Chapter 1 - Chance Meeting


A/N For the purposes of this story, vampire slayers can be both male and
female. Also, the events of “Angel” didn’t occur as they did in the series.
All will be explained soon.

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William ‘Spike’ Bradley sat surveying the crowd in the Bronze on the busy
Friday night. He was currently listening to his friend Charles Gunn telling
his girlfriend Winifred Burkle about a band that would be playing there on
the following night. Fred, for her part, was trying to look interested.

“Whoa, man.” Spike turned to look at his friend. “Check out the hottie at
the bar.”

Spike smirked as his friend’s comment got him a smack on the shoulder and
turned his attention, raising an eyebrow at the young woman he saw sitting
by herself. His gaze traveled up the length of her toned legs, admiring the
way her skirt slipped higher as she shifted on one of the barstools. Her
long-sleeved shirt had a deep V-neck in the front that exposed her cleavage
generously. Spike watched, almost mesmerized, as the girl tossed her long,
golden hair over one shoulder, revealing an attractive face with a seemingly
bored expression.

“You should go ask her to dance, Spike.”

Spike glowered at his friend. “Need I remind you, mate, that you’re not the
only one with a girlfriend.”

“How could we forget,” Gunn muttered to Fred, who tried to restrain a giggle,
earning them both another glare from their friend.

“Aw, come on, Spike,” Fred jumped in. “Cecily’s not even here tonight, and
one little dance won’t hurt. It’s not like you have to get out and start
slaying anytime soon.”

“Maybe later,” Spike replied, seemingly disinterested. In actuality, he
found himself drawn to the girl but fought against it.

At 21, Spike had been the Slayer for four years. He and his Watcher had
been shocked when he was called at 17. His Watcher had made no secret of
the fact that he was assigned to Spike because he was an older potential,
thus no chance of him ever becoming the actual Slayer. A year after he was
called, he decided leave his home in London to attend college in America,
with the Watcher’s Council pushing for him to go to UCSunnydale since it was
conveniently located on the Hellmouth. His first week at school, he met Gunn
and Fred. At the same time, he inadvertently staked a vampire in front
of them, earning him the nickname of Spike from Gunn, who had been fighting
vamps for several years.

“Hey, Spike,” Fred spoke up. “Your mystery girl is leaving.”

Spike’s head flew back around to the bar as he saw the girl pay off her tab
and stand up. Before he knew what he was doing, Spike was out of his seat
and standing behind her as she turned around.

“Leaving so soon, luv? I was kind of hoping you’d do me the honor of a
dance,” he said, offering his hand as her expressive hazel eyes sized him
up.

“That sounds nice,” she said with a smile and let him lead her out to the
dance floor.

As they embraced each other for the slow music, Spike had different
sensations coursing through his body- the adrenaline he usually got when he
was patrolling as well as a sense of comfort and understanding of the woman
in his arms. As he pulled her closer, his shoulders nearly slumped.

‘Damn,’ he thought. ‘Why do all the hot ones always have to be undead?’

After a few minutes, the song ended, and Spike looked down at her. “Care to
take a walk, pet?”

“Fine with me. I’d like the chance to talk to you.”

With his hand splayed across her back, Spike led her towards the door of the
Bronze, passing his table and grabbing his duster in one fluid motion as he
gave his friends a look. Gunn nodded, and he and Fred began gathering their
things. Spike led her out the door and let it close behind him. With a
quick scan of the alley, he saw that they were alone. As she turned to face
him, Spike landed a punch to her jaw. He saw the look of shock briefly
cross her face before counter-attacking. The two fluidly traded blows as
the door swung open again with Gunn charging out to aid his friend before
skidding to a stop, with Fred running into his back. The couple by the door
watched the two fight with such perfection- it looked choreographed. As the
girl managed to get some distance from Spike, she flipped her hair behind
her eyes.

“Will you just hold on a minute!”

“Let me think- hmm, you’re a vampire, I’m a Slayer, I think I’ve got it down
to a science by now. Don’t need a break, thanks,” Spike said as he advanced
on her.

“Yeah, you’re the Slayer, but you know what? You’re an idiot.”

This caused Spike to pause as he studied her while slipping a hand in the
pocket of his duster. “Who are you?”

“Oh, now you wanna know about me? After you worked out your aggression?”

“You know what, my mistake. I forgot- I’m not supposed to listen to the
drivel that you vamps spout off.” With lightening quick speed, Spike pulled
the hand out of his pocket, holding an open vial of holy water, and flung it
at the woman. He watched as she hissed in pain and backed away, holding her
burning cheek. Spike wasn’t sure she was backing away from him or trying to
get away from the pain.

“You know, I was wrong about you,” she said, her voice laced with pain.

Spike raised an eyebrow. “And, pray tell, what you were wrong about?”

“I thought you’d understand.”

Spike was thoroughly confused now. “Understand what the hell you are?”

“Something like that.”

“Let’s have a lesson then.”

“Do you do research?”

“What kind of soddin’ question is that?”

“A simple one. Do you do research?”

Spike simply gave her a look of absurdity.

“Okay, maybe I should just stop with the questions since they seem to be a
little too complicated for you. Why don’t you run along and ask your
Watcher something?”

“And what would that be, pet?”

“Summers…comma…Buffy. Look it up.”

Before Spike could blink, she was out of sight as Gunn and Fred walked up
behind him.

“Man, what the hell was that about?”

“Bloody hell, I don’t know, but I’m damn well going to find out.”

Chapter 2 - Discovery


Spike stood on his Watcher’s doorstep less than half an hour later,
incessantly ringing his doorbell. When the door opened to reveal a very
disgruntled man in a bathrobe, Spike had to suppress a grin. Instead, he
pushed his way into the house and headed for the living room.

“William, I hope there is a valid reason for you to be visiting me at this
ungodly hour.”

“It’s not even midnight. Aren’t all you Watchers supposed to be night owls
like your Slayers?”

“That’s a common misconception.”

