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A cold shiver ran down Buffy’s spine as she approached the table in the back of the shop. It had been so long since they had met like this. Not that they had avoided it. There just really hadn’t been a reason since that last night before the final confrontation with Glory. There had been your miscellaneous vampires and every once in a while a demon just to keep things interesting, but after that night it had been like the Hellmouth had closed for business. Now here they were—all of them, including Spike—almost like a family reunion.

“So what’s up?” Buffy broke the silence as she came to a stop next to where Willow was seated. There was no point in prolonging the suspense.

“Nice to see you again too,” Xander shot back quickly.

“Sorry,” Buffy apologized. “Just thought if it’s important enough to have us all here, we’d better get the ball rolling.”

“Buffy’s quite right,” Giles added. “This is rather urgent.”

“And it’s way past Joyce’s bedtime,” Anya complained shooting a look over to the corner where they had set up a playpen for the little girl. With Dawn off enjoying her honeymoon, they had lost their usual babysitter, and they had learned from previous experience that Joyce wouldn’t accept anyone else.

“Yes, we’ll try to keep this brief,” Giles responded barely hiding the annoyed tone in his voice. “I received a call from Angel early this morning…”

“So Angel has a problem, and we’re supposed to rush to his aid?” Buffy interrupted.

Spike shot Buffy a questioning look. Her tone at the mention of the love of her life was definitely not what he had expected. Although, the fact that he had contacted the Watcher and not Buffy herself seemed rather suspicious. Now that he thought about it, the poof hadn’t been at the wedding. He couldn’t believe that Buffy wouldn’t have invited him to the ceremony personally.

“Buffy,” Giles responded sharply, “Faith is dead.”

The silence following the last statement was deafening. The only sound in the room was the occasional sound of Joyce laughing in her playpen, and even she seemed to quiet down quite a bit.

“What you mean dead?” Willow’s voice broke the silence. The sound of her voice seeming to break the spell and time began to move again.

“It usually means not alive,” Xander supplied helpfully.

“I know what dead is,” Will stuck her tongue out in Xander’s direction. Same old Scoobies. Spike couldn’t help but think as he witnessed her reaction. Dead Slayer, the world coming to an end, whatever disaster you might have and they could handle it with a large helping of sarcasm. “I mean how? She was in prison. People don’t normally die in there. Well, unless they’re on death row, but that’s a whole different story…”

“Actually, this was a vampire attack,” Giles cut in before Willow could really get rolling.

“Vampires?” Buffy was the first one to speak after this bombshell. “I didn’t think a vampire could survive in prison.”

“We can’t,” Spike answered. “We don’t really do well with the whole being locked up in a cage during the middle of the day thing.”

“Precisely,” Giles continued. “That is why Angel called. This group of vampires apparently went to a great deal of trouble to get into the facility. They also made it a point to make sure that the fact that it had been a vampire attack was more than obvious. It was quite a messy scene…”

“Ummm, Giles,” Buffy broke in, “details really aren’t necessary.”

“Oh, yes, sorry,” he muttered realizing just how morbid the conversation had been getting.

“So, what exactly does Angel want us to do about this?” Buffy asked the bitter tone returning to her voice.

“Well, he was actually calling to warn you. Seeing how much trouble they went to in order to reach Faith. It seemed a logical conclusion that their next stop would be Sunnydale…”

“So he called to warn me to watch my back,” Buffy spat out. “Isn’t that sweet of him?”

“Buffy, he did offer to come to Sunnydale…” Giles started.

“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Buffy said to no one in particular as she headed across the room towards the training room. “He wouldn’t want me to kick off before I said I forgave him for what he pulled!”

With that Buffy slammed the door to the training room behind her, scaring Joyce to the point that she burst into tears, and knocking a few articles of what Giles could only hope was the less pricey merchandise off the shelves to shatter on the floor. Anya rushed across the room, scooping Joyce into her arms and tried to calm her back down, while the rest of the Scoobies sat at the table staring at each other with looks of major discomfort on their faces.

“Okay,” Spike asked, “what exactly was that?”

“Um…well,” Willow stuttered. “You see, Buffy and Angel haven’t been getting along all that well…”

“That’s an understatement,” Xander added under his breath.

“Perhaps, it would be better if you asked Buffy about it,” Giles suggested obviously not really that wild about explaining the situation either.

