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Part III

It didn't take them long to find the demon. They had to travel a bit further into the woods than they had anticipated, but the Banzana demons were solitary creatures and certainly no match against a slayer and a vampire.

The walk back to campus couldn't take long enough as far as Buffy was concerned. The thought of being near anyone associated with the Watcher's Council made her skin crawl. And the way Faith looked at Spike—like she could already see his dust blowing in the wind—had Buffy's stride slowing considerably. She'd try to talk Spike out of it if she thought there was any chance he wouldn't make good on his threat to throw her in the trunk of his car.

They made a pit stop at the house they'd taken up residence in to hide away their spoils. No need to make Faith's watcher any more suspicious of them.

Once they got to the campus, it was late. Fortunately Buffy was able to find a halfway sober student to point them in the direction of the building they were looking for. If Buffy thought the placement of Faith's slayer operation was odd she didn't mention it. After all, her watcher had been her school librarian and she'd done most of her training in the middle of the library.

Spike stopped her when they got to the building, taking hold of her upper arms and turning her to face him.

"Last chance to back out. We can be in L.A. before they know we're gone."

Buffy looked down. Although she was ninety-nine percent sure she needed to go through with it, there was one percent of her that was afraid she was putting them at an even greater risk now that a watcher would know she was alive. However, that little bit of fear made her all the more determined. If they were going to have yet another threat hanging over their heads they would need what they'd come for.

Buffy leaned forward to place a kiss on his lips. "We can do this," she told him with all the certainty she could muster. They could and they had to; there was no other choice.

The room they were looking for was on the basement level of the building. Slowly they made their way down the stairs, carefully taking in their surroundings. If the signs littering the walls of the halls were any indication they were in a building where science was taught. Spike scoffed at the Physics is Phun sign hanging on the door where Faith and her team would be.

From outside the room, they could hear raised voices. Buffy could only make out every other word, but she didn't need Spike's super hearing to know they were arguing about them. Faith, ironically, didn't seem to have as much faith as her watcher did that they would show.

With one last glance at Buffy, Spike turned the doorknob, letting her walk in before him. The instant they were noticed all conversation died. The only sound came from Buffy and Spike as they moved slowly into the room.

Buffy was the first to find her voice. "Sorry we're late. Got caught up..." She shrugged, not really caring to explain what they'd been up to.

A handsome man with brown hair and glasses was the first to move toward them. "You must be Buffy." He held out his hand, pulling it back after a few seconds when it was clear neither Buffy nor Spike was going to shake it. "I-I'm Wesley. Faith's watcher." He looked back at the other four people in the room, as if he'd forgotten they were there. "You've already met Faith and Angel. This is Dr. Burkle-"

"Fred," the petite brunette spoke up, kind smile lighting up her face.

Wesley nodded. "Fred." He gestured to a tall, black man standing off to the side with his arms folded. "And this is Charles Gunn. We all work with Faith."

Fred was the only person in the room who looked even remotely happy to see them. Wesley was more than a little intrigued to have two slayers in the same room; he was likely the only watcher in existence to have seen such a thing. The others stared at them with looks ranging from uncertainty to outright hatred.

Buffy straightened up, hoping to hide her unease with confidence she wasn't exactly feeling. She felt Spike shift closer to her, and her confidence grew. There was nothing she couldn't do as long as he was behind her.

Wesley sat down at one of the lab tables, a notepad in front of him and a pen gripped firmly in his right hand. "When Faith told us of your run in last night, I couldn't quite believe it. Two slayers at the same time-—well, it's completely unprecedented. If you could start at the beginning, when you were called, I'm sure it's a fascin-"

"Not gonna happen, mate." Spike spoke up for the first time, sending a cool look the watcher's way.

Before Wesley could bat an eyelash at the vampire, Faith was crossing the room angrily. "Guess you didn't get the message last night, but this is our town so you do what we say," she told him, arms folded over her chest.

Buffy stopped Spike from retorting with a hand placed delicately on his is chest. "Spike's right. There's nothing to tell."

Wesley's open and friendly demeanor quickly changed, going on the offensive immediately. "I find that very hard to believe-"

"It doesn't matter what you believe," Buffy interrupted. "We're passing through. Faith didn't give us much of a choice so here we are. We'll be out of your town by Friday, so we can skip the group share."

"Give me one good reason why I should let your pet vamp walk out of this room." Faith's tone dripped with hostility. This wasn't an idle threat.