"Oh well. To answer your question, yes, there is a valid reason for me to be
here. I need to know everything you know about Buffy Summers.”

His Watcher froze, looking as if he was a deer caught in headlights.
“Buffy Summers?”

“Yeah, Wes. Come on, I know you have to know about her.”

Wesley Wyndham-Pryce surveyed his Slayer for a moment. “Indeed. Why do you want to know?”

“I met this girl. She hinted that she knew her or maybe she was her. Not
quite sure.”

“William,” Wesley said as he sat down. “What did this woman look like?”

“I don’t know…younger than me, long blonde hair, tiny little scrap of a
thing who nearly kicked my ass, by the way. Oh, and she was a vampire.”

“Impossible.”

“That’s why I’m here, Wes. I’ve heard of her, but I don’t remember the
details. She died before I was even a teenager. It’s not like I paid much
attention to the cycle of Slayers before I became one. Who was she?”

“She was…arguably the greatest Slayer to ever live, saving the world from
at least six apocalypses and numerous other feats. She died at the hands of
the Master, only to be revived by a friend, but not before the activation of
another Slayer. She then killed the Master, fought in hand to hand combat
with Angelus numerous times, sending him to Hell in the process.”

“But Angelus is living in L.A. Who would think it was the ninth circle
of Hell,” Spike said with a smirk.

“He was brought back. Presumably by the Powers That Be,” Wesley continued.
“Do you remember about his soul?”

“The whole 'perfect happiness' mumbo jumbo? Yeah, I got the gist of it.
Someone was able to re-ensoul him.”

“Yes…that someone was a friend of Buffy’s who has since turned into a very
powerful witch. Year’s passed, and Buffy thwarted each of her enemies, one by
one. The mayor’s Ascension, a human-demon hybrid, creatures called the
Gentlemen. She was successful with each encounter, until the Hell God
Glorificus came along.”

“Searching for the Key,” Spike said, nodding in remembrance.

“Yes, Buffy’s sister. Buffy could have let her sister die that night, but
instead, she sacrificed herself to save the world yet again, throwing
herself off a tower to close a Hell dimension. That was about nine
years ago.”

Spike nodded. “And her death activated Faith?”

“No, her presence as the Slayer had already activated another. When the
other slayer died, Faith was called-“

“And when Faith died, I was called. So who the hell is this girl I met?”

“I honestly don’t know, but I feel you better find out.”

“Yep,” Spike said, rising from the couch. “I’m on it.”

Heading out the door, Spike missed the unusual look on his Watcher’s face as
he headed out into the night.

Chapter 3 - Answers


Spike wandered through Sunnydale for an hour, not even catching a glimpse of
the woman. As he walked past Restfield Cemetery, Spike heard the distinct
sound of fighting in the distance. Breaking out into a run, he rounded the
corner of a mausoleum to see the woman in the distance, fighting another
vampire. Spike stopped and admired her form as she fought with a grace he
had never witnessed. He knew that his own fighting style was more
street-fighting with a little kickboxing thrown in. This girl was amazing
in her precision. She had changed into a pair of red leather pants and a
black sweater with her long hair flying behind her with every spinning kick.
He stared as she easily staked the vamp and turned her attention to him.

“So, I guess you asked your Watcher.”

“Who are you?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You mean you don’t know?”

“I know who Buffy Summers was. I asked who you are.”

“Well, then, that’s convenient since Buffy and I are one and the same.”

“Buffy died almost a decade ago, and it wasn’t a vamp attack. So who are
you?”

“Let me guess,” she said as she wandered around him in a circle. “You heard
about the Master, the first death, and Angelus. I’m guessing you even
caught a little bit about the mayor and Adam. And then there was Glory and
the Key. You heard all about the big sacrifice, but,” she paused as she
came to a stop in front of him. “You didn’t hear about her third death.”

“I’ve heard enough.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head with a smile on her face. “You’ve heard
the Cliff’s Notes version. You don’t know the details. You don’t know how
I felt powerless against the Master until after he killed me. And I’m
willing to bet that you weren’t told that Angel and I were lovers and that
was the trigger that turned him into Angelus. Did you hear about the Slayer
that you replaced?”

“Faith.”

“Yeah…what do you know about her?”

“She was good. Not the best, but she held her own. Couldn’t resist the
pull to the darker side of slaying, and the line blurred between what was
right and wrong. Turned herself in and served her time to be let out six
years ago. Two years after that, she was killed in an ambush.”

Spike watched as the woman’s eyes misted over with tears. “She shouldn’t
have gone alone.”

“What?”

Her eyes snapped up to his. “You don’t even believe I’m me. Why will you
believe anything I tell you?”

“Why don’t you tell me yourself and let me draw my own conclusions?”

“Okay…Faith and I…we were two halves of the spectrum. Darkness and light.
So similar, and yet, completely different at the same time. She felt
overshadowed by me, and that’s what led to her joining forces with the mayor.
That led to a lot of bad things, not the least of which was when she
poisoned Angel. Only the blood of a Slayer could cure him, and I was
determined to give him a cure. I went to Faith’s apartment…we fought…and I
ended up putting her in a coma. I ended up curing Angel myself, and Faith
stayed in the coma for nine months. When she woke up, she was angry. With
a lot of help, I managed to defeat the mayor, and that meant I had killed her
surrogate father. To make a long story short, we battled it out, she did
some things that I thought unforgivable at the time, and she left for L.A.

“Angel was there at the time, and he wanted to help her. I disagreed, but
eventually, it didn’t matter what we decided because Faith turned herself in.
She was let out on probation after five years, and I went to L.A. to see if
we could reconcile some of our differences. Turns out, the years had
matured us both, and we grew to be the sisters that our lineage called for.
Two years after she was released, we were supposed to meet at a factory that
had a nest of vamps. Faith got there early and went in alone…I was too
late. I got there in time to hold her hand as she died…then I hunted down
each and every vamp, and they were met with a very dusty ending.”

