Chapter Seven
A/N: Some dialogue shamelessly stolen from BtVS S5's "Fool For Love".
beta'd by Niamh


The weeks seemed to fly by quickly once Spike was healed. The First went into hiding, Giles went back on his hunt for potential Slayers, and the occupants of Revello Drive seemed to settle into a quasi-normal routine. No one, aside from Xander, seemed to notice Buffy's brief stint as fanged demon girl. Well, except for Spike and as long as Buffy seemed to be unconcerned with the incident, he wasn't about to disturb the somewhat calm waters of his existence.

And so it was, that one morning, as the Slayer and her vampire mate roused themselves from a too brief respite and Spike headed downstairs to begin preparations for the feeding of their small army- Andrew, as always, right on his heels- Buffy showered quickly and set into motion the plan she and her fellow Scoobies had devised in secret.

Andrew stared in bleary-eyed wonder at the petite blonde who could crush his skull like an overripe fruit. Sadly, she was clearly fruit loopy. "You want me to what?"

Buffy sighed. "Here's the deal, Andy. You are going with Spike. He is going to take you to an abandoned warehouse and you are going to do everything he tells you to do."

"And if I don't?" Despite the nervous quaver in his voice, the super geek actually tried to stand his ground. It was, well frankly, adorable.

Buffy laughed softly, sweetly, as she stepped closer to the boy. "Lemme ask ya this, Andrew. Which would you prefer facing down in a dark alley? A starving vampire crazy from bloodlust?" The tiny Slayer placed her tiny Slayer fingers on her Slayer chest. She blinked innocently. "Or me?"

It was truly the most terrifying thing Andrew had ever witnessed in his very short life. "So an abandoned warehouse, huh?" Andrew nodded eagerly. "Suddenly I'm awash in my newfound sense of adventure."

Buffy grinned at Spike and clapped the young human on his back. "That's the spirit!" She shooed him towards the kitchen, eyes falling to her mate and ears effectively tuning out obscure quotes from whatever science fiction movie Andrew seemed to favor this morning.

With an impish grin, Buffy slinked forward slightly, eyes hooded as they raked over the lithe form of her lover leaning against the banister. His own eyes burned with desire as he caught the scent of her arousal. The need to feel those ripe, luscious lips pressed to his own blocked all other thought.

Just as a mere breath of air seemed the only thing separating him from his goal, Spike heard the telltale patter of feet coming from the direction of the living room. Red and Harris materialized, the former with her cell phone at the ready, while the latter carried his briefcase.

Xander held the black leather case up as he came to a stop near the blonde couple. "Six a.m. client meeting. I have need of a shower and clothing not comprised of frayed denim and worn cotton."

Buffy smiled and watched in wry amusement as her friend stepped through the front door to face another day of life on the mouth of hell. "Gotta love the real world. Just creeps right on in when you're looking the other way."

"Thank you, Althenea! Give my love to the coven...Blessed be," Willow intoned brightly as she removed a tiny earpiece from her right ear. "Ask me why I'm grinning like an idiot?"

Buffy settled herself against Spike's chest and lay her hands atop the ones he curved across her belly and grinned at her very best girlfriend. "Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Buffy thought for a second, then, "Not that I think you're an idiot and why, exactly are you grinning like that?"

"Because, silly," Willow chuckled happily as she waved a piece of notepaper under the Slayer's nose, "I have here in my hot little hands, ingredients for a very special spell. Now, you two may be asking yourselves what kind of spell could have me grinning like an idiot. And, me being the totally kick-ass best friend slash sidekick that I am, I'm gonna tell ya. It's a locator spell. And not just any locator spell, mind you. This baby is gonna tell me everything I need to find every potential slayer in the state of California. The second a potential crosses the state line, I'll know automatically where and when."

"Good on you, Red!"

"Way to go, Wills!"

Willow beamed and bounced a little on her feet. Then a shadow passed over her features and the smile faded to a slight pout. "Now, the question is: Can I find them and get them to safety before the Bringers can get to them?" The question seemed rhetorical so neither blonde answered; Willow's voice trailing off to a soft muttering as the redhead moved away. She stopped and grabbed a set of keys from the hook beside the front door. "Gonna run over to Anya's place and pick up the ingredients to do the spell. Be back later!"

It took a few moments of silence before Spike released a quiet sigh and nuzzled the soft skin behind Buffy's right ear. She whimpered quietly and arched her neck to allow him better access. His lips curved into a smile against her silken flesh. "Well, luv. Then there were two. You sure you really wanna do this?"

Buffy sighed heavily and stepped out of the vampire's reach. What I want is to keep these girls, these children, from getting their throats torn out because the Powers decided to give them the potential to lead the very life I've been forced to endure for the last seven years. What I want is to wake up in your arms and know that after all is said and done, I finally get the happy-ever-after that I've spent what feels like my whole life fighting for. To do that, I - no, WE- have to put these girls the most intense training the Council could have ever devised."

Heading towards the kitchen, Buffy called over her shoulder, "did you read that file I gave you?"

