Per Aspera Ad Astra
Chapter Decem

There were some people who told me they were getting confused, so I'm giving you a crash course in Roman gods (and for whomever told me the names were corny, you should take it up with the Romans, not me).

Athena (Minerva): Goddess of wisdom, medicine, the arts, science, trade, and war. She is the daughter of Zeus, born fully grown and fully armored from his head. She is the only god allowed to wield Zeus' thunderbolt. She is said to be level-headed on the battlefield.

Victoria (Nike): Goddess of victory, worshipped especially by triumphant generals. You all probably know her because Nike is a major shoe brand. Now you know why they named their shoe 'Nike.' She is usually seen winged (also explaining the 'whoosh' logo ...)

Fortuna (Tyche): Goddess of fortune, chance, prosperity, and fertility. She is the sister of Nemesis and also usually seen as winged.

Justicia (Dike): Goddess of justice and humanity. My artistic license came into play because she usually does not have wings, but she is associated with Athena.

Nemesis: Greek and Roman goddess of divine justice and vengeance. She directs her anger towards transgression of the natural, right order of things and the arrogance causing it. The sister of Fortuna, she is also winged.

Mars (Ares): God of war, spring, growth in nature, and protector of cattle. He is the son of Juno (Hera) and Jupiter (Zeus) and thought to be the father of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, thereby establishing himself the title "Father of Rome." The Romans held him in higher respect than the Greeks did.

Discordia (Eris): Goddess of strife and discord as well as sister of Mars. Okay, I know I used the Greek name for her. I just like it better.

Fuga: Goddess of flight. She is the daughter of Mars and accompanies him on the battlefield.

Timor: God of fear. He is the son of Mars and accompanies him on the battlefield.

***

Dawn yawned loudly, bringing a thin hand up to her mouth, padding heavily into the crowded dining room. She rubbed the sleep lazily from her eyes. "Morning."

Everyone glanced up from the triple-benched table at her entrance. Sunlight flooded in from outside the room, and Lucius was hidden away in a corner from its harmful rays, Livia sitting next to him as all the places were taken up at the table.

"I saved you a seat, Dawn," Portia said, her mouth full of fruit, and shuffled over on the bench closer to Tara to allow room for Dawn. Dawn pulled the heavy curtain to the dining room shut, blocking the rays from reaching inside the room and relying on the flicker of the torches before taking her seat at the table.

"She kicked me off," Livia called back to her. "Feel special that you actually get to eat at the table." She bit down heavily into a piece of wheat bread, leveling her dark blue eyes at her sister.

Portia rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Dawn. She probably would sit with Lucius, anyway."

Livia blushed lightly but ignored her, hiding her red face behind her dark hair as Lucius gave her a knowing look.

Tiberius cleared his throat. "Yes, well, while this is so highly entertaining, we still have other things to talk about." He set his spectacles on lightly graying hair, rubbing his eyes heavily.

"There are those goddesses from yesterday," Buffy agreed, sitting up on the bench next to Spike.

"And the ascension," Tara added meekly. Willow nodded in agreement from the bench beside her.

"Don't waste your breath," Lucius called from across the room. "They said they were coming back later." He leaned back against the wall and watched the room with wary dark brown eyes.

"Did you all know that Justicia is the inspiration for vengeance demons?" Anya asked excitedly from next to Tiberius, eyes sparkling.

Xander looked sideways at her, munching loudly on his food. "Which one was she again?"

"The one with the black hair," Spike answered matter-of-fact, taking another swig of his blood.

"At any rate," Willow intervened, "they're coming back later, so we should just hang tight."

Dawn flopped over. "So what are we going to do all day? Wait around?" Her head plopped into the palm of her hand. "But that's so boring."

"I'm sure you girls can find something around here to do. The horses could always do with some exercise." With that, Tiberius excused himself from the table with a plate full of food and escaped the hysteria to the quiet of his study.

"I guess the afternoon is ours then," Tara said quietly. "Um, Willow, I think I'm going to go eat out in the garden. Do you want to come?" Her hair fell lightly in front of reddening cheeks.

Willow smiled widely. "Sure." Standing from the bench, she gathered their plates up and the two left the room.

Buffy watched them go with a slightly wistful expression on her face. "That was sweet. I wish I could be like that."

Spike gave her a sidelong look. "You want to be gay, too?"

