AN: Bare with me Spuffy is all I write, in the end matter life or death there is only Spuffy. This in the first chapter of the first story of this series.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY

April 8, 2001

One man leaned back in his chair, resting his head back, as he waited for what he hoped would be good news that was being delivered. The look on the younger man's face as he tried to tell him what he needed to know told him it was probably the best news he had ever heard.

Richard Horton stood in front of his boss' desk. The information he had to deliver was sad, and he wondered how Mr. Travers would take it. 'It's not like he liked the girl.' He just believed Travers wanted to be the one who put the final nail in the young blond slayer's coffin.

“The Hell God is dead, but so is Miss Summers,” Richard finally spit out.

“That is wonderful news, wonderful news,” the older man smiled. “We will see how Mr. Giles handles her death. We have time, plenty of time, to wait and see how it plays out.”

“But that will leave the Hellmouth unprotected by a Slayer,” the younger man replied, shocked that his leader and mentor appeared so unconcerned at the dangers of not replacing the Slayer in Sunnydale.

“Richard, do not fret. I’m sure Miss Summers' friends will see to keeping their home safe until we decide to make our move,” the older man snorted. He knew that it would be a cold day in hell before Rupert Giles came to the council and told them of his little slayer’s demise. “Just continue to monitor the progress of the rogue slayer for now.”

“Yes, sir,” Richard said as he turned to leave. “Is there anything you require before I leave?”

