AXIS OF LOVE BY ALWAYS

Chapter 1
He sat on the floor amongst the ruin, the remains of what had been their latest home together. The need for physical release of his fury burnt off at last, blood oozed from the cuts and scrapes on his hands, he didn’t remember how he had done that, maybe when he smashed their bed to pieces, maybe when the walls had disintegrated under his ministrations, it didn’t matter anyway…not much mattered at the moment, he rested his head on one drawn up knee and went over in his mind for the thousandth time that night the reason behind his rage.

HE left her! How dare she…how could she say that to him? He left her? When it was sodding well obvious to anyone with half a brain that she left him! Packed her things, minions an’ all, and left Sunnydale after telling him that he had left her…for the Slayer!!! I mean I know killing the Slayer didn’t exactly go as planned but who expected her to have friends and family fighting with her, fighting for her! Weren’t natural, not the proper order of things at all! But it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried and it wasn’t like he wasn’t gonna kill her…just have to try again is all, next time he would kill her, next time he would sink his teeth into that golden neck and drain her, feel her strength and her life gushing into him! Then he would find Dru and throw the Slayers lifeless body at her feet….yeah that’s what he would do, he would show her, stupid bint, he left her, what a load of bollocks! He nodded to himself with satisfaction at his solution and drained the last of the bottle of Jack Daniels he had been conversing with for the last hour. Sagging sideways to the floor, curling up in the midst of the rubble he drifted off, dreaming of blood and mayhem, of fists and fury and also of one petite warrior gleaming in the moonlight as she danced her dance of death, he licked his lips and smiled to himself as he slumbered.

He stirred the next day as afternoon sun filtered in through the newly made windows his fists had created the night before, the scent of singed flesh filling his nostrils before the pain registered in his still sleep dulled brain. One outflung arm rested in a pool of sunlight, smoke slowly rising from it in gently curling tendrils. Bloody hell what was he doing laying here and why was the factory he had lived in since arriving in Sunnydale a shambles? The fog lifted and he remembered, oh yeah that’s right Dru had left him when he had failed to kill that damned Slayer, memories of last night came flooding back, he looked around searching for a hair of the dog but unfortunately what hadn’t poured down his throat last night was decorating what remained of the factory’s walls.

“Guess its time to look for new digs Spike old pal” he muttered to himself, maybe a haunted mansion or a mausoleum, something befitting a creature of the night such as himself, he reflected.

Chapter 2

What was it with this bitch? She was driving him crazy, time and time again she had foiled his plans to kill her. Kicked his arse more ways than he cared to admit. It was bloody ridiculous, he was the Slayer of Slayers and yet this infinitely annoying little bint just plain refused to die. I mean it was downright embarrassing, he could hardly show his face at Willie’s without having to kill someone or another for sniggering at him behind his back. Time was he was feared now thanks to this bitch of a Slayer he was a laughing stock!

Well he would just have to do something about that, it was too late to leave, to find Dru and crawl back into her good graces, if he left before the bint was dead his name was history, he may as well take up saving kitties from trees and walking old ladies across the street. But oh how he missed his Dark Princess, how he would love to go crawling back to her and let her punish him for the bad dog that he was. Surely after nearly 3 months her temper would have cooled, she would be over whatever nonsense it was that made her say those awful things to him and then leave without him!

No, no he would NOT go back to his Sire until he could tell her he had done it, that he had killed the fucking Slayer for her!

Maybe it was time to admit that this was a job he was not going to be able to do on his own, I mean what it the point of being a Master Vampire if you don’t use underlings, so that’s what he would do he would pick up some minions and the Slayer would be a footnote in history!

Spike surveyed the graveyard, from his vantage point he could see clearly the path the Slayer would take, the one she took every night through the gravestones, past the first of the crypts to the grassed area near the remembrance garden. Twenty of his minions lay in wait for her, hidden amongst the bushes and behind walls, when she reached the centre of the garden they would surround her, then she would die. He would join the fray after they had worn her down, when she was exhausted from fighting off the lesser vampires he would take her down, not one of his finer moments, certainly not something he would be bragging about but he didn’t care the bane of his existence would cease to be and he would be free to leave Sunnyhell and return to his Sire’s side.

He didn’t have much longer to wait, as the moon broke through the cloud cover bathing the ground in its brilliant silver light The Slayer wandered into sight. Spike tensed, would she sense his minions, if so could they still manage to take her down by mere force of numbers?

His question was answered as The Slayer stepped unaware into the trap that had been set for her. From his vantage point he watched as she spun and staked and punched and kicked, taking down his minions with amazing skill and grace, God she was breathtaking when she fought, he didn’t often get to just watch her fight as he was usually on the receiving end of those deadly kicks and punches. No sooner did she dispatch a foe than another took its place though and she was starting to wear down. A malicious grin spread across his face as he anticipated her end, her blood pouring down his throat like nectar. The Slayer spun to face a new opponent and as she did so she stumbled, a right hook from the vampire she had just turned to face sent her flying, as she regained her feet the remaining 8 minions closed on her.

God, they’re gonna kill her, Spike thought, strangely instead of the immense pleasure that should have accompanied this thought there was a sick dread. Before he could process the thought he reacted, flying down towards the battle, face changing as fangs bared and a ferocious growl escaped him. Two minions were dust before they even had a chance to realise they were in danger, spinning he took out another as he watched from the corner of his eye The Slayer staking another. He growled again and ripped the head off yet another as Buffy kicked a particularly tatty minion into a branch jutting from a nearby tree, he exploded into dust as the vampire and slayer turned to look for more. In seconds two more piles of dust littered the ground as the last remaining minion turned to flee, Spike took off after her, catching up to his fleeing minion he allowed himself the luxury of venting his frustration on her face and body, his fists and feet pounding her to the ground before he finally smashed his fist through her chest to remove her heart. Wiping his hands of her dust he turned and made his way back to The Slayer.

She was leaning against the wall of one of the gaudier mausoleums her breath coming in gasps and her mind trying to process what had just occurred. As she looked up she saw Spike coming towards her, gameface on, looking every bit as savage and deadly as he had every time they had fought. She drew herself up preparing to fight for her life yet again. She watched as he tilted his head slightly to the side, annoyance flickering across his features for a second then his face then softened, ridges and fangs melting away to reveal concern in his stunningly blue eyes.

“I….you….” Giving herself a mental shake The Slayer tried again. “What is going on Spike? Since when do you help me?” She was proud of how firm her voice sounded, well ok maybe there was a slight tremor, but she was sure he hadn’t picked up on that!

“Don’t rightly know pet, just know that I saw you out numbered like that and before I even knew what I was doing I was helping you. I’m sure it’s not something I’m gonna be making a habit of.” There was slight ripple of laughter in his voice, as he ducked his head to hide his eyes from her.

“I said thanks Spike”, looking him in the eyes she nodded her appreciation. “You probably saved my life!”

“Yeah well, think nothing of it, and don’t go spreadin’ it around either, don’t want the world to think I’ve gone soft, it’s unnatural you know, savin’ The Slayer, don’t know what came over me!” There was a slight note of embarrassment in his voice as he spoke, which hardened as he continued, “mind you, what was that, I thought you were supposed to be The Slayer, since when do you go wandering into traps like that without so much as a tingle, thought you were supposed to know when vampires are around, I’nt that part of the whole slayer package?” He fixed his icy blue stare on her, jaw working as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. Stupid bint was gonna get herself killed if she didn’t start paying attention, never mind that it was his plan and his trap that had almost killed her, that was irrelevant. Something had changed and he knew he no longer wanted her dead, in fact the thought of her not being in this world filled him with an anger and sadness he could barely comprehend.

“I..umm, I guess that’s not necessarily my strong point, I mean Giles has tried to make me learn , but you know…sooo boring, I prefer the kicky punchy side of slayer training” she found herself answering him before she even had time to realise that telling her mortal enemy, even if he had just saved her life, her weak points wasn’t essentially a good idea.

“Yeah well maybe you should reassess that idea luv, could be the difference between life and death, or even undeath,” he looked intently at her, one eyebrow raised and his head slightly cocked to one side. “Don’t get me wrong Slayer, you’re good, damn you’re the soddin best I’ve fought, which is probably why you are alive for us to have this conversation, but just cause you’re good doesn’t mean you can’t be better, a lazy slayer is a dead slayer pet, remember that! Come on luv, time you should be getting home I recon.”

“Yeah well, not a lot of point saving your life and then letting you waddle off home all on your lonesome when your still not quite a hundred percent is there” he snarked at her, embarrassment making his voice harsher than he had intended.

“Yeah yeah, don’t get your knickers in a knot Slayer, just saying after a fight like that doesn’t hurt for you to have some company on the walk home is all”, Spike fell into step next to her, to her left, eyes and ears peeled for any of the dangers that night in Sunnydale brings.

The walk to Revello Drive was uneventful and silent, neither wanting to talk about the nights events and both lost in their own tumultuous thoughts. When they reached her front yard she turned to face him a slight frown marring her face, “well thanks again Spike, I better get in before Mom sees me.”

“Mmmm, you’re welcome Slayer, like I said don’t go making a big deal out of it, you take care and mind your Watcher pet!” He raised his hand to scratch the back of his neck, looking as awkward and keen to get this conversation over as she was.

CHAPTER 3

God what was wrong with him? Why in the name of all that is unholy did he do that, why the fuck would he save the Slayer’s life, especially after it was his plan that was gonna end it, his hard work had finally paid off and the bitch Slayer was gonna be dead and he could go back to Dru. Spike paced around the upper level of his crypt. But did he want her dead? No! He realised, he didn’t, in fact that was the last thing he wanted! But why? Why did he care that this girl, this slight, beautiful, amazing, vibrant slayer, live? Shit, where did that come from? The Slayer, beautiful? Well yeah, he realised she was, course he did…I mean he had eyes didn’t he, first time he’d seen her she was dancing, wiggling that hot little body all over the place, getting him, and probably half the male population of The Bronze, hard. But he wasn’t supposed to think about The Slayer like that, he was a vampire, he KILLED slayers, that’s what he did, not think about how that warm, petite body would feel against his, not care if that fire, that incredible life and vibrancy was extinguished, it was his job to do the bloody extinguishing!

He threw himself down into his chair, head tipped back as he drew a long steadying breath. He thought about all the times he had fought her, all the times he had failed to kill her, and he wondered, deep down inside had he NOT wanted to kill her, is that why he had failed every time? He thought about what Dru had said to him that first night he had fought The Slayer and lost, she told him he had left her for The Slayer, he had of course thought she was off her bloody tree, accusing him of not loving her, of giving his heart to The Slayer. He remembered the gut wrenching terror when he had thought she was going to die, the concern he had felt when he came back to her and saw her leaning exhausted against the tomb, her courage as she tried to muster up the strength to fight him when she thought he was coming back to finish her off. He remembered the hurt that had flickered through him knowing she thought he was going to kill her, how he had made every effort to let her know he wasn’t gonna harm her. how the thought of letting her go off home by herself when she was clearly so exhausted she couldn’t have fought off a fledgling, had terrified him. His anger when he realised she was shirking her training and it had nearly cost her her life, stupid little bint, it wasn’t fun learning how to sense vampires, well tough bloody shit, idiot girl, maybe now she would understand that it was important, that it could save her stupid life!

Why, why was he feeling so protective of a human, a slayer? What was wrong with him? Closing his eyes, he thought he’d get some sleep, worry about it later when he wasn’t so bloody tired. As his eyes closed he saw her, smile flashing green eyes burning with fire, then he saw her spinning, leaping, kicking, punching, god she was beautiful when she fought, he loved to watch her. Could watch her all night, but then fighting at her side tonight had been amazing too.

He drifted to sleep a tender smile playing across his face as he dreamt of running his hands through Buffy’s hair, of holding her close to him and softly stroking her face and when she told him she loved him, he kissed her softly, snuggling her closer against his body as he whispered his love to her.

He woke the next day, beautiful dreams of his slayer running through his mind, no longer fighting the truth, the realisation that Dru had been right, his heart belonged to The Slayer.

Buffy had slept the sleep of the truly exhausted, she woke, bleary eyed and still not quite rested the next morning. Her mind turned over the events of the previous night, even now not fully able to process the fact that Spike had saved her life, and then walked her home afterwards! I mean this was Spike, her number one mortal enemy, the very dangerous Master Vampire who had made her death his mission over the last 3 months. Not only did he save her, he had seemed genuinely concerned for her after the fight, what was that? None of it made any sense to her at all and if she allowed herself to dwell on it any longer she knew she was going to end up with the headache to end all headaches!

“Hey, Buff, what’s happening?” Xander rounded the corner near her locker, Willow following, clutching her books.

“So you wanna hang at the Bronze tonight, Angel might be there!” Willow bubbled as Xander glared in her direction, his stock standard response to any mention of Buffy’s vampire honey.

“Huh, oh … I dunno guys, I just ah…” Buffy’s eyes grew distant like she had forgotten they were there.

Her friends noticed she was withdrawn and when they queried her about it she absently told them she was just tired. I mean she was tired, so not really with the avoidy there right!

That afternoon when she joined her Watcher in the library for training she asked him if there was any way they could work on her slayer sense thingy. Giles was very enthusiastic and assured her that they would start work on it that night, he would join her for patrol, which he said would be pleasant as he had not joined her in a patrol for a while now. Yeah pleasant, Buffy thought…goody!

Practice though she may that night her ability to tap into her slayer sense showed no markable improvement, in fact it was not until such time as the vampires were clearly in visual range that she was able to get even so much as a tingle. By the end of the night both Buffy and Giles’ patients was weary very thin.

“This just isn’t working Giles”’ Buffy complained to her watcher, “I just don’t get what I am doing wrong, you make it sound like it should be easy, like I should just be able to do it and I can’t and, and … I suck!!”

“Now now Buffy, not all slayers have the same strengths and weaknesses, you have an amazing aptitude for weapons and the martial arts where some slayers have had to work extremely hard in those areas, you obviously just need more practice in this particular area to enhance your innate ability.” Giles studied his charge, she certainly could be exhausting at times and undeniably headstrong, however the girl held an enormous part of his heart, filling the void left by the family he had never seemed to have time to have. “You really must learn not to be so hard on yourself Buffy, you have shown some improvement tonight, be it minor any improvement at all is to be applauded, I am certain that given time and continued dedication you will master this skill as you have so many others. Why don’t we retire for the night and resume tomorrow night.”

“I guess, it’s just so frustrating. But yeah I am beat, so home and bed sounds of the good. Thanks Giles, I’ll see you tomorrow. Night”

Chapter4

He watched her patrolling with her uptight Watcher as he had every night for the last week. Why was she suddenly patrolling with him again? Had the events of that night frightened her? One small part of him felt a tingle of pride at having scared The Slayer, while the rest of him fought the urge to run to her and wrap her safely in his embrace, assuring her that he had her back and would let nothing hurt her EVER! He crushed the cigarette he had been smoking under his boot heel and resigned himself to continue observing from a distance as she finished her patrol with someone who was not him, bloody wanker as if the tweed clad twerp could keep his girl as safe as he could! Well the Big Bad was there regardless and if any trouble arose he would be at her side in seconds, just see if he wouldn’t!

Following along at a safe distance, where he could observe without detection, assuring himself that The Slayer was in no danger, did not currently need rescuing from the few pathetic fledglings she encountered on her nightly rounds. He loved to watch her, she was bloody amazing, she was poetry, perfection, he thrilled at her dance, rejoiced at her power, was enchanted by her grace.

A century plus of searching for something he did not even know he was missing and he found it here in the most improbable of places, his mortal enemy, this petite form that stood for all he had raged against for the better part of 120 years.

He had proved himself, two of her kind had died by his hand, tens of thousands of others had poured their lifeblood down his throat and breathed their last to the sounds of his laughter. He had locked away the vestiges of the maudlin, spineless, pathetic wimp he had been. He had remade himself; at first reluctantly under his Grandsire’s none too gentle persuasion, then later with relish, cherishing the power, the strength, the freedom from the humiliation of his former life that the demon within him provided.

Even then he stubbornly hung on to shreds, remnants of his lost humanity, whether for nostalgic reasons or simply because these small demonstrations of humanity of LIFE, drove Angelus to fury (resulting of course in yet more thrashings and on several occasions very nearly bringing about the younger vampires demise). Whatever the reason, unlike other vampires who had to remind themselves to breathe in order to pass for human, Spike in fact had to do the opposite and remind himself, when the occasion called for it, that he did NOT need to breathe. His partiality for food that his body in no way required also set him apart from others of his kind. Vampires are capable of eating, and often did in order to blend in, but that was all it was, a cover, a way of disguising who and what they were whilst hunting for their natural food. Spike however enjoyed eating, he loved the texture, the aroma, the taste, in fact he appreciated the whole sensory experience of eating.

All in all he had after initial hesitations thrown himself unreservedly into the hedonistic lifestyle his demon relished.

You would think then, given his riotous existence for over a century, given his demon’s penchant for death and destruction its delight and pride in his own annihilation of two slayers that it would protest at least a little against the current turn of events. You would expect inner turmoil, revulsion, remonstration, at the very least uneasiness as the demon inside waged war against the, until recently, believed to be extinct poet inside.

No such protest was forthcoming however, his demon glowed with as much adoration for this beautiful girl as did the residue of his desperately idealistic human self, only a urgent disquiet at not swooping down gathering her up into his arms and carrying her off to be his completely emanated fiercely from the rumbling demon within. It was this Spike fought with every ounce of self control he possessed, he clamped down on his demon, forcing it to his will, knowing that any such move would be foolhardy and would inevitably result in destroying any chance, however slim, he had at wooing his love and convincing her of his sincerity.

Two nights later he sought out his usual vantage point for his faithful nightly vigil, when the familiar sensation tingling through his spine screamed “Slayer” to him. He turned, holding his breath for the first glimpse of his girl for the night, he treasured this moment each night when she entered his domain and he would deliberately wait until his senses were filled with her before allowing his eyes to drink in the sight they had ached for all through the long and arduous hours of the day. Buffy.

Tonight, for the first time since that fateful night, she was alone. His mind reeled, she was alone! This was something, though longed for, he wasn’t ready to deal with, what to do? Every instinct in him was screaming for him to run to her side, caution was urging him to stop, calm down and evaluate. Desperation found him pacing backwards and forwards across the mausoleum roof, his hands automatically reaching for a cigarette and lighting it as he inhaled calming smoke deeply into his lungs. After a while his pacing took on a less frenzied measure, he drew deep calming lungs full of air, cursing himself for the stupid sod that he was, eyes seeking out and finding the reason for his current distress, he located her halfway across the graveyard.

“Right now mate, you can do this, just calm down you useless wanker before you make a right prat of yourself.” Spike admonished himself before dropping effortlessly to the ground and making his way silently through the tombstones towards the girl in question. Drawing one last fortifying breath he stepped out on to the path.

“Quiet night Slayer?” He enquired quietly. He watched as she started, then forcibly relaxed into a casual fighting stance, stake lowered but ready, waiting to see what he would do next. “Didn’t mean to startle you luv, sorry bout that!” He kept his actions slow and unthreatening, last thing he wanted was a stake through the heart.

“You didn’t, I mean, um….what’s going on here Spike, first you try for months to kill me, then you save my life, then nothing, I don’t see hide nor hair of you for nearly two weeks now suddenly you’re here like you and I having a conversation is a normal daily event! What is this a new confuse the slayer to death approach to things?” Buffy’s voice was harsh with frustration and no small amount of chagrin that he had been able to step out only paces from where she was with no warning, no spidey tingle, nothing to say hey ‘VAMPIRE’ here, she had been working so hard and getting nowhere fast and Spike was one hell of a dangerous vampire to have sneaking up on you like this!

To Buffy’s dismay a low chuckle escaped from the platinum vampire as he shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “Missed me did you pet?” he looked up at her, head tilted to one side and a cheeky smile spread across his face. “Figured you wouldn’t want Big Bad interfering with your Watcher time, so I let you be. An’ no luv, not tryin’ to confuse you to death, to tryin’ to kill you in any way, don’t ask my why, don’t soddin know ok, just don’t wanna see you get yourself killed is all ok, lets just leave it at that!” He growled the last out, embarrassment stealing the previous gentleness from his voice.

Cursing himself for his loss of control he forcibly calmed his tone, “so how come you didn’t notice me sooner luv? Thought you were gonna work on that!”

