Title: Fluffy Band Candy (Ep 36 of The Fluffy Files)

Author: Hilary

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Everything I have borrowed from Joss.

Author's Notes: From now on I won't be taking the episodes in chronological order. If you want to vote for which episode is done next then go here <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FluffyPolls/join> As always assume the episode has run as normal up until the point I start writing.

Dedications: As always to my beloved beta, Becca. Without whom none of this would have made any sense

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An evil glint glittered in Spike's eyes as his car roared into Sunnydale. The town sign loomed in front of him and with a wry chuckle he swerved his car to the left ensuring that he hit the sign full on. As it crunched beneath his wheels he drew to a stop and got out, lighting a cigarette just as he had done the first time he'd arrived with Dru the year before. He was alone this time but that didn't matter. Something was going on in Sunnydale, no change there, this time Spike was going to enjoy it as much as he could.

First of all, though, he had to get something to eat. It was time to hit the Bronze and see what sort of tender morsel he could sink his teeth into.

* * *

"Buffy, are you sure this is a good idea?" Willow asked nervously, clinging on for dear life as the car swerved mindlessly all over the road.

"Are you kidding?" Buffy asked, "This is probably the only time ever that Mom is going to let me drive her car. I want to enjoy every moment of it."

Willow didn't reply and instead squeezed her eyes shut as they swerved violently around the corner. At this rate she wasn't even sure they were going to make it to the Bronze alive.

* * *

"You want some candy?"

Spike stared sceptically at the box that was being offered to him by the girl he'd got talking to in the club. Usually the girls that he met wanted him to buy them booze, not offer him sweets. Still, he'd always had a bit of a sweet tooth and the chocolate would make a nice desert when he'd finished draining her.

"Sure thing, pet." He smiled, taking the box from her and setting it down on the table in front of them. He took a quick look around. Something wasn't quite right here, but at the moment he was too hungry to care. He'd think about it again when he'd fed.

The girl smiled and leant over to whisper in his ear.

"I'm actually supposed to sell it but since I like you, you can have it for free."

She finished her sentence by suckling gently on his earlobe and then pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Inwardly Spike rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wished the hunt could be a bit more of a challenge. The girls he picked up these days seemed to take one look at him and be ready to give him anything he wanted. He cast a glance around the club, half hoping to see Buffy. At least she wouldn't just swoon and fall into his arms and he was craving a good fight.

"You want to go somewhere a bit more quiet?" His companion asked, sliding a hand over his knee and onto his thigh.

Resisting the urge to cringe Spike smiled, placing his hand over hers.

"Sure."

As she got to her feet Spike picked up the box of candy and slid it under his arm. After all it would be rude to refuse a gift.

* * *

The girl let out a small scream as Spike buried his fangs into her throat, struggling as much as she could. It was no use however; her struggles grew weaker and weaker until she finally fell limp in his arms. Spike continued to drink until he was full and then tossed the now dead girl's body to one side. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the candy bars she'd given him.

"Thanks a lot for the food, luv." He grinned, munching on the bar as he headed back into the club. He still had time for a few drinks before it closed.

* * *

Buffy and Willow could only stare in stunned silence at the chaos that was erupting around them. It was like watching some sort of freak show only this was very real.

"Buffy, what's happening?" Willow asked nervously as her eyes flittered over to her biology teacher who was currently chugging down a jug of beer while his friends cheered and hooted.

"I don't know." Buffy replied. "But we need to fix it, and fast."

From a corner Spike watched, his eyes locked onto the Slayer. He knew he should be fighting her right now, taking advantage of the fact that she was distracted. He found himself unable to move though. All he wanted to do was watch her. Not letting his eyes move from her face he reached into pick pocket and pulled out another candy bar, munching on it thoughtfully as he looked on.

"We've got to stop this." Buffy said, as Oz walked over and joined them. "We need to research and see if anything like this has happened before."

The others nodded their agreement and turned and headed for the door. Buffy was about to follow when something caught her eye and a look of rage crossed her face. Striding into the crowd she emerged a moment later with her hand firmly gripped around Spike's wrist.

"I should have known you couldn't stay away. This is your work I suppose?"

