Spike stayed out all night walking around town. Almost every thing he looked at brought images of a time yet to come. Was he losing his mind? Were these the kinds of things that Drusilla saw when she had her visions?

As he approached the factory, he realized how hungry he was. Earlier, he had tried to eat someone, but couldn’t bring himself to hurt them. It had to be related to these weird visions.

Spike planned on going to bed for the day. Perhaps tonight he’d feel better.

A loud crash sounded from inside the building. What was going on?

He rushed inside to see Drusilla ranting and raving. She was running around destroying everything she could get her hands on.

“Dru! Calm down, pet.” Spike called, grabbing her and pulling her to him.

The mad vampiress let out an awful shriek and threw herself away from him. Spike looked at her in surprise as she glared up at him from the ground.

“You stink! It’s tainted you, my boy, my Spike!!!” she broke into hysterical sobs.

“What is it, luv? What’s upset you so much? Why won’t you let me touch you?” Spike asked as she ducked away from his out reached arm.

“You! You’re not him! I see your filthy soul. Stop looking at me. Stop it!!” she screamed, and then exploded in a cloud of dust.

Spike fell to his knees, staring at the dust in pure shock.

“You knew it was coming. She was dying before you came here.” Spike looked up to see the child-vampire that was the current leader.

He got a sudden vision of the brat in a cage being hoisted up into the sunlight.

He grinned.

***

Buffy walked across the graveyard, lost in thought. What an exhausting day! Parent-teacher night had gone pretty well all things considered. She hadn’t had to deal with anything supernatural, and she’d kept herself so busy that the few visions she did have were easy to ignore.

After Joyce had come back from her talk with Snyder, Buffy had thought she’d be grounded for the rest of her life. But surprisingly, Ms. Calendar had pulled Joyce aside, and talked to her about a new ‘study group’ that she and the librarian, Mr. Giles, we’re putting together. So, the bad news, Buffy was grounded until her next report card that showed improvement. The good news was that she would be allowed to attend the ‘study group’ everyday after school, so the sneaking out could be kept to a minimum.

The thing that concerned her the most was Spike. Who was he really? From the few visions she’d had about him she knew two things. First he was an amazing lover. She blushed along with that thought. She was sixteen and still a virgin, but she could remember doing things with him she’d never thought of before. Second, he was a vampire.

Buffy came to an abrupt halt when she saw him. The man/vampire she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. He was standing over a new grave, a red rose in his hand.

Seeing him hurting touched something deep inside her, and before she realized what she was doing she had placed her hand in his.

Spike looked down at their joined hands, and then up at her.

“You’re a vampire.” She stated.

“With a soul.” He responded.

“What, did those gypsies curse you too?” It came out a little harsher than she’d meant.

“No. I fought for it. Nearly got myself killed.” He got a far away look in his eyes as he tried to remember.

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it was for you.”

Buffy dropped his hand and took a step back.

“Why do I remember you even though we’ve never met?” Spike asked her, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Buffy got another flash of them having sex.

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She stammered and turned to leave.

Spike grabbed her arm.

“Oh yeah?” he smirked, before pulling her against him and claiming her mouth with his own.

Buffy didn’t even try to get away, losing herself in his kiss.

Mouths and hands roamed, they each knew exactly how to inflame the other. Buffy and Spike may not have known each other, but their bodies did.

Buffy pulled away gasping for breath.

“Angel?” she asked.

The blonde vampire frowned at her.

“No, Spike.” He corrected, pointing to himself.

A second later he was on the ground, Angel on top of him.

“Hello Spike.” Angel growled.

“Get off of me you big ponce!” Spike yelled, trying to get away.

Angel pulled out a stake and raised it over his head.

“Goodbye Spike.” He said.

“No Angel! Please stop!” Buffy cried, grabbing hold of Angel and pulling him off of Spike.

Angel looked at her in astonishment.

“But Buffy, he’s evil.” Angel protested.

“I love him.” She said, more sure of that than she’d ever been of anything.

“You don’t know him.”

“I remember him, I can’t explain it Angel, but you can’t kill him. He has a soul. He’s like you.”

“Hey! I’m not like him! Don’t ever say that again.” Spike declared jumping to his feet and dusting himself off.

The three made their way to Angel’s apartment. It was late, or early, and sunrise was just a few hours away.

Buffy and Spike made themselves comfortable on the sofa, while Angel went to get Spike a cup of blood.