Buffy’s head shot up at that. Was he rubbing it in, had he seen her and Giles trying to master the illusive skill? Was it amusing to him that she was failing miserably in a something that should be an inherent part of the slayer package? She looked at his face, anticipating his usual sarcastic leer, what she encountered however disarmed her, open, honest, genuine concern was etched across his handsome features. Oh God, what was with her, Spike handsome? She looked at him again, well, if she was being brutally honest with herself then, yeah - way handsome, when his face wasn’t twisted with malice or sneering viciously it was unquestionably striking, especially with those eyes! With effort she brought her mind back to the conversation at hand.

“I’ve been trying, Giles and I have been working on it every night but it’s no use, I just don’t get it.” She pouted and huffed in frustration.

God she is gorgeous, Spike forced his mind away from that beautiful bottom lip he was just aching to taste. He fought the urge to reach out, to stroke her face and whisper reassurances to her while feathering her lips with adoring kisses. Drawing on all his strength and willpower he dragged his imagination away from the utopia of his dreams and made himself concentrate on the problem that was obviously not only endangering his beloved’s life but was also causing her great distress.

“Just that! I try, I concentrate the way Giles has taught me, reach out and sometimes I get a tingle, a little one, but not until way after the vamp is in sight and by then its staking time and no more vamp. It useless, a waste of time and one more night of trying and I don’t know if Giles was gonna kill me or I was gonna kill him, either way it was gonna be really messy!” She was miserable and her voice reflected it.

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief, “vampire pet, or had you forgotten!” He could not help but laugh at her as she visibly started, obviously for a few moments having actually forgotten just that. “You can practice on me luv, but without the staking or deals off! I’ll disappear and you can locate me, I’ll stay fairly close to start with and you can just point to where I am, when you get better at it I’ll move out a bit farther. How’s that sound?”

“Wow, I never thought of that, this could work Spike!” She tilted her head to one side in a gesture reminiscent of the vampire’s earlier action. “Why though Spike, I don’t get it, why are you helping me?”

“Told you luv, don’t rightly know, just know that I don’t want to see any harm coming to you is all. Don’t tell me it doesn’t make any sense, I bloody well know that, but it don’t matter Buffy, I’ll be here, you need help, I’m here, you need someone to watch your back, well I’m your someone. Right now this is somethin I can help you with so how bout we stop yappin’ and get on with it, cause at this rate the bloody sun’s gonna be up before we get anythin’ done!” Turning he disappeared into the shadows, melting away as only a true creature of the night could.

Buffy drew a deep breath, trying to absorb the tirade Spike had just thrown her way. Nothing about the situation was even close to being within the realms of comprehension as such she came to the conclusion it was far simpler to NOT try to comprehend and just do as the vampire had suggested and get on with it. Closing her eyes she quieted her mind the way Giles had taught her, reaching out she searched, after what seemed like forever when she was almost at the point of giving up and resorting to another (much warranted) bout of sulking, she felt a slight tingle at the edge of her senses. Concentrating harder she felt it grow steadier, more definite. Slowly she raised her hand and pointed it what she was reasonably sure was the direction the vampire was in.

“Well done luv” Spike stepped into sight grinning approvingly at her. “Want to try that again?”

At her enthusiastic nod he melted into the night again and found a new hiding place. They continued in this vein for the next couple of hours, each success coming faster than the one before, every beaming smile and enthusiastic word of encouragement from him boosting her confidence and lifting the enormous ball of self doubt that had settled in her gut over the last weeks of failure.

By the end of the night they had completed the patrol, Spike watching appreciatively as she performed her chosen duty dusting the few vampires they came across with ease and a slight flicker of impatience as they interrupted the lesson she was finding to her amazement she was thoroughly enjoying. Her improvement over the course of the night was infinitely satisfying to both student and teacher and the delight in her eyes was more reward than Spike could ever have hoped for.

When they parted as she turned for home, it was on his promise to see her again the next night for patrol. Over the ensuing weeks Spike would appear at her side for patrol whenever she patrolled alone. On the occasions she had company, her friends, her Watcher or sometimes, much to his utter disgust, his hated Grandsire, he would watch over her from a distance. Sometimes keeping enough distance that he knew she could not sense him, other times allowing her to know he was there, watching her back as he had told her he would, he would see her smile to herself and look in his direction, letting him know she knew he was there.

They never spoke about the times he watched over her, neither of them caring to question the friendship that was growing so easily between them. Likewise Buffy never mentioned the “Spike situation” to her friends or her Watcher, it wasn’t that she was trying to keep secrets from them but neither she nor Spike could explain what had changed between them, why two previously mortal enemies were now if not quite friends certainly well on their way to becoming so. The trust and friendship that was growing between them felt so natural, so normal that Buffy didn’t WANT to question it, didn’t want it placed under a microscope and examined from all angles. She didn’t want the accusations that it was all a lie, a deliberate misrepresentation designed to throw her off guard and make her an easy target for the blonde vampire. She knew that these were the arguments that would be put forward just as she knew that they were false that there was no calculating scheme on Spikes’ part, that as unlikely as it may be, the emerging camaraderie was in fact genuine. She knew also that she had no basis of proof to offer as explanation for this knowledge other than that she just knew it to be. The Scoobies were not likely to be satisfied with her “hunch” as acceptable proof to Spike’s harmlessness, so it was simpler all round to refrain from mentioning him altogether.

When they patrolled together they would talk about all manner of things then slip into quiet comfortable silences as they walked side by side through Sunnydale’s numerous graveyards. At his suggestion they varied the patrol, no longer sticking to Buffy’s predictable routine after he quietly pointed out the dangers of the habit to her. Spike was true to his word, covering Buffy’s back when she needed it, always there to make sure no harm befell her, however in most cases his assistance was not required and he loved to lean back against a gravestone and watch her, she was bloody beautiful when she fought, a sight he could never get enough of.

Eventually, as trust grew between them, they began to spar some nights, those nights were his favourites, if watching Buffy fight was amazing, fighting against her was heaven. They both loved it, Buffy loved the experience of not having to hold back, sparring with Spike was FUN, she could be herself in a way she couldn’t with her Watcher, not unless she wanted to break him, and she couldn’t with Angel because he insisted on practicing higher forms of the art, the slow precise movements designed to improve balance and concentration were boring and tedious and when she had once dared to voice that opinion he had sat her down and explained to her at length the importance of learning this skill and the reason why common sparring was beneath her dignity as a warrior. Well it may be beneath her, but God it was fun and Spike taught her a few things that… well she couldn’t imagine either her Watcher or her boyfriend would ever teach her such dirty tactics!

CHAPTER 5

Buffy was bubbling with excitement as she made her way through the early evening streets to Angels’ apartment. It was Friday night and Giles was so pleased with her progress especially her improvement with her slayer sensey thing that he had given her the go ahead to take a night off and just enjoy herself for a change. She thought of all the wonderful non slayery ways she and her paramour could spend the evening, there was the movies - always good, or The Bronze for a night of dancing and smoochies, or maybe a nice dinner and THEN dancing or a movie. She decided it really didn’t matter all that mattered is she was finally getting a night off to spend with Angel on a proper date, the kind normal girls, who didn’t have to save the world from evil every night, got to have. She had dressed in a new pair of soft pastel pink leather pants and a cute pink and black leopard print halter top, new black ankle boots and Angel’s gorgeous black leather jacket. She had done her hair up in a loose bun and left a soft fringe around her framing face, she thought - well she hoped - she looked good!

Reaching Angels’ apartment she knocked. He opened the door wearing black pants and no shirt.

“Buffy! I didn’t expect you, hang on a second.” Angel turned a fished a shirt off the couch, pulling it on he opened the door wider inviting her to enter. “What’s wrong?” He enquired.

“Wrong? Oh … nothing, nothing at all.” Buffy flashed her brightest smile. “I have the night off, a whole night, no patrol, no training, just fun, fun, fun!” She was practically jumping up and down with glee. “So the night is ours to do as we please!”

Angel frowned, “Why would Giles do that? You’re the slayer Buffy, you don’t get nights off! Buffy if you take a night off people die, you have responsibilities, a sacred duty what could possibly be more important than that!”

“I know I am the slayer Angel, God do you think I don’t know! I thought you’d be happy, we could go out on a date … you know that thing people do, boy/girl, maybe dancing, maybe movie, fun had by all concerned! You do remember dating don’t you? It’s what normal boyfriend and girlfriends do and colour me stupid but I actually thought we were supposed to be a couple!” She couldn’t believe he was reacting the way he was, she had been so happy, so excited at the prospect of a romantic evening for two without world savey issues entering into the mix and here he was shooting her down and making her feel selfish and immature into the bargain. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, or that she wanted someone to die, of course she didn’t but things had been so quiet lately, no major activity of the evil kind so what was the harm in her taking one night off, one night to be a girl and NOT The Slayer.

“We are a couple Buffy, but there’s no use trying to pretend we are a normal couple, we aren’t a normal anything, you are The Slayer and I am a vampire, about as far from normal as you can get. We don’t get to do normal couple things Buffy, you know that, that would be irresponsible and selfish!” He couldn’t understand why she was having such a problem understanding this, she was the Chosen One, the pinnacle of all things good, surely she could see that it was wrong of her to even contemplate taking a night off for something as self-serving as a date! He would make her understand, make her see reason, she was meant to be the epitome of virtue that was why he cherished her so much. She was everything he aspired to, everything he was not and could only endeavour to become. “Buffy, people need you, they rely on you to keep them safe, even if they don’t realise it.”

“One night Angel, that’s all, it’s not like I am going on strike or saying ‘to hell with it let people die, I don’t care’, I just wanted one night for us to go out and have some fun, to do the things other girls my age get to do. To have some quality time with my boyfriend, and seeing as you are the boyfriend in question I thought you’d be all on the ‘happy train’ with me. Besides you know, Giles gave me the night off, HE is my Watcher and he seems to think it’s ok for me to have one night once every millennium or so to have some fun. What is with you!” Buffy felt drained, she had gone from happy to pissed off, to miserable and back to pissed off in a matter of moments and her mind was spinning from trying to keep up.

“Yeah well maybe Giles needs to rethink some things, I mean as far as Watcher’s go he isn’t exactly the most impartial is he? We both know he lets you off easy, doesn’t make you train as hard as he should, lets you get away with not studying your demon lore. I mean he certainly doesn’t train you by the guidelines set out in the slayers handbook. Giles is a pushover as far as you are concerned and if you ask my opinion you take advantage of that fact on a far too regular basis.!” He was starting to get angry with her, she wasn’t listening, she wouldn’t see that what he was telling her was correct. She needed to realise that he had only her best interests at heart, he loved her and wanted what was right for her, surely she could see that he knew what was best for her!

Her mouth dropped open, she could not believe she was hearing what she actually was hearing. “How dare you! How could you speak to like that, I do train hard, in fact it is because I have been training hard and Giles is really pleased with my progress that he gave me the night off! But what would you know, you wouldn’t know that my martial arts are improving daily, that I finally got my spidey sense thing working properly that my weapons skills are according to Giles ‘superlative’ the only thing you know is how to do your stupid Nancy boy Tai Chi and spout on at me about my sacred duty and how I am above doing things that my friends do or that other girls my age do, well you know what I am sick of being lectured and judged by you I am sick of trying to please you and I don’t know why it even occurred to me that you might be happy to have one night for us!” With this she turned and fled Angel’s apartment heedless of his voice calling for her to stop, to wait and they could talk this through some more. Tearing out into the night she ran, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the vampire she was fighting every urge not to stake.

Angel stumbled around his room pulling on shoes so he could follow her, make her understand, make her listen! By the time he had located his shoes and put them on The Slayer had a good head start on him. What was wrong with her, why was she acting so irrationally and ‘Nancy boy’? What was with that? Surely that was not a term his girl would use. Suspicion and doubt gnawed at him as he made his way through the streets of Sunnydale on the hunt for one small blonde girl in a town full of teenagers turned out onto the streets for the obligatory Friday ‘date night’ ritual.

CHAPTER 6

“What’s wrong luv?” a voice spoke softly from the darkness. He had watched her for a few moments, knowing he should leave her in peace, not intrude, however her palpable sadness was too much for him, he could not bear to see her in pain of any sort without trying somehow to fix it.

“Nothing Spike, it doesn’t matter” Buffy dashed away the tears and drew a deep breath to calm herself, how long had he been there, how long had he been watching her cry like a baby? She turned to him as he stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, concern etched on his face. What was it with her and vampires, I mean yeah she was the Slayer so a certain amount of contact with vampires was to be expected, contact of the dusty kind that is. However these two vampires, one with a soul, her boyfriend, well maybe, the jury was still out on that! And this other one, the one without a soul, the one who until only a few short months ago was her mortal enemy and now he was what…a friend, a confidant, a fighting companion? All she knew was there was an easy companionship to the way Spike fell into step next to her. To her left as always; allowing the greatest benefit if they were attacked, he, left handed and she right they could cover a complete 360 degrees. They had fought together so many times now, it felt natural, both knowing the other’s capabilities and as such each able to get on with their own job without the distraction of worrying about the other. There was fluidity to the way they fought, like two dancers in a complex ballet each knowing their own part and knowing that their partner would be there to catch them when the music dictated.

“Got somethin’ planned for tonight pet?” he enquired with a slight tilt of his head. She looked gorgeous, surely she was not this dressed up for a night’s slaying. He knew she always looked good on patrol, that was a huge part of The Slayer image but this was a little more dressy than normal and she looked adorable, he ached to wrap her in his arms and let her know just how beautiful she was.

“Hmmm?” She broke out of her deliberation and looked at him. “No, not really…just wandering I guess, see what shows up.”

He seemed a little on edge tonight, what was with that, I mean Spike could be a bundle of energy, like a small explosion sometimes, but he was never edgy or nervous. “Your crypt hey? Not sure that is an overly wise place for me to be…you know into the den and all that.”

He moved in a blur of motion, full vampire speed, his arm around her, as he pulled her back into his chest his mouth descended to her neck. “If I wanted you dead Slayer, you’d be dead” he murmured and planted a soft kiss on her neck to prove his point before letting go. She spun, fury burning in her eyes, only to be confronted with his easy smiling face, no smirk, no sadistic satisfaction, just laughing blue eyes and a tender smile. He dipped his head, “sorry luv, just wanted to prove my point…no harm meant, though you know I shouldn’t have been able to do that right…you’re off your game tonight pet, mustn’t be allowed to happen.” His eyes were laughing no longer; instead they were darkened with worry.

“Course you could pet” he agreed, his voice only slightly disbelieving. “So, you gonna come see or not?” His question only a little less than a challenge.

“Ok, I guess” she agreed with a sigh, what harm, whatever it was this enigma of a vampire wanted to show her, her night couldn’t get any worse, could it?

They walked together across the graveyard towards Spikes crypt, it was a quiet night and the moon shone almost full out of a clear bright sky. The vampire shone in the moonlight silver-blonde hair, pale skin and black leather equally as vivid in the brightness of the night. She glanced sideways at him; he is so graceful she notices not for the first time, like a cat, not your domestic kitty but a big cat, a panther or a lynx, predatory and deadly.

He is so different to Angel, she thought, where the dark haired vampire was strong and powerful in an imposing kind of way, Spike’s was a lean strength, sleek and sinewy, definitely graceful she thought again. If Spike was a cat, Angel was a bear; muscular, ominous and commanding. Angel had a presence that dwarfed most of those around him, he took charge, was always first into the fray, when they fought together he protected her, took the strongest and the best opponent for himself and kept an eye on her the whole time they fought in case she needed assistance. Angel made her feel safe. Spike made her feel …what… powerful, competent?

Without thought Spike opened the door to the crypt and held it open for her to enter, she didn’t question this, thought little of it, it was just Spike, probably a left over from his human days when men were expected to be gentlemen. If she allowed herself to think about it she would have found it amusing really, the way he would open doors or allow her to precede him through a gate, gentlemanly manners, yet he had no hesitation at all about punching her in the face when they sparred, swore unabashedly in front of her and on more than a few occasions she had noticed his eyes roaming freely and appreciatively over her body, just one more example of the contradiction that was Spike.

Inside the crypt candles burned, dozens of them of differing sizes and shapes. “Get you anything Slayer?” he enquired, not that he had a lot to offer but he did keep some small bottles of coke in the fridge for those times he actually felt like mixing his alcohol with something, not that those times were often so the coke was mostly unopened. He removed one now offering it to her. Buffy took it with a mumbled “thanks”.

“Umm make yourself at home”, he offered, “be right back.” He headed down the ladder to the lower level as Buffy looked around the upper level, her coke remaining unopened in her hand. It was not at all what she had expected, towards the back, past the sarcophagus’ a TV stood in one corner with a couple of slightly tatty black leather armchairs positioned in front of it on a red Persian style rug. The small fridge from which Spike had got her drink sat in the left corner. Window sills and wall niches housed the candles. She lent against a sarcophagus and watched as a blonde head emerged through the hole leading to the lower level of the crypt.

Spike reappeared holding a brown paper wrapped package, he started towards her apprehension written all over him, from the trepidation on his face to his hesitant almost jerky movement.

“Umm, I know it’s still a few days away, but figured you’d be doin’ things with your family or your pals on the day, so I wanted to give this to you tonight” he murmured, his eyes downcast, his body language screaming his urge to flee as he handed the package to Buffy.

“Spike? Wha… you got me a birthday present?” Buffy was stunned. She removed the paper wrapping to reveal a black scabbard and harness, a black leather handle protruded from the scabbard, she drew it to reveal the most beautiful sword she had ever seen, only a foot and a half long, with a string of runes running down the centre, it was simplistic in design yet stunning, it dazzled in the candlelight. She wielded it and found its balance and weight perfect. The warrior in her revelled in its exquisite beauty, it was hers, this she knew, her hand and arm told her that, no one would wield this weapon as well as she.

She looked up, her eyes filling for the second time this night with tears, unlike the last these were tears of happiness, delight, “Spike, you shouldn’t have, this, it's too much, I mean it is beautiful, I love it, but it's too much, it must have cost a fortune. I can’t …. can’t accept it Spike, you shouldn’t spend your…..”

“Buffy”, Spike cut her off, “it's not too much, I want you to have it…as long as you like it that is…I had it made for you, for your height and fighting style, know a guy, demon, best swordsmith there is, owed me a couple of favours so I called them in, that’s all. Found a picture in a book, just like this one only 6ft long, big medieval thing, had him copy it but with you in mind. Harness sits on your back so you can reach behind and draw it, that way it doesn’t get in your way when you are fighting.” His eyes sought hers out imploringly, “do you like it luv, I mean you don’t have to say you do if you don’t”

How could someone so incredibly powerful, generally confident to the point of cockiness be suddenly insecure and vulnerable, she wondered. Vulnerable, now there’s a word she never thought she would use in conjunction with Spike! She stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around him, planting a soft kiss on his cheek, his eyes widened with shock, “I love it Spike, it’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given me.” Stepping back and releasing the vampire she slipped into the harness, practicing drawing the sword, she knew she had never held a finer weapon before. The runes caught her eye, “what do these mean Spike?” she enquired.

“Don’t know pet, they were on the original, so I guess he just copied them, look right nice though.”

A short while later the two unlikely companions left the crypt and headed back out into the quiet of the night. “Walk with me a while?” Buffy asked. For answer Spike fell into step next to her, they walked together in silence, not the awkward silence of not knowing or having anything to say, but the quiet comfort of two people who don’t need to say anything.

When they reached her house he stopped and looked at her, “well, better get goin then luv.”

She reached out a hand to stroke his face, kissing his cheek again before breathing, “Thank you Spike, I really really do love my present!” She turned and made her way up to her bedroom window. Lighting up a cigarette and smiling happily to himself the vampire headed back to the graveyard and home.

From behind a tree in the neighbours front yard a shadow moved, a scowl darkening already dark features, he watched as the blonde vampire disappeared in the distance then turned his attention back to the window the girl had vanished through. With an agility his bulk belied he spun and stormed off in the opposite direction to the blonde.

Chapter 7

“Are you stupid?” he growled at her as he emerged from the shadows the following night.

She bristled, well this was a nice…. ‘hello, sorry about last night, I was a moron, won’t do it again’ … from her supposedly loving boyfriend. “I don’t know Angel, why don’t you tell me, it seems to be what you are good at lately!” Daggers flew from her eyes “Look is there gonna be a point here sometime soon, cause you know, work to do, vampires to dust” she looked at him pointedly. Now where did that come from; she wouldn’t dust Angel, she knew that, she loved him, didn’t she….it’s just that lately he was being so insufferable, he just made her so mad.

