Four Hundred Days



By PassionFish





Time line: Season Three, Angel never returned, Buffy got over it :) No spoilers.





Nominations!!!








Part One





"For the last time guys, we're not under a spell and we're not drugged."



Giles regarded his ward and her companion ruefully, wondering what he could have done to have prevented this madness.



"Buffy..." He replaced his newly wiped glasses and sighed, "...you can't honestly expect us to believe that the four days you've been missing have actually been four hundred and within that time you've managed to acquire this...husband."



"What did the demon look like again?" Willow asked, not entirely sure of her friend's sanity.



"Big, green and black. Had a big shiny sword." Came a very masculine response from the seat next to Buffy.



"No body asked you." Xander cut in heatedly.



"Leave off, Xander." Buffy snapped as her husband looked ready to murder the whelp. "Look, I don't know where we were but for the thousandth time I was fighting in Restfield cemetery and then big flash of light I'm in late ninetieth century England." Buffy sighed, she'd already explained all this and quite frankly she wanted to collapse into her husband's safe embrace and sleep for a week. They'd all but given up hope of returning home and now she was finally here she hadn't anticipated any problems. Like the fact time seemed to have gone slower in Sunnydale than in Yorkshire.



"Okay Buffy. Just tell us one more time what happened when you arrived." Giles asked soothingly.



"Okay...big flash of light...."



***



Day One



***



"What the...ow!" Buffy stumbled over to the soft grass below as her ankle gave way beneath her. Her slayer instincts had been enough to prevent her seriously hurting herself but still falling down a hill with a 5ft11 vampire tumbling after and sometimes on you didn't help matters. With a sigh she absently lifted her skirt and slipped off her trainer and sock.



"You okay?"



"Yeah, perfect! I'm just sitting here on my ass 'cause I like the view!" Buffy replied sarcastically. She tried to get up but wobbled once more and sat back down with a soft curse.



"Blood hell!" He muttered and moved over to her. Swatting her hands away he took her ankle and carefully ran his fingers over the already swelling flesh. "Not broken, probably just sprained."



"Like you'd know." Buffy murmured, defensive due to his caring actions.



"I would." Spike agreed then pressed his thumb into the side of the hollow. Buffy gave a telltale gasp. "Just like I know that feels good."



He leered at her and she snatched her foot away, wincing at the throb of pain the movement brought. Spike reached out and pressed his thumb to a different part of her foot. Buffy's eyes shot up to his in surprise as the pain ebbed away.



"What are you doing?"



"Pressure points on your body. Some feel bad, some feel good..." His forefinger pressed the spot he'd pushed a moment before. "...some feel better!"



Before Buffy could snatch her foot away once more Spike released that point, concentrating on alleviating the pain.



"How do you know that?" Buffy asked, an inflection of anger in her breathy tone.



"Been around two hundred years, you tend to learn a few things."



Buffy nodded slowly, her brain pre-occupied with their current surroundings, "Where are we?"



Spike looked up from her ankle, to which he belatently realised he was paying far too much attention, to the grassy verges and trees that encompassed them. In the distance he could see a crude sort of road. His eyebrows raised a notch at the horse and cart he could see moving in the distance.



"I don't know but going on what were wearing, if memory serves, we're in England."



Buffy looked down at the 1870's long periwinkle blue dress she was attired in then over at Spike who actually looked rather tasty in a sharp black suit. She then frowned at the duster by his side.



"Okay, so we don't know where we are, when we are but I still have my trainers and you still have your duster?"



"Yeah...maybe the wanker who dumped us here thought it'd be nice to leave us with something from home."



"Well, since he left me with you I'm thinking nice didn't really enter the equation."



"Ouch, my heart bleeds." Spike looked over at the prone slayer. "Talking of blood..."



"Hold on, truce, remember?" Buffy put in, uncomfortably aware of the fact that she couldn't feel any stakes on her person.



Spike's mind flashed to the few minutes before when they'd been fighting the demon and had quickly called a truce when it threatened both of them. "Oh, yeah, damn."



With a sigh Spike looked up at the darkish sky and saw that morning was almost here, "Right, come on then." He carefully place down her foot, and with shocking speed replaced her shoe and scooped her off the ground.



"Hey, put me down you Billy Idol-wannabe!" Buffy swatted him on the back of the head as he began to walk.



"Look, pet, sunrise is almost here and as I see it we have to stick together until we can find a way home, yeah? So, seeing as you can't walk we'll move a lot quicker if I carry you, agreed? And since the wanker stole MY look that’s technically incorrect."



Buffy scowled at him momentarily. "Why this way?" She asked instead.



"Because I saw a horse and cart head over that hill, and I can smell food that way."



"I hope you mean McDonnalds and not happy meals on legs."



He grinned evilly at her and said nothing.



---



Part Two

Four Hundred Days


Part Two







They walked for nearly two hours in silence, coming ever closer to the large stately home they could see on the horizon.



"Miss Elizabeth!" A plump, kindly looking woman rushed from the house as Spike carried Buffy down the large gravel driveway.



"Elizabeth?" Spike drawled at the look on Buffy's face.



"Oh, shut up!" Buffy hissed back just as the woman greeted them.



"Oh, my dear, what have you done?"



"I, uh..."



"Mr. Dartmoore, sir, if you could be so kind as to take her to your room I'll get the doctor." The woman flushed, evidently embarrassed. "I'm afraid Tom's back was playing up earlier and I sent him to lie down. I'll call Jane."



Before either could speak the woman rushed away, moments later a younger woman emerged from the house. Without a word she opened the door for them, her head meekly bowed.



"William...Dartmoore?" Buffy asked with a giggle



"Shut up!" Spike growled.



As soon as they had passed she rushed up the stairs to open the proceeding doors they had to pass through to get to 'the bedroom'.



"Way wiggy." Buffy whispered, looking over Spike's shoulder to see what appeared to be another servant moving across the hall, carrying a tray of tea.



"Bloody Hell!" Spike murmured and Buffy turned her head back to gaze in astonishment at the beautiful room. It was four times the size of her room in Sunnydale. In the centre of which was a kingsize four-poster bed. Cream linin drapes hung from the beams in sweaps and swirls. The rest of the room was similarry decorated with oak furnature.



However, the beauty of the room was not what had caught Spike's attention. On the far wall, opposite the bed was a picture of two people most obviously in love. The artist had managed to capture every nuance of their individual features and from every pore of the painting, happiness and love was exuded.



On a golden plack beneath the picture was etched;



"To my dearest friends, Elizabeth and William, may I only hope to find a love half as strong as yours ~ Edward."



"Huh!" Buffy murmured before she was laid down on the bed.



Before Spike let go of her he murmured into her ear, "Here, love, play up the concussion memory loss thing till we know where we are."



"Ah, my dear Mrs. Dartmoore what have you done this time?" The old man you stood in the doorway had a pleasent face and a warm smile that instantly made Buffy relax.



Remebering what Spike had said she put on a suitable frown, and asked, quite truthfully perplexed, "Who are you?"



At the plump woman's gasp, the Doctor smiled softly, "My name is Benjamin Harker. Doctor Harker. Did you hit you're head when you fell?" He asked Buffy but looked at Spike.



"Yes, she did." Spike answered, "I think she's twisted her ankle. She knows who I am, but she can't seem to remember much else."



Dr. Harker smiled indulgently again, "Don't worry Elizabeth, you are always having your little tumbles, although usually you remember more than your husband. No fear, you'll be as right as rain in a few days." He let go of her foot and it was the first time Buffy realised that he had been wrapping it up in a bandage.



"Your name is Elizabeth Dartmoore, you are eighteen years of age, you live here at Heartfield House with your husband William. William, is twenty-four and has just finished studying to be a doctor. You remember William has a sun allergy?"



"Yes." Buffy smiled ruefully. "Didn't forget that."



