Author's Chapter Notes:
This is a story that I started a few years ago and since it's getting close to the holidays I thought I would give it another shot. I hope you guys enjoy it.
Chapter 1

Spike opened one of his swollen eyes. The room was dark. At first he was overcome with the fear he was blind but soon he could make out the walls of the cave in the blackness. He struggled to tilt his head. He wanted to scan the whole room to see if the First and its new friend were in tonight. A part of him was glad that they didn’t appear to be there. Another part of him hoped they were hiding somewhere. He wasn’t sure if it was night or day, but he hoped it was day. He couldn’t stand the thought that that thing could be out there after Buffy.

Another few minutes passed. Spike called out to the creature partly hoping it would show its ugly face. When it didn’t come he got another idea. He could get out. The First itself couldn’t stop him from leaving. Only the vampire and the harbingers could. Neither of which appeared to be around. The problem he faced however was getting out of the chains. Even at his full strength it would have been a tough job.

He began to pull at the chains with all the might he possessed, but to no avail. He pulled again. Nothing.

“Need some help?” Spike glanced up at the figure that now stood before him. The one he hadn’t heard enter the room.

“It’s just…well that doesn’t look very comfortable.” The girl smiled up at him.

He knew that smile. He knew this girl. But who was she?

“You do remember me right?”

The look on Spike’s face told her he didn’t.

“Carley. You know…Carlemorous…goddess of desire.”

Oh right. He remembered now.

“Long time…no see...pet.”

“Yea well I’ve been around.” She snapped her fingers and the cave lit up. “That’s better.”

“Carley, luv, what are you…?”

“Doing here? Well see I’m like a new agent of the First. I was told to come here…” she looked around “...to this…very interesting place. Not very posh is it? I mean you would think being the First evil and all you would at least have a nice place to stay.” She had begun looking around the room. “But you know how ancient evil is…….got to stick to the old.” She looked back at Spike who seemed to be deep in thought.

“So do you want out of those chains or what?”

He thought and moment and nodded. Could this be a trap? He hoped not. She moved toward him but stopped about a foot away and looked at him strangely.

“What?”

She crinkled her brow. “I owe you something….don’t I?”

Spike looked confused.

“I can always tell if I owe people things. I don’t get favors done for me often you know. So when I do…I remember.”

Favors? Ahh yes. South America…1927.

“I remember.”

She frowned.

“Well you know I don’t like doing good things for people, but I never leave debts unpaid. So what do you want?”

He snorted. What did he want? Ha. “What exactly are you proposing, pet?”

“Well I’m proposing a wish, but nothing too fancy. I don’t bring back the dead or anything like that. And since you’re all good now let me make it clear that I can’t destroy evil.” Off his look she continued. “Yeah don’t think I haven’t heard about your new found soul. It’s all over the underworld. Everyone wants to kill you.”

“Good to know.”

“Yeah so back to the wish…”

He thought a minute.

“What’s today?”

“Do I look like a calendar?” Carley asked. Then she replied. “The 23rd why?”

“Just curious.”

She eyed him suspiciously.

“Say, if you knew that I had a soul then why did you offer to unchain me?”

“Told you. I thought it looked uncomfortable. I’m not completely heartless you know.”

He nodded.

“You never were.”

“So you know what you want yet?”

“Yeah, I think I do.”
------------------------

Buffy looked out the window into the night. Her body still ached from her encounter with the Ubervamp. She had healed for the most part, but not entirely. Bruises still remained on her stomach and parts of her face. She dreaded having to face the creature again, but knew it was inevitable. It had to be destroyed. It stood in her way. Then her thoughts drifted to him. God only knew what the First was doing to him. She shivered. He wasn’t dead; she would know if he was dead. Nevertheless, she had to save him. He would do it for her. Besides, it was better when he was around.

Buffy was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock at the front door. She pushed herself off of the couch and headed for the door. She looked around the living room and noticed there was no girly stuff lying around. When had that been moved? She shook her head and reached for the door knob. She pulled the door open and her eyes went wide.