“Spike is dangerous, Buffy, what don’t you understand about that? I mean the fact that he has tried to kill you several times should be enough of an indication, you’d think! Yet last night I see him walking you to your door, what’s with that, and a goodnight kiss? Want to explain that one? You think that is acceptable slayer behaviour? You are supposed to be better than that! He is a soulless murderer or had that escaped your keen notice?” The anger was rolling off him in waves, his normally dark eyes were black pits of fury. Silence stretched between them for what felt like hours. “Well Buffy, I’m waiting, waiting for you to explain it to me, to explain what the hell you were doing kissing Spike, it’s a shame you didn’t remember last night that you have a job to do isn’t it!”

“What are you following me now? Making sure I’m a good little girl and do as you tell me, is that it?” Her fury matched his and then surpassed it. “What that was with Spike, was none of your business that’s what it was! How dare you spy on me, how dare you treat me like I am some pathetic little girl who needs you to hold my hand and keep me safe, I am The Slayer, Angel, have you forgotten what that means, I can take care of myself! And in answer to your question I am thinking that yeah maybe I am an idiot, for putting up with the way you treat me, the way you are always telling me how I should act and what I should do, where I can and can’t go. This can’t go on Angel, this isn’t a relationship, a relationship is two people who care about each other and treat each other as equals, to you I will always be someone you need to protect, to control, God what do you think you are, my father or something. We are over Angel, just…just leave me alone ok.”

She ran as fast as her Slayer strength would allow, not caring where she was going, just wanting to get away, as far away as possible from this man she had thought she loved, this man she thought had loved her. She realised now that all it had ever been was safety, Angel was big and strong and dangerous and he made her feel safe in this big scary life that she had never asked for, the life of the Chosen One. The more she thought about it the more she knew it had never been love for either of them, ok sure there was attraction, mutual attraction, but love…no…just a co-dependency, she wanted to feel safe and he wanted to protect the innocent, shape the Slayer to be his ideal of what she should be.

Finally she stopped running, where was she? Wow she had come a long way. She needed to talk, to cry on someone’s shoulder, to rant, to rave…Willow, she needed Willow. As she made her way thru the dark streets of Sunnydale towards Willow Rosenberg’s house she reflected on the people in her life since moving here. Willow was her best friend, she could tell her anything and knew that they would always be there for each other, and Will was smart too, really smart like major book learny type smart. Then there was Xander, he was, well, Xander. He could make you laugh when there was absolutely nothing to laugh about, he was loyal and brave, though not so good on the strong and coordinated side. But there you know, even when it was hard, well impossible and it looked like there was no way they were gonna make it through, he was there and doing the best he could to help. He also had a way of seeing things that was different to everyone else, it was like he could see right to the heart of things sometimes, when everyone else was busy looking at the big picture Xander could look straight through it all to the crux of the matter.

Giles, her Watcher, he was so stuffy sometimes and very little sense of humour, although he was getting better, he even made a joke the other day, granted it wasn’t funny and really kinda lame but hey improvement! Giles was smart though, smart like Willow but in a wise way. He was also kind and caring, she loved her Watcher like the Dad who actually could be bothered with being there unlike her real one who, well, couldn’t!

She was on Willow’s street now and as she approached the house she checked for signs that anyone was awake in the Rosenberg household. All quiet, good. She made her way up to Willow’s bedroom window and tapped softly, “Will, wake up, it’s me I need to talk to you.” The girl inside the room stirred in her sleep rolling over and rubbing sleep from her eyes she focused on the window, “Buffy? What is it what’s wrong, is it an apocalypse?”

“Come in.” Willow opened the window and beckoned Buffy inside. “What is it Buff?” she asked as they sat back on her bed leaning on copious amounts of cushions and stuffed animals.

Buffy proceeded to explain to Willow all about the fights she has been having lately with Angel and how he is constantly trying to control her, she did not, for reasons that she wasn’t entirely sure about mention the blonde vampire or his gift to her. In the months since Buffy and Spike had started their tenuous friendship she had not mentioned him to anyone, at first it was too weird, the vampire that had tried so many times to kill her suddenly saving her life, then it was just altogether too difficult to explain, her friends and her Watcher just wouldn’t have understood why or, for that matter, how she could trust him, all she knew was she did.

“So I told him it was over” she told Willow, the first trace of a sob catching in her throat. She looked beseechingly at her friend for confirmation that she had done the right thing, that she wasn’t just throwing some stupid juvenile tantrum.

“Oh Buffy, I am so sorry, but you did the right thing, really. I mean who does he think he is coming over all I’m the big man and you are just the helpless female. Just cause he’s like 400 years old or something and, yick, any way he’s old enough to be your….”

“Don’t go there Will” Buffy was smiling now, even though tears were trying to well in her eyes, she just kept dashing them away, she knew she could count on Will to make everything alright.

“Wanna stay, we can sneak downstairs and have ice cream and stay up all night talking” Willow bubbled hopefully.

“Love to Will but Mom is taking me to the Mall tomorrow to pick something out for my Birthday and I just know she will be in to wake me up EARLY so I better get home. Thankyou so much, you always make feel better!”

“Glad to be of help, just call me…that thing that you call people who make other people happy” she finished with a half smile and a shrug.

“Night Buffy, see you tomorrow night ok, have fun at the mall. And Buffy, don’t worry, you know about the ‘Angel’ stuff, I’m sure everything will work out the way it’s supposed to – you know maybe you guys just weren’t meant to be. I’m sure ‘Mr Perfect for Buffy’ is out there somewhere and you just have to wait till you find him. Does that sound all sappy and Mill’s and Boonsy cause if it does, well you know, sorry, its just that’s what I believe, that when it’s the right someone you just kinda know it” Willow flushed bright red as she looked at her friend nervously, hoping she hadn’t just made a complete fool of herself.

Buffy smiled, her own cheeks reddening with embarrassment, “Yeah, that’s what I think too, and well I love Angel, I do, in a way, I mean he is all talk dark and handsome and all that, but it isn’t that ‘forever’ love that I just know is out there!” Buffy laughed, “I guess we are just a pair of hopeless romantics hey? Oh God don’t EVER let Xander hear us talking like this, we would never live it down.”

The two girls hugged before parting ways both feeling a little embarrassed still at having exposed their overly romantic side and yet knowing that their friendship was all the closer for it.

Buffy woke to the sound of her Mom’s voice and tapping on her bedroom door, “wake up sleepy head, we have lots to do today so time for breakfast and then we’ll head off to the mall for the mandatory Mom and Daughter shopping day.”

“Right.” she thought to herself as she fought of the remaining fog of sleep, “Birthday, mine, yeah I remember!” Stretching and yawning Buffy made her way downstairs to join her Mother for breakfast. Over pancakes and juice the Summers women planned their day. First there would be facials and manicures followed by some serious clothes and or shoe shopping, then lunch, more shopping then home in time for party preparations before their guests arrived tonight. Somewhere in amongst all this Buffy had decided there was also going to be a serious and long overdue Mother/Daughter discussion in regards to a certain sacred duty. She knew Giles thought it was best if her Mother was protected from that particular aspect of her life but she had had enough of the lies and the deceit, also, more and more it seemed that her life as the Chosen one seemed to be encroaching on her Mom’s safety, so forewarned, forearmed and all that…right! The only thing Buffy couldn’t work out was exactly HOW she was going to tell her Mom and how she was going to get her to believe her!

An hour later, showered, dressed and ready to take on an intensive day of shopping, they were back in the kitchen for cup of coffee before heading off. Well, no time like the present, Buffy decided, also at home, no danger of being overheard when her Mom wigged out (which she was pretty sure she would do), also weapons at hand for proof and possible visual demonstration of slayer abilities.

“Mom”, she began, voice soft and hesitant, “there is something we REALLY need to discuss.” She looked up to see her Mom fixing her with an intent ‘Oh my God what is wrong’ look. “Ok, this is going to be kinda freaky, and also, not easy to explain so I kinda need you to let me finish and then you can ask whatever you want…ok?”

“Buffy, are you in some kind of trouble”, Joyce found it hard to keep the unspoken “again” out of her voice.

Buffy opened her mouth and the words poured out. “Right, ok here goes…vampires are real, and um, well, I am the Vampire Slayer, you know once into every generation yadda yadda yadda , hmm wish Giles was here, he is so much better at that bit than me. Anyway I kinda have special powers, you know, really strong and fast and then there’s the spidey sense, well vampire sense really but…….. I am so not doing a good job of this am I?” She hesitated looking at her Mom’s shocked, disbelieving face. “Mom, really, I know it sounds like you should call the men in white suits to come and take me away but what I am saying is true. Mr Giles, the school librarian is my Watcher, its kinda his job to train me and tell me what to fight and just plain be bossy Mr Stuck up, but hey he is good at it. And well, remember parent teacher night at school and those guys that broke in, well they were vampires, the one you hit with an axe his name is Spike he’s like a big time master vampire who is way old but not as old as Angel...”

“Well, he was, but not any more, I kinda broke up with him last night, but yeah, THAT Angel. But he is a good vampire, he has a soul and he helps kill vampires and other bad guys.”

“Buffy do you have any idea how insane this sounds?” Joyce’s voice was shrill with anxiety.

“Yeah Mom, I do, really I do,” Buffy felt the hysteria building as she blurted “and I wasn’t supposed to tell you but I didn’t want to keep hiding this and having you think I’m like this major loser who burns down school buildings and gets in fights just because I feel like it and I SO don’t want you to be disappointed in me any more, I know I have caused you so much trouble and you probably wish you had any daughter in the world but me and I am so sorry Mom, I just…..”

“No Buffy, I have NEVER wished for any other daughter than you, I love you and I am proud of you,” she gathered her sobbing daughter into her arms, stroking her hair and gently rocking her, “you think of others before yourself, you are strong and sensible and I no mother could ever be prouder of her daughter than I am of you.” As Buffy calmed in her arms Joyce drew a deep sobering breath “Ok honey, start again, but slower this time, from the beginning.”

Several hours later they had finally made their way to the mall for the planned Mother/Daughter day. Both rather quiet and each lost in their own thoughts. Telling her Mum had been the scariest thing Buffy had ever done, scarier than facing the Master even, but she was glad she had done it. Yeah her Mum was freaked out, who wouldn’t be, but she had dealt. In the end after explaining things the best she could and answering a million questions, sometimes over again, she had passed the buck and told her Mom that her Watcher, Mr Giles, was the best person to ask and as he would be at the party tonight maybe she could save any further questions until then.

Chapter 10

The doorbell rang as the evening was coming to a close. “I’ll get it” Buffy told her Mom, “It’s probably Cordy, she said she might pop by. Opening the door she came face to chest with the person, or vampire, she least expected to see. “Angel, um, hi.” She stammered.

“Buffy, may I come in” Angel’s voice was quiet and level, no hint of emotion coloured it.

“Of course, come in Angel” Buffy stepped back to allow her ex admittance to her home.

“Happy Birthday Buffy” Angel said capturing her in an embrace. She hugged him back briefly then moved to pull away, feeling smothered against the vampire’s overwhelming bulk. Angel recoiled slightly at her obvious discomfort in his arms, managing to keep the hurt from reflecting in his eyes he lowered his arms and stepped back. “ Would we be able to talk, Buffy,” eyeing her friends his voiced dropped to barely above a whisper, “in private I mean.”

“Uhh, yeah, sure. Come out to the back porch with me.” Buffy caught Willow’s worried eye as she made her way through to the kitchen and out the back, ‘it’s ok’ she tried to convey to her friend, willing her to understand.

Once outside awkwardness set in in earnest. Angel leant against the handrail of the steps while Buffy stood on the porch, her hands, not knowing what to do with themselves, alternating between being folded neatly in front of her and clasped behind her back. What happened to us she wondered, when did things get this difficult between us that we can’t even be in each other’s company without feeling so damned uncomfortable. She knew better than to think that things could be the way they had been, I mean you don’t break up with someone and expect everything to go on as usual but she had not expected things to degenerate to this incredible feeling of uneasiness in his company.

Yesterday she had been on top of the world anticipating a wonderful night out on a real date with her vampire boyfriend. Today she could barely see what she had seen in him. There was nothing ‘easy’ about Angel, he loomed over people, dark, intense and brooding.

There was a constant sense of agitated displeasure emanating from him when he looked at Buffy tonight, like a preacher with a disobedient flock. As if he alone could see the wickedness of the world and even though he had tried to show you the light, the correct path to follow, somehow you had managed to stumble from it, failing him, and yet that failure was what he had expected from you all along.
“Angel.” Buffy finally broke the ominous silence. “You said you wanted to talk, so make with the talky ok”

Angel’s brow creased briefly in frustration then smoothed again as he forcibly composed himself.
“Buffy, I wanted to give you this”, he held a small velvet box out to her, “and to try to work through whatever it is that happened last night, I love you Buffy, I don’t want to be breaking up with you and I just don’t understand what happened. All I want is to keep you safe, I was trying to warn you, to make you understand how dangerous Spike is, he isn’t like me Buffy, he doesn’t have a soul and he will hurt you!” He thrust the small box closer to her, urging her to take it.

Buffy took the box, trying to control her exasperation at his insistence in continuing right where he left of the night before. She opened it to reveal a silver ring, two hands holding a heart with a crown above.

“It's a Claddagh ring. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty... and the heart... Well, you know... Wear it with the heart pointing towards you. It means you belong to somebody.” Angel looked at her waiting for a response. “Here let me…” He reached for her hand, Buffy pulled away, looking up finally to meet his eye.

“No, Angel…it…it’s beautiful, really it is, but no, I can’t accept this. I’m sorry Angel, what I told you last night, I meant it, we are over. We aren’t good together Angel, I…I…..” her voice dropped to a whisper, “don’t love you Angel, I don’t think I ever really did, not in the way you want me to. I will always care about you, but…”

“Oh, I see. So last night we have a fight about you spending time with a dangerous animal and then suddenly today you don’t love me and you never did….gee I think I see a pattern here, what about you Buffy, are you seeing a pattern?” In his fury his voice had risen and taken on a dangerous note, dark eyes became sinister as he loomed over the girl before him.

“Angel this has nothing to do with Spike, this has to do with us, with the fact that I am sick to death of you trying to control every aspect of my life, trying to turn me into some perfect example of what you believe a slayer should be. I broke up with you because what we had wasn’t love, not in any sense of the word, you do not love me, if you did you would not treat me this way, you wouldn’t try to change me all the time you would be my partner not my regulator. Angel you are not in love with me, you are in love with your own stupid power and I have had enough of it! Get over yourself Angel, I sure as hell have!” Buffy’s voice was quiet so as not to carry to those inside, there was however no doubting the resentment which poured into every word.

“You do not speak to me like that little girl, you have no idea what you are talking about, this is NOT over!” Angel growled.

Buffy looked with disbelief at her former boyfriend, she thrust the box back into his hands and fled inside locking the door behind her. Taking a few moments to compose herself she returned to her party and her friends, trying to block the Angel incident from her mind and enjoy the rest of her night.

“Is everything alright sweetie?” Her Mom appeared at her side, with a rather browbeaten and haggard looking Watcher behind her.

“Yeah Mom, everything is alright now. Um Angel won’t be coming around any more, and if he does….don’t invite him in ok! Giles, is there a way to you know uninvite him?”

Might I enquire as to the reason for your request? He hasn’t threatened you in any way has he?” Her Watchers eyes darkened allowing a brief glimpse of something or someone much darker and considerably more dangerous than the affable tweed clad Librarian.

“No, not really, he just, well I broke up with him and he just doesn’t seem to be wanting to take no for an answer. It’s not really something he has done, he just kinda gave me the wiggins, guess I’d just feel better knowing he can’t just wander in whenever he chooses. So we can stop that right?”

“Yes Buffy, it is in fact a rather simple incantation, I can perform it tomorrow if you wish, I just need a few supplies, I am sure Willow could assist me, she is showing quite an interest and aptitude for the arcane arts.

Buffy looked up at the anxious faces of the two adults in her life, flashing them a dazzling smile. “Cake…there is cake right?”

“Yes honey there’s cake, if you are ready for it.”

“Mmmm, definitely time for sugary goodness.” Buffy caught her mother’s eye, looking briefly at Giles she silently asked the question. Was her Mom alright, had she got the answers she required from the Watcher. Her Mom nodded almost imperceptibly, yes for now she was satisfied with the information she had received, however her look indicated that further discussions may be in order at a later date.

Just then another knock was heard from the front door, Giles opened it, prepared to confront the angry vampire with a rather blunt dismissal. What he was not prepared for however was the even darker force that walked in, high heels clicking.

“Oh, hey, Buffy. Wow, your hair looks almost stylish for once.”

“Cordelia.” Xander said. “Our night was not complete until you arrived.”

The dark haired girl blinked at him as though wondering why he was talking to her, she tossed her hair, turning back to Buffy as Joyce re-entered the room, carrying the cake.

Cordelia offered Joyce a beaming smile, handing Buffy a package which Buffy accepted, surprised, as Cordy pushed past her to where Joyce was cutting the cake.

Buffy unwrapped the gift to find a moisturizer and a small cosmetics package.
“Wow.” Willow commented.

“See how she somehow manages to mock you even when giving you a present,” Xander pointed out, “amazing.”

“So..” Cordelia was talking to Joyce. “Your nails look great, I was thinking of getting mine done again, where did you go for yours. I usually have someone in to do mine but she’s away for the next two weeks on honeymoon, can you say inconsiderate!”

*********************

Across the road the blonde vampire paced, expelling the rage and fury that rippled through him. He had seen his Grandsire arrive and be ushered into the house. Moments later he had heard the back door open and close The conversation that had ensued had him almost tearing across the road and ripping his Grandsire to shreds! Infuriating enough were the things Angelus had said about him, but hey, he was a big boy he could live with that, and there had definitely never been any love lost between the two vampires, he was fairly certain that anything he himself had to say in regards to the older vampire would be far from flattering. However when he heard his Grandsire’s voice rise in fury and threat it was all he could do to contain himself, to not run to the side of the girl he loved and protect her from the malicious evil he was so well acquainted with, to remind himself that The Slayer did not need protection from one vampire, even one as spiteful and vindictive as the one she currently faced. Seconds later he heard the door open and close again and watched as his incensed elder stormed off into the night.

Fists clenching and unclenching as he paced, he reassured himself with stolen glimpses of the continued merriment across the road, laughter and occasional squeals of delight doing much to calm his anger. As the frenzy eased his mind cleared enough to dwell on the conversation that had taken place. He knew now that Angelus was aware of his continued presence in Sunnydale, he knew also that The Slayer and his Grandsire had fought about him, with the result being Buffy breaking up with him. His pacing stopped as he allowed this information to permeate, a slow smile spread across his face, his eyes lighting with the fruitless hope infusing his being. Lighting another cigarette he continued to watch the Summer’s household until all the guests had departed and the occupants had fallen into a peaceful slumber. After which time he wandered off in search of a meal, his heart lighter, his step euphoric.

The weeks after Buffy’s birthday had been almost heaven to Spike, there was no sign of Angel and Buffy had ranted at him one night about how “impossible” her former boyfriend was and how mad he had made her. Whilst offering meaningless words of support for her sake, inside his heart swelled with joy that Angel was no longer on the scene. Aside from this life in Sunnydale had progressed peacefully, well as peacefully things could on a Hellmouth. That is until this particular Friday night rolled around.

He gathered her into his arms, he could hear her heat beating, so alive still, “Buffy, wake up pet, come on luv open your eyes” he pleaded with her still unconscious form. He could smell her blood, knew if he could so could every other vampire in the vicinity, he had to get her out of here, not safe, too easy to be surrounded here. Picking her up he carried her carefully to his crypt where he lay her gently on one of the sarcophagus’ as he drew his arm out from under her he saw the smear of blood. Carefully rolling her to the side he examined the wound, nasty bump, the cut not too bad but running blood freely as head wounds are inclined to do.

It had all happened so fast, they had come across a nest, 9 vampires in total, most little more than fledglings, no problems, nothing the Slayer and him couldn’t take on easily. Everything was going well, only 3 to go, he dusted one and turned to watch as Buffy took out hers, he loved to watch her fight …God she was amazing. Just as the slayer’s stake took her opponent out in a cloud of dust the remaining vamp decided fleeing was the far better option than fighting, as he took off he barrelled into the Slayer knocking her to the ground, normally she would have been up in a second and in pursuit, however her head had connected hard with the corner of a gravestone, nothing more, something so simple, so stupid had left his Slayer unconscious and pouring blood on the ground. If he had not been there she would be dead and that, more than anything he had faced in his almost 150 years of existence, terrified him! He had stepped to intercept the fleeing vampire, fury consuming him, eyes flashing gold as he ripped its head from its shoulders before he quickly moved to kneel by the Slayers side.