"Me?" Spike asked as innocently as he could. "I didn't do anything. I was just enjoying the view."

Buffy snorted.

"Everyone starts acting weird and you just happen to show up. I don't buy it."

Spike shrugged. "Think what you want."

Buffy's first instinct was to beat him until he told her what he knew, but somehow she didn't think he's be that easy to break. Maybe Willow could do some magic or something to make him talk. Whatever the choices she certainly wasn't going to just let him go.

"You're coming with me." She snapped, dragging him out of the door before he could even think about responding. She quickly bundled him into the back of her Mom's car and handed Oz the keys before climbing in beside Spike.

* * *

As they drove Buffy kept her eyes locked on Spike. She knew it was only a matter of time before he tried something. At the moment though, he seemed fully occupied with just staring out of the window.

Finally he sighed loudly.

"Isn't it a beautiful night?"

He sounded so sincere that for a moment she didn't know how to respond.

"It'll be better once you tell me what you've done to everyone so I can fix it." She finally snapped.

Spike turned to face her suddenly, his rapid movement causing Buffy to immediately reach for her stake.

"Have I ever told you that your eyes remind me of the sea at sunrise?"

Buffy frowned. "Huh?"

Spike sighed again. "Of course it's been a long time since I've seen a sunrise, but your eyes are just the colour I imagine the ocean to be."

Buffy shook her head, hoping that would clear the confusion that had taken up residence since Spike had started talking.

"Spike, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Your beauty effulgent."

"My what?"

He suddenly looked horrified and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"What have you done to me?" He finally asked. "You made me soft!"

"Me?" Buffy retorted. "Just because you're acting like a nerd don't blame me."

Before Spike could make further comment, however, Willow let out a scream. Buffy barely caught sight of the other car heading towards them before a loud crash momentarily robbed her of her senses. The next thing she was aware of was stumbling into the night air and being confronted with two very badly dented cars.

"Oh no." She moaned as the driver of the other car took off. "My mother is going to kill me."

"Is anyone hurt?" Oz asked after checking himself over.

"No." Willow replied shakily. She'd never been in a road accident before and she was more than a little freaked.

Buffy was still inspecting the damage when Spike moved over and took her arm, gently turning her to face him.

"You're bleeding." He said softly, wetting a tissue with the bottle of water Buffy had left in the car. He then carefully swiped just above her right eye and it was only when she felt it sting that Buffy realised she must have banged her head when they hit the other car.

"All done." Spike said after a moment, and Buffy could only stare as he went to return the water bottle to its place.

Something was definitely wrong here. Spike being nice was just something she couldn't deal with.

He returned a moment later munching on what Buffy immediately recognised as a bar of band candy. Wow, when even vampires were eating she knew that it must be evil.

"Oh my god!" She suddenly exclaimed. "It's the candy. We sold it to all the adults and that's why they're the ones going all time warp on us."

She marched over to Spike and grabbed him by the shirt, pinning him against the car.

"Where'd you get the candy?"

He almost looked frightened by the blazing rage in her eyes. "I don't know. A girl gave it to me."

She held on for a moment longer before realising he was probably telling the truth. Even if he wasn't himself, it wasn't really in Spike's nature to lie about stuff like this. He was more of a bragger.

She turned to Willow and Oz. "You guys find Xander and Cordy. Head to the library and see if you can find out anything about people acting younger or whatever."

Willow nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"Me and Spike are going to try and find out where the stuff is coming from."

She almost heard Spike gulp when she included him in the equation but at this stage she didn't care.

"Let's go."

* * *

It didn't take them long to find the place they were looking for. Adults were heading in droves for one particular warehouse and when Buffy pulled up she saw several vampires stood at the doorway tossing candy to the needy people.

"Come on." She told Spike who was staring at the chaos open mouthed.

"I don't think this is really appropriate behaviour for a public place." He said as Buffy dragged him towards the door. "I mean look at what your mother is doing with that man. Is she aware that people can see?"

Buffy stopped mid stride and slowly turned back. Her jaw dropped in horror as she saw what Spike was referring to. Her mother and Giles, locked in a passionate embrace and kissing like there was no tomorrow.

