CHAPTER 7 - Pretence

Buffy made her way through the cemetery at a steady pace. Phase one of Willow's plan was simple. All she had to do was to act like she didn't know about Spike's little confession.

“Because if he knows you know then phase two won’t work because he’ll be all knowing and holding back and if phase two fails, then phase three is going to be pretty hard to achieve,” the redhead had explained.

“How many phases are there?” Buffy had asked with a sense of foreboding.

“If all goes well, just the three,” Willow had replied with a grin then leaned towards her friend conspiratorially. “Three being smoochies and stuff.”

At that, Xander had protested loudly, complaining about unwelcome mental images and Buffy had grabbed a couple of stakes determined to begin the first phase as soon as possible. Her head still spinning from what she'd learnt though, the nearer she got to his crypt the more she wondered if it was going to be easier said than done. Especially as her emotions were continually swinging from guilt to pity to anger to tenderness and back again.

In the distance she saw his crypt and increased her speed, still unsure whether she was going to hug him or hit him when they finally came face to face. Reaching the door, she lifted her leg and kicked it inwards with more force than usual, hoping that it would somewhat reduce the ire that was bubbling just below the surface of her outward calm.

It didn’t.

The door swung open and hit the wall with a satisfyingly loud crash that echoed around the tomb. Letting her eyes adjust to the candlelit interior, she saw that the crypt’s undead occupant was seated on the chair in front of the television apparently watching one of his dreadful soaps.

“Decided to turn up have you?” he drawled casually, keeping his eyes firmly on the set. "Didn't think you were going to bother."

Hit him.

Her anger rose a notch as she challenged, “Why would you think that?”

There was a moment’s silence then, “Later than usual. Thought you might have decided to try and get that much needed beauty sleep you're always harping on about.”

Oh yeah, hit him real hard!

Annoyed that he still hadn’t visually acknowledged her presence, she walked over and turned off the TV.

"Oy, I was watching that!" he objected irately.

"And now you're not," she snapped as she straightened and turned to look at him, arms folded. The sulky expression on his averted face impressed her, she doubted that even she could thrust her bottom lip out as much as that. Silent seconds ticked by then, unable to resist any longer, Spike slowly raised his eyes to meet hers.

As soon as their gazes locked, Buffy felt her anger ebb away and a wave of tenderness crash through her body. He looked like a condemned man who'd received a partially frozen TV dinner for his last meal when he’d ordered steak.

Briefly, she wondered what he expected her do with the information she was pretending she didn't know. Yell at him? Hit him? Laugh at him? Agree with him? Probably all of the above, she decided wryly.

Maybe a hug after all…

"You know, now that I've got a good look at you, luv," he started then paused and tilted his head running his gaze over her face consideringly, "Maybe you should rethink the beauty sleep thing."

Ok, back to the hitting again.

Her mouth tightened grimly and she was about to grind out a scathing retort when it suddenly hit her what he was doing. Reining in her temper, she mentally counted to ten. She could do this. Spike was always at his snarkiest when he was on the defensive…she just had to rise above it…and she would…just as soon as she'd watched him squirm a little bit.

With that thought in mind, she forced herself to relax and smile. “Well, well, well, someone got up on the wrong side of his coffin this evening,” she teased lightly as she let her arms drop to her sides. “Sorry if I'm cutting into your drinking time at Willy's, but I'm only running late because gang came over tonight and we got chatting." She paused, lightly pursed her lips and took a step towards him. "Willow and Tara, especially, had lots to say.”

Spike stiffened slightly at her words. Hell, she was going straight for the jugular! Briefly, worry flared in his eyes, but he quickly veiled it and raised his chin almost defiantly as he strived to coolly reply, “That right?”

“Yeah, and what I want to know is…”another step…“were you actually going to tell me or were you just going to patrol like nothing happened?” She said the last in a loud, accusing voice and the vampire shifted uncomfortably in seat.

‘Here it comes’ he thought in resignation. “Tell you what?” he hedged, unwilling to hear the diatribe he had no doubt was about to be made.

She pointed at his stomach and took another step coming to a halt right in front of him. “That you got hurt last night,” she explained in a tone that said he should know what she’s talking about.