“No, Richard. Go home and get some rest,” Quentin Travers smiled as he bid the man farewell. His thoughts of finally being rid of Miss Buffy Summers were making him a very happy man. ‘I will allow her poor excuse of a Watcher time to grieve and keep her death a secret for now. Let's see how long he thinks he can play me for a fool.’

~~~~~~~

Two figures stood quietly in the candlelit bedroom. A romantic evening had been going as planned- celebrating the fact that they were going to be parents. Then the tragic news interrupted their night. The word death was enough to dampen one's mood. A certain someone's death, which brought sorrow to some and relief to others. For a small sector, it meant the beginning of something more. They would just have to be patient, and the signs would point out what it was they would have to do to secure a safe future for humans.

“She is dead,” Haig sighed as he looked around the bedroom with regret that such news came at the second best time of his life.

He watched his lover move toward the window, her dark brown hair flowing behind her like a curtain blowing in the wind. When she stood still and wore it down, it would stretch to the back of her knees. He knew if he saw her face, a small smile would be present. For she had been waiting for this moment for close to a century now. The news of the Slayer's death had just reached them, but for some reason, that information did not appear new to his love.

“But she will rise again. The prophecy has foreseen it,” Kyia's mystical voice spoke as she gazed up at the moon, the stars having already told her of the young Summers girl's fate earlier in the night.

She turned to see her lover looking at her with love in his eyes. The knowledge that he loved her above all others warmed her heart since Carvion demons were not known for their fidelity. Nevertheless, he had chosen her to spend the rest of his days with. He then married her, and they now awaited the birth of their first child.

“If she is truly the one it speaks of,” Haig smiled as he moved to join her by the window, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him.

He could remember the day she had said yes to becoming his lover. For on that day, she had become a fallen angel, taking a chance that he would never stray as his kind normally did. He looked at the beauty that was his- she was so different than her sister, who had left the path of Powers That Be and chose to follow evil. Her eyes are what had caught his attention, their depths touching his soul. The golden brown orbs told him every time he looked into them that he was home.

“She is the one. She will return,” Kyia smiled up at her husband.

“How will we know when it is time?” Haig asked, feeling curious as to what he should be looking for. That is, if there were signs alerting them to her return.

“When the witch starts to delve into the dark magic, we will know. When she takes the blood of an innocent, it will be time to watch for The Chosen One to return.”

“Who will we get to look after her when she returns?”

“Do not worry so, my dearest, for I have already taken care of it. He is the best one for the job and will make sure she reaches her full potential.”

“I’m sorry I question you, my love. I should know better than that by now. You have never led me astray before,” Haig smiled softly down into his wife's face.

“He will be her protector when she needs it most,” Kyia smiled as she raised her hand and placed it softly along his cheek. "I'm glad you ask your questions. It tells me my husband has a mind of his own and can think without my help."

Haig snorted as he asked his next question. “Will he be her lover?”

“NO! Another will teach her, as she will him, what true love is really all about,” Kyia stated right before she yawned. "It seems that I'm more tired than usual."

“I will go and prepare your bath,” Haig smiled at his ladylove right before leaning down and giving her a tender kiss on the lips.

“Our bath, my love,” she whispered when he ended the kiss, her eyes still closed and a happy smile on her lips.

“Yes, our bath,” he smiled at the dark beauty before him that stole his heart so long ago.

“Haig, I will join you momentarily. I need to make a phone call,” the woman replied as her lover left the room.

She picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. “Yes, it has happened, the prophecy has begun.”

The man on the other end of the phone sighed, his sadness heard over the distance. “Then it has begun. All we do now is wait.”

“Yes, but at least we know now that she is the one.”

“Kyia, how did she die?” he asked, wondering who and what circumstances took his father's slayer from this world.

“As the words told us, she gave her life in place of another who shared her blood, to save the world,” Kyia simply said.

“Then he was right all along,” he whispered, wishing he could call Travers and tell the bastard where to stick it. However, he thought it would be too premature at this time. The one thing he remembered most from his father's teachings was patience; it truly is a virtue to have. "Son, it will save your life one day."

“Yes, your father was right, but then, had he ever been wrong?” she asked.

“A few times, when he bet on the horses. But with his job, he was never wrong,” he chuckled at her question, knowing she knew of his father's weakness for betting on the horses.

“Like father, like son, would you not say?” Kyia laughed gently. "Except with the horses, that is."

“I can only pray to be as good as my father.” The man on the phone sighed.

“But, you already are.” Kyia smiled into the phone. “Now, I must be going. Haig is preparing our bath.”

The man chuckled. “You have him so under your thumb.”

“As much as he has me under his,” she returned with a soft smile. “I will let you know when the signs begin to alert us of her return.”

“I will be waiting. Goodnight, old one.” He worked hard to keep from laughing.

“Goodnight, young one.” She laughed as she hung up the phone and hurried to join her lover.

JUNE 6, 2001

“I cannot believe she is alive. How can this be?” Quentin Travers growled.

“Mr. Travers, I don’t know. All reports said she was dead, that she had died after the fall off the tower,” Richard shrugged.

“Then how do you explain that when Marcus went to Sunnydale to finally confront Giles about her death, he found her still alive and performing her slayer duties?”

“I don’t know, sir. I really, truly don’t know,” Richard explained. "I'm as shocked as you are with Marcus's findings."

“Damn it all. I had such plans,” the older man mumbled under his breath.

Richard took a deep breath and prepared for his possible death. “We still have not found the rogue slayer, Faith, as of yet either.”

Travers face became red as he shouted, “What the hell are you people paid to do? Just make my life miserable?”

“We are trying our best.” Richard tried his best to reason with the irate man.

“Well, it is not good enough,” Travers, yelled louder.

He could not believe that all this time, he had thought the Summers girl had been dead, but she had been alive protecting the Hellmouth. At first, he was sure Giles had concocted some sort of magic or something. Nevertheless, Marcus had returned and reported that she was alive and well, strong as ever.

~~~~~~~

Giles looked over at the Scoobies and sighed. “That was close. Far too close for comfort, that is for sure.”

“Yep, gotcha. Too close of the not Jack Ritter kind,” Xander smiled.

“Jack Ritter kind?” Giles looked questionably at Harris.

“Never mind, Watcher. Over your head and all,” Spike snorted.