"Mom! Giles!"

If they heard her they chose to ignore it.

Spike walked over and took her arm. "Leave them, Buffy. Don't let yourself get dragged down by their lewd behaviour."

Buffy sighed. This was getting ridiculous. She didn't even know what lewd meant but she was guessing it was a bad thing. Marching over she grabbed her mother and pulled her away from Giles.

"Mom, go home."

Joyce pouted and looked to Giles for support. "But I want some more candy."

Seeing the need for him to show himself as the alpha male Giles took a step forward. Buffy merely glared at him, seeing him as being the one responsible for leading her mom astray.

"Giles, do you really want to fight me?"

He seemed to think about this for a moment before taking a step back. Despite all his bravado he knew there was no way he could take the Slayer.

"Now mom, listen to me." Buffy began but was cut off when Joyce saw the candy being thrown into the crowd. Her eyes lit up

"Ripper, look. They've got candy. You want some?"

He shrugged casually before lighting another cigarette. "Alright."

Before Buffy could react Joyce disappeared into the crowd, quickly followed by Giles.

"Come on." She told Spike, who had remained silent throughout the conversation. "We're going inside."

Spike eyed the crowd nervously. "Maybe I should just stay here."

Just as she had done in the Bronze Buffy grabbed Spike's wrist and dragged him forwards. Pushing the crowds of people aside until she reached the vampires. She quickly vaulted onto the stage and made easy work of dusting the three vamps. Turning back she spied her mother in danger of being trampled and grabbed her hand, pulling her up with her.

"Mom, are you ok?"

Joyce nodded. "Wow, it's really intense down there."

"Just stay with me and you'll be ok."

Giles and Spike climbed up after them and the four of them headed towards the door.

"Spike, we don't know how many vamps are going to be in there. Do you think you can cover my back?"

She realised it was crazy asking for his help when they were supposed to be enemies, but after the way he'd taken car of her after the car accident she figured she could probably trust him while he was under the influence of the candy.

Spike drew himself up tall.

"Fighting is not gentlemanly behaviour." He announced haughtily. "And I will not lower myself to the level of a common thug."

Giles rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a wanker. Stand up for yourself, you poof."

Spike's eyes blazed. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner. If I suspected you were any sort of gentleman I'd challenge you to a duel."

"Guys!" Buffy yelled, causing both of them to stop. "We don't have time for a pissing contest. Can we just go inside and stop the bad guys?"

She stormed inside before any of them had a chance to respond and they quickly followed.

* * *

Buffy could barely believe what she was seeing as she walked into the factory. There were boxes of candy stacked as far as the eye could see, enough to keep the adults in their second childhood for months. Now all she had to do was figure out how to undo the effects and get rid of this stuff.

The place seemed deserted and that was never a good sign.

"Look at all the candy." Joyce sighed, her eyes wide with delight. "We could live off this stuff forever."

Buffy turned back. "You're not having any more. Any of you."

Joyce pouted, Giles looked ready to argue and Spike was just staring at her with total admiration. It was him that was now creeping her out the most. If she didn't know any better she think that he-

"Well, this is quite a menagerie of people we have here." An all too familiar voice said, cutting into her thoughts.

Ethan Rayne stood on the other side of the warehouse, looking ready to bolt at any moment. Buffy sighed.

"I should have guessed this was your work."

"Indeed." Ethan replied. "But my work is done now."

And with that he took off, Buffy and Giles in hot pursuit. Spike and Joyce just watched them go.

"He is so brave."

"She is amazing."

They both sighed at once before taking a seat and waiting for them to return.

* * *

Buffy soon found that she was at a decided disadvantage as she chased after Ethan. He clearly knew the warehouse well, including the best place to hide. She slowed down her pace and for once she actually heeded Giles' advice. She honed. She focused all her energy on heightening her senses and then slowly she began to walk. Turning several corners she finally reached a stop as Giles jogged up behind her.

"Do you know what you're doing?" He asked sceptically. In front of them wall a wall of crates, a seeming dead end. Buffy's face fell a little. So much for honing.

