It had been about a month since Riley had gone from Sunnydale, leaving Buffy to turn to Spike for comfort.

They had continued to see each other almost nightly. When Buffy didn´t go to Spike´s crypt, he came to her room via the roof. Unfortunately, they had been seen more than once sneaking into the other´s company, and the Scooby gang was starting to wonder what was going on between the two of them.

“I think it´s sweet, all kinda mushy sweet that Spike is keeping an eye on Buffy and comforting her and everything.” Willow told Xander that morning as they walked to the Magick Shop.

“It´s the EVERYTHING part that worries me, Wil. I don´t care what he´s got in his head; he´s a soul-less vampire. We saw enough of that with Angel after he and Buffy did the ‘nasty´.  Besides, Spike tried hard enough to kill all of us before he got ‘chipped.”

“Yeah, he threatened us a lot, but you know even when he kidnapped us, he didn´t hurt us, all he´s ever done is threaten. I think if he´d really wanted to kill us, he could have.” Willowed argued back at him.

“Wil! You´re not defending him are you!?”

“Ah, Willow isn´t defending who, Xander?” Giles asked from behind them.

“Hey, Giles… Not nice to eavesdrop on folks like that.” Xander replied to him, trying to change the conversation.

“Xander, I don´t think it´s considered eavesdropping when I´m trying to open the door to the Shop and you two are standing in front of the door blocking it.”

“Oh, uh, sorry Giles, we were just having a discussion. Not a disagreement, like it might have sounded, just a difference of opinion.” Willow blurted out, also trying to change the subject.

“Willow, that´s what a disagreement is, a difference of opinion.” Giles told her wearily.

“Who are you disagreeing about and defending? Does this have to do with Anya´s comment last night about seeing Spike with Buffy an awful lot recently?”

Xander glared at Willow with his –I-told-you-so-look while Willow just blushed.

“I see.. Well, I´ll check with Buffy and see if we have anything to worry about.” Giles told them both, making a mental note to himself to do so when Buffy came in for training.

Later that afternoon, Buffy came into the shop with her gym bag, ready to work out as usual. Xander, Giles, Willow and Tara were all sitting around the table with a pile of books in front of them. Anya was behind the counter as usual, waiting for an unwary customer to pounce on for their money.

“Buffy! Hi!” Willow greeted her a bit too brightly. The rest just looked like they were trying to do anything other than let her know that they had been talking about her when she entered the store.

“Ok. What´s up? Why am I the topic of discussion and why are all of you hiding it?” Buffy asked them looking a bit worried herself.

“Buffy, we were concerned regarding the amount of time you seem to be spending with Spike recently. After all, we don´t know how long that chip from the Initiative will last, and you do, ah.. have a somewhat dubious record with seeing certain vampires in the past.” Giles gently told her.

“Giles! That was Angel, and it was the one time we were, uh, together that caused all that and Willow gave him back his soul and he moved and this is Spike. Remember Spike, chip-in-the-head, harmless, no soul Spike?” Buffy shot back, nervously.

“Yes, and that means he has no soul to lose when you have sex with him.” Anya said brightly.

All of them turned quickly to look at Anya. The blood rose up Buffy´s neck and face in record time from the comment, which all of her friends noticed immediately.

“AH, HA! “ shouted Xander, “Is this dead-boy number two?”

“Buffy!” Willow exclaimed, then smiled knowingly at her.

“Buffy, is this true?´ Giles asked her quietly. “Because if so, I think we need to discuss this matter.”

Buffy blushed a bit more, if that was possible. “I´m going to go work out now, so I´m not embarrassed any more than I am now. Why don´t you all come over tonight to my house abut 7:30, I guess we do have something to talk about.” With that she walked into the back wondering just what she was going to say to all of them tonight. How was she going to explain this one to them?

A couple of hours later, after a grueling workout, more to relieve frustration than to train, Buffy left for home. Once there, she showered and changed clothes. Popping into her Mom´s room she checked on her, “Oh, Mom, the gang is coming over about 7:30 tonight. “We all need to talk about something; I´d like you there too, please if you feel up to it.” “Gotta run a quick errand, back in a few.” Buffy flew down the steps as if her feet had wings to keep her mother or Dawn from calling her back.

She hurried over to Spike´s and slipped inside the door, going to the bed to give her lover a kiss as he woke up.

“Hullo, pet. You´re here early. Miss me?” he asked her.

“Yeah, missed you. But I came to get you to come back to my house with me. The guys are onto us and Giles asked me about it. So we need to go talk to them. My mom, too.”

“And what are ‘WE´ going to tell them, luv?”

“Well, we kinda need to be honest with them. That we´ve been seeing each other for a month now, and that we care about each other and, you know…”

“Buffy, I know what we´ve been doing, but I don´t think that is what you really want to tell them all about, do you, pet?”

“Well, not in detail, Spike, of course not! But we´re intimate with each other and care about each other, and that I want you to move out of this crypt and you and I get our own place together.”

“WHAT!” He grabbed her up in his arms and swung her around kissing her soundly.

Breaking the kiss so Buffy could breath, Spike continued to hold her as he looked tenderly down at her, “Do you mean that, luv? You want us to get a place together, just you and I.?