Buffy opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by laughter.

"It was sweet, though," Dawn agreed, coming down from her giggles. "Hey, maybe they'll get back together." She smiled happily. "Then everything could get back to normal."

"Yeah, normal," Buffy added under her breath.

"I'm sure they're already back together, Dawn," Anya said from her position next to Xander.

"I think so, too, Nibblet," Spike agreed. He quickly downed the rest of his blood.

"Well that's good then," she concluded.

Portia rolled over onto her back. "This has got to be the most boring apocalypse ever." Her long dark hair fell over the side of the bench and she dramatically threw her arms over her face.

"Why do you say that?" Xander asked, his hand pausing momentarily from its route to his mouth before he quickly swallowed a grape.

"We're not doing anything. Just waiting," she answered, her voice muffled by her arms.

"One day, you'll get it, kid," Xander told her, grinning slightly, "and you're going to want to have more of this just waiting time." He bit happily into another grape.

"I doubt it," Portia answered, nonchalant. Soon, all the food at the table was gone, leaving everyone to stare at one another. "I told you," Portia continued. "Absolutely nothing to do."

Dawn messed with the tassels on her tunica and reached over, poking Spike in his side. "Spike?"

"Yeah?" he grunted, squirming away from her finger.

"Tell us a story." She looked up at him hopefully.

"What?" Spike maneuvered himself into a sitting position. "I'm not your bleedin' babysitter," he scoffed at them. His hair stuck at odd angles, and he didn't look very menacing.

Dawn lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.

Spike continued to stare back. "Fine," he relented, sighing. "What do you want to hear?"

"Something ... happy," Dawn decided, settling back down in preparation for a story.

"Happy," Spike grinned mischievously. "Well, define happy. Personally, I thought the girl in the coal bin story was happy." He lifted a scarred eyebrow at her.

"Ew, Spike!" the teenager squealed. "That was okay a couple years ago but now ..." she wrinkled her nose and let out a laugh.

Buffy smiled lightly at their banter. "Tell them something like what you told me the other night."

"You told Buffy a story?" Dawn asked, smirking cheekily.

"It wasn't very happy, though," Spike corrected her. "So you want a happy ending, is that it?"

Portia and Dawn nodded as Xander and Anya watched interestedly. Glancing across the room, Buffy stifled a laugh as she saw Lucius and Livia arguing quietly. She turned her attention back to Spike.

"I think I've got one, but I'm pretty sure you've already heard it," he told the girls who shrugged in response. "It's pretty long," he said and they shrugged again. "Anyway, it always entertained the little sis so maybe you'll like it, too."

"Get on with it," Buffy told him dryly. "We're waiting."

"Pushy," he mumbled before continuing. "Once upon a time," he said, grinning at his beginning, "there was a king and he had three daughters. Now, the oldest two looked alright as far as princesses go, but the youngest chit looked so beautiful that people thought she was a goddess."

Dawn smiled, biting the corners of her bottom lip. "Did she have a name?" she asked, playing along.

Spike continued. "This girl, Psyche, was so pretty that people stopped worshipping Venus and journeyed from all over the world to just see her. Of course, Venus couldn't put up with this as she was a goddess and therefore full of envy."

Anya grinned. "Sounds like she needs a vengeance demon."

"As always, she called on her son to help her. I'm sure you know who he is," he addressed the girls. "He is that youth that some call Love but most call Cupid." He shifted his eyes to Portia who was grinning at him. Obviously, she knew the story. "Venus explained to her son what Psyche had done to her, and he was happy to help her out. She sent him to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man on Earth."

Dawn wrinkled her nose at the thought but remained silent.

"Well, as most plans backfire, naturally, this one did, too. Venus didn't count on her son falling in love with Psyche himself. So, Psyche did not fall in love at all, and no one fell in love with her. This disturbed her parents as her older sisters were already married to kings. So, her father went to the oracle at Delphi to ask for help. Of course, Cupid had asked Apollo for advice, and the two fabricated a plan. Apollo told the king to dress Psyche in all black and leave her on a hill to meet her husband, a large snake.

"So they carried out the orders and left her there. Soon, the Zephyr wind lifted her up and set her down on a meadow. She was so tired that she lied down and fell asleep. When she woke up, she was beside this huge mansion. She couldn't see anyone, but she could hear voices."

