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Beta'd by the incrediable Spikeslovebite.
Chapter 25

**
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Previously:

The slack jawed vampire watched her go as the carpenter chuckled beside him. “It’s gonna be worse than dusting, man. She’s gonna make you pay.”

**

“My advice; find another subject and quick. Make it something that will make her forget all about the visit from the world’s dimmest light bulb.” Xander gave his last minute advice as they made their way back to the table carrying the drinks. “Compliment her...tell her…tell her that her hair looks nice. Chicks love it when guys notice stuff like that.”

Spike didn’t know what to do. He was pretty sure that Buffy would see through any attempts he might make to bribe her with flattery, and that left him with pretty much no where to go. It wasn’t like he’d done this before, not with a human anyway. He didn’t think that what worked on Dru was likely to work on Buffy at all. Maybe a change of subject was the ticket. Well, maybe a change of subject would be the ticket if she would bloody well look at him. Guess the honeymoon stage of the relationship was over then. Relationship? ‘Relationship,’ he thought and smiled to himself. He had a relationship with the Slayer. She was his girlfriend. He was…being interrupted.

“Huh?” Spike looked at the unknown girl that had spoken to him and inelegantly informed her that he hadn’t heard a word she’d said.

Smiling shyly, she repeated her question, “Would you like to dance?”

He felt rather than saw Buffy stiffen at the girl’s question. ‘Say no, say no!’ his inner voice screamed at him. “Sorry, luv, but I don’t think that would make my girlfriend very happy.”

“Well, I won’t tell her if you don’t.” The unknown girl flirted with the bemused vampire.

Spike wasn’t given the opportunity to answer. Before he could even begin to process the girl’s words, he had a lap full of slayer surprise. With his preternatural hearing, he was pretty sure he heard Buffy mutter something about ‘skanky hos’ and ‘wanna-be-boyfriend-stealers,’ but he couldn’t be positive.

“Now how did I end up with a slayer in my lap?” Spike gently teased the petite blond as he wrapped his arms around her, completely ignoring the stormy retreat of his would-be dance partner.

“Good thing she took the hint, would have hated to go all Slayer Buffy on her,” she announced pertly as she snaked one arm around Spike’s neck to balance herself while the other snuck up to play with the soft curls at the nape of his neck.

“Hey Buff,” Xander called out to his friend and waited until she looked over at him before continuing. Maybe this being friends with a demon thing was having an effect on him? Bringing out the devil inside, maybe? Nah, that had always been there!

“Did you ever officially break off your engagement with the bleached wonder?”

~*~*~

Graham Miller checked his watch as he waited outside the apartment of his friend, Riley Finn. It was getting late. He didn’t want to be stuck outside waiting for too long. Although he was armed with his tazer, he didn’t like taking chances when he had no back-up. Hell, he didn’t like taking chances even when he had back-up.

Looking around one final time, Graham decided that his friend wouldn’t mind if he let himself in. Riley would probably even expect it of him. The ex-commando wouldn’t want his buddy standing out in a hallway if he had decided to spend the night at his girlfriend’s, especially here in Sunnydale. Graham let himself into the apartment using his old set of Initiative skeleton keys and settled himself on the living room couch to begin his wait.

Graham mentally went over what he planned to tell his absent friend. He had done some research since he’d last spoken to his friend and he had been shocked at what he’d discovered. Riley had given up his friends and his career to be with a girl that, according to his resources, was lucky to be alive and was most likely living on borrowed time as it was. Graham couldn’t stand the thought that his friend could be left with nothing but a broken heart. The big dope just had to listen to him. It was time to cut his loses. The girl didn’t love Riley and Graham was determined to make him see that.

~*~*~

Giles absent-mindedly strummed at the guitar strings. A glass of untouched scotch sat on the table in front of him. He had tried unsuccessfully to keep his mind off the beautiful woman who had captured his imagination, but her words had been powerful and her eyes had flashed charmingly with her convictions. ‘No, concentrate on the content of the meeting, old man. Don’t think about the way the sunlight played off her hair, creating shining strands of spun gold’.

He tried to think about the very serious matter of a certain number of prophecies. When that didn’t work, he turned his mind to the matter of his slayer’s budding relationship with another vampire. Anything to distract himself from his fanciful thoughts.

In spite of his best efforts, he was soon daydreaming once more of her beautiful and intelligent eyes and sweet smile.

~*~*~

“The portents are ambiguous, General. The clerics say there has been an intervention by the Heavens. They are unsure what it means,” Dante reported to Gregor, leader of the Knights of Byzantium.

“Tell them to find out. Our mission is clear. There can be no mistakes. The time is nigh. We must find the Key. The key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of God.” Gregor intoned dispassionately. They were close now. He could feel it. Soon the mission would be complete and his men could know rest.

~*~*~

Rolling her eyes at Xander’s teasing, Buffy turned back to her date. Spike was clearly perturbed about something. Catching his eye, she raised a questioning eyebrow.

Spike looked at the girl in his arms, carefully considering his words. “I want to move out of the crypt, luv. But before I can do anything, I need to make sure that what I’m plannin’ isn’t what you would consider bad.”

“Okay, why don’t you tell me what you have in mind and we can work that out,” Buffy gently encouraged the contemplative vampire. She was so pleased that he was considering moving without her having to point him in that direction, ‘cause the crypt thing…ew.

Nodding his head in agreement, Spike outlined the first problem. “There’s three ways I can get money, Buffy. The first way my bloody inner William is saying no to, the second way he’s okay with, and the third he’s not sure.”

“Oh…okay…wasn’t expecting that. Well, er, lets start with William’s no vote and see if I agree with him.” Buffy took a deep breath, she was pretty sure that this was going to be something she wasn’t going to like. ‘Cause seriously, if William was vetoing the idea, then it had to be of the bad. Still, at least he was checking with her first, so she made herself a promise not to lose her temper.

“I could ask Angel for my share of the money he put away while the Scourge was together,” Spike offered hesitantly, hoping that Buffy wouldn’t go all slayer-like on his arse for that one.

“No. Big no. Huge with the no. Hafta agree with William on that one.” Buffy hoped that his other suggestions were a little more acceptable. “The one you’re not sure about?”

“I still have some of the treasure that was with the Gem of Amara. I could sell it.” Spike looked a little doubtful.

“That’s a possibility,” Buffy agreed, carefully optimistic. “And the third option?”

“I was the last of my line as a human, pet. Everything I owned was sold off and the proceeds were invested. I could live off that.”





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