The next few hours were spent trying to make sense of everything that was happening to them. Angel finally gave up trying to understand and went to bed.

Buffy stood up and stretched.

“If I leave now, I’ll have just enough time to shower before school.” She announced.

She headed toward the door, but hesitated before turning the knob. She was reluctant to leave.

“You and Angel need to come to the library as soon as it’s dark. We’ll have to try and explain all this to Giles and everyone else.” She said.

Spike stood up and sauntered to the door. She willingly stepped into his embrace, marveling at the peace it gave her.

“You could stay with me today.” He said his hands beginning to roam to places Buffy had never been touched before.

She gasped and stepped away from him.

“Stop that! I have to go to school. I’ll see you tonight.”

She quickly pecked him on the cheek and rushed out the door, before he could stop her.

***

The day dragged by, but Buffy did her best to pay attention. She was especially proud of the 89 she made on the pop-quiz in history. She stuffed it in her bag, glad she had something good to show her mother.

Finally, the sun set and the gang was gathered in the library. She and Spike took turns recounting their visions, excluding any bedroom ones, while Willow wrote them down, as Buffy had lost the notebook Giles had given her.

They were surprised by a visit from Joyce, who brought fresh cookies and kool-aide to show support for their ‘study group’.

“Willow? Now I know you don’t need help studying.” Joyce said, eyeing the group suspiciously.

“No, uh, Angel and I are here to help out in a tutor capacity.” Willow responded, nervously.

“Okay, well I’m headed back to the gallery. We have a new exhibit opening tomorrow and I still have a lot to get done.”

Joyce gave Buffy a kiss on the forehead.

“There’s some sandwich stuff in the refrigerator for dinner.”

“Okay, bye mom.” Buffy called as Joyce waved to the group and left.

Everyone sighed in relief.

Buffy turned to look at Spike who had a funny expression on his face.

“What is it?” she asked him.

“I just got another vision.” He said.

Everyone turned to listen.

“It was of your mum, in the future. She was telling us that we’d be sent back in time to fix something that we’d messed up. Six years, she said.”

There was silence as that sunk in.

“Wow.” Xander said, speaking for the first time since Spike and Angel had arrived.

“Yes, I suppose that makes as much sense as anything.” Giles said, absentmindedly cleaning his glasses.

“But why can’t we remember everything? How are we supposed to fix something, if we don’t know what it is?” Buffy asked.

“I doubt your minds could have handled everything at once, Buffy. I’m sure that you’ll remember what you need to know in time. You may have already changed things enough.” Giles told them.

“We haven’t changed anything yet.” Buffy protested.

“Haven’t we?” Spike asked, “I mean, if I didn’t have a soul, we’d be enemies, right?”

“That’s right, and …” Willow began rambling her theories.

Angel motioned for Buffy to join him behind the stacks.

Spike sent her a look when she stood up, but she patted his shoulder reassuringly, and he turned back to Willow.

For the first time, Buffy realized how hurt Angel must be since all of this happened.

“Are you sure that you want to be with Spike?” Angel asked her.

“I’m sorry Angel, but I think that whatever happens with you and me, ends. I haven’t had any visions of you in the future, and I’m starting to think that you’re not going to be around.”

As she spoke the last small glimmer of hope faded from his eyes.

“I think it might be best if you just left.” She said, as kindly as she could.

“Where should I go?” he asked her.

“Um, LA.”

“LA? Why?”

“I don’t know, you’re the one who chose it, or will choose it.” She responded with a small smile.

“If you ever need me, for anything…”

“I know. Thank you.”

She hugged him and watched him slip out the back door.

***

“Bed, sweet bed!” Buffy exclaimed as she finally got to crawl beneath the covers.

She hadn’t slept in over 48 hours, and was more than ready to make up for lost time. As she snuggled up to her pillow she felt arms encircle her waist, and sighed in pure bliss.

Spike was a little disappointed when she immediately fell asleep, but then realized that they had plenty of time. He felt more content now than he could ever remember being in the past. He couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring.

“The Civil War lasted from when to when?” Spike asked.

He was sitting up in bed, propped up against the headboard, History book in his lap, quizzing Buffy as she painted his toenails.

“Umm, don’t wiggle. Um, the Civil War began sometime before it ended, and it ended some time before… SPIKE! You made me spill it!” She cried, looking at the ruined bedspread in dismay.

“S’okay, it’s Angel’s.”

“What if he wants it back?” she demanded, settling back down to finish.