"Good." They watched as they maid secured the drapes across the window.



"My parents?" Joyce flashed into her mind along with the sorrow-ful possibility of never seeing her again but she pushed it away.



The Doctor's voice lowered and he took her hand in his, "Your parents died four years ago, Lizzy. Mabel looked after you, she is now your maid, do you remember?"



"A little, thank you." Buffy smiled.



"Not to worry." He looked up at Spike as he straightened. "Everything should be alright in a day or so. Keep that foot rested, I'll have Mabel bring you up your meals."



"Thank you, Doctor." Spike moved as though instinctively to see him out.



"Not to worry, I'll let you stay with the invalid." With another smile both he and the nurse left, closing the door behind them.



Buffy sat up in bed as Spike perched on the other end, "Bloody Hell."



"Okay, so lets knock it down." Buffy decided. "In this time or this world we exist but not as vampire and slayer. But you, or 'William' has a sun allergy."



"Well, at least you won't have to explain why I'm missing and there's a big pile of dust in your bed come morning."



"Does that mean our couterparts are in our world or are they likely to turn up here?" Buffy asked, ignoring him.



"Don't know, don't care." Spike yawned and kicked off his shoes. He stretched out next to Buffy on the bed, his eyes closed.



"Hey! Go find your own bed!" She prodded him. "This is my bed!"



"This is our bed, pet!" He grinned at her sleepily, the time of day catching up on him. "Don't worry you're pretty little head, I'm not going to eat you. Truce, remember?"



"Okay...but keep to your side." She muttered, gratefull that the nurse had already dressed her for bed and that she was all covered up considering how revealing her 'night dress' was.



Spike shrugged out of his jacket and removed the belt from his trowsers. Since he couldn't feel any underpants he figured he'd sleep in his trowsers and removed his shirt before slipping under the covers.



He closed his eyes, his superior awareness picking up the slayers scent, heart beat and breathing. He could feel the heat radiating off her and had an inexplicable erge to hold her. Putting it down to simply the novelty of having a warm body, Spike closed his eyes allowing sleep to claim him.



***



Day Two



***



Buffy awoke the next day feeling much refreshed. Her ankle was no longer throbbing and she experimentally moved it without pain. Her eyes opened languidly, her body far too secure and comfortable in its current position to move. Her eyes locked on the carriage clock on the bedside and she sighed at the time, two o'clock.



Deciding she really should get up and begin to try to find a way home Buffy tried to get up. She couldn't move. The slayer realised with a gasp that far from being wrapped in covers she was wrapped in Spike's arms.



She shock all over and tried to tug herself away but the arms around her tightened and Spike groaned, "Oh, stay still, pet."



"Spike!" Buffy hissed, her face red with embarrasment. "Let go!"



"Come on, ducks, you're like a hot water bottle." Spike murmured, not fully awake. "All soft and warm..." His hands slid down her side and then up her thighs, resting around her stomach, hands splayed out with his fingertips rubbing small circles against the silk of her night dress as if to prove the point.



His face was burried in the base of her neck and she jumped as he nipped the skin there with blunt teeth.



There was a knock at the door and both jumped slightly, though Spike didn't relinquish his hold on Buffy. The door opened a crack and then fully. Mabel, the head maid, walked in carrying a large breakfast tray.



"Good afternoon, Miss Elizabeth, Mr Dartmoore. I thought you might like a spot of lunch, but Doctor Harker said that you were both to rest after the long night so I didn't wake you." She looked at them almost timidly as she placed the tray on the end of the bed. From this angle they could now see that there were two trays that could be disattached from the bottom, both complete with empty plates.



"Thankyou, Mabel. Um, we can do this." Buffy said, smiling kindly.



"Very good, madam, sir." With that the maid left them, closing the door behind her.



"Well..." Spike began.



Buffy wriggled in his grasp, "Spike! Let go of me!"



His arms tightened for a moment then released her entirely as he sat up, reaching for the tray. He pulled it closer and Buffy gasped at the food.



There were two large pitchers, one of orange juice, the other of a strangly deep red colour and three glasses. There was steaming coffee with cream and sugar. The food consisted of roast chicked and beef, potatoes; both mashed and roasted, and various vegetables. There was also a selection of fruits, including various summer berries.



Stunned, Buffy took the glass of orange juice Spike handed to her then watched him pour the red stuff into a second glass.



"Okay, is that what I think it is?" She asked, too hungry to be bothered if it was as she began spooning out stuff onto her plate.



"Blood, pet. Warm and human as well." He grinned at her. "Think we're missing a maid?"



"This isn't funny!" Buffy giggled none the less. Putting her plate on one of the smaller trays she sat back against the pillows.



Between them the food was quickly demolished and Buffy collapsed back to the pillows with a sigh, burrowing her head in them.



"You know, I don't think I've ever been this relaxed." She breathed and Spike chuckled. "Which is weird since I'm in a different time, in a different country, in a strange house, in bed with my mortal enemy." When Spike chuckled again she blushed. "Well, not in bed but...you get the idea."



"Yeah, pet." He lay back, propping himself up on one hand so that he could still see her amongst the pillows. "How about we stay put for a couple of days. I heard one of the maids saying they're going to town next Friday, preparing for a party on Saturday."



Buffy's ears perked up. "A party? Where?"



"How the fuck should I know, slayer!" Spike exasperated. "The point is we can get someone to take us with them and then find someone to take us home."



"How are we going to find someone? We don't know where we are." Buffy asked.



Spike's face rippled to that of the demon inside him, "Pet, I'm over two hundred years old." His face morphed back. "Most of that time I spent in England, I know every town inside out."



She yawned. "Okay, good, so you can be tour guide." Buffy burrowed her face back into the pillow and closed her eyes, "Gonna sleep, now, 'kay?"



Spike smiled, "Okay, pet."





Part Three.....soon!

Part Three





***



Day Five



***



"I'm bored!" Buffy declared as she entered what she now knew to be the drawing room where Spike sat reading a newspaper.



"Why don't you go riding again, ducks?" Spike asked with the calm indulgence that putting up with Drusilla for over a century had brought him.



The day before Buffy had been asked if she was well enough to do her usual Wednesday-morning ride. So thrilled at being able to do something she'd dreamed about for years she had ridden all day resulting in a very sore back. Mabel, who she'd discovered had been 'her' nanny, had kindly ran her a hot, luxurious bubble bath with some American products they'd apparently ordered the month before. This was when Spike had deemed it a good idea to come and have a chat. However, the bubbles were evaporating almost as quickly as Buffy's patience and she eventually splashed him to get him to leave.



"Apparently it rained all night and it was pointed out to me that I didn't want to get all muddy." She collapsed into the couch opposite Spike and eyed him with a frown. "I thought you were supposed to be the hyper one and there you are calmly reading a newspaper while I'm bouncing off the walls!"



"A) I'm not hyper. B) You're hardly bouncing off the walls. C) The newspaper is informing me of the fact that it is you and I, my pet, who are having a party, next Saturday. Also, we're in Yorkshire. It's the 22nd of July, 1872."



"We're having a party?"



"I love what you pick up on!" Spike muttered, then said more loudly. "Yes, pet, us, you and me, here, in this house in eight days."



"I need a dress, if we're still here."



"Apparently you chose it last week, Mabel put it on the bed if you needed to be reminded of it." At Buffy's questioning look. "I figured that would be your first question so I asked."



"You know you're taking the whole time travel thing pretty lightly, don't you want to go home?"



"Um, let me think. Should I go back to my pissed off girlfriend in good ol' Sunnyhell or should I be happy with my holiday where I can relax. Tough choice. Anyway, you don't seem to be too put out by the change of events, Miss Summers."



"It's kinda like living in a fairy tale house isn't it?" Buffy asked quietly. "I think its pretty and so far the only demon I've seen is you. Which in my book is a dramatic decrease."