Spike faced the closed door. From within the training room he could hear the sounds of Buffy working out. He didn’t have to strain at all to hear her fists smacking against the punching bag, and he dreaded going inside the room. Just what had the poof done to piss the Slayer off this much? He was quickly wondering if he really wanted to know!

Finally, with a sigh, he opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit training room. The only light in the room was filtering in the small windows from the streetlight outside in the alley. Apparently, in her rush to start bashing the crap out of the punching bag, Buffy hadn’t bothered with the light switch. Spike reached for it himself, but then changing his mind he thought better of it. Better to leave things just the way they were. He had the distinct feeling that his intrusion was going to annoy her enough on it’s own.

“Buffy?” Spike asked and then waited patiently for a response. “Buffy?” he asked a little louder when she refused to answer.

“What?” she growled as her foot landed with a hard thud against the bag causing it to swing out and then nearly smack into her on the back swing.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Spike asked as he found a seat on a narrow bench a safe distance away.

“Not particularly,” she answered continuing the assault on the bag.

“Okay,” he said slowly. As usual this wasn’t going to be easy. Was anything ever easy with this woman? There quite possibly was a group of vamps roaming around out there somewhere gunning for the Slayer. They really didn’t have time for her stubbornness! “Well, let see, we wig out at the mention of Angel’s name. So, what did the poof do this time, Slayer?”

“I…did…not…wig…out…over…that…jerk,” she replied punctuating each word with a thud of her fist.

“Hit the nail on the head, I believe. Now, would you mind telling me what he did, so we can take care of the business at hand?”

“I told you, I do not want to talk about it!”

At this statement, Spike sprung from the bench placing himself between the tiny blond and the bag. “Well, we’re bloody well going to talk about it!” he told her.

“Fine,” Buffy panted letting her hands drop limply at her side. “You really want to know what’s wrong?”

The glare she gave him made Spike think twice. He hadn’t seen her look so angry since that night she had confronted Glory. What in the world could Angel possibly had done to make her this angry? “I wouldn’t have came in here if I didn’t.”

“Fine,” she repeated. “He left me! Are you happy now!?”

That was still bugging her? He had left for Los Angeles years ago. Why was it such a big issue now? “That’s old news, Slayer,” Spike said carefully keeping an eye on her hands. He knew it was just a matter of time before she started swinging. “What’s really bugging you?”

“I knew you, of all people, wouldn’t understand!” she screamed at him as she turned and headed for the back door of the shop.

“Understand what?” Spike called after her as she swung the door open.

“He left me for Cordelia!” she answered quickly as she stomped out the door leaving Spike standing in the empty training room, the punching bag still swaying behind him, and his mouth open in shock.



Spike stared at the door for a long moment before raising the cigarette to his lips. He held the flame of the lighter to its tip for a moment and inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs. Nothing was going to calm his nerves after that little confrontation, but he had to do something. Even if it were something as small as smoking his last cigarette.

What the hell was that? He had come back to Sunnydale for Dawn’s wedding, short and sweet. He should have known better. Nothing was ever easy in this town. He could feel the anger rising, and he really didn’t feel any need to fight it back down. Part of him wanted to head straight for Los Angeles and wring that poof’s neck. How many times had he listened to her tell him how perfect her beloved Angel was. How he, himself, would never compare simply because he didn’t have a soul. Now her dream vampire had moved on with no thought of how much he would break the Slayer’s heart. Had he even bothered to tell her face to face? He probably had. Angel could never resist a big emotional show!

He was also furious with himself. He should have been here for her, not that she would have turned to him for comfort of any sort. He should have been there anyway, in the background as always, but still there for her when things looked their worst. Why hadn’t the Niblet told him? Buffy had probably made her promise not to, but since when did Dawn decide to listen to big sis?

“Bloody hell,” Spike grumbled under his breath as he flicked cigarette ashes to the floor not caring about the lecture he’d receive from the Watcher when he discovered them in the morning. Giving the still swinging punching bag one last look, he made his way to the door. The Scoobies would probably wonder what had happened to them, but let them wonder. There was a band of vampires out there somewhere looking for a Slayer to kill, and his Slayer was out there with them roaming about with her mind on anything but protecting herself.

He knew exactly where she’d be, and quickly made his way to the cemetery. In a way it was rather morbid, but since her return she had always gone back to that place when she needed to think, especially when it was something particularly upsetting. He strongly doubted that had changed while he had been away. So it was no surprise at all to see her sitting there on the very spot where she had been buried, staring blindly at her mother’s headstone. From the way her shoulders shakily rose and fell he could tell she had recently been crying and was putting forth a huge effort to keep the tears from flowing again.