“He shouldn’t have left it then, should he?” Spike sniffed in distaste and looked around his ‘new’ apartment.

Everywhere he looked he saw things that reminded him of Angel. Sometimes he felt like he’d rather live in Xander’s basement. He smiled as a memory of that flashed through his brain. Whatever had happened in the other world, as he and Buffy had started calling it, he and Xander Harris had not liked each other one bit. He and the teenager weren’t best friends, but Xander seemed to hate Spike a lot less than he ever hated Angel. Spike could identify with that.

He turned his attention back to Buffy.

“You need to study, luv. Or did you enjoy be grounded so much you want to do it again?” he tried to give her a stern look as she pouted up at him.

Buffy set back on her heels, surveying her work.

“No, I don’t like being grounded. But what’s worse than that, is having my mom be disappointed in me.”

Buffy shivered as she remembered the vision of finding her mother’s body.

*That’s not going to happen!* she told herself, firmly.

“And speaking of my mom, when are we going to introduce you to her?” Buffy asked.

“She saw me, remember, the night Angel left.” He reminded, setting the History book aside.

“She thought you were another student needing study help, she doesn’t know about our relationship.”

“Relationship? You can’t call this a relationship! We aren’t having sex, are we?” Spike teased, reaching for her.

She backed up out of his reach with a grin, then frowned at him.

“Spike, I told you, I know we both remember being intimate, but the fact is, I’m sixteen, and not legally old enough to.”

“You’re afraid.” He said, giving her a contemplating look.

“No, I’m not.” She denied, too quickly.

“Why?” he pushed.

Buffy sighed, and looked down at her hands.

“My first time wasn’t with you in the other world.” She said, refusing to look at him, “It was with Angel.”

“So? Did he hurt you?” Spike asked, ready to go to LA and kill him if he had.

“I don’t think so, but I remember feeling really terrible afterwards, not physically, it was something else. I can’t remember.” She admitted.

This time she didn’t evade his grasp, and he pulled her up beside him.

“Hey, look at me.”

He kissed her.

“We are going to wait…”

Kiss.

“Until you are ready…”

Kiss.

“And it’s going to be perfect…”

Kiss.

“And I am going to make you forget all about that poufy-haired git.”

Kiss.

“Okay?”

Buffy looked up at him, dazed.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” she grinned to show she was teasing.

“We’ll wait, but not that long.” She told him snuggling up against his chest.

“Well, we’ll never get the chance if you fail out of school and your mother locks you up for the rest of your life.” Spike teased reaching for the History book again.

She grabbed his arm.

“Speaking of my mom…”

***

“Hey mom!” Buffy called, dropping her stuff beside the front door, and heading toward the kitchen.

“Hi honey.” Her mother called from the stove, where she was making omelets.

Buffy walked over and gave her a hug.

Joyce loved that Buffy had started hugging her again. For a while, it seemed as if she was losing that special closeness that she’d always had with her only daughter. But for the past several weeks, Buffy had been hugging her, and saying ‘I love you’. It had really helped their relationship, and Joyce was very glad. So glad, in fact, that she had thrown out all those “How to Deal with a Teenage Daughter” books she had been trying to live by.

“Did you have fun at Willow’s?”

“Willow’s?” Buffy asked confused.

“You said you were going to a friend’s house to study. I assumed it would be Willow.” Joyce told her.

Now was as good a time as any.

“Actually, I was at Spike’s.” She replied, nonchalantly.

Joyce had to hide her smile.

For a while now, Buffy had been going on and on about this new friend of her’s that she’d met at school. A boy, that her daughter obviously had a crush on, but this was the first time she’d ever mentioned a name.

“Spike, huh?”

Joyce placed the final omelet on the tray, and Buffy brought it to the table.

“Yeah, we’re kind of going steady.”

The slayer was bracing herself for her mother’s reaction.

Joyce took a bite of dinner and chewed thoughtfully.

“Well, the name Spike doesn’t really soothe the mother in me, but whoever he is, I can tell he’s had a very good affect on you.”

Buffy sighed in relief, and Joyce laughed.

“Were you really that worried?” Her mother teased.

“I was. Mom? I really like this guy, and I really want you to like him too.” She confided.

Joyce frowned.

“You’re not doing anything you shouldn’t, are you?”

“No! No, we are taking it very slow! I mean, we’re still getting to know one another, and we’re not ready to take any steps or anything.” Buffy hurried to assure her.

“Okay, but promise that when you do get ready to start ‘taking steps’ you’ll be very careful.”