Instinctively, Buffy stepped in front of Spike. "Other than the fact that Angel is standing five feet to your left?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow at the vampire pointedly.

"Angel has a soul!" Faith countered. "He fights the good fight. He saves people's lives."

"So does Spike, and he didn't need a soul shoved down his throat to do it." Buffy leveled Faith with a glare that left no interpretation to her words, "you even think about touching Spike and I will kill you."

Wesley stood, walking to join Faith. He put a hand on her shoulder, and stepped in front of her in an effort to diffuse the situation. "Buffy, Spike has a rap sheet a mile long. We'd be remiss to let you walk out of here without knowing the truth."

"Believe me, I know all about the things Spike's done. In fact, I know him a hell of a lot better than I know anything about anyone in this room. I think we're done here."

Faith moved to go after them, but the hand on her shoulder kept her in place. "Let them go," Wesley instructed, much to Faith's disappointment. "I don't think we need to worry about them tonight."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Angel said from behind them.

Four pairs of eyes turned his way. "Care to share with the rest of the class?" Faith prodded impatiently.

"When they first came in I thought I smelled Banzana demon."

"Banzana? Are you sure?" Wesley asked. "That's hardly a demon Buffy and Spike would've encountered on their way here."

"Why not?" Faith asked, confused. Sunnydale certainly wasn't lacking a demon population.

"Banzana keep mostly to themselves," Fred explained. "It would be strange to encounter them in such a populated area."

Gunn moved from where he'd been standing against the wall--as far from Buffy and Spike as he could get--to join them. "Ok. So what? Stranger things have happened in this town."

"Buffy looks like she can't get far enough away from us and Sunnydale," Angel started.

"So why wait until Friday to leave?" Wesley finished, finally putting together what Angel was getting at. "Fred, start up the computer. Everyone else grab a book and look up whatever you can find on the Gem of Amara."



Buffy walked into the tiny shop, closing the door behind her quickly so that the cool air coming from the air conditioner couldn't get out. It was a hot day in New Mexico, a good day to stay indoors if you could help it.

She spotted her friend behind the counter, talking on the phone. Tara MaClay didn't get many customers, but her clients knew her to be the real deal and they kept her in business. Buffy and Tara had been friends pretty much since Buffy arrived in town a little over a year before. She had needed help, and for reasons unknown, had decided to let Tara in at a time when she was as far removed from people as possible. There was something so inherently good about Tara, Buffy had sensed it and intuitively known she could trust the other woman. Tara had never made her regret that decision.

This was Buffy’s reason for being at the shop—to ask for Tara’s help once more.

Tara hung up the phone and smiled. "Buffy. It's good to see you." She moved to embrace the other girl. "Pull up a seat; I'll make us some tea."

Buffy took a seat at the small table in the middle of the room while Tara fixed two glasses of iced tea for them. She gladly accepted the tea, drinking it greedily.

"What brings you here today?" Tara asked kindly.

"I hope I'm not taking you from your work, but I do need help with something."

Tara nodded seriously. "Of course. You know I'm always here to help."

Buffy responded with a wan smile. She wasn't sure Tara would still feel that way after she heard what Buffy was asking of her. "I know. You've been such a great friend to me. And there's no one else I can go to for this..."

Tara put a hand over Buffy's on the table. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."

"I need your help finding the Gem of Amara."

"The Gem of Amara," Tara repeated. She cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea. "How do you know about the Gem of Amara?"

"I've done my research," Buffy told her, trying not to sound insulted.

"And this is for Spike?"

"Of course it's for Spike."

"Buffy, sweetie, you know I love you like a sister. And I'm so glad you have Spike fighting by your side, but I don't think you know what you're asking. The Gem of Amara can be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands."

Buffy nodded. "I agree, but it won't be in the wrong hands. What better hands than the hands of the slayer?"

"Spike's only been fighting for good for a year. What if you break up, or..."

"Or die?" Buffy finished for her.

"Or what if this makes Spike an even bigger target? Having the Gem of Amara could put you both at risk."

Buffy looked down at her interlocked hands. "I've thought of all that, I really have. But to me, it's worth it to know that nothing will happen to him."

Tara looked at her friend sadly. "Buffy, I know what happened scared you--"

Buffy stood, not ready to go down that road of conversation. "I need your help, Tara. If you can't help me, I'll find someone else who can."