Heading to the fridge he retrieved an icepack, jumping down to the lower level he grabbed a clean tshirt which he proceeded to tear in half. Folding one half of the tshirt he pressed it firmly against the wound then applied the icepack over the top of that. With his spare hand he softly stroked her cheek talking quietly to her, trying to pull her out of oblivion and back to him.

After a while her eyelids fluttered, then opened. “What..? Where am I?” she focused on the face before her, “Spike?”

“S’all right pet, you took a nasty blow to the head but I got the bastard for you. Shh just lie still. You had me worried for a while there luv, thought I was gonna be stuck with a sleepin’ beauty here.” He smiled at her with relief more than humour.

“Oh, you know how the Prince woke Sleeping Beauty up don’t you”, she teased.

To her surprise he took their usual teasing and banter a little further than she expected, leaning down he planted a kiss gently on her lips. Her breath caught as his soft lips pressed a little harder, deepening the kiss, her arm snaked out to reach around his neck and pull him closer. A longing moan sounded softly in his throat just before he recoiled, pulling away from her fast “Oh God Buffy, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

She got up fast and attempted to follow him as a wave of dizziness hit, stumbling she reached towards him and he moved to catch her in his arms. She leant into him looking up into his worried face she breathed, “Spike, please …. don’t stop” She reached up for his kiss. “Buffy!” whispering her name like a prayer he gathered her closer, kissing her deeply, his hands stroking her back in gentle circles. His mouth moved along her jaw kissing softly as he travelled down her neck murmuring endearments between kisses. He nuzzled gently into her neck near her collarbone, “so beautiful” he murmured.

Spike pulled back to look at her, his eyes shining with love. Her eyes were glazed, her lips parted and soft, waiting for his, he moved slowly, lowering his head to kiss her again, then stopping, lingering for a moment his mouth so close to hers he could taste her when he breathed.

Buffy closed the remaining distance between them, kissing him achingly, pressing closer to him, her hand snaking behind his head, fingers curled in his hair, stroking softly. She moaned against his mouth as his tongue gently caressed hers. Her breath caught as her heart swelled in her chest, filling with love and longing so exquisitely painful it brought tears to her eyes. “Spike” she breathed “Oh God”, tightening her arms around him she leant deeper into his embrace. They kissed and stroked, bodies reaching for each other, mouths exploring, tasting, cherishing. Eventually they pulled away slightly to stare into each others eyes.

“Oh Buffy, I love you” his voice breaking with emotion the words pouring out before he could stop them, as he ducked his head to hide the raw need, terrified of what he might see in her eyes, shock, horror, revulsion, he couldn’t bear to see those things, he hadn’t meant to lay his heart on the line.

She reached for him, cupping his face tenderly with her hand, stroking softly as she sought his eyes with hers, “Spike, look at me,” her voice barely more than a whisper. “I love you too” she assured him when their eyes met, hers swimming with brimming moisture, “I love you, I can’t believe it took me so long to realise it” she ran her thumb lovingly along his cheekbone, her hand warm against his face.

His eyes widened in amazement, then filled once more with love, a moan escaped him as he gathered her to him again kissing her deeply.

Their bodies pressed together aching for more contact, needing to be as close as possible, “Spike, make love to me”, Buffy breathed.

His heart ached with love and longing at her words, unneeded breath caught in his throat, his eyes blurring as tears brimmed with the force of the emotion that hit him. Pulling back he looked at his love, his beautiful Slayer, so alive, so vibrant, and so young! He longed for her, wanted nothing more in all the world than to make her his, however, he knew he loved her enough to wait for her, for however long she needed, he didn’t want her to feel this was something she needed to do for him.

“Buffy, luv, there’s no need, I love you, will wait forever for you pet, just knowing you love me, that’s enough!” His voice was soft, loving, and thick with need.

“Oh God Spike, I don’t want to wait, want you, need you, I want to make love to you more than anything in the world.” Her eyes sought his, pleading with him to know how much she loved him, how much she wanted this.

At her words a low growl formed deep in his chest, he scooped her up into his arms, pressing her close to him, kissing her lovingly he carried her down to the lower level of his crypt.

Hours later, they lay wrapped in each others arms exhausted, blissful, and content. Spike softly stroked her hair whispering words of love for his beautiful Slayer as she snuggled into his chest.

She woke slowly, awareness coming in layers, taking in first the sleeping vampire she was cuddled against, then memory of what had transpired, then lastly the huge brass bed and soft silk sheets in which they were lying and the rough texture of the walls, soft light from the candles flickering on them. They were in the lower level of Spikes crypt, she looked around, it was nice, comfortable, Spike had transformed it with rugs, bed and clothes chests, no mirror she noted to herself, candles covered most available surfaces down here just as they did above. Spike may be a creature of the night but he liked his light, just as he liked other human comforts. A leather bound book lay on the bedside table, bookmark visible poking out between the pages. He really was so unlike other vampires she thought to herself, not that she made a habit out of being in vampires bedrooms, but she didn’t need to to know that Spike was pretty unique.

This brought other vampire related matters to mind and she turned them over in her head for the next couple of hours, to the gently lulling sound of her lover’s light breathing. Even in sleep he drew breath his body didn’t require for survival.

“Mmmm, love?” the sleepy vampire replied, snuggling her closer to his side, nuzzling gently at her neck and purring softly as he closed his eyes ready to let sleep claim him again.

“You know I can’t let you keep feeding on people don’t you”, Buffy’s voice was gentle, but determined.

This had his attention, “have to feed love, unless you fancy me a walking mummy?”

“I know you do, but can’t you, I don’t know…you could drink blood from the butchers?”

“Like Angel you mean!” Spike’s voice took on a hard edge despite his best intentions. Wary of not hurting the girl in his arms he softened the tone, “you don’t know what its like love, vampires are meant to drink live blood, dead blood can keep you going, but only just and its disgusting, dead animal blood, even worse.” Wanting her to understand, to know he wasn’t just being objectionable for the sake of it, he tried to explain, “What’s the worst thing you have ever had to eat, something that makes your stomach churn?”

“Ok, so imagine really old, rotting brussel sprout soup, that’s what dead animal blood is to me.” He sighed and continued on with what he hoped was a credible argument. “Look luv, I’m not killin’ anyone, haven’t done for months cause I knew you wouldn’t like it, just take a bit and leave em, no harm done, no one the worse for it an maybe a lesson learnt by them on why not to walk the streets at night, when you think about it I’m doin’ a public service!”

“I know you haven’t been killing Spike, you think I hadn’t noticed that! But the point is you are still attacking people and most likely scaring them half to death, it’s just...well you just can’t keep doing it, don’t you understand, it is my job, my calling to protect people, how can I live with myself if I turn a blind eye just because it is my boyfriend doing the attacking?”

“I’ve thought about this pet and I don’t know any other way, I HAVE to feed, not a matter of choice here luv just the way it is!” His voice was soft

She had contemplated this for hours while he slept and knew what she had to say, although knowing it didn’t make it any easier. She drew a shaky breath, lowered her lashes and chewed worriedly on her lower lip, terrified of what she was about to suggest, the words when they came were almost a whisper, “what if…what if you fed on me?”

“NO!!!” He jerked away from her as if she had just burnt him, his eyes flashing from blue to gold and back again.

Hunger, excitement, glee, even just plain old enthusiasm where the reactions she had expected, nothing prepared her for the violent denial, the horror on his face at her suggestion. She reached for his face, stroking it softly, calming him with the love in her touch and her eyes. She spoke softly “Why not? It makes sense I mean my blood, it’s strong isn’t it? You wouldn’t need much and besides, you know, Slayer healing, what you took I would make back in no time flat, so no big right?”

“No Buffy, I can’t. Yes your blood is strong, nothing finer in all this world than Slayer blood, the power, the taste…ambrosia, but I can’t, I might not be able to stop…it’s not just Slayer blood luv, it’s YOUR blood! I just can’t, I might hurt you, kill you, couldn’t live with that, never want anything to happen to you and won’t bloody let it, you hear!”

“You won’t Spike, it’s ok, I know you wouldn’t hurt me…not ever, I KNOW that, I trust you, I love you. You just have to trust me, like I trust you!”

“Not a matter of trust luv, the bloodlust, its so strong ‘specially for Slayer blood, for your blood, it‘s not me in control pet, it’s the demon and only thing it wants is to drink you up, drain you and revel in the power and the taste of your unbelievably wonderful blood.”

“That’s not true Spike I know it isn’t, I know you are in control, not the demon, or I wouldn’t be alive now! You think I’m stupid Spike, think I don’t know the difference between a Master vampire in control of his demon and a stupid fledgling totally controlled by his demon?” Buffy bristled, then at the look of fear and concern on his face her tone gentled, “You’re scared Spike, I understand that…you think I’m not, when the Master bit me it was terrifying, I couldn’t move couldn’t think I was totally petrified”, her lip trembled and her eyes shone bright with unshed tears, “but I love you and the thought of having to stake you because you are killing people or of you living on something disgusting that you have to force down just because you love me, well that terrifies me more. I’m scared, but I do trust you and I do know you won’t hurt me, a little blood, well that’s an awfully small price to pay to have your love. I’m yours Spike, and you are mine, we belong to each other, ok, we are a part of each other. So stop being a stupid vampire, don’t you know arguing with the Slayer is REALLY bad for your health!!” She glared at him but the effect was lost somewhat as one of the unshed tears picked that moment to slowly trickle down her face.

“Buffy” The one whispered word encompassing all his love and devotion as he gathered her into his arms holding her so close to his long unbeating heart. He tried to muster the strength, the words to argue with her, to explain to her why the thought of drinking from her scared him so much, only problem was he couldn’t explain it to himself. She was right HE was in control had been for a very long time, long, long years since his fledgling days, days he preferred not to dwell on, days consisting of pain and humiliation, beatings, torment and million other reasons why he hated his bleedin’ Grandsire. All he could do was nuzzle into her hair, kiss the top of her head gently, breathing in the warm, beautiful scent of his slayer. He sighed against her, “alright luv, but there’s a condition.”

“What condition?” She eyed him warily, was he trying to back out…find something he knew she wouldn’t agree to, to use as an excuse not to do this?

“Wrist” he stated, “I’ll feed from your wrist, then if I get carried away or somethin’ you can just sock me one, ok. Only way it’s gonna happen pet”

She nodded her agreement, what he said actually made sense so she was happy to agree with him. She wasn’t so happy a few moments later when he reached over the side of the bed and picked up a stake which he handed to her.

Buffy took the offered stake in her right hand, sitting up and facing him she lent forward and kissed him gently, the kiss deepened until eventually, reluctantly they drew apart. Blue eyes fastened on hers as he reached for her left wrist, turning it towards him. Blue was replaced with gold as fangs appeared in his otherwise still beautiful face. Eyes remaining firmly locked to hers he gently bit down on her wrist, his mouth flooded with the sweet taste of his slayer’s blood, moaning softly he drank, slowly, allowing Buffy’s own racing pulse to pump the warm intoxicating nectar into his mouth, his chest tightening with an overpowering surge of love for his girl. He watched as her eyes closed, her face filled with wonder and love. Clamping down on the struggling demon inside him that was urging him to drink, drain, kill, he pulled his mouth away and licked gently at the wound till it closed. He could feel the power from her blood coursing through him.

Drawing a ragged breath, Buffy’s eyes opened again to stare once more into the amazingly blue eyes of her vampire lover. “Wow” she declared, her face lighting into a dazzling smile.

From the moment he had stared into her eyes she was lost in him, the bite was little more than a pinprick, no real pain, especially not for the slayer. Then the gentle touch of his mouth on her wrist, sensual as a kiss, his soft moan as he began to feed sending warmth flooding through her body, after a few moments, or was it a lifetime… she couldn’t tell, locked still in the depths of those now gold eyes, a wave of love deeper than anything she had ever known flowed over and through her, so beautiful, her eyes had closed; then, too soon it was gone, his tongue lapped gently at her wrist leaving behind no evidence that only seconds before his bite had been there.

He lent forward gathering her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin as she planted soft loving kisses on his neck. “Mmmm” he purred, “wow, what luv?”

Buffy described the feeling that had run through her, how she had felt and known with absolute certainty how much he loved her.

“Makes sense I guess” he mused. “Normally when a vampire bites it is hunting, feeding, you know, nothin’ sweetens the blood more than fear. Hunger and bloodlust are what you are feeling when you hunt and I guess the prey, feeling that, would experience absolute terror. While I was feeding on you all I knew was how much I loved you…guess you got to feel that too…..mmmm….nice little side effect that, what I’d call a bonus!”

“So”, she murmured against his neck, “you all over that being worried you are gonna hurt me bullshit? Cause you know you aren’t and I know you aren’t so enough already!”

He laughed a beautiful deep throaty laugh, “yes Ma’am!” His face turned serious, “still doesn’t hurt to be a little cautious for a while though does it luv, just till we are absolutely certain I have this whole, feeding on the wonder that is slayer’s blood, down pat?” A hint of concern played across his face, begging her to agree.

“Ok sweetheart, if you really are that worried we can take it carefully till you feel safe, but oh God I want to feel you feeding on my neck!”

A hungry growl escaped him at her words and his mouth plunged towards her neck fastening on the pulse point just above her shoulder, not with fangs as his demon would have liked, but lips and tongue and then gently with blunt human teeth. “Love you Buffy, love you” He breathed against her neck over and over as they proceeded to loose themselves in each other.

Later that night Buffy made her way across the cemetery towards her home. Spike had wanted to accompany her, to be by her side as she faced the wrath that was certain to descend upon her for her absence the last 24 hours, however she had managed to eventually convince him that she needed to do this alone. He had then insisted he at least walk her home, again they had disagreed, with Spike finally giving in when Buffy told him that it was hard enough having to say goodbye to him here, but outside her door, with her Mother most certainly looking on would be unbearable. Eventually they agreed that she would go home and face her Mother and Spike insisted that he patrol for her that night so at least she did not have to concern herself with that or worry that she was neglecting her sacred duty. After a lengthy and reluctant parting they had each headed off in different directions through the graveyard.

The closer to her destination, the slower her feet dragged, every step taking her nearer to a confrontation she was dreading and farther from the arms of her love.

“Buffy, where have you been? I have been worried about you, everyone has been worried about you. Mr Giles didn’t know where you were, Xander and Willow hadn’t seen you. Are you ok? Angel didn’t do anything to you did he? Are you inj……”

“Mom! I’m fine” Buffy exclaimed. “Please, breathe, let me answer you! Can…can we go inside first though?”

“Of course. You’re certain you are ok?” Joyce turned back towards the house, ushering her errant daughter inside.

Once inside Buffy walked into the lounge room and sat down in the chair, trying to calm her nerves and control the shaking in her limbs. Joyce sat on the lounge her apprehension clearly painted on her face.

“Ok Mom, what I have to tell you, you really aren’t going to like!” Buffy’s voice was small, her eyes fixed on a point on the floor in front of her. She tried again to order her thoughts, to try to come up with a way to explain the events of the last 24 hours to her mother in a way that sounded reasonable. Reasonable! Telling her mother that her 17 year old daughter had spent the last 24 hours having sex - mindblowingly beautiful, loving, wonderful sex – with a hundred and fifty year old vampire…yeah there had to be a way to make THAT sound reasonable.

“I believe I had actually worked that out for myself, I can’t imagine anything you can tell me that I am going to like about the fact that I have spent the last 24 hours wondering if you were dead somewhere, or injured and in need of help. If your crazy vampire ex-boyfriend who refuses to accept that you have broken up with him had kidnapped you. You have no idea the scenarios that have been running through my mind Buffy, but I can assure you not one of them does anything close to making me happy!” Joyce’s voice was shrill with emotion and she made a visible effort to calm herself. “Please Buffy just tell me where you have been, I believe I am owed an explanation!”

“Right, well …. um. The problem is what I need to tell you kinda goes back a bit before last night. You remember parent teacher night?” At her mother’s nod of confirmation she continued. “Well the blonde vampire, the one you hit with the axe, his name is Spike. About six months ago Spike saved my life, since then we have been kinda becoming friends, really good friends. I trust him with my life, he has never let me down, always been there when I needed him. Well last night when we were patrolling I got injured and Spike took me back to his crypt and fixed me up. I’m not sure what happened, somehow we were just kissing and, well, it was just right! I realised that I loved him, that I had loved him for a long time and he loved me too. Mom, I never knew you could love someone and be loved so much. When he holds me I feel like I’m home, I…” Tears poured down her face as she tried to find the words to explain to her mother something she did not even know how to explain to herself. How she just knew that Spike and her were meant to be together, that they belonged to each other in a way they could never belong to anyone else.

Joyce watched as her daughter broke into tears, trying to choke back the sobs which threatened to consume her. Moving on instinct she knelt on the floor in front of the chair and gathered her distraught daughter into her arms. Rhythmically stroking her hair and making soft soothing noises she calmed her troubled offspring. Eventually Buffy’s sobs subsided, hiccuping she looked up through her tears at her mother’s concerned face.

“I’m sorry Mom, I didn’t mean to go all blubber baby on you.” Buffy gave her mom a watery smile as she wiped the tears from her face. “Oh god I must be a wreck!”

“Well It’s not one of your better looks that’s for sure!” Joyce quipped, earning a short bark of laughter from her daughter. “Why don’t you go upstairs and wash your face, I’ll make some tea and we can continue our talk ok.”

“Ok Mom.” Buffy rose and headed upstairs, the urge to flee to the sanctuary of her bedroom and curl up in a ball on her bed was overwhelming, instead she made her way to the bathroom and liberally splashed her face with water, cooling her painfully inflamed eyes and cheeks. Drawing a hand through her hair she looked in the mirror starting at the sight before her, “Ughh, thank god Spike can’t see me now!” Tidying her hair the best she could and fanning her face to attempt to cool more of the angry heat from her cheeks she took a deep breath and headed back downstairs to continue the talk her hysteria had interrupted.

On her return to the lounge room her mother handed her a cup of tea and urged her to again take her seat.

“So what you are trying to tell me I assume is that you slept with this vampire. Would I be correct?” Joyce’s tone was matter of fact even though inside she was shrieking with denial.

Buffy again lowered her face and stared at the floor, nodding slowly. “We love each other Mom.” Unable to meet her mothers eye she waited, for what she didn’t know. An explosion of parental riotousness? Rejection? Horror? Anger?

Joyce forced herself to remain calm, “I see.” She began. “ Buffy, that you love each other, well, that is a good thing, however I really cannot condone your actions, or more to the point HIS actions, you are only 17 I am assuming Spike is rather older than this?”

“He …. he’s about a hundred and fifty if you include the years he was human.” Buffy mumbled.

“ A hundr …… Oh, oh my!” Joyce’s eyes widened as she attempted to absorb this latest information. “Well in that case he definitely should know better than to enter into an adult relationship with a girl of your age!” Joyce stated.

“It’s not his fault Mom, he said we should wait, he wanted to but, I …. Mom, don’t blame him, please, be angry at me, yell at me, tell me I am a slut or or I don’t know, but please, don’t blame him!” The tears which had so recently ceased began to flow again. “He is beautiful Mom, inside and out …. he is amazing, you have no idea! Mom, vampires, they don’t have a soul, they shouldn’t do the things Spike has done, shouldn’t be able to love, shouldn’t care…. but he does, he loves me so much, there is nothing he wouldn’t do for me ….”

“He doesn’t have a soul? Doesn’t that make him dangerous? Buffy I’m not sure you should have anything to do with him, I really…”

“Mom, Spike would never hurt me, he loves me! If he wanted to hurt me he has had more than enough opportunities over the last six months, he carried me unconscious and bleeding to his crypt last night, if he wanted me dead I would be dead, if he had wanted to turn me he could easily have done so last night!” All consideration for herself had flown out the window at the thought of her lover being held solely accountable for their actions or deemed to be a dangerous creature who must be dealt with. Buffy was not kidding herself, she knew from firsthand experience just how dangerous Spike could be, she also knew something of his past and was in no doubt whatsoever that he had happily murdered thousands, that was in the past though and was NOT who he was now.

“Be that as it may Buffy, I don’t think I want you having anything further to do with this man, you are so young and….”

