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Chapter 1


Buffy walked slowly, a specific goal in mind. She had arrived in Sunnydale
a couple of days ago, and school would be starting the next day. She was
already late meeting Xander and Willow at the Bronze, but she couldn’t seem
to help herself.

Coming to a stop underneath a tree, Buffy stared down at the simple dirt
grave, lined with crosses. The Master was buried under there, and despite the
fact that she had been the one to send him there, she still felt a chill
race down her spine. He had killed her. He had marked her, and she hated
it.

She stared at the grave a moment longer. To the casual observer, she might
have looked like a woman trying to pay her respects or mourning a loved one.
In actuality, tears streamed down her face because of the weak feeling
that seemed to overpower her. She still wasn’t at full strength because of
the slash that ran across her ribs, but for some reason, the powerlessness
came from thinking about the night she died.

The inadequacy she felt for herself was almost uncontrollable. She had
barely patrolled all summer, not to give herself a break, but because she
wasn’t sure about her strengths anymore. Everyone had tried to tell her
that The Master had been different. He had been cunning enough to survive
as long as he had, and he obviously knew things that a sixteen year old
wouldn’t know. Buffy wasn’t buying it.

Straightening her black dress, Buffy wrapped her arms around her body, turning
and walking slowly in the direction of the Bronze. The night air was cool
for this time of year and did its part to calm Buffy’s nerves. She could
see the alley leading to the club ahead and quickly dried her eyes, not
wanting to worry her friends.

Hearing a noise, Buffy turned to see two vampires behind her. Going into
fighting stance, Buffy realized her ‘spidey sense’ hadn’t been working
lately.

Easily staking the first vampire, the other one landed a solid kick to her
stomach, causing Buffy to double over in pain as her wound protested.
Gasping for breath, she stood, holding her stomach with one hand and
delivering a solid right hook with the other. Grabbing a crate, Buffy threw
it against the wall, splintering the wood as she grabbed her makeshift stake
and plunged it into the second unbeating heart.

Panting, she slid down the brick wall, clutching at her stomach and trying
to will the fresh pain to go away. Pulling her hand away, she looked at her
skin, now stained red as the blood seeped through her dress.

“Damn it,” she cried, letting her head fall back to the wall. She knew she
would have to go in the club and clean herself up. If she walked home in
this condition, the Slayer part of her blood would call to every vampire in the area.

Painfully pulling herself to her feet, Buffy turned and entered the Bronze,
making her way to the bathroom as quickly as she could.

* * * * *

Golden eyes watched with interest as the Slayer practically collapsed onto
the ground, clutching her stomach. The scent of blood filled his nostrils, calling to him
as she pulled her hand away from her body. He could see her shaking, even
from this distance as she cried out, throwing her head against the bricks.

Spike watched as she pulled herself up and walked into the club, letting his
human visage come over him before following.

* * * * *

“Hey, guys,” Buffy said with false cheerfulness as she approached her
friends. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Vampire?” Willow asked softly.

“Times two,” Buffy replied.

“Are you okay, Buff?” Xander asked in concern.

“I’ll be fine,” Buffy said with a playful flip of her hair. “Let’s dance,”
she said with a bright smile, pulling her friends to their feet and dragging
them onto the dance floor.

Buffy was grateful for the darkened club. She had cleaned her wound as best
she could, drying her dress, but she knew that she shouldn’t stay long.
Moving with the music was already aggravating it again.

Buffy sighed when a slow song began to play. “You two dance,” she called to
Willow and Xander over the music. “I’ll go get a drink.”

She caught the subtle smile that Willow gave her and smiled back before
turning away. She made it about three steps before crashing into what felt
like a wall as two strong hands grabbed her arms. Looking up, she stared
into the clearest blue eyes she’d ever seen. They seemed to penetrate
through her own as her lips parted in appreciation.

Spike stared at the girl. ‘So, this is the Slayer,’ he thought with a smirk
as he looked at her closely for the first time. Her blonde hair fell to her
shoulders in soft waves. Her skin seemed to glow, and her eyes flashed from
hazel to a deeper green as she stared at him. Spike could smell the dried
blood on her clothes, though the black material did a good job of
camouflaging it. It seemed to beckon to him as he held onto her.

“Care to dance, pet?”

Buffy nearly melted, hearing the British accent that rolled over her in
waves. “O-okay,” she said softly, hating herself for the nervous stutter in
her voice.

She felt her breath catch as his arms wrapped around her small waist,
pulling her securely to his body as her hands slid up the black leather
sleeves of his duster and loosely held onto his shoulders.

Buffy felt slightly insecure as his eyes seemed to study her. She found
herself looking everywhere but at him.

Spike could feel the nervousness that flowed from her. He had to smile at
the fact that the Slayer could face any number of demons and monsters, but
faced with a simple dance with someone she assumed was a regular guy, she
tensed up.

The couple moved together fluidly, as if they were made for each other.
Spike found himself briefly losing sight of the reason he was in this town
as he wondered how they would move together in a different setting.

Shaking himself free of the disturbing thoughts, Spike bent his head,
angling himself so his lips were lightly brushing against her hair. “Why
don’t we step outside, luv,” he whispered softly.

Buffy closed her eyes, swallowing hard as she felt her breathing becoming
labored. She didn’t trust her voice as she nodded. Turning away, she could
feel his hand on the small of her back as he led her toward the exit. Buffy
smiled at Willow who gave her a curious look before she returned the smile,
mouthing ‘call me’ to Buffy.

Spike led the Slayer into the darkened alley, advancing on her as she backed
into the wall.

“Now, pet,” he whispered, his lips coming closer to hers but never making
contact. “You should know better than going outside with a strange man.”

“I can handle myself,” Buffy replied, her nerves setting her slightly on
edge at the tone of his voice.

“I have no doubt,” he said with a smirk.

Spike slowly bent forward, bypassing her mouth as his lips found her neck
and left a soft kiss close to the jugular. He was only testing her, and she
was failing miserably. He would have thought the Slayer that was able to
kill the Master wouldn’t be this susceptible, even if he was a master
vampire in his own right.

Deciding to up the stakes, Spike let his demon flash across his face for the
briefest of seconds, smiling when she gasped, shoving him away from her.

Spike chuckled as he stopped himself a few paces away, watching as she moved from the wall. “So, you’re the Slayer,” he commented with a smirk. “Tiny
little thing, aren’t you?” Spike stared at her as she seemed to tense up
even more. “Don’t worry, luv. If I wanted to kill you tonight, you’d
already be dead. I plan on fighting to the death, not killing you before
you knew what happened.” Buffy shivered at the tone of his voice before he
continued. “You should be more careful. I wouldn’t want you to meet an
untimely death…unless it’s at my hands, of course.”

“Who are you?” she asked softly.

Spike smiled, biting his bottom lip as he narrowed his eyes on her. “Why do
you want to know? So you can go running to your Watcher and have him
research everything about me? You’re probably better off not knowing, luv.
But,” he added in a lighter tone as he tore his eyes away and began pacing
in front of her. “If you must know…the name’s Spike.”

“So you have some sort of death wish?” she asked, feeling her Slayer side
becoming more confident.

“Only for your death,” he replied in a dangerous tone, turning his cold eyes
on her. “Until then…good night, Slayer.”

Buffy watched as he disappeared down the alley, her body shaking from the
power that he exuded.




A/N Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews- please keep it up!





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