Spike noticed the tears building up in her eyes by the end of the story.
“If you’re Buffy, how are you here? You jumped from that tower nine years
ago.”

“Yeah, here’s the part that isn’t in your history book…or more accurately,
Watcher’s Diaries. My Watcher never revealed that I came back. He didn’t
want the Council getting any ideas in their twisted little heads. I have a
friend who’s a witch-“

“The one who re-ensouled Angelus?”

Buffy eyes snapped up to his at the question. “Yeah. She thought my essence
was caught in a Hell dimension, so she decided I should be brought back. My
friends…they…they worked a spell on me, and, presto, Buffy’s back. What they didn’t know was that I wasn’t in a Hell dimension…I was happy. I think,
though I’m not sure, that they pulled me out of heaven.”

Buffy paused, looking at the ground as she gathered her thoughts. “I was
only back for a few days when I got a call from Angel. He wanted to see me.
We met at a little rundown place halfway between Sunnydale and Los
Angeles. What I didn’t know is that when he heard that I was back, he was
happy. Perfectly happy in fact…I wasn’t met with the man I loved…I was met
with the thing that hates me.”

Spike suddenly felt the urge to take her into his arms as the tears streamed
down her face, but refrained as she continued. “I was missing for a week, and
everyone was getting worried. Angelus had turned me before I even knew what
was happening. He has an uncanny way of portraying his opposite
personality…no matter which one it is. I was chained and tortured for
almost a week before my friends figured out what was going on. Willow
managed to work the spell again, and Angel has one more thing to add to the
list of what Angelus did that he feels sorry for.”

“You don’t blame him?”

“It wasn’t him…I know that now. I’m a 29 year old woman stuck in the body
of a 20 year old. I’m not the same naïve little girl that I used to be.”

“But, if you were turned, why would he torture you? Wouldn’t he want you to
be alive for that part?”

Buffy cringed at the reference to her undead status. “That’s why he did it.
Angelus never got to kill or turn a Slayer…he never knew we make completely
different vampires. One of the major factors was the fact that I kept my
soul. Angelus thinks souls are filthy since he’s been saddled with one for
over a hundred years. Mine was disgusting to him, considering I’m now
considered his childe. It’s an embarrassment to the demon in him. He felt
I needed to be punished for having it.”

“You said one of the factors…what are the others?”

“Nothing much, really. I’m a little bit stronger than I used to be. My
face doesn’t change like other vamps.”

Spike looked confused. “Why not?”

“I guess the Powers wanted me to stay pretty while I slayed,” she said with
a grin.

Spike smirked at her response as he looked her up and down. “So you’re stuck
in that body for all eternity?”

“Yep, till the end of the world, or I meet a dusty ending because someone
doesn’t want to hear what I have to say,” she said, giving Spike a pointed
look.

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that, luv. I have to call ‘em as I see ‘em. If I’d have
known, I never would have thrown the first punch…or the holy water, come to
think of it,” he said with a sheepish look.

“I know. I remember how it was. I didn’t believe Angel at first either, so
I guess I can let you off the hook,” she replied, hopping up to sit on a
tombstone. “Besides, already healed.” She gestured to her formerly burnt
cheek.

“So why were you looking for me?”

“I thought you could use some help. I’ve been gone for a few years, and I
decided to come back to the Hellmouth and keep on fighting the good fight.”

“You have family here?”

“No,” she said, looking down at her hands. “My mom died a few years ago, and
my sister is living in New York. I’ve been out there with her for a while,
but I felt like I was cramping her style. It’s kinda hard for her to be 24
and expect people to believe that I’m the older sibling.”

“Your dad?”

“I don’t even know if he’s alive. Haven’t heard from him in over ten years.”

“What about Angel?” Something about Spike saying that name made him feel
sick. He didn’t want to think about what it meant.

“Angel’s still in L.A. I drop in for a visit from time to time, but he has
his own life, too. His soul was anchored by the Powers a few years ago-
kind of a reward for all the good he’s done.”

“So why aren’t you with him? I mean, if you’re the one who gives him
perfect happiness, wouldn’t he be wanting to spend all of eternity with
you?”

“Maybe,” she said with a nod. “But he’s in love with someone else. He
also feels guilty about all the things he did to me after I was turned, so
he usually avoids me like the plague.”

Spike suddenly felt very sorry for this woman. It seemed everyone she ever
cared about left her.

“Your Watcher?”

“He moved back to England after I died…the second time,” she clarified with
a smile. “I see him a few times a year. He has his own life, too.”

“Seems like everyone has their own life except you, pet,” Spike said, coming
to lean next to where she was sitting.

“This is my life,” she said solemnly, looking down at her hands. “The
Slayer’s destined to be alone…it took me a while, but I’ve figured that much
out.”

“Buffy,” Spike said softly as he moved to stand in front of her. With a
finger under her chin, he tilted her head up to look him in the eyes.
“You’re not alone. You’re not the only Slayer.”

Buffy felt tears spring to her eyes at his soft admission, unconsciously
leaning closer to his full lips, Spike dropped his hand to each side of her
waist as he, too, leaned forward. A second before their lips met, Spike’s
cell phone began incessantly ringing, causing them to guiltily jump apart.

“Hello,” he said with more malice than he intended.

“Spike! Where the hell are you!? Do you realize it’s almost two in the
morning, and you were supposed to call me!”

“Cecily, calm down. I’m still out patrolling…lots of vamps out tonight.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Spike saw Buffy hop down from her seat and
begin to walk away. Catching her by the arm, he shook his head, silently
asking her not to go anywhere.

Buffy listened as Spike tried to calm his nagging girlfriend. It could only
be a girlfriend the way that whiny voice sounded to Buffy’s ears. Taking a
few steps away, Buffy cursed her vampire hearing for the first time, wanting
to soothe her wounded eardrums.

Spike turned to face her as he hung up the phone. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“No problem,” she said with false cheeriness. “So, my suggestion is, if
you’re comfortable, we start patrolling together.”