“We will.” Buffy promised.

“So, when do I get to meet him?” Joyce asked, “Is he going out of town for the holidays?”

“No, actually, he doesn’t really have any family alive.”

“How horrible! Well, then he’ll just have to have Thanksgiving dinner with us! That way I’ll have an excuse to make a nice dinner.” Joyce declared with a satisfied smile.

“I’ll ask him, mom.” She promised, and started on her omelet, suddenly very hungry.

***

“So, you’ll come?” Buffy asked Spike later that night as they patrolled the cemetery.

“I wouldn’t miss it, luv.” He told her with a smile.

Buffy grinned at him, and grabbed his hand.

“This is just, so nice!” she exclaimed, her smile growing.

“What do you mean?” He was very pleased at seeing her so happy.

“With Angel, I always felt so, heavy.” She tried to explain, “Like I was always ‘the Slayer’, and protector of the world, and he never let me forget it. Being with him was always so intense, and left me feeling like I could cry. But you, Spike, you make me feel like any old girl who’s in love. I feel light and giddy, and free to just be me! Just Buffy.”

Spike hoisted her up onto his shoulder and they both laughed.

“You are a lot of things Buffy, but heavy is not one of them!”

Their laughter echoed in the night as they played, like two normal kids in love.

***

Buffy still had the goofy grin on her face as she walked into the library the next morning.

“Good morning, Giles, I… What’s wrong?” she stopped at the devastated look on her watcher’s face.

Giles didn’t say anything. He just handed her a letter and locked himself in his office.

Dear Rupert,

I’m so sorry to do this, but I’m being summoned back home indefinitely. I am a descendant of the Romanian Gypsy Clan that cursed Angelus with a soul. I was sent to watch him because he was in danger of breaking that curse. That danger has now passed, and I have a new assignment somewhere else. I am so sorry about deceiving you.

I wanted to let you know that I cherish the time we spent together and will think of you and your crew often. Maybe one day I’ll be able to return, and we can pick up where we left off, but for now I must remain obedient to my family’s wishes.

Sincerely Yours,

Jennifer Calendar

“Oh, poor Giles!” Buffy exclaimed.

“Buffy! Did you hear about Ms. Calendar?” Willow asked as she rushed into the library.

Buffy handed over the letter.

“Oh, this kind of puts a damper on my news.” Willow said with a frown.

“What news?” Buffy asked.

“Snyder asked me to take over her computer classes until he could find a replacement.” She could barely contain her excitement.

“Is he going to pay you?” Buffy was astonished.

“No, but he will put it on my transcripts.”

“You should have demanded payment, Will. Snyder’s desperate, he’d do it.” Xander said, coming out from behind the stacks, looking very ruffled.

“Xander? How long have you been there?” Willow asked.

“Since about four o’clock.” He said, and turned to come down the stairs.

The girls gasped as the saw the bruise and cut on his cheek.

“Xander, what happened?” Willow asked.

“Were you attacked?” Buffy felt angry on her friend’s behalf.

“Yeah, attacked by a flying beer bottle.” He said, with a strained laugh.

“Your dad threw a beer bottle at you?” the slayer demanded.

“Well, in his defense, he was aiming for the tv.” He shrugged.

“Oh, Xander, you shouldn’t…” Willow started, but Xander held up a hand.

“Really, it was an accident. And as soon as he’s sobered up I’m sure he’ll apologize.”

An awkward silence follows.

“Cheer-up, guys! We’ve only got two days of school this week, remember?” He tried to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, Spike’s going to have Thanksgiving dinner with us.” Buffy brightened.

“My parent’s are going to be out of town.” Willow said, sounding down.

“Well, my mom told me that if I wanted to eat on Thanksgiving I would have to buy it and make it myself.” Xander said, trying to make her feel better, but only making himself feel worse.

“No, you two will be having dinner at my house!” Buffy declared.

“Your mom won’t mind?” Willow asked, hopeful.

“Are you kidding? She’s always wanted to cook a huge meal, but we’ve never had a large family. She’ll love it!”

The door to Giles office slammed open.

“Do you three mind, it’s hard to concentrate on feeling sorry for myself with all of your jabbering.” He glowered at them.

“And you’ll have to come to, Giles!” Buffy exclaimed happily.

“What? Absolutely not! I am not…”

But the three students ran out of the library before he could finish.