“I guess we have something to thank Spike for,” Willow spoke aloud, suddenly wishing she had kept her big trap shut.

“Huh?” Xander asked. "What do we have to thank Dead Boy Jr. about?"

Anya smacked her boyfriend. Although he gave her many pleasurable orgasms, she realized he was sometimes slow on the uptake. “Buffybot…Spike…get the picture?”

“Oh…I mean…OHHHH.” Xander rolled his eyes and wondered how it was right to thank the bleached wonder for being a pervert.

“Shut the hell up,” Spike growled as he stood, the anger radiating from his body.

“Okay, change of subject. What’s for dinner?” Dawn asked as she reached and grabbed the vampire’s hand. “I vote for pizza and wings.”

Spike looked down at the Bit and tried to calm down. It was hard with the image of his lost love sitting quietly in the corner with her eyes closed. ‘It's like she is really here and is just asleep, takin’ a nap.’ He thought as his undead heart began to break again.

“I don’t care what we have as long as we don’t stay here,” Spike stated as he nodded toward the robot that was shut down and recharging. Mostly shut down so she would not remind people of whose image she portrayed.

Giles for once felt badly for the vampire, remembering how broken Spike had been on the night they had lost Buffy. He still could not say the words that described what had happened that night in April. All he could think of right now was that the robot had done enough to convince Travers' lackey that Buffy was still alive, even if the case was not true.

“I vote for Pizza Hut and all its topping offerings,” Willow winked over at Dawn and then smiled at Tara.

“Me, too.” Tara blushed as she noticed the look her lover was giving her.

They all gathered their items with Willow deciding to leave the mechanical Slayer there. ‘I'll pick her back up on the way home. Need to do a little research as well.’ There was a spell she had found that had to do with resurrections, but she needed to finish translating it more clearly before telling the others what she had found.

~~~~~~~

August 28, 2001

Kyia smiled at her lover’s antics of pleasing her. Haig was her soul mate, the one that would be hers until she died. His touch was unlike any before him, and no one could ever replace it in any way. It did not hurt that he was also pleasing to the eyes. At least her eyes, anyway. His rugged but handsome features made her heartbeat quicken every time she looked upon his face. His shoulder length, curly dark brown hair was as soft as a feather when she caressed his head or it caressed her body. He could pass for human, if not for his eyes- they were the only feature that told of his demon trait. They were black. So black at times they seemed midnight blue.

He was a Carvion demon, a race that lived each day as if it was their last. The rumor was that they were part human, bred with an unknown demon, for the sole purpose to kill. Her Haig was different; for he tells anyone that will listen that he changed who he was the moment he had found his true love. That she gave him purpose, and he now only reverted to his killing ways when his life or that of his loved one was threatened.

She watched as he gently placed her tray of food before her. Her body was large with their child, reclined back on the sofa, letting him wait on her, hand and foot. She was in her 7th month of pregnancy, and if she did not know better, it felt like she was carrying twins with how far out her abdomen stretched. 'I'm finding it harder and harder to find my feet.'

Suddenly, she felt the current in the air change, a feeling of darkness threatened. “She has begun to dabble with the spell. Soon she will attempt to bring The Chosen One back to us.”

Haig looked up and noticed the trance-like state his lover was in and kept quiet and let her finish. He did not want to do anything that would pull her back before she was ready- it would be bad for the baby.

“Once she is back, she will need to find a reason to live again. For, unbeknownst to those that bring her back, she is not where they think she is. Their intentions are from the heart, but misguided they are. Nevertheless, the path they must take and their loyalty tested, for she will need them all in the end, especially the one that steals her heart like a thief in the night. For he will prove to be the most loyal to her in the end.”

Haig watched closely for the signs telling him she had come back to this plane. He wanted to make sure she knew he was there and not be afraid that she was alone. She was his life now, she and the baby. If anything happened to either of them, he was not sure he would not revert to his former self.

Kyia opened her eyes and smiled softly. Feeling tired and weary from her journey to the place of dreams, as she called it, she allowed her lover to pamper her with his love and understanding. She knew he would wait until she was ready to tell him all she had come to understand from her little trip after she had rested and finished her meal.