"Maybe you need a holiday too." Spike suggested.



"Maybe I do." Buffy murmured.



***



Day Thirteen - Friday



***



The sun had just set beneath the hills when Spike awoke. He yawned and stretched out slightly before drawing the warm body in front of him closer still.



This had pretty much become their routine. They'd wake in the late morning, wrapped up in each other. She'd yell at him before they went down to have breakfast. His day consisted pretty much of working his way through the library since there was no television. While hers was spent out with the horses or lazing in the garden under the sun.



They'd meet for lunch around two in the afternoon and usually spend the remainder of the afternoon playing cards until Buffy got sick of Spike winning. A couple of hours to sunset, Spike would return to their room, the time of day catching up with the vampire, and sleep till sunset. More out of boredom then need, Buffy had taken to having siestas around the same time.



Spike looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms and silently sighed. He liked her far too much. And he liked having her, here, in his arms even more. Tonight was the night they would go into town and hopefully find a way back home. Spike wasn't even sure if he wanted a way back home. He meant what he'd said to the slayer the other day. Frankly, he was having way too much fun here.



*With her. *



"Hmmm....” Buffy yawned and turned in the arms holding her, rubbing her face into the coolness in front of her. She was already awake, Spike's movements having woken her, but she pretended to be asleep so she could enjoy the gentle embrace that she was so used to waking in.



Normally, she would get straight up but today was different. Tonight they were off to town to look for a way home. Most of her wanted to go home; the sensible part. However, an ever-increasing part wanted to stay just a little longer.



Anyway, she was still sleepy; surely it wasn't time to go yet?



And as red-hot pain shot to her temples and in between her brows that part took over her faculties entirely.



"You awake, pet?" Spike's soft voice broke Buffy into reality.



"Nuggh..."



Spike relinquished his hold on her as she sat up, pressing her cool fingers against her eyes; trying to recreate the same conditions her comfort levels were so attuned to.



"Pet?" Spike frowned when she just groaned softly, her hands against her face. His improved hearing picked up her heartbeat and the vampire was shocked at the speed at which it was beating.



"Are you okay?" She shook her head then groaned again as pain shot through her skull.



"Come here." With a gentleness she'd been slowly encountering with him, Spike carefully grasped her shoulders, easing them both back down to the pillows.



"Ugh! This really hurts...” Buffy whispered, her hands still clutching her head.



Spike carefully leant her against the crook of his shoulder, both hands coming around her to allow cool fingertips to gently massage her temples.



"Mmmm, that feels so good, Spike...” Buffy mumbled drowsily, half asleep.



The vampire watched as the slayer drifted asleep, his never-tiring hands continually massaging her head. She murmured something soft in her sleep, snuggling back into his chest and Spike sighed contentedly.



Suddenly he frowned, bringing one hand to her forehead. She felt hot. Well, she always felt hot to his touch but now her skin was burning up. Her heartbeat was slower in her slumber but her skin was of a sickly pallor and held a sheen of perspiration, indicating a fever.



Recalling the medical training he had undertaken in his youth, and the knowledge he had acquired over the centuries Spike concluded that if she had fever then she needed to be kept warm; sweat the fever out so-to-speak.



Dragging the heavier quilt that lay at the bottom of the bed over them both, cuddling her now shaking body close to his.



Two hours later the maid, Mabel, came to remind them that they were heading into town. Immediately seeing Buffy's illness brought another blanket and thick bed-socks to keep her feet warm. She told Spike that she would have the cook make up some chicken broth and that he was not to worry.



Before she left Spike reminded her of the party they were due to hold the following day.



Mabel had replied, "I'll get Tom to contact your guests and postpone the party due to Miss Elizabeth's illness. How long shall I tell him?"



"Make it in two weeks time. Give her time to recover." Spike had decided and with that the maid had left, leaving the vampire to nurse the sick slayer alone in 'their' bed.





A/N: Reviews make me happy, and when I get happy I write...and when I write, I update and you get happy! See where I'm going with this?

Part Four



~~~



Day Sixteen



~~~



"Come on, kitten, this'll make you feel better." Spike tried to place the cold, damp rag over Buffy’s forehead.



"No...No, silly, Spike. You can't play with the kitten!" Buffy batted at Spike's hand.



The vampire sighed. Yesterday it had seemed that the fever was disappearing but after the thunderstorm last night the blonde slayer seemed to go into a relapse and was quite frankly delirious.



Suddenly, she began shaking uncontrollably and Spike dropped the cloth, quickly pulling the covers over her. She began to sob quietly and Spike wrapped his arms around the bundle of covers, cooing softly to her that everything was fine.



An hour later the maid returned, "Sir, you called?"



"Yes, about the party. I was thinking it might be wise to cancel it altogether. Buffy is still too unwell." Spike said properly, slipping easily into his accent of birth.



"Oh, sir, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll make the arrangements immediately."



~~~



Day Twenty-five



~~~



"Spike...?"



"Buffy?" Spike sighed in relief as two tired blue-green eyes focused on him. "How you feelin', pet?"



"Like someone ran a truck over me twice then left me in the Sahara for a week." She croaked.



"Here, drink this." Spike handed her a glass of juice, of which she took a tentative sip as she tested out her responses. When all was good she steadily drank until it was all gone.



"More?" Spike asked.



"Please." Buffy nodded. When she had finished her third glass she let him meekly take it from her fingers. "What happened?"



"You've been ill for the last two weeks. Doc said it was a cross between the flu and plain out exhaustion." Spike explained. "You should take it easy for a bit more, pet. Don't want a relapse."



"Two weeks?" Buffy murmured as Spike eased her back on to the pillows. "What about the party? Going into town?"



"Don't fret, love, we rebooked the thing for next week. Only we'll not be holding it. Nick will."



"Nick?"



"Never mind. We'll check ourselves out in five days. Just go back to sleep; you'll feel better in the morning."



"I like it when you go all nice...calming...peace...” Buffy muttered falling asleep.



~~~



Day Thirty



~~~



"Mabel, I'm really worried about this party. I know I sound a complete klutz but I have no idea whose going to be there, or what it's for!"



The maid looked down kindly at Buffy, "Not to worry, Eliza. The party is a welcome for yourselves. I'm afraid I don't know who will be there, though I suppose the neighbourhood."



"You mean, the party is for us. So, we won't know anyone there?"



"Exactly, madam. Except of course for Mr. Nicolas Berkshire. Mr. Dartmoore spoke to him while you were unwell. It is Mr. Berkshire that intends to hold the party."



"Thank you. I was worried I was forgetting more than usual!" The elderly maid smiled at the slayer indulgently and took her leave.



---



"Ready, ducks?" Spike asked from the doorway.



Buffy stood out-of-view behind the cupboard door, "Yeah, just a minute, I can't tie this bloody thing up!"



Spike chuckled.



"What!" Buffy cried agitatedly.



"You said, 'Bloody', love. We've been together too long."



"Yeah, well, its not just me. Yesterday you said the trees looked 'wiggy'. Oh, would you just help me or get lost; you’re distracting me."



"What do you need?"



"Tie me." Buffy stepped out from the cupboard and gasped, taking in the sharp dinner-suit. "Wow, you clean up well."



Spike cleared his throat and tried to keep his eyes from dipping down the low cut of her dress, which seemed to just glide over the slayer's skin like liquid silk. "You too."



A/N: Please do review! It completely makes my day and makes the writing come that much quicker!

Part Five




"Look guys, can we finish this tomorrow? It's really late and we don't even know where we're going to stay." Buffy called a halt to the proceedings after several yawns had interrupted her flow of speech.



"Why can't you just go home and dead boy junior find some crypt to spend the night?" Xander asked, pointing an ingratiating thumb in Spike's general direction.



