Chapter 1

I really hadn't meant to stay away as long as I did, but there wasn't much choice. Dru had gotten into trouble and called for me. What could I say? She was my sire and had been my lover for a hundred years of evil bliss. So, I went to get her out of the trouble she got into with some vampire she was seeing. I took her to Europe and left her there. With relief.

There was only one thing on my mind. A pair of green eyes. Green eyes looking into mine right before she kissed me. That one kiss had sustained me through six months of walking through the hell that had been my life before I met her. And if Drusilla hadn't called, there would have been more kisses the night we lost our memories. After the spell was broken, she had left hints for me. A candy trail for the Big Bad to follow to his little Red Riding Hood, where there would have been goodies for both of us. But now that I was back, I could only hope that there was a chance to start things going between us again.

As soon I opened my door, I could tell there was something different. Hell, I could feel it even when I was standing outside. Moving slowly I entered my crypt. Yeah, someone had been here while I was gone. There were fast food wrappers and soda cans on the table and floor next to the couch. Anger coursed through me as I thought about someone just helping themselves to my shit. This was actually kind of funny because that’s how I had gotten most of the stuff myself. By stealing it.

I threw my bag down on the ground and kicked at a pile of clothes by the entrance. Then it hit me. Her scent. It was everywhere. That unique scent of musky spices that was always clinging to her. Like shadows did to night. Picking up the clothes, I saw that they were hers.

"Buffy, you here?" I called out.

But there was only silence. I made my way downstairs to the bedroom thinking she might be down there and just hadn't heard me. Her clothes were scattered around, her makeup covered the top of the dresser, and tossed across the bed was her comforter. I walked over to the bed to see what pictures she had left propped on the nightstand. They were of Dawn and Joyce. Smiling I ran a finger over their faces. Something about those Summers women always got to me. All of them.

One of my t-shirts was lying on the floor and I bent over to pick it up. Bringing it to my face, I could smell her on it. A groan made its way from my throat and my body responded to the image of her wearing my clothes. It was a groan of passion and possessiveness. Of wanting to take it off her again. I quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts. There were other things to think about. Like why she was living here and where she was now. What had happened to Dawn?

"Well, there's only one way to find out." I muttered to myself before leaving the crypt again.

Her house on Revello Drive was all lit up. She may not live there anymore but it was obvious that someone did. When no one answered my knock, I opened the door and started to walk in. And I hit a barrier. Someone had uninvited me.

"Buffy, Dawn, are you here?" I hollered into the house. At first there was silence, and then the sound of pounding feet on the upstairs hallway. Soon Dawn was running down the stairs. It seemed like she almost leapt from the middle of the staircase into my arms. Her arms wrapped around me in a vise-like grip. It surprised me at first then it felt good to be welcomed. I put my arms around her and hugged her back.

"You came back. You came back." She kept whispering it into my ear like some mantra. Her tears were hitting my neck where she’d buried her face.

"Yeah, Niblet, I'm back. What's going on?"

"Dawn, come back in the house." It was Giles. He was standing in the foyer holding onto the door.

Dawn wouldn't let go of me, though. Finally, Giles reached out and grabbed her shoulder. She tried to shrug him off.

"Dawn, now! In the house!"

Finally, she let go and backed up into the house.

"Giles, why can't Dawn see me?" I know that I wasn't a favored son or anything but they had never kept her away from me before.

"Dawn, go upstairs. I need to talk to Spike."

Giles waited on Dawn while she gave me one last pleading look before she turned upstairs. Giles didn't pay any attention to me until after she had disappeared from view.

He didn't beat around the bush as he said, "Dawn is in my custody now. And part of that responsibility is making sure she stays away from Buffy and her influence."

I couldn't believe my ears. Buffy and her influence?

"What do you mean?" I kind of said it in a half laugh. This was ridiculous.

"They were going to put Dawn in a foster home. Buffy couldn't handle it anymore. She signed her guardianship over to me."

Giles looked at me with sadness in his eyes. It had to be killing him for Buffy to be unable to handle everything.