Spike blinked then frowned slightly. “Hurt?” he repeated slowly and then she saw the realisation dawn and a look of relief briefly cross his features before he added, “Oh, that.” His hand automatically went to his left side and he shrugged. “It’s nothing. Pretty much healed.”

“Can I see?”

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Concerned for me, pet? I’m touched.”

“Willow and Tara asked me to check,” Buffy dismissed dryly. “Plus, I just want to make sure you’re not going to slow me up out there, that’s all.”

“Oh well, seeing as Red and Glinda asked,” Spike snorted sarcastically to cover up the fact that her uncaring attitude had upset him. He stood abruptly and let his duster slide down his arms to lie on the chair then yanked up the hem of his t-shirt exposing his sculpted torso for her perusal. Adopting a long-suffering look, he declared, “There you are then, Slayer, how does it look?”

‘Pretty. Damn. Fine,’ her mind immediately replied as she ran her hungry gaze over his well-defined chest and stomach. Her eyes landed on his wound and of its own volition, her hand reached out and gently skimmed down the still red lines that marred his otherwise perfect skin. Fascinated by the feel of his body and the play of his taut muscles beneath her touch, it took her a few moments to comprehend what she was actually doing. When she did, she snatched her hand away and looked up at him, wide eyed.

He stared back at her blankly, apparently unaffected by her touch. "Satisfied?" he queried gruffly as he lowered his top and raised an enquiring brow.

'No!' her mind screamed in frustration. "Looks ok," she forced out evenly, pleased that her voice didn't betray her inner turmoil. She turned and quickly walked away. "Let's go."

As soon as she left the crypt, Spike closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Tugging at his constricting jeans, he adjusted himself to a more comfortable position and tried unsuccessfully to get his unruly body to relax. When she'd touched him, it had taken all his willpower not to grab her, take her downstairs to his bed and keep her there until he'd played out every sexual fantasy he'd ever had about her…and given his overactive imagination, there were quite a lot.

Even now, he could still feel her warm fingers running softly over his body. Along his side, round to his stomach and down, down…

"You coming?"

"Almost," he muttered automatically and then his eyes snapped open in alarm.

Bollocks!

Shooting a concerned glance towards the door, he saw that the entrance was empty and breathed an unneeded sigh of relief. She obviously hadn't heard or he'd be dust, but he'd have to be more careful in the future.

Looking down, he then realised that his hand had been following the path his brain had visualised and was resting on his stomach. He immediately let it drop to his side and thanked everything that was unholy that he hadn't actually been touching himself intimately. Having to pretend you'd said something else was one thing, but having your hand shoved down your trousers would be a little difficult to explain away.

Forcibly pulling himself together, he grabbed his duster and slipped it back on then headed over to the doorway trying to will away his still aroused state. It was going to be a hell of a long night.

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

Tara busied herself in the kitchen making hot drinks and listened to rest of the gang as they bickered good-naturedly over the movie they were watching. Well, Willow and Xander were bickering good-naturedly. Anya was still moaning loudly over the fact that the back of the box labelled 'Con Air' as an action movie when, in actual fact, it was a horror film.

Tara shook her head and grinned. One look at the cute, pink toy bunny and the ex-demon had shrieked, slapped Xander on the arm and hidden behind a cushion. Hard to believe she'd been around for over a thousand years and had caused more death and destruction than the witch could ever imagine.

A noise from the doorway caused her to pause what she was doing and look over her shoulder. "Hey Dawnie," she warmly greeted upon seeing the younger Summers sister.

"Hi," the brunette replied walking over to lean on the counter next to Tara and watch as she poured out the drinks.

"Everything, OK?" the witch asked, seeing a slight frown on Dawn's face.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied with a shrug.

Unconvinced, but not wanting to push, Tara nodded then went to the fridge and retrieved the milk. She added the liquid to the drinks then returned the bottle and went back to take the steaming cups into their friends.

She was about to pick up the first cup when Dawn broke her silence to softly ask, "This thing with Spike…it's all my fault, isn't it?"

