IMPORTANT: I know I shouldn't be putting Author's notes in the story section, but it seems my chapter notes have all been deleted. I am figuring it has something to do with the recent updates to the site? Anyhow, I wont bother trying to repeat the mundane things I have written in all of them, but I will repost the link to where this story will continue should the Spuffy Realm be taken offline for any reason:

http://www.booksie.com/fan_fiction/novel/aliciaparavola/bfmd-(be-fearless-my-dear)/chapter/1

As I did say before, this link is ONLY if the Spuffy Realm goes offline. There was some news on the home page which spurred me to post BeFearless on another site just in case, and again I say, I appreciate all that those who run this site do to keep it up. I love the Spuffy Realm very much, and i love writing and posting fanfic on here. I won't be posting at the link above UNLESS and ONLY IF TSR goes offline.

Alrighty then, hugs to everyone! Enjoy this chappie!

(P.S. I'm sure you guys don't really care about the missing chapter notes, but i feel i did write some important things in there. Like how this is still a very early fanfiction for me, I only have four written and posted and I believe this is my third or... second? one I posted. I'm still very much an amateur at writing. And I listed some warnings that were definitely NOT going to be needed for this story, seeing as certain things just WOULDN'T happen. And someone asked in a review to list some things which helped inspire me for characters/places, and I listed a couple of things. If anyone has any other questions I'll be answering them in review responses.)

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Buffy realized her mistake the minute Spike grabbed her arm. She saw that nerve in his jaw twitch, and poorly controlled irritation was obvious as he pulled her from the kitchen.

Some amusing one-liner she was sure belonged to Blake echoed behind them, but it took less than a second for her attention to be completely stolen away again. Spike brought her into the living room, and she was soon against the wall farthest from the kitchen, closest to the roaring fireplace.

Arms closing her in, faces close, she found herself staring at a determined, blue eyed wall of aggravation.

"You're not gettin involved with this Flora bint."

Oh, there was some anger there, too.

A frown of annoyance came over Buffy's face pretty quickly. "What do-"

"She's a problem yer not gonna be roped into, got it?"

His eyes, so steady and unmoving. So determined. Buffy wasn't sure what she'd planned on doing to help take his rival down, but her statement in the kitchen had been true. She wouldn't let some evil vampire take away her... good vampire. Spike wasn't going to get hurt again, and she was going to make sure of it. "What I GET is you're not letting me help."

His eyes flashed. "Bloody right."

"Well why not?" She put her hands on her hips, knowingly taking on a very stubborn pose, one which she hoped he recognized. Spike knew how damned hardheaded she could be when she wanted.

Not that she was an overly obstinate person, of course.

"I can... do SOMETHING! I saw all those papers and the computer, are you guys trying to find out more information on her? I could do that. And I could help hunt her down, too."

Wow. Buffy didn't think she'd ever seen someone's eyes bulge that much. Or heard teeth actually grind. "She's dangerous, Buffy. You think if she knew who you were and what you meant to me she wouldn't get her revenge by takin your life?"

She noticed his throat close tightly around those words, even as he ground them out. He was upset, extremely. He didn't want her help, even though she was adamant about giving it, and he was scared over any threat to her life if she successfully did.

Buffy understood, she could see it written all over his handsome, fretful face. She just mentally pushed the info to the back of her mind to fawn over later. Right now, she needed to win an argument. "You think that just because this woman's a vampire and she can hurt me, that I'm gonna let her hurt YOU? Sorry but not sorry, Spike. I am not going to do NOTHING while you're targeted by a killer!"

Spike wanted to throttle her. She wanted to go up against a monster. Flora was something him and the supernaturally endowed blokes in the kitchen could deal with, they'd all done through with worse. But Buffy- strong and willful as she was -was human. She had her brain, and to tell the truth, Spike had faith in her capability to take care of herself; but he didn't want to be proven wrong in that department. Ever. Vampires bent on revenge was not something she should be dealing with right off the bat.

Maybe, in time... As things continued progressing for them, he'd gradually wade her into it. He'd teach her more, some fighting skills, some maneuvers and more knowledge. Hell, he'd let her come with him on patrols. As much as the notion made him nervous, Spike knew his girl well enough to know that, sooner or later, she'd want to tag along.

But they both needed time before jumping into a threat like Flora. He needed time to get used to the idea of Buffy being at his side in a scene where her life could be in danger, and she needed the time to get used to said danger.

"I've been 'targeted' before. YOU have not."

"Well," she flung her arms out once and dropped them back down, the snappy gesture clearly made out of frustration, "Consider me targeted, because I'm not going to sit by while you get beat up all the time!"

"I don't get beat up all the time," he said, a little petulantly, much to his own annoyance.