"Because Xander, it hasn't been my home for over a year and I'm not spending a night away from my husband." Buffy returned sharply, squeezing the hand around her waist.



"Buffy." Giles called a halt to the aggression. "If your mother knows where you are, you and Spike are welcome to spend the night here." He let this sink in before he continued. "Have you spoken to your mother?"



"We saw her before you, which is why we came so late. She understood. Which is more than I can say for the friends who should be used to all this."



"Buffy, please don't be mad with us. Its just, for us, you've been missing only four days. And this is a lot to take in, on faith." Willow said gently.



"I know this is a shock, and I'll gladly explain it all tomorrow; you can research the demon - look for where it sent us. But, I'm so tired right now....” Her eyes dropped to her lap, a silent tear falling from one of them.



"Right, that’s it." Spike picked Buffy up as he stood. "Watcher? You said we could stay here, where did you have in mind?"



"Hey wait a minute...” Xander cut in heatedly.



"Look, boy, I really don't give a fuck what you have to say but the slayer wanted you here. If you gave a damn about her you'd see how tired she is and leave the fuck off." Spike growled.



"Quite." Giles murmured. "I was thinking the spare room, it’s down that hall passed the bathroom. First door on the left."



Without another word Spike nodded and walked out of the room, the slayer in his arms.



"You know, I can't believe you're trusting this guy!"



"Xander! We have no idea where they have been or what has happened to them. One thing is for certain; they are no longer enemies and evidently Buffy has had to rely upon Spike and he upon her. Despite what we think we have no other option but to accept him. If you continue with your hampering you will only push her further away. Have I made myself clear?" Giles' eyes bore into the boy who nodded meekly.



"Very well. Willow, if it is not too much trouble do you think you could hunt around on the Internet for the demon Buffy described? I will look through my books, but there’s something unfamiliar about it that make me think I won't find it."



"Sure, Giles. I'll see you in the library, tomorrow?"



"Yes, goodnight all."



With a chorus' of goodbyes the gang left the watcher to his silent contemplation. In the background he could hear the vampire and his slayer talking. He sighed, picked up the voluminous book on time-travelling demons and slowly moved up the stairs to bed.



---



"Has everyone gone?" Buffy asked Spike when it all seemed to go quiet.



"Yeah, only the watcher and he's gone upstairs." He dropped the last article of clothing on to the chair near the bed and slid under the covers next to Buffy, pulling her body to his as he did.



"Thank god. I don't think I could have handled the looks any longer." Buffy sank back, snuggling against Spike's side; her head on his chest as he stroked her loose hair. She yawned, "What are we going to do tomorrow?"



"Well we can't live here, so we'll start on that."



"What do you mean?"



"I'll find us someplace to live." Spike murmured, kissing the top of her head.



"How? We don't have any money."



"Pet, I've got two hundred years worth of savings in the bank. I think the term that would best describe our finances is healthy."



"Really, how healthy?" Buffy murmured.



"I'm worth around twenty-seven million pounds. Which is about forty-three million dollars. Or something like that." Spike replied flippantly, not in the least bothered about his obvious wealth.



"You’re kidding." She sat up to look him in the eye. "You're serious?"



"Uh huh."



"Wow! I married a millionaire." She giggled, pressed a kiss to his side and closed her eyes in obvious relief, comforted by the fact that in that sense they were safe. After all it could only be counted as sheer luck that they had encountered upon a time where 'they' already existed and had many people ready to welcome them back 'home'.



---







"I don't get it Giles. If it all happened in a different dimension how can there be a modern marriage certificate. Look at the renewal date; it’s this year." Willow tapped the computer screen in front of her.



Giles rubbed his fingers against his forehead, glancing around the library. "Can you find out the original date? You said it had been renewed."



"Yeah, okay.... hold on one minute." Willow typed several keys and clicked enter. "Wow...June, 1871."



"My God, Buffy said the year they arrived was 1872, I believe, so for all intents and purposes they have been married nearly a hundred and thirty years." Giles blew out a stream of hot air and removed his glasses. "This is all very beguiling."



"I'll say!" Xander exclaimed as he entered the library. "I just saw Spike and the Buffster making out on your couch, G-man." He handed Giles the book the watcher had requested and slumped down next to Willow.



Giles replaced his cleaned glasses and made a face, "I did not need to know that." He muttered, leafing through the book in his hands. "Did they say when they would be coming down?"



"Right now." Buffy stated as she led Spike in from the stacks.



"Buffy? Did you get remarried while you were gone?" Willow asked, frowning.



"Yeah. Why?" Buffy responded, staring puzzled over at the Wicca as Spike pulled her down on top of him.



"I just found a copy of your marriage certificate. And its renewal is dated this year." Willow tapped the computer then turned the monitor around so that the vampire and slayer could see what she was seeing.



"I don't get it. How can it be this year when we were re-married in 1873?" Buffy asked.



"To be perfectly honest with you Buffy, I'm still not quite sure. We have yet to have found any information about the demons you could describe. It is impossible to discern how much longer it will take."



The library doors swung open and a green-haired werewolf walked in with a large book in his hand, "I found the demon."



"Apparently, not that long." Xander muttered, taking a big bite of one of the donuts he'd brought with him.





A/N: Please do review - it makes a girl's day! Just sign in, go to the top and press reviews! Or morbiddesiresbypassionfish@yahoo.com

