other than that one small mishap with Lorne, the afternoon hadn’t gone too badly.

“Sweetie, go home and get some rest. You look exhausted and that’s one thing we do not want for tomorrow night.” Gwen smiled at the petite blond as she plopped down beside her. “We want you to look like a glam movie star for the reunion.”

“Umm… about that,” biting her lip, Buffy replied worriedly. “I don’t think I’m gonna go.”

Blue eyes blinked. “What?”

“I think it’s really great of you and Faith to try and help me- cover for me like this- but….” Buffy sighed, looking at the counter. “I think I better not. What if he finds out?”

“First of all, you should go…. Secondly, he won’t find out. I can promise you that. I told him myself earlier in the week that you were coming out with me and Faith to celebrate her birthday,” Gwen said, ticking off the reasons why she should go on her fingers. “Third, Riley knows better than to piss me off by trying to stop you. And finally, he also knows I can and would kick his ass if he ever got the balls to try and stop me from taking you out once in a while.”

Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself from the rant about her step brother from hell. When she spoke again her voice was softer. “You deserve a night out with your friends once in a while. You need to see other people that care about you, besides just me and Faith.”

“But what if he finds out somehow? What if he shows up there?”

“He won’t. We have it all planned out. You get dressed up as if we were going out. We pick you up. You change into your dress at our place, then we drop you off at the reunion. When you’re ready to go home, you call us. We’ll pick you up, you change back and then we take you home. He’ll never know. Promise.”

Buffy’s worries eased. It was a good plan, one that Riley wouldn’t expect. “Okay… I’ll go.”

The perky brunette grinned, hugging her. “Yay! Now go get some sleep and if Riley even thinks about making you do anything tonight, him to take it up with me!” She smirked, giving the blond a sharp nod. She was just itching to kick his ass for something. She’d had enough of his shit to last ten life times. The only reason she didn’t was she knew he’d only hurt Buffy more then. He was a sick, sadistic bastard like that.

After saying good bye to Gwen, Buffy headed home expecting the worst, but to her surprise the apartment was totally dark and quiet. But most shocking of all was that Riley was nowhere to be found.

~*~

As day had turned into night Riley had gotten Sara to tell him everything she had seen and heard over the last few weeks. One morning earlier in the week, she’d overheard Gwen and Faith discussing how they could get Buffy to the reunion without Riley finding out. She’d also found out that Gwen had helped Buffy buy a dress for the event, too.

Riley paced back and forth as his demon growled and snarled. How dare she even think of doing something he’d told her she couldn’t do!

His little bitch of a wife was going to pay for ever thinking she could do what she wanted to. HE was the boss, and by God she was going to obey!

Sara, still chained to the bed, had passed out from all the abuse he’d given her over the last few hours. Her stomach, which had been flat only hours ago, was now raised, showing that she was, in fact, carrying his demon spawn. He’d used his magicks to make the fetus grow almost three months worth in less than a day.

Striding back over to the bed, he caressed her stomach with his clawed hand. “Soon, my child, soon…”

Laughing evilly, Riley grinned, showing bloodstained teeth as he came up with the mother of all plans to finally rid himself of his wife once and for all. “Let the little whore think she’s gotten away with it… she’ll get it in the end.”

Tbc…





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