“Yeah, Spike. I do. If Mom will be ok with just her and Dawn there. I´d rather we both be able to stay there so we can keep an eye on them, since this mess with Glory isn´t settled yet, but Mom may not go for that. I´d planned to talk to you about it tonight anyway.”

“Buffy, I love you.” Spike whispered as he nuzzled her neck.

“Spike.” Buffy pulled away from him just a bit so she could see his face, “I care about you too, Spike.”

“Are you sure, luv?” he asked her very seriously.

She grinned very shyly up at him, “Yeah, I´m sure.”

“Ok, then. Let me freshen up a spot and we´ll go talk to the lot of ‘em.”

“Which spot were you going to freshen?” Buffy asked him, looking very innocently at him.

“You bloody well know what I mean.” As he walked by her, grabbed her around the waist and kissed her before stalking off into the bathroom.

The entire Scooby gang sat around the Summer´s living room, along with Joyce and Giles.

With a slight frown of puzzlement, Joyce asked the group in general, “Do you know why Buffy asked everybody over? What is it she needs to talk to us about?”

“Ah, I suspect it may have something to do with Spike.” Giles told her.

“Oh. Well he has been over here a lot recently. He´ll stop by for a cup of hot chocolate with me even when Buffy is not here, but she usually shows up before he leaves. Sometimes she leaves with him. I assumed they were going on patrol.”

“Yes, well, that may be the case then.” Giles told her, suspecting Buffy had not told her mother that she was seeing Spike on a more than patrol basis.

Buffy and Spike came in the front door together, and glanced over all the friends waiting for them in expectation. Xander of course, as usual when he saw Spike, had a scowl on his face.

“Well, if it isn´t fang-boy himself.” Xander taunted at Spike.

“Xander, be nice!” Willow told him as she nudged him in the ribs with an elbow.

Spike gave Xander a sneering smile, knowing that the brunette knew Spike was less than happy with the comments.

“Hullo, Joyce, nice to see you again. Watcher.”  Spike greeted Buffy´s mom and then Giles with a nod of his head.

“Hello, Spike. Would you like a cup of cocoa? I have a new supply of little marshmallows since you finished them off last time you were here.”

“Thank you, Joyce. That would be lovely. Do you need a hand?” Spike asked her.

“Sure, Spike. That would be nice. You´re always so helpful.” Joyce told him as they walked out to the kitchen.

“Spike? Helpful?” Xander asked in amazement.

“Yes, Xander. Spike enjoys helping Mom in the kitchen when he´s here. Would anyone else like anything to drink before we get started?” Buffy asked all of them.

“Yes, I´d like a soda, please.” Anya said brightly.

Everyone else just shook their heads or mumbled, so Buffy went to the kitchen to get the drink for Anya. Her mom and Spike were joking with each other as Buffy entered the room frowning slightly.

“Are you ok, pet?” Spike asked her very quietly. Buffy just nodded slightly at him and flashed him a smile.

“Everything ok, Honey?”, her mom asked, having caught the frown.

“Yeah, Mom. It´s fine. We all done here?”

“Yes, dear. Spike, can you get the tray for me please?” Joyce asked him as she headed back to the living room.

“Of course.” He picked the tray with cups and a pot of hot chocolate along with all the extras, and took it back into the living room setting it on the table where Joyce indicated. Buffy handed Anya her drink. Joyce and Spike both sat down

Buffy was nervous about the conversation about to happen and stayed standing, pacing a step or two as they all looked expectantly at her. Spike ignored her, sipping his chocolate.

“Ok. You guys have been asking me questions about what´s going on right now. I know you mean with me and Spike. I know some of you have seen us together a lot. More often than patrolling and slayage. So,” she took a deep breath and looked at Spike. He grinned at her just slightly and she could see the support in his blue eyes watching her.

“I´ve been seeing Spike, ah, since Riley left.”

Xander scowled, and Giles looked a bit shocked; Willow, Joyce, and Anya somewhat expectant, and Tara non-committal.  Spike just gazed support and affection back at Buffyr

“You guys know what an upset mopey-girl I was when Riley left, and on patrol one night, some of the vamps said some things about what Riley had been doing……” Buffy just trailed off, looking at nothing, eyes unfocused as she remembered the taunts. Shaking her head, she focused again.

”Spike was patrolling with me that night and kept me from getting hurt, and comforted me. We decided we weren´t really enemies anymore and have been seeing each other since.”

“Buffy..” “But he´s a blood-sucking demon…”  “What…”

The comments assaulted her as half of the gang tried to speak at once.

“HUSH!” She snapped at them “This is MY life and I´ve chosen to see Spike. It´s not really your decision.”

Spike walked around behind her and ran his hands gently up and down her arms, to calm her.

Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them, “Buffy, do you think this is wise? Remember the problems with Angel? Spike doesn´t have a soul at all.”

“Hey, Watcher, I´m still here!” Spike snarled at Giles.

“Spike! Please!” Buffy whispered very intently at her lover.

Joyce looked at all of them and spoke before Buffy could, “I know that Spike has had some issues in the past. But he´s been really helpful since my surgery, and he´s kept Buffy cheered up.”

