The Circle of Slayers Series 7/? Incomplete
Chapter 7: Party Time
By Denna at dennaseer@hotmail.com
Rated PG
Keywords: Buffy and Spike…what else could there be?
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Yadda
yadda yadda.
Summary for Chapter 7: Everyone gets an unexpected surprise at the shindig,
both good…and bad


Chapter 7: Party Time

Saturday, November 24, 2001, 9:29 PM

    Giles sat beside Buffy as she finished up her chicken wings, wiping her
fingers off on a napkin. Spike sat on the other side of her, busily teasing
Dawn about this Kevin guy she liked so much.

    “I have news about Radon.” He said quietly to her as a waitress took her
plate.

    “Wow, can you say ‘wrong conversation piece’?” Buffy told him, but became
alert as so did the rest of the people at the table.

    “What did you find out, Mr. Giles?” Tara asked.

    “Seems he had his company accompanied a demon merchant to Sunnydale from
Los Angeles. The merchant just arrived back yesterday when I finally learned
what happened. His partner had stayed here in Sunnydale with half the
shipment while the first half traveled south. Radon and his men were paid to
come back here and escort the second half south. Last sign they had heard
from them was early November in a small town south of here called Huntington
Park. Both of the merchants believe Radon took the money and ran. They were
actually quite upset.”

    “So, Radon must have been hired somewhere between here and L.A.,” Willow
surmised, “Probably in that Huntington Park place.”

    Buffy glanced at Spike, who was concentrating on his soup with a hard look
on his face, “We still don’t know exactly what he was paid to do,” Buffy
said to Willow, breaking her gaze from the vampire, “And the whole
interrogation piece doesn’t really work on big piles of dust.”

    “I really don’t think he was hired to do anything else but to either kill
both of you or kill Spike and take you to their employer,” Giles deduced,
“Why else attack you?”

    “But why?” Dawn said, interrupting the conversation, “I can see why someone
would want to take Buffy down, but why would anyone want to kill Spike?” She
put a comforting hand on her friend’s arm. He looked at her and gave her a
warm, if a bit wan, smile.

    “Someone who wanted to get him out of the way so they could get to Buffy,”
Tara said, “That seems the most likely reason.”

    “Yay!” Xander mocked, “Now that we’ve knocked down the what’s, why’s,
how’s, and where’s let’s go down to the who’s.”

    “We’re just going round and round in circles,” Willow said, “It’s like a
wild goose chase…without any actually physical chasing and no birds, though
that would be nice for a change.”

    “There’s one thing we do know.” Spike said quietly, not looking at anyone,
but staring into his soup bowl.

    Everyone turned to look at him. “Spike?” Buffy asked.

    “Since Radon failed, that means that whoever did this is bound to try
again.”

    They were all suddenly silent as they realized that he was right. And they
had no idea when that might happen. It had been a little under two weeks
since the attack. The chances that the unknown employer would strike again
were very high.

    The silence stretched on ominously. Needing some way to relieve it, Xander
laughed and waved his hand, “Wow! This mood is even more festive than I
imagined it to be. Quick, someone get out the guillotine before people start
to leave!”

    “Yeah, what’s with the unhappiness?” Buffy told the others, “This is
supposed to be a party! For Anya and Xander! They’re getting married!”

    Xander blushed and looked at Anya. She smiled shyly at him and ducked her
head.

    “Lookit!” Buffy said, “They’re blushing! Kodak moment!”

    “Kodak?” Anya said suddenly, “Cameras? We need cameras to relive these
wonderful moments over and over. Where did I leave it?” Anya rummaged
through her purse.

    “Oh god…” Xander sighed.

~

    The rest of the meal passed uneventfully. When they were all finished, they
all got up and wandered from the tables to the familiar couches.

    Spike and Buffy followed the others over to the far end of the room where
the couches lay across from the dance floor and stage. A man appeared and
stood in front of the crowd, motioning for the musicians to stop. Everyone
fell silent when he cleared his throat into the microphone.