Part Six





~~~ Day Thirty - At the party... ~~~









"Come now Elizabeth, are you and your delightful husband not to grace the floor with your presence?"



Buffy smiled at the elderly gentlemen and was about to answer when his wife, Virginia - *bloody stupid name* - who looked to be not much older than herself, sauntered up to him. She was wearing a dress that was so plastered on that even by today's standards it was verging on indecent.



"I love to dance." She stated, sending an obviously flirtatious smile to Spike unbothered that her husband might see.



Buffy scowled when she saw Spike return it, imagining sharp bits of wood meeting with squashy bits of Vampire. *Stupid hormone filled Vampire.*



"I know my dear." Mr. Carting patted her hand in sympathy. "I'm afraid I'm a little past the dancing age." He smiled gently at Buffy who forced her lips to turn up into a smile she certainly didn't feel.



"Perhaps Mr. Dartmoore could appease me." The voluptuous woman suggested, licking her rouged lips very, very slowly as she continued to stare hotly into Spike's eyes.



Spike didn't have to look at the Slayer to feel the jealousy radiating off her in waves. He smirked at the thought of the Slayer being so possessive! And of him!



"Gladly." He smiled at her; taking the hand the woman's husband gave him and led her to the dance floor.



Buffy silently fumed as she watched Spike wrap his arms around another woman. Some other man’s wife!



"Your husband is an excellent dancer, Elizabeth." Carting remarked, seemingly completely unaware of his wife’s obvious betrayal.



"Yes." Buffy replied tightly, not taking her furious eyes from the couple on the dance floor. She’d swear she growled when the woman ran her fingers down Spike's jacket, stroking their way from his body as the song ended.



"I was happy to find that your health has im-” He was cut off by his wife's presence.



"I feel a trifle...hot." The still un-known woman stated as they returned to a very pissed off Slayer and stupidly happy elderly man.



"Maybe you should go.... you know, get some fresh air." Buffy stated, loosing her fake olde English accent as her anger clouded her. If someone had stopped to ask her, she would have been unable to explain just why she was so angry.



"Maybe Mr. Dartmoore could accompany me...we were having the most interesting.... conversation." She ended slowly, letting Buffy know that they weren't talking.



Her husband seemed ever oblivious, "An excellent idea, my dear."



"Um...” Spike suddenly felt trapped, he looked to Buffy for help, but she just sent him a scowl. He'd only danced with the woman to see whether the jealousy he'd noted at dinner had been real or a figment of his imagination. "I...uh, yes!" He elated as he found an excuse. "I promised Buff-uh, Elizabeth that I would show her the Billiard Room - she has been anxious to learn how to play."



"Really?" Virginia questioned, haughtily looking down her nose at the prettier woman, "What a masculine sport to wish to delve into."



"Always preferred a game with a bit more...bite." Buffy stated glaring at the woman.



Spike was hard pressed not to laugh, "If you'll excuse us."



"Of course." Mr. Carting agreed amiably, smiling at them both.



"Enjoy your evening." Spike completed, taking Buffy's arm and leading her out of the room.



As soon as they were out into the quiet hallway Buffy pulled away from him violently stomping ahead in the direction of the Billiard Room, which their host had provided for them.



"Buffy, love...” Spike tried not to laugh, but it escaped his mouth as he spoke, only causing her to double her steps. "...wait up, pet!"



"Stupid, arrogant, egotistical, hormone-driven, pig of a Vampire." Buffy muttered as she slammed open the door to the poolroom, Spike quick on her heels.



Spike watched silently as with angry, jerky movements she arranged to the table for them to play, relieved at least that she was willing to play.



"Shall I break?" Spike asked, his voice as inoffensive as he could make it in deference to the obviously wildly pissed off Slayer.



He cringed as she sent the white ball spinning down the table at his words. It smashed into the other balls, sending them all flying in odd directions, but none entered a pocket.



"Do you want to play snooker or pool?" Spike asked, wisely not stating a preference, as he knew she would only choose the other just to spite him.



Again she didn't respond, but she lined up another ball and took the shot.



It bounced off the sides and zigzagged down the table, neatly avoiding any of the pockets.



"Hey! You didn't hit one in the first time so that was my go!" Spike whined, glaring at her, his good mood at her jealousy quickly dissipating at her lack of deference to the wonder that was pool (which he'd decided she was attempting to play as she was only aiming for all the colours except red).



"I'm the Slayer, I make the rules." Buffy stated, moving to line up another shot.



"No you don't!" Spike growled, darting around the table, trying to grab her cue.



Buffy jumped out of his reach, running around to the other side of the table, ""Why don't you go back to your ho, out there and let me finish my game in peace?!"



Spike's anger left as soon as it had arrived, "Jealous, love?"



"What?" Buffy screeched, her eyes blazing.



"I said, are you jealous?" Spike asked slowly, punctuating his deep words with a step closer to the shocked Slayer.



Buffy snorted and tried to laugh, but it came out cold and forced – which of course it was. "Jealousy? Of What? You and Miss. Ho of the century?"



"You're jealous...” Spike sang, grinning at her.



"I. Am. Not. Jealous." Buffy growled, glaring at him.



"Then why are you trying to bust all the balls?" Spike enquired with a grin that sent Buffy’s blood levels soaring. It only widened when he took in her flushed appearance and increased heart rate. There was a predatory glint in his eyes as he began to move closer to her – she didn’t notice, still lost in anger. The alcohol and lust in his blood, coupled with her reaction this evening was sending the few inhibitions he had left regarding the Slayer out of the window.



"I'll bust your balls." Buffy muttered to herself.



"Pardon, love?" Spike asked, unable to keep quiet, laughing as she blushed an attractive beet red.



"Oh, whatever. You said you'd teach me so teach me." Buffy finally snapped out of her jealous anger, for the first time noticing how close he was. He'd somehow lost his pool cue and had managed to get all the way round the table. She watched as he stepped closer to her, flattening her body against the side of the table without even touching her.



Buffy knew she was breathing hard, she couldn't stop, but she knew she really should. How wrong was this? He'd moved his arms either side of her, trapping her there.



"What would you like me to teach you, pet?" Spike was, gazing hotly down at her. His eyes darting between her wide owl-like eyes and her rouged pouting lips.



*Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god...” The litany repeated through her head as she searched for something witty to say. Unfortunately all she could think about was the hard male body, which was slowly pressing into her.



His voice got even huskier, if that was at all possible, as he repeated his question, their lips almost touching, "Would you like me to teach you?"



It was a different question altogether, with life-shattering consequences and they both knew it, but they were helpless to do anything about it.



Buffy's previously tight grip on her pool cue broke, and the wood tumbled to the ground. The noise was enough to break her from her stupor and just before his lips touched hers she spoke, "Pool."



"Wha'?" Spike's addled brain attempted to catch up with the conversation. Had they been talking?



"Pool." Buffy reasserted; her voice stronger. Spike stood back a step as she stood up straight. "Teach me how to play pool."



"Um...” He cleared his throat as he tried to adjust his painful erection. "...Okay, pet."



Flushed, and still breathing hard Buffy nodded and retrieved her cue as Spike moved to put some distance between them.





---



Back in Sunnydale…





"Well...” Oz clarified, "I found the demon from a couple of days ago - you know the one that tried to burn Xander alive?"



There were a few moments of silence.



Buffy stared at the werewolf; she'd never heard him talk that much in one go.



Spike sighed and reached for a cigarette - it was gonna be a long night, but, eh, at least Xander almost got fried.



Xander paled at the reminder and Cordy rolled her eyes - they were all so lame.



Willow smiled encouragingly at her boyfriend as he passed her the book, which she gave to Giles.



"Well, that’s good right?" Willow asked, her voice peppy.



"Uh, yes.... excellent." Giles agreed, put out that they hadn't found the demon that had messed with his Slayer, but trying not to make the usually stoic young man embarrassed.



"Xander nearly got fried?" Buffy asked from her position on Spike's lap. The Vampire barely looked up as he continued to play with her hair, absently twirling the long, blonde strands around his pale fingers.



"Yeah, Buffy, you so should have been there it was all like 'Grrrrr' and I was all like-"



Cordy cut of Xander's explanation, "‘Ahhh’. He screamed like a girl." She stated to Buffy then looked to Giles, "So what, Blondie over there takes out the red demon while we keep researching?"



"Uh, actually...yes." Giles agreed and the whole room stared at Cordelia in shock.



The beauty Queen looked put out. "What? I can plan."



"Yeah, plan your way to the salon." Xander rejoined snidely, still smarting over her previous divulgence.



"At least I go to one. Who hacks your hair - a blind woodsman?



"So, how do I kill the demon?" Buffy asked, the group ignoring the still bickering couple.



"Uh...” Giles quickly scanned the page, "It would appear that you have to tear off its two horns simultaneously." He looked over to the silent guitarist. "Thank-you Oz, this is really quite helpful, I'd forgotten I had this text."



Willow beamed at her boyfriend.



"Wow, the Giles-meister missed a book, what are the chances?" Xander asked, pausing long enough in his 'conversation' with the cheerleader to make an input into the group talk before returning to his argument.



Giles glared at the back of Xander's head then moved his eyes to Buffy as she spoke, "Any idea where we find it?"



"It nearly flambéed Xander down near that angel statue." Willow said helpfully.



"Oooh, you mean that creepy one whose eyes follow you?"



Willow nodded, and curled up her nose. "That’d be the one…"



"Right, come on, love. Demon’s a-waiting!" Spike lifted Buffy off his lap and took her hand when he also stood.



"See you guys later." Buffy said as she and Spike started to leave.



"What? You're just gonna let her go alone? He's gonna kill her!" Everyone cringed at Xander’s outburst, but Buffy misunderstood.



"Relax, Xander, I have Spike with me." Buffy smiled at her honey.



"I meant Spike! Are all you people mad, the second she turns her back he's gonna turn on her like..."



The group waited expectantly. When nothing came and Xander turned bright red from lack of oxygen as he paused Buffy spoke up.



"Okay, Xander breathe and get over it. Spike's not gonna hurt me! He's my husband, for God's sake! We'll be back in a bit - hey, why don't you guys check out the Watcher's diary, what was his name, honey?"



"Ackerton...Jeffery, I think."



"Jeffery Ackerton?" Giles asked, shocked.



"Yeah, you know him?" Spike looked over at the tweed man.



"Well, he's quite renowned - a bit of a rogue Watcher, you might say. He was nearly killed for cavorting with a vamp-" Realisation hit Giles and he started. "Good Lord, that must be you!"



"See - Peroxide Boy brings no good."



"Oh grow up Xander!"



"Quite. This is really very...interesting." The group watched as Giles escaped into his own world and collectively shook their heads.



Buffy, quickly recognising that look in her watchers eye as one of research tried to make a hasty exit. "Ooookay! We're gonna go now! See ya later!" Buffy and Spike turned again to leave, the vamp giving her a thumbs up at her request, still pulling the Slayer out of the library.



"Bye, Buffy, Spike...ooh! Bring back donuts!" Willow called out as a last thought since it looked like they were going to be here a while.



"Hey! I thought I was donut-guy!" Xander cried, hurt.



"Oh, get over it!" Cordelia scowled at him.

Part Seven