“I am young Mom, I know and Spike told me he was willing to wait for as long as I needed, but Mom, don’t you understand, I am the slayer,” her voice caught in another quaking sob, “it’s not a job, Mom, it’s a life calling, most slayers don’t live to see their 18^th birthday, so yeah I’m young, but I probably won’t live to be anything but young! And … and I love him so much, I can’t imagine not being able to see him, not being able to hold him, Mom I….” Buffy’s ever rising hysteria broke again in an enormous wave of tears and sobs.

A grief stricken Joyce attempted to process not only her sobbing daughter in front of her, the actuality of a hundred and fifty year old VAMPIRE boyfriend as well as the reality of her only child’s haunting words in regard to her life expectancy. For the first time since Buffy’s birthday admission of exactly who and what she was, the exactness of that disclosure hit home; her baby was not going to have what other girls had, would most likely never have the college graduation or the fairytale wedding, would not live to have children of her own and watch them grow, her baby was going to be lucky to see adulthood. Gathering her daughter to her she soothed and shushed, at the same time clinging fiercely to her child as if by strength of will alone she could hold at bay the reality of a life of violence and danger and protect her offspring from pain and the surety of untimely death.

A knocking from the door eventually dragged the Summer’s matriarch back from her still sobbing daughter’s grief to the mundaneness of life. Gently untangling her daughters arms from around her neck she quietly assured her she would return in a moment. Drawing a deep breath and wiping her hands across her face in an attempt to both compose herself and hide the evidence of her distress, she opened the door to a highly agitated leather clad blonde pacing back and forth across her front porch.

Spike had finished patrolling and had headed to Revello drive, just to check that she was ok, he told himself, just in case she needed him. Which was the truth, what he didn’t admit was HIS need to see her again even if just for a second, to climb up to her window and kiss her goodnight, to assure himself that she still loved him, that the reality of home and family had not brought crashing down upon her the realisation of what she had done. He needed reassurance that she was not regretting their night together!

As he approached the house he had heard Buffy’s grief stricken sobs and her mother’s quiet attempts to sooth. All thought, all sense abandoned him at the sound of his love’s sorrow, all he knew was he had to get to her, to hold her and ease the pain which was currently overwhelming her. Before he knew what he was doing he had knocked on the door, waiting the moments it took for the door to open was an eternity, an endless age in which all he could hear was Buffy’s misery. He wanted to reach out and tear the door from its hinges, beat it down and rush to her side. He forced himself to wait, his feet carrying him on a furious march across the confines of the porch and back again in urgent need to expend the swell of anxiety.

The door opened to Buffy’s mother, her face damp and red from her own anguish. Recognition dawned across her face, “You must be Spike?”

He could hear Buffy’s weeping, smell her tears on the air and the need to hold her, to ease her pain anyway he could, increased. Nodding, whilst looking past Joyce, his mind barely even acknowledging her continued presence, he strained to see his girl, his slayer whose grief was ripping him apart. Stepping forward he encountered the barrier, the hidden force which prevented a vampire from entering uninvited into a human home. “Buffy” an anguished whisper slipped unbidden from his lips, turning grief stricken eyes on the woman before him, “please, invite me in.”

Joyce watched as the vampire’s pacing ceased, his every sense appeared to be trained beyond her to the lounge room, even as he acknowledged her question with a nod his focus was clearly on Buffy and not her. She saw him move to enter only to be stopped short by something she could not see, something intangible yet seemingly impassable even for the clearly powerful creature standing before her. Her daughters name spoken in pained reverence before he turned to her and requested an invitation to their house, to their sanctuary; never invite a vampire into the house, this message had been clearly stated by both her daughter and her watcher! Something in his face, in his eyes decided her, “Come in Spike.” His gratitude shone clearly on his face for a brief second before he was gone, past her, dropping to his knees and gathering Buffy into his arms.

She watched in amazement as her daughter’s shuddering lessened as she burrowed her face into the vampire’s shoulder. She saw his hands, gentle and loving as they stroked and soothed, heard soft mumbled words as he nuzzled tenderly at Buffy’s hair. Slowly Buffy calmed, her breathing becoming more regular, the convulsions which had wracked her tiny frame stopped.

Raising tear swollen eyes to her lover’s face. “Spike?” She whispered as if only just now consciously realising he was there. Her hand reached to stroke the angular planes of his face, her eyes again filling with tears, this time gentle tears of love and wonder, “you came!”

“Course I did pet! Shh, don’t cry love.” His lips gently brushed away her tears. “Hush love, I’m here, I’ll never leave you, long as you need me I’ll always be here!” He rocked her gently, holding her close to his unbeating heart. Buffy sighed into him and allowed herself to be comforted by her lover’s soothing presence.

Eventually she calmed enough to draw back, away from him, taking his hand in hers in order to maintain contact. Buffy raised her eyes to her mother’s face. “Mom, this is Spike.”

The next hour or so was spent talking, the two lovers clinging to each others hands like a lifeline. By the time Joyce rose to announce that it was late and that it was probably time for Spike to be on his way she was secure in her decision that she would not stand in the way of the clearly devoted couple. Not least in her determination was the fact that Spike’s love for and dedication to her daughter could make a vast difference to the life expectancy of the young girl whose duty placed her in danger on a constant basis.

Buffy walked Spike to the door, kissing him lovingly. “Thankyou Spike, thankyou for coming here, for staying and talking to my mom…”

“I like your Mum luv, hellova lady! Still can’t get over her whackin’ me with that axe that time.” His eyes glinted with respect and some amusement as he remembered the determination on Joyce’s face as she told him to get the hell away from her daughter! He knew not all of Buffy’s incredible fire stemmed from the fact that she was the slayer, Summer’s women were amazing! “Guess I better go pet, I’ll see you again soon?” Buffy was astounded by the vulnerability and doubt in his voice.

“I love you Spike! Please don’t ever doubt that, ok! Nothing and no one could ever stop me loving you!” She gently stroked his face and felt a swell of love as he nuzzled his face further into her hand purring softly for a moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I better go now, have to phone the search party and let them all know I am safe….ughh THAT is not gonna be fun. I’ll come by around lunch time, give you time to get some sleep. I love you!” With that she kissed him again, long and slow, neither of them wanting to part, both knowing they had to!

By the time Buffy re-entered the lounge room her mother had already phoned her watcher informing him that she was safe and at home, no apocalypse had occurred, no she was not injured in any way, her absence in fact had had nothing to do with her job as the slayer and NO he could not come around now to see Buffy, her daughter was tired and was going to bed. He could wait until Monday to see her.

That left Buffy with the easier task of phoning Willow and assuring her friend she was perfectly safe but very tired and leaving her with the promise that she would go over in the morning and talk to her.

“I like him Buffy, he seems like a lovely….. well I guess I can’t exactly call him a young man can I? Anyway I like him and it is obvious to me that he loves you, this goes against everything I have ever believed in as a parent but I will not do anything to prevent you from seeing him and yes I am aware of the nature of your relationship, the only thing I ask is that you be careful Buffy and I do not want you staying out all night without my knowledge, I do not ever want to spend another night worrying if you are alive or not…do you understand me young lady!” She fixed her daughter with a Mom look.

“I understand Mom, I promise. You …. you are alright with me spending nights with Spike?”

“Yes Buffy, I am, I don’t quite understand why I am but…” She paused and looked thoughtfully at her daughter. “Not on a school night though, I do not want to see your schooling suffer because of your relationship.”

Buffy laughed. “I think my schoolwork couldn’t suffer any more than it already does from my slaying duties, but yeah Mom, not on a school night, promise!” Hugging her mom she tried in vain to fight back a yawn. “I’m beat, mind if I go to bed, or did you want to talk more?”

“No honey, I don’t mind at all, I am off to bed too. See you in the morning.”

Sunday morning arrived and a very tired and emotionally wrung slayer made her way to her best friend’s house.

Willow greeted her with the usual bubbly enthusiasm. “Hey Buffy, how are you? You know you don’t look so good today…not that I mean , you don’t look bad or anything, it’s just, you know, tired maybe or….”

“It’s alright Will, I look like crap, I know, rough night….. that’s kinda one of the things I need to talk to you about, well actually just a part of the whole thing I need to talk to you about!” Buffy sighed and sat on her friend’s bed, absently picking up a teddy bear and turning it over in her hands.

Willow sat on the bed next to the distracted slayer, gently removing her bear before any harm could befall it. “Ok Buff, you know I am always here if you want to talk. Has it got anything to do with why you were missing? Cause you know we were all really worried about you, not that you can’t take care of yourself, cause …. so got that covered! But you know, friends … worry and concern kinda part of the package.” The red haired girl turned large expectant eyes on her friend.

“Yeah Will it does have to do with why I was missing but there is a lot more to it than that and it’s kinda a long story and really difficult to tell, so, um, if you could wait till I’ve finished to ask me questions and then I’ll tell you anything you want, well, almost anything.” Buffy replied cryptically with a slight blush.

Buffy looked down at her hands neatly folded in her lap and proceeded to explain to Willow the events of the last six months, how Spike had saved her life and then helped her with her training and patrolling, how they had become closer and closer, ending with a not too detailed account of the weekends events including the talk with her mother the night before. Looking up for the first time since beginning her story, she sought out her friend’s eyes, worried that her reaction would be one of disgust and shame.

“Oh Buffy, wow, that is so romantic!” Willow’s eyes glowed with wonder. “Who would have thought … Spike, hey…wow and major cutie, definitely yum material! And wow, you ... you know, with Spike...wow, um...good?”

A huge sigh of relief escaped as Buffy hugged her friend with enthusiasm. "Oh yeah! Good is sooo an understatement." Buffy's eyes lost focus and her face went dreamy.

“You know Xander is gonna be a problem don’t you!” Willow burst her friends bubble.

“Yeah I know, and Giles too….but I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it, which will be tomorrow actually, but well in the meantime basking happily in denial land!”

The two girls chatted happily for the next couple of hours until Buffy excused herself to head off to the cemetery for her rendezvous with her vampire.

Walking into school on Monday morning Buffy steeled herself to face her Watcher and friend, neither Xander nor Giles was likely to see the romance as Willow had or the love and dedication her mother had, they would see one thing and one thing only – VAMPIRE! Well she would just have to make them understand or at the very least accept because there was no way she was going to let anything come between her and Spike.

God she missed him, they had parted last night when he walked her home after patrol. They had spent a considerable amount of time saying goodbye on the front porch until her mother had come out and very nicely but firmly bid Spike goodnight. Maybe she could just turn around and head over to the cemetery, then she wouldn’t have to deal with this right now; and Spike arms, mmmm, could there be a better place to be than wrapped up in beautiful, strong, sexy Spike arms!

“What’s wrong, nothing wrong with you and Spike is there?” Willow asked, a small frown of worry creasing her brow. She thought the story Buffy had told her of how her and Spike had got together was the sweetest most romantic thing she had heard and the thought that they could be having problems bothered her greatly.

“No, no, Spike is wonderful, we are fine, good, better than good’, a dreamy smile played across her face.

“Earth to Buffy!” Willow laughed, relieved that things were still in dreamsville for her best friend and her vampire.

“Oh, oh yeah, Giles, Xander, the big confession, yulche! Thoughts of running away to the Big Bad and hiding! What do you think?”

“Well, hiding could be a temporary good, is true, but then, tomorrow, or the next day? Sooner or later you are gonna have to tell them! Come on Buff, you can do this, and I’ll be with you...like a blanky! A big Willow shaped security blanket, and if Xander gives you a hard time I’ll show him my resolve face, he knows better than to argue with the resolve face!

“Ok Will, I’m relying on you to save me from the Xander monster, that just leaves the big scary Watcher!”

The two girls made there way slowly to the school library. It was a great reflection on the academic prowess of the school population that the library could pretty much always be guaranteed to be empty of all but the scoobies. They entered the library to see Xander sitting on the research table obviously having a conversation with someone, a very tormented looking Giles emerged from behind the stacks.

“Buffy, Willow, you’re here!” Giles enthused, “Thank God” he muttered quietly to himself. Any more of Xander Harris this morning and he was likely to stake him. “I must say Buffy I am inordinately pleased to see you in one piece. Your disappearance on Friday night was most disturbing. Your mother assures me it was in no way slayer related however as your watcher I feel I am entitled to some form of explanation!” Leaning back against his desk he looked expectantly at his charge.

“Umm, yeah, where I was on Friday night. Well you see, this is a really long and not very interesting story and probably one you don’t have time for right now so why don’t we just leave it for another time. Oh look at the time, gonna be late for class, can’t have that now can we I mean, learning very important, I’m all with the whole, Buffy learn thing!” Buffy’s face reddened as panic set in.

“Buffy.” Willow took her friends arm forcing her to look at her. “Its ok, Buffy, come on, you can do this.” Turning a firm gaze on the two males in the room, Willow admonished them, “you just leave her alone and let her tell the whole story ok. And there will be no jumping down people’s throats or laying of blame!” The little red head’s determination clearly showing on her face.

“So Will, already in the know hey? Gee typical. Of course Buffy would tell you, I mean girl talk, I get it, I understand … really!” Xander’s voice took on an even more whiny quality than normal.

“Ok, ok, shutting up now.” Xander quickly backed down not wishing to incur the tiny red head’s wrath.

Buffy looked around the room at the expectant faces of the two men and the supportive face of her small, deceptively mild ally. “Ok here goes…”

As Buffy relayed the events of the past 6 or so months the faces of her watcher and friend changed several times, from disbelief to fear, from distrust, to horror. Buffy tried hard not to let their faces effect her, kept looking to Willow’s warm supportive face for comfort and security. By the time her story was complete Xander was blustering and her watcher, face red with barely contained anger, was polishing his glasses so furiously Buffy was sure they would catch fire or something.

“Spike!” Xander’s voice was dripping with disgust! “Buffy, how could you, I mean SPIKE of all peo…animals, that’s what he is an animal, a disgusting filthy thing who has tried to kill you and us how many times?”

“Xander, leave her alone!” Willow’s voice cut through his rant as Buffy’s face dissolved into tears. “Look what you’ve done, how could you!” Willow engulfed her sobbing friend in her arms.

“It’s ok Buffy, don’t listen to him. He’s an idiot and a… a…well I can’t think of the word at the moment but when I do, well, he’s one of them too!”

Willow’s words brought a smile to Buffy’s face and a small laugh despite her tears.

“Will, we’re talking about…” Xander’s words were cut off by the furious glare of his oldest friend. Wisely for once he chose to shut up.

The watcher raised his face from and looked at his slayer, she was quite obviously miserable and a surge of pity rose in him to be quickly squashed. No, no matter his paternal feelings for his charge he had responsibilities as her watcher, this was just unacceptable, a renowned vicious slayer murdering Master Vampire was in no way an acceptable association romantic or otherwise. Nevertheless his heart went out to her. Keeping his voice gentle he addressed his surrogate daughter.

“Buffy, I understand that it is easy to be beguiled into believing Spike’s attentions to be of a romantic nature. I can however assure you that vampires are completely incapable of feelings of this nature. And that even though his motive may be currently undecipherable it would inevitably be revealed to be nefarious.”

“You’re wrong Giles, he loves me, if he wanted me dead I would have been dead ages ago, he could have killed me so many times. And, and, this is Spike we are talking about, not big on the whole long term planing thing, you know that.” Her eyes were pleading with him to understand. “You should see the sword he gave me for my birthday, it’s beautiful and he had it made for me, and he helps me train and taught me how to use my spidey sense and…oh Giles, I just know he loves me ok, I can tell. Every time he touches me I can feel his love and when he fed…” Her voice tapered off, horror encompassing her at what she had just revealed.

‘My God they’re gonna stake him for that and it’s all my fault.’ The thought of her lover being dusted clutched at her heart like a vice. Like hell they will, Buffy’s inner slayer rose to the forefront.

Buffy drew herself up to her full hight of five foot nothing, her voice hardened and they were no longer facing Buffy Summers but one fiercely protective slayer, her eyes flashed as she enunciated clearly so there would be no misunderstanding. “He fed on me, I asked him to, he didn’t want to but I convinced him. In case you had forgotten vampires need blood to live, slayer blood is strong and powerful and Spike only needs a small amount to survive. It is my blood and my choice do you understand me? I do not wish to speak about this again, what Spike and I do in private is our business and not yours!” She pinned each of the men with a determined stare until, reluctantly, they backed down, eyes lowering. “If either of you do anything, and I mean ANYTHING to harm or threaten Spike in any way I will never forgive you, do you understand that?” She waited for a response. Xander buckled under the powerful stare of the infuriated slayer.

Giles cleared his throat, not quite so easily intimidated as the young man beside him, “Buffy, I still feel it is my duty to point out to you the dangers inherent in this course of action. Surely you can see that allowing a vampire, any vampire but most especially a vampire with a reputation for killing slayers, to feed on you is asking for catastrophe. Even if as you say he has nothing but the best of intentions in regard to you, the type of control required for a vampire to disrupt feeding on what is to these creatures the most concentrated source of power ….”

“Firstly, Spike is not a creature, secondly you have no idea the amount of control Spike is capable of. You have no idea how much he loves me and how much me being hurt in any way would effect him. I am telling you he will not hurt me, he has fed off me a few times now and never has he taken more than a couple of mouthfuls and not once has he had any trouble at all remaining in complete control.” Buffy fumed at the implication that Spike would harm her intentionally or otherwise.

“Buffy, I understand that it is difficult for you to remain impartial under the circumstances and I am not suggesting that he would intentionally harm you but accidents happen. Also there is the complete probability that, if as you say he is infatuated with you, he would wish to make the arrangement a little more, shall we say, permanent?”

“He would never do that.” Buffy denied, aghast at the suggestion. Giles opened his mouth to protest further only to be interrupted by the slayer’s fist crashing down on the table in front of her. “Enough! I don’t want to hear any more, I love Spike, he loves me, we will be seeing each other and you will just have to deal with that fact, ok!” With that The Slayer turned on her heel and marched out of the room, followed closely by Willow, who turned to give the two flabbergasted males one more disparaging look on her way out the door.

Xander gathered his things and followed meekly behind the rapidly disappearing forms of the two girls.

Angel had made his way through the tunnels to the library, determined to speak to the watcher. To make him listen to his concerns about Buffy spending time with Spike. He was not even sure the watcher was aware of the blonde pests continuing presence in Sunnydale let alone his association with The Slayer. There was way too much that Buffy was keeping to herself, things he was going to make certain were brought into the light.

He had come up out of the tunnels and into the stacks to find the room full of scoobies, Giles, Willow, the annoying boy and Buffy. He had melted into the shadows and listened. It seemed Buffy had pulled a disappearing act on Friday and her watcher wanted to know where she had been. He saw Buffy hesitate, trying to find a way to avoid answering. As the conversation continued and her whereabouts was revealed a cold fury gripped him. Ripping at his insides like knives, his fists clenched as nails dug deep into palms, drawing blood. Teeth clenched tight in an effort to restrain the rage boiling up, the urge to fly into the room and shake her till her teeth rattled in her head to belt her into submission. How dare she, how dare this stupid little girl reject him, his support and protection - his love! And then to add insult to injury she gave herself to him; his insufferable grandchilde a soulless, malicious, evil, obnoxious vermin!

She was tainted now, she would never again be the beautiful, pure, sweet slayer he had loved, nurtured and cherished. He would not allow this to continue however, could not in all conscience. He knew what Spike was, knew him for the filth, the animal he was! He had to make sure her watcher put an end to this perversion, it could not be allowed to continue!

He waited until all the children were gone. Stepping out from behind the stacks he spoke to the weary librarian, watching with some pride at the man’s obvious jolt of fear. “You know this cannot be allowed to continue, don’t you.”

“What precisely would that be, Angel?” Giles annoyance at the vampire clear in his voice. This vampire may have a soul but he had never liked or trusted him and after Buffy’s obvious distress at her birthday party he was more convinced than ever that his initial judgement was correct. There was a cruel set to the dark haired man’s mouth and a hardness to his eyes that never seemed to leave.

“Spike!” The word was spoken with dripping hatred and loathing. The vampire loomed over the other man, his dark presence would be intimidating to most, the watcher however was not most men.

“I do not believe that is any of your business Angel, in fact I do not believe anything Buffy does is your concern, if I remember correctly you are no longer dating and she has made it quite clear that she no longer wishes to have you involved in her life or her duties.”

