***

Part Ten

***

//thought> he had it all before they called his bluff
found out that his skin wasn't thick enough
wanted to go back to how it was before
thought he lost everything
then he lost a whole lot more//

A stunned silence followed the dying howl of the eldest vampiress in Sunnydale. Her scream shook the walls and a demonic screech sounded as her body transformed itself to ash, exploding at Angel's feet. He almost felt that her death would somehow kill him too and he waited several seconds and looked up, meeting Buffy's eyes with the sweet realization that he was finally free of his Sire and the demon who had claimed him as her mate.

"That was just...neat," Spike said smiling broadly, "I never thought you had it in you, Peaches. First pretending to be my old Sire and then dusting the bitch!"

"There's probably a lot you don't know about me, William," Angel said, using Spike's true name as a reminder of what he knew about his Grande Childe. Angel backed toward Buffy as he felt golden eyes around the room, glowing and in wait for the attack.

"Course, as much as I'm not gonna miss that tyrannical bint," Spike mused, stepping forward, "I can't just let you leave."

"Aw, Spike," Angel said, grabbing Buffy's hand and squeezing it. He began stepping back, leading her with him and he continued speaking, "I know you've missed me, buddy, but you're just gonna have to learn to live without me."

"I'll learn to live without you," Spike said, growling, "Kill them!"

Angel and Buffy turned together and ran toward the exit. Letting go of each other's hands they brandished stakes and began punching, kicking and dusting a path to the door. When an arrow struck a vamp in front of her, Buffy looked up and saw an empty doorway there. She didn't have time to wonder who shot the arrow, however, as she charged through the falling dust and crescent kicked her next attacker.

The Slayer finally made it to the door and nearly screamed in surprise as she saw Giles, Oz and a dark haired woman standing there. It didn't occur to her to wonder why she hadn't seen them before. She immediately turned back around to see where Angel was. He was only steps behind her, fighting a last vampire. They congregated around Angel, strangely trying to keep him inside the crypt instead of trying to reach the human blood that awaited them at the door. Buffy screamed for him to break free and follow, but he either didn't hear her or didn't have time to look up. Instead, he continued to fight and battle the undead demons attacking him.

"Damn it," Buffy swore and prepared to charge back into the fray after him when the dark haired woman grabbed her arm.

"You're safe," the woman said in a firm voice, "Leave him and we can get away."

"I don't know who the hell you are," Buffy said, "But I'm not leaving him there. Either we both leave or we both stay!"

"That's not possible," the woman replied calmly, "There's a protection spell here at the threshold. That's why he's not following you. He can't. No vampire can."

"Who the hell is this bitch?" Buffy shouted at Giles.

"Jenny Calendar," Giles replied helplessly, surprised at the news himself. He had heard her performing a spell but didn't know what it was until now, "She's a gypsy and is going to help us with the curse for Willow."

"What she's going to do," Buffy ordered through clenched teeth, "Is tear down this protection spell so Angel can get out!"

"I'm sorry," Jenny said, "It will put all our lives in jeopardy if I do that. I won't sacrifice all of us for one vampire."

"Will the spell still work if I break your fucking neck?" Buffy shouted.

"Yes," Jenny said, "Once the spell is cast, the magick will continue for at least an hour after I'm dead."

Buffy punched the woman squarely in the nose, sending her down to the floor on her firm ass. The Slayer didn't see the blood dripping from the gypsy woman's nose because she was already running back in to fight at Angel's side.

***

//you> and me
we're in this together now
none of them can stop us now
we will make it through somehow
you and me
if the world should break in two
until the very end of me
until the very end of you//

Angel found himself flanked by his brethren on all sides and he flung them away, thanking the Powers that he had chosen to mark Buffy ten minutes before. His body was charged with her blood and had tripled his already superior strength. He tore through their cold bodies as Buffy ran through the door. He fought, trying find a path to get to that door, but couldn't seem to shake them off.

He glanced over at the door and it stood empty. He wanted to fall to his knees and let them take him as he realized that she had left him there. How would he ever be able to explain why he had bitten her; why he had taken her blood? Didn't she see that he had done all this because she asked him to? He knew the moment he heard the idea for him to come here and pretend to be his former self that it was a mistake. He was certain then that he would lose the love of his life because of this hoax and now he saw his fears coming to life before his eyes.