~~~ Day Thirty – Still At The Party… ~~~







"How is it that you have the correct co-ordination to dust demons from twenty metres but you can't knock that big white ball into that big red ball and make it land in the pocket? I've seen Krevlock demon's with more skill than you."



"Hey!" Buffy glared at him. "Now I don't know what those Jock demons have to do with anything..." Spike rolled his eyes. "...But excuse me Mr. Old-as-dirt I haven't been playing this game for like a billion years."



"Okay, pet." Spike took in a deep, calming but unneeded breath and removed his dinner jacket, draping it across the back of one of the numerous chairs that lined the four walls of the burgundy room.



"Here's what we'll do...” Spike took a quick glance at the table. "Right, you see that red ball near the top right pocket?"



"Umm...” Buffy looked in the direction he pointed. "...Yep. One red ball check."



Spike rolled his eyes but continued without comment, "Good. Now look at the white ball. See how it's aligned with the red one."



"Yeah.... oooh! And..."



"What?" Spike asked, genuinely interested.



"AND it’s all shiny! See, the light reflects off it!"



"Very funny, pet." Spike scowled.



"I thought so." Buffy smirked at him.



He flipped her off and drawled, "Lets see if you can hit the red ball then."



"Okay.... I can hit a heart and a heart is surrounding by that...cagey thing, it's like a heart just more...round." Buffy finished lamely.



Spike watched amused then ridiculously aroused as the Slayer half leant over the table as she tried to look down the line of what had to be the most simple shot of all time. His eyes strayed down her body, his mouth going dry as he regarded the way her dress clung to all her curves, from the jut of her hips to the curve of her breast.



Buffy squinted down the propagation line, she could do this, she was the Slayer; she could hit a fly with a pin and..."Ugh!"



Spike nearly groaned out loud at her vocalisation. God, she was killing him.



"Darn it!"



Spike's eyes unglazed as he tried to concentrate on a now scowling Buffy. "What's tha'?"



"Damn it, Spike, why can't I do it?" Buffy whined, her eyes tearing over in frustration…they had been doing this for hours!



Spike sighed, trying to think of something to say that didn’t involve his cock.



"Teach me properly?" She pouted up at him.



"What?" His over-addled sex-driven brain tried to work out the non-sexual slant on her whimpered words.



"Teach me." She repeated, looking pleadingly into his eyes. As she continued to speak she matched her words with solid steps towards him. "Please, Spike, you said you would and I've been trying for like three hours now..." She was right in front of him when she finished.



Finally noticing the glazed over sex-look in his eyes, she realised the alternative way her words could be taken. And what had almost happened the last time she'd spoken them. She sooo wasn't gonna go there! *Remember Buff? You plus Vampire equals everyone you love ending in horrible pain!*



But for the love of chocolate she couldn't stop her last sentence escaping her lips, nor the provocative way it came out. "....I know you can teach me how to do it right." She completed, staring hotly into his eyes.



"Ughh..." Spike groaned, reaching for her. That was just too much, his hands grasped her upper arms and he drew her body into his, connecting their lower halves with a moan.



"I say old chap, are you going to keep her to yourself all evening?"



Buffy and Spike pulled away at the sudden intrusion, both adopting a slightly fighting-like pose automatically.



"Jack." Spike said flatly, attempting not to vamp out at the guy.



"Uh, Hi." Buffy coughed.



"Oh, pet this is Mr. Bradshaw. Our nearest neighbour on the other side."



"Call me Jack."



"Um..." Buffy blushed as he took her hand, pressing a kiss to it. This was not how things worked in Y2K Sunnydale.



"Hey now, mate." It was instinct that had Spike drawing the Slayer back to his chest.



"Don't worry, William, I'm not trying to steal your wife!" Jack laughed so good-naturedly that any animosity Spike felt towards him quickly dissipated.



"Better not be, old man. How’s the party faring?" Spike queried, his voice immediately more upper class.



"Pretty well, starting to wind down. Nicolas had me looking for you. Worried you'd gotten lost."



"Just teaching Elizabeth a bit of pool."



"And is he a good teacher, Elizabeth?" Jack asked Buffy, smiling at her.



"I think he'll probably improve with age." Jack laughed and Spike fake-scowled at her.



"Watch it love, my egos' sensitive!"





---



Back in Sunnydale…







"Watch out!" Spike ducked as he heard Buffy scream, narrowly escaping a spray of fire.



"Bloody hell!" He growled, standing next to Buffy, the two of them about forty feet away.



Buffy watched as the creature roared, rising to its full height of seven and a half foot. Fire spurted from its nostrils and it started to charge them. "Fuck this."



"Language, love." Spike chastised with a grin.



"Shut up, Spike! You go to the right, I go to the left. On three...." Buffy watched as it gained on them, "One....Two..."



As one the two of them rushed it, Buffy flying to the right as Spike dove for the left. As one they tore the two horns from the side of its head. They landed in a heap behind it, watching as the creature roared in pain, grabbing its head.



With a 'zipping' sound the creature appeared to fold in on itself and disappeared with a small puff of smoke.



"Wanna go tell your Watcher?" Spike asked.



Buffy blew a strand of hair from her face and looked over at her husband. He was lying down, his body propped up on his elbows. There was a smudge of soot on his left cheek and his hair was slightly disarrayed.



"I think I finally get what Faith meant." Buffy murmured.



"Huh?" Was all Spike got out before Buffy dove on him, making him topple to the ground with the force of her kiss.



*Slayin' does make me horny!*





---





"Hi guys." A very dishevelled looking Buffy and Spike entered the library about an hour and a half after they'd left.



"Don't wanna know..." Xander muttered to no one in particular, earning a kick in his shins for his trouble.



"I trust the demon is...uh, dead?" Giles enquired, leaving his office for the first time since the blonde pair had left.



"Yep...went poof and everything." Buffy answered, allowing Spike to lead her to their still-empty chair. She dropped the bag she'd been carrying under the table and plonked herself down on his lap.



"Good good..." With that Giles retreated back into his office, his noise back in the book he'd been reading.



"Ooookay, what’s up with Giles?" Buffy asked Willow.



"He's been like that since you left. I think he's looking for that Watcher..."



"Ackerton, Red." Spike supplied, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist.



"Yeah, him." Willow shrugged helplessly.



"Any news on the research front?" Buffy asked.



"Nope...oooh! You bring donuts?" Willow asked excitedly.



"Of course...." Buffy reached under the table to retrieve her bag. She placed the large box on the table, watching as the witch bounced in her seat before reaching over for one.



"Sugar fix!" She squeaked excitedly.



Oz smiled lovingly at her reaction, reaching over to ruffle her hair. She sat back and smiled back at him softly with shy, loving eyes.



Cordy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, gagging as he shoved the sticky mush down his throat. Swatting his hands out of the way she daintily reached for a jelly filled donut.