"Yeah," Spike nodded as he followed his tiny mate. Unsurprising, Andrew was asleep with his head on the island. The vampire shook his head at the sight and went to pour them both a mug of coffee before starting a fresh pot and adding a generous splash of whiskey to his own cup. "Chloe's a twelve year old from some inner-city program for the underprivileged. Rona, the newest one, is only fifteen and she's never even heard of the bleedin' Council of Wankers. Those are the two that bother me the most. Then there's Kennedy," Spike all but spat the name as he thought of the mouthy chit who reminded him much too much of the society gits who'd tortured his human self. "Much as I dislike the girl, she's the one with the most training. Even so, I'm betting the Bit could take her easy."

Buffy smiled in pride at her younger sibling's fighting skills being compared to those of a girl who would most likely be next in line to inherit the full mantle of Slayer. She said as much and then could have cut her own tongue out as the meaning behind her words sent a wave of agony rushing over her vampire's beautiful face. Choosing her words as carefully as possible, she watched Spike turn his back on her and begin preparations for breakfast.

"Sooner or later we're going to have to talk about this, Spike. We both know it." His shoulders tensed slightly as he continued to pull things from the refrigerator and cabinets. His movements were stiff and jerky, none of his usual vampiric grace present as his more humanistic qualities gave evidence to the tumultuous feelings running rampant through his heart and mind. She watched on, silent, while he hastily threw various ingredients into a large mixing bowl and began stirring them together viciously in a batter. He then snatched up a muffin pan and sprayed it with a light coating of oil, turned on the oven and repeated the spraying process on several other pans.

Once the batter had been carefully poured and the pans placed in the heated oven, he set the timer and retrieved a large cast iron skillet in which he quickly set about making omelets. The silence stretched out ominously, broken only by the sounds of cooking. Buffy huffed and rolled her eyes, unsure of any other way to get through to the emotionally volatile creature of the night.

Instead of exploding at him, she shook Andrew awake and sent him out of the kitchen, closing the doors that led to other rooms. On silent feet, she slipped up behind her vampire and slid her arms around him in a firm embrace, pressing her face into the back of his black cotton tee-shirt. He stiffened immediately and stopped chopping vegetables to fold his arms over hers.

"I can't do it again, Buffy," he admitted in a low voice gone thick and rough with his emotions. "I can't watch you die. Last time nearly bloody killed me. The only thing...Dawn...had to keep going for the Nib...I can't...don't make me," the last came out as barely a whisper of breath and she turned him around to fuse her mouth to his in an hungry, bittersweet kiss.

The tears were there in his voice and on his lips even if he refused to let them leak from his eyes. It had cost him to admit to the weakness and it brought forth her own tears fighting for freedom. So she kissed him harder, more demanding, threading her slender fingers into his disheveled curls.

"Oh, God," a voice interrupted and they both turned to find Dawn standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with alarm. "What's happened? Did somebody die? They did! Who? Why didn't anybody tell me?"

"No," Buffy sniffled and stepped away as Spike returned to his cooking. "We're good. Just a little tired and emotional." The Slayer took a steadying breath and pasted on a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Time to go wake the wannaslay brigade. You guys might wanna cover your ears."

Spike looked at Dawn. Dawn looked at Spike.

"And it's about to get fun," the vampire drawled as he went to check on his muffins.

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

Buffy was careful not to allow the slightest whisper of sound escape as she set up her portable cd player on a decorative table just outside her bedroom door and turned the volume knob to full blast. Then she crept along to open the door to each room containing sleeping potentials. It was all she could do not to let loose with uproarious laughter as she thought about what she had in store for this group.

Buffy Summers, by her very nature, was not a morning person, but really, one just couldn't buy this type of entertainment.

All doors open and everything in its place, Buffy picked up the remote control to her boombox and stood at the head of the stairs. With a wicked grin in place, she focused on her watch and counted the seconds. "Almost time," she murmured to herself.

Three...two...one...

Suddenly, the entire house thundered with the opening music to Rob Zombie's Living Dead Girl, a sudden longing enveloping the Slayer which would only be understood by her fellow sister warrior, Faith. For all her mistakes, her rebellions and her bad choices, Faith was the only other person who understood what it was like to be a Slayer.

An idea formed in the Slayer's mind- an idea that she would keep to herself for now- and she forced her mind to the task at hand.

Buffy folded her arms and adopted a stern look as she waited patiently for the obvious results of blaring guitars, wall-shaking bass and Rob's guttural voice that seemed to always hit her with a wave of lust.

It took a total of three minutes for more than a dozen pairs sleep-glazed eyes to find the source of the abrupt wake-up call. Buffy flicked the "OFF" switch, the sudden silence deafening in its very lack of sound. "Three minutes," she told them when she felt assured of their undivided.

"Three minutes," she repeated in a soft voice as she made eye contact with each and every confused face. "In three minutes, babies can be born. Billions of dollars can be gained and lost on the stock market. Murderers are put to death. The old die and the young live. Three minutes," she shrugged. "Had this been a real emergency, you would all be dead." Again she looked over her charges. "Kitchen. Thirty minutes."

****

Downstairs, Dawn helped herself to a cup of coffee.