“Spike, as long as you don´t hurt my daughter, and that includes biting her or hurting her friends, I think it´s alright for you two to see each other.”

“Joyce, I´m sure that you wish to see Buffy happy. We all wish that, but there have been problems in the past and with all that happened with Angel.. Well I think Buffy should be careful. There may be more things to consider.” Giles told Joyce.

“Spike, do you want to say anything to them about this? I won´t tell them how you feel about me. But if you want to tell them and think it might help….” Buffy trailed off, whispering only to Spike.

“Yeah, Pet. Let me tell´em a few things.” Spike growled under his breath to Buffy.

“Be nice, Spike.”

“I will, luv.”

Xander and the girls were whispering back and forth among themselves on the couch when Spike made a throat-clearing noise to get their attention.

“I know I tried to kill most of you in the past, but I´m a demon, a soul-less vampire, it´s what I do… Or what I did before I got this bleedin´ chip in me head.

“I don´t have a soul to lose from getting a happy like my poof of a sire. But all of you know that I can´t hurt a damn bloody thing anymore except other demons. So none of you have to worry about me doing anything to any of you, except maybe insultin´ you.

“Even though most vampires don´t have feelings, some of us do. I do. I thought I was getting to be considered one of the white-hats now.”

Spike looked at each of their faces, seeing the emotions run across them, “Besides, I would never hurt the Slayer. I love her.”

Having dropped that bombshell in the room, he walked out into the kitchen and sat on one of the stools alone.

“Spike?”

He looked up to see Joyce standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He could hear the very vocal discussion going on in the other room behind her.

“Yes, Joyce?”

“Do you really love my daughter?”

“Yes, Joyce, I do. I was attracted to her even before you hit me in the head with that ax.” Joyce smiled at him then.

“The more I saw her, even when we fought, I was attracted to her. After Dru and I left, what with Angel and all, Dru dumped me ‘cause she said all I ever thought about was the Slayer.”

“She was bloody right.  That´s why I came back. Her. Finally I realized it was more than just attraction, that I loved her. I´d do anything to make her happy, but I never thought I´d have a chance. Then soldier-boy left her like he did, bloody sod! I tried to protect her and she turned to me for comfort.”

“So even knowing she was upset about another man, you cared for her?”

“Yeah. I´d take whatever attention I could get from her, any attention at all.”

Joyce walked over and hugged the saddened vampire, kissing him on the forehead. “I see that you really do love her. She´s been a lot happier these past few weeks. I know that you´ll protect her and care for her. But are you going to leave her too?”

“No, I´ll stay with her as long as she´ll let me.”

“Good. That´s what I needed to hear from you. Let me know what I can do to help. I want Buffy to be happy and protected and loved.”

“Thank you, Joyce. That means a lot to me.”

“Now get back in there with your girlfriend.”  She pulled him off the stool and gave him a little push back to the living room, following him back in.

Spike walked back over to Buffy. Her eyes lit up at seeing him come toward her. She reached out and took his arm, pulling it around herself as he stepped behind her.

Before She could say anything else to the group in front of her, Joyce walked over to her daughter and Spike, put a hand on Spike´s shoulder, and looked at Buffy´s friends.

“OK, guys. I know that all of you care about Buffy. I also know that my daughter has been happier the last few weeks than I´ve seen her in a long time. I am convinced that Spike really cares for her. He´ll protect her, and isn´t planning to hurt her or anyone else, or leave her. So I´m going to ask all of you to not give them a rough time about being together. I´m her mother and if I have no objections, then none of you should either.”

Joyce patted Spike´s shoulder and kissed Buffy´s cheek as she turned to go back to her chair.

“Ah, Joyce, I can understand how you feel. I know we all wish Buffy to be happy. We are just concerned for her. However, if you feel it is alright and have no objections…..Then, I  t-think we can all come to terms with their relationship.” Giles told Joyce and all of the friends sitting in the room.

Buffy left Spike and went to give her watcher a quick hug. “Thank you, Giles. You´re support means a lot to me. Especially since I´m going to keep seeing Spike. I´d like it better if there weren´t a lot of problems about it.”

Spike had followed Buffy. He put his hand out toward Giles. “Thanks, Watcher. Decent of you there.” Giles took Spikes hand in a brief shake as if he was asleep. Surprise was apparent in his face. On the other side of the room, Xander looked on with a shocked expression, Willow looked a bit smug, Tara and Anya just looked happy for the couple.

Buffy turned to the rest of her friends, “Thanks a lot guys. Spike and I need to talk to Mom about some stuff, then we´re gonna do the patrol and slayage thingy. See you later?”

There were affirmations all around from the Scooby gang. Willow jumped up to hug her friend and whispered in Buffy´s ear before they all left.” You´ll going to have to tell me all about this. You´ve been secret-keeping again.”

Buffy smiled and nodded at her, “ ‘K Will.”

Xander had started to say something else, when they all heard Anya tell him very firmly, to everyone´s embarrassment, “Xander Harris, if you say anything else, you will not be having any sex with me for a month!”

“Ah.. gotta go gang, see you later.” As he hurried Anya out the door, looking quite red-faced.

Finally all the gang was gone, leaving just Buffy, Spike and Joyce in the house. Buffy and Spike sat down next to each other on the couch. He reached down and took her hand, twining his fingers in her´s, unconsciously rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb as he always did.

