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“Ah ha” Giles exclaimed, waking the dozing Xander with a start

“What? I’m up” The young man bluffed blinking furiously.

Giles didn’t spare the outburst any attention, “I think I’ve found it” he informed him, “the power source that Marcus is channelling with the amulet”

“Great, what is it? Does this mean I can stop reading now?” he asked glancing down at the dusty tome that had moments ago been his pillow.

“Indeed” Giles replied dryly “call Buffy I’ll get the car”

“Okay, but it is three am, maybe we should take this to Buffy tomorrow” the young man suggested before giving the watcher a noisy yawn he didn’t bother to cover with his hand.

Giles frowned at him disapprovingly but agreed as if suddenly realising the time, “quite, er, maybe you should go and get some sleep too. We’ll meet with Buffy and the others tomorrow.”

“Okey dokey” Xander rose to leave, the call of his bed in the next room tugging at his tired body, but concern stopped him and he turned a questioning look on the watcher. “About Buffy” he began tentatively “How do you think she’s doing? With Spike being back and all.” He shook his head “She’s acting like it’s no big. I mean not that I want her falling into the evil un-dead's arms, but I don’t know, I thought she’d do something ya know?”

“She certainly seem to be taking his return very well” He polished his glasses. “I suppose she has Richard now and her life here. Perhaps with Spikes amnesia she sees this as an opportunity too put that part of her past behind her”

“Yeah, I guess.” Xander looked unconvinced. “I just keep thinking about what Dawn said, remember about her ‘owing’ it to Spike to live her normal life. I was kinda buying it, but now the guys back and she’s carrying on just the same. Seems kinda weird”

Giles felt the currents of truth in Xander's words and swam hard against them. “Well it’s entirely possible that Dawn was mistaken, she has always had something of a soft spot for Spike. You must also remember that the Spike that has returned to us is not the same creature that sacrificed himself in the Hellmouth.” He paused fixing Xander with a pointed look “He has no soul”

………………..

Buffy stared accusingly at her desk tidy, wondering if she really needed so many pencils. Her phone rang loudly in the quite office, causing her to jump, heart pounding furiously in her chest.

She gave the phone a suspicious look before answering it. “Buffy Summers” she greeted formally.

“Buffy. It’s Giles” her watchers voice came across the line, clear and authoritative. “I have some news on the current situation. What time can we meet?”

Buffy ran a mental checklist over the group “I’m home by six, and Willow said she’d be over by half past.” She informed him “Spike’ll be there with Dawn, she seems to have given up on lectures all together, since he came back” bitterness tinged her voice making the words come out harsh and clipped even in her own ears.

“Quite” the watcher agreed concern over her out burst evident in his gentle voice. “I’ll see you all at half past six then. Goodbye”

“Bye Giles”

Buffy hung up the phone and returned to contemplating her desk tidy, if she got the angle right she could stake Spike with one of those pencils. That’d wipe the arrogant self-satisfied grin of his face. Teach him to mess with her head.

After their intense encounter last night he hadn’t said a word to her. He’d come back to the house an hour later, fresh pack of cigarettes in hand and brushed past her without even acknowledging her presences before settling down on the Sofa with Dawn under his arm to watch Late Night Poker.

She’d lingered in the kitchen listening to their easy banter over betting tactics and cheating, the counter had suffered further damage when her grip had tightened on it splintering the edging. Xander wouldn’t be able to fix it now, she’d have to buy a new one, and that was Spikes fault too, stupid infuriating vampire.

Maybe she should stake him, he was clearly messing with Dawn’s feelings too, all lovey dovey one minute, coming on to her the next. Maybe he thought it’d be funny, play the two of them off each other, until one of them broke. Stupid evil bastard.

…………………..


“She burns my eyes!” Beatrice spat angrily, gleaming golden eyes fixed angrily on her brother. “Too bright she is, burning my eyes to ashes in my head” she clawed maniacally at her face, long nails scratching the skin.

“Sshhhh” he crooned gently, pulling her hands away. “Your eyes are fine my love, beautiful as ever”

She calmed, looking at him with dark human eyes, filled with fear. “Turn off the light, it’s too bright. Turn off the light”

“I will my love” he assured her, hands rubbing comforting circles on the naked skin of her back “I will. You need to rest, shall I have Solomon bring a boy for you?” he asked

She looked at him coyly, her mood switching instantly to childlike excitement. “Ooh yes, a boy” she clapped her hands. “Young and soft and golden”

He gave her an indulgent smile. “I have just the thing” he told her stroking her glossy hair. He stood from the bed and dressed gracefully. “I’ll send him right away, and I’ll deal with the Slayer, you don’t have to worry about a thing my sweet”. He leant down to kiss her forehead, “you just stay here and, er, play, with your food” he chuckled at his own joke and walked to the door.

