Marshmallows 2

Chapter 5: Relationships and remembering

"So," said Buffy joining the others in the lounge room. "Do you think the beast in the vision was good old Glory?"

"Well the monks did refer to her as the beast…"said Giles.

"Hence me saying I've already fought her…it…whatever."

"It would certainly account for Cordelia seeing Dawn in the vision."

"And it would mean that I don't have to worry about another god type thing wanting to hurt my sister again."

"What about the baby though? The woman gave birth," said Cordelia.

"It could be figurative," suggested Giles.

"Like, like Dawn's blood or something or…" Buffy started to panic. "She can't get pregnant, she's only fifteen!"

"She won't get pregnant love, we'll lock her in the house and won't let her out til she's twenty-one." Spike put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder soothingly.

"Oh God!" cried Buffy in horror. "She was at a dance tonight, with a boy!"

Spike chuckled. "From what I heard she was so pissed off over that Melinda character that I doubt the poor bloke had a chance to get up to any mischief."

Buffy put her head in her hands. "I am so not ready for this. I thought I had another year at least."

"Well Dawn did look much older in the vision, so maybe it's not going to happen yet," suggested Cordelia helpfully.

"So basically, we're not sure if this is figurative, literal, going to happen, has happened, might happen or will happen." Angel summed it up.

There was collective sigh around the room.

"Well, until we know a little more, or start seeing some of these signs, there's not much point talking around in circles," said Giles getting to his feet. "I'll see what I can come up with at home, I might even put out some feelers to the Watcher's Council, see if they've heard anything unusual lately."

"Do you think it has anything to do with the eviscerated corpses?" Buffy asked suddenly.

"Quite frankly, I wouldn't be terribly surprised."

Buffy saw Giles to the door.

"So, do you guys want to crash here?" she asked Angel and Cordelia. Angel looked at Cordelia.

"Uh…Cordy has an audition tomorrow," he looked at his watch. "I mean today…"

Cordelia threw up her hands in disgust.

"Fine - I won't go to the audition. Not like I wanted to be the face of Super Absorbent Tampons anyway."

"Career going well then Cordy?" The bitch inside of Buffy had to ask. Cordelia gave her a death glare.

"Real well if you don't count being interrupted by the end of world on a regular basis."

Buffy had to sympathise with that.

Angel stood. He decided to be tactful and not stay the night. That way he wouldn't have to know whether Spike slept in Buffy's bed or not. And he might also be able to make things up to Cordelia, just a little.

"Thanks for the offer Buffy but I think we'll check into a motel. We might stay a few days, perhaps Cordy will remember something."

Buffy nodded. "Give me a call tomorrow, let me know where you are," she said, giving him a quick hug.

****************

"A few days?" Cordelia demanded when they were outside. "Nice of you to let me know beforehand about this little holiday. It's a good thing I thought to pack Mr or you'd be handing over your credit card right this minute."

"Well we could always go home and you could do that filing that's been waiting since October…" Angel shrugged. "I mean, I thought it'd be a good excuse for a holiday, just the two of us, but…"

"The two of us and Buffy, Spike, Giles and the rest of the Scooby gang. Yay, so romantic." Cordelia suddenly stopped and she looked up at Angel curiously. Her tone was suddenly soft. "You wanted to spend time with just me?"

Angel shrugged. "Well we didn't get to have dinner and…" Angel smiled suddenly as Cordelia crinkled her nose in the way he found so increasingly adorable. "And I sort of like spending time with you. Without Wesley and Gunn."

"Ok," said Cordelia. "But we stay in a hotel. Not a motel. And we share a room."

"We do?"

"Oh yeah. If we're having a holiday together I think we're way past the modest stage." Cordelia started for the car.

Confusion reined in Angel's head. "But…what about…you said…"

Cordelia looked back over her shoulder.

"Relax Angel, I'm not going to be giving you any happys. We'll just hang out."

"Right. Good."

*************

Spike climbed into bed next to Buffy. She was wide awake and he could tell she was worrying. Spike didn't like it when Buffy was worried. It bothered him. He liked it when she was kicking arse and dusting things. Not worrying. He didn't want to be her knight in shining armour and protect her from the baddies. She didn't need protecting. But when she was worried all he wanted to do was go out and find what was bothering her so she could do it serious damage. Unfortunately, a lot of the things that worried Buffy couldn't be conveniently dusted. Things like phone bills and fathers who didn't call. Sisters who were getting older. People's feelings that got hurt. Spike couldn't help much with them. All he could do was hold Buffy and let her know he loved her. No matter what. Even if they cut off the electricity.