The Day Before Thanksgiving

“I can’t believe that we waited until the last minute to go grocery shopping.” Joyce complained, trying to make her way through the crowded aisle.

School was out for the rest of the week, and Buffy, Willow, and Joyce were getting everything ready for the big dinner.

“Thanks again for allowing me to spend the holiday with you and Buffy, Mrs. Summers. My parents were going to make me go to that conference with them.” Willow shuddered.

“Oh, you know you’re always welcome, Willow.” Joyce said, before diving for the last can of cranberry sauce on the shelf.

“Aha!” she said, raising the can up in triumph.

“Yeah, the more the merrier.” Buffy added, keeping her eye on a woman who was staring longingly at the can in her mother’s hand.

Joyce gave Buffy a look.

“I told you that I didn’t mind a few friends, but was inviting the librarian really necessary?” she asked.

“Yes, mom! Giles doesn’t really know anybody. He’ll be all alone!” Buffy reminded her.

“What about that computer teacher, Ms. Calendar? I thought that the two of them were pretty close.” Joyce commented.

“She moved away, and broke his poor little British heart.” Willow informed her.

Joyce stopped and looked at the girls.

“She broke up with him, just before the holidays? Oh, that’s terrible!”

“Yeah, we can’t let him spend Thanksgiving all by himself now can we?” Buffy knew she had won.

“Of course not. Well that’s everything on the list, let’s get this home.”

***

Buffy hummed to herself as she walked to Giles’ place. She knew she’d probably have to fight to get her way, but this just had to be done.

“Hi Giles!” Buffy called as she walked through the door.

Her watcher was sitting on the sofa, a glass of bourbon in his hands.

“I swear I locked that.” He grumbled.

Buffy just smiled at him.

A long minute passed.

“Oh, out with it!” Giles finally demanded.

“I need your credit card.” Buffy told him, innocently.

“What? Why?”

“I’ve got to get Spike some clothes so that he’ll look normal when mom meets him tomorrow.” She explained.

“Buffy, I’ve told you, I’m only allowed to use that for council business.” He said, tiredly.

“This is council business!” she argued.

“Oh, this ought to be good.” He said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

“It’s part of the council’s job to keep the existence of vampires secret, right? Well, Spike is a vampire, and we need him to look like a normal person in order to prevent mom from discovering what he is.” She explained, pleased with her reasoning.

“Absolutely not.”

Buffy just kept smiling.

***

Ten minutes later, Buffy was on her way to Spike’s with Giles’ Master Card stored safely in her inner jacket pocket.

Giles locked the door behind her, and went to refill his glass.

“Damn them Summer’s women for being so persistent.” He muttered to himself.

Just before Buffy had arrived, Giles had called Joyce to beg out of going to the big dinner. But instead of politely accepting his regrets, she had pestered him with questions until, finally, he agreed to come just to get off the phone with her.

It suddenly occurred to him that he had gone for an entire hour without once thinking of Jenny.

A new record.

***

“Spike? Open up, I know you’re in there!” Buffy shouted to the locked door.

She sighed irritably and pulled the spare key out of her pocket, she didn’t have time for this.

“Spike? You’re still in bed? It’s almost eight o’clock!” she chastised as she slammed the door shut behind her.

Spike didn’t move.

“Spike?” Buffy called as she slowly made her way to the bed.

In a swift move that took her breath away, Spike grabbed her, pulled her down on the bed, then rolled her underneath him. Buffy felt a tiny bit of fear as she realized there was a very naked, very aroused, Spike on top of her.

“You should know better than to wake a vampire while he’s sleeping.” Spike teased, going for her neck, then blowing a raspberry on it.

She started giggling.

“Stop it!”

Buffy finally managed to get away from him.

“We don’t have time to play around, we’ve got shopping to do!” she exclaimed.

Spike gave her a cautious look.

“What kind of shopping?”

“Clothes, for you.”

“What’s wrong with what I’ve got?” he demanded, jumping to his feet.

Buffy blushed and quickly turned away, as Spike was not the least bit concerned with her seeing him naked.

“I can’t have you meeting my mother looking like that.” She said to the wall.

“It’s alright luv, everything’s all nice and covered now.” He chuckled.

She turned back around, and stuck out her lip.

“Please?”

“Buffy, I don’t have any money to buy clothes.” He pointed out.

She grinned and whipped out the card. Spike took it from her.

“No. I’ll not take charity from Giles.”

“Giles doesn’t pay for it, the Watcher’s Council does.”

“Oh, well in that case!”

***