"Spike, stay away from Dawn." Then he closed the door in my face. Just like that, I was dismissed with still a thousand questions still unanswered.

I lit a cigarette as I made my way back to my bike. Then I heard a window opening upstairs.

"Spike!"

Dawn was hanging out the window of Buffy's old room.

"The Edge of Paradise. She's there."

Then she was gone. The Edge of Paradise was a bar at the edge of town. Its clientele was not the best. Working men, bikers and a little bit of demon thrown in the mix. The thought of Buffy there made my stomach turn. Only one type of woman visited or worked there. If she was that sort of woman now somebody was going to be seriously hurt.

to be continued…

Chapter 2

The Edge of Paradise was busy. The rock music was pouring out into the crowded parking lot. After leaving my bike in the shadows on the side of the building, I made my way to the front door. Handed the man my cover charge and wandered in. I stayed to the side in the semi-darkness because I wanted to see her before she saw me. At first, I couldn't locate her but then I spotted her, standing next to a table where she was apparently taking an order. One of the bastards had the audacity to lean against her as she bent down to hear him. Then she giggled at something he said before walking away.

I almost gasped in shock and desire when I saw her on the move. Her hair was wild and tumbling all over the place. Her makeup was heavier than I had ever seen. She was wearing an unbuttoned red shirt over a matching lacy bra and she’d tied it just under her breasts. It gave everyone a long look at her stomach before the top of her cut-off jean shorts began. With the waistband ripped off, they just hung on by where her hips met the curve of her ass. Covering her legs were black leather boots that laced up to her knees. I never thought I would see her looking so hot anywhere but in my fantasies. I was beginning to wonder if I had come back to the right universe.

She made her way behind the bar to start pulling the draft beers for the guys. When she squatted down to get something, I slid into a seat on the other side of the bar from her and waited.

"I'll be with you in just a minute," she called up to me. A few seconds later, her head popped back up with her hands full of napkins. I just smiled as her eyes flew wide with recognition.

"Spike?" she managed to squeak as the napkins flew from her hands. She disappeared again after making a hopeless grab for them, kneeling to pick up them up. Laughing at her unease was probably a mistake because she came back up flashing fire from her emerald eyes.

"I have to take care of my customers. Arnie will take your order."

She stomped off with a full tray of drinks as I watched her vanish into the crowd. From the corner of my eye, I could see a rather large man with a gut to match come over to stand in front of me. He didn't look real happy that I was messing with one of his 'girls'.

"Sorry pal. I knew the bird a while back. Just got back into town and I guess I surprised her." I tried to explain to Arnie, figuring it wouldn't hurt to do a little male bonding with the guy. I planned on keeping myself right here until Buffy got off work, and I didn't want to be given a hard time about it.

"Don't care," he said. "Don't start trouble and if you're taking a seat, you had better be ordering."

Oh well, so much for making friends.

"Whiskey and a draft to wash it down." I laid my money down on the bar first so he knew I was serious.

After getting my drinks, I moved to a table in the corner. Figured I would get out of the way but yet get a clear view of the action. Well, actually, so I could keep an eye on Buffy. She seemed at ease here. It was clear that she knew a lot of the regulars and they knew her. But they also seemed to respect her. Not to say they weren't feeling what they could when they could. It just wasn't overly vulgar grabs. Maybe she had taken a few out along the way and word had gotten out.

Time dragged out as I waited. Another waitress named Mitzi came over every once in a while to bring me more beer. Kept tipping her good. Not my usual style but I knew she would let Buffy know. A man has to make an impression any way he can.

After about two hours, Buffy made her way over to my table and sat down across from me.

"I'm on break," she explained as she reached for my pack of smokes and lighter.

I leaned back in my chair to watch her. There were no innocent moves on her part. She shook a cigarette out then lit it with practiced ease. Exhaling smoke in my direction, she met my eyes.

"So, what's going on, pet?" I asked her as she just silently watched me.