He pulled her close and kissed her ear. Buffy snuggled closer to him and held his arms tightly as he spooned against her.

Spike wanted to say, don't worry we'll find whatever bastard it is this week and you can stake it good and proper, but he didn't. Instead he said softly, "Dawn will be ok. You and me and the Watcher and Red and Tara and Xander and Anya and Angel and all his scooby gang will protect her. Can't ask for more than that, love."

"I know."

Spike paused, considering what to say next.

"An'...one day she will go out and she'll 'ave sex, just like most other girls in the world, but you'll just have to trust that you and your Mum brought her up to be sensible 'bout it."

Buffy sighed and rolled over. "I know,' she said again and kissed Spike softly on the lips.

Spike grinned a sudden, very evil grin.

"An' if any little sod lays a finger on her before she's ready, I'll rip his throat out, chip or no chip. It'll be worth the headache."

Buffy laughed. "What did Dawn do to deserve you as a father figure?"

Spike grinned and kissed her. "Be lucky enough to have you as a surrogate mother." He looked at Buffy suddenly serious. "You can only do your best pet, it's all anyone can do."

Spike cupped her face in one hand and gently but in no uncertain terms kissed her. Buffy felt herself starting to wake up. In fact suddenly she realised that she wasn't tired at all.

"Spike," she asked softly. "Want me to do that talking dirty now?"

If Spike hadn't been so turned on he would have chuckled.

**************

"I suppose we could always go back to Buffy's," Angel was saying. He'd forgotten that any of the hotels that Cordelia might find acceptable would not be taking guests at this time of the night, or rather, morning.

"She'll be asleep by now," said Cordelia. They had driven around Sunnydale for a few hours, Cordelia flat out refusing to stay at the only place that had a sign saying "24 hour check in". Her comments had involved the words "prostitute", "drug fucked" and "not".

"I guess we'll just have to wait until morning then, it'll only be a few hours."

"You did say you liked spending time alone with me," said Cordelia.

"Yeah," said Angel. "I did."

Cordelia was intently studying her fingernails. "We could always make out."

Angel wasn't sure he heard her properly. "What? I mean, if you want to, that is-"

He shut up as Cordelia pressed a finger to his lips.

"Nod once for yes, twice for no," she said with a smirk.

Angel nodded once.

****************

Spike held Buffy spooned close against him. His arm was wrapped around her and he was rubbing his feet against hers gently. Neither one was asleep, just basking in the afterglow.

"Poor Cordy," giggled Buffy all of a sudden. "I mean, not that I'm a shining example of the Sunnydale High class of '99, but I'm pretty sure Cordelia's dreams of the future included more 'glamorous party' and less 'ten headed demon'."

Spike cuddled her naked body closer and then nipped her on the neck gently with blunt teeth.

"Jealous pet, having to settle for your ordinary run of the mill one headed demon?"

Buffy snuggled closer to him, in too good a mood to feel disconcerted about Spike being technically spawn from hell.

"Nah, you'll do fine."

Spike licked her neck in response to that.

"So, you ok with the whole poof and cheerleader thing?"

Buffy frowned. "Was that a kinky sex suggestion or did y-" She sat up and stared at Spike in shock. "Cordy and Angel?"

Spike suddenly realised he'd put his foot in it. He wasn't sure whether to backpedal and pretend he might be wrong or act as if it was bleeding obvious to everyone except the sensory challenged.

"Cordy and Angel are seeing each other?" Buffy asked before he could decide. "They're like, boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Spike decided to go with honesty.

"I wouldn't go that far love, but I think they've got…" He couldn't believe he was going to say this. "Feelings for each other."

"Feelings? What kind of feelings? Not soul-removing groinal kind of feelings?"

Spike smoothed Buffy's hair ineffectually.

"What I mean is, well you know, two people in the work place..."

Buffy glared at him. "That didn't work on me and its not going to work here either."

Spike grew sullen, feelings hurt.