“Mom, I wanted to tell you.. ask you..ah, I´d like to move in with Spike. Not in the crypt! “But us get a place of our own somewhere close by.”

“Buffy, do you think that is wise? With the problems still with Glory? I´d rather have you here, Honey.”

“I know you want to be with Spike, and as much as I hate to say it, I´m sure the two of you have been having sex. Am I right?”

“Um, yes, Mom. We have.” Buffy admitted, blushing again.

“Joyce, vampires can´t have children, and we don´t have to worry about the ‘illness´ problems that mortals do.” Spike told her to try to reassure her.

“Ok. Since that is all cleared up. I´m going to make a deal with you two.”

“I´d feel better if you would stay here, Buffy. For myself and Dawn. I also know and appreciate that you want to be with Spike. In fact he can offer more protection as well.” “So, Just tell me what you need done to your room so that he´s safe from the sunlight.” “We´ll get it done, and he can move in here with you. Ok?”

“Mom? You´d really let us do that? Oh, thank you Mom! I´d rather be here with you too, but I also want to be with Spike. I – I feel safer with him around.”

“Thank you Joyce. Will tonight be alright?”

“Yes, Spike. It will be fine. While you two patrol, I´ll get some blankets to go over the window until we can make other arrangements.”

Buffy hugged her mother then took Spike´s hand as they walked out the door to go patrol.

After patrol, the couple went to the Bronze to see if any of the Scooby gang was there. Willow and Tara were, so they hung out with them for about an hour, talking. Buffy had her usual coke and Spike had just one beer. They danced a bit and finally headed home.

In Buffy´s room, now ‘their´ room, Joyce had left some blankets as she had promised. Spike helped Buffy put them over the window to keep out the sun the next morning.

”Ummmm. I´m exhausted, Spike. Shower. Bed. Sleep.”

“Com´on luv, lets get all cleaned up so tired slayers can sleep.”

They headed into the bathroom, and crawled out of their clothes. Spike got into the shower with Buffy and gently pushed her under the water. Grabbing her vanilla scented body wash he loved on her, he used it to massage her shoulders as she braced against the wall with her arms. Feeling the muscles in her back relax, he soaped the rest of her, then turned her around to soap her front as well, pausing just a moment over the feel of her breasts under his hands.

“Spike…” Buffy looked at him with desire smoldering in her eyes.

He took her by both shoulders, “Luv, we have time and you´re about to bleedin´ fall on your face from exhaustion. Let´s get you to bed.”

He quickly washed himself down as Buffy leaned on the wall watching him, loving the sight of his body. They both toweled off and Spike scooped Buffy up in his arms, taking her to the bed as he gently kissed her lips. He laid her on the bed, reached over and covered her, turned on the radio very softly and crawled into bed next to her, holding her against him.

“Go to sleep, luv. Let me just hold you while you sleep before I go to sleep. I´ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

She smiled sleepily up at him and kissed his neck. “´K. Night, my sweet sexy Spike.”

“G´night, luv.”

He was propped a bit on the pillows, and lay holding her, just watching her as she drifted into sleep, wondering at her in his arms, him in her bed, knowing she´d be there with him when dawn came. As he watched her, he became aware of a song on the radio. It fit so well the way he was feeling. He listened as a tear ran down his face, un-noticed. He loved this tiny blonde slayer more than he could have imagined ever loving anyone in his entire unlife.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

Don't want to close my eyes
I don't want to fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes
And thank God we're together
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever

Don't want to close my eyes
I don't want to fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you

The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing

I don't want to miss one smile
I don't want to miss one kiss
I just want to be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

Don't want to close my eyes
I don't want to fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you baby
And I don't want to miss a thing

Don't want to close my eyes
I don't want to fall asleep
I don't want to miss a thing

At the end of the song, Spike snuggled down next to Buffy, arms still around her, closed his eyes as he inhaled the scent of her, and with a smile on his face matching the one on her sleeping face, joined her in sleep.

Buffy and Spike had moved his things into the house. He´d moved into the house. He and Joyce talked, he and Buffy talked, patrolled, trained, laughed and made love. They´d been together several months now. Although she would tell him that she cared about him and he knew she did, she had not ever told him that she loved him. He told her occasionally that he loved her. She always seemed pleased to know that he did.

After what Angel had put her through, then that wanker at college, and finally soldier-boy, it was no wonder she wasn´t giving her heart away anytime soon.

But Spike wondered if she´d ever love him, or anyone again for that matter. Time would tell, he guessed.

Spike and Buffy had gone to the Bronze that night with the Scooby gang. They´d had a good evening, dancing, chatting and laughing. Even Xander had been decent to Spike.

As they walked out into the darkened street, heading toward home, hands intertwined as usual, they saw someone standing there waiting. It was Riley.

Buffy stopped, open mouthed, in shock and surprise. Spike just looked at Riley, at Buffy, and felt his heart tighten.

Would she leave him to go with the jerk, or would the bloody wanker just bloody kill him for being with Buffy?