“Buffy,” Spike said softly his hand tentatively reaching out towards her shoulder.

Buffy swung around before he could say another word, jumping to her feet and swinging the stake she held straight for his heart. She may have been upset, but there was nothing wrong with her reflexes. Spike barely managed to catch her wrist before the stake plunge home into its target.

“Bloody hell, Slayer,” he cried out looking down at the small tear in his t-shirt that the stake had caused, not letting go off her wrist until he felt her arm finally relax. “It’s just me!”

“What do you want?” she demanded icily letting her hand fall limply to her side not seeming to care when the stake fell to the ground and rolled a safe distance away. Spike couldn’t help but feel a little more relaxed now that she was unarmed.

“We need to talk,” he told her sternly.

“We already talked,” she spat out turning away from him to sit on a nearby tombstone. “You already know how pathetic I am, so just leave me alone.”

Spike could feel his heart being ripped out by those words. He hated Angel even more, if that were possible, for making her like this. She sat there looking so small, completely helpless, her eyes refusing to look into his own. He almost missed that glare of hatred that she used to give him so readily!

“It’s not your fault that Angel can’t see what a wonderful person he’s lost,” he told her softly.

Buffy snorted in disbelieve. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” he could hear the tears in her voice and knew she wouldn’t be able to hold them back much longer. He couldn’t stand to see her cry, but he didn’t know what he could do or say to prevent it. “He left me just like the rest, him, Riley, you…”

She stopped speaking quickly and closed her eyes tightly as if realizing what she had just said. It took a moment for it to sink in for Spike also.

“Buffy,” he placed his hand beneath her chin and urged her face upwards until he could look into her eyes. “I didn’t leave because I wanted to…”

“No,” she shook his hand away from her and jumped up from her seated position. He could sense her muscles tensing and prepared for the onslaught that was about to come. At least, this was the Buffy he knew. She acted on her anger. She didn’t sit around sulking like a lost puppy. “You left because I’m hopeless. I’m the Slayer, and that’s all I am. I can’t even have a normal relationship!’

“Well, maybe not normal,” he told her casting a quick glance to the ground just to make sure the discarded stake was still a safe distance away. “But you could have one if you’d let yourself.” Spike could see the old fire returning to her eyes at his words, and even though he knew it would probably result in him being on the receiving end of a sound thrashing he relished that look.

“Let myself?” she said through clenched teeth forcing herself to keep control.

“Yes, let yourself!” he shot back trying to sound just as angry when he felt anything but at seeing her returning to her old self. “Two men make the mistake of leaving you and you go into hiding!”

“Hiding?” she repeated not believing he had the nerve to say these things to her.

“Yes, hiding!” Spike insisted. “How long has it been Buffy? You haven’t even gone out on a date since I left, have you?”

“I don’t need to date,” Buffy insisted. “I’m the Slayer. I had Dawn to take care of…”

“Those are just excuses,” Spike shouted back at her, “and you know it! How long has it been since you have even kissed a man? Do you even want to…”

Spike was unable to finish his rant as Buffy grabbed the lapels of his duster, pulling him off balance he fell against her body. He nearly cried out in shock at the feel of her lips pressed soundly to his own. He was so surprised by her sudden move it took him a moment to react, but at the feel of her tongue licking softly across his lower lip his arms wrapped about her tiny waist crushing her body against his own.

The kiss was over as quickly as it began. Buffy pulled away from him roughly an started for the entrance of the cemetery, leaving him standing on the spot staring at her retreating back in disbelief.

“What was that?” he called to her when he could finally get his feet to move to follow her.

“You asked me if I wanted to,” she tossed the words angrily over her shoulder as she continued to walk. “I wanted to, so I did. Now, I’m leaving.”

Spike quickened his pace in an attempt to catch up with the Slayer. She didn’t have much of a head start, and she wasn’t running, but she was still managing to stay ahead of him.

A deep growl emerged from the bushes behind Joyce’s headstone as the bushes parted to reveal a pair of sickly yellow eyes that followed the vampire and the Slayer as they left the cemetery. The gnarled hands that gripped the branches on either side of the eyes clenched tightly causing even the thickest branch to splinter in its hold.



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