"At least eat something if you're going to drink that stuff, Nibblet." Spike dropped a fresh blueberry muffin on a small plate and set it before her with a glass of orange juice and a bottle of vitamins. Dawn rolled her eyes at the vampire's antics.

"What are you? My mother?"

Spike quirked an eyebrow. "Don't slouch, dear."

***

Dawn popped the last bite of her blueberry muffin into her mouth and chewed slowly as the group of potential Slayers trouped in behind their way too cheerfully awake leader. The teen's bright blue eyes alighted on Andrew, who had pressed himself into the corner next to the back door with a cup of coffee and his own muffin. The last remaining member of the nerd herd flicked nervous eyes to the gaggle of gangly females as though he expected one of them to wrestle him to the ground and steal his breakfast at any second. Given that this group had the same effect as a group of locust on some poor, unsuspecting vegetable crop, Dawn didn't really blame Andrew for his fear.

Buffy waited for all the girls to line up along the wall of her kitchen before she spoke again. She looked around, as she had upstairs, taking in the still bleary-eyed faces. "Can anyone tell me the reason behind this morning's little exercise?"

"Um," one brave potential raised her hand in a meek gesture, her sleep-softened voice a bit husky despite its quietude. "You wanted to see how long it took us to wake up?"

"BZZZZZZT!" Buffy shook her head and grinned. "No, wrong answer. Anyone else?"

"But that wasn't a fair test," Rona argued. "We were asleep!"

Buffy sighed. "Dawn. Last Halloween your date nearly vamped you. How did he get the advantage?"

"I didn't know he was dead-"

"Undead," Andrew corrected.

"Shut up," the sisters Summers replied in unison.

"Anyhoo, I didn't know he was undead and we were parking in the woods. He caught me with my guard down."

Buffy nodded. "Your guard was down because you were in a relaxed state. How did you get away?"

"I shoved him away and ran. He caught me, of course. By then, you, Spike and Giles had already shown up along with a full cadre of vampires."

"And while we were fighting, you tried to escape again. How long did it take him to track you through the woods?"

"Ten seconds? Maybe less?"

"Then what happened?"

Dawn shuddered involuntarily as she recalled her disastrous first date. "He pinned me down. You guys were all busy fighting and I was about to die. I let him believe I was giving up and he went in for the kill. When he was close enough, I staked him. With a stray crossbow bolt I found in the leaves."

"Exactly! You were all alone and, instead of giving up, you fought back with whatever weapon you could find." The Slayer grinned proudly at her younger sibling before turning to the resident non-evil. "Feel like a little demo for the girls? A little re-enactment of your visit to China?"

Spike nodded, somewhat disturbed by his girl's mention of the first Slayer he had murdered over a century prior. Choosing not to dwell on it, he walked up behind the love of his unlife and studied the potentials over Buffy's shoulder.

"Pay attention. Lesson, the first." He wrapped a hand around Buffy's throat, slowly so the girls could all see what he was doing. Just as she had done the last time, Buffy reached for a weapon- in this case, it was a large, serrated knife he'd been using to cut vegetables- and spun to face her attacker. He grasped her wrist in a move too fast for the human eye to see.

"Lesson, the first," Buffy intoned with a smile only Spike could see. "A Slayer must always reach for her weapon."

On cue, Spike let out the demon to the gasps of some of the girls. "I've already got mine."

Spike shifted so that his human mask was once more firmly in place. For the moment, he ignored the wave of arousal teasing his nostrils. Bending his girl face down over the counter and having his wicked way with her was not something he could do with a roomful of the wannaslay brigade. It wasn't lost to his demon that the scent of arousal was not only coming from Buffy but from several other sources in the room. While the dormant slayer within some of the potentials responded to his demon fed his vampiric ego, the man in him was more than a little discomfitted. The last thing any of them needed right now was for these girls to discover the natural attraction between a Slayer and her mortal enemy. These girls had yet to learn how to control the type of power that Buffy had gained mastery of over the years.

They had enough things out there trying to kill them already.

Instead of voicing his thoughts- which he was fairly certain Buffy could detect through their link, Spike returned to his food preparations. They were on a tight budget after all. Since Spike couldn't very well get a nine to five like Joe Normal, he satisfied himself with doing what he could around the house. And no way in hell was he allowing the geek to cook for his girls.

Once he finished, happily tuning out the chatter of the estrogen squad, Spike washed his hands and glanced at the clock. "Sunrise in an hour. C'mon, Andy." He met his love's eyes for the briefest moment of silent communication before herding the boy out of the kitchen. Andrew obeyed like a good puppy. Spike seriously hoped he just didn't try to hump his leg or pee on his shoes.

****

Back in the kitchen, Buffy quickly called order to the chaotic voices surrounding her. "From this moment on, you will be trained intensely in weapons, hand to hand, self defence and more. You will be educated in the histories of the Slayer, the demon world, magicks and any other subject that'll make you a better fighter. These terms are non-negotiable." She gave them a moment to digest the information.

"You wanna live, you'll fight. If not, you'll die. Period. End of discussion. Willow will be back in a little while. You have until then to eat, shower and dress....Any questions?"

*******

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