He turned around, glancing at the door to be sure she was gone, only to see her appearing through the doorway. She actually appeared. She didn't just run through. It was more like she had leapt through a portal. He assumed what she screamed was his name but all he actually heard was the last syllable. She ran full force toward him and the vampires crawling over him like vermin.

Renewed with her return, he fought with more vigor, staking three vampires in rapid succession. Thankfully, none of the idiots had stakes or weapons to fight him, so they were all reduced to using their weak, bare hands. He snuck a glance at Buffy, who was surrounded by half of them now. He turned back quickly, fighting again but the imagine of her body moving fast and sleek through the bumbling undead was a vision that burned into his memory. The way she moved was nothing less than magnificent, using her small body to her advantage, moving away from their swings, dodging their blows. The way she used their own weight against them was brilliant, forcing them to counterattack when they thought they were attacking. In all The Slayers he had seen she was by far the most inventive. If he hadn't already loved her before that moment, he would have fallen then.

Staking another vampire gave him a chance to take a second to look back and saw that Spike had slipped in behind and snaked his arms under hers. Buckling his hands at the base of her neck, she was effectively trapped there. Angel scanned the room. Thinking quickly and more desperately than he ever had in his long unlife, his leg snapped out in a powerful back kick, forcing the vampire behind him to his knees. Leaping on his back, Angel used the fledgling as a springboard. He dove across the room and swept Drusilla into his arms. With one smooth movement, he snapped her beautiful neck.

Her scream alerted Spike, who turned and stared at his mate crying in Angel's arms. Her neck was twisted at an unnatural angle and he could hear her desperate whimpering from over the din. Angel's stake poised at her full breast, prepared to strike.

"Everybody stop!" Spike screamed and the room ground to an undead silence.

***

//no> you can't take it
no you can't take it
no you can't take that away from me//

Giles watched with disbelief as Buffy went back through the threshold, risking her life to defend the life of a vampire! He actually stared for several minutes trying to digest the overload as he watched her fight. Just as Angel was, Giles found himself captivated by her skill and ability. He had barely been able to see her fight before and found her that she executed her moves adeptly. He caught himself taking note of her flaws as to instruct her later on improvements and snapped back to reality as he realized the severity of the situation.

"You take this...thing down," Giles demanded of the technopagan gypsy Wicca, wagging his finger in her pretty face, "I'll not have my Slayer die because you're afraid of a few vampires."

"Rupert," Jenny said, "It's suicide to reveal ourselves to them."

"It's suicide," Giles said, raising his crossbow, "If you don't. I don't wish to harm you, Miss, but I will to save Buffy's life."

They all looked out as they heard Spike scream and Jenny looked back over to see that both Rupert and Oz were both pointing crossbows at her, prepared to kill her over one little girl and a vampire. They were right. She was terrified. Despite all her cocky banter, she was not prepared for what she saw when they arrived at the crypt. She put up the wall immediately protecting herself from certain death. She wasn't used to danger at this close proximity. She was much better at casting spells from much, much further away.

Waving her hand and trying to keep it from shaking as she did, she whispered a string of Latin phrases. Giles looked through to see Buffy still Spike's embrace and a whimpering dark haired vampiress in Angel's. The air at the threshold seemed to swell and recede before lying still once more.

"Did it work?" he whispered to her. She nodded, unable to hide the fear etched over her face. She stared into the room and began mentally preparing herself for death.

***

//you> always were the one to show me how
back then i couldn't do the things that i can do now
this thing is slowly taking me apart. grey would be the color if i had a heart//

Spike tightened his grip on Buffy as he yelled and she held in a moan of pain as she felt her arms stretched even more. Just a quick yank and the blonde vampire could pull her arms from the sockets. She glanced around the room and was happy to see that she and Angel had managed to take out almost all of their minions. The crypt had only ten or so remaining vampires, watching the display. She watched as the gentle hands of her lover held the mangled body of Drusilla against his. One hand gripped her broken throat, squeezing it with anger as a vicious stream of snarls sounded.