"Just telling the bloody truth," he muttered and turned over in bed, plumping the pillow a little viciously.

"How could he have feelings for Cordelia Bitch Queen Chase?" Buffy didn't notice Spike's change in mood, she was too shocked by the revelation about Cordelia and Angel. Her eyes widened, as a realisation hit her. "And he had to nerve to suggest we get back together! When he's all touchy feely for Cordelia!"

"Seemed like a nice enough bint," muttered Spike.

"And he had the gall to criticize me for going out with another vampire when he's going out with a human! Oh, he can't go out with me, its too hard Buffy, " she said mimicking Angel, not very flatteringly. "Not too fucking hard to go out with Cordelia is it?"

"Don't think they're strictly going out pet," sighed Spike, hurt feelings soothed a little by Buffy's tirade against Angel.

He rolled over suddenly as Buffy went quiet.

"Oh no, now pet, don't do that!" Spike pulled Buffy to him as a big fat tear slid down her cheek.

"You were right Spike, it is me, I do drive men away."

Spike felt his stomach twist in knots again. Why'd he have to say things to her that he'd bloody regret?

"No love, no, its not you." He lifted her chin and made her look into his eyes. "I only said that because I was madly in love with you and didn't know how to tell you."

Buffy smiled ruefully, remembering. "And because you'd just practically saved my life and I was completely ungrateful." Spike's behaviour before he told her he loved her made a lot more sense in hindsight.

Spike grinned. "Yeah that too. Was just hurt and tried to hurt you in return. Course, you didn't have any reason not to think I was up to something."

"Well you had tried to kill me, once or twice."

Spike kissed her on the lips. "Lucky you kicked my arse then, love."

Buffy grinned. "Lucky the Initiative also kicked your ass."

Spike growled and pinned Buffy under him, kissing her neck, shoulders and chest mercilessly.

"I suppose you're trying to tell me this bloody chip is the reason we're together?" he demanded in mock anger from somewhere in the region of her cleavage.

"It did stop me from staking your sorry ass for a while."

Spike tormented a nipple.

"And we wouldn't have spent so much time together otherwise." Buffy stared at the ceiling, eyes going slightly glassy as Spike's hands went to work as well.

"Thought you didn't buy that 'two people in the workplace' idea."

Buffy laughed, remembering his attempt to first deny then explain his feelings towards her. "You could have just sent me flowers," she said. "It would have been only slightly less wiggy than the whole fake stakeout and the 'heat, desire' speech."

"Didn't know you knew how I felt then did I? Wasn't going to mention it neither," murmured Spike, not stopping his attentions to her breasts. "Til you asked if it was a date."

"Well wasn't it?"

"No, I just, well - there were two vampires and you ARE the vampire slayer." He shifted down her body a little, fingers still tormenting her nipples. "Think you'd be grateful to me for pointing them out to you." He paused to nip lightly at her tight little belly with his blunt teeth. "Is it my bloody fault that I wanted to be near you?"

Buffy, in that very clear hindsight again, thought that was the sweetest thing she'd ever heard.

"You know, it totally threw me," she said quietly. "It hadn't even occurred to me that you had non-hatey feelings for me. One minute you were trying to bite me because you thought you'd gotten the chip out of your head, the next Dawn's telling me you're totally into me. And then I could see it everywhere, you, the car, the flask, I was totally wigged."

Spike folded his arms over her tummy and rested his chin on them.

"The Nibblet told you?"

Buffy reached down and stroked his cheek. "See I was totally clueless. My own little sister had to tell me what was right in front of my face. So all the time you were trying to win my heart I thought it was just because you hated me."

"Sort of figured that at times love," grinned Spike. "An' I was so screwed up myself, about feeling like I did about someone I ought to hate, that I didn't know how to act."

Buffy smirked at him. "The chains and Drusilla were a bit of a give away there."

Spike narrowed his eyes and then launched himself up her body, to smother her in kisses.

"I didn't believe you," whispered Buffy a few minutes later as she was being firmly held and kissed on her hair and face. "Not until you let Glory do what she did to you. Until then I kept thinking it was some sort of trick." Spike stopped kissing and pulled back and looked at her. His expression was unreadable.

"Well I'm bloody glad you believed me after that."

Buffy looked up at him with dark eyes full of emotion. "I'm sorry."