Buffy blinked, and suddenly it was night and she was no longer in New Mexico. She was back in Cleveland on the worst night of her life. And what made it all a thousand times worse was the vampire fighting a few feet from her.

"Spike?" she yelled, confused.

The distraction earned her a fist to the face and she went down hard. She kicked out, sending her opponent down as she sprung up above it. Quickly dusting the vampire, she turned back to find Spike. Her heart stopped in her chest when she saw him.

Faith sneered at her from where she stood behind Spike, her stake poised over his heart. "Say goodbye to your boyfriend, B."



Buffy's screams woke her from her nightmare just as Faith's stake found purchase in Spike's chest.

Spike pulled her tight against him, stilling her arms as she tried to push him away. "Sh, love. It's all right."

It took her a minute to realize she was awake and they were fine. Spike loosened his grip on her when he felt her stop fighting him. He kissed her forehead as she tried to calm her breathing, rubbing his hands up and down her arms soothingly.

Leaving her for a minute, Spike returned to their bed with a glass of water. She gulped down the cool liquid then took a deep breath.

"That was-- It was everything, all rolled into one."

"Tara again?"

"Tara and then you were there and Faith..." Buffy shuddered, not ready to relive that portion of her nightmare. She wrapped her arms around his middle, burrowing into his embrace. "I've never been that afraid before."

"It wasn't real, baby. I'm right here. We're all right."



Spike pressed soft kisses to the top of her head, murmuring words of reassurance softly into her hair. It wasn't the first time she'd woken up from a nightmare. It was only two weeks after they'd first gotten together when he was woken up by her screams. He'd jumped from her bed, sure they were being attacked, only to find her curled into the fetal position.

He'd known she was fragile, he could tell in the way she fought and the way she spoke. He hadn't known how truly broken she was until that night, though. That night he realized how quickly she'd taken over his heart. Instead of taking advantage of a weakened slayer, all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and make the pain go away.

After all, that was what she had unknowingly done for him.

Buffy lifted her head, finding his lips with her own. He let her take the lead, knowing she needed to feel safe and in control. She shifted so she was lying on top of him, exploring his mouth with slow kisses to reassure herself that he was really there with her.

She moved lower so her lips were on his neck and her hips were aligned with his. Soft kisses turned into nips and bites as she moved against his growing erection. It wasn't unusual for her to initiate sex after a bad dream. Her need to connect with him was strong, and their connection was never stronger than when they made love.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Buffy sat up to straddle his thighs. Taking his cock in her hand she guided him into her wet folds, feeling a sense of completion once they were joined. She moved over him, hips rising and falling against his.

Spike brought a hand up to cup her breast, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand traveled to where they were connected, rubbing her clit with his thumb. The combination of sensations sent Buffy tumbling over the edge of her first orgasm.

When she stilled over him, Spike flipped them so that he was hovering above her. Closing the distance between them, he wrapped his arms underneath her shoulders, entangling his hands in her hair. He pushed into her, slowly building up momentum with each thrust. His lips brushed over hers slowly until her hand traveled to the back of his head, deepening their kiss.

When she pulled away for air, Spike's lips traveled down the column of her throat. "God, Buffy," he breathed into her neck. "Love you," he groaned. "So much."

Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist. Spike sped up his thrusts, hitting her at a new angle that had her moaning into his ear. He could feel his orgasm approaching, and knew hers wasn't far off, either. It didn't take long, only a handful of thrusts, before they were coming together.




"Faith staked you."

She said it so soft if he were anything other than supernatural he wouldn't have heard her. She lay on her stomach next to him, face turned to look at him. He was on his side, tracing her spine with his fingers.

"I was too late and she staked you."

Spike grinned—the cocky grin he knew she both loved and hated. "That's how we know it was nothing more than a dream, pet. That sorry excuse for a slayer wouldn't be able to catch me."

Buffy gave him a genuine smile. Spike had been around for well over a hundred years. Sometimes she wondered if she was letting an isolated incident cloud her judgment.

But then she'd realize she didn't care.

"'Sides," Spike continued, "she won't have the chance to take on the Big Bad, seeing as how we'll be on our merry way in less than twenty-four hours."

Buffy remained silent, wanting to absorb some of Spike's confidence. All they had to do was get through the next couple of hours and successfully complete a spell most advanced witches wouldn't be able to handle.

Piece of cake.





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