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

Buffy stepped out into the night air and took in a deep breath as she tried to get her wayward body under control. Flopping back against the cool stone of the crypt wall, she let out a small moan and closed her eyes. Geez, if just seeing his chest and barely touching his skin…his surprisingly soft and silky skin…could make her this hot, she didn't dare think about what kissing him could do to her. Spontaneous combustion, maybe?

Opening her eyes, she inhaled deeply again and let it out slowly, relieved to find that her heart was beginning to slow down to its normal steady pace. 'So much for making him squirm,' she thought to herself with a grimace. There she was, practically pawing him and he'd just stood there, unmoved.

Once again, the nagging little voice of doubt pushed its way forward demanding recognition, that maybe, just maybe, he didn't feel anything for her after all. God, how awful would that be? Not to mention, after her little display, highly embarrassing.

Determinedly ignoring the devil that sat on her shoulder whispering the unwelcome notion, she straightened and glanced back at the crypt door. Where the heck was Spike anyway? She thought he would've joined her by now.

Popping her head through the doorway, she saw him standing where she left him. Except, now, his eyes were closed and his face wore a blissful expression. The movement of his arm caught her attention and she watched as he dragged his hand slowly across his body and down.

Instinctively, she knew he was retracing the path of her hand and her heart started up its erratic beat once more. Knowing he wasn't as unaffected by her touch as he'd made out, Buffy decided to give him a little bit of payback for the moment of emotional turmoil he'd unwittingly put her through.

Watching his hand creep ever lower to the waistband of his jeans, a mischievous grin appeared on her face as she called out in the best stern voice she could manage under the circumstances, "You coming?"

She saw his lips move and then his eyes snap open before she quickly ducked back out of his view. Leaning back against the crypt, she bit her lip in an effort to stop the snort of laughter that threatened to erupt at his shocked expression. 'Serve him right,' she thought meanly, a touch of her previous irritation still begging to be released.

Hearing movement from within the crypt, Buffy immediately took a couple of steps away from the wall. Folding her arms, she schooled her features into what she hoped was a look of barely restrained impatience and waited for him to emerge.

He exited the crypt unhurriedly and sauntered over to where she stood. "Ready?" he asked, putting a cigarette to his mouth and lighting it.

Inwardly amused, Buffy noted that this simple task apparently needed so much of his attention that he couldn't even spare her one fleeting glance. "If you are," she answered sardonically.

'You don’t know the half of it, luv,' the vampire thought wryly as he closed his lighter with a snap and took a draw on his cigarette. "’Ere, aren’t I?"

“Finally,” she sniped.

“Shall we?” he suggested through gritted teeth.

"Age before beauty," she returned, gesturing with her arm for him to lead the way.

Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head as he stalked passed her and headed for the cemetery gates. Definitely a long, long, night.

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

Tara stared at Dawn's tearful brown eyes in amazement. "What?" she gasped, not quite able to believe what the youngster had actually said.

Dawn moved away from the counter and sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table, facing the witch. "Well, I was just thinking that because I'm…was…the Key, that this is my fault somehow, you know, because I got hurt…and then I was so hard on him when I went to his crypt. I mean, he just stood there and looked so upset but even then I didn't stop yelling…"

"No, Dawnie, no!" the fair-haired woman refuted strongly, interrupting the distraught girl's babbling. She walked over then sat down next to the brunette and reached out to gently turn the girl's downcast face towards her. "None of this is your fault, okay?" she asserted, willing her to believe what she was saying.

Tears began to slide down Dawn's face and Tara immediately pulled her into a warm embrace. Stroking her long brown hair soothingly, she rested her cheek against the top of the other girl's head and spoke softly. "Oh, sweetie, I know that you're upset but you have to understand that this has nothing to do with you at all. It's about him. Spike's feeling a little…confused, right now and it's made him question where, and if, he fits in around here."

Dawn sniffled and drew her head back then wiped her eyes to look at the witch. "You mean, kinda like a mid-undead life crisis, type of thing?"

"I guess you could put it like that," Tara agreed with a chuckle.

Dawn smiled and then sighed. "I just hope that Buffy can get him to see that he matters."

"She will," the witch replied as she patted Dawn's hand reassuringly.