~~~~~~~

September 18, 2001

“It is done. She is back among us,” Kyia told the man on the phone.

“Then it is time I prepared myself to join her.”

“You must give her time. That is why I sent Haig to watch over them,” she informed him.

“Why? Is it not imperative I train her for what lies ahead?” he asked.

“Yes, but first, she must follow the path, along with her family and friends,” Kyia explained. “We must let fate happen. She must learn to deal with being back in what she considers hell compared to where she was taken from.”

“So, will you tell me when it is time for me to take over her training?”

“Yes, I will let you know when it is time for her to move on to the next step. Again, I will stress to you, as I did with my companion, do not interfere unless her life is threatened. She must follow the path until she comes upon the crossroad and then choose her own way when she reaches it. There will be several trials, and she will learn many lessons along the way, but she will also find what it is she has been looking for but didn’t know it was right under her nose the whole time.”

“What is that?”

“Love, my dear boy. Love in its purest form, of the best kind.” She frowned. “But unfortunately, she will find sorrow at its darkest level before that can happen. Her heart will break, but it must happen so she will open her eyes and see what it is that she had lost so she will fight harder to get it back.”

“Woman, you scare me with your insight and visions.”

“I had a sister once, a long time ago. But a terrible evil creature took her from me. To hear his name, you would think of heaven, but no, he is, or should I say was, the most feared form of evil to walk this earth at one time.”

“Is she dead now?”

“Well, technically, I would say yes, but she still does walk among the living,” Kyia sighed. “But enough sad thinking for now- my son beckons to be fed, and since I’m his food source, I must bow to his wishes.”

“I will wait to hear from you then.”

“Yes, but don’t worry…it won’t be long,” Kyia said, the stars telling her to be prepared for danger, but nothing specific as of yet.

November 1, 2001

Buffy sat on the couch, staring blindly in front of her. She could hear the chatter of Dawn and Janice as they watched the movie that was playing. ‘Can’t remember the name. Hmmm, not important anyway.’

She looked at the clock and noticed it was time she left to do a short patrol. She just prayed a certain blonde vampire would not be out looking for her. ‘I don’t think I could handle his 'we are meant to be together' crap right now.’

Just the thought of the two times they had had sex brought an uncomfortable wetness to her panties. ‘God, why is it the only time I feel alive is when I’m being screwed by a certain undead blonde guy?’

She had managed to avoid him since that night on the balcony at the Bronze where he had somehow convinced her to have sex while watching her friends dance below. 'I wonder if he uses a thrall on me.' Deep down, she knew that it was not a thrall but just something dark inside her that let him do those things and say bad things to her. 'I don't belong in the dark with him like he said. I’m not Faith- I'm not going to become a dark slayer.' The thought that she was turning into a bad slayer like Faith scared her more then anything. 'Damn, it's only sex. Sex that makes me forget the hell I'm living in…but makes me feel damned when I come back from Spike-sex happy land. Yeah, but Faith was a sexaholic, and look where it led her…just sex is bad…bad sex is worse.'

She knew that her luck was running out. Soon, she and Spike would be alone together, and she prayed she would have the willpower to walk away and not let him touch her in all the right places again. ‘No, wrong places, not right…it’s just not right…so not the right places.’

Buffy stood up and mumbled that she was going out for a while. The need to kill something or at least give it a good pounding was sounding good right about then. ‘It will keep me from thinking about things that I shouldn’t be thinking about, like being touched in all the wrong places.’

Dawn glared at her sister, wishing her mother were still alive so she would not have to depend on Buffy anymore. She also wanted Tara back living with them. ‘At least she liked to spend time with me.’