    “Hello, everyone!” the man told the others, “Now, I know that for most of
you this is just another Saturday night, but tonight is the engagement party
for a very happy couple. Would everyone please congratulate the soon-to-be
Mr. Xander and Anya Harris!”

    The couple stood up, Xander looking a bit more nervous than usual. Everyone
whistled and cheered for the couple until the man on stage started talking
again.

    “Now, to make this night complete, how about we have the wonderful couple
have a nice dance for all of us?”

    Anya beamed brightly and dragged Xander onto the cleared dance floor amidst
the cheers and shouts. As the slow music started and they moved along the
dance floor, Buffy leaned slightly more into Spike, and sighed. “I really
think those two will be happy together.”

    Spike nodded and was about to answer when a voice piped up in the crowd.
“Good ol’ Xander Harris is getting married to her? How would a Grade A Top
Cut Loser like him get a hottie like that?”

    Spike turned to the annoying young man with his buddies and growled, “And I
assume a bloody wanker like you is here with your Double D blonde, right?
That man happens to be having the time of his life out there with the woman
he loves and if you bloody mess that up, I’ll rip your spine out of your
ear!”

    The man shrank back from under his stony glare, moving away and putting as
much distance as he could between them. Turning back to Buffy, he said,
“After everything that’s been done to him, he doesn’t deserve to be judged
and stared at like that. That’s my job. And Grade A Top Cut Loser? What kind
of insult is that?”

    Buffy gaped at him, “Are you starting to like my friends, Spike? God, there
is so much I need to learn about you…”

    The music ended after a couple minutes and the other couples busily got
onto the dance floor. Spike caught Buffy’s hand and drew her onto the floor,
much to the surprise of the others.

    “And you can dance too?” Buffy asked, surprised. “I think I have the
perfect package here.”

    He grinned self-consciously as he took her hands in his and swept her into
the dance. “I asked Nibblet to teach me a couple steps last night. I figured
they don’t do ballroom dances anymore.”

    “Spike.” Buffy whispered.

    “What, luv?”

    “I love you.” She smiled up at him.

    Startled, he nearly missed a step. He stared at her with that intense look
in his eyes she was so used to, the kind that could strip the soul, and
smiled. She had never seen him so human before. “I love you so much, Buffy.”

    She leaned into him and reveled in the closeness as they danced. For the
first time in his life, the vampire truly felt alive.

~

    The couple danced for nearly an hour, much to the chagrin of everyone
watching. Except Dawn. She couldn’t stop smiling, but the harsh whispers and
questions between the rest of the gang brought her mood down a bit. But she
soon forgot when the handsome boy at school, Kevin took her hand onto the
dance floor.

    Just when Buffy was going to beg off the next dance, Spike took her hand
and led her off the dance floor and through the doors to the alleyway. He
looked over his shoulder at her, and she saw there was a devilish twinkle in
his eyes.

    He drew her through the doors and off to the side, glancing over his
shoulder to make sure no nosy member of the Scooby Gang had followed them.

    “Spike!” Buffy said breathlessly, “What are you doing?”

    “Shh!” he whispered, backing her away from the doors. Despite herself, she
laughed softly. It quickly turned to a shiver. A strange chill had come over
the November air, strange for a Hellmouth. He sensed her discomfort and
shrugged off his coat and put it around her shoulders.

    “Hmmm…” Buffy giggled, “I love this coat…Smells like Spike.”

    “Glad you like it, luv. Come here,” he said, and led her over to the dark
walls that surrounded the Bronze. As he approached it, he swept her up and
supported her against the wall so that she was at eye level with him. With
that, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a deep kiss.

    “Mmmm…” Buffy murmered as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him
back. His hands started wandering across the familiar leather wrapped around
her back, and then up her sides to her breasts. She reluctantly pulled away
and caught his hands. “Save that for later,” she whispered.

    “You think the Scoobies would mind if we left a bit early, pet?” he asked
her, his voice a seductive purr but his hands moving to more neutral
locations.