Xander grinned mischievously. "She's going crazy."

Rolling his eyes, Spike ignored him. "They told her to bathe and eat and that everything there was for her. So she did as told and knew her husband would be with her by nightfall. And he was there, and she knew he was the husband she had waited for."

Buffy glanced over at the other side of the room again only to see Lucius spontaneously reach over and kiss Livia. Her eyes widened when Livia kissed him back. Glancing over at the rest of the people, she realized no one noticed. Shrugging, she let them be.

"She was happy until her husband told her that her sisters were coming to mourn her. He tried to convince her not to go, but he relented and told her not to let her sisters convince her to look at him. He said that if she did, he would leave her forever. She agreed.

"Her sisters came and were green with envy at her wealth. Psyche told them that her husband was away, but they quickly learned she didn't know what he looked like. They told her he was a snake and would eat her one night. Psyche filled with fear, and they devised a plan. That night, she would kill him in his sleep and steal away with her sisters.

"And so, when night came, Psyche lit a lamp and gazed at her husband. Relief filled her as she saw a beautiful youth there, and she dropped her knife. She stared at him for so long that some oil fell from her lamp to his shoulder. When he saw her, he left without a word and cried out, "Love cannot live where there is no trust!"

"Psyche felt awful and offered herself to Venus as a servant in hopes that she may see Cupid in Venus' palace. Venus sent her out on many impossible tasks, but sympathetic animals always aided her. Her final task was for Psyche to go to the Underworld and fill a box with Proserpina's beauty as she was tired from nursing her sick son. So Psyche did the task and became curious. She wanted to look her best if she ever ran into Cupid.

"As soon as she opened the box, she fell asleep. Cupid, of course, was feeling better and missing his wife. He flew out of a window and found Psyche asleep near the palace. He wiped the sleep from her eyes and woke her. He told her to bring the box to his mother, and afterwards everything would be fine. Psyche rushed off happily, and Cupid went straight to Jupiter.

"Jupiter formally married the two and gave Psyche immortality so that Venus could not argue. So, Cupid and Psyche live happily together on Mount Olympus with their children, a marriage of heart and soul."

Everything was quiet for a while until Dawn broke into a grin. "That was a nice story."

"I agree," a voice called from behind them. They turned to see Minerva, divested of helmet and spear. "Psyche was always a sweet girl." She turned her eyes to Lucius and Livia who had flown several feet apart at her arrival. She grinned at their awkwardness.

"So the story's true?" Portia asked bashfully. She played with the tassel of her tunica nervously.

"Of course it is. You think someone made it up?" Minerva smiled kindly before turning back to Spike. "Beautiful ending. Psyche does, after all, mean soul."

"Where are the other birds?" Spike asked her, rising to his feet in a semi-defensive stance beside Buffy.

"I have come alone, only to talk this time." She clasped her hands earnestly in front of her, emphasizing the fact that she held no weapons.

"I'll get my father," Portia mumbled before she and Dawn rushed out of the room to the secluded study.

Minerva watched the girls leave silently, her regal head arched in their direction. Then, suddenly she turned to Lucius but did not speak a word.

He grew flustered under her gaze. "What?!" He checked himself over conscientiously.

Minerva smiled secretly. "Nothing." She regarded him quietly. "You are different, vampire."

"Of course, I'm different," he told her indignantly. "You think every vamp is jumping at the chance to help the Slayer? ... Or Slayers ... yeah." He cleared his throat nervously.

"You are the first of your kind to do so," Minerva answered him, her gaze unwavering.

"Like I said earlier," Lucius remarked once more, cocking his head to the side. He drew a hand quickly through his hair and leaned back against the wall.

Just then, Tiberius entered the room with Portia and Dawn. He was struggling with the writing supplies he had brought and was unknowingly dropping several quills along the way. Giggling, Dawn and Portia did their best to keep up with his mess.

Tiberius set up shop at the table, pushing Xander and Anya from their spots to set down several books and scrolls. Once Dawn and Portia had set their collections down, he stood and wiped his hands down the front of the tunica, smearing a big of blank ink, and sighed loudly. Setting himself down on the bench, he dipped a quill in a vial of black ink made from soot. "Okay, I'm ready," he announced, out of breath.

"Yes, well, Tiberius," Minerva began. "The entire situation is quite simple, really." She pressed her lips together. "It is borne from the pettiness of a god ... my brother."