Buffy stared at Riley. He looked good. Tanned, fit, a bit more muscular. She saw his eyes travel over her, and down her arm to where she was holding Spike´s hand. She saw his jaw tighten, anger flitting across his face to be quickly hidden.

“Buffy. Why are you with him, holding his hand?”

“Well, hello to you too, Riley. And exactly what business is it of yours whose hand I hold?”

“I still love you, Buffy. You´re why I came back after the mission was over.”

“When did you get back?”

“Tonight.”

Buffy turned to Spike, “Spike, would you mind going back inside with the gang for a few minutes, I need to talk to Riley in private. Please?”

“I don´t want you alone with this wanker.” Spike said very quietly to her, his heart all but breaking.

“Please, Spike? Just for a few minutes?”

He sighed, wanting to cry, “Ok, luv. I´ll be right inside if you need me.”

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand before she let it go. Buffy watched Spike walk back inside the bronze, his shoulders drooping, looking very dejected. Then she turned back to Riley.

“What do you want, Riley? You left me. Not a word, no goodbyes. I ran all the way to the field to stop you but you left without a word. It was still a minute or two before midnight; you guys can´t keep a timetable? You never even bothered to look back as I called and called for you. Now you have the nerve to come here and tell me you still love me? Do you expect to just pick up where you left off? That I´ll just fall into your arms?” Buffy was angry. Angrier than she had been when Riley had tried to talk to her before he left.

“No, I thought maybe we could try and start over. And I find you with HIM, holding his hand? What´s going on? Are you with him now?”

“Yes, Riley, I am. I have been for months now, not that it´s any of your business,”

“Oh, you to get upset with me for what I did, but it´s ok for you to be sleeping with a bloodsucker? You are sleeping with him, aren´t you?”

“Yeah, Riley. I am. I sleep with him every night, that what you want to hear? I care about him. He hasn´t left me. I´m not going to hurt him now by leaving him to go back to you. I don´t even want to go back to you. You finished what we had when you left like you did. “We have nothing else to talk about.”

Buffy turned and started back into the Bronze, Riley stepped up to her and grabbed her arm, “Buffy….”

She stopped,  looked slowly back at his hand on her arm, then up at his face. “I told you last time, take..your…hand…off…of…ME!”

Riley removed his hand from her arm, and opened his mouth to try to talk to her.

“NO! Don´t say another word Riley. And don´t EVER try and hurt Spike again. I know what you did to him. I know you staked him with a plastic stake, I know you threatened him and told him to stay away from me. Well, I went to him after he kept me from being killed because of being so upset by you leaving. So I´m warning you. Don´t touch him.” “Don´t even try to hurt him, don´t get your friends to do it for you. Leave him alone, and leave me alone, Riley. It´s over.”

Buffy turned back into the Bronze, went to Spike and put her arms around him, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Hey, you.”

“Are you ok, luv?” Spike asked her anxiously. He wanted desperately to ask if THEY were ok, but just couldn´t, didn´t want to know the answer if they weren´t.

“Yeah, Babe, I´m ok.” She looked up into his face, seeing the question she knew he´d not asked. “WE´RE ok too.”

Spike pulled her closer to him, never wanting to let her go, wanting to drown in her body.

“Can we go home now, luv?”

“Yeah, let´s go. I want to be alone with you instead of here with all these people.”

She smiled wickedly up at him.

They walked out of the Bronze again for the second time that night. Riley was still there, hidden back in the shadows, watching them. He remembered what he´d told Spike before and he meant it. Now, Spike HAD come near Buffy, so Spike would have to die. Buffy didn´t want him; he´d already lost her. But that bloodsucker was NOT going to have her.

No one saw Riley again, so Buffy assumed he had gone for good. She was happy with that, with being with Spike.

She was at Giles´s shop training. Spike was suppose to meet her there after the sun went down. When he hadn´t shown up and it was an hour after sunset, she started to worry.

“Giles, has Spike called? He was suppose to be here already?”

“No, I´ve not heard from him. Do you suspect that there might be anything wrong?”

“I´m…  I´m not sure. I hope not.”

“What is it Buffy? What do you suspect is the problem?”

She told her watcher about the meeting with Riley a couple of weeks back, about the threats he´d made to Spike before he left and how Riley had injured Spike.

“Buffy, go do your rounds and look for Spike. Let me see if I can find out anything. I´ll call the others for help in searching.”

“Giles… Do you think Riley would have…..”

“Buffy, you know I don´t want to worry you, but it´s possible that Riley may have Spike. “After all, he can´t fight back because Riley is human. Don´t worry yet. It may all be for nothing at this point.”

Buffy left to go look for Spike. Giles was afraid for the vampire, and his first call was to L.A.

“Angel Investigations” Cordelia sounded cheerful over the phone.

“Cordelia, it´s Giles. I need to speak with Angel quickly, please.”

In L.A. Cordelia handed the phone to Angel, “It´s Giles, he sounds worried and wants to talk to you.”

“Yes, Giles” Angel said into the phone.

“Angel, I´m sorry to call and disturb you, but we may have a situation here. I think we´ll need your help….” Giles went on to quickly explain a condensed version of the last few months´ events. “So Riley may well have Spike. As he is your Childe, you can find him much faster than the rest of us might be able to do. I don´t think Buffy can deal with his loss too.”