Then she heard something. Ever so quiet, but there nonetheless. With one quick movement she dealt a powerful kick to the crates and reached into the hole she'd created. As she pulled Ethan out into the light she smiled with satisfaction.

"Well looky what we have here."

* * *

In true Ethan style it had taken one punch to the nose to 'encourage' him to tell them everything he knew. He'd been paid to make the candy to keep the adults out of the way so that The Mayor could make a tribute to some demon. Now all she had to do was find out what the tribute was and find the demon.

As she dragged Ethan back to the entrance both Spike and Joyce's face lit up.

"Are you ok?" They both asked at once.

Buffy merely nodded whilst Giles moved back over to Joyce so that they could resume their makeout sessions. This just seemed to embarrass Spike who moved away and came to stand near Buffy.

"Buffy...I can't believe I've done this, but here."

He handed her a folded piece of paper, which she frowned at for a moment before slipping into her pocket. She was already dialling Willow's number and would have to see what it was later. Spike looked hurt when she paid no attention to his gift and went to sit back down on the converoybelt.

"Willow? It's me." Buffy said when her friend finally answered. "I need you to find out about a demon called Larconis and something about a tribute."

As the phone went quite while the gang searched the books, Buffy pulled Spike's piece of paper out of her pocket. As she read it her eyes widened slightly.

A poem. Spike had written her a poem. Worse, Spike had written her a bad poem. She glanced up at him, and any urge she'd felt to laugh melted when she saw just how hopeful and embarrassed he looked by his outpouring. She gave him a small smile and slipped the paper back into her pocket.

"Buffy, are you there?" Willow asked, bringing her back into the reality of the current situation. "We've found the demon. It looks kind of like a snake, and apparently it lives underground in sewers and stuff."

"Ok, thanks Will. Does it say anything about the tribute?"

There was a pause and Buffy heard the sound of pages turning.

"Oh." Willow exclaimed in a voice that didn't sound good. "Larconis eats babies."

"Ok." Buffy said grimly. "Thanks."

As she hung up the phone she turned back to the others. Giles and her mom were still kissing, and she had now realised that telling them to stop was totally pointless. Spike, as always, was merely watching her. He seemed a little happier after her response to his poem though.

"Ok, guys, we need to-"

At that moment Ethan took advantage of the fact that Buffy's back was to him, grabbing a crowbar and smashing it down on the back of her head. With a grunt she crumpled to the floor and lay there motionless.

Joyce let out a small scream and Giles quickly jumped towards Ethan. Spike, however, made it first, tackling him to the ground before he had the chance to run. Ethan didn't even get the chance to plead before Spike started raining punches down on him.

"You"

"Hurt"

"My"

"Girl"

When he was finally satisfied that Ethan was out of it and that his face now resembled more of a bloody pulp than actual human features, Spike hurried back to Buffy's side. Joyce had removed the coat that Giles had stolen for her and pillowed it beneath Buffy's head, but other than that she didn't seem to know what to do. Giles looked concerned too, but all he could do was console Joyce.

"Is she dead?" Joyce asked in a small voice as Spike knelt down beside her. He gently pushed her head to one side and laid his fingers on her throat. After a moment his shoulders slumped with relief.

"She's alive."

He gently brushed her hair back from her face and ran his fingers over her cheek.

"Buffy, please wake up."

When there was no response Spike looked up at Giles and Joyce.

"We should take her to the hospital. She could have brain damage or a concussion or-"

His voice cracked as his mind went over all the things that could be wrong with her. What if she never woke up? What if he never got to hear her voice again? At this point he even wished she was fighting him, anything was better than seeing her just lying there like this.

Carefully he picked her up and moved her head so that it was resting on his shoulder.

"Can one of you take the keys out of her pocket?"

Joyce moved over and did as she was asked, pausing briefly to press a kiss to Buffy's cheek.

"I'll drive." Giles said, taking the keys from Joyce. Spike nodded, his eyes permanently on Buffy's face, searching for some sign that she was waking up. There was nothing.

"Let's go." He finally said and they quickly headed back out to the car.

* * *

Spike gave a small sigh as the drove towards the hospital. Giles was already breaking the speed limit but to Spike it still didn't seem fast enough. All he could feel was Buffy's limp body in his arms. At the moment she was resting in his lap, her head leaning on his shoulder. He stroked her hair as they drove, willing her with every part of himself to just open her eyes.