The brunette nodded and turned brown eyes that were once more filled with tears to her friend. With a tremulous smile she declared, "She has to."

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

"Xander and Anya had some good news tonight," Buffy said conversationally as she and Spike walked through their third cemetery of the night.

The vampire took a long drag on one of his almost depleted supply of cigarettes and grunted in response while looking avidly around the graveyard for something…anything to fight. With not even so much as a fledgling for distraction, his mind had replayed her touch over and over again, causing his agitation…and other things…to rise. Painfully. He shot an aggravated glance in her direction. Maybe if she would just shut up for a few minutes, he could pretend she wasn't there and think about something else.

No such luck.

"I take it that sound means, 'Did they, Buffy? Please tell me what that was, I'm all ears'," the Slayer commented flippantly. The vampire glared at her but remained silent. "Ok, Spike, since you asked sooo nicely, I'll tell you," she continued in the same tone. "They've got engaged!"

In the middle of another pull on his cigarette when she made the announcement, Spike was taken so much by surprise that he came to an immediate stop and began to cough. "What?!" he choked out, wide-eyed.

Buffy also halted and grinned at him over-enthusiastically. "I know! Isn't it fantastic news?"

"Fantastic? Nauseating, more like. Thought the silly bint would've had more sense than to agree to marry that great twit," he replied in a disgusted tone. 'An ex-demon marrying a human who hates everything vaguely demonic. That'll last!' he thought with a derisive snort.

"Yeah, well, better get over it, Spike, because they're having a little party at the Bronze to celebrate on Saturday and Xander asked me to invite you. So, consider yourself invited." She had only taken a couple of steps when the sound of more coughing made her stop and turn around to stare at the shocked vampire. "You know, you should seriously think about giving those up," she suggested gravely then turned away and began walking again before he could she her grin.

Spike scowled and flicked the offending object across the cemetery. Just as he was about to follow her and query whether Xander really had asked, he saw a flash of colour out the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he squinted between several tombstones and spotted a body wearing a yellow shirt. “Slayer,” he called out as he started towards the corpse. “Might want to take a look at this.”

Buffy looked back and frowned when she saw him leave the path and walk across the grass towards some graves. She immediately headed over and joined him as he came to a stop by the body of a dead demon.

Looking down at the corpse, she saw that one of its hands was wrapped around a dagger that protruded from the middle of his chest, his face still twisted in the agonising last throes of death.

"Nasty," she commented, screwing up her nose in disgust.

"Not like you haven't seen worse than this, Slayer," the vampire remarked with a frown. "Why so squeamish?"

“Not squeamish,” she dismissed with shake of her head. “Just, yellow? With that skin tone? Nasty!”

“And on that profound note…” Spike muttered snidely as he dropped to one knee to get a closer look at the body.

Buffy crouched down beside him then frowned as she took a good look at the demon and noticed that there wasn’t a drop of blood in sight. Not even a speck of a stain where the offending shirt was pierced by the dagger. “Where’s the blood?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Spike replied as he glanced over at her then back down to the demon before standing up and gesturing to the surrounding grass. “No blood, no signs of a fight, no nothing.”

“Well, he didn’t just kill himself,” Buffy commented flippantly, also standing.

“Didn’t he?” Spike disputed with quirk of his eyebrow.

“Well of course not!” she declared, staring at him as if he’d lost his mind.

Spike narrowed his eyes and gazed at her assessingly. “Do you even know what he is, Slayer?” At her blank look, he shook his head in amazement. “Doesn’t that bleedin’ Watcher of yours teach you anything?” he demanded incredulously before adding, as if it explained everything, “This is a H’Numkrig demon, for God’s sake!” When she continued to stare at him uncomprehendingly, he let out a lengthy sigh. “Little fact for you to pass on to Rupert; if they die naturally or get killed, they dissolve away to nothing; if they kill themselves, they don’t.”

Buffy looked at him in disbelief. “So what are you saying? That he stabbed himself, mopped up his own blood, washed his shirt and then laid down and died?” she challenged sardonically.

“No,” he snapped impatiently. “I’m saying that maybe somehow, someone or something might have managed to get him to kill himself and then took his blood.”