Buffy placed one hand on her hip again. He wondered how she managed to make the action look both dubious and demanding at the same time. "Well then if there's no danger for you, there should be no danger for me."

Spike knew his molars would be ground to dust by the time this conversation was over. He wanted to plant his fist into something. Now. Preferably Flora's pinched up mug, but he couldn't at the moment because he was a little busy trying to protect someone who was able to flambé him worse than any weapon Flora threw his way.

He needed Buffy. That smile, the complete power she seemed to have over his nerves, the laughter. Her comfort. Warmth. He loved her. He cared about her too damn much.

He couldn't let her into the dilemma at hand, even though he knew she wanted to protect him.

If she got killed...

Buffy blinked when Spike raised a hand, smoothly slipping it into her hair, his palm cupping her jaw with gentle devotion. His eyes, always bright, always piercing, became almost too much to look at for the emotion in them. She bit her tongue to prevent a gasp, but when it seemed like he was going to say something that would almost surely make her retract her recent demands, Buffy let go. "Spike, you want me to be a part of your life, but you're trying to keep me from it..."

A shift occurred in his eyes. Uncertainty made the blue deeper. Quickly, she continued. "I understand this is going to be dangerous... I get that." She lifted her hand now, softly running two fingers along his forehead and down the bridge of his nose. It was where his vamp face showed. "But you can't protect me if you want me. Not completely."

And just like that, Spike realized that, unfortunately, she was right.

*Oh, bleedin Christ...* His nerves were going to be the end of him if Flora wasn't made a thing of the past very, very soon.

***

Twenty minutes since Spike had finally agreed to let her help and Buffy still felt the tension; it was in his voice as well as his presence. The subject had been dropped, but the pressure of it still rode on their shoulders.

Stevo was waiting for the microwave to finish heating something up, Dylan was on his computer in the living room, easily ignoring Rex and Ace as they argued over a game of Speed, and Blake had just finished filling up a hot water bottle for his back. Everyone had decided rest was the best thing to do for the remainder of the night, given that they were all injured, but no one wanted to actually sleep yet. Apparently, by rest they'd meant stay up a few more hours and amuse themselves.

The television was turned on in the living room, and Spike had just removed his ardent, considering stare away from her direction, and been about to exit the kitchen when he was called to assistance.

"What the hell's wrong with it?!"

"It's fuzzy!" That was Ace.

"Well just hit the side of it once or twice, usually fixes it!"

"You don't think Rex already did that?!"

"Ya better get in there, Spike," Blake chimed in, "Unless you want Rex to pull a Hulk and just demolish the whole thing."

Her boyfriend grumbled something impolite under his breath, then turned sharply and said, "Stev, will you go get the cooler of blood out of the trunk of my car? Don't need it spoilin."

Buffy stood as still as a poker. Her spine turned starched stiff and while she stood their wide-eyed, Spike left the kitchen to fix his television set, his walk exclaiming about the agitation that still sat rigid in his muscles, and Stevo went to retrieve the apparent cooler.

With blood in it.

Buffy shook her head very hard. Then, with a deep breath, she shook it again.

Okay. Blood.

Meaning blood bags.

Actually, it truly wasn't a huge deal or anything. Just something she had to get used to.

She hoped that would come soon.

Buffy started clearing the island countertop, stacking papers and cleaning up the "medical supplies." Spike's casual- albeit terse -mentioning of the blood in his car, right in front of her, probably said that he was starting to believe she wouldn't run from him again. That was a good thing. A VERY good thing.

But he could've just been too madly distracted to think about what he was saying, too.

Buffy sighed and dumped the large water bowl in the sink. Logically, she knew Spike was just worried about her. Her stomach warmed every damn time she recalled the arguing about her future involvement with the Flora problem, even though that twenty minute old issue had managed to make her upset, as well.

But she was NOT going to sit by-... twiddling her thumbs while someone threatened him! She might not be able to do much... but she sure wasn't going do nothing!

Spike would rather she did, because he was afraid for HER. Buffy humphed, and ignored the fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach. *Perhaps lower.* Who was the one with a killer coming after them again?

She replayed his all of his reasoning again in her head: She was new to this supernatural stuff, she was human, she could be killed in order to hurt him- Well! Buffy knew how Spike would feel if someone was coming after her, wanting her head on a platter. It'd be all growly, fangy desperation. Hell, the guy would probably lock her up in a tower.

To tell the truth, she wasn't completely against the idea of shipping him off to Antarctica just to protect his stubborn ass, but she couldn't. All she could do was try and help. And discourage him from taking risks, going out until his injuries healed, walking alone... ever...

This was going to go real smoothly, she could already tell.