"Nearly there." Giles said, sensing Spike's impatience. He turned a corner sharply and in the back Buffy's head lolled from Spike's shoulder into the crook of his neck. He closed his eyes as he felt her breath gently warm his skin. All night he'd wanted nothing more than to have her this close to him. Talk about ironic.

"We're here." Giles announced, stopping the car and carefully lifting Buffy from Spike's lap so that he could climb out. As soon as he was outside, Spike insisted he be the one to carry her and for once Giles didn't argue. Since seeing Spike pound Ethan the way he had, Giles had developed a new sense of respect for Spike.

"We need help!" Spike called as he walked into the foyer with Buffy in his arms. He was greeted with silence. The whole place was deserted save for one receptionist who was staring at the TV with glazed eyes.

"Where is everyone?" Joyce asked.

Spike shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

At that moment Buffy let out a small moan and shifted in his arms. Her hand slowly moved up to touch the back of her head and she moaned again when she felt a rather large lump there. Finally she opened her eyes and saw Spike looking down at her.

"Are you ok?" He asked, setting her down on her feet but keeping one arm wrapped around her waist. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three." She replied with a wince as she touched her head again. "What happened?"

Spike smiled, satisfied that she really was all right. "Ethan knocked you out. Don't worry, I took care of him."

Buffy looked at him with surprise. "You beat him up? What happened to you not being a thug?"

Spike lowered his eyes and shifted his feet. "He hurt you."

Buffy couldn't help but be in awe of this. How was it possible that her very presence could have such a drastic effect on Spike like this? True he wasn't entirely himself but the fact that he was willing to go against what he felt for her was an amazing thing.

"Buffy, you're alright!" Joyce said happily as she and Giles moved over to join them.

"Good thing too." Giles huffed. "Dozy cow on the desk doesn't know anything."

For the first time Buffy took notice of where they were.

"Quick, we have to go to the maternity section!" She charged off before any of them could question her.

* * *

Buffy's mouth formed a tight line as she ran her fingers along the edge of one of the empty cribs. She was too late. If she'd just been paying more attention in the warehouse then Ethan probably wouldn't have had the chance to knock her out.

Spike moved over to her side.

"It's not too late." He said gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "We can still find the demon."

In her head Buffy ran over what Willow had told her when they were on the phone.

"We need to go to the sewers."

Spike wrinkled his nose; he really didn't think it was appropriate to go crawling around in sewage. But he also knew how important it was to Buffy that they stopped the demon so he finally nodded. With a grateful smile she turned back to Giles and Joyce.

"Giles, will you please take my mom home?"

"Hey!" He protested. "If you're going to fight a demon then I want in."

Buffy shook her head. "Giles, please, I need you to keep her safe. I know you're strong enough to protect her."

His ego suitably boosted Giles puffed up his chest and wrapped his arm around Joyce's shoulder. She snuggled into his arms and the two of them headed out into the night.

Buffy turned back to Spike. "You ready?"

He shook his head. "Not really but let's go."

* * *

It didn't take them long to find what they were looking for. The chanting could be heard almost as soon as they entered the sewers. All they had to do was follow their ears until they came to a dead end. Buffy was relieved to see that she wasn't too late. The babies lay in a trough, still alive and currently being anointed by a group of robed vampires. Mr Trick stood a little further back, watching

"You get the babies." She whispered to Spike, knowing that he still wasn't happy about fighting. "I'll deal with the vamps."

Spike nodded and took a step back as Buffy launched herself at the nearest minion, tackling him away from the babies. Spike quickly made his move, grabbing the trough and pulling it as far away as he could. All he could do then was stand back and watch Buffy in action. It was an amazing sight to behold. She quickly dispatched two of the minions, and tossed the third into a shallow pool at the back of the area. She turned back and noticed Trick stood waiting for her.

Before either of them had a chance to react though, a low rumbling resounded throughout the cavern. Buffy turned back to the pool and could only stare as Larconis appeared from a hole in the wale, devouring the vampire in one go. It then disappeared back where it had come from.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me now, girl." Trick sneered, apparently not fazed by the appearance of the demon. "Show me your moves."