“Yes you are correct, we aren’t seeing each other any more, however I still care about her and Giles Spike is dangerous, he is one of the most dangerous vampires in existence. You know this, you have seen him and the things he does. He kills slayers, that is what he does and he is very inventive in his methods and NEVER gives up. You can not possibly think he is in love with a slayer, you know yourself vampires do not have souls, they are incapable of love or of anything close to love, they are devoid of feeling and compassion. This thing will kill your slayer if you do not do something about it!”

“Yes well, I will certainly consider your words before determining my course of action in regard to the current situation, however I must stress that I trust my slayer and her judgement and this also will be taken into account.” Giles dismissed the vampire and turned to make his way to his office, despite the words he had just spoken he was deeply concerned with Buffy’s news that she was romantically involved with an unsouled vampire and even more so by her admission to allowing said vampire to feed on her.

“A spell!” Angel blurted out in a last ditched effort to make the other man listen to him.

“The sword he gave her, for her birthday, I only caught a brief glimpse of it but it has markings, runes of some sort, it has only been since he gave her the sword that she has been acting this way, I think it is a spell, a way of controlling her!”

“I see, well, that is certainly something I will have to look into. Thankyou for your time Angel, you will close the door on your way out won’t you.” With that he turned and once more made his way towards his office, shutting himself in there he drew a deep breath as he sat and contemplated all he had been told this morning.

Buffy left the Library accompanied by her best friend, the morning had taken its tole on her energy reserves, she felt flat and lifeless, how could so much have happened in so short a time. In the last three days she had undergone an emotional rollercoaster, highs and lows, joy, sadness and anger. All she could think of was how much she would love to be curled up asleep next to a gently purring, stunningly gorgeous vampire.

At the thought of his soft purrs she couldn’t help but smile, she loved that sound, such gentle contentment from one of the most formidable and dangerous beings on earth. She didn’t kid herself, she knew who and what Spike was, there was no doubting how dangerous he was, you only had to look at him to see that, it was written in every sleek line of his powerful body. The fact that he had been in the past and was still certainly very capable of being a killer did not however mean that he was one. He loved her and she had no doubts whatsoever that he was no danger to herself or anyone else for that matter.

She longed to leave, to make her way to her lover’s bed and the comfort and peace his loving arms brought. She found herself however dutifully making her way along with Willow to their first class of the day. As the morning wore on Mrs Davis’ voice became nothing but a background drone of useless facts about ancient Roman society. A nagging uneasiness tugged at the corners of her mind, something was wrong, she just didn’t know what, it was nothing definite, just a constant niggle that caused her to shift in her seat and tap at her pencil, her body urging her to action when she had no idea what form that action should be taking.

The day passed slowly and her sense of unease grew rapidly, she knew something was seriously wrong, her Mom maybe, or some major evil brewing? Whatever it was, was going to drive her crazy. By the time lunch came around she was just about jumping out of her skin, she made her way back to the library, something was up and she needed to see her watcher. This morning’s altercation was of little importance compared to the major danger signals her body was practically screaming at her to sit up and take notice of. Throwing open the doors to the library she called out to her watcher.

“Buffy, what is it, what is wrong?” He came hurrying out of his office where he had spent the morning trying to come to terms with the news his slayer had presented him with and the further input from the dark haired vampire. The stress and urgency in Buffy’s voice however had him quickly casting aside all previous concerns.

“ I don’t know, but I have this uber-bad feeling, something is wrong Giles, I know it, I just wish I knew what it was. Can you ring my Mom and make sure she is ok, I’d feel heaps better knowing she was alright.”

“Certainly Buffy, I’ll do that right away.” He made his way back to his office to phone Joyce’s gallery. He knew better than to discount Buffy’s premonition, a in built sense of impending danger was part and parcel of the slayer make up.

On returning to the library main he assured his fretting charge that her mother was indeed fine and in no immediate danger. “The only avenue I can suggest is to consult the books for any prophesies in regard to today or the near future.” His eyes followed his slayer as she paced urgently around the room, a picture of agitation.

“Buffy please, be seated, nothing will be achieved by wearing a hole in the floor.”

“I’m sorry Giles, I just feel so useless, something is wrong, I know it, I just, I can’t DO anything about it until I know what it is!”

“Yes of course Buffy, I sympathise however as I stated your incessant pacing is in no way assisting and is in fact quite distracting. So if you will please take a seat, you could start with the English translation of the Davlar Prophesies whilst I work through some of the older texts.” He passed Buffy a large leather bound book, when she opened it the musty scent of old paper and dust assaulted her nostrils causing her to sneeze.

They worked in silence for a short time before Giles broached the subject he knew his slayer least wished to discuss. “Buffy about this morning.”

“Giles, I don’t want to argue with you about that any more. I told you Spike and I are together, nothing you say is going to change that so you just need to learn to deal with it ok!” Her exasperation at the lack of progress and her continued sense of unease as well as her profound reluctance to continue the morning’s discussion sharpened her voice more than she would have liked. She knew Giles was concerned about her and as stuffy and annoying as her watcher could be at times she adored him and knew he viewed her almost as a daughter. It was difficult being at odds with him and she really didn’t want to make the situation worse.

“I realise your private life is really none of my concern and I have attempted as much as possible to allow you freedom in such matters, more freedom I might add than any slayer has ever been allowed before, however I feel the need to express again my concerns in this matter. Also it has been brought to my attention that the sword you say Spike gave you for your birthday has certain symbols, runes of some sort engraved in it, Angel is concerned that these runes are a spell of some sort which may be exerting an influence over your decisions. Causing you to act in a manner you would normally not consider.”

“What you are saying Spike has put a spell on me, of all the ridiculous……hang on, what do you mean Angel, how would Angel know anything about Spike and I?”

“Yes well it appears he was in the stacks this morning whilst we were having our discussion. He….”

“Spike” Buffy’s cry of dismay cut him off. He watched in stunned disbelief as his slayer flew out of the library, taking a moment to gather some basic necessities he followed quickly behind.

Angel had left the library furious at the watcher’s apparent lack of concern. How could he be so blind, surely he could see the danger Buffy was in!

As he entered the tunnels to make his way back towards his apartment he remembered the night he had watched Buffy kiss the blonde vampire goodnight. He recalled the direction his grandchilde had set off in, he contemplated the possible choice of hideouts the vampire could have chosen as his lair. Not much lay that way that would make suitable accommodation for a vampire other than the cemetery four blocks over from Buffy’s street. Spike always was one for dramatics and theatre, a graveyard was an obvious choice.

After returning to his apartment for supplies he set out on his search. Taking a cross tunnel he knew lead in that direction he stretched out his senses searching for any trace of his grandchilde’s presence lingering in the stale air of Sunnydale’s underground arteries.

It had not taken long to pick up Spike’s unique signature. By mid morning he had traced the scent to an underground cavern of a large crypt. Spike’s scent was strong here and reaching out with all his preternatural senses Angel detected the blonde asleep in a bed only a short distance inside the chamber. As silently as only a master vampire could be he made his way carefully to his grandchilde’s side raising his fist he delivered a crushing blow to the sleeping vampire’s temple knocking him out.

He made quick work of chaining his adversary up, knowing Spike would not be unconscious for long. Once he was satisfied that the younger vampire was effectively restrained he made a thorough search of the crypt, Buffy’s scent was all through the place, she had obviously been here as recently as last night. Growling furiously to himself, he continued his explorations, climbing the ladder to the upper level he found two large sarcophagus, a couple of leather chairs a refrigerator an old television and a few rugs spread around the floor. Looking up he found the ceiling to be high vaulted with large strong beams spaced evenly across the expanse of roof. Perfect for his intentions.

Going back to the lower level he collected the still unconscious vampire and dragged him to the upper level, securing him with the heavy chains to a beam so that his feet were barely touching the floor at full stretch, his arms extended above his head. Just as he finished fastening off the chain Spike began to groan as he made his way towards consciousness. He opened his eyes to the malevolent sneer and fuming hatred plastered across his Grandsire’s face.

“Angel? What?” Spike’s mind struggled to focus, trying to make sense of his current situation. He had been sleeping, dreaming of Buffy’s warmth in his arms, her intoxicating scent in his nostrils.

“You’ve been touching things that aren’t yours boy.” Angel’s voice oozed menace. “You know I get angry when you touch my things, time to teach you a little lesson in manners!”

“Buffy, you’re talking about Buffy”, Spike looked incredulously at his Grandsire. “She’s not yours mate. She loves me you stupid Irish git, not your choice, not mine either for that matter, Slayer’ll make up her own mind ‘bout who she wants. So why don’t you get down off your fuckin’ high horse, piss off outta my crypt and let a fella get some sleep.” Spike didn’t know why he felt the need to antagonise Angel when he was so clearly at the disadvantage, but he hated the son of a bitch and he was so brassed off right now he didn’t really care about the consequences.

As the first blow of the tyre iron connected with his left knee it occurred to him through the swimming haze of agony that keeping his mouth shut for once might have been a good idea.

After the first few blows had brought wave after wave of ever increasing pain as legs shattered and ribs smashed, Spike’s mind sought refuge in the solace of unconsciousness.

“Oh no you don’t boy you don’t get out of things that easily.” Angel threw the contents of a flask at Spike’s face, the water firstly waking the vampire as he slipped into much sought after oblivion, then scorching and burning, searing into the tender skin of eyelids and lips, boring into his cheeks, dripping off his face onto his naked chest in rivulets of fiery torment. An agonised scream echoed around the crypt, Angel hoped the heavy oak door and thick walls of the mausoleum would confine the anguished cry.

Tiring of the impersonal nature of the damage he had so far inflicted Angel switched to the more satisfying sensation of his own fists striking the exposed flesh of his unruly offspring.

Buffy flew through the school adrenaline racing, pushing her to greater and greater speed. Out of the school and into the streets she made her way as quickly as she could towards her lover, knowing now without a doubt what her slayer sense had been screaming at her all morning. Spike was in danger. As she ran she kept telling herself over and over, her own private mantra, he will be alright, I’ll be in time. He will be alright, I will be in time, her legs pounded against the pavement, he will be alright, I will be in time, she rounded the corner, through the wrought iron gates of the cemetery.

Giles’ breath came in ragged gasps as he forced his legs to continue through the agony that gripped them, his body shook with the unfamiliar exertion. Ahead he could just make out the blonde form of his slayer as she turned a corner and disappeared from view. He knew he could not hope to keep up with her, already his initial burst of speed was depleted, however the watcher struggled on, forcing movement into trembling muscles. The only destination he could come up with in the direction Buffy was travelling was Sunnydale Memorial, one of Sunnydale’s older graveyards sporting a variety of older tombs and mausoleums, doubtless it was in one of these that the peroxide vampire had made his home.

Pain, his mind was past comprehending anything beyond that ceaseless fact. Excruciating pain!

He fought with every ounce of strength and will remaining to him to remain conscious, his mind begged to slide into the welcome abyss away from his Grandsire’s continued ministrations, however he knew now that there was no peace, no relief in unconsciousness, each time he had slipped into blessed oblivion he had been brought screaming back to consciousness as more holy water assaulted already desecrated flesh.

His left knee was smashed, right leg broken in several places left arm was dislocated and his right collar bone was a jigsaw puzzle. Shattered splinters of ribs shifted and ground each time he moved and his belly was on fire from the twisted wounds inflicted by the vicious dagger in his Grandsire’s hand. Blood oozed from the numerous sear marks where the holy water had burnt and scalded. Massive purple contusions decorated his body and the muscles in his arms shook with the continued stress of holding his unsupported weight.

Angel was talking to him again, telling him how he was a wretched childe, how he was unworthy of walking the same ground as The Slayer of casting his filthy eyes upon her. How the girl was his and his alone and Spike would rue the day he had dared to lay so much as a finger on that which he had no right to dream about let a lone touch. Angel never tired of the sound of his own voice. Never had. Spike had watched many of Angelus’ torture sessions over the years and had always found that fact to be true, his Grandsire was truly in love with the sound of his own voice and firmly believed his founts of wisdom relayed mercilessly between bouts of calculated torment were a spring of enlightenment.

Spike didn’t know whether to be grateful for the momentary cessation of physical suffering or long for it as an end to Angel’s conceited ramblings.

In a blur of movement the door of the crypt flew open a scent more precious to him than blood filled his being with hope and serenity. A smile curled the corners of swollen, broken lips. His head fell forward as he loosened the iron grip on his will, allowing the welcome blackness to swallow him. She had come!

The sight before her eyes was more horrifying than anything Buffy could ever have imagined. Her beautiful vampire was chained, hanging limp and broken from the ceiling, his body barely recognisable, swollen, broken, bleeding. Angel had been pacing the floor before him, a stake waving in the air in emphasis to certain points. Points such as his ownership of her, she had heard the brunette vampire’s voice as she approached the tomb, listened in disbelief at the comments pouring from his mouth. She had realised at the end of their relationship that he was controlling and possessive, nothing however had prepared her for the full impact of just how extreme his obsession was.

Quickly taking stock Buffy spun into a kick, the stake flying from Angels hand before he had the chance to complete the downstroke he had aimed at Spikes chest upon her entrance. Angel lunged for her then and they fought, kicked and punched furiously back and forth. She landed heavily several times, thrown savagely against the rough walls of the crypt. Her face ached from the vicious blows he had landed there and her breath already ragged from her furious flight across town was coming ever faster and more irregular. Angel himself fared not much better, she was merciless as she rained blow after blow upon him, kicks that would have broken a lesser vampire smashed against spine and ribs, elbows shattered against nose and face. A powerful kick caught him hard in the groin white hot agony coursing through his body, tears temporarily clouding his vision.

Shaking off the pain he closed, how dare she treat him in this manner, to choose his most despised childe over him was an insult he would not bear, she would pay for her audacity. His fist raised to land a punishing blow to her face as a click from the entrance sounded, a ragged voice gasped out between shaky wheezes. “Enough Angel!” A crossbow aimed at his chest, the hands holding it, firm and steady despite the exhausted trembling of his overextended body. Angel froze, the Watcher’s face a mask of grim determination left no doubt as to his readiness to pull the trigger, his easy handling of the weapon left no doubt as to his skill.

Buffy had never been so pleased to see anyone as she was to see her watcher appear in the doorway. Giving him a look of profound gratitude she made her way to where the broken vampire hung lifelessly. As gently as possible she unchained him and lowered him to the ground, her hand brushing lovingly across his brow, her heart screaming in agony at the sight of his poor tortured body. After settling him as comfortably as she could on the cold concrete she turned, her face stone as she surveyed the vampire before her.

“I should kill you!” Her voice flat with barely controlled fury, eyes filled with disgust and contempt for her former love. “Get out Angel, leave Sunnydale, if I ever so much as see you again, I will kill you. If anything ever happens to Spike I will hunt you down and make you beg for death!”

“Buffy” The gentle loving tones of her former boyfriend slipping so easily from the lips of this cruel and heartless creature. “I did it for you, I had to protect you. You don’t know what he is Buffy, he isn’t like me, he doesn’t have a soul. He will turn on you.” His eyes pleaded with her to understand.

“You are right Angel, Spike is nothing like you and for that I am eternally grateful!” Buffy fixed him with a stony gaze, “get out Angel, I mean it, be gone tonight I never want to see your face or even so much as hear a whisper of your name again. I meant what I said, if anything ever happens to Spike, I will assume it is your doing, you had better pray Spike lives a very long life because the pain you inflicted on him today is nothing compared to what I will do to you. Now go.”

Giles followed, crossbow still in hand as Angel made his way to the lower level and out through the tunnels. As Angel made his way back along the underground thoroughfare he allowed his mind to review the events of the last hour, he could not believe what had happened, that Buffy would choose Spike over him was beyond his comprehension. One thing he could comprehend though was the ice cold fury shining in the slayer’s eyes, he knew without a doubt she had meant every word she said, it was time for him to leave Sunnydale, for good.

Returning to the upper level of the crypt Giles found his slayer seated on the ground a blonde head resting in her lap as she gently caressed blood soaked curls.

Looking up at her watcher’s concerned face Buffy shook her head, speaking quietly so as not to disturb the vampire, “you go, I’m gonna stay.”

“Buffy I really must insist, Principal Snyder will take your absence as an excuse to…….”

“Giles”, she cut him off, “I’m not leaving him to wake up alone and injured, I’m staying. You should get back though before you are missed. Could you let my Mom know where I am so she doesn’t worry. And Giles, thankyou.”

“Yes well, quite”, he murmured at a loss. Buffy’s attention was once again on the vampire, her eyes and gentle hands assessing his injuries, her mind attempting to process them. Shaking his head slowly he backed out of the crypt and made his way back to the school. He would return tonight after school and attempt to talk some sense into the girl. In fact with the extent of the vampires injuries he could foresee no great difficulty getting her to accept that it would be the kinder option to put the creature out of its misery.

Left alone at last with Spike, Buffy allowed herself the luxury of tears for a few moments. Spotting the dagger Angel had used to exact pain and suffering upon her lover’s body she reached for it. Drawing it carefully across her wrist she shallowly opened the vein and held her bleeding wrist to the vampires lips, and was rewarded as she watched him swallow. She fed him in this manner for some time until her blood slowed as slayer healing kicked in and Spike sighed his head turning away from her wrist as he drifted from unconsciousness to sleep. It seemed she sat there with him forever, every now and then she would reopen her wrist and coax a little more of her healing blood down the sleeping vampire’s throat.

As the sun set she heard an engine and then a car door opening and closing. Her mothers face appeared from around the heavy oak door. “Mom, what are you doing here?”

“Mr Giles told me what had happened, is he alright?” Joyce’s face reflected her horror at the sight of the vampire’s injuries.

“Right then.” Buffy watched her mother’s face set with resolve just before she turned and left the crypt. She returned a few moments later with a blanket. “If we can roll him onto this we should be able to carry him to the car, give me a hand Buffy.”

“Well we can’t just leave him here now can we, I’ve been home, I set up one of the camp beds in the basement so we don’t have to worry about the sun. The car is just outside, help me get him home Buffy and then we will see what can be done about his injuries.”

Joyce calmly took charge, helping her daughter carry the injured vampire first to the car and then into the house and downstairs onto the bed she had prepared for him. Resting his head gently on a pillow and covering his broken body with soft blankets.

Once home she ordered Buffy to the bathroom for a shower. “You are no use to him in your condition, go get cleaned up and have something to eat, it will help revitalise you. Then we can worry about cleaning his wounds and trying to set his bones. Sleep is probably more beneficial to him at the moment.” Having said that she ushered her daughter up the stairs and into the bathroom.

While Buffy showered Joyce found some soft sweat pants, scissors and gathered her first aid kit, a cloth and a bowl of warm water. She heated some soup for her daughter knowing Buffy would not want to take the time to sit down to a proper meal but knowing also that she had to have some food before what she was certain would be an all night vigil at the vampire’s side.

After a quickly gulped meal Joyce sent Buffy downstairs with orders to cut the clothes from her lover’s body and detailed instructions on the cleaning and caring for his wounds. “If you need any help, honey, just call me. We will need to set his broken bones won’t we?”

“I don’t know Mom, not quite sure how vampire’s heal, but we’ll worry about that later, for now I just want to get him comfortable and fed.”

“Fed? Oh Buffy I didn’t even think, I’ll go to the butchers now and get some blood for him. Is there any preference?” The concern in her mothers voice touched her and Buffy dreaded what she was about to say, the last thing she wanted was to destroy her mom’s acceptance of the vampire.

“Um actually yeah there is but, well um you can’t get it at the butchers.” She looked her mother in the eye calmly and steadily. “Me, my blood is the best thing for him, slayer blood will heal him faster than anything else and he um won’t eat blood from the butchers anyway. I didn’t want you to have to know that, I know its kinda squicky. But it’s not that he hurts me or anything, and he only takes a little.” The look of shock and dismay on her mothers face, where the acceptance had been only moments before stung but she couldn’t allow that to waver her resolve. “It’s ok Mom, I know what I am doing and Spike would never hurt me, you just have to believe that!” At her mom’s hesitant nod she made her way downstairs to tend her patient.

Once she had removed the blood soaked clothes that covered him the full extent of his injuries became apparent. She gently cleansed and applied antiseptic, not that she thought vampires required antiseptic but her mother had been quite specific in the level of care she expected. There was no way she could dress him without causing him greater injury and pain so she settled for placing the blanket back over his now clean naked body. Settling by his head she stroked his face, gently coaxing him to drink from the offered wrist. When her efforts failed she used the scissors to once again open the vein and trickle the blood into his mouth, he swallowed more strongly this time and fed for longer before turning away to once again sink into the depths of slumber.