"You've got to give us a bit more detail than that; you've got a lot of brothers," Livia pointed out from her position next to Lucius, leaning with her back against the wall.

"My brother Mars," she answered. "As you all know, reverence for the gods is slowly dying," she explained. "It has been," she sighed, "for quite a while. Very few of the old rituals are being performed, and the people just do not believe in us anymore. They have lost faith."

Dawn immediately jumped in. "But during the reign of Augustus, isn't there supposed to be a religious ... revival ..." she trailed off, her eyes wide. "And I should not have said that ..." Her hand covered her mouth, as if she felt it would stop her from saying anything further.

"It's alright," Minerva assuaged her fears. "My brother, being the hot-tempered person he is, is taking this quite badly. Do you all know what the Feriae Marti is?" she asked, moving to cup her hands behind her back.

"Isn't that a festival?" Willow asked, the wheels in her brain working furiously to figure out the question.

Minerva nodded in response. "I believe the beginning of your year is in January," she said, "but for us, our new year begins with March. Therefore, the Feriae Marti is the celebration of the new year. It is meant to last all month, and the people are to pay homage to my brother for protecting their fields as well as protecting them in battle." She looked down before continuing quietly. "They did not celebrate it this year."

"But didn't you say none of the gods were being paid honor?" Dawn asked skeptically. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, but he does not understand." She shook her head sadly. "Or he is not willing to. He went to our father, Jupiter, to ask him to send punishment down on the people, but he refused. Now Mars is angry at Jupiter as well." She shrugged, somewhat disbelieving herself. "And what better way to punish him and the people than by hurting the Slayer herself."

"So this entire thing is trivial?" Tara asked timidly. "It's all about power and who gets the most sacrifices?"

"Isn't everything?" Minerva answered quietly.

"Plus, it's very like the gods to argue over petty issues," Lucius added, smirking silently at Minerva who had the grace to blush.

"That was a long time ago," she murmured almost to herself.

"What?" Buffy asked, her eyes trailing back and forth between Minerva and Lucius. "I'm lost."

Spike leaned over to whisper in her ear, "The Trojan War, love."

Buffy's mouth formed a silent 'o' in recognition.

"So why are we here?" Xander asked, getting straight to the point. "It's not like we have anything to do with this little story."

"Against my brother and Eris, the current slayer is no match alone. But with you all here ..." she trailed off. "You are quite formidable."

"Yeah, we've been up against a god before," Anya interjected, feeling a bit frantic, "and you all know how well that went." Her eyebrows lifted and she shook her head disbelievingly. "Hello! We're not only up against one god now, guys!" she cried out. "Now we're up against the god of war and the goddess of discord! And we don't even know if there are any others."

Xander patted her on the back comfortingly. "Breathe, Ahn."

"But that is the reason we chose you," Minerva addressed Anya's fears. "No other Slayer has had as much experience," she told the group, "or as many friends."

Silence grasped the room for several seconds as the goddess left them time to mull over their newfound knowledge.

"When the time comes, you will not be able to kill Mars or Eris," she told them, breaking the quiet.

"Then how do we win?" Livia asked, feeling a bit of dread build up in the pit of her stomach before she pushed it away stubbornly.

"We did kind of kill Glory," Buffy jumped in. "We killed her human counterpart. Does Mars, by any chance, have a human counterpart?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

Minerva stared at her for several seconds. "No."

Buffy pressed her lips together and quirked an eyebrow quickly. "It was worth a shot."

"Glorificus was a lesser god; Mars, however, is not as easily defeated and definitely not as stupid." Minerva brushed a wayward lock out of her face. "He is a higher being."

"You mean like a Power?" Willow asked, intrigued.

"I suppose you could say that. Religion after all employs the same basic ideals and principles. People worship a being or several beings as someone to preside over them and judge them. Essentially, every god is the same god, only with different names. So, yes, I believe you could call him a Power."

"When we say Power," Xander stepped in, "are we talking about the Powers That Be?"

Minerva nodded in response.

"So that would make you a Power, too," Willow concluded. "Wow." She nodded to herself. "You're definitely not as scary as I thought you would be ... You know, big with the menacing and the ... right."

"At any rate," Minerva caught on with her speech, "Mars will not be killed." Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the people that would be the warriors for good in this battle. "But when you do meet him in a final battle, he will go for something large and extravagant. He will attack on the solar eclipse this Friday. Perhaps you should come to him."