Spike frowned at the sudden change in her voice. He didn’t want her to
think he was ignoring the almost-kiss they had, but if she wanted to talk
shop, he could do that. “Sounds good, luv. I’ll probably need you to work a
few things out with my Watcher, but it’ll be okay. He owns a little occult
bookstore on Main Street. You want to meet there tomorrow at sunset?”

“I’ll see you then.”

Spike watched appreciatively as she walked away. This was going to be a
very interesting development.

Chapter 4 - Acquaintances


Spike was going to go to Wesley’s store earlier than usual the following
night. He wanted to let his Watcher know that the woman he met was Buffy
and she would begin patrolling with him.

As it was, though, Spike was running late and met Buffy at the front door,
waiting for him.

“Hello, pet.”

“Hey,” she said with a shy smile.

“Didn’t go in yet?”

“No, I thought I’d wait on you. I don’t really feel like an attempted
staking right now, and I figured that was less likely to happen if you were
with me.”

Spike had to smile at that. “I think you could hold your own, luv.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t want to hurt your Watcher in the process.” She gave
Spike a bright smile as he held the door open for her.

Buffy stared around the store in amazement. Though it wasn’t the same
location, it was almost identical to the Magic Box. There were more shelves
lined up throughout the store and fewer magic products, but the
similarities were striking.

“Something wrong?”

Buffy shook her head as she turned to face Spike. “No…just déjà vu, I
guess.”

Spike nodded and turned to look as the door to the back room opened. “Ah,
there’s Watcher boy.”

Wesley suddenly froze, looking at the couple standing next to the counter.
When he spoke, his voice was strangled. “It is you.”

Spike looked perplexed as he stared at his Watcher and then turned to face
an equally stunned Buffy.

“Wes?” she whispered. “Is that you?”

“Buffy?”

Before either Spike or Wesley knew what happened, a blonde blur flew into
Wesley’s arms. “I can’t believe it’s you,” her voice muffled by his shirt
as she hugged the older man.

Spike felt an absurd surge of jealousy seeing his Watcher hug the woman.
“Someone wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Buffy pulled away from Wes sheepishly as she turned to Spike. “Wes was my
Watcher…well…kind of.”

Spike looked angry as he turned to face Wesley. “And you didn’t see it fit
to tell me this last night?”

“William, it wasn’t important. I told you what I knew about her- I just
didn’t tell you I knew her.”

“Looks to me like you knew her pretty well,” Spike countered with a raised
eyebrow.

“Not like that, Spike,” Buffy said with annoyance clear in her voice before
turning to face Wesley. “Actually, I was a spoiled brat to him. You could
say it was hate at first sight.”

“Yes, thank you for that, Buffy,” Wesley said.

“Sorry,” she said, looking embarrassed.

“Well, you seem to have gotten over your hate quite nicely,” Spike
continued.

“Well, we didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.” Turning to face Wes,
she asked, “I thought I probably got you fired?”

“Um, no, probation. The Watcher’s Council felt that since I couldn’t
control you or Faith, I could get one of the older potentials to train after
a five-year waiting period. Imagine their surprise when he was called.”

“So let me get this straight,” Spike said. “You hated each other, Buffy got
you fired, and you meet years later like long lost family?”

“Yeah…sorry about the display of emotion,” Buffy said. “It was just
wonderful to see a familiar face after so long of not seeing anyone but
Dawnie.”

“Yes, well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious as to why and how you’re
here.”

“Oh, that.” Buffy waved her hand in dismissal. “You have all your facts
right if you read Giles’ journals. But if you want the shorter version of a
long boring story, Willow decided to bring me back. Pretty soon after, I got
vamped by Angelus, Willow restored his soul, and as for me-“

“Slayer’s are supposed to have anchored souls,” Wes cut off in
understanding. “Extraordinary.”

“Yep, that’s pretty much it. Spike can fill you in on all the details.”

“So you’re still the Slayer, I presume.”

“Well, I still do the job, if that’s what you’re asking, but if you want to
get technical, Spike is the Slayer.”

Spike offered her a grateful smile for the acknowledgement. “I think it’s
safe to say you’re the original, luv. But we should probably be heading
out of here. Just stopped by to tell you we’d be patrolling together,” he
said to Wes.

“Yes, well, strength in numbers and all. You both be careful, and Buffy, I
would like to speak to you in more detail about what you’ve been up to for
the past few years.”

“Sure thing, Wes. You’re looking good, by the way,” she said, taking in his
scruffier appearance.

“Ah…yes, well…” he trailed off in embarrassment.

“Same old Wes,” she said with a smile before grabbing Spike’s sleeve. “Come
on, blondie, we’ve got some vamps calling our names.”

Chapter 5 - Patrolling


Spike and Buffy patrolled in silence for several minutes before Spike
finally spoke. “So, you almost got my Watcher fired?”

“Yeah…I, uh, I quit the Council. After Faith poisoned Angel, the council
refused to help, and it really pissed me off, so I quit.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “And you two didn’t get along back then?”

Buffy sighed. “My Watcher was fired after Quentin Travers felt he saw me as
a daughter. Wesley was brought in in his place to train both me and Faith,
and we both resented each other. He tried to order me around, being a new
guy to the job, but I’d been the Slayer for over three years- I wasn’t going
to take orders. I kept going to Giles with problems, and Wes wasn’t too
happy about it.”

“When was this?”

“My senior year of high school. Right before the Mayor’s ascension.”

“So he was there? Wes was there for that?”

“I think so…I was a little busy with blowing up the school.”

Spike gave her a smirk. “You blew up the school?”

“Well, it wasn’t my fault,” Buffy said indignantly. “I mean, am I to blame
if there was a giant demon snake trying to eat the entire senior class? I
saw a way to stop it, and I did it.” Spike saw the smile pulling at her
lips. “Besides, the symbolism of the act was too much to pass up.”

Spike laughed along with her as they headed through the cemetery. Buffy put
a hand on his chest as she stopped walking.