From across the table, Buffy sat, safe within the circle of her husband’s arms and watched her friends laugh and tease each other with all and any animosity forgotten.



"Glad to be home, pet?" Spike whispered into her ear.



"Yeah...I think I am." Buffy smiled and pressed a kiss to his still blacked cheek. Her tongue darted out and gave it a little lick. She giggled as he growled softly at her, then snuggled down in his embrace, waiting for her Watcher to come out from hibernation and tell how she needed to save the world this time.





TBC

Part Eight



A/N What's in italics is Giles' flashback to the conversation.







With a sigh Giles closed the seventh book of the night and pushed it away. He couldn't understand it. They knew what time Buffy and Spike had been transported too and that they met with a Watcher and Slayer in the 1870's. The information should have been in one of these books.



Unless....



The name had sparked off the memory of the Watcher's disgrace. Maybe there was something in the diary that could explain Spike's strange behaviour towards the Slayer. Everything up till now had led Giles to believe that the Vampire was nothing more than a remorseless killer, feeling nothing for anyone other than himself.



Something about a soul?



Or a conscience.



Or even, a theory on the nature of the very demon that animated William The Bloody's body.



Yes, this indeed would be more than reason enough for the council to hide the manuscript....but not necessarily destroy it.



Even the Council, as set in their old ways as they were, knew the high statistical probability of an imminent apocalypse being averted through one text or another, regardless of how controversial.



They would, however, have no qualms about hiding the information until they deemed it pertinent.



He knew someone...back from his Oxford days. They had some access to confidential texts. He couldn't imagine why they wouldn't be able to gain access to this one. If they would agree.



Now, all he had to do was find the number.



Giles finally looked up from his self-induced daze to his wreck of an office.



"Oh....bugger."



---



An hour later Giles emerged from his office once more, "Uh, does anyone have an idea as to where I might have placed an old phone number?"



"Umm....address book?" Book Willow suggested with a frown, glancing around the room to see if anyone else had an idea.



"Who's it for?" Buffy asked.



"An old friend...one who may know the whereabouts of the Watchers' diary." Giles explained. "I do think it might be quite important as to the whereabouts of this demon and the consequences of your time-travel....I-if that indeed is what happened."



"You think we might not have gone back in time?" Spike asked, intrigued as it had occurred to him too.



"That’s impossible - we were there and it certainly wasn't Disney Land." Buffy put in confidently.



"Well, the idea of an alternate universe or dimension has crossed our minds...." Giles seemed to go off in to his own little world again.



"What about directory enquiries? They have numbers, right?" The group looked shocked at Xander's pretty good idea.



"Uh, yes...I don't know why I didn't think of it before." Giles mumbled, retreating back into his office.



"Hey, I do more than go for snacks you know." He smiled, fake-offended.



"Yeah, sometimes it's a whole meal."



---



Giles carefully replaced the phone back in its cradle. With a sigh he removed his glasses and began polishing them. Needless though the exercise was it calmed his nerves somewhat.



The good news was that Richard should be able to lay his hands on the diary in question.



"I don't know, Rupert, it'll be tricky."



"I understand that. It is of the up most importance that we can study this diary."



"We?" Richard queried.



"There a-are some....uh, civilians who aid my Slayer in her calling." Giles admitted.



Richard laughed, "Really old man? I heard that your Slayer was a bit of a...handful."



Giles allowed himself a smile, "Yes....but nevertheless she is one of the best in her line. I believe that there is something in the diary that could change an awful lot over here."



"Isn't there always?" Richard asked sarcastically.



"Quite. So, you think you can do it?"



"Like I said, it'll be tricky, but I should manage it."



The bad; he was going to have to travel to England himself to retrieve it.



"One problem." Richard admitted.



"Yes?"



"The Council....they've been watching me rather closely since the Angelus incident."



"Whatever for?" Giles frowned, trying to ignore the pang in his heart that screamed 'Jenny'.



"You remember the manuscript you requested concerning Acathla."



"Yes, you said they were not under...oh, I take it there were not in easy reach?"



"Not exactly. It was less my taking them, more my passing them on to you. Your Slayer has....quite a reputation. Not unlike your own." Richard teased lightly, trying to move his words to a happier subject.



"What's the problem?" Giles asked, unable to be swayed from his quest.



Richard sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to get out of this. "I don't think it would be safe for me to send them to you over the Internet."



"Probably for the best, I hate that infernal contraption!" Giles scowled at the machine in question.



"You never change, Rupert." Richard laughed, then sobered. "I need you to come to England. I should be able to get them out of the council but..."



"I understand. How soon can you get your hands on them?" Giles asked, already making up a mental timetable.



"I need a couple of days. Can you be here by Friday?"



"Yes. Where do you want to meet?"



"Not at my home. You understand, right?"



"Of course, what about the pub near the docks?"



"It's now a gay strip club." Richard explained wryly.



"Good lord! Is nothing sacred anymore? That pub was a piece of our heritage!"



"I'm afraid when you left you took its main source of income with you, if you remember correctly!"



Giles smiled dryly. "Very funny. Where else?"



"Do you remember 1982?"



"Vaguely."



"I mean that night, in November."



Realisation hit. "Ah."



"Good. Midnight."



With a sigh, Giles reached for the phone again, preparing to make the necessary travel arrangements. England was not somewhere he wanted to be right now. Who knew what the implications of this demon were? And also, though he had reprimanded Xander, he too had misgivings about Spike.



What father wouldn't?



"Oh lord, please don't let him start calling me 'Dad'!"


TBC...
A/N: Please do review!

