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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm so sorry for the really long delay in chapters, sometimes real life just cant be ignored.
Thanks as usual to my fab beta Jill, who even with computer issues of her own, still keeps slogging away at my stuff.
Dont worry this story will be finished... even if it kills me.
Buffy was embarrassed. But worse than that, she was embarrassed in front of Cordelia Chase. She was also understandably agitated for exactly the same reasons that had Spike doing his best big bad impersonation.


The two people in front of her were supposed to be dead, and yet here they were. Coincidentally, in the last place she remembered seeing them alive.

Ok, get it together Buff, you can do the blushy thing later.


Doing up the last of her buttons on her shirt, Buffy moved to Spike’s side. Placing a restraining hand on his arm, she turned her attention to the other couple.

Taking note of the still glazed look on Doyle’s face, she rolled her eyes, trying not to blush as she met his gaze.

When his eyes dipped down to the arms crossed over her chest she frowned.


“Hey there mister…that better be the time your so interested in, coz if it’s not my watch you’re staring at, we are so gonna have a problem.”

She smirked as his eyes instantly flew back to hers, his complexion, even in the low light of the room, notably redder.


“So like Spike said, care to do the explainy thing before we do the jump to conclusion thing?” she asked, her voice dangerously quiet.



Cordelia turned to face them, her own eye roll more than a match for Buffy’s earlier one.

“Same old Buffy I see…punch first, questions…” she shrugged “well…not so much”.


“Oi you stupid bint, don’t be talkin’ to my girl like that less you wanna end up with more than the sharp side of m’ tongue.” shot Spike. The scowl on his face making an already nervous Doyle step back reflexively.


“Yeah right, like that’s gonna scare me after the day I’ve had.” offered Cordelia with a snort. “Look, as much as I’d love to stand around and explain…not” She rolled her eyes again “I think it would be easier if we did the whole revelation thing back at the Hyperion. And before you start…don’t”.

She smiled sweetly. “I’m me and he’s Doyle and that’s all you’re getting until you haul ass back to the hotel.”


The smile slipped away and she sighed heavily; the twin glares being directed her way, making her already strained patience verge on the losing of it side.

“Look, sorry guys, but some very big stuff is happening and I don’t have time to hold your hands while I explain. So I’m gonna say bye-bye now and get my ass back to the others, before anyone else gets bitten”. The last said with a pointed glare in Doyle’s direction.


Then before either Buffy or Spike could open their mouths to get a word out, she disappeared as silently as she’d come.

Doyle tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers, shrugged helplessly with a ‘what can you do’ expression, and promptly followed her example.


“Ok, what the hell just happened?” Buffy demanded. “God is it me” she muttered “or is Cordelia actually a bigger bitch now than when she was alive?”

She met Spike’s amused gaze. “And hey, there’s a question I never thought I’d ask” she said, with a grin of her own.

“Dunno Pet, can’t say I know the bint well enough to judge.” He smirked. “Guess hangin’ around Peaches mighta magnified it some, His Broodiness always seemed to have that effect on the women in his life…least while the ones I know” he offered slyly.

“Yeah well…hey…watch it you,” Buffy threatened with a faux glare “or when we get home bitchiness is all you’re gonna be getting”.


Spike’s smirk widened even as he pulled her into his arms. “S’ alright luv, I happen to like bitchy Buffy.” he drawled suggestively, his expression knowing.

“Pig” she muttered, pulling his head down until his mouth hovered just over hers.

“Oink oink kitten…y’ know…” His smug response was cut short moments later, as Buffy reached up and pressed her mouth to his.

Pulling away far sooner than he would have liked, she smiled up at him lazily.

“Hmm…knew that would shut you up.”


Attempting to move her back towards the bed he mumbled bemusedly “Wha’s that pet?”


“Oh, no you don’t mister. We need to get going.” Gently maneuvering herself free of his embrace Buffy licked her lips as she met his lust filled gaze.

“Cordelia’s bitchyness aside,” she stepped back putting some distance between them. “I left Dawn at the hotel, along with the others. One of who worked some pretty powerful mojo to keep us all apart. Besides, the whole being caught by Cordelia thing has pretty much killed the mood for me, so…”


Eyes searching the room she smiled at him as she spotted what she’d been looking for. Two quick strides later and she was stooping to pick up Spike’s discarded coat.

Turning back to him, she searched the pockets of the coat until she found what she was looking for.


“I think we better get both our lazy butts back to base so we can find out what’s the what. Here, catch.” she ordered throwing him the key she’d retrieved from his duster.


Spike’s hand reached out and plucked it from the air with barely a glance, his still heated gaze focused on the woman before him.


“What?” she asked when he continued to stare. Holding up the key he cocked a questioning eyebrow.

“Ok” she admitted with a sheepish grin. “I mighta sorta forgot to mention that when we did the claimy thing earlier…” She blushed as his eyes darkened with the reminder of their earlier passion. “I kinda got total recall back.”


“Hmm you did, did you?” he drawled. “So pet, when were you planning on unchainin’ me?”


“Oh I’m sure I would have got around to it…sometime.” she replied airily as she moved back towards him, her hips swaying.

“But…I seem to remember having other things on my mind at the time…and it’s not like you were handicapped or anything. As a matter of fact, I think chains make you extra creative.” she murmured, reaching out to run one finger across his still chained wrist.


Pulling her towards him lightning fast Spike let out a low snarl. Gripping her by both of her upper arms, their lower bodies connected in a way that left her in no doubt of the meaning behind his next words.

“This isn’t over Slayer. An’ next time luv…you’re the one that’s gonna be all tied up, yeah?”


Head swooping down he captured her lips, his mouth caressing hers so skillfully that Buffy was instantly on fire with her need for him.