“Took his blood?” she repeated, her voice echoing her dislike of the idea. “What for?”

“Food, magic, have a bath,” the blond guessed with a shrug. “Take your pick.”

“I pick magic,” said Buffy, looking back down at the corpse. “Maybe even a ritual of some kind. Either way, not good. I’ll speak to Giles in the morning, see what he thinks.”

Spike nodded. “You should also check with Red and see if she knows of a spell that requires a willing sacrifice or something.”

“Right,” she nodded in agreement. “What about you?”

Spike jerked his head towards the corpse. “I’ll take care of him then swing by Willy’s and see what I can scare up.”

Buffy checked her watch then looked back up at him. “Okay, I’d better be going, but I’ll be over tomorrow night and you can tell me what you found out.”

He nodded and she turned to go, then hesitated and turned back causing Spike to look at her quizzically. “Just so you know, I kinda like my patrol partner in one piece,” she informed him softly. “Millions of floaty ones? Not so much fun; so be careful tonight, okay?”

That said, she abruptly turned and walked briskly away, leaving behind one very stunned and confused vampire who continued to stare at the spot where the Slayer had stood long after she was tucked up safe and sound in her cosy warm bed.

END CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8 - Affirmation

The bell above the door at the Magic Shop tinkled merrily announcing the arrival of another customer to Anya's immense delight. "Good morning…" she began and stopped, the bright smile falling from her face as she saw who entered. "Oh, it's just you, Buffy. Giles is checking stock levels," she informed the blonde and then pasted another smile on her face as the bell tinkled again, her attention already elsewhere.

"Thanks, Anya," Buffy replied dryly, used to the other girl's abrupt manner. She walked down the stairs that led to the basement store room and stood at the bottom looking around the brightly lit place. Various glass containers were set out in orderly rows and the clink of a lid being replaced brought her head swinging around to the right.

"Hey, Giles," she greeted, spying her Watcher.

The older man looked up from the clipboard he held and smiled in welcome. "Hello, Buffy. Everything go alright on patrol last night?"

"Kind of," she said, walking over to the man and idly picking up a jar that contained what looked like shrivelled up prunes. She held it up and turned it around until she could read the label and pulled a disgusted face. "Ugh, Llama tongues! What are they used for?"

"Fertility spells," he replied, ignoring her incredulous look and taking the jar from her hands. Putting it back in its place, he levelled his gaze with her and asked, "Now, what happened last night to cause the amazingly uninformative response of, 'Kind of'?"

Buffy explained about the demon she and Spike had discovered the previous evening as Giles listened in studied silence.

"So," he mused when she came to a finish. "Spike believes that the H'Numkrig was somehow manipulated into killing himself?"

"Yeah, because the body was still there," she confirmed with a nod. "And we were thinking the blood could be needed for a spell or possibly a ritual of some kind."

"Well, usually a demonic ritual would require the blood of a human," Giles discounted with a frown. "As for a spell…nothing comes to mind but Willow or Tara may know something."

"I was going to ask Wills when she got here," Buffy supplied helpfully. "She and Tara are taking me shopping."

"Quite, but in the meantime I'd like to check out which demons can drain a body that way." He took off his glasses, pulled out his handkerchief and began rubbing the lenses absently. "There wasn't a spot of blood anywhere, you say?" Off her nod, he put his glasses back on and a look of anticipation started to bloom. "Absolutely fascinating. I really think we need look into this a bit deeper." Placing the clipboard down on a nearby shelf, he then brushed passed her and headed up the stairs to the main shop.

"We?" Buffy queried plaintively to his retreating back. At his lack of response, she sighed heavily then slowly followed him up the stairs. Just as she sat down at the research table, Giles joined her carrying a large, dusty tome with the title, 'Blood Demons Through The Ages.' He placed it on the table and opened the front cover to reveal the contents page written in flowery script.

"Now, while you're waiting for Willow and Tara, you can make a start with this," he instructed, pushing the volume towards her. She looked up at him aghast, but he had already turned away and was climbing the ladder to the upper level where the more 'dangerous' books were held.