*

Minerva had left a solid three hours ago, and the Scoobies et al. were waiting for the sun to set, bringing on the darkness and the night. Minerva had tipped them off, and they were simply waiting to make a move.

The study was covered with leftover books and scrolls from their frantic research session, only to be disregarded now that they had all the information needed.

"You guys know this majorly sucks?" Xander asked from his position sprawled out over a bench.

"At least it's not gonna happen on a Tuesday," Willow quipped lightly. "I was getting enough of those already ..." Tara cracked a smile.

Buffy was curled up on the floor of the study, her skirts around her legs, next to Spike. Surveying the room, she noticed that Livia and Lucius were over by the weapons chest, sharpening several axes and the such.

"This is so boring," she told Spike under her breath. "All we're doing is sitting here until Friday." She glanced over. "I feel helpless."

Spike watched her, contemplating silently. "You can't do everything." He turned his gaze back to the room. "All I'm worried about is dying in a battle that's not our own." He exhaled loudly. "Everything here is so confusing. With the apocalypse and them," he nodded at Lucius and Livia. "And I miss my telly."

Buffy tried unsuccessfully to cover a snort of laughter.

*

The sun set and the moon rose high in the sky, shining brighter and more magnificent than any other star in sight. Within two days, that very orb would be covering the sun.

Buffy, Spike, Livia, and Lucius stealthily trekked across the Forum. Buffy and Spike took in the large, looming buildings with complete awe. Marble surrounded them on all sides. She stopped briefly before the Colosseum, marveling in its size but also sensing a dreadful feeling of foreboding.

All had stakes hidden away safely in the folds of their attire, and they kept close together during their entire trip from the outskirts of the city to the center.

The gravel streets were practically deserted except for several men journeying out to their favorite haunts and several drunken men returning home. Small flames burned brightly within street lamps, illuminating the empty roads softly with their flickering.

A high pitch scream sounded from far off to their right. Glancing at one another one last time, they four took off running towards the source of the terror.

The first thing they noticed was the blood. There was blood everywhere and too many bodies to count. Dozens of vampires loitered around the dead carcasses, scavenging on their dead remains like animals.

Buffy fought down the bile rising in her throat. She had seen massacres before but none like this. Entrails hung from shredded stomachs, and she thought she could see that they had gouged the eyes out of one man's head. Pulling the stake from her tunica's tassel, she grounded herself steadily before she took off into battle right next to the others.

Ignoring the bodies strewn among them, they started dusting vampires left and right, feeling no hesitation, no remorse. They vampires launched themselves at the group left and right, only to be dusted upon impact.

Buffy and Spike had taken up one side and glanced over only to see Livia and Lucius do the same. It was uncanny.

Just within minutes, all of the vampires were either dust or had deserted, and the group stood there among the mass murder.

Swallowing tightly, Buffy surveyed the carnage around her. "You say they lost hundreds of vamps last night?" she asked Spike.

He stood next to her, almost comfortingly. "Reckon' this is 'sposed to make up for yesterday," he answered, on the same train of thought.

"Well, let's go find us a nice alley to wait for them to rise," Lucius interjected. "It's gonna be a long night."

***

Per Aspera Ad Astra
Chapter Undecem

***

Okay, with the lack of response to the last chapter, I seem to have lost you, and I guess I am now writing for myself. Not that that's a bad thing. Sorry this chapter is so late. I had computer problems (i.e. a virus.) Thanks so much to Tenik, duj, daflippnay, natasha "nat" trend, vamp, and charisma (once again, knew I could count on you).

***

Buffy trailed after Spike on their way back to the villa mere hours before sunrise. She was covered in blood from the remains of the strewn bodies. Wiping her sweaty red palms down the front of her tunica, she stalled before the magnificence of the Colosseum. Looking up, she brushed her hair back from her face.

Her Slayer senses went into overdrive.

"Buffy?" a voice asked from next to her.

"Yeah?" she answered without removing her gaze from the amphitheater.

"Are you all right?" Spike placed a hand at the small of her back.

"Something just doesn't feel right," she told him quietly, glancing at him quickly before returning her gaze to the gigantic building. "I don't know what it is."