Since Tara and Willow had broken up, the teenager found herself alone more than she liked to be. Buffy didn’t want her hanging with Spike anymore, so that really put a damper on her having anyone to talk to or do things with. Buffy was being such a bitch. ‘It wasn’t my fault she was brought back the way she was. Can’t she just be happy she’s alive again? Heaven or hell, she’s back home.’

“Man, your sister is weird,” Janice, said as she grabbed some more popcorn.

“Yeah, but aren’t older sisters that way?” Dawn replied as she took a drink of her fruit punch.

“I guess, since I don’t have one to say if they are or not, but yours is without a doubt on the loony side of the scale of human behavior.”

“Well, most other poor, unfortunate younger sisters agree with me that having older sisters suck.” Dawn leaned back and thought to herself, ‘but I bet I beat them in the weird sister category since mine is the Slayer.’

Janice laughed, and then a Brad Pitt scene came on screen. “Man, he is soooo hot.”

Dawn could not help but smile and agree. “I’m going to marry him and have all his babies.”

“Yeah, right,” Janice snorted.

~~~~~~~

Spike stood and watched as his worst nightmare and best fantasy trashed the two newly risen fledges. He loved to watch her move, and the things that came out of her mouth were truly entertaining to hear. ‘She is bloody perfect.’

Her moves were like poetry in motion as he watched her take out the first vampire with such grace. He also knew she did not fight with the same passion as before she had died. He was starting to see her with the eyes of the Slayer of Slayers. He could see her getting closer and closer to losing the will to survive. ‘God, luv, can’t ya see I would rather have you in the dark with me than not here at all. If dragging you into my world saves you, then so be it.’

Spike could not believe that the Watcher had left, gone soon after the singing demon had Buffy spill the beans on where she had been before the idiots resurrected her. ‘Damn, Rupert- thought you of all people would have seen what coming back from Heaven was doing to her and stayed. But no, you had to run like a scared puppy and hide your head in the proverbial mud.’

He understood that youth and guilt blinded three of the four that were responsible for pulling his Slayer out of Heaven. The only thing keeping him from letting her go back was the fear of where she would end up. He could not help but think it was a form of suicide, and the act itself might condemn her to hell. ‘Can’t let you go there, luv. You deserve much better than that.’ Now Anya was a different matter. He knew that the ex-demon should have known better than to play with magic like that without doing a locator spell. ‘Damn twit still won’t answer me about that one, still blamin’ Red. Can’t say I blame her- even a novice witchie in trainin’ would know that one.’ Still, Harris’ hot squeeze still had been around a lot longer than any of the Scoobies, or himself in that case, and should have known better.

Something suddenly changed between the remaining newbie and the Slayer. For some reason, the fledging was gaining the upper hand, causing Spike to become alarmed. He did not smell fear coming from Buffy, but he noticed she had lost some of her energy. Then he recognized the look. She had the same look as the other two Slayers he had faced and defeated. That look of readiness to die.

Buffy felt the adrenaline pumping after dusting the first pain in the ass wannabe bloodsucker. For some reason, she started to feel like she was running out of fuel. Her thoughts became dark and scary. ‘Why am I still here, still doing this? I hate my life. I hate my friends for bringing me back here only so I can die again. I hate it that I’m again having feelings of some kind of wrongness about a certain someone that I shouldn’t be having.’

For the first time, she really wondered if it would hurt, letting this creature end her suffering, giving in and letting someone else fill her shoes and fling the stakes, fist and feet. She found it hard to move as these thoughts grew heavier and was feeling a mixture of freedom and acceptance comes over her as she started to give up. A small voice cried out to fight, that tomorrow would be another day; another chance to start to live again, but again, it was such a small voice that it didn’t carry too much conviction.

Everything happened so fast. First, she felt the impending fatal bite coming her way, praying it was quick and that magic could not bring her back. Next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground with a blur of black hitting, mumbling, and then staking the fiend that had been about to end her torment.