"Dru," Spike said gently as he pushed Buffy in front on him, nearing his lover and Sire, "It's okay, baby."

"My Angel," she whimpered, "Spike, my Angel is going to kill me."

"That's right, Dru," Angel growled, pressing the stake against her chest,"A simple trade, Spike. Your mate for mine."

"You kill her and I'll -" Spike started.

"We don't have time for idle threats, Spikey," Angel growled, pressing the stake harder into her flesh and drawing blood, "Let The Slayer go."

"I can't bloody believe this!" Spike yelled, "If I let her go, you can still stake Dru. I'm not stupid, ya Poof!"

"You wanna just stand here and act like we're at an impasse then?" Angel asked, smiling through his fangs, "Because I have the blood of The Slayer in my veins. I can stand here all day. But my beautiful Drusilla is in a lot of pain."

Even though Buffy understood that his callous words and behavior were only to save her life, she was still trapped in the conflicting memories of him professing his love and the cacophony of his fury. Palatable and fierce, it seemed to whisk around the room, adhering to those looking on, ambushing them and bringing them to their knees. Inside her battling emotions, she fell deeper in love with him and deeper into confusion of who he really was.

"I don't know when I hate you more," Spike thundered, walking closer. He was trying to stall, trying to come up with a plan that ensured Dru's safety but nothing was coming to mind. The only thing he was certain of was that he didn't want to live for eternity if he couldn't have his mate by his side, "When you have a soul or when you don't. Either way, you're a gigantic bloody ninny!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Angel taunted, still caught in Angelus' frame of mind, "Still not seeing my lover released. Kinda pissing me off, actually. My hands shake when I'm mad, Spike. I might just slip."

"Alright, alright!" Spike bellowed, locking eyes with Angel. Drusilla's whimpers of pain were just too painful to bear. He released Buffy slowly, keeping his eyes on the stake that pressed against her chest. He pushed Buffy away from him, releasing her completely. Angel paused before dropping Drusilla on the ground at his feet. The best thing Spike ever saw in his entire unlife, was the sight of his mate dropping to the floor, damaged, in agony and intact.

***

//a> thousand lips a thousand tongues
a thousand throats a thousand lungs
a thousand ways to make it true
i wanna do terrible things to you//

Willow watched the whole scene from the sidelines. Leaning causally against the wall, she waited while the battle she knew to be fruitless was carried on in vain. She tucked her anger for what had been done to her deep inside. She had greatly underestimated Puppy and it was a mistake she didn't mean to duplicate. Ever.

Darla had been stupid, led by her sickened version of love for Angel. Spike was trapped in the same worthless idealistic world, where mates were meant to stay by each other's sides for eternity. She felt a twinge of regret for destroying Xander but too much emotion couldn't be wasted on what couldn't be changed. Now she had to focus her enthusiasm on making sure that Puppy paid for his duplicity in the worst way imaginable.

She narrowed her eyes in contempt as she watched the remaining members of their sad excuse for a family let The Slayer and Puppy leave unhindered. Three humans were waiting at the door and they all were allowed to leave untouched just because he had hurt that whiney, not to mention fucking crazy, Drusilla! If anything had been learned by the red headed vampiress, it was that strings to anyone were weaknesses.

The chafing memory of her attempt to lure who she thought was Angelus into her bed made her stomach churn. She had allowed herself to be tricked into the same damn pitfall that held Spike, Drusilla and the pile of dust that had been Darla. She allowed herself to want more of what she had before. When she had time to play with Puppy, when she had him in chains, she wasn't moronic enough to ever release his bonds, to ever feed him enough to give him physical strength. The mistake she made was becoming addicted to the power that remained, the power she could never rid him of. His sheer strength of will made her tingle inside. She never revealed to any of her brethren how much she had enjoyed riding her Puppy, feeling him inside her, making him give her everything he didn't want to give. He made her savage with want and she was still trying to understand it. He watched her like a hunter and she knew every time she touched him, that in his mind, he was already creating a wound. She thought it was her power over him but she was quickly realizing her error in judgement.

