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The room was as quiet as a tomb, and Buffy knew from personal experience that it was an understatement. Her living room made a tomb look like almost a fun place to be! She sat in the chair, her body tense, willing herself not to fidget nervously as she hesitantly glanced over at Spike who sat on the couch. He sat there slouched over, elbows propped on his knees, head bowed as he intently studied his Docs. The only movement he made was his hands clenching and unclenching so tightly, Buffy swore she could hear his knuckled popping from across the room.

“Spike, I…” she began hesitantly, only to be quickly cut off.

“Don’t even say you’re sorry, Slayer,” Spike growled refusing to look up. She began to shift nervously in her chair when she took notice that he was back to referring to her as the Slayer rather than using her name.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked sounding almost cross. “What happened…what almost happened was wrong…”

“Wrong?!” Spike’s eyes flashed with anger as he glared at her. “You wanted it just as much as I did.”

Buffy shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She was an idiot! What happened to leaving good enough alone, and where was Giles when she needed him? He had had such perfect timing earlier. When Spike had kissed her, the last thing she had wanted was for him to stop. If it hadn’t been for Giles’ phone call, she would have been up in her room with Spike at that very moment. She felt a tingle in the pit of her stomach when she thought about what they could have been doing rather than having this conversation. “I’m the Slayer…”

“Bloody hell,” he rolled his eyes at her use of the familiar excuse. “Couldn’t you at least come up with a new excuse! You want this. You deny it, but your body tells an entirely different story. You do feel something for me.”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel,” she snapped angrily. “I am the Slayer. Whether I like it or not, I’m never going to have a normal relationship.”

Buffy cringed when Spike began to laugh at her last statement. “Normal?” he laughed. “Hello, Slayer! Open your eyes! I’m a chipped vampire who’s in love with my mortal enemy! I remember a time I wanted to taste your blood as you died! That’s not exactly what you would term as ‘normal’! I’m so sick of being compared to Angel and Riley!”

“I’m not comparing you to anyone!” Buffy objected.

“Yes, you are!” he countered. “Just because things didn’t work out with the poof and Captain Cardboard, isn’t my fault. Why don’t you grow up and start living in the here and now!”

She could only stare back at him as her brain worked desperately for a defense. He was right. It was because of Angel and Riley that she refused to get involved again, but he couldn’t deny that if she hadn’t been the Slayer, either of her previous relationships could have been successful! “Spike, I…” she paused still thinking of what to say.

Buffy jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. Finally! She though as she literally jumped out of the chair she was sitting in and ran to answer the door. Not exactly the most graceful of exits she could have hoped for, but at least it had gotten her away from Spike’s scrutiny! She threw the door open so hard she could hear the hinges creak in protest, and stood there facing her Watcher with a grin pasted on her lips.

Giles jumped in alarm as the door swung open. With the events of the last twenty-four hours, the last thing he needed was more surprises. He wasn’t getting any younger. He eyed Buffy who stood in the doorway suspiciously. She looked very much like the child who had just gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “May I come in?” Giles asked lightly when the girl made no move to let him enter.

“Oh, yeah,” Buffy answered quickly as if she had just realized he was there. “Come in Giles.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him over the threshold so roughly that he stumbled on the way in the door.

“Is everything alright, Buffy?” he asked as he followed her towards the living room.

“Everything’s fine,” she told him her voice entirely too happy as she sat down in the nearest chair.

Giles eyed her apprehensively. The he took in the look on Spike’s face. Judging from he irritated glare the vampire was giving the overly happy Slayer, Giles was fairly sure that things were far from “fine”. He could feel the tension hanging in the air between them like it was a tangible thing, but he really didn’t have the time to play matchmaker at the moment. Especially, not after the discussion that he had just had with the council. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked really not knowing where to start.

“There’d have to be something going on first, for you to interrupt,” Spike growled under his breath, and Buffy shot him a dirty look hoping that it would be enough for him to keep his mouth shut.

Giles pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he felt a huge headache coming on, and it wasn’t just his normal expression of distrust as he joined Spike on the couch. Giles was fairly sure that he would have a full-blown migraine before the end of the night. “Yes, well, I needed to speak to you,” he told Buffy as he replaced the wire rimmed glasses. “As I said on the phone, I have just spoken with the Council.”

“That’s never good news,” Buffy groaned.

“True, they are rarely the bringers of good tidings,” Giles sighed, “and unfortunately they are staying true to form this time.”

“So what curve have they decided to throw us this time?” she asked knowing how long Giles could go on before he got to the point. “Just, please, don’t tell me that there wasn’t any mentions of gods!”

“Fortunately, not this time,” Giles smiled weakly. “Although this could very well be nearly as bad. The new Slayer has been called.”

“Well, it’s that great,” Buffy sighed wondering just what that had to do with her. “I’ll have to remember to send her a ‘Slayer warming’ gift.”

“The thing is, Buffy,” the Watcher continued, “she will need training.”

“That’s what her Watcher is for,” Spike eyed Giles suspiciously. He was trying very hard not to say something that was shaping up to be incredibly unpleasant.

“Yes, but the Council has decided, under the circumstances, that it would be better that she be here in Sunnydale to help us find those responsible for Faith’s death, and they have decided that Buffy will be responsible for her training.”

“What?!” Buffy snapped to attention, all of the previous conversation with Spike quickly overshadowed by the new developments. “I don’t have the time to be training some kid! You’ll just have to tell them to find someone else to baby-sit her!”

“I did try to make them understand that you needed to concentrate all your efforts on finding Faith’s killers while keeping yourself safe, of course,” Giles explained, “But, as usual, the Council has already made up their minds. She’s already on her way here, and if you refuse to train her, they had said that they will take away your allowance.”

Buffy groaned as she got to her feet and began to pace the floor. Take away her allowance! What was she—twelve years old now! Next thing she knew the Council would make her go to bed without dessert if she didn’t do what they told her to! She wanted to tell them what they could do with their allowance, but she knew that she couldn’t. It had been that allowance that had gotten her through the last few years, sent Dawn to college, kept the house from falling down around their heads. At her age, with no experience whatsoever, she’d be lucky if she could find a job flipping burgers!

“Don’t worry, luv,” Spike told her softly sensing her distress. “I’ll still be here to watch your back.”

“Yes, uh,” Giles stuttered as he watched Buffy make her fourth trip across the room. “Actually, Spike, the Counsel would like you to assist Buffy with training the new Slayer…”

“Me?” Spike demanded in disbelief. “Did they forget? I’m a vampire! I don’t train Slayers, I kill them! Well, I used to!” Spike added catching the look Buffy shot him out of the corner of his eye.

Giles stood up uncomfortably. Argument was pointless. He wasn’t any happier about the situation than they were, but as usual the Counsel already had things in the works, and their ultimatums were foolproof. “I wish there was another way,” he told them honestly, “but we really don’t have any other choice. Her plane will be arriving soon. We can meet at the Magick shop tomorrow evening and sort out things then.”





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