"Yeah, I can feel it, too, love," he said, looking over at Livia and Lucius. They were hurrying towards the villa, racing against the dawn.

"There's something about this place ..." she trailed off, smoothing the hair out of her eyes again.

Taking her by the hand, Spike pulled her along. "Come on. We've gotta go," he tugged her arm a little. "We'll come back tomorrow night--check things out a bit."

Allowing herself to be led away, Buffy relented. She quickened her paces, matching them with those of Spike.

Glancing over, Spike frowned. "Are you okay, Buffy?" he asked again, concerned.

Buffy never let go of his hand. "Fine."

The two continued on the same path they took earlier. Lucius and Livia were waiting for them in the especially dark shadow of another tall marble building.

"You guys are really slow," Livia accused before turning on her heel and continuing.

Lucius smirked from his place within the moon-cast shadow, his face like India ink. Arching an eyebrow, he cocked his head in Livia's direction. "That's one--she's too impatient. She's got fire."

"So is Buffy," Spike shot back immediately, grinning. "I'm beginning to think it's a genetic trait of Slayers." He smirked before continuing on after Lucius.

"Shut up," Buffy ordered, digging her nails into the back of his hand.

He cast a sidelong glance at her, a smile on his face. A splotch of blood remained on his cheek.

Licking the pad of her thumb on her free hand, Buffy reached over to clean his face gently.

He looked over in surprise.

"You had some blood on your cheek," she quickly explained. Heat rose in her cheeks, and she looked away.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah," he replied laughingly, "that always seems to be a problem."

"Come on!" Livia shouted back at them, annoyed. "Move it! If you keep on with that, I think I'm gonna hurl!"

"Please!" Buffy called back. "You think I didn't notice the smoochies earlier?" she teased as Livia turned red. "That's what I thought," she muttered to herself.

"There were smoochies earlier?" Spike asked, saying the word as if it was something foreign to him.

"Yeah, while you were telling your story," she answered casually.

"And nobody noticed?" he practically stated almost incredulously.

"Maybe you underestimate your story-telling abilities." Then, she yanked her hand free and took off into the dark. "Race you!" she called back.

Grinning to himself, Spike shot off after her.

*

Buffy returned to her room in the robe she was wearing the day earlier, her hair completely wet and now tangled. Wringing her hair out, she pulled her brush from the trunk and set to work, pulling it carefully through her hair. She winced every time she came to a particularly painful knot.

Looking over at Spike, she noticed he was sprawled over the bed, completely dry and fully clothed.

"That was fast," she commented, now half-concentrating on the task of detangling her hair.

"It's hard to take your time when you're taking a bath with another male," he told her blandly.

"It's hard to take a bath with another female," she returned.

"And yet it didn't stop you," Spike said, gesturing to her wet hair with a flick of the wrist.

Buffy shrugged in response before rummaging around in the trunk and pulling out a clean tunica. Spike looked away. Rolling her eyes, she dropped the robe onto the trunk and pulled the tunica over her head. "You can look now," she called to him, scrubbing at her head with the slightly damp robe before brushing it straight one last time.

"Tomorrow is the day before the end of the world," Spike snorted. "If you really are worried, you shouldn't be. If the world ended back, well, now, then we wouldn't have ever been born." He flopped back over. "And to think I realized all that within the fifteen minutes I've been lying here."

"Yeah, unless we screw up," Buffy pointed out. "Or if this is an alternate dimension or something. Didn't Anya say there were thousands of alternate dimensions or something?" she asked, finally crawling up onto the bed next to him, sitting cross-legged.

"Well ... when you put it like that," he said, placing his arms behind his head. He half-closed his eyes to rest. "Love?" He heard Buffy murmur back slightly in response. "About earlier ... are you sure you're okay?" he asked one last time. He opened his eyes to watch her face.

She shrugged and sighed heavily. "I'm just a little worried. Normal Slayer reaction to impending apocalypse," she quipped.

"I mean, other than that. We're all a little jittery," he said as he pushed himself up on his forearms to get a better look at her.

She shrugged again. "It's not so bad anymore," she told him, burying her hands under her thighs to warm them. "Being here has ..." she broke off for several seconds as if to measure her thoughts. "It's shown me what I used to be like." She hid her face behind slowly drying hair. "I miss that girl."