    “As much as I am tempted, I have a duty as a big sister to make sure they
don’t drink too much whiskey in front of the Dawnmeister. Besides, we have a
little secret we need to share, remember?” Buffy told him, kissing the end
of his nose.

    “Oh, well absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Spike purred, “But if I
don’t taste you again soon, I think I’m going to burst.”

    Buffy shivered, despite the sudden heat she felt. “Why, you just don’t
want me for my body do you?”

    Spike smiled and set her down, kissing her more passionately than before.
“You know better than that, Goldilocks…” He reached his hand into his coat
pocket, still snugly wrapped around his fair lover. After rummaging around,
and getting a few cock-eyed stares from the Slayer, he froze.

    “What is it?” she asked.

    He reached his hand deeper into the pocket and rummaged through it. “Bloody
hell, I know I put it in this pocket,” he said, with a worried tone in his
voice.

    “What? Put what in your pocket?” Buffy demanded.

    Spike took his hand out of the other pocket and went through the other. He
sighed with relief and pulled out a small long black box, “Wrong pocket,” he
said in explanation and Buffy smiled at the look on his face. Like a
schoolboy asking the most popular girl in school to the Valentine Dance. She
rolled her eyes and refrained from commenting on it, despite the sudden
temptation. Instead she just shook her head helplessly.

    Spike moved over to a bench beside the doors. He sat down and took her
hand, pulling the Slayer down beside him. “Buffy,” he said quietly in such a
loving tone that she hardly ever heard from him, “I got you something.
Ummm…you could say it’s like a birthday present, because I couldn’t give you
mine last year-“

    “You gave me a present last year?”

    “Well…a box of dented chocolates, but they weren’t that good anyway. Well,
I hope you like it, that’s all.”

    Dumbfounded, Buffy took the lacquered black box. As she stroked the dark
surface, she felt raised lines on its surface. She moved the box closer into
the field of light given from the inside of the Bronze. The sound of heavy
dance music was still resounding through the walls, but other than that
everything was still in the alleyway. There was a pattern on the surface of
the box. She ran her fingers over it trying to make it out. Then she saw it.
It was a golden dragon against a border of complex yet never ending knots.

    “This is beautiful, Spike.” She told him, her words slurred with awe.

    “That’s just the box, pet. Open it up and see what’s inside.”

    Buffy was even more curious now, as she had thought it was a small jewelry
box and probably worth a pretty price. She glanced up at him for a moment to
see an anticipated grin on his face and it lit up her own and she smiled
brightly. She found a latch on the front side of the box and used a polished
gold fingernail to flip it open. Gold glinted on the black velvet inside and
her breath caught in her throat. She picked up the smaller of the two
armbands and held it up, turning it this way and that so she could see the
carving.

    “Spike…” she breathed and stared at the larger matching band still inside
the box, “They’re…wonderful. I don’t know what to say. Where did you get
these?”

    He tried to shrug casually, but she could still tell he was anxious, “An
old friend of mine has a shop somewhere around here.”

    She studied the bands more carefully, awed by its simplistic beauty. She
furrowed her brow when she spotted some strange carvings on the inside.
“There’s something written here…but I don’t understand it. Do you know what
it means?”

    Spike took the armband from her gently and took her left arm gently. “It’s
actually in Elven. It says, “We are one…forever in heart, body, mind and
soul…” As he spoke the words, he placed the band around her forearm. It fit
perfectly around her gloved arm, almost as if it was made for her.

    She stared at it, gold shimmering on the black satin of her glove. She
looked up at him, her eyes full of comfort and love, brimming with tears.
“Spike…Thank you…” She took the larger band out of the box and slipped it
onto Spike’s left arm, “We are one…forever in heart, body, mind and soul…”

    They both started as sudden electricity raced through their arms. For a
moment, Buffy felt a refreshing cold. Her body was still, her blood ceased
to race, her heart ceased to beat. But it was a beautiful feeling, like cold
water on a steamy summer morning. Spike felt sudden warmth. His body was
suddenly aware, as though it had awoken from a deep sleep. And for a moment,
his blood raced through his useless veins, and his heart beat a mile a
minute. It was a beautiful feeling, like nestling close to the warm
fireplace after being lost in a blizzard. And it was gone as soon as it
came.