Spike swallowed. "Don't be Buffy," he said. "Don't be sorry, 'cause if you start apologising then I'll have to and we'll never get to the end of it."

Buffy gave him a weak smile. "I still am. Not for kicking your ass when you were being all villain of the week, but for not seeing how you were trying to do the right thing." She looked at him evilly. "Even if it was just to get into my pants at first."

Spike growled at this. Then looked at Buffy seriously. "We were enemies, love, that's how things were, now we're not and it's a good thing." He wanted to explain how it wasn't just for her anymore, although it had been at first, how the more he felt like a man the less he wanted to kill or to hurt humans. He wanted to try to explain how all of them, even bloody annoying Xander Harris, made him want to be one of them, a sodding White Hat. How seeing how evil affected them made him not want to do anything that would cause that kind of pain to anyone else. He wanted to ask why did anyone do good anyway, he did it at first because it was what Buffy'd have wanted. How was that different from humans who didn't do what was in their evil little hearts just because they were afraid of getting in trouble. He knew he wasn't a hero, could never be the kind of hero Buffy was, but he'd do whatever this woman asked of him. He'd give the world for her and her sister, and maybe even for the bloody Scoobies. He knew he'd willing die for her and Dawn. He'd do it because he loved them, not to win their love. But he couldn't explain this without seemingly like a complete git.

So instead he said, just for emphasis. "It's a good thing."

Buffy placed a soft kiss on his lips, then smirked. "Yeah, guess so."

"Guess so?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Ok, it's a good thing."

Spike rolled onto his back, a wicked smirk on his face. "No, maybe you're right. I used to really enjoy my fights with you love."

"Mutual," replied Buffy.

There was some silence in the bedroom then, except for the sound of bodies moving against cotton sheets.

"This is better though," murmured Spike.

******************

end of part 5 tbc

back <Chapter4.html> - next <chapter6.html>

************

Chapter 6: Strike Three

"Hey love?" said Spike some time around about dawn.

"Mmm?" murmured Buffy who had been asleep. She shifted against the firm, delightful body that held her.

Spike kissed the top of her head.

"Meant to tell you, I might not be around much at nights now."

"Why?" asked Buffy trying to wrap her sleepy brain around this statement. "You suddenly able to go out during the day."

Spike smoothed her hair, a little nervous all of a sudden.

"Got a job love," he said, half proudly, half shyly.

"A job?" Buffy looked up at him, amazement creeping into her brain. "Really? Wow!"

Spike nodded, wrapping his arms more tightly around his sleepy love. She looked up at him.

"Wow Spike, that's so…just, great. I'm so impressed." Buffy kissed him on the mouth.

Spike looked embarrassed. If he knew she'd act this way he'd have gotten a job ages ago.

"So, spill, what are you doing, where are you working? And don't tell me at a blood bank or I'll stake you."

Spike grinned.

"I'm loading boxes and stuff in a warehouse."

Buffy frowned. "Is it legal?"

"More legal than nicking my dough off Harris."

"Sorry," murmured Buffy. "Just worrying about you."

Spike kissed her, touched.

"Why did you get a job?" Buffy asked waking up a little.

"Like I said, can't keep taking money off you lot and I need cash."

Buffy didn't know what to say. "You don't have to spend money on me Spike, you know that. I mean- "

"I know, I just want to be independent. And you deserve someone who isn't a useless bludger." He gave her an evil grin. " 'Sides, don't feel right you paying me for information now we're sleeping together."

"Spike, you're not useless."

Spike kissed her. "Doubt you'd be saying that love if I needed you to buy me blood and smokes all the time."

Buffy kissed him soundly in return. She was very impressed with him.

"Guess I'll have come visit you in the day time then," said Buffy. "If you're working nights."

"Won't be working all night, but wouldn't mind if you popped over during the day."

Buffy snuggled up to Spike. Right at this moment, things were just about perfect. She'd worry about Dawn and get upset about Angel tomorrow. Right now she was with a man who loved her and who'd do anything for her. Even change.

****************

Spike half sang, half hummed some song he'd heard on the radio as he was coming home. With a kick he swung the door of the crypt open and carried his bags of groceries and odds and ends inside.