“God Spike” she gasped as she pulled back to take a breath. “Do you know just how much I love you? How much I missed you…” her eyes teared up as she met his gaze.

“I thought I’d lost you…forever.” she admitted. Her voice hitched in remembered pain. “I-I can’t believe you’re here…with me. That I get a second chance”.


Spike’s gaze softened. The love and pain in her eyes an abrupt reminder of just what he’d done to her by allowing his own insecurities to over rule his natural desires.


“M’ sorry luv, I shoulda let you know…I was a bloody fool,” he murmured apologetically, pulling her closer.

“Bleedin’ hell Buffy, when I think of how close I came to never seein’ you again?” He shook his head.

“Don’t know what I was thinkin’ pet, s’ not like me to be such wimp. Maybe the soul makes a vamp extra broody or somthin’? Who knows?”

He reached up to stroke a tear away with his thumb.


“Don’t cry sweetheart, s’over and look at us. You’re mine and I’m yours, an’ nothing and no one is ever gonna keep us apart again. Least, not if I have any say in it”.

Resting his forehead against hers, he concentrated briefly and opened the claim.
His next words were intentionally formal as he looked into her eyes and spoke.


“I promise you Buffy Summers, that as long as I’m on this earth nothing will ever come between us. Blood of my blood, heart of my heart…we are joined forever. You are my reason for being, slayer, and if I have to fight heaven itself, not even death will keep me from your side”.



Buffy could feel his determination flow through the claim. The words that he spoke both heartening her and sending a shiver down her spine. She knew without him telling her that the promise he’d just made was more than a lover’s. It sent ripples across the claim, the echoes of his words striking a chord of deeper truth inside her soul.

Without being told, she understood that the vow he’d just made was as important as the actual claim. The words linked them in a way that had everything and nothing to do with the fact that they were mated.


Staring back into his still solemn face, she smiled softly.


“Forever then, because there is no way I’m ever going back to heaven without you. I’ve lived in a world where you weren’t…I’m not doing it again.”

She reached up and stroked his cheek. “Besides…all the heaven I want is right here,” she murmured leaning in to kiss him.


The kiss was surprisingly sweet and gentle, neither of them feeling the urge to take it any further. Both of them content to bask in the rightness of finally being together.





************





Willow swallowed hard against the sudden desire she had to throw up. She was trembling with shock at Dawn’s actions.

Fuck…Well…Fuck

Trying to form a coherent thought, she kept coming up empty.


If someone had told her that Dawn was capable of the vicious coldness she had just seen, she would never have believed it. She didn’t think that even Buffy at her most primal would have been capable of pulling off the level of scary that Dawn had just exhibited.
And even with what he’d done to them over the last year Willow couldn’t understand what had motivated the absolute hatred in Dawn’s voice.


Sure, he deserved to be punished and Willow had actually thought of some rather interesting ways she could implement that punishment, but surprisingly none of them involved his actual death.


To her, Andrew was just a very weak minded boy that had yet again made the mistake of choosing the wrong side. There was no way she could picture him being bad enough to warrant the absolute loathing she just heard Dawn dish out.

She was pretty angry with him upstairs, but a kick in the face is a long way from torture. What the hell should I do? She wouldn’t really…

Her thoughts slid to a screeching halt as Andrew started to speak.


**********************


Angelus groaned in pain as he levered himself to his feet. The pain in his mouth and throat had lessened but he knew that without blood it would be days before it went away completely.


Getting up he swayed wearily. Though he’d only been back a short while, he felt like he’d been awake for days. Angel had fought a fierce battle against the armies of Wolfram and Hart, and then spent the better part of the last two nights assisting in the cleanup.

Angelus now found himself paying the price for Angel’s single mindedness, his body felt like it was on the verge of collapse.


Leaving Tain’s his first thought was to head straight to the Hyperion, but after crossing the road and traveling barely three blocks he realized that going up against Willow in the condition he was in would be tantamount to suicide.

Cursing, he changed direction and headed towards the nearest demon bar.

He needed blood and rest and then he needed to find a way to get his hands on a mou- ping.


Four bars later his throat felt much better but he’d been unable to find anyone that could point him in the direction of another magical supplier. To his disgust, it seemed that Angel was not someone that the demon community wanted to cross.


As he left the latest bar, Angelus was in the sort of mood that in days of old had made even Darla nervous.

He was in a foul temper. Not even ripping the head of a particularly unhelpful chaos demon had brightened his mood, and he really hated chaos demons.


Angelus may have been the scourge of Europe once upon a time: a feared and respected predator. However, that was then, before the soul had turned him into Angel.

Not one demon he’d come across tonight was willing to risk pissing off his alter ego. The ones that had hung around long enough to recognize that he was no longer one of the good guys, were not about to risk their hides as long as there was even a chance that Angel might come back. It seemed that Angel was just as feared by demons and humans as Angelus had ever been. The Chaos demon had said as much, right before he’d parted company with his own head.

Therefore, that meant the only person that knew how to get their hands on a mou-ping was the one person that was guaranteed not to help.


Fucking hell… Cordelia fucking Chase. Why the hell does everything lead back to her?

Fine...if that is the way it has to be, then I will just have to find some way to get her cooperation, willing or not.


Angelus frowned. The memory of the searing pain of Cordelia’s blood making him growl in frustration, as it occurred to him that torturing her would now be out of the question, at least the bloody kind that he preferred.


Pissed and disheartened he turned his thoughts to finding somewhere to shelter from the approaching dawn. He needed a place that no one would think to look for him, a place that demons would give a wide berth. Somewhere to rest and to plan.


Angelus smiled. Oh yeah… why the hell not. It would be the last place Cordelia would expect me to go.

Decision made, he changed direction and headed for the burnt out former headquarters of Angel Investigations.





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