Part Nine





~~~ Day Thirty-One ~~~









Birds were singing, cooks were making breakfast and a late morning sun was shining in the sky. Today was a classic English morning, minus the cold...perfect for horse riding! At least, Buffy would have thought that was what was happening had it not been for the rather delicious position she now found herself in.



Spike's face was buried against her neck, his arms wrapped around her body. His body appeared to envelope hers; his embrace making her whole being tingle. His hands were under her rather modest nightgown, touching the soft skin of her thigh and lower back.



*Okay, now I know this wasn't how I fell asleep last night.* She mused, silently trying to figure a way out her current predicament. A task that was curiously trying as a good 99.9% of her being was quite content where it was thank-you very much!



Spike groaned in his sleep, his hands gliding a little bit further under her clothes.



For some reason the action reminded her of that two-bit hussy from last night, Virginia, and she scowled as she remembered Spike's flirtations with the other woman. *What is it with men? Flash 'em some minute breasts shoved up in a corset and suddenly they go all gaa-gaa!*



At this point Buffy obviously ignored the little voice in the back of her head that mentioned that woman's breasts were probably larger than hers but....damn it! That wasn't the point!



With a little growl, Buffy slapped at the hands on her body. "Spike, you leach, get off-"



"Sshhh...." A still-asleep Spike gently pressed his lips against hers. This silenced her!



For a second she closed her eyes, savouring the feel of his mouth on hers. However, the feeling was short-lived as Spike retracted his head once his task was completed, allowing his face to return to nuzzling her neck.



*Come on, Buff! This should be an easy one - just scream at him and kick his undead ass out of bed!* Buffy continued to argue with herself, not noticing the Vampire as he began to wake up.



The hand that rested on her leg moved slightly, his fingers ending up skimming the sensitive skin of her inside thigh. Buffy jumped, violently broken from her thoughts.



She let out a half moan, half scream in the shock of the tingles that travelled straight to her sex and she began to pray with her body that it would not betray her anymore than it already was. "Ahhh!"



"Buffy?" Spike's sleepy voice broke into the haze that had become Buffy's mind as she tried to form a coherent sentence.



"Sleep well?" He murmured, closing his eyes again. It was way too early for a good vamp to be awake!



"Uh...yeah, kinda.....ahhhh, do ya think you can um...you know - " Buffy muttered, averting her eyes from his.



"Oh." Spike seemed to notice for the first time how entwined their bodies were...but he didn't move away from her. He didn't want to move. This was what he had been dreaming about for weeks. Actually having the Slayer in his arms...without getting a major concussion! He wasn't gonna pass up this opportunity - he might not get another one....anyway, you only die twice...



Buffy's eyes widened as the now-very-much-awake Vampire's hands began to move and blue-green orbs shot up to meet azure ones. Excitement coursed through Buffy's body as his fingers skimmed her skin as his hands beginning to wrap around her waist. Spike's eyes seemed to darken in colour as the Slayer shivered once, her body reacting uncontrollably to his closeness.



"Spike?" Buffy breathed as the Vampire in question slowly leant in to her lips. Her tongue nervously escaped her mouth to moisten her lips and Spike growled low in his chest at the appearance of the pink organ, his mouth descending to cover hers.



CRASH!



Buffy and Spike jumped apart, moments before their lips would have met, at the sudden noise from downstairs.



"Bloody Hell!" Spike growled in shock, shooting up in bed as Buffy jumped from them bed, hastily wrapping herself in her robe.



Without a second look to the Vampire, who still lay prone on the bed, Buffy quickly left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.



"Fuck!" Spike muttered as the door clicked shut. With an overbearing sigh, Spike flopped back down on to the pillows.





---





Buffy sighed in relief as Spike finally left the Dining Room. Lunch had been...awkward, to say the least.



They had barely spoken a word to each other.



He'd....tried, she guessed. But, she was just so embarrassed.



How could she have reacted to him like that - they were mortal enemies for god's sake!



Okay, well maybe not exactly mortal enemies...



She knew they'd not been mortal enemies for a while now....and yeah, though she wouldn't admit it to anyone; they had become friends.



Last night...it felt like all the lines had been blurred for a second but then bang, like that they were back to their easy bantering with the entrance of that bloke....James, John..."Jack!" Buffy murmured triumphantly.



But this morning, it had been different - like every morning she'd woken up wrapped in his arms, but this morning she just...she just couldn't bare to have his arms leave her. The last month she'd grown to depend on him so much...he was all she had in this crazy time leap.



Everything here was backwards - nothing was like the life she knew. Here if she wanted a light after dark it was candles all the way - far too much moonlighting! There was no technology. No TV, no Chinese food, no music. No Mom. No girly chats with Willow at midnight. No stupid Xander jokes. No Giles being all repremandy.



No demons...except Spike. No schoolwork. No angsty feelings...well, except those that all the Spike-appreciation had brought!



But...there was tranquillity.



And though it may seem like the most ridiculous thing in the world to want....peace was something her life had seriously lacked these past few years.



Some girls dreamed of wild nights out and parties till sunrise.



She dreamed of lazy afternoons in the sun. Quiet idyllic scenery passing her by without having a care in the world.



Without having the world's weight on her shoulders....literally.



And here...in this crazy dimension she'd found it.



Her major Sunnyhell life deficit.



Peace.



*With my mortal enemy.* She rolled her eyes at that thought.



*Wow, Buff, major reflection-time, huh?* It was at times like these that she really missed her diary! She bet it was all lonely without her! She'd been really good this year, writing in it every day. Last year the habit had kinda fizzled out around the time of Angelus. But this year she had been "making with the resolutions" as Xander has said, and had promised herself that every day she would write something in it...even if it killed her.



*Pity I don't have it here - definitely have some pretty full pages by now.*



"Oh, thought! Diary!" She muttered to herself as she pushed away her still half-full plate, heading off into the hallway to find Mabel.





---





Spike shifted uncomfortably in his seat, for the first time feeling the restraints of the clothes of the time. How he longed for his old jeans and t-shirt!



With a sigh, he angrily flipped the page, absently scanning it as his thoughts raced at a million miles a minute.



He was completely at odds with himself.



Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have tried to kiss her. Hell, even he knew that was crazy! Vampire, Slayer...hello?!



But he really had wanted to kiss her...fuck, he still wanted to kiss her! And a lot more besides but....



She'd been distant all morning. After she'd scurried out of the room like her knickers were on fire he'd dressed and quickly followed, finding her in the Dining Room.



He'd tried to make conversation - act like everything was normal. Like nothing had happened...



*Bloody HELL! Everything is normal, you git! You didn't do anything!*



Spike shook his head trying to clear out that voice - and the other one. Both fuckers were annoying, he decided.



So he wanted to kiss the chit. Big deal. The Slayer's hot. It was as simple as that. Not like they were gonna get married.



Because they were already married.



He mentally rolled his eyes. "Fuck, its not really us...get it straight, wanker..." He muttered to himself, angrily flipping another page his eyes moving across it though none of the words registered in his head as the internal battle raged on.



But it could have been them.



Say they were in a different dimension.



All it meant was that in different circumstances they could have been together. In these circumstances.



I.E. The circumstances they were in now.



They could be together here.



And, why not? Surely they both deserved a bit of happiness, right? After Dru and Angelus.



Without his notice Spike's true face flickered forward for a moment at the mention of his Grandsire.



The change, however, seemed to ground him.



"That's it mate, time for a nap..." Spike slammed the book shut and placed it on the table beside him, levering himself from the chair. "Lack of sleep's making you go batty..."



Continuing to mutter to himself about the results of sleep-deprivation, the Vampire moved upstairs to their bedroom for a nap.



The bedroom he shared with her.



And their bed.





---





Not twenty minutes later the Vampire was rather rudely woken from a verrrry interesting dream involving him, Buffy, the hills they'd found themselves dumped on the month before and a bowl full of whipped cream.



The bed shifted violently under the weight of a bouncing Slayer and the Vampire groaned as Buffy's squeaky voice assaulted his ears, "Jackpot!"



"Gggrughnuhgh!" Spike muttered unintelligibly and Buffy poked him, her earlier discomfort gone at her find.



"Spike! Wake up! Look what I found!"



Spike sleepily raised his head, his eyes blearily focusing on the blonde in front of him. "Whassat?" He slurred, wanting to move as little as possible so that when she left he could hopefully return to his dream.



"I found my diary!" Buffy held it up like it was gold.



"That’s great, love..." Spike flopped over, burying his face in a soft pillow...silently wishing it was a soft blonde instead.



"Don't you get it?" Buffy asked, poking him again. "I write everything down in my diary."



"Sugh?" Spike grunted what sounded like, 'so?' to Buffy's ears.



"Sooo....if we're in another dimension or time or whatever, I'd still be me right? I mean fundamentally?"



"Big word..."



Buffy scowled at the lump and poked him again. He growled. "So fundamental-me would have kept a diary - which she did - and she would have wrote everything down in it! If her 'Spike' was a vamp too, then she might have kept something about a Watcher in here!"



He lifted his head to her. "Did she?" Spike's interest was mildly peaked by this turn of events...and the sudden expansion of the slayers vocabulary.



Buffy frowned and the smile dipped off her face, "I don't know. I haven't read it, yet."



"Bloody hell..." Spike muttered under his non-existent breath. "Wake me when you've got something..."



Buffy scowled as the lump in the bed once again flopped under the covers. Then, she opened the book.



The Diary of Elizabeth Anne Summers





---





Back in Sunnydale....







Giles double-checked his bags; making sure he hadn't forgotten anything as the tannoy overhead announced that his flight would be departing soon and that all passengers should make their way to the boarding terminal.



In his head, Giles did a quick inventory of his belongings;



Clothes...check.

Shaving equipment....check.

Sterling.....check.

Passport....check.

Double-edged axe....check.

Ties...check.

Spare glasses...check.

Travel sickness tablets...."Damn!"



With a glance to the ever-increasing queue at the boarding desk, Giles quickly took off in the direction of the airport pharmacy.




TBC.... Really soon :) PS: reviews make me smile :)