“Vamps,” she whispered. “A lot of them, up there behind the mausoleum.”

“I don’t hear anything, luv,” he said, quietly.

Buffy pointed to her ear. “Vamp hearing. I can pick up on just about
anything. You take the left, and I’ll go right.”

Each pulled their stake from their respective hiding places and advanced on
the group. Glancing around the corner, Buffy saw a group of seven vamps
surrounding a terrified couple. Seeing Spike out of the corner of her eye,
Buffy gave a tight nod as they both moved forward. Each Slayer staked a
vampire before the rest of the group noticed them. Angrily turning on
them, Buffy recognized three of them from a fight she’d had a few nights
ago. She had been fighting alone and barely managed to get away from them.
Buffy stood her ground as the leader of the group stepped closer to her.

“Well, looky what we have here. If it isn’t the brave little Slayer,” he
said before turning to look at Spike. “And it looks like she brought us a
treat.”

Spike merely smirked, keeping a close eye on Buffy, while simultaneously
readying himself for the fight.

“And I get this pretty one as my own treat,” the leader continued in what
he must have thought was a seductive voice.

Buffy felt the need to gag. “Can’t you vamps ever think of anything else? I
mean, I get that you probably haven’t gotten any in a while, what with all the skin problems and everything, but really, you need to work on your pick up lines.”

Buffy didn’t give him a chance to think as she landed a high kick to his
face before spinning and knocking one of his minions down. Out of the
corner of her eye, she could see Spike holding his own against the vamp that
came after him. Buffy felt a flash of panic as the four that remained
formed a circle around her. Whipping a stake from the back of her shirt,
Buffy threw it to land squarely in the chest of one attacker. Kicking
another away from her, she saw that he quickly lost interest in her and ran
over to aid his comrade that was battling Spike.

Buffy threw a series of kicks and punches at another vampire and quickly
staked him, only to feel herself be thrown backward, landing against a
tombstone with a thud, as she dropped her stake. Her face contorted as she
felt the pain in her lower back, and she opened her eyes as the leader
grabbed her arms and smashed her between his overly large body and the
headstone.

Buffy shoved at his chest with what little strength hadn’t been lost in her
fall. “No! NO!”

At her frantic cries, Spike looked up from the vamp he had staked and saw
Buffy struggling with the overbearing leader. Jumping up and quickly
staking the last of the group, Spike swiftly made his way over to Buffy.

“Looks like I may get some after all,” the vampire said.

Spike flinched at the image that popped into his head as he thrust the stake
into the vamp’s heart. “Doesn’t look like it, mate,” smiling as the dust
settled, letting his eyes fall to a terrified Slayer. He watched as Buffy
pushed herself up and wiped the dust from her clothes. “You alright, luv?”

“Fine,” she said, sounding anything but fine. “Thanks for that,” she
continued, gesturing to the ashes on the ground.

“No problem, pet,” he said, looking worriedly at her. “You sure you’re
okay?”

“Spike, I’m fine,” she cried, whirling around to face him. “I just don’t
like feeling like a victim is all. It’s not my nature…or yours either, so
it’s a little unsettling.”

“I get that. What do you say we blow off some steam?”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked, relaxing a little more.

“I was thinking we’d head to the Bronze.”

“What are we waiting for?” she said with a smile. “Let’s get outta here.”

Chapter 6 - The Bronze


As Buffy and Spike entered the Bronze, Buffy let the familiarity wash over
her. Memories of a simpler time when she and Willow and Xander would hang
out and dance. Buffy longed for those times. She longed for the days when
all she had to worry about was studying and slaying. She died in a manner,
she thought, befitting a Slayer, only to be dragged back into this earth to
fight forever.

Spike caught the wistful look on her face and gently put his hand on the
small of her back, leading her through the club. Buffy smiled at the quiver
that ran through her at Spike’s touch. It had been a long time since she
had let herself get within close proximity of a man. Not since Angelus,
posing as Angel, had wrapped her in a hug, only to turn it into a deathly
embrace. Buffy’s smile faded as the depressing memories overshadowed the
better ones. Before she became too immersed in her thoughts, a nasal voice
had the attention of everyone in the club.

“Spike!”

Both Spike and Buffy turned at the sound of the voice.

“Bloody hell,” Spike muttered under his breath. Buffy smiled as she heard
the phrase before turning her attention to a brunette stalking toward them.
The woman had curls falling past her shoulders and a conceited demeanor
that Buffy could tell before the woman had even spoken to her.

“What the hell are you doing here? And with her?” she asked, gesturing
angrily at Buffy.

“Cecily, we were just patrolling together.”

“Oh, you were,” she commented. “Well, why is she good enough to take, but
I’m not?”

“Ease up, princess,” Buffy spoke up. “I’ve been doing this for a lot of
years.”

“Oh, you have,” she said, turning her attention to Buffy. “I’m so sure you
have, little girl.”

“Listen, lady, I’m far from a little girl, and I can hold my own in any
fight.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can, little one,” Cecily said in a snobbish tone.

“You really don’t want to know what I’m capable of,” Buffy said. She had
never wished for a game-face before, but she would have loved to have seen
the look on her snooty face if she had been able to flash one. “Why don’t
you take your nose out of the air, pull that silver spoon out of your mouth,
turn around, and head back to your table?” Turning to an awestruck Spike,
Buffy gestured with her hand. “I’ll be at the bar.”

Stalking past a gaping Cecily, Buffy made her way to the bar and took a
seat. She could already hear the screeching of the indignant woman as she
ordered a drink.

“Nice show.”

Buffy turned to face the owner of the voice. Recognizing the attractive
black man from the night before, Buffy smiled. “Glad you liked it.”

“It’s about time someone put the Countess in her place. Lord knows he won’t
do it,” he said, gesturing to Spike with his beer bottle.

“The Countess, that’s a good one,” Buffy said with a laugh as she turned to
face him. “You saw the fight last night. I’ve gotta ask, why aren’t you
trying to stake me right now?”