Not a bad little pay packet for a week's work. Enough for smokes, beer, blood and almost half of what he'd need to pay the security deposit on a flat. And some left over for flowers, chocolates and a couple of Buffy sized dinners.

True, it wasn't exactly conventional merchandise in the boxes he was moving. And he doubted Buffy would approve of his employers. But it was good money, and what he was doing was legitimate, at least.

Besides, there wasn't that many job ads that listed "master vampire" and "evil bastard" in their selection criteria.

Spike was so busy feeling pleased with himself that he didn't notice the person in the crypt until he'd kicked the door closed and set the groceries on the sarcophagus.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed as one bloody unwelcome Riley Finn stepped out of the shadows.

"Spike."

Spike regained control of his cool. He leant back against the crypt and lit a cigarette.

"Captain Cardboard, what an irritating surprise," Spike narrowed his eyes. "Come to tell me off for touching Buffy?"

Riley shook with restrained violence. He feigned calmness and sighed. "I suppose this is the moment when I tell you my plan to ruin your life."

"Well seeing as I'm already dead, you might have a bit of a job in front of you, but feel free to try."

Riley gave him a tight nasty grin.

"Its ironic Spike, and yes I do know what that means, I was a TA as well as a soldier for a while there-"

Spike raised a cynical eyebrow. "Astounding. Brains as well as brawn. How could Buffy have let you get away. Oh that's right, you left."

"Do you mind, Spike, I'm spelling out my plan to make your unlife as miserable as possible."

"Oh, sorry, do go on."

"As I was SAYING, it's ironic, but the one thing you've wanted for over two years is the one thing that will mean that Buffy will never even look at you again."

Spike frowned. He didn't like the sound of this. But Soldier Boy was all talk.

"So tell me Finn, what would this one thing be? A year's subscription to Reader's Digest? A free pair of diamante earrings with every set of steak knives? That'd turn the Slayer off me right quick I think."

"Your chip Spike."

Oh. Thought Spike. Bugger.

"You've wanted it for so long Spike, now I'm going to give it to you." Riley paused for suitably dramatic effect. "I'm going to remove your chip."

"That's mighty kind of you Riley," noted Spike, ignoring the feeling a dread welling up inside of him. Fuck, his subconscious managed to point out. "What brought on this sudden spirit of generosity. Visited by the Ghosts of Complete Pillocks Past?"

"You aren't that stupid Spike. You know Buffy can't let you run around killing again."

"Well that's where you're being a pillock again, you smug little goit, because I'm not going to run around killing again. Ain't going to give Buffy a reason to regret giving me a chance."

"Maybe not at first Spike. But can you really do it? Really deny your nature forever? You'll fight it, for a while. But one day you'll give into it and kill. And then Buffy will have no choice but to stake you."

"That's a chance we'll take together. Maybe she'll cheat on me with a six foot moron with bloody stupid hair. That's a chance I'll take. It's called a relationship, Riley."

"But Buffy won't take that chance. The last time she took that chance people were killed and the world nearly ended. She told me about Angel. It hurt her. She won't take that chance again, Spike."

"Fuck you, Whitebread. You going to tell her then? After you do it. Just saying you do it. You going to tell her?"

"No, I'm not, I'm not like you Spike. I'm not going to stand around and gloat. She chose you, she's got you. She'll find out for herself soon enough. And when she finds out, she'll kill you. And it serves you both right." Riley practically spat these last words.

Spike's expression was cold and deceptively calm.

"You've got it all thought out then 'aven't you. You really hate her that much? That you'd hurt her like that?"

"She'll get over you," said Riley callously.

"You little -" but that's all Spike said because at that moment Riley pressed a button on a small black remote control in his pocket and used the chip to fry Spike's brain into unconsciousness.

********************

Giles walked to his kitchen without taking his eyes off the book he was reading. There were so many messianic cults and writings that dealt with Armageddon that finding some sort of information on how to stop it was like looking for a needle in a hay stack. Or getting a camel through the eye of one, thought Giles, who'd been reading too much bible lately. They'd been researching for a week and things weren't any clearer.

There was a loud, firm knock on the door.

Still reading, Giles went to answer it.

"Yes can I help you?" It was then Giles looked up and saw what appeared to be a knight standing in his doorway.