Pulling her wrist gently to dislodge her hand from beneath her, Spike threaded his fingers with hers. "I miss that girl, too. But she's still here, in front of me." He kissed the back of her hand so softly she could barely feel it before bringing their hands to the mattress between them. His thumb ran across the back of her hand before toying with her "wedding" ring thoughtlessly.

"Spike?" she murmured, her eyes never straying from their joined hands.

"Hm?" he answered back, returning to his reclining position, eyes closing sleepily.

"Help me find her?"

Her request surprised him mainly, and he opened his eyes to look at her. It was the manner with which she said it that wrenched at his heart. His entire being was reaching out to protect and comfort this slip of a girl before him.

"Tell me how," he whispered back.

And with that, Buffy leaned over to claim his lips with her own.

*

The group had gathered for breakfast in the dining room, very similarly to the day earlier except this time, they were missing both slayers and both vampires. The table wasn't nearly as crowded as it was the day before.

"Are they still sleeping?" Portia asked before taking a large gulp from her cup.

"They got in very late last night," Tiberius informed them offhandedly, his eyes scanning a scroll quickly.

"Is Lucius all right?" Portia asked again. "They did get in before sunrise, right?"

"They did back it back before sunrise," he reassured her. Then, to the rest, "They ran into a bit of trouble though last night." He set down his scroll to direct his full attention to the matter at hand.

"Are any of them hurt?" Tara asked. She sported a maternal look on her face.

"No, no," he immediately replied, "everyone's fine."

"So everything's okay?" Xander asked thickly around his breakfast before choking heavily on a piece of wheat bread.

"Xander!" Anya cried out. She immediately leapt forward and began to pound on his back, shouting, "Heave!" occassionally.

Xander finally hacked up a disfigured piece of bread, clutching at his throat and gasping desperately at the air.

"Xander!" Anya cried out again and smoothed her hand over his back. "Are you all right?" She hovered over him like a mother bird.

"Fine," he gasped out.

"Dawn raised an eyebrow. "That was graceful," she remarked jokingly, after she was sure he was okay.

"Real smooth," Willow quipped from beside Tara.

"Have a drink," Anya offered. When he finished the cup, she immediately smacked his shoulder. "Don't you ever do that again!" she accused. "If you're going to die, don't let a piece of bread kill you! And what were you doing talking with your mouth full in the first place?!" Anya rambled on, submerged in her worry.

"Geez, sorry, Ahn," Xander muttered. "I won't ever eat bread again." This launched a whole new rant from Anya.

Clearing his throat, Tiberius broke the happy couple up. "Do you mind?" And the two immediately quieted, having been put in their place. Tara giggled quietly while the rest laughed right out.

"They plan on going out again tonight to investigate one place," Tiberius told them, taking another sip of his wine. He carefully rolled up the scroll he had been reading and secured it with a ribbon.

"Do you know where?" Willow asked. She nibbled on some cheese while resting her head in the palm of her hand.

"I believe some place near the Forum," he said. "Both Anna and William both said they could feel something wrong with the place."

"Spidey senses," Dawn remarked, earning confused looks from Portia and Tiberius both.

"At any rate, we should all be preparing ourselves for tomorrow." He took time to look at each one of them. "I believe we should inform the servants of the upcoming battle, don't you Portia?"

"Wait, wait," Xander cut in. "The servants fight, too?"

"Yes, when we need them," Tiberius answered immediately. "You think they stay here for the wonderful salary?"

*

Buffy breathed in deeply, feeling warm and comforted for the second time that week. She could feel Spike's eyes watching her face carefully and struggled to hold her facade of sleep.

She could feel his lips tickle at her ear and held in her slight giggle. "I know you're awake," he murmured, puffs of air following every syllable.

"Who's pretending?" she whispered back innocently, turning her face toward him.

Spike ignored her comment, flopping back down and shutting his eyes. His hair was tousled from sleep and he looked surprisingly young.

"Hey," Buffy whispered again. "You going back to sleep?" She pushed his bare shoulder slightly. "Wake up." He didn't budge; she pushed harder. "Wake up!" Failing to receive a response the second time, she settled her head into his shoulder, not to sleep but to bask in the remains of her deepest rest in quite a while. Watching Spike's face, she wove on hand into his hair to muss it further.

"Buffy?" Spike murmured.

"Yeah?" Buffy answered, smiling into his neck. She shifted slightly to make herself more comfortable.