    “What the-“ Spike started.

    “You felt it, too?” Buffy asked and then stared down at the band on her
arm, “These are magic.”

    “Do you think they’re dangerous, luv?” Spike asked, his voice treading
worriedly. He didn’t have to be reminded of the past magical misadventures.

    “Well, the guy who sold you this was a friend of yours, right? He wouldn’t
give you something bad, would he?”

    Spike shook his head, “No, of course not. He likes to watch these kind of
things, not be a part of them.”

    “We’ll just have to go back and find out then. I’d like to talk with this
friend of yours…Did you feel…cold?”

    “Buffy?”

    “…I felt cold…but it was nice, it reminded me of when I was…gone…I felt-“

    “Dead?”

    “Yeah.”

    “You know… I felt warm. My heart was beating. I
was-“

    “Alive?”

    “Yeah…”

    “Buffy?” They jumped at the voice behind them. They looked up in surprise
at Dawn standing in the doorway, smiling wickedly. “And Spike…hehe…Whatcha
doing?” Her grin grew wider.

    Buffy sighed and rolled her eyes, “What do you want, pest?”

    “Everybody’s looking for you. They’re all freaked out and stuff. But if I
interrupted any hot, passionate making out that isn’t fit for my innocent
mind, I’ll pretend I was never here.”

    Buffy and Spike sighed both at the same time. “Looks like we’ve been
missed,” Spike said as he stood up and held his hand out to the Slayer. Dawn
giggled as Buffy took it, winking to her embarrassed sister. They headed out
into the Bronze. Dawn looked at Spike’s coat hanging from her sister’s
shoulders and Buffy flushed; taking it off and handing it back to him.

    Willow and the others spotted them from the bar and trotted up to them,
“Can’t you two stay put?” Anya asked, annoyed, “I have wedding plans I want
to brag to everyone.”

    “Nice bracelet, Buffy,” Tara said, indicating the golden armband on Buffy’s
arm. Spike’s was hidden underneath his shirt, and he grimaced slightly at
the odd looks the others were giving him.

    “Thanks…” Buffy said, as the others looked suspiciously at Spike.

    “Did Spike give it to you?” Dawn asked.

    “Well…ummm…yes…”

    “Okay, hold the phone!” Xander said, interrupting everyone, “I speak for
everyone when I say ‘What in Zeus’ name is going on here?’ Is this some kind
of spell? It’s a spell, right? Because I know you two don’t dance together
like that and…you don’t sneak off into alleyways together…right?” His voice
was bordering on hysteria.

    Spike took Buffy’s arm and stared at her, “It’s time, Buffy.” Buffy nodded
back and Spike bunched his sleeves up to his elbows subtly, exposing the
matching gold band on his arm. Besides Dawn’s anticipated grin, everyone
looked shocked and uncomprehending.

    “You guys…” Buffy started, looking deep into her friend’s eyes for
understanding, “You know that Spike isn’t…evil anymore and you know he won’t
hurt anyone, even intentionally, so don’t go crazy. See, ever since Spike
was attacked we have been getting closer and we’re friends now. Okay, not
exactly friends-“

    “I don’t think this is a good time to dance around the subject, Buffy.”
Giles said, his tone unusually hard.

    Buffy cleared her throat, “Okay…here’s the truth…Spike and I are-“

    She stopped as a steady hand dropped on her shoulder. “Buffy…” Spike said
to her. Besides his arm on her shoulder, his whole body was stiff and his
eyes were hard.

    “What is it, Spike?” she snapped, her mind still reeling from the message
she was about to give them.

    His intense blue eyes were staring at the familiar couches the gang often
shared. He couldn’t speak; he could only nod toward the chairs. Buffy and
the gang turned to look and their minds reeled from the sudden shock. Buffy
blinked her eyes hard. It couldn’t be…it had been so long. Finally, her
voice started to work again and she swallowed hard before speaking.

    “R-Riley?”