“You came in with Spike,” he said with a shrug. “I figured if you were a
problem, he would have taken care of it already. Why? Should I be
nervous?” he asked, smiling.

“No,” Buffy said, shaking her head. “That doesn’t tell me why you’re
voluntarily talking to me. I mean, just because I won’t kill you doesn’t
mean I won’t hurt you.”

“I can hold my own.”

“Good to know.”

“I’m Gunn, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand.

“So, what’s your story? I mean, I pretty much figured out you’re a vamp,
what with your aversion to holy water and all.”

Buffy nodded as she looked at the bar surface. “Ever heard of the vampire
with a soul complex?”

“Yeah. Vamp out in L.A. Fightin’ the good fight and all that, but that
one’s a man.”

“Let’s just say I’m a relative.”

“Okay. So why are you here?”

“I thought Spike could use some help. It’s always good to have back-up.”

“And that’s what you are?”

“Something like that.”

“Well,” Gunn said. “Always good to have another member of the gang.”

“Scooby gang,” Buffy whispered, a smile playing on her lips.

“Did you just say something?”

“Oh…no,” Buffy said, shaking her head.

“How’d you know where to find the Slayer?”

“Hellmouth,” Buffy said with a slight smile. “It seems to draw a lot of
people and creatures. I used to live here, figured the new Slayer was here,
too.”

“New? Spike’s been the Slayer for over four years.”

“Yeah…I know. I just didn’t want to find him yet.”

“You knew Faith?”

Buffy’s head snapped up at the statement. “How do you know about her?”

“Spike mentioned her in passing. Just that she was the one he replaced. My
girlfriend Fred, she helps his Watcher out with a lot of things and told me
about a lot of the Slayers. So, did you really know Buffy Summers?”

Buffy smiled, staring into her drink. “Yep. We were real close.”

“So you were there the night she died?”

“More or less,” Buffy replied, never meeting his eyes.

“That must have been rough.”

“Oh yeah.”

Buffy looked up to check on Spike and didn’t see him anywhere.

“If you’re looking for Spike, he’s probably outside with what’s her name,
trying to calm her down.”

“You don’t like her?” Buffy asked, looking over at him with a smile.

“Hell no. That woman was born with a stick up her ass.”

Buffy laughed. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“You should be proud. No one’s ever put her in her place the way you did.”

“Yeah, well, there are more things to be afraid of than a spoiled heiress.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“You’ve been fighting a long time?”

“Since I was in high school. Figured someone had to do something.”

“Nice to know some people still know what’s right,” Buffy said. “Speaking
of which, I better get back out there. It was nice meeting you, Gunn.”
Buffy left some money on the bar as she walked away.

“Yeah, you, too…hey, I never caught your name.”

Buffy glanced at him over her shoulder. “It’s Buffy.”

Walking out of the club, Buffy left a very perplexed Gunn behind her.

Chapter 7 - Denial


Buffy wandered around Sunnydale for over an hour. As she came to the end of
the docks, Buffy stared out at the black water. Memories rushed back to her
as she hugged her arms around her torso. There were still times when she
felt like a scared, lost little girl. There were times when she wished for
her mother to be here with her, much like she did that fateful night. The
night that was supposed to be her last on this earth. She had come to terms
with having to live forever. What she would never get used to was the idea
of seeing every person she cared about get old and die. Well, everyone
except Angel, who couldn’t stand the sight of her because of all the
memories of what he had done.

Buffy had already started to distance herself from her friends. It wasn’t
like it was a hard thing to do. Xander and Anya were now married with a
baby, living in Colorado, where Xander owned a construction company. Willow
and Tara were living in Chicago but seemed to change locations every two
years. Giles was back in England, and Dawnie was in New York. In the past
five years, Dawn and Giles were the only two she had seen. Buffy knew she
was being a bad friend, but she also knew everyone had their own lives now.
They weren’t as concerned with things that go bump in the night. They
still cared about it, but it wasn’t their lives anymore. It was for the
current Slayer to worry about, as unfair as that seemed. They had put in
their time, and for most of those involved, the time was a lot longer than
the average Slayer.

Buffy’s train of thought quickly went to Spike. She was attracted to him-
who wouldn’t be? She had seem him at the Bronze last night and was
discreetly sizing him up for the best way to approach him. Buffy had been
thrilled when he’d asked her to dance, but she knew nothing could come of
it. He was the Slayer. Buffy would be lying if she ignored the fact that
the almost-kiss made her tremble with excitement. He had a girlfriend, and
Buffy had to keep her distance. Not because she cared about the uptight
snob that Spike was dating, but because he would be one more person she
would have to say good-bye to.

Buffy was so lost in thought that she never heard the footsteps coming down the dock.

“Thinking about anything interesting?”

Buffy immediately spun around, extending her leg for a powerful kick, and was
shocked when it was stopped. Looking up into Spike’s bright blue eyes,
Buffy glanced down at her leg, which was currently cradled by Spike’s arms.

“Impressive kick, pet, but I saw you lead into it,” Spike said with an
annoyingly cute smirk.

Buffy jerked her leg out of his grasp. “Nice reflexes.”

“Not too bad yourself, Slayer.”

“Slayer?” she asked, looking at him skeptically. “Won’t that get a little
confusing since there’s two of us?”

“Don’t think so. Besides, you’re cute when you get all flustered by
whatever pet name I call you,” he said, taking a step toward her.
“Actually,” he continued as he rested his hands on her hips. “You’re cute
all the time.”

Buffy felt her mouth go dry at the close proximity, unconsciously wetting
her lips as his descended toward her. Just as his lips gently caressed hers
in the softest kiss, Spike’s cell phone began ringing.

“Bloody hell!” he yelled as he jerked away from Buffy and pulled the phone
out of his pocket. “I am going to throw this soddin’ thing in the ocean.
What?!” he yelled into the mobile.

Buffy would have laughed if she hadn’t been busy kicking herself. She had
just told herself not to get involved, and here she was, nearly kissing him
in the moonlight. She turned to face the water as Spike turned off the
phone.