“I understand, Giles. I´ll be right up as fast as I can drive it. The faster we find Spike, the safer he´ll be. He´s not dead yet. You´re right, as my Childe, I would know it.”

“Giles… is Buffy happy with Spike?”

“Yes, Angel, she is. I don´t think she´s allowed herself to love him yet, or if she does, she doesn´t admit it to herself, but she is happy with him.”

“OK. Thanks, Giles. I´ll be there as fast as I can.” The phone clicked.

Giles called the others and everyone met at the shop, pairs were arranged and they all went looking for where Riley might have Spike. Giles was sure at this point that Spike had been kidnapped. He´d called Joyce to ask if Spike had left and when. She confirmed he´d left at the normal time to go train with Buffy. Giles then had to tell Joyce what had happened as well. But Angel was on the way. Giles just prayed it would be soon enough

After several hours of looking, none of them had managed to find Spike or Riley. Buffy had found an area close to her house where there had obviously been a fight, then the marks of someone having been dragged along the ground to the street. It seemed as though Riley had managed to knock Spike out and drag him to a car. Anya went to stay with Joyce while the others headed to the shop.

While they were all reporting their finds and failure to Giles, Angel walked in.

“Angel!” Buffy yelled and threw herself into his arms, sobbing. He held her as she cried, smoothing her hair, loving her, and knowing that this time it was not him that she was crying for…”Buffy, shhhh shhhh, Love. Spike will be ok. We´ll find him, Giles called me because he´s my Childe. I´ll be able to find him He´s not dead, I´d know it if he were.”

Buffy pulled back to look at him, her face swollen, her eyes red from crying. “You know? He´s ok? You can find him? Please, Angel, find him for me.” 

Her voice broke into a strangled sob.

Angel cupped her face in his hand, “Yes, Buffy. I know, and it´s ok. As long as you are happy with him and he takes care of you, that´s what I want for you. Yes, he´s alive.” “We´ll find him. Now go wash your face while Giles and the gang fill me in on what we know so far.”

With a final sniffle, a sad smile and a nod of her head, Buffy went to the bathroom at the back of the shop. Angel watched her go with a haunted look on his face.

Giles reached out a hand to Angel, “I know this has to be hard on you too, for a lot of reasons. Thank you for coming to help.”

“Yes, it´s hard. You were right to call me though. He´s my Childe, I care about him, I can find him. And if she´s happy with him…… “ Angel´s voice trailed off. He shook himself starting again, “Ok what do we know so far?”

When Buffy came back into the room, much more composed, Angel had been filled in on everything.

“Willow, I´d like for you and Tara to try a location spell. Nothing fancy, just to enhance Spike´s essence so I can ‘feel´ him better and faster.” They quickly ran to pull ingredients off the shelves and started setting up in the permanent circle space Giles had provided for them off to one side of the back of the shop.

“Xander, I need you, Giles and Buffy to bring weapons that won´t kill Riley, but can help stop him. We also need to be prepared to transport Spike and do some emergency first aid, as I´m pretty sure he´s injured by now. We´ll need some blood to help him heal faster.”

Giles and Xander went to get weapons and supplies. Buffy waited by Angel. “We can stop by my house to get blood. He has a supply in the refrigerator there.” She didn´t look at Angel as she said it.

“Buffy,” he reached out and turned her face, with his hand under her chin, until she was facing him, “It´s ok, Buffy. I know he´s living with you. He can take care of you better that way, and he´s safer too being with you with that chip in his head. It´s ok. I´ve known for a while that he loves you. I know you care about him. He can give you what I can´t, Buffy. That´s what I´ve always wanted for you, to be happy. Are you happy with him, Buffy?”

“He´s not you, Angel. But then no one will ever be. A first love will always be there, and you know you were my first love.”

“Yes, I´m happy with Spike. I never thought I would be happy at all, and certainly not with him, but I am. I really am. I just can´t lose him too.”

“I´m going to do everything I can to make sure that you don´t lose him, Buffy.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, as Xander and Giles came back. They heard a shout from Willow and Tara. They rushed back to the others and Willow turned to Angel.

“We did it! Can you feel him any stronger?”

“Yeah, I have a very strong pull toward him. We´re all ready to go now.”

Willow and Tara followed them, “We´re coming too. Spike might be hurt. We can do bandages; feed him blood, from bags of course! Moral support!”

Angel and Giles nodded at each other. They all split up into two cars, Angel´s leading the way.

Angel felt a steady pull and drove toward it, with Buffy and Xander in the car with him; Giles behind him with Willow and Tara. They drove past the edge of town and turned down a small road.

“Oh, There is an old barn out here the Initiative used to use for some training exercises.” “That must be where Riley took him.” Buffy exclaimed.

Angel glanced at her, “I can feel him down here somewhere. Give me directions so we can get there faster.” He didn´t tell Buffy that he was also feeling Spike´s pain through the enhanced connection.

Spike woke slowly.

What the bloody hell hit me? My head is bloody damned going to explode any second now. Where am I?

He realized he couldn´t move, that he was chained down to a table in a dark building.

“Well, Spike, I see you´re finally back among the non-living.” Riley said rather cheerfully to him, anticipating what he had planned for the vampire.