He looked back before leaving, she was lying naked on the bed, arms thrown wide, eyes closed, a look of contentment on her face. Such faith in him she had, his beautiful mysterious sister, and he would not fail her. The slayer would die, just as she wished it, and then he would gift her the world as a plaything.

………………….


“So” Buffy asked briskly as soon as they where all assembled in the living room. “Let’s get on with it, the sooner I kick Marcus’ butt the sooner I can get my life back.” She cast Spike a nasty look “We’re on a schedule guys I’m getting married in forty eight days”

“Chop chop then watcher, wouldn’t wanna keep the blushing bride waiting.” Spike exclaimed with faux brightness, he returned her look with an equally unpleasant sneer “Tell me Slayer, you getting married in white?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, anger boiling in her veins at the insinuation in his voice. “Don’t you even…” she began ready to unleash the full force of her pent up her anger on the vampire.

“Buffy please!” Giles interrupted her before she could continue, out of the corner of her eye she saw Dawn roll her eyes and give an exasperated sigh.

“As I was about to say” he spoke firmly giving both the Slayer and the vampire stern reproving looks. “I think I have discovered what power source Marcus is harnessing”

He took a deep breath and scanned the room as if to ensure he had everyone’s full attention. “I believe he his channelling the power of the ancient demon god know as Velmorick.” He glanced at their faces, excellent now he had their attention. “Velmorick was worshipped as a god of leadership or of battle. It was said that Velmorick himself commanded an army so great and powerful it laid waste to half the demon world.” He paused. “This was of course long before humans inhabited the earth”

Another pause with no interruptions, perhaps his surrogate children where finally developing something resembling an adult attention span. “It was believed that when Velmorick departed this dimension he left behind some of his power contained in and effigy of the god himself”

“Do we know where this effigy is?” Willow asked.

“Um yes, this is partly my reason for believing that it is indeed Velmorick’s power that Marcus is using.” He glanced at his notes. “There is said to be a shrine to the god housed in an underground temple in Cleveland. The exact location is not known, but given the information Spike has given us on Marcus’ location and the coincidence of the Hellmouth being so near…” He trailed off, no further explanation necessary.

“Great so what? Have Faith look for the temple?” Buffy asked keeping her eyes fixed firmly on Giles.

“Passing the buck are we Slayer?” Spike accented drawl drew her unwilling eyes to his face. “Gonna send a sidekick instead of facing the big bad, and here I thought you where a hero” his tone was mocking, holding a hint of challenge, she would not be drawn. She knew him too well to not realise when he was baiting her, looking for a reaction. She would not be drawn.

“And I thought you where helping” damn she wasn’t supposed to be drawn “So far though, more of a hindrance, what with all the saving you I’ve had to do ”

He gave her a sugar coated smile, “Now now Slayer, no need to for that. Everyone’ll understand if you don’t wanna upset your wedding plans, wouldn’t want to give your sugar daddy time to realise what a bitch you are and call the whole thing off”

“Guys” Dawn tried vainly to interrupt their squabble.

“Okay that’s it” Buffy spat, flicking her hair over her shoulder “Outside, I’m gonna do what I shoulda done the moment you showed up here” a stake appeared magically in her hand, she knew she was right to start carrying weapons again.

“Don’t flatter yourself Slayer, you wouldn’t stand a chance” Spike rose gracefully from chair. “But if you really wanna dance” he opened his arms in invitation, head gesturing to the door behind him.

“Buffy” Giles’ pedagogic reprimand went unheeded as Buffy barrelled headlong into Spike, sending the pair through the kitchen and out onto the back porch.

Willow rose as if to follow, but Dawn’s resigned voice stopped her. “I think we should let them work out their issues” she told the group with a defeated sigh “Besides for them, I think this is kinda like progress”

……………

A/N Thanks for the reviews guys, sorry to back track on B/S forward momentum, but I hate stories where they just fall into each others arms, not really in keeping with character. Don’t worry you can tell from where I’m posting that this is a B/S

Cali, Hey thank you so much for the encouragement right through this story, you’re reviews are always fantastic. Kisses

Lizzy and KMS, Cheers, had a great weekend but then 6 days off is always gonna be good.

More action next time I promise, hey I’ve even worked out how it’s gonna end, I wasn’t just writing with no plan honest ;)





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