“Sorry about that, pet.”

“We can’t keep doing this, Spike.”

“Buffy, I know I have a girlfriend, but…”

“It’s not that,” she said, shaking her head as she turned around. “You just
met me. You’re the Slayer, and I know how difficult that can be, but I also
know what it’s like to get involved with someone you can never be with.”

“And I can never be with you? Why don’t you enlighten me on this new piece
of information?”

“Spike, I’m a vampire. Granted, not the most conventional of vampires, but
I still have an aversion to sunlight and drink blood for meals. You need a
sense of normalcy in your life, and I’m not it.”

“I’ll never have a normal life, luv.”

Buffy had to shake her head as the memories of a time so long ago came
rushing back to her. The memory of Angel breaking up with her, of him
telling her they could never be together, of him walking away after the
battle on graduation day. “Spike, trust me when I say it’s better if it
doesn’t even begin. There would be nothing but pain and heartache, and I
don’t want that for you.”

“You’re thinking about your ex-boy toy, aren’t you?” he asked
incredulously. “You think history would be repeating itself if you and I so
much as kissed each other?”

“What do you mean? H-how do you know about me and Angel? The only thing I
told you was the trigger for him losing his soul.”

“Yeah. I did a little reading when we parted ways last night. Seems your
Watcher kept quite a few records of you and Angelus.”

“It’s Angel,” she said through gritted teeth. “And you know, I am still
alive- I could have answered your questions. You didn’t have to go behind
my back and read up on me like I’m some type of research project.”

“But that’s the thing, isn’t it, Slayer?” Spike said, advancing on her
angrily. “You’re not alive.”

Buffy felt the weight of the words as he said them. She knew she wasn’t
alive, but she still felt like it. Everyday, she longed to get up and go out
into the sun. She wanted to be able to go shopping with her friends at the
mall or go to the beach and watch the sunset, but she couldn’t. She would
never be able to again.

The instant he said it, Spike felt remorseful. She had hurt him when she
said they could never be together, and he wanted to hurt her back. Now,
looking at the crestfallen look on her face, Spike reached a hand out to
her. “Buffy, luv, I’m-“

“Don’t,” Buffy said, holding up a hand. She shook her head as she began to
walk away, leaving Spike standing on the end of the dock. “Just don’t.”

Chapter 8 - Office Romance


Buffy didn’t leave her apartment for several nights. She and Dawn had sold
their house on Revello and put the money in a savings account. Dawn had
insisted Buffy keep the money, knowing she would need something to fall back
on. When Buffy had moved back to Sunnydale, she found a comfortable home in Giles’ old complex.

Buffy knew she was being a coward by not going out and facing Spike, but
she couldn’t. She knew that no one knew she was back in town, and therefore,
didn’t know her address to get in touch with her. The only people that had
her phone number were Dawn and the old gang.

Buffy didn’t hold it against Spike for trying to hurt her. She knew she’d
hurt his feelings when she blew him off before anything started. She was
avoiding him because she didn’t want to get close. She was still angry that
he had read the Watcher Diaries, even though she would have told him
whatever he wanted to know. She also knew that she would have done the same thing if she’d been in his position. Hell, she had done it when she wanted
to see the type of girls Angel used to like. Her mind was a mass of
contradictory statements, and Buffy felt as if she was being pulled in a
million directions. She thought about leaving town, sparing herself the
heartache before it had a chance to manifest.

For every situation Buffy thought of, she always came back to the fact that
she had told Spike, Wesley, and Gunn that she would be helping out with slaying. Standing up from her spot on the couch, Buffy pulled on a thick
white turtleneck and her favorite pair of jeans. Substituting moisturizer
and lip gloss for her make-up, Buffy grabbed two stakes. Stashing one in
the side of her boot and another in the waistband of her jeans, she headed
out.

Just because she told Spike she would help him patrol didn’t mean she had
to be with him when she made the rounds. Buffy decided to make a quick pass
through the cemeteries and head home. At least she could feel useful, since
she hadn’t done anything productive in three days. Passing through the
first cemetery, Buffy came across a demon and made quick work of it, never
even breaking a sweat.

As Buffy passed through another cemetery, she could hear voices up ahead.
Slowing her pace, she waited silently as the two figures came into view.
Relaxing her stance when she saw Gunn and his girlfriend, Buffy started to
move in the opposite direction.

“Buffy! Hey, wait up!”

With a sigh, Buffy turned around to face the couple jogging toward her.

“Damn, girl. Where’ve you been? Spike’s been worried about you,” Gunn
said. “Oh, by the way, this is Fred. Fred, this is Buffy.”

“Hi! It’s nice to meet you,” the girl said with a bright smile.

“You, too,” Buffy responded with false cheerfulness.

“So, where’ve you been?” Gunn asked again.

“Oh…around,” Buffy said vaguely.

“Well, Spike’s here somewhere. Told us to go on ahead while he finished
off a new vamp.”

Buffy swallowed and nodded but stayed silent.

Gunn frowned a little, noticing the difference in her compared to the other
night. He had gotten the full story from Spike. Actually, he got it
without asking about her. This girl was all Spike could talk about the last
few days, which Gunn found refreshing compared to Cecily.

“You okay, Buff?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Just not really feeling like myself lately, that’s all.”

“Well, you should definitely wait for Spike,” Fred spoke up. “He thought
something had happened to you.”

“Yeah,” Buffy said quietly. “I’ve gotta finish my sweep, so…um…just tell
him I’ll see him later, okay?”

“Sure,” Gunn said skeptically as Buffy quickly walked away. He knew that
Spike had some kind of argument with the other Slayer, but he didn’t know
the details. He and Fred stayed where they were as they waited for Spike to
catch up to them. A few minutes later, they saw him rounding the corner of
a crypt.

“Hey, Spike! You just missed your girl,” Gunn called out to him.

“My girl?”