“Damn bloody bint. Thinkin’ me, the Big Bad, was gonna let you fall like this,” Spike muttered as he checked on the Slayer before finishing the job that Buffy should have done herself.

Before the vampire had turned to dust, Spike was already turned around and reaching for the petite blonde ball of “will be the death of me”, pulling her up and into his arms. “You bloody stupid cow, what the hell were you doin’ just now, luv?”

Buffy felt like she was awakening from a dream, frightened at what had just occurred. She really didn’t know why she had suddenly given up. “Breathe. I need to breathe, Spike,” she managed to say as she was held in a death grip against him.

“What the hell, Summers? You weren’t thinkin’ much about sucking in air a moment ago.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Spike loosened his grip and pulled back far enough to look her in the face. “I saw the look, pet. I knew it for what it was. Why do you think I jumped in when I did?”

“You don’t know shit, fang face.”

“Buffy, I lov-“

“Don’t talk to me about that. You are a soulless evil creature. I can never love you. I don’t even like you,” Buffy yelled. The mixture of not knowing what had happened to her and Spike being so close and overwhelming was too much for her to handle at the moment.

“Stay away from me, Spike. I want nothing from you. You have nothing I could possibly want,” she continued to scream, not looking at him, not seeing how her words were destroying him. “You could never be Angel to me, and never in a million years could you replace Riley.”

“Yeah, 'Mr. Go Evil If I Get A Little Happy Done To Me' and 'Mr. Suck Me And Give Me What My Girlfriend Can’t'. My heroes, just who I want to model myself after,” Spike yelled as he stepped back, looking up at the sky, holding back the tears. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it again.” The blonde vampire fought for control of his emotions.“ Goodbye, Slayer. Have a nice life, however long it may be.”

Buffy had seen the pain on his face before hiding it from the world as he turned to go. The voice inside of her again cried for her to stop him and tell him she was acting on her fear, not on how she really felt about him. That what she truly felt scared the hell out of her. She watched until he disappeared before she turned and blindly walked home.

Haig Boran frowned as he watched the interaction between the Slayer and William the Bloody. ‘Why does she fight it so? It is as it should be…the Slayer finds her mate and lives a long and happy life.’ He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt the vibration of his cell phone.

“Yes?”

“So, how did it go tonight?”

“She is acting strange. Almost died tonight and then took it out on her mate.”

“He is not her mate yet!”

“Why does she fight her nature?” Haig asked.

“Because The Council has taught her differently. They do not wish for the Slayer to be as a Slayer should, but controlled by them,” was the reply.

“But we are going to change this, yes?”

“Yes, we are going to change all of it,” she said. “I called to let you know that powers are gathering to take her away from us, and soon, we will have to act.”

“I will do as you say. I will protect her and keep her safe until you arrive to take my place,” Haig vowed. “But you had better make it soon. I feel like something is already in the works- she almost died tonight.”

“How?”

“It appeared as if she had given up. But her destined mate intervened, thus making her say very hurtful things to him.”

“Keep a close eye. I feel there may be a traitor among her following, but I cannot be sure.” The soft voice's tone conveyed her concern. “And why are you sure that William is her destined mate?”

“I am Haig- I know these things," he chuckled. “You forget that I can read auras, and his fits hers. He is the one that is marked hers and hers alone. Even his sire cannot change his heart now…she will become his soul, if she has not already.”

“Good, I'm glad you agree with me…I, too, feel that Spike is the one.”

“You must be careful, my dearest one. If they find you, all will be for not. You are the key to protecting her from those she should trust.”

“I promise to be careful. I will be there tomorrow night. I love you.”

"I adore you, and kiss my son for me."

"Consider it done. Keep yourself safe for us," Kyia whispered as she hung up the phone.

The dial tone told Haig that his partner had hung up. He looked around before stepping out from the safe zone he had placed around himself. The path he chose to follow was that of the Slayer’s. Tomorrow, he would check up on the vampire at his crypt while he slept.

TBC





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