For a brief moment Giles thought the Knights of Byzantium had come to pay another call. Then he noticed the red cross on the knight's white tunic and the distinct lack of odd forehead markings.

"Hullo old chap!" boomed the man who was dressed suspiciously like a knight.

"Er…hello," said Giles raising his glasses and forgetting the book.

"Name's George. Saint George in fact. Mind if I come in?"

"Er…what, yes, I mean no, come in…" It was then Giles noticed the halo. A halo?

The knight, with the halo, followed Giles inside the house. Giles surreptiously pinched himself, suspecting that he'd fallen asleep researching again and that was why he was dreaming of knights who looked and sounded suspiciously like John Cleese. And wore halos.

"I say, old chap, nice place you've got here," boomed the knight. He beamed at Giles. "Oh, don't mind the appearance," he added as if reading Giles' mind. "It's that whatsit, you know, thing - what people imagine me as, all that. Be wearing a bloody leather skirt if I was going to go with realism. More Life of Brain than Holy Grail."

"Er…what? Yes, I see." Giles cleaned his glasses furiously. He thought he understood that, the knight appeared in the form most people pictured him. Good lord, he thought he was talking to a saint.

"Been pretty much stuck like this since Good Queen Bess, bless her heart. She made me English you know."

"Oh? Really? Oh of course, yes, Reformation. Needed a patron saint for the English people."

"'Course with popular television, everyone thinks of the Templars, when they think of knights, hence the cross. Though could be mine. Saint George's cross, you know."

"Ah yes…very, English."

"And the appearance, of course, everyone imagines old Cleese charging in and lopping off the wedding guest's heads when they think of knights these days."

"Yes, quite, appalling."

The knight rocked on his heels, talking away.

"Not really a knight anyway. Roman Equestrian, translates as knight but the closest any of that lot came to a horse was eating one."

Giles just nodded a bit. Looking slightly pale. George slapped him on the back heartily.

"Not so bad, old chap. Could be worse. Saint Vladimir of Russia looks like Count Dracula more and more every day."

"Right, yes of course." Suddenly a thought formed in Giles' perplexed brain. Word association. "You killed the dragon."

Saint George laughed heartily. "It's AND the Dragon old chap. Not KILLED the Dragon. Don't you remember the story, was a slip of a girl who done it. Caught him with her girdle and led him off. Beauty taming the savage beast. Think I was supposed to have struck the final blow or something. Not what really happened of course."

"No?"

"No, course not. I was heading through Palestine. Not awfully healthy for Christians in those days, Rome was in a torch lighting mood. I came across a town, more a village really. Course that turned into a castle soon enough. Sure as heaven didn't have a moat when I was there."

Giles just blinked. He hoped his subconscious was taking this in so he could think about it later.

"Anyway, whole town was terrified. Apparently they'd been put under tribute by this Roman, Aurelius."

"Aurelius?"

"That's the bloke. Anyhow, soon as they saw I was a Roman nobleman they sent a couple of Pharisees to ask me to speak with this Aurelius. Ask him to tone it down a bit." George looked off into space remembering. "What's this tribute anyway, I asked, thinking 'render unto Caesar' and all that. So they told me."

Giles gestured towards the sitting room, thinking that he might fall down soon if he didn't take a seat.

"Thanks, old man," boomed George, sitting down on Giles' couch. He leaned back and continued the story. "Where was I? Ah, yes, the tribute. It had gone on for a year. First it was sheep. And when they were gone, it was goats. Now the sheep and the goats were gone, and it was girls."

Giles' mind had begun to work again and he had a fairly good idea about where this was going.

"Well I thought, that's just not cricket and told them I'd speak with this Aurelius chap. I knew an Aurelius, Marcus by name, fine lad. Hoped it'd be him and we could reason it out. The villagers were wailing and weeping because the tribute was due in a day. And the High Priest had told them he'd send his daughter because he couldn't ask anyone else to give up theirs. I saw the girl, small chit of a thing, and I couldn't see how she'd last a minute in the whorehouses of Rome, if that was where they'd send her. She was calm though and told me not to think of her. Told me she'd be all right." George looked at Giles. "Well I was only twenty-seven then and not yet wed and so I promised myself I'd save that girl if it was the last thing I did.