"Great," she mumbled, tugging the hardback even closer and trying to read the contents. "Why couldn't he give me a book that didn't look like some huge inky spider just ran across the page," she complained, staring blankly at the barely decipherable writing before turning the page with a sigh.

Fifteen minutes and half a dozen pages later, the annoying shop bell rang again and seconds afterwards Willow's cheerful voice said, "Hey, Buff, watcha reading?"

Buffy turned her head and gave her redheaded friend and wan smile. "I have no idea."

The witch moved to the table and sat down next to her then lifted up the cover to check the title. "Oh, I read this a few months ago. Pretty boring, huh?"

"Yep; pretty unreadable too," the blonde grumbled, leaning back in her seat and then suddenly looked at her friend sceptically. "Wait a minute, you read that? For fun?"

Willow reddened slightly. "Well, I…I was waiting for Tara and…and…" she started to explain sheepishly then frowned and concluded defensively, "I was sitting here all alone and there was nothing else to do, okay?"

"Okay," Buffy replied with a small smile which the redhead couldn't help but return. The Slayer leaned forward again and closed the book with a snap. "So, do you remember if there's anything in there about a demon that can drain another demon dry and not leave any messy residue?"

Willow scrunched her forehead in thought and then shook her head. "Don't think so. Why, has something happened?"

Buffy repeated the previous night events to her friend, only pausing when Tara arrived and sat down next to her girlfriend, so she could give her a quick recap before finishing the tale.

"I can think of spells that need demon blood but none that require the donor to sacrifice themselves willingly," Tara said apologetically.

"Same here," Willow concurred.

"But we can check with our Wicca group if you like?" Tara suggested. "Maybe they know of something."

"Yeah, I think that’s a good idea," Buffy replied with a nod. "Best make sure just in case this is the start of something all big and evilly."

"Talking of big and evilly," Willow said, grinning at her friend expectantly. "How did it go with Spike last night?"

A small smile spread across Buffy’s face. "Good, actually."

"You didn’t let on you knew, then?" the redhead questioned sounding slightly surprised.

"No," the blonde refuted quickly, a hurt look appearing on her face. "I said I wouldn’t, didn’t I?"

"Yeah, but you still seemed pretty ticked off when you left, so I wondered."

"No need, Will," Buffy assured her, expression lightening into a smile again. "I just messed with him a bit but I didn’t spill."

"Poor Spike," Tara put in with a chuckle.

"Well, he was being his typical snarky self and I couldn’t resist it," the Slayer admitted with a playful pout and then grinned conspiratorially. "Besides, it worked in my favour. I said you were concerned about his injury and got to see a bit of Spikey goodness as a result."

"Oh, sneaky," Willow complimented with a grin.

"I thought so," the Slayer agreed unabashed.

"Are you seeing him tonight?" asked Tara.

"Yeah, I'm going over to see if he found out anything at Willy's last night."

"What about the Bronze tomorrow? Did he agree to go?" queried Willow.

"He didn't get a chance to," explained Buffy. "We found that Humbug demon just after I asked him."

The redhead's brow furrowed slightly. "Well, if he continues the way he has, we can assume that he'll go to Willy's instead of the Bronze and then we can go to phase two." Her expression lightened. "But if he does go to the Bronze then I can pretty much guarantee that you'll be having Spike smoochies by the end of the evening. He won't be able to resist if you go all, 'Dirty Dancing' on him."

"Spike smoochies," Buffy said getting a dreamy look on her face as she remembered the soft feel of his lips on hers when she and the vampire had been under Willow's 'do-thy-will' spell just over a year before. She sighed. "I can’t wait."

The sudden sound of a book thudding to the floor and the witches collective gasp jerked her out of her reverie. Looking up, she saw a very pale-faced Giles staring back at her with a horrified expression. Oh, crap! She'd forgotten that he didn't know about her change of heart regarding the vampire. Eyes wide, she cast a desperate look at Willow and Tara but they looked as much at a loss as she felt.

Focussing on her Watcher again, she took in a deep breath and stood up. "I think we need to talk, Giles," she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"So it would appear," he croaked out, his face starting to regain some of its colour.

"Out back?" she suggested, pointing towards the training room. He nodded and allowed her to move passed him before following.