She walked out of the crypt after the growing white hat team. Sunset was falling in soft colors, fading into the horizon as she left her family behind. Those weaklings had nothing to offer her. Now all she wanted was a reckoning. It was time to make her Puppy bark again.

***

//it> didn't turn out the way you wanted it to
it didn't turn out the way you wanted it, did it?//

Buffy slammed both feet into the grass, not taking a moment to enjoy being in the fresh night air again before turning on Jenny Calendar, the newest and not so likable member of their team.

"Okay, what the hell were you trying to do down there?" Buffy demanded.

Angel looked on in obvious confusion, taken aback by Buffy's anger. After surveying the rest of the faces in the group, he saw that he was the only one out of the loop there.

"Trying to keep from dying," Jenny said firmly, but apologetically, "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to put you or anyone else in danger."

"Do us a favor and don't help!" Buffy shouted, "You could have gotten Angel killed with your clever little spell. Good fucking work."

"No offense," Jenny said, nodding at the dark vampire standing intimately close to The Slayer, "But he's a vampire. You put yourself in extreme danger to save him. You need to stay alive to carry out your duties."

"Excuse me," Buffy said, "But why don't you let me decide what I want to do with my life? For your information, not that you need to know this, but Angel has risked his life repeatedly to save mine since I've been here. You don't have a leg to stand on so butt the hell out, before I butt your ass out!"

"Buffy, that's enough," Giles said sternly, looking over her with a look so severe that she closed her mouth, "Jenny's actions were misguided but she had good intentions. She was not trying to harm Angel. Please let's just move on."

"Moving," Buffy said before turning on her heel and walking away. Angel looked over the dark haired woman for a moment before nodding to Giles and following.

"I'm gonna move too," Oz said, heading toward his apartment, "Catch ya later, Giles, Miss Calendar."

Giles looked over Jenny, who seemed pale and deathly afraid. He had been very angry before at her rather ruthless actions, but looking over her now, he understood that she was doing what she thought was right. He took a deep breath and offered his arm to her. A shaky hand looped around, landing at his elbow and he led her back to his apartment in a slow, easy stride, as if they were headed for Sunday tea.

***

//she> shines
in a world full of ugliness
she matters
when everything is meaningless//

Angel listened to Buffy's enraged explanation of what had transpired while they were at the crypt. He felt like he was seeing her metamorphosize before his very eyes. He thought back on her anger before and the relentless bitterness she carried with her when she arrived. This stomping rant was nothing like the deeply wounded rage she had before. This was simply the anger of a woman defending the man she loved.

The man she loved.

Angel could barely believe he even thought that. How could she make him feel like a real man in such a short time? He had waited so long for her to arrive but he never really knew what to expect when she came. He never thought he would look into those green eyes and see love there. And real love, not just lust or want, but a true, unbroken stream of love. He hated that he allowed himself to think she had left him again. Such little faith for his beautiful mate was returned for her sacrifices.

"And then," she shouted, "She had the gall to tell me that you were just a vamp-"

Angel caught her by the arm as she tramped ahead of him and swept her into his arms. He kissed her firmly, then more passionately as he parted her lips and explored her sweet mouth with his tongue. He allowed his fingers to make their way through her hair as he kissed her. He pulled away slowly and looked into her eyes as they fluttered open.

"ire," she said, finishing her last word.

"That's what I thought you were going to say," he said, smiling and kissing her again gently.

"What was that for?" she asked, running her fingers lightly over his face.

"For saving me," he said, "for loving me and understanding why I did what I had to do...for being you. I love you, Buffy."

"I love you," she whispered back, "I couldn't just let you die."

"I'm glad," he said hoarsely, amazed at how quickly his body was already warming to her touch. He took her hand and walked toward the mansion, loving the way she held on tightly, always just shy of a squeeze.

"I think I'm gonna have a scar though," she said, rubbing her neck, "Guess I should be glad this one won't be on my face."

"You will," he said, looking straight ahead, "I'm sorry."

"You marked me?" she asked, looking over at him.

"I was hoping you weren't going to ask me that," he admitted, "But yes. Essentially, it's a mark of territory. Every vampire who sees it will realize that you already...uh, belong to someone. It's the vampire code of honor, so to speak."