She was just as protective as he was, damn it! God help them both.

Her attention was distracted when she suddenly heard a thud at the back door. It was off of the hallway attaching the kitchen to the living room, the way Stevo had just left to get the cooler full of blood.

Stevo might be having trouble opening the door while holding the cooler. He probably-

Oh shit! His hand was hurt. Buffy approached the door and opened it quickly, expecting to see the tall gypsy on the other side.

She didn't. All she could see in the area was darkness and shadowy trees, like something out of a horror flick. She hit the light switch she felt by her hand and looked out at the bright, leaf covered ground. Autumn colors, a smiling moon and twinkling stars above her head... The air was crisp. The late night filled with small noises made by the evening's critters. A moistness lingered in the cold breeze, rustling through tall tree branches and knocking leaves down to touch the mossy grass.

Buffy inhaled greedily, taking in air that was fresh, even as she looked around with a frown on her face. She couldn't see anyone or thing asides from night nature with its sounds and the almost full moon. It was beautiful out, yet a little eerie when alone.

A quick shiver ran down her spine, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Gathering nerve, she took a step out onto the small porch, solidly built but again, small. She would have felt a little cornered if the door weren't just behind her.

A thud sounded just like before, and she noticed a tree branch above her head. It was hitting the top of the doorway when the wind blew just hard enough. Buffy sighed.

Then a rustling sound distracted her, bringing her eyes back to the open area of forest. Remembering she was blonde, and that strange noises usually meant doom for people of her gender in the aforementioned scary movies, she was about to call out to Stevo to see if he was nearby. Something behind the bushes caught her focus.

Her eyes narrowed, and she ignored the skipping in her chest. Perhaps everything that had happened tonight had gotten her spooked, or maybe she was simply tired and therefore jumpy, but Buffy decided to go back inside. Stevo's hand wouldn't suffer too much, and she could ask one of the others to help him.

She backed up into the doorway, her eyes still glued to the bushes.

Then jumped and shrieked.

And then, she smacked herself in the forehead.

It was a freaking opossum.

A cute, ugly-tailed, furry little thing no bigger than her forearm, and she'd screamed. Buffy had to roll her eyes at herself.

She didn't have much time, though, or to take another breath, before Spike grabbed her around the waist and pulled her inside. Half shutting the door as he stared threateningly out into the night, a small snarl threatened to build in his chest. He slammed the door fast and faced her, and somehow Buffy could tell he was almost ready to fang out.

The situation shouldn't have been amusing, because he took her arms and asked her what was wrong, why'd she screamed, did she see something? All in all his voice was frantic and the kitchen filled up quickly with concerned males of every stature.

Yet, she could not, no matter how hard she bit her lip, contain a giggle. And then it got louder and louder...

Until she was full out laughing. At herself, and the situation, and the perfection of being scared of a harmless little animal the same night everything about monsters and magick had been revealed to her. The same day she'd learned she was dating a vampire, and had an argument with said vampire about staying safe, more than once.

It was just hysterical, and Buffy wiped tears from her eyes even as Spike directed her to a stool to sit down at Stevo's suggestion. Blake's statement, "I think she cracked. We told her too much in one night," just managed to make her laugh harder.

Spike's eyes, trying to lock with hers so he could get her to focus and calm down, was the only thing that finally- after maybe a full minute or two -got her to stop cackling. Her laughter died away, but she still shook with reverberations of amusement.

"What the bloody hell was that about?"

Buffy wiped at her eyes again and asked, "Could you get me a tissue, please?" She barely whispered it, but her lips were fighting another grin. She took the paper towel he handed her, which had travelled from Blake to Rex to Stevo before reaching Spike's hand. They all looked at her in wonder and confusion, worry barely there anymore except for Spike. He still thought something was wrong.

Buffy took a large swallow of air, and said, "I got scared by a possum." She looked at them all, and snickered another laugh at their blank faces. God, she really was awful for finding this so funny, but their expressions made it even worse. "I didn't mean to scream."

Blake was the first to break the silence. "Yep. We broke her."

Buffy simply smiled. "I'm sorry. I guess- I'm just jumpy tonight. Or, I WAS. That latest freak out kinda knocked any jumpy-ness right outta me, I think."

Spike was staring at her, and he blinked rapidly before shaking his head, releasing a sigh that, judging by the length of it, Buffy figured he'd been holding in for quite some time.

He said, "Come here," in a simple voice of need, and Buffy complied without hesitation. Her smile turned apologetic, and as he wrapped her in his arms and laid his lips onto the top of her head, she knew that she really would have to be careful from here on out.

Especially if she wanted him to be careful in return.

***

A large thud sounded in the cavern.

"You rash little fool!"