"You think we should get up?" he moved a little to gain a better look at her.

"Why? I like it here," she answered. "You're a nice pillow. All squishy and stuff."

"Come on," he answered, pushing her away slightly. "Who know when these people will wander in," he said, reaching over the side of the bed for his tunic.

Buffy moaned, burying her head with her pillow. "No," she protested. "Why can't we just stay here forever?"

"Because we would get hungry, ducks," Spike answered simply, handing Buffy her own tunica. Her arm whipped out, pushing the garment away. Sighing, Spike grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up.

Crying out in surprise, Buffy grabbed the blanket for purchase. Spike pulled the tunica over her head roughly, pushing her arms through.

Buffy laughed, mock-struggling against him. As soon as her arms were free, she grabbed Spike by the back of his head, meeting his lips with her own. Her other hand made its way to his cheek where it joined with his own hand.

Breaking away, she rested her face against his. Nodding lightly, she pulled the sheets away. "Do I look rumpled?" she asked him, pulling away and smoothing her hair down.

"You look beautiful," Spike answered immediately, causing Buffy to blush lightly almost on instinct. "And you smell wonderful," he leaned in to breathe in her scent.

"Yeah? What do I ..." She sniffed herself lightly. "I smell like I just ran a marathon." She blushed again. "Do you think they have some lotion or ...?"

Grinning, Spike made his way around the bed to the trunk. Throwing it open, he dug through it before letting out a triumphant shout. Tossing a small bottle of perfume to her, she smiled in gratitude.

Standing up, he smoothed his curls back into place with both hands. Reaching down, he grabbed his sandals and handed Buffy her's.

Buffy flopped down next to him, taking her sandals and placing her foot in one. Tugging annoyedly at the laces, she glanced over at Spike. "You all right?" She lifted an eyebrow at him before pulling roughly at the laces again.

"Buffy, about last night ..." he began quietly and somewhat cautiously.

"Oh," Buffy responded, grimacing slightly.

"I can't help feeling as if last night may be a mistake ..." he trailed off, pausing from the task of his sandals.

"Spike, um," Buffy cleared her throat quietly, "I don't think last night was a mistake," she said, saying the word with distaste.

Spike's eyes immediately focused on her, his head tilted gently to the side and his lips slightly parted.

Reaching over, Buffy grabbed his cheek and kissed him deeply. Bringing herself to her knees, she scooted herself closer on the mattress. Breaking away, she smiled silently at him. "I'm still here, aren't I? That's got to say something, doesn't it?"

"You've got no where else to go," he answered somewhat stubbornly if not honestly.

Buffy lifted an eyebrow, slinging an arm over his shoulders.

"Fine," he relented.

"Can we just," Buffy swallowed heavily, "keep this to ourselves for a while?"

Spike immediately pulled away, yanking her arm from around his neck. He went back to tying his sandals, clenching his jaw tightly, willing himself not to say anything back.

"Spike, don't do this," Buffy coaxed tiredly. "This is a really bad time and you know it."

"So when, Buffy?" he snapped. "It's always a bad time. We live on the bloody Hellmouth!" He rose angrily to his feet and turned to leave.

Buffy grabbed his hand quickly. "No, stop," she said, tugging on his arm.

Spike stopped mid-stride but refused to face her. His shoulders tensed, the muscles bunching beneath them, and his hands clenched.

"You're right, you're right," Buffy relented. Pulling him around gently, he relaxed his stance. "Just, let's wait until we get home, okay?"

He turned his unwavering gaze toward her.

"Okay?" she repeated persuadingly.

Spike sighed. "When we get home?"

Buffy immediately nodded. "Yeah."

He sighed again, arching a doubtful eyebrow at her.

Grinning in triumph, Buffy reached up to kiss him again.

Reaching around her back, Spike pulled her flush against him and kissed her hard. "The things I do for you," he muttered before releasing her.

***

I was going to make this a lot longer but decided against it. Seven pages is enough. I don't think the next one will be out until after exams because next week I have SOL's. The week after I have AP exams. Then, a couple weeks after that, I have final exams. I feel very tempted to find a gun and put myself out of my misery. In advance, I thank whomever reviews.

On a happier note, I finished my webpage!! (woohoo! The first--no second--thing I've made from scratch that actually looks kinda good ...) Go sign the gbook!

Thanks again! Eva