"Vampire code of honor?" she said, "That's laughable."

"Maybe 'honor' is the wrong word," Angel said, "There are rules in the world of vampires. But it all amounts to fear really. They allowed me to walk in and take over as Master because they feared me. They still feared me when they found out I still had a soul but they had to fight me because I was the enemy again. Other vampires will be afraid to kill you if they see the mark, especially if they think that Angelus put it there."

"A little cocky, are we?" she said with a smile.

"Sometimes," he said, taking on his arrogant strut. She laughed and batted his arm, while still clutching his hand. After his display earlier that evening, she had no doubt of why the other vampires feared him. She was more than glad that he was on her side. She never wanted to fight him and asked the Powers that she would never have to.

***

//lick> around divine debris
taste the wealth of hate in me
shedding skin succumb defeat//

Resetting the bones in Drusilla's neck was no mean trick and Spike felt his rage increasing with each whimper from his mate's lips. He sent several of his men out to bring her some food and then laid with her, listening to her moans of pain late into the night.

"How can I make you well, love?" he whispered, kissing her dark head.

"Du Lac," she groaned.

"Who?" he asked, caressing her bruised arm.

"Josephus du Lac," she groaned again, "From the Sire, the Childe will heal."

Spike sat up in bed, looking down at her, deciphering her words for a few minutes before standing. He strode to the door and yelled, "Dalton!"

It was an important name to Spike, apparently, worthy of repeating loudly four times before a small, bespeckled vampire appeared at the door.

"Find out who the bloody hell Du Lac is," Spike said, staring down at the demon, "Now!"

Spike watched as his minion ran off in search of the information and was suddenly glad the weakling had managed to hide somewhere during the previous debacle. He crawled back into bed and gathered Drusilla's body close to his.

"It's going to be alright now, baby," he soothed, "Everything's going to be alright."

***

//i'm> just caught up in another of her spells
well she's turning me into someone else//

Buffy turned her face up to accept another kiss from Angel and leaned her head against his chest for a moment, murmuring a tiny "yum" into his shirt. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her shoulders.

"Tired," she said with a yawn.

"Don't know why," he said with a small smile, "All you did was sit around all night."

"Yeah," she said, "I'm such a slacker."

"Worst I've ever seen," he whispered, kissing her hair again and inhaling her smell. She was a paradox, nearly falling asleep, leaning against him, while her hands moved over his back in the most delightful way. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, telling himself that he wasn't turned on, he just was putting her to bed.

"Where are we going?" she said while she yawned.

"I'm putting you to bed," he answered.

"Need a bath," she said, eyes closed, head against his shoulder, "Dirty. Can't go to bed like this."

"You'll fall asleep in the tub," he said, genuinely concerned.

"You'll just have to keep me awake then," she said, peeking sleepily up at him and biting his shoulder.

"If you're not careful," he growled, "I'll keep you awake all night."

"Scary," she whispered sarcastically with her eyes already closed again.

***

Part Eleven

***

//in a dream i'm a different me
with a perfect you
we fit perfectly
and for once in my life i feel complete//

Buffy was fast asleep in his arms as Angel hovered in the pathway between the bedroom and the bathroom. She said she wanted to clean up before bed but she looked so exhausted nestled against his chest. Every time he looked at her he found himself loving her more even when he had previously thought he had reached the plateau of his devotion. But Buffy provided an endless spring of beauties for him to latch onto and worship. So he stood there, looking down on her with a silly smile on his face.

He kissed her forehead, closing his eyes slowly as he did, lingering on her skin for a second or two longer than was required. He turned finally and headed for the bedroom. He laid her gently there and stood up looking down on her.

His wound on her throat had closed and begun healing already and he saw a glimpse of the scar that would remain. A pang of guilt jaunted along with a twinge of glory. She was marked as his now. As much as he knew he probably shouldn't be proud of that, he was. He wanted the whole world to know she was his. He wanted to shout it from the damn rooftops.