“Spike?”

He smiled slightly.

“You…you’re…you’re...here.” She looked confused.

“Yeah.”

“And you’re not hurt,” she said looking him up and down.

“No.”

“I…I don’t…”

He smiled.

“I’ll explain if you let me come inside.” He gestured past her.

“Oh, yeah sure.” She stepped out of the way and let him enter making sure he brushed against her. Nope not the First. As she went to shut the door Buffy noticed that the cut on her hand was gone.

“What the…?” As a matter of fact she didn’t ache all over anymore. “Spike, what’s going on?”

He was standing in the middle of the living room.

“Well…”

He was cut off by Dawn who came running down the stairs.

“Buffy they’re gone.”

“What? Who’s gone?”

“The mini slayers…all of them…just vanished into thin air.”

Buffy looked to Spike.

“What’s happening?”

Before he could answer Dawn shrieked.

“Spike?! What are you doing here? I thought you were kidnapped. Wait you’re not the First are you?”

He started to answer.

“No Dawn, he’s not the First.”

“Then what….?”

“I don’t know. Maybe if you would be quite, he would tell us.” She looked over to him. “Spike?”

“Well I…”

“Buffy! The potentials…they’re all gone.” Willow came running into the room.

“I know.” Buffy was becoming irritated.

“Then why aren’t you freaking out? And why is Spike here?” she asked noticing the vampire. “I thought he was all kidnapped.”

Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“That I don’t know.” She looked at the vampire. “Why are you here?”

“Made a deal with a demon.”

“The First? You made a deal with the First?”

“Not the First. Carley.”

“Carley?”

“Demon I knew once. Owed me a favor.”

“So you what? Got her to let you go in return for all the potentials?”

“No I…what are potentials?”

Buffy then remembered he hadn’t been here for that.

“Possible slayers-to-be.”

He looked confused.

“They were sent here to us, to me, to protect. The First wants them all dead; wants to end the slayer line.”

Spike still didn’t fully understand, but nodded.

“Well that’s not the deal I made anyway. You see Carley is like a genie; she grants wishes.”

“So you wished to be free? Couldn’t you have wished for you know…the end of all evil?”

He shook his head.

“Well that would kind of include me. Sides, genies don’t grant wishes that extreme.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought of that. All of those times she had wished evil would just disappear. She never realized that would mean Spike and Angel would too. Wait; didn’t he just say something about extreme? Yes, too extreme.

“So what did you wish for then?”

“Well I said evil couldn’t be gotten rid of forever. But it can for a short period of time.”

She didn’t understand. Neither did either one of the other two women in the room.

“What?”

“I wished that for just a little while there would be no evil. Or rather that all evil would just take a rest.”

“Still not following.”

“Wait; so you’re saying that all evil is as good as gone for a while?” Dawn asked bringing herself back into the conversation.

“For the next ten days…yes.”

Buffy didn’t know what to say.

“Wha…..I….”

“She asked me what I really wanted. And what I really want is for you to be happy; even if it is just for a few days.” He was slightly smiling at her.

Buffy could feel the tears swelling in her eyes. He could have wished for anything.

“I….I don’t know what to say.”

Spike could see all of the emotions playing on her face.

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“Wow,” Dawn said. “This is amazing.”

Willow nodded in agreement.

“So what do we do?”

Spike glanced from Buffy to Dawn.

“We go shopping.” This earned him strange looks from all three girls. “For Christmas,” he said as if it were the clearest thing in the world.

“Oh…” Dawn and Willow suddenly looked excited. Buffy on the other hand looked slightly terrified.

“What’s the matter pet?”

“Christmas shopping and Buffy…very unmixy things. And then there’s food…cause there has to be food. And then you have to have a tree and decorations and….” Spike took hold of her shoulders.

“Buffy, luv, calm down.”

“I’m sorry. I just…” Without warning she threw herself into his arms and buried her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

“Thank you.”





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