“No thanks to you, you bleedin´ wanker! What th´ bloody hell did you do? Where am I? “And what the devil is going on?” Spike demanded of Riley.

“Oh, you´ll find out soon enough.” and slugged Spike across the face, splitting his lip. Riley then started working Spike over very methodically, beating him. Spike felt a couple of ribs break, then Riley turned around with something in his hands. Spike feeling a blow across both legs, screamed from the pain of his legs breaking as he passed out again.

As the vampire struggled slowly back to a painful consciousness, hurting in even more places, he realized that Riley had continued to beat him even after he was unconscious.

“Awake again. Good. You´re not really any fun to hit when you can´t feel it.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Spiked gasped through clinched teeth against the pain.

“You have a bad memory. I told you to stay away from Buffy.”

“You bloody well left her, mate. She was so upset she almost got killed on patrol. She turned to me crying for comfort because of you. You didn´t wait on her, you never looked back, she´d run her heart out to get to you and called you and called you. You never even looked.”

Riley´s eyes narrowed and he looked hard at Spike. “How the hell do you know that?”

“I was bloody there! I saw it!”

“So once I was out of the way, you took advantage of her being upset, didn´t you?” Riley asked him and punctuated it with another fist to the already broken ribs.

“Aaagggghhhhh! No, I bloody damned did not! But I was there when she turned to me.”

“Yeah. I told you about that.”

“What did you want? Me to just let her die?”

“I wanted you to stay away from her.” Riley hit him again, Spike screamed.

The cars pulled up outside a small barn, some distance from it trying to be quiet. Buffy and Angel with their better hearing, heard Spike´s scream. They looked at each other, Buffy started to move and Angel grabbed her by the arm.

“Let me go in first.”

“No, he´s hurting Spike. I have to go!”

“Buffy, he´s right, let him go first.” Giles whispered from next to them.

“I´ll help the girls get Spike out, Xander will help you two with Riley. But don´t KILL him. You can´t!”

“I can.´ Angel said quietly

“NO, no killing!”

None of them liked it, but there it was. They couldn´t kill Riley. They might hurt him, but they couldn´t kill him.

With that in mind, Buffy and Angel ran to the barn, bursting through the door. Angel barreled on, tackling Riley, with Buffy right behind him. Xander was only a few seconds after them. Giles and the two girls went to Spike, shock in their faces as they saw what Riley had done to the vampire. Giles unfastened his chains and the three of them tried to carry him as gently as they could with his injuries, to the back of Angel´s car. The back seat was bigger.

“I´m going back in. Can you two handle Spike until we all get back here?” Giles asked Willow and Tara.

“Yeah, we can do this.” Willow said through her tears.

With that reassurance, Giles went back inside. Buffy and Angel had beaten Riley into submission, with Angel and Xander holding him while Buffy .. well, yelled at him would be the only way to describe it.

“What the HELL, did you think you were doing? How did you think I was going to feel, or didn´t you care!! How could you DO that to him!!” She punched him in the face. Giles grabbed her arm before she could do it again.

Angel was in full game face, “Did you think none of us would look for him? Or did you just not care?”

Before Riley could answer any of them, Xander got in his comments too. “I didn´t like Spike either. Didn´t like him being with Buffy. But she was happy. You left her. You went to vampire whores before you left. She´s allowed to be happy. And as much as I dislike him, I wouldn´t even do to him what you did. Oh, I´d kill him if he gave me reason, but you.. You just tortured him!”

Riley struggled against the double grip he was in, knowing he couldn´t get out of it.

”I told him before I left to stay away from Buffy. It didn´t matter what I did to him, she wasn´t going to take me back. That damned vampire stood in the way. Just like you, Angel. Because of you, she never loved me. I wasn´t monster enough for her once the Initiative undid the changes they´d made to me.”

“Riley, Angel had nothing to do with me not loving you. I loved you as much as I could. You not having super strength had nothing to do with it either. I told you that. You couldn´t accept who and what I am. That I have to do what I do, that I have to be who I am. It was your own insecurities that kept me from caring more about you than I did. I did try though. But what I saw just now.. What I saw that you did to Spike… How could you? This has never been about me; it´s always been about you! YOU couldn´t accept me, or yourself. You couldn´t accept that my first love had been Angel. A vampire, even though he has a soul.”

“I could kill you for what you´ve done to him, and if he dies, I will!

Giles, took her by the shoulder, “NO, Buffy. You can´t kill Riley. That would be murder.”

“But I can.” Angel said very quietly, “I´ve not killed with a soul since I was cursed with it. But for what you´ve done, I can make an exception.”

“On this one, I´ll even help you.” Xander said just as quietly, looking at Angel.

“Thanks, Xander, but it would be murder for you too.”

“It would be for you as well, Angel.” Giles pointed out to him.

“Yeah, but I´m one of the monsters.”

“No Angel, I won´t let you jeopardize your soul.” Xander said to him, to the shock and surprise of all of them..

Angel dropped his human mask back over his game face, looked at Giles and Buffy. “What do you want us to do with him?”