He was starting to enter the dangerous mind set that he could be with her, stay with her and love her as if he were a normal man with a normal girl. His brow furrowed in concern as he noticed how pale she was and suddenly wondered when she had last eaten. He cursed to himself as he stalked to the kitchen and looked around only to find that there was no food to be found. He almost slapped his forehead with irritation. He walked out of the mansion, mentally berating himself as he headed out to the only place that would be open late in a town as small as Sunnydale. How could he have a normal life with a human girl if he couldn't even remember that she needed to eat?

Idiot, he thought as he walked in the night. Even through his frustration with himself, he couldn't be that upset. Surely she had eaten during the day when he hadn't been with her. In order to keep up her strength over the days she had been here she had to. Besides, when the most beautiful woman in the world was sleeping in your bed, you just couldn't frown. He was even having a little bit of difficulty brooding.

***

//nothing quite like the feel of something new//

"I think they're sleeping together," Jenny said, her voice muffled from the ice pack she held at her nose.

"Certainly not," Giles replied, abashed that she would even suggest that his Slayer was intimate with a member of the undead, even if Angel was officially on the home team. Of course, Buffy had acted extremely jealous that Angel might join the beds of his old acquaintances and that had played a major part in the argument, but still. Giles could not swallow the idea that Buffy would ever sleep with him! He was stuck in the mental denial that many parents have about their teenage daughters. Maybe everyone else was having sex, but not my child!

"Quit being a fuddy duddy," Jenny said, pulling the ice from her eyes to glare at him mockingly, "He was nearly climbing in her pants before they got out of sight."

"Fuddy duddy, indeed! I refuse to except that Buffy would have intimate relations with a vampire," Giles said, crossing his arms in a grown up version of pouting.

"I know you're a man," Jenny said, smiling gently at him for his fatherly denial, "But had you taken a second to look at the vampire in question, you would notice a couple of things."

"Like what, for instance?" Giles demanded.

"Like he's a honey - vampire or not," Jenny said, "I can't imagine many girls not going for him and secondly, they looked at each other like two people in love."

"A honey?" Giles echoed in near confusion.

"Well, where is she living?" Jenny asked, digging in.

"Living?" Giles asked, "Well, she most likely has taken up residence in the local...I don't know."

"Uh-huh," Jenny said, nodding triumphantly, "She's sleeping with him!"

"Dear Lord," he muttered, trying to cling to the strain of hope he had for his Slayer's innocence. It occurred to him suddenly that 'many girls' may include the woman in front of him. Bumbling through his words, he began asking, "Would you be the sort of girl who...well, er...what I mean to say is..."

"No," she said, shaking her head slowly, "I'd much rather have myself a sexy fuddy duddy."

"I'm sorry?" Giles said, reddening at the suggestion. Jenny's mouth quirked in a half smile at him as he tried to grasp the idea of her preferring him.

"You heard me," she said quietly, bringing the ice pack back up to her nose as if it could defend her from her own embarrassment. She hadn't mean to reveal how she felt about him. It just sorta jumped out of her mouth. He was just so cute in his concern and the way he had defended his charge previously was so damn sexy. She was right when she originally assumed that this was no ordinary bookworm.

"Er...um..." he stumbled, clearing his throat nervously, "Speaking of places to stay, have you acquired some place to sleep while you are visiting?"

"Not yet exactly," she said, "I have an interview tomorrow for the open computer teacher position at the school. I was going to check into the hotel but I came here first since I was running late and I wasn't planning on spending my evening in a vampire crypt."

"I see," Giles said, nodding, "Well, you are welcome to stay here. Of course, I mean I have a guest bedroom. I was in no way implying..."

"Thank you, Rupert," she said, cutting off his apprehensive gurgling, "That would be very kind of you."

***

//i can squeeze, you can shake me i can feel, when you break me//

Angel was glad he had gone to the kitchen to put everything away before he went into the bedroom to check on Buffy because he would have dropped it all on the floor if he hadn't. When he walked in she was walking in from the bathroom, freshly showered, with a towel around her body and one around her hair.

"H-hey," he choked, mouth hanging open as he stared at her. Little drops of water still clung to her shoulders and chest and he had the desire to lick them off her golden skin.