So I sent to this Aurelius and was told he'd see me with the tribute and not before. The tribute was due at dusk. And so there I was, slip of a girl in tow and we went out to meet this Aurelius. Two of his men, legionnaires met me at the door. They had their helmets on but there was something not quite right about them.

They took me into see Aurelius. And it wasn't Marcus. And it wasn't a dragon either. Was some creature from hell. Vampire you'd call it now. And it was set to drink the girl's life blood and mine own probably.

I was, to put it mildly, a bit terrified. But I pushed the girl behind me, and faced him. Didn't have a sword - his underlings wouldn't have allowed it and I besides I was trying to 'turn the other cheek' ever since I'd been baptised. He started towards me and he bared his fangs and then, you wouldn't credit it, just as he was about to touch me he jumped back as if he'd been burnt.

Turns out I'd been holding a crucifix and saying Our Father. You have to remember though that back then I'd had enough faith that I'd risk being thrown to the lions by being baptised a Christian.

But then an even more amazing thing happened. His jumping back had been enough distraction apparently, because, before I could stop her, the girl was upon him. She didn't have a weapon on her, but she knocked him to the floor. He was dust within two minutes. I'd never seen anyone like her. I didn't know what she was."

George paused and looked shrewdly at Giles.

"But you do. You're a Watcher."

"The Slayer."

"One of them. Just for the record, she ended up ripping off his head with her girdle."

"Not quite the touching and poignant story I was led to believe," murmured Giles, his brains finally starting to work again.

George snorted. "Aurelius was old and mad, there was no taming that one with innocence and beauty." He put his hands on his knees decisively, as if to rise. "But anyway, enough with this chit chat. Armageddon's here. Thought you might like to help."

*****************

Spike woke up with a shocking headache. His brain managed to form the work fuck and then set it on repeat. Spike slowly opened his eyes and was relieved to discover he was still in his crypt. Thank…god, whatever.

Maybe it had all been a dream. Maybe Finn had just been bluffing. Had knocked him out and left it at that, bit of a laugh, make Spike shit himself, hohoho, fucking hilarious, that sort of thing. Actually, it was bloody funny, now Spike thought about it. He'd been itching to get that chip out for so long and suddenly now he was offered it, he realised with awful clarity that it was the last thing he wanted.

Gingerly he felt the back of head and yelped with pain as his fingers touched a patch of gauze.

"Oh, fuck."

******************

Spike waited for dusk with as much patience as possible. Somehow he had come to the mad conclusion that he had to tell Buffy about the missing chip as soon as possible. He had decided that things would go very badly if she found out from someone else. She'd think he'd been sneaking around behind her back. If he told her, reasoned with her, explained how this didn't change anything…

Fuck he was hungry. The bloody doctor, or whatever psycho Whitebread had let loose on his head, had drained him of a lot of blood.

Fuck.

And now his stash of blood bags was gone from the fridge.

Fuck. Bastard Finn.

Got to get to Buffy's, get some blood.

Fuck.

Get some blood, then explain. Don't eat anyone on the way.

When the bloody hell was that sun going to set?

***************

"Spike?" Buffy asked surprised as she opened the door and saw her boyfriend, about five minutes after sunset. "Don't you have to work?"

"Got any blood love?"

"Huh? Yeah, nice to see you too, it's in the fridge."

Spike would have kissed her but wasn't going to risk it. He managed to say something about explaining soon as he bolted for the fridge.

Spike had never been so glad to see a packet of cold pig's blood in his life, barring the first time he'd watched Carrie and he'd known that some enjoyably bad shit was just about to go down the minute that bucket tipped. He ripped the packet open, not even bothering to heat it up and gulped the blood down. Then he ripped open another and did the same. The third packet he waited long enough to heat it up and put it in a mug.

"Hungry?" Buffy asked from the doorway, a look of concern on her face.

Spike shut his eyes and leant back against the fridge.

"Love, you have no idea. Let me drink this, then I have to tell you something."

Buffy swallowed. "Something not of the good?" she asked, trying to sound light. She'd stopped by Spike's crypt earlier in the day and he hadn't been there. She had had a foreboding feeling in her gut then, but now, even seeing him here, safe and sound, the feeling was worse.

Spike shook his head. "Sorry love, not of the good at all."

Buffy drew a deep breath. Suddenly she froze.

"What happened to your head?"

**************