Flora hit the rock wall yet again. She'd lost count of how many times exactly at this point, but her nose was bleeding and she had bruises along with ripped clothing. Not to mention a splitting headache. None of which were from her fight earlier.

"You've said that already," she coughed, spitting out blood for the first time in her life. Her eyes locked onto her boss.

The witch.

Her name was Antonia. Tall, thin, and elegant; she looked more like an Egyptian queen than anything else. She had long, wavy black hair and eyes of intense indigo blue, the color unsettling yet beautiful against her mocha skin. It was usually impossible, Flora had thought, to acquire such attributes genetically.

But again, this woman was a witch.

A powerful one. And she wasn't happy.

"I told you," she yelled, "I ordered you not to go after that vampire! I should turn you into dust!" Her hand shot out as if in punctuation, and with it came something resembling a... lightning bolt?

"Ahh!" Flora didn't have time to determine exactly what it was, because she'd been hit with it, and now she felt like she'd just been run through with a pole.

Antonia's face curled up into a scowl. Her lips pressed together and her eyes started to glow. They always did when she was losing power, as if in warning. She faded quicker when she was angry, and right now, wrath was indeed the most dominant emotion.

Antonia stepped close to the foolhardy creature at her feet. She debated using more power to cause more pain, which would surely be remembered in dull agony even years from now, but really, Flora was not worth it.

Even if she had almost ruined everything. "You not only went after him when I told you not to," she reached out, and traced the vampire's cheek with a sharp, lengthened fingernail; her tone became tempered, "but you managed to get many of our little helpers killed. You knew Spike had friends with him..."

Flora winced when Antonia began to dig into skin, putting sharp pressure where it was too sensitive, close beneath her eye. Her head felt like a balloon filled with too much air, ready to burst, but she still managed to stutter, "I-I thought he w-would be alone-"

"That's a lie!" Antonia screamed, and stood up in a huff, her fingers zapping blue sparks. "I gave you power to protect and hide with, to be able to spy on him without his notice! NOT so you could use it to fight him!"

Flora coughed into the dirt where she lay. Antonia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Pathetic creatures, vampires. She'd only met a few in her time who'd ever truly been worth their big talk and frightening reputations.

One, she was busy trying to use. If this dimwitted child didn't manage to kill him first. "You're not strong enough to face him, but-"

"I AM strong e-enough!" Flora's screech caused her to lapse into another coughing fit, blood and drool leaked from her lips.

"All it takes is one lucky shot," Antonia said, her voice heavy with distaste and condescension, "and you had help. I don't give a damn about him once he leads me to what I need, but you MIGHT just manage to kill him. If you're lucky." She kicked a little dirt into the woman's bloodied face, her next words a clear command. "So, Flora dear, you cannot attempt to kill him until I say so."

The vampire muttered something to herself.

Antonia ignored what she was sure was an insult, her patience wearing thin. "Flora..."

"What?!" she shouted in reply. "You give me power, and I'm not allowed to use it?! We have a deal-!"

"YES! We DO have a deal, and I haven't received my part of it yet!" Antonia exploded, and advanced on her again, grabbing and pinching Flora's jaw as she turned her battered face towards hers. "You do not do anything to William the Bloody before I say you may, understood?"

The vampire growled. Her eyes clashing stubbornly with glowing, indigo blue... But she relented; with a nod and a gritted out, "Fine."

"No, no, no, not 'FINE,' dear. 'Yes.'" She smiled with evil delight, loving the prideful idiot before her wilting in the face of true power. "Say it now. Give me your word. Even though I'm not so sure how much it's worth, I want it."

Flora almost snarled, but she was too wounded, and her eye hurt, and there was blood dribbling down her throat making her want to cough again. So she said, "I give you my word."

"Good." Abruptly, Antonia stood, her elegant, sheer gold dress following her like a loyal pet. The wispy fabric danced around her bare feet as she walked back into the cavern she'd claimed as her own. It was lined with comforts and the walls didn't drop rocks from time to time like in the rest of the underground cave, and the dirt didn't move from its place. She'd spelled the area into something of her own.

What she could do with her powers was grand, but stood paltry to what she wanted; nothing compared to all she planned to be able to do.

That worthless vampire partner of hers, and the other under their mutual watch, were just two factors Antonia would have to keep in strict place.

Spike was already looking for what he must; the prophecy would fold out. She simply needed Flora to behave, the wretched, revenge bent idiot.

And as long as all else went smoothly- Or, not so smoothly. She always had room in a plan for changes and troubles -then she would get what she wanted.

One way or another, she would get what she wanted.


Chapter End Notes:
Thanks all for reading and reviewing, i hope you all continue to do so! *huggles* Have a great evening, day, whichever! :D



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