"Hey," she said back, still not comfortable in her nakedness around him, even though she was completely covered in a towel, "I woke up and you weren't here."

"I went to get you some food," he said, trying to get his mind to work as he felt his arousal stirring. Suddenly, the leather pants no longer seemed like a good idea, "I realized that you hadn't eaten and you might be...um...you know, ah..."

"Hungry?" She asked, shifting awkwardly under his stare.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head while his eyes swept over her body. He made his way toward her as he growled, "Hungry."

"I'm starving," she admitted, holding the towel against herself - or actually, clutching it with a death grip.

"Me too," he answered and then stood there for a moment before blinking himself back to reality. He turned and headed toward the kitchen, forcing himself to take the steps away from her nearly naked body, calling out behind him, "There wasn't much I could get for you. The grocery store was closed. Got some eggs and milk. Did you know they sell that at the gas station? And some junk food. Do you like eggs?"

"Yes," she said, sitting on the bed and toweling off her hair. She brushed out her tangles as tears sprung to her eyes and she tried to keep them at bay, thinking it was simply ridiculous to cry over eggs.

"What did you say?" he asked, peeking through the doorway, "You do or you don't like - what's wrong?"

He rushed to her and sat down next to her on the bed, looking over her in confusion. She didn't appear to have any wounds that he missed. He couldn't have upset her for getting food, could he?

"It's just that you keep taking care of me," she blubbered, leaning against the offered shoulder.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, unsure of what he was supposed to say.

"No one has taken care of me for a long time," she answered, wiping her tears away, "I'm sorry. This is stupid. I don't know why I'm crying."

"It's not stupid," he answered, "You can cry if you want. And I like to take care of you. I'm glad you let me."

"No," she said, standing up and crossing the room to set down her brush, trying to remember who she was before she met him, "I can't get this emotional. Believe it or not, before I met you I hadn't cried in years."

"I'm sorry I make you emotional," he said, standing up too, "But what's wrong with it?"

"It's weak," she said, turning on him, "Loving you this much, getting used to how you treat me, it's dangerous. It'll kill me when it's over."

"When it's over?" he echoed angrily, "You think I'm going to wake up one day and decide I'm tired of loving you?"

"I don't know," she answered, "Maybe. I've lost everyone else. Why wouldn't I lose you? Besides, you could die any moment with all the danger around here."

"Yeah," he said, "It's a great idea to keep yourself from having something because you're afraid you might lose it. You know, Buffy, you confuse the hell out of me. First, you tell me that it's okay for me to love you and that we should be together and then you change your mind when it means that you have to care. I don't get it."

"I don't either," she said, "I'm sorry. I'm scared. I don't want to doubt this, but I can't help it."

"I haven't loved anyone else in my entire life," he said, taking hold of her bare shoulders, "Believe me when I say that I will never change my mind about that. You're the only one for me. Forever. And since I'm immortal, I do mean forever."

"What if you die?" she whispered, "What if they kill you?"

"I won't die," he answered.

"But what if you do?"

"I won't," he promised, pulling her into his arms. He knew his promise wasn't definite. She was right, either of them could die at any time, but he couldn't live with the constant fear that she would die. He pulled back and wiped her tears away and kissed her gently. Smiling down at her, he said, "Eggs?"

"Sure," she said, nodding and watched as he walked back out.

***

//i give you everything
my sweet everything//

"Read it again," Spike ordered, leaning over the nervous vampire as Drusilla laid in bed across the room, flipping tarot cards on the bedspread.

"Well, I'm not sure," the vampire said, shrugging, "It could be ...deprimere...ille...bubula...linter..."

"Debase the beef canoe," Spike said, flipping through a Latin dictionary with frustration. Dalton looked up at him, smiling weakly and was rewarded with a punch in the face and the irritated voice of his abuser yelling, "Why does that strike me as not right?"

"Spike," Drusilla said, looking over her cards, "Come see."

"Give us some peace, would you?" he shouted in exasperation, "Can't you see I'm working?"

With the sound of her whining, his face fell as he headed over to her side, "Oh, I'm sorry, kitten. It's just this manuscript. Supposed to hold your cure and it reads like gibberish. Even Dalton here, the big brain, can't make heads or tails of it."