Twice more over the ensuing hour she was able to get him to take the nourishment he required. Each time his feeding was stronger and each time he took a little more. Leaving him for a short while she made her way back upstairs to let her mom know his progress. “He is getting stronger but he needs to feed more, I can only get him to take the tiniest amounts at the moment. But he will get there, he is already heaps better and the wounds in his stomach are just about closed. I couldn’t get the pants on him though, his legs are so broken it would just hurt and I’m afraid it would undo any healing they have done.”

“Should we try to set them, I could make some splints and we have plenty of bandages.” Joyce offered.

“No I think they will fix themselves, I can kinda hear his ribs rearranging themselves as they heal so I guess his other bones will do the same.” Buffy shuddered as she remembered the sound his bones made as they settled back into place. “Well I just wanted to give you an update, I’m gonna go back down in case he wakes up, also I’d like to try and get him to eat some more.”

Joyce tried to block the vision of what precisely the vampire was feeding on from her mind.

Buffy had just finished getting Spike to take some more blood, this time he took much more and he had actually latched onto the wound on her arm instead of her having to dribble the blood into his mouth, when she heard a knock on the door and her mother’s voice as she answered it.

Heading upstairs she joined her mother at the door. Giles stood framed in the doorway a look of irritation on his face.

Buffy came up behind her mother. “What’s up Giles?” She tried to keep her voice light as she addressed her watcher, she knew he was here to nag her about Spike again and she just was NOT in the mood for this right now.

“Buffy, I wish to speak to you about Spike, I went by his crypt and he was not there. I assume you are aware of this?” Giles craned his neck to try to see into the house past the two Summer’s women who were effectively blocking the doorway.

Buffy affected a look of shock. “No, really, wow I guess he must have gone out hunting and is killing half the town right now…Giles we MUST put a stop to him! Bad evil vampire that he is!”

Giles let out a sigh of frustration, “yes, well I am glad to see you are taking this seriously!”

“Giles, chill ok, of course I know he is gone, what did you think he was going to get up and walk away by himself? Did you see his injuries? He is here, Mom and I brought him home.”

“Yes well surprisingly that was my first assumption, however I really must protest. Buffy have you given any thought to this, not only are you endangering yourself you are also putting your mother in considerable danger.”

“What, Spike is going to murder us in our beds? Is that what you are implying? Giles he isn’t even conscious yet, how much harm do you think he is going to do, also even once he does wake up, broken legs, smashed ribs, broken collar bone…yeah real dangerous scary vampire! But Giles, here’s the biggy, ok … even if he was all healed he still isn’t gonna hurt us ok. What can’t you get about this, Spike loves me, he is NOT gonna hurt me, he is not gonna hurt Mom, he likes my mom. He is NOT going to hurt anyone Giles. God, why can’t you just get that?”

“Why, probably because he is a vampire Buffy, vampires do not love, they do not have feelings, they are evil, they have no soul.”

“A soul, that’s what this is about? Gee Giles forgive me if I’m not on the whole the soul is everything bandwagon. Angel has a soul, did you see what he did, did you get a good look at Spike, or hear the things Angel was saying about me being his property? Last I checked Giles, Hitler had a soul, didn’t he? Or Charles Manson, or Jack the Ripper. Or hey what about John Doe who woke up one morning and decided he couldn’t take it any more so he shot his wife and kids and then himself! No Spike doesn’t have a soul but he is a good man and he does love me and he won’t hurt me and I’m sorry Giles but obviously everything you THINK you know about vampires is just a load of bull because vampires can love and they do feel!”

“Buffy, I can see the point you are making in regards to the soul, and yes, people with souls do do bad things, unforgivable things. Which only makes what I am saying more pertinent, if it is difficult enough to do the correct thing with the benefit of a soul for guidance it is indubitably more difficult if not impossible without such assistance.” Giles removed his glasses and subconsciously began to clean them, drawing a deep breath he continued on with what he hoped was the convincing argument he had been going over in his head for the last several hours.

“Furthermore as you have seen fit to bring up the subject of Spike’s injuries. I feel I must point out that his injuries are, what can only be described as, horrendous. The pain the creature must be undergoing would be colossal. It may take months maybe even years for his injuries to heal and even then I cannot imagine that he would regain full use of his limbs and would surely be left deformed and in constant torment. I feel I must point out that it is surely the most caring and humane thing possible to put the poor creature out of its misery….”

“WHAT?” Buffy was furious, how could he possibly be using emotional blackmail to try to get her to murder her boyfriend? “How dare you, how could you possibly….”

“Buffy.” Her mother interjected. “Calm down honey, it’s ok, no one is going to harm Spike.” She looked pointedly at Giles. “Mr Giles, while I am perfectly well aware that you are Buffy’s watcher, I am her mother and this is my home. Spike is guest in my home and Buffy and I will see to his care. You needn’t concern yourself for his welfare, I can assure you we will make every effort to assure his comfort. Now if you don’t mind , I am afraid I shall have to ask you to leave, we have things to do. Goodnight.” With that she closed the door on the astonished face of the usually unflappable watcher.

Once the door was safely closed Joyce turned and folded her daughter into her embrace. “It’s ok honey, we will take care of him.” She paused for a moment and then continued on, her voice a little less assured. “He will be alright, won’t he?”

“Yeah Mom, I think he will, I could hear his bones moving and his wounds and bruises are definitely mending. I don’t know how long it would have taken him to recover if he wasn’t getting my blood though, especially seeing he couldn’t even hunt they way he is.” Buffy allowed herself a small shudder at the thought of Spike hunting and then quickly dismissed the image. “He is definitely getting stronger, he fed properly last time, not just me dribbling blood in his mouth.” She gave her mom a hopeful smile. “I’m gonna go back down and check on him, why don’t you go on up to bed, I’ll probably stay down there and watch him.”

“All right Buffy, if you need any help or you want me to watch him for a while so you can get some sleep just let me know.” Joyce turned towards the stairs then stopped turning back to her daughter, ‘why don’t you pull out another one of the camp beds, they are in with the rest of the camping gear on the lower shelf near the dryer. I’ll bring you some blankets and a pillow, that way you can at least get some rest, but you will be able to hear if he wakes up.”

Going over to Spike’s bed just to check on him first before looking for the camping gear Buffy was delighted to see a pair of shining gold eyes staring at her. Dropping to the floor beside his head she reached out and gently stroked the soft curls away from his forehead. “Hey, I wondered when you were gonna wake up.” She lent over a placed a soft kiss on his still swollen lips.

“Heard you talking to the watcher pet.” His voice was so quiet she could barely hear him. “You an’ your mum. Thankyou luv, the things you said, the things your mum said….” His voice trailed away and he turned his face aside, embarrassed.

“Shh, don’t be silly.” She soothed him with her voice and gentle strokes. Looking up she asked, “so how come the bumpies?”

“No, no I didn’t mean it like that, Spike, I love you, bumps and all! I just wondered, you know, I thought maybe it was so you could see better or something.”

Spike laughed then coughed as the laugh jarred his healing ribs. “No luv, I can see just fine. It just raises my pain threshold is all.”

“How are your legs? I wasn’t sure if they needed splinting, but I could hear your ribs moving into place and I figured your legs would do the same thing? I can splint them though if it would help.”

“No luv, they’ll mend by themselves. Gonna have to ask you to put my shoulder back in though, but that can wait for a while, let some bones mend first. Legs are getting better, at this rate they should be mostly usable by the mornin’.”

“Well they’ll get better quicker if you feed, I am so glad you are awake the whole cutting my wrist open with scissors was getting so old!” Buffy rolled her eyes.

Spike couldn’t help the smile her antics brought, God he loved this girl! She held her left wrist to his mouth and played gently with the curls falling softly across his forehead with the other hand. As Spikes fangs gently pierced her flesh and he began to take gentle pulls of blood she let out a quiet moan, lowering her head to rest on her right arm as it lay across the bed she stared into the beautiful gold eyes of her lover and allowed all her love for him to show in her face and her eyes.

Joyce paused halfway down the stairs, blankets and pillow in her arms temporarily forgotten as she watched the fearsome being below feeding on the lifeblood of her only child. She knew she should be horrified, should reach for the nearest weapon and beat the creature away from her daughter, protect her offspring at all costs. However as she watched the proceedings all she could see was the gentleness, the love, the devotion the pair felt for each other. Shaking herself from her reverie she proceeded down the stairs, keeping her voice calm as if the event before her was normal and commonplace she announced, “I brought your blankets and pillow, I see our patient is awake, good to see you recovering Spike!”

Buffy turned with surprise at her mothers voice. Spike had noticed her on the stairs, seen her steel herself then continue on. Gently releasing Buffy’s wrist and licking the small wound closed he looked up at Buffy’s mum. “Yeah thanks to you ladies I am.”

“Well I’m off to bed, I’ll see you two in the morning, Buffy here are your things, would you like me to get that bed out for you?”

“Um, no, it’s ok Mom, I’ll get it, you go on up to bed.” Getting up she moved to her mom and gave her a grateful hug and a kiss goodnight. “Hopefully Spike will be moving about by the morning!”

Buffy went over to the shelf her mom had indicated earlier and got out another camp bed which she set up as close to Spikes as possible. As she set about making up her bed Spike watched her, a content smile on his now almost healed lips. He allowed his face to change back to his usual human features as Buffy’s blood worked it’s miracle on his body, healing him and easing the pain.

She lay down on her side on her bed and reached over entwining her fingers with Spikes where they lay resting against his abdomen. Looking in his eyes she smiled. He was healing quite noticeably now, the burns on his face all but gone, his mouth no longer swollen and split. The purple bruising that had covered his body had faded to a sickly yellow and his ribs no longer made the horrible grinding noises they had been making so she assumed they were back in their correct places now. He healed much faster than she did even with her slayer healing, mind you, she allowed herself a brief moment of smugness, it was her blood that was allowing him to heal so rapidly!

“So luv, I kinda missed the end of the show, what happened to the great poof?” He raised his scarred eyebrow in inquiry.

“I told him to get out of my town and never show his face again or I’d kill him, I think he got the message!”

“Have to admit, would have loved to hear you dusted the bastard, but runnin him outta town ‘s pretty damn good!” Spike attempted to stifle a yawn.

“You should get some sleep baby. If you wake up and I’m asleep, wake me up, ok!” Buffy gave him the ‘I’m serious’ look.

“Ok luv, I will…promise!” He raised their intertwined hands to his lips, kissing her fingers tenderly and nuzzling against her hand before allowing their hands to fall back to his side. “You get some sleep too sweetheart. I love you Buffy.” His eyes captured hers.

“I love you too Spike, I was so scared, when I realised what Angel was up to I was so terrified I wouldn’t get to you in time.”

“S’all right love, you did, knew you would…don’t know how, I just knew you’d come.” yawning again he again told her to get some sleep, closing his eyes he drifted off.

Their night was spent alternating between dozing for short periods and then Spike feeding some more. Each time he woke Buffy noticed the huge level of improvement in his injuries. By the time the sun was rising only the faintest shadows of bruises marred his lovely alabaster skin. His collarbone and ribs were completely healed, the breaks in his right leg had knitted but were still fragile, his left knee was healing but still quite painful. He had managed to sit up and pull the sweat pants on.

“Gotta be put back in pet, won’t do that by itself. You can help me, or if it bothers you, go on up and have yourself some breakfast and I can use a doorframe to pop it back in.”

Spike walked her through putting his dislocated arm back into place, in the end it was a lot easier than she had thought it would be, easier for her that is. Spike on the other hand had firmly wedged a wooden stake lengthways in his mouth to bite down on and keep from screaming out and terrifying her mother. By the time his arm was safely back in it’s socket Buffy had one less usable stake as Spike’s teeth had bitten almost all the way through it.

Sitting down on the bed next to him and snuggling close Buffy soothed him with soft caresses and loving words. Turning in his embrace she sought out his lips, gentle at first then deeper and more passionate. Breaking away for much needed breath Buffy turned her head, exposing her neck as she drew his face gently towards her. Moaning with pleasure as his tongue lapped lovingly at her pulse. He nuzzled closer kissing and licking, sucking and nibbling, worrying gently at the racing pulse beneath his hungry mouth. Allowing his face to shift he slipped razor sharp fangs through soft tender skin. Waves of pleasure and love engulfed them both as he gently fed on the glorious nectar

that flooded his mouth and his senses. With a desperate groan of longing he withdrew and licked tenderly at the wound, closing and healing while at the same time prolonging the contact they both ached for. Wrapping his arms around her he drew her closer to his body as she seemed to melt into him, both of them craving as much contact as possible.

They clung to each other for an eternity before sounds of movement in the kitchen above drifted down to them. Reluctantly separating they tidied themselves up just as Joyce made an appearance in the doorway above.

Later that morning Buffy made her way into the school library, coat wrapped bundle in hand. The library was vacant apart from her tweed clad watcher. Marching up to his desk she unwrapped the bundle and carefully placed the sword on the desk in front of him.

“Here’s the sword Spike gave me, he has no idea what the runes mean, they were on the original that he got the guy to use as the pattern to make it from. You can look them up, work out what it means and when you are done I want my sword back, in the same condition it was given to you ok!”

She turned to leave the room, after a few steps she stopped, turning back to her watcher. “Oh and in case you were wondering, Spike is much better, thankyou. Almost completely healed in fact. Now I am going back home I will see you tomorrow.”

“Buffy.” Giles voice was hesitant as he called after her. As she stopped and looked at him he continued. “Thankyou Buffy, I will look into it if only for the fact that if Spike is unaware of the meaning of these runes it is quite possible they could be dangerous in some way, unlikely but possible and it is always best to be careful.” Removing his glasses and cleaning them, as he always did when nervous or agitated, he continued “I would like to apologise, I have given your words a great deal of thought and I can see that you were not completely wrong in your evaluation of the necessity of a soul. It is just that the concept of a vampire that chooses to be good, to not hunt or kill, well it was inconceivable to me. I am willing to accept that I may well have been wrong in everything I have up to now held to be true. I hope for both our sakes that you are correct in your assessment of Spike. Well…that’s all I wanted to say, I hope you can forgive me and understand that anything I have said or done was only done out of a wish to protect you.”

Without answering Buffy launched herself at her watcher, throwing herself into his arms. “Thankyou Giles, you have no idea what that means to me. You’ll see, he IS a good man Giles I know it and you will too, you just have to give him a chance. I better go before Principal Snyder sees me or no way is he gonna believe Mom’s call about me being sick.”

With that Buffy turned and rushed out of the library and home feeling happier than she could remember being in a long time.

CHAPTER18

Joyce had spent the day at the gallery thinking very deeply about recent events. Her daughters life was certainly not heading where she had expected it would be heading. You have such dreams, such plans for them as they are growing, but vampires and slaying and short violent lives are never really on the list of considerations.

She returned home that night, after a quick trip to the market, to find Spike and Buffy cuddled up on the lounge together watching the TV. “Your legs are working ok now, Spike?” She greeted the couple.

“Yeah they are all fixed up now, good as new!” Spike rose from where he was seated to help Joyce with the bags of groceries she was carrying. Buffy followed them into the kitchen and when Spike put the bags down on the counter she started putting the groceries away.

When they were finished Joyce turned to the two blondes, “I wanted to talk to you two, why don’t we go sit down?”

Once they were all seated she began, “Spike, I would like to make you an offer and I want you to understand that you are in no way obligated to accept, I will understand completely if you do not. What I am trying to say is if you would like to move in here, you are more than welcome. The basement is a mess at the moment but if you and Buffy wanted to sort it out, throw out the junk and store the rest in the attic I thought you could make quite a nice room for yourselves down there and it is sunlight proof. (And reasonably soundproof she added in her head.) Like I said I would understand completely if you wished to maintain your independence.”

Buffy’s eyes lit up and she held her breath hopefully. She also didn’t want to pressure Spike into anything he didn’t want to do, however the thought of Spike being there all the time was a dream come true!

Spike’s breath hitched in his throat a look of absolute wonder transformed his face, softening sharp angles to create an look of almost boylike innocence. “I … you would allow me to move in?” His voice was soft and hesitant, almost scared he had misheard.

Joyce laughed at the vampire’s apprehension. “Yes Spike I would like and I am certain Buffy would like for you to move in here with us.” Becoming more serious she added, “under normal circumstances I would not even so much as consider allowing Buffy to have her boyfriend move in here, let alone allow her to move into the same room as him. However as you are well aware there is nothing normal about Buffy’s life and I want her to be as happy as she can possibly be and from what I have seen you want the same thing for her. I have seen firsthand how much you and my daughter care for each other and it is my belief that with you by her side there is a very real possibility that she could live a long and happy life, which is all any mother could wish for her child!”

Buffy couldn’t contain herself any longer she jumped up and gave her mom a huge hug. “You know you are the best don’t you Mom?”

*****************

Over the next few days Spike and Buffy sorted through everything that had been just dumped into the basement when her mother and her had moved to Sunnydale, things that didn’t have a home or a use in their lives had been left boxed or shelved in the basement. Much of what they sorted through found itself in the trash, the rest was repacked carefully and moved to the attic.

They then spent their evenings, after Buffy’s patrol, packing up what Spike wanted from his crypt and moving it into their room. Carrying the large brass bed, in pieces over a number of trips, the several blocks from the cemetery to the house late at night. The basement was now transformed. Buffy thought it looked amazing, with their own lounge area with rugs decorating the floor Spike’s TV and leather chairs. Their bedroom area they had separated from the rest by hanging a large curtain from the basement ceiling to the floor so they could open or close it. Spike’s small fridge sat next to the washing machine and dryer. It was a work in progress and Spike assured her that once he arranged an agent and sold some property he had invested in in New York about 20 years ago that they would fix the room up like a palace. He also secretly had every intention of finalising Joyce’s mortgage for her, but he wanted that to be a surprise and knew Buffy would be unable to keep that from her mother.

Buffy had been astonished to find he had investments and when she had voiced her amazement he had laughed. “Luv I have investments all over the place. You don’t live a hundred and twenty odd years without comin’ into a windfall every now an’ then. One thing I can promise you pet is you will never want for anything, I intend to lavish you an' your Mum with everything you could ever want.”

Reaching up to stroke his cheek Buffy replied, “ I already have everything I could ever want and he is right here!” She reinforced her statement with a kiss.

tbc

CHAPTER19

Entering the library, Buffy was confronted by her watcher’s concerned face.

“You look all doom and gloomy, what gives?”

“Ah Buffy, I’m glad you are here. Yes it appears we may have a problem. According to this morning’s paper there were several wild dog attacks last night. One eyewitness account states that the dog was 6 foot tall and ran in an almost upright manner.”

“Uh, huh?” Buffy looked at him blankly.

“Buffy, tonight is the full moon. Whilst it is accepted mythology that the werewolf makes it’s appearance on the night of the full moon, it is in actual fact the night of the full moon and the two nights surrounding it, consequently last night, tonight and tomorrow night. It would appear Buffy that we have a werewolf in town!”

“Oh goody, should have known werewolves were real too, stood to reason I guess. Tell me Giles are trolls and fairies real too?”

“Well as a matter of fact…”

“No, don’t! Forget I asked, I don’t want to know!”

“So what’s the deal? How do we kill this thing?”

“Well to kill a werewolf one would require a weapon made of silver to pierce the heart, a silver dagger, sword or more recently bullets. However you must consider Buffy that this creature is only a werewolf on the three nights of the full moon, the rest of the time it is a normal human being and may well be completely ignorant of its alter ego. I cannot in all conscience recommend killing it, however it must, for the sake of the general public, be contained.”

“Ok, so how do we catch this thing?”

“Yes that is a good question, I shall have to give the matter a great deal of thought. Now where did I leave my Stymmes compendium, I believe there was a rather extensive chapter in there on werewolves.” Giles headed for his office in search of the book, turning back to Buffy he added, “you best be getting to class, if you could meet me here after school this afternoon and we will formulate a plan.”

***************

The Scoobies convened that afternoon after school in the less than orderly Library. Books littered most surfaces, Giles had been furiously scribbling notes and cross referencing for the majority of the day.

“So, any luck finding the scoop on werewolf captury goodness?” Buffy flopped down into one of the chairs surrounding the large round table, crinkling her nose she pushed at one of the large musty books with one finger as if it would contaminate her. “You have enough of these old smelly books out, you must have found something out, right?”

“Yes, quite, once again your command of the English language astounds me Buffy!” Giles’ patience was sorely tried after a long day of research.

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” Giles sighed and seating himself on the edge of the table he began to detail what information he had come up with throughout the course of the day.