"I work here now while living at your place. Other than that not much," she tried to explain in a nonchalant voice. It might have worked for someone who didn't know her as well as I did. I could hear the pain hiding behind her words.

"So why have you been…Hey, that's my shirt you've got on." The familiarity of the red shirt finally struck me since she was sitting so close.

"Sorry, went with the look." She shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back.

"Matched the bra?"

"Yeah."

I couldn't help it. Now that her shirt and bra were brought up, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her tits. She had to have been wearing one of those push up things because they were defiantly straining upwards and together. The bra was made of lace showing the whiteness of her flesh beneath it. My eyes closed as the image of her burned its way into my brain, which sent messages of pure lust to my dick. When I heard her laugh, I opened my eyes to find her face only inches from mine. I inhaled her breath, which was softly caressing my face just so that I could have a part of her in me.

"You doing okay there, Spike?" She asked me in a breathy little whisper.

Then, as I tried to strangle out an answer she sat back as she took another drag of her cigarette. It was clear that she was enjoying my response to her. While I was losing myself in this sexed up slayer she switched gears on me without warning. Crushing out the remainder of her smoke, she stood up and asked, "Are you going to wait until I get off?"

I wondered for a second if she was asking someone else, because she was looking over my shoulder, but then I realized she was nervous I was going to say no. Still not certain what was going on, I didn't give her more than was needed in my response.

"Yeah, I'll wait and give you a ride home."

Buffy looked quickly at me and smiled before she walked off. For the rest of her shift, I waited and watched while she moved around taking care of her customers. I used this time to try to become acquainted with the woman who had taken my Buffy's place. She looked the same, smelled the same, walked the same, but she sure wasn't acting the same. I wondered what the hell they had done to her while I was gone to make her run like this. The girl I knew was self-righteous and a little priggish, but this woman wasn't. She knew what she had and she worked it to the max to make the tips that kept flowing her way. Not that I blamed her. You had to do what you had to do.

Finally, Arnie made the last call and the place began to empty out. The girls started cleaning up and putting the chairs on the table. Deciding to make myself useful, I started to help them with the chairs. Mitzi was talking a blue streak at me. Telling me how nice I was to help and that I must really care to have hung around all night for Buffy. I just made little comments to let her know that I wasn't ignoring her, but I really couldn't care less. After the chairs were up, I went and waited outside for Buffy.

She came out of the building calling out to the other girls to have a good night. As she came up to me, she pulled my flask out of her coat pocket and took a swig of whatever was in it. We made our way over to my bike. She climbed behind me scooting close enough for me to feel her against my back. After she put her hands on my waist, she told me she was ready. As I went to kick-start the motor, her leg bumped against mine.

Swallowing back my reaction, I started to head for the crypt. The night air was cool as I concentrated on driving. Not allowing myself to indulge in the feel of her so close. Six months away and my nerves were doing a damn happy dance at her being so close to me.

Occasionally her hand would move away from me and I knew she was taking another drink from the flask. When we had to stop for a light, I reached back for it. She handed it to me bottom first so our hands wouldn't have to touch. I took a long swallow of the fiery liquid after first running my tongue across the opening just to see if I could taste her on the metal. The whiskey settled into my stomach with a slow burn, unlike the feel of her, which was a blazing fire against me.

Once we reached the crypt, she went on inside while I put the bike away, which I kept it in another crypt close by. I lit a cigarette on the way back to settle the uneasy feeling in my gut. Buffy was pouring a drink when I walked in. She was mixing whiskey and diet soda in a glass, swirling the liquids together with her finger. As she started to move her finger toward her mouth, I grabbed it and pulled it toward mine instead. Her eyes widened in surprise as I sucked the liquid from her finger. The taste of her sent a jolt of electricity through my body, ending at my cock. It had been in a partial state of arousal since I had found my t-shirt but now it was at full attention. But before I could do anything about it, Buffy pulled away from me with a jerk.

"I'm going to go get changed," she said, taking her drink with her as she headed downstairs to the bedroom. Somehow, I knew this night was going to be a long one as I headed for the chair to wait for her.

to be continued…