"You'll make it right," she said, as her hand caressed his face, "I know you will."

He leaned in and kissed her gently before standing up and heading back over to Dalton, "Come on now. Enlighten me."

"Uh, w-w-well it looks like Latin," Dalton said, pushing his glasses up on his nose with a shaky hand, "But it's not. I'm not even sure it's a language, actually."

"Then make it a language!" Spike raged, screaming in his minion's ear, "Isn't that what a transcriber does?"

"Well, not exactly-" he started but was cut off when Spike grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him from the chair.

"I want the cure!" Spike growled.

"Don't," Drusilla moaned, flipping another card.

"Why not?" Spike asked, punching Dalton again, "Some people find pain very inspirational."

"He can't help you," she answered, pointing to the last card she flipped, "Not without the key."

***

//come so heavy, then you take me
you make love, you make love, you make love, you make love//

Buffy ate what she thought were the best scrambled eggs she had ever had. Toast with butter and grape jelly went along great with the orange juice that tasted freshly squeezed, but probably wouldn't be so good if she wasn't famished. She gobbled her food quickly, glad that Angel had decided to take a shower rather than watch her eat. She was sure he would not be so attracted to her if he could see the way she was shoveling it in.

She washed the dishes when she was finished as she heard Angel turn the water off. She wasn't sure if she actually got them clean because she was too busy imagining him in the shower, his hands moving over his own body, water gliding over him. It was still strange to think of him as her lover. They had only made love a couple of times and she still wasn't comfortable with the idea of initiating anything. She had to take a moment to collect her strength before she headed toward the bedroom.

She leaned around the corner, not sure whether she hoped he was naked or dressed. When she looked it, she found that he was neither actually. He was laying on the bed with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, looking as if he moved at all it would fall away. She sucked in a breath while she snuck in, feeling like a thief as she crawled onto the bed and looked down at him sleeping.

She took the time to look over his body, taking in each detail of him, each curve of muscle, each inch of his nearly perfect skin. She thought that if any body should be preserved for eternity, it should be this one.

***

//you're too physical to me
you're really jus-just too-just
too really fuck no
you're just too physical
you're just too physical
too fucking physical//

Willow stood just beyond the threshold of the mansion, taking in the smell of Buffy and Angel mating. The smell of them attacked her senses and she felt her own arousal forming with the memory of Angel inside her. That stupid, immature Slayer had no idea what to do with a vampire, what his body was capable of. Just by listening to their lovemaking, she could tell that the little inexperienced bitch was not even close to pleasing him.

She should be in there, riding him, making him beg for her instead of that human. How could he settle for some little girl when her resilient body could take as much as The Slayer and so much more? She growled silently and turned away as her plan began to form in her mind. She just needed to find the right place at the right time. That's all.

"Damn," a voice said behind her, making her turn around to see a bleach blonde vampire.

"What do you want?" she asked, walking toward him.

"Well, someone's all hot and bothered," Spike said with a grin, inhaling her arousal and nudging his thumb in the waist of his black jeans as he grew hard from the smell of her.

"I said, 'What do you want?'" she growled.

"I was going to ask for some assistance with our super duo," Spike said, "But your scent is forcing my thoughts in another direction."

"You think I'm going to help you?" she said with a laugh, "You'll just fuck up all my plans."

"I think we could work together," he said smoothly, stepping closer, "And since you ruthlessly killed your mate, I'm guessing you might need...something else too."

"Go fuck your broken whore," she cast over her shoulder, "I don't have time for you."

"You'll make time," he said, pulling her roughly against him and pressing his arousal against her leather covered groin. He pulled down her top, freeing her breasts and pinched her nipples roughly between his fingers, shooting as much pain as pleasure through her.

"You think I'm just going to spread just because every other girl does?" she asked, but not moving away.

"You killed your mate for Angelus," he growled, throwing her to the ground and jumping on top of her, "Xander didn't hurt you enough, did he?"

"Don't talk to me about him," she growled back, digging her claws into the arms that pinned her to the ground. She pressed up against him aggressively and growled again, "In fact, don't talk at all."

Go to Part Twelve