“Yeah,” Fred said. “Buffy just came by, said to tell you she’d see you
later.”

“Buffy was here?” Spike’s voice took on a slightly frantic edge. “Which way
did she go?”

Gunn and Fred didn’t say a word. They simply pointed in the right direction
and smiled as Spike took off in a full run.

* * * * *

Buffy was easily dispatching a group of three vampires when she felt Spike
approach. Connecting a high kick to one of the vamp’s, Buffy spun and
thrust her stake into the one advancing on her from behind. Never slowing
down, she turned as the dust settled and slammed the stake into another dead
heart. Hearing the fighting over her shoulder, she turned to see Spike
finishing off the third vampire and turning to face her as she tucked her
stake back in her waistband.

“Long time no see, luv,” he said nonchalantly.

“Just a few days.”

“Hiding from me?”

Buffy glared as she stared into his infuriatingly striking eyes. Spinning
on her heel, Buffy made her way out of the cemetery as she felt Spike
following.

“Oh, come on, Slayer, you can’t still be mad at me.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not mad at you. Just ignoring you.”

“Buffy, don’t act like this. I thought we were getting along, before I
shoved my foot in my mouth.”

“That’s just it, Spike,” Buffy said, whirling around to face him. “We were
getting along a little too well. I’ve had two office romances. TWO, Spike,
and let me tell you, they never work out!”

“Buffy, you’re not even giving it a shot…and what do you mean two?”

“Didn’t do as much research as you thought.  And why should I give it a shot?”

she asked, throwing her arms in the air. “You have a girlfriend, so why don’t

 you run along and spend time with your little princess?”

“You know what? Maybe I will, Slayer,” Spike said angrily. “Maybe I should
spend time with someone who has a beating heart!”

Buffy began shaking her head as a smile played on her lips. “Oh, I never
said she had a heart, Spike. But who am I to tell you who to date?”

Spike gritted his teeth and looked up into the cool night sky as Buffy
turned and walked away. “Bloody hell,” he muttered as he chased after her.
“Buffy, wait! Don’t do this, pet. I’m sorry, okay? I said it. I am
sorry. Come on, Slayer, I like patrolling with you. Don’t get all mad
because we both have quick tempers.”

Buffy turned to look at the man in front of her. Contemplating him for a
moment, she nodded. “Okay, we patrol…but, that’s it, buddy,” she said,
poking a finger into his chest.

Spike bit his lip and raised his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me. You’re the one
who can’t keep her hands off me,” he said with a smile, looking down at her
hand.

Buffy nearly growled as she threw her hands up in the air. “You are
infuriating, you know that?”

“That’s part of my charm, luv,” he replied, hopping up onto a headstone.

“If that’s your charm, I actually feel sorry for your girlfriend,” she said
with a smile.

“Hey!” Spike cried indignantly. “I resent that!”

“I didn’t ask,” Buffy said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“And she says I’m the infuriating one,” Spike muttered under his breath.
Buffy laughed as she heard it.

“Just for the record, Spike, I have excellent hearing,” she said as she
sauntered off.

Spike watched appreciatively as her hips swayed back and forth before
hopping down and setting off after her.

After a few minutes of walking in a comfortable silence, Buffy finally
spoke. “Seriously, Spike, what do you see in that woman?”

“Cecily? Well…we’ve been together for years. Ever since I moved here
actually.”

“Do you love her?” Buffy asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

“I love her…I don’t know if I’m in love with her.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well…if you have to question your love for somebody, doesn’t that mean
there’s something lacking? If you fantasize about spending time with
another woman, no matter what form that time is spent, rather than
fantasizing about your girlfriend, I think that creates a problem.”

Buffy ducked her head to hide the flush in her cheeks. Spike smiled as he
noticed the gesture. “She’s stuck with me. She knows I’m the Slayer, and she
accepts it, for the most part. Not a lot of people can handle this line of
work.”

“Yeah,” Buffy agreed quietly. “I know.”

“So what about you, pet?”

“What about me…what?”

“I got some of the story of what went on between you and the poofter-“

“Angel,” Buffy said with a smile.

“Right. Anyway, what happened there?”

Buffy stayed quiet for a minute, thinking about her response. “I loved him.
We…advanced our relationship, he turned evil, I killed him, he came back.”

“I got more details than that from reading up on it, pet,” Spike said with
a raised eyebrow. “What about after?”

”Not much to tell. We realized we couldn’t be together, and he left town.”

“Do you still love him?”

“Always…but I’m not in love with him anymore.  He’s like a member of the
family.  I care about him like I care about my sister.”

“You’d die for him.”

It was more of a statement than a question.  Buffy knew he was thinking of
when she protected Dawn and sacrificed herself to save her.

“I nearly did,” she said softly as the events of her healing Angel flashed
through her mind. “I’d do it again, but then again, there isn’t a lot I
wouldn’t do these days.”

Spike looked at Buffy perplexed. “What’s that supposed to mean, Slayer?”

Buffy took a deep, unneeded breath, “It means that I would protect someone
I care about…no matter what the price.”

“You’re looking for a way out.”

“What?”

“You have a death wish.”

“I wouldn’t call it that,” Buffy said, beginning to get irritated.

“Then what would you bloody call it?” Spike’s voice began raising in volume.

“Why are you getting so mad at me? You don’t even know me!”

“I know enough, Buffy. I know you don’t want to be in this world-“

“No! That’s where you’re wrong, Spike. I don’t mind being in this world…I
just don’t want to be alone in this world. Because that’s what it comes
down to, Spike. I’ll always be alone. No matter what, no matter how many
people I save, inevitably someday, they’ll be gone. But not me,” she said,
shaking her head. “I’ll still be here.”

Spike felt a strange mix of anger and sadness flood through him. “So why
not end it?” he asked, the anger winning out.

Buffy’s eyes snapped up to his. “Because I may be a lot of things, but I’m
not a coward.”

Spike nodded, suddenly getting a new sense of respect for the woman in front
of him. “You’re anything but that, luv.”

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