“I have been able to substantiate that werewolves generally tend to be solitary, to the extent that they will fight rather ferociously and often to the death with another of their kind, even another of the opposite sex, whenever they come across them. So we can be fairly sure that we are only dealing with the one animal. Now then, they are exceptionally strong in relation to their size, immune to the majority of tranquilizing agents and are not even remotely susceptible to magic. However I was able to discover one tranquilizer which has in the past prove to be most effective in the subjugation of werewolves and was able to procure a small amount through a contact of mine. I stress however that it was indeed a small amount I have enough for three darts, so we must be very certain of a clear shot.”

“Ok, so super strong, not big on the company and non magicy. But we can tranquilize it. Got it! Ok, so where do we start and when?”

“Yes well apparently they are attracted to certain scents, fear and lust being the strongest attractants. So I would suggest we start our search in and around the vicinity of the what I believe you would refer to as a ‘make out place’! Tonight, werewolves don’t change until the moon rises and it doesn’t rise until around 10pm tonight.”

“What I don’t get though G’man is how this guy can be running around town all night as the big bad wolf and you know, just go about life as normal the next day?”

Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Xander I would greatly appreciate it if you never referred to me in such a manner again. Your point however is surprisingly valid. Apparently it is usual for the person to be completely unaware of their night time activities. It is believed a type of amnesia takes place, possibly a part of the process or merely the person’s psyche finding a way to deal with the situation. As the animal will usually return to what it considers to be it’s lair the person merely wakes up in his or her own bed in the morning blessedly ignorant of the nights proceedings.”

“Ok so what we all meet back here tonight and then head off to ‘The Hill’ in search of lust filled teenagers, find the wolf, shoot it and then what?” Buffy looked to her watcher.

“I don’t feel it is advisable for us all to go, if Spike is willing to accompany you then Spike, yourself and I should be sufficient to perform the task. If we empty the Library cage of it’s contents I believe it should be a suitable place of confinement until the morning. Once we are aware of who we are dealing with we can help them learn to adapt to their situation without endangering anyone in the process.”

They all turned to file out of the library.

“Oh Buffy, one moment before you leave.” Giles called after her. Buffy turned back to her watcher to be presented with her sword. “ I researched the runes and to the best of my knowledge they are a blessing on the wielder. It is an incredibly fine weapon Buffy. You are very fortunate.”

Taking the proffered sword Buffy looked up at her watcher, “yeah, I know I am!”

*******************

Buffy returned to the library that night with Spike to find the watcher preparing the tranquilizer gun.

“Oh good you’re here. We should make a start, that way we can familiarise ourselves with the area before the moon rises and be in place to intercept the creature before it has the opportunity to harm anyone. I believe our best chances of success are if you two are able to distract it whilst I shoot it with the tranquilizer, but for God sake Buffy be careful not to allow it to bite or scratch you. Spike I am assuming you are immune to it’s bite?”

“I’d say so, be bloody interestin’ though if I’m not wouldn’t it!” Spike laughed as the watcher fixed him with an icy stare.

“Yes well I am glad you are able to find the humour in the situation Spike!”

“Oh lighten up will you, I’m just sayin’ a werewolf vampire hybrid … it’s like something from some bloody Hollywood blockbuster innit! Don’t fret Watcher, werewolves only affect the livin’ an’ last time I checked I no longer suffered from that particular affliction!”

*****************

As she wasn’t needed for tonight’s werewolf hunt Willow had met up with Oz at The Bronze. They had spent a quiet evening listening to the band and discussing pez. Walking back towards Willow’s house Oz was telling her how his band ‘The Dingoes ate my baby’ was going to be playing at The Bronze the following Friday night. Suddenly Oz bent over double clutching his stomach in agony and making tortured groaning and gurgling sounds.

“Oz, what’s wrong, Oz…” Willow grabbed his shoulders trying to lift his so she could see what was wrong. Oz lifted his head and his normal features were twisted and contorted. Before Willow’s horrified eyes he started to alter, his face lengthening and hair sprouting. Deep vicious growls escaped him. For a moment, while he writhed and twisted in obvious pain as his body transformed, Willow stood transfixed. Suddenly realizing her peril, the redhead turned and bolted, leaving a half transformed werewolf in her wake.

Tearing into the school and heading for the library Willow could only hope that Oz/wolf had not followed her. Have to get to Buffy and Giles, that was her one driving thought. As she entered the library she discovered it to be empty, they had obviously already left.

After arming herself with a baseball bat from Giles’ armoury and calming herself enough to think of what to do next she picked up the phone and dialled Cordelia’s number.

“Cordelia, Willow. Look I need you to do something for me.” She listened to the scathing response on the other end of the line before answering.

“Well because you are the only one I know who has a car!”

“Look Cordelia this is an emergency will you just listen!”

“I need you to drive over to Xander’s place and pick him up and bring him to the library, tell him Oz is the werewolf and we need to let Buffy and Giles know!”

“No he won’t contaminate your car, well alright if it will make you feel better put a towel on the seat first, just please hurry!”

Hanging up the phone she settled in to wait, crouching behind the desk, bat in hand.

**************

After the fourth unsuccessful circuit of the hill Giles’ mood darkened even further than it had been all night, his grumbling no longer even barely disguised. Buffy frowned at him. “You’re all bad and moody, what’s up?”

“Yes well Buffy, contrary to what you may believe I do have interests which do not involve the supernatural and I had to break very important plans for tonight which I had been looking forward to for quite some time. Instead, here I am traipsing around in the dark with a vampire looking for a werewolf so I can shoot it, drag it back to school and lock it in a cage. And the damn thing doesn’t even have the courtesy to show up!”

“Don’t know what you’re complainin’ about watcher, I was watchin’ a good movie on TV, some little kid was the bloody antichrist, his father an’ this priest guy had to stop him. They were of to meet up with a guy named Bugenhagen to find out how! Now I’ll never find out how the bloody thing ends!”

Spike stopped in midstep, becoming as still and silent as only a vampire could. Silently scenting the air, he turned to the slayer. “Someone over that way luv, human, but with a strange scent to him, he’s movin’ pretty quietly too.”

Following Spike’s lead they headed off carefully in the direction he had indicated. They paused as a large dishevelled man entered the clearing ahead of them, gun in hand, and neck surrounded by a grisly necklace of teeth of some kind. Turing to Buffy Spike whispered in her ear that the teeth were from a werewolf, “that’s the strange scent I picked up earlier pet.”

Before either of the men could stop her Buffy stepped into the clearing, planting her hands on her hips and legs slightly splayed balancing her weight ready for a fight.

“Well well, what have we here?” The disgusting looking man leered at her making her skin crawl and causing a distinctive growl to erupt from the bushes behind her. Spinning her head quickly to pin her lover with a ‘stay where you are’ glare she then returned her attention to the hunter.

“Who are you and what do you think you are doing?” She challenged.

“I’m Kane. The big question is who are you little lady and what are you doing walking around the woods at night, don’t you know it isn’t safe for little girls to be out alone at night?” He allowed his gaze to travel suggestively from her eyes down her body and slowly back up again. This was too much for Spike and with a furious growl he erupted from the bushes to stand at the slayer’s side, followed closely by the equally affronted watcher.

“Well, I guess I know what you were doing don’t I love? Like them a little experienced do you?”

“Why you filthy minded…..”

“Giles, not now!” Buffy admonished him.

“I’ll ask you once more, who are you and what are you doing here. Also maybe you can explain to me why you have a necklace made from a werewolf’s teeth?”

The large man laughed. “A werewolf? I’m sorry gorgeous but I’m afraid you are mistaken, this necklace isn’t made from a werewolf. This necklace, petal, is made up of one tooth from every werewolf I ever killed, this next one will bring it up to an even dozen.”

“So you’re just gonna kill it?” Buffy didn’t even attempt to hide the disgust in her voice.

“Well, here’s the thing, their pelts fetch a pretty penny in Sri Lanka and it’s a little hard to skin them when they’re alive. Now if you will excuse me the moon will be up soon, and I have work to do.”

“It doesn’t bother you that a werewolf is a human twenty-eight days out of a month?” Her lip curled in a sneer.

“That’s why I only hunt them on the other three days.” He sneered back at her, his voice dripping with contempt.

“You are disgusting, you know that? You can just take your filthy trophies and get the hell out of my town!”

“Oh really, your town is it. And a sweet little thing like you is gonna, what? Tickle me into submission. Pout at me until I get scared and leave? Or maybe you think your two big tough men will do the job for you? Last I looked, I was the one with the gun!”

“Yeah well, look again.” With that Buffy spun, catching him in the jaw and grabbing the gun from his hands as she completed the spin. Waiting for him to recover from the kick she looked him in the eye and slowly bent the barrel of his gun around until it was shaped like a ‘U’. “Now as I said before… get the hell out of my town.”

Kane looked in disbelief at his rifle and the tiny girl who had just bent it double. He turned and without another word fled down the hill through the bushes.

*******************

Cordelia had picked Xander up from his house and true to her word she had indeed made him sit on a towel so he would not contaminate her seat. After she had relayed Willow’s message about Oz and them needing to get to the library Xander had actually even managed to refrain from pushing her buttons and having himself thrown out of the car along the way.

“I don’t see why I should have to come in.” Cordelia complained, “Willow only asked me to pick you up and bring you here, I’ve done my part!”

“I’ve already explained this once, we might need a car and as you have a car, as much as it disgusts me to have to say this, we might need you.”

“Well, really, if you are going to talk to me like that…..”

Their argument was interrupted as a large net fell across them pinning both to the bitumen of the school car park. The large man who had just hurled the net in their direction stepped out from behind a tree laughing. “Well, you two will make lovely bait, if the scent of your fear doesn’t attract him all that noise you make certainly will!” With that he clubbed each of them over the back of the head.

********************

They awoke in a large heavy steel cage in a clearing in the woods. The cage was suspended above the ground, a sturdy chain and padlock held the door firmly closed.

Cordelia yelled at the silent bushes surrounding them. “Oh, my head, someone is going to hear about this, you don’t get to just go around hitting people in the back of the head like that. When I tell my father….”

“Cordy, stop.” Xander cautioned her. “Remember, noise! We don’t really want to be calling wolfy to us now do we?”

With that Cordelia swallowed a sob and looked around, taking their situation in fully for the first time. “Oh my God, Xander, we are bait! We’re going to die, I know we are. Oh how can I be going to die in a cage with you! I will never live this down!” The frightened girl, burst into tears.

Xander reached out and tentatively patted her shoulder, “no, we aren’t going to die, Buffy will rescue us, you just have to calm down ok!”

Hiccuping and trying with no luck to slow her tears, she looked at him. “Buffy has no idea where we are, how is she going to find us before that wolf thing does. Xander I am so scared, I don’t want to die, I am way to young to die!”

“No one’s going to die, its ok Cordy, I won’t let it hurt you ok.” He promised with considerably more conviction than he felt. Xander moved closer to the hysterical girl, wrapping an arm around her shoulder he pulled her against his chest and stroked her back in an attempt to soothe her.

*******************

Hours later a pissed off watcher, a tired and cranky slayer and a mildly amused vampire made their way back to the school library to return the tranquilizer gun. “We still have tomorrow night of course. We shall just have to try again then. One can only hope that no one has fallen victim to the creature tonight.”

“Isn’t that Cordelia’s car?” Buffy turned to her watcher.

“Yes I do believe it is.”

Hurrying into the library they discovered a sleeping Willow huddled in a ball behind the desk, clutching a baseball bat to her chest.

“Will, wake up.” Buffy gently shook the sleeping girl.

“Oh no you don’t mister, I…. oh Buffy it’s you! It’s Oz.”

“Lost me there Will?”

“The werewolf, it’s Oz, I saw him, he went all grrr-y and then all hairy and well …. it’s Oz! I came here looking for you, but you had already gone, and so I rang Cordelia to go get Xander so we could all look for you, because, well…Oz. And Cordelia said she would but then she didn’t show so I guess she didn’t and I have been here waiting and I guess I must have fallen asleep and well now you are here!” Willow gushed.

“Oh no!” Buffy’s turned to Spike with a look of horror. “That was Cordelia’s car outside, so she must have gone and gotten Xander and they came here, but where are they?”

“We’ll find them pet, don’t worry. Come on watcher, grab your gun, we aren’t done yet.”

They filed out of the Library, they had tried to leave Willow in the library insisting that she would be safer there but she had refused to be left behind. Once they reached the car Spike scented the air deeply to try to trace the missing teenagers. He followed it back towards the building only to stop as another scent joined them. “Damn, that sodding git from the woods was here. There’s blood too, not a lot but definitely fresh. I think the bastard has taken them, probably gonna use ‘em as bait!”

“Can you follow them?” Buffy was worried.

“I’ll do my best luv, he’s usin’ a vehicle of some sort but I think I can still track them.”

They followed Spike through the ever denser woods, he had lost the trail a few times and had to double back but was fairly confident he was heading the right way now.”

*********************

Cordelia’s sobs had eased, She was sitting in the bottom of the cage, Xander seated next to her, his hand stroking her back rhythmically as he spoke soothingly, chasing away her fears.

“Oh no, I must look a sight, all that crying, oh God, I won’t be able to show my face for a week!”

“Show me.” Xander turned her face towards him and gently brushed away her hair. “You look beautiful to me!” He murmured, oh god, where had that come from, he just told Cordelia Chase that she looked beautiful!! He looked at her face as she smiled gratefully at him. Well she did look beautiful! Moving slowly he reached in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Their eyes widened in shock before both simultaneously reaching for another kiss, slowly their kisses deepened. The world around them disappeared until they were brought crashing back to reality by a ferocious growl from the woods.

*******************

Spike heard the growl and quickened his pace, the slayer and him rapidly leaving the struggling watcher and girl behind. Impatiently he turned back to Giles and wrenched the gun from his hands, passing it to the slayer he informed them, “we don’t have time to waste, the wolf is up ahead and so are your Scoobies.” Slayer and vampire took off at full speed towards their prey.

They burst into the clearing in time to see Kane raising yet another gun to his eye to take a shot at the massive wolf that was launching itself at the helpless teenagers clinging desperately to each other in the suspended cage. “You get the dickhead pet, I’ll grab the wolf.”

They took off each after their intended victim.

Buffy grabbed the gun and shoved it upwards just as the hunter took his shot, the bullet flying harmlessly into the canopy above. With a right hook to the nose followed by a spinning kick to the abdomen she quickly vanquished her quarry before turning to her assess her lover’s progress.

Spike had launched himself at the scrabbling wolf as it fought to get a purchase on the cage in order to break in to the luscious treat within. Grabbing it from behind he struggled to hang on to the creature as it whirled and bucked. Spinning it’s head to bite him while trying to shake him off.

“Arghhh, bloody hell, that hurt you git. Buffy unless you want this thing to be an appetiser I suggest you hurry up an’ shoot the bloody thing!” Spike called as he saw Buffy turning after dispatching the hunter.

Buffy took aim, waiting for a clear shot at the wolf that would not accidentally hit her boyfriend.

Eventually after much continued swearing from Spike and a few more bites to Spike’s arms from the wolf she got her chance. The werewolf collapsed almost immediately.

****************

They had freed the prisoners who strangely remained arm in arm on the walk back to the school. Buffy and Spike between them had carried the dead weight of the large sleeping wolf. Once back at the library they had looked him in the cage that had been prepared and Giles settled in for guard duty and to speak to the poor boy come morning.

Cordelia and Xander had left in her car. Spike and Buffy had walked a very concerned Willow home after everyone had managed to explain to her that she would be no help to Oz throughout the night and would be of much more use to him rested and coherent in the morning. The injured vampire and his slayer then made their way home where his wounds were lovingly cleaned and cared for.

*******************

The following morning a very confused young man woke to find himself caged in the school library. Surprisingly he accepted the news that he was a werewolf rather stoically. The events of the previous evening were explained and the slayer and vampire’s status elicited merely a short, amazed “Mmm” and a nod in response.

CHAPTER20

A loud cheer erupted from the table closest to the stage as the band came on. The Dingo’s bass guitarist beamed momentarily at the cute little redhead who was bouncing up and down and clapping her hands excitedly. Three of the other occupants of the table were also cheering loudly, if a little less giddily, the leggy brunette merely smiled impassively for a moment. The black clad blonde let out a piercing whistle. He was having fun. He had the most gorgeous girl in the building, nah … in the whole bloody country, on his arm, her friends and watcher were mostly accepting of him and he was living in a comfortable home with two amazing women who spoilt him rotten, most importantly he had his beautiful slayer in his bed every night. Life, or unlife if you will, was damn good right now!

The music started and hey they weren’t half bad after all, downing his drink he turned and asked Buffy if she would like to dance. Guiding his beautifully grinning goddess to the dance floor he could not help but reflect once again on just how bloody happy he was!

“Urgh” Xander looked at the two girls at the table with him. “Am I the only one who finds this deeply disturbing?”

Willow looked at him and pouted. “I think they are good, and Oz looks so cool, don’t you think, I mean with the hair and the…..”

“Not the band, Will! Them.” Xander indicated the blonde couple who were almost glued to each other on the dance floor. “Has everyone else forgotten that this guy is a vampire, that he tried to kill us, that he HAS killed like thousands of people not to mention two slayers. Why is it that I am the only one who sees the major bad in this?”

“Xander, Spike has changed, he loves Buffy, it’s so sweet. I mean look at them, they are just so gorgeous together, don’t you think they are gorgeous together?”

“No! No with the gorgeous and no with the together. I definitely try very hard not to think about the ‘together’ part because now THAT is just truly disturbing!” Xander gave a dramatic shudder to emphasise his point. “As for changed, Will, VAMPIRE, I mean ok at the moment he has this whole Buffy infatuation thing going, but how long will that last and then what…he kills us all in our beds?”
“Oh no, no Xander, I don’t think Spike would do that, I mean, we’re almost like family aren’t we, you know seeing how Buffy is kinda like a sister to us and he is kinda, well I mean they are, with the....you know!”

“ Again Will, with the so not wanting that image, can we please not go there again!”

“Oh my God, could you be any more pathetic!” Cordelia turned on her boyfriend, eyes flashing angrily.

“What?” Xander stared at her, incredulous.

“Xander the guy saved our lives, you - me - cage, ringing any bells? If it wasn’t for him we’d be puppy food about now!” She turned to look at the redhead for a moment. “Sorry Willow! Buffy is a big girl Xander, she doesn’t need you to make her decisions for her and last time I looked you aren’t her father or anything so just get over it already. Because I swear if I have to listen to one more round of Xander Harris and his ‘I hate the sexy evil undead monster who’s sleeping with my best friend’ crap, I’m going to scream! I mean can you consider someone other than yourself for once? I came here to talk to you about important stuff, like what NOT to say if we run into anyone I know, or what we are going to do about your wardrobe and what you are going to buy me for my birthday which is only 95 days away so you need to start saving, like a year ago.”

“I….uh…but….he, he’s still a vampire!”

“Yeah he is and Oz is still a werewolf.” Speaking very slowly, so he could take in every word she continued, “and they are our friends, ok! Now go and get me a drink.”

Xander sighed with resignation, he knew when he was outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and just plain outwitted. The women in his life, Willow, Buffy and now inexplicably Cordelia would always rule him, he was a sucker for their feminine wiles. When he thought about it he knew he was really only continuing his protest out of sheer male stubbornness. Yeah he had a problem with vamps, a huge problem in fact. But well, he actually didn’t mind Spike, he certainly liked him a hell of a lot more than he had ever like Angel, and the guy had saved his life and Buffy really was happy, so he let go of the last of his animosity and decided to just go with the flow.

And hey having another guy to hang around with just might be of the good. When he thought about it life was starting to look up, he was no longer destined to be the lone male fighting for survival in an all female jungle.

***************

Later that night after a pleasant evening at The Bronze during which he’d had several dances with his love, beat the whelp in numerous games of pool and soaked up the not unpleasant sensation of belonging, being a part of something other than just him, even if that something was a rather unusual group of American teenagers. Buffy and him had then gone on a rather quiet patrol before returning home late to the joyful pleasures of their bedroom. He lay now in tranquillity with his arms full of warm, sleeping, content slayer. As he brushed a stray lock of golden blonde hair from her peaceful face and watched her sleep.

She was his perfect mate, his lover, his friend, his realisation. Her strength and power; the warrior, called to his demon. Her spirit and compassion appealed to the poet. After a hundred and fifty years on this earth Spike was finally home.

THE END

Read the sequel
To Live Again

Enormous thanks to Q for her help with writing this chapter.... VERY MUCH appreciated!