Spike watched as Buffy and Trick faced each other down. He knew he should just stay out of the way but he found himself suddenly filled with the fear that she was going to get hurt again. Twice in one night was more than he could stand. With a low growl he charged at Trick, pushing Buffy aside and punching him with everything he had. Trick merely seemed amused by this and kicked Spike squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward. He hit the wall hard and dropped down into the pool below.

"Spike!" Buffy yelled when she saw he wasn't moving. "Get out of there."

The rumbling resumed once more and Buffy knew she only had seconds before Spike met the same fate as the other vampire. She rushed forward, reaching into the pool and dragging Spike out. A second later Larconis emerged, his teeth snapping when he realised there was nothing for him to eat. When she was sure that Spike was out of harms way Buffy ran over to one of the gas pipes, snapping it and pointing it at one of the flames torches that lit the cavern. As she pointed the stream of flame at Larconis the demon let out an ungodly scream as it caught fire before it disappeared back into the hole. A moment later and all was silent except for the cries of the babies they had rescued.

Somewhere in during the destruction of the demon, Trick had bolted. Buffy had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time she'd see him.

Buffy moved over to Spike's side and knelt down beside him.

"Are you ok?" She asked as she helped him to sit up. Spike nodded as he opened his eyes, thankful to see that Buffy was still in one piece and that the demon appeared to be gone.

"Did we win?" He asked as Buffy helped him to his feet.

"Yeah." She smiled. "We won. You ready to get out of here?"

Spike nodded. "Too right I am, luv."

At the sound of his words, Buffy realised that Spike was becoming himself again. Whether this was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

* * *

Having taken the babies back to the hospital Buffy and Spike slowly began the walk back to her house. Still an element of William left in Spike he'd insisted he walk her home.

"So, you feeling back to your old self yet?" Buffy asked cautiously. "Are we gonna have to start fighting again soon?"

Spike shrugged. "I dunno, pet. I'm kind of getting used to this white hat lark. Although I think maybe you should stake me on principle now that you've seen what a ponce I was."

"Spike, you...you really were a good man," her voice filled with wonder. Now that the candy crisis was over she was really beginning to see what had been in front of her all evening.

He smiled sadly. "Was, luv, was. I'm not a man anymore. Vampire, remember? Evil. Demon."

But standing there, looking into his eyes, for the first time she thought perhaps she could see something...something more.

"Careful" She smiled "You almost sound sorry for it."

Lifting his hand up to gently move a strand of hair off her cut and bruised forehead, his voice became rough with emotion. "Well, now that I've seen what..." He sighed softly. "Yeah, okay, maybe I am. Its amazing what a woman like you could do to a ma- a monster." Traces of the patent smirk slipping for a moment.

And something inside Buffy squeezed. Her breath caught with the force of it, because for one brief second she had seen it. That something. That tiny something within the creature in front of her that made her know that the possibility could exist. Did he see it? Did he understand that the mere possibility was worth it? Would he want it? She wasn't as naive as she had been just over a year ago. No, she would never be that child again. But she understood life in a way few others ever would. This was her life. Now, in the moment. She understood that life had pain. She understood it far too well. But for her life to be worth it, for it to have more than just the pain, she had to be willing to at least try for the pleasure. For a bit of happiness, if she could.

So she, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, took a chance to try for that bit of happiness with William the Bloody, Slayer of Slayers. "Could I really?"

He looked at her slightly baffled.

"Could I be a reason for you to be sorry?"

He licked his lips from a suddenly dry mouth. Surely he was misunderstanding her. "Slayer- Buffy. What are getting at? Are you- are you asking me if I could-" He expelled a breath of consternation.

And gasped when Buffy laid her hand on his cheek in a manor in every way possible opposite any other touch she had ever given him. Caressing his lips, she asked simply, “Could you love me enough to be a man again?"

Then she brought her lips to his.

And Spike knew.

He knew that nothing, nothing would ever feel as good, mean as much, make him want as much, as would this woman. Their arms wrapped around each other and they melted together.

The End