“Riley, They are going to let you go. And you´re going to leave. Don´t ever come back here again. Because if you do, I won´t kill you, but I´ll do to you everything I find that you did to Spike. By the time anyone knows it´s happened, you´ll be hurt, so don´t think you can stop it. Don´t ever come near Spike, or Angel or any of my friends ever again.” She turned and walked out of the barn to see to her lover.

“And if for some reason, she doesn´t, I WILL.” Giles told him and walked out.

“Ok, dude, we´re gong to turn you lose now. You´d better stay here until we´re all gone.”

Xander told him. He looked at Angel and nodded. They both released their grip on him, Xander watched as they did so, making sure Angel wasn´t touching Riley, then hit Riley with the taser he´d taken out of Riley´s pocket. The same one he was sure Riley had immobilized Spike with to get him to the barn. Riley dropped unconscious. “He´ll be ok in a couple of hours. I wanted us to be gone before we had to turn our backs on him.”

Angel looked surprised at Xander and nodded. He put an arm around the brunette´s shoulder as they walked out. “Good man. Did you mean that about not letting me jeopardize my soul?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Thanks, Xander. I never though I´d hear that from you.”

“You´re welcome, Dead-boy. We all have to grow up.”

Angel chuckled as he told him, “Don´t call me that.”

They drove back to Buffy´s house and got Spike upstairs to the bedroom. They washed the wounds, set his legs, fed him some more. Once he was as comfortable as he was going to be for a while, Willow and Tara went downstairs to talk with Joyce and Anya. Giles, Xander, Angel and Buffy stayed to talk to Spike. He told them what little he knew of how Riley had captured him. They told him of how they had rescued him. Each telling what the others had said until they were all embarrassed, and Spike was smiling as much as his swollen face would allow.

“Thank you.  Thank all of you. I never thought I´d get out of there with my unlife.”

“Hey, you know I won´t allow anyone to beat my Childe except me.. or maybe Buffy.” Angel told him laughing.

“So if you´re ok now, Spike, I´m going to pop down stairs for a cup of tea that Joyce offered.”

“Yeah, thank you, Rupert.”

“You´re welcome, Spike.” Giles left the room with amazement on his face. Spike had just called him by his given name for the first time.

“I´ll just go down with him and leave you guys alone for a few minutes, I´m sure you need to talk without me here.” Xander said as he headed for the door.

“Xander.”

He turned back and looked at Spike, “Yeah, Spike.”

“Thank you for all you did.”

“‘S ok, Spike. If anyone is gonna kill you, I want it to be me.” Xander smiled at him and left.

The three left in the room looked at each other, none of them knowing where to begin.

“Spike, I want to know right now, now that I´ve saved your ass. How do you feel about Buffy?”

Buffy moved over to Spike´s side as he tried to reach for her.

“I love her, mate. I´ve loved her for a while. She´s the reason Dru left me. She´s the reason I came back here. I only want to protect her and make her happy.”

A bit of sadness crossed Angel´s face. Spike could give her what he couldn´t. Spike could be with her as he couldn´t and wanted so badly to be.

Buffy gently squeezed Spike´s hand and walked over to Angel. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for helping to save him for me, Angel. I´m sorry if this hurts you at all. You and I know we can´t be together, and how badly it hurt us to try. “I hope we can get to the point of being friends. But you were my first love, Angel. I´ll always love you. Spike knows that.”

Spike felt his heart crack at her words to his sire.

Buffy went on, “ I´m happy with Spike, and he´s promised to not leave me. I´d like you to be happy for us, Angel, if you can.”

“He leaned down and kissed her very gently for a second, “I can be happy for you two, Buffy. I´m sorry I hurt you, I´m sorry that I can´t be with you. But I´m glad that it´s my Childe that can make you happy if I can´t be here. I´ll always be your friend.”

He gave her a quick hug.

“I´ve got to head back if I want to beat the sunrise. You two keep in touch and let me know how this idiot is doing.”

He ruffled the hair on Spike´s head, then turned and went downstairs with the others.

Buffy sat gently on the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, luv. Sorry to worry you.”

“Now that we´re alone. I need to tell you something. When I realized you were missing, that Riley had taken you. I remembered what you said he had told you before he left. I was terrified he´d kill you. I realized then what you mean to me.”

“Angel was my first love, and yes, I´ll always love him. Just as I know that somewhere in your heart you´ll always love Dru. But Angel is my past. I want you to be my future, William. Because I´ve fallen completely in love with you.”

Spike was shocked, pleased, bewildered. “Do you mean it, Buffy? Do you really love me? I want you to be my future too. You´re right, I´ll always love Dru, but she is my past. You´re my now and always.”

“Yeah, I love you. Let me very carefully show you how much.” She snickered at him as she closed the bedroom door and locked it. Buffy walked back over to the bed and pulled the sheets down on Spike as she leaned toward his groin, with a twinkle in her eye.

“Love! Buffy! Agggghhhhh!”

Down stairs, everyone had talked about the various parts of the evening. As they were starting to leave, Angel suddenly looked up the stairs toward the bedroom with Buffy and Spike. Then through clenched teeth, he said to Willow and Tara, “Can you girls remove that enhancement spell really fast? There are just somethings in Spike´s life I DON´T need to know.”

Willow blushed as she grabbed Tara´s hand and ran out the door.” Right now, Angel!”