Willow let out the breath she didn't realise she was holding and looked at her girlfriend. "That's not going to be an easy conversation. Perhaps I should go in and…"

Tara reached over and covered the redhead's hand with her own. "I think they need to discuss this by themselves, sweetie. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Willow nodded and smiled uncertainly. "I hope you're right."

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

Giles watched as Buffy paced agitatedly in front of him. Every once in a while, she paused and looked at him as if to speak but then turned away and silently continued her movement.

"Would it help if I went first?" he asked, his voice calm.

Buffy ceased walking and looked at him tensely. "Probably not," she replied honestly.

"Very well," he deferred, lapsing into silence again.

The Slayer sighed and stared at her feet. "I was going to tell you, Giles, I swear," she told him quietly.

"Tell me what exactly?" he prompted as she glanced up at him through her lashes then averted her gaze once more.

Buffy took a deep, steadying breath then looked her Watcher straight in the eyes. "That I'm in love with Spike," she confessed slowly and clearly.

Seconds ticked by as the pair stared at each other; Buffy's gaze uncertain, Giles' indecipherable.

"I see," he finally commented, the calm that seemed to have settled over him ever since he overheard her conversation, still firmly in place.

When she realised that he wasn't going to say anything further, the Slayer narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "That's it?" she questioned dubiously. "I see? No lectures? No cleaning of your glasses? No muttered curses at my stupidity in falling for another vampire? Just, I see?"

"Buffy, you are more than old enough to make your own decisions in matters of the heart," he told her evenly. "Whatever I say is hardly going to change anything."

"But aren’t you even going to try?" she responded sounded slightly panicked. "I mean you’re my Watcher, my father figure, my friend…surely one of those guys must be dying to say something!"

Giles gave her a strained look and nodded. "Believe me, they are."

"Then go ahead," she urged. "I'd rather we talk about this now than have it festering away between us."

The Englishman sighed heavily. "Buffy, you already know of my…reservations in regards to a relationship with a vampire. The fact that you now have feelings for one without a soul just turns my current headache into a migraine of gigantic proportions." He grimaced slightly as if to emphasise the point.

"He's changed," she told him softly. "Can't you see that?"

He could, and had, but he wanted to make sure that she still remembered what Spike was capable of and be relied upon to deal with it if she had to. "The chip…"

"Doesn't make any difference," she cut in assertively.

"And if it malfunctions?" Giles enquired quietly. "If he started to feed off humans again, would you be able to kill him?"

"He wouldn't," she replied with certainty.

"But what if he did, Buffy?" the Watcher persisted. "Would you? Could you?"

Buffy looked away. "I'm the Slayer."

"That's not an answer…"

Buffy abruptly turned her head back to look steadily at her Watcher. "Yes, Giles, it is," she stated flatly.

Giles simply stared back at the young woman in front of him, noting that despite her unhappily uttered words, her eyes held the strength of her conviction. She had done it before and she was prepared to do it again, no matter how much it nearly destroyed her the first time.

Seeing the pain that briefly flickered in her eyes, Giles knew that she was probably re-living that 'first time' once more and hated himself for having to be the one to bring back bad memories.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," he began, remorse colouring his tone.

"That's okay, Giles, I didn't expect you to approve," she interrupted calmly.

The Watcher frowned slightly. "I never said that I didn't approve," he censured lightly.

The Slayer looked at him as if he'd suddenly grown another head. "Huh? But I thought…" She placed her hands on her hips and looked at him accusingly. "Then what was all that about the chip?"

"As your Watcher I had to make sure that you remembered your priorities, Buffy," he explained, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her glare. "I'm sorry if I upset you but it needed to be discussed."

Buffy felt her anger begin to rise but forced it back down. He was right. The chip issue had to be addressed whether she liked it or not. Getting angry with Giles wasn't going to solve anything. He had his duty just as she had hers and at least they both knew where they stood now so there would be no need to talk about it further.

Bringing forth a small smile, she reached out and touched his hand. "That's okay, Giles, I understand." He patted her hand gently and gave her a grateful smile in return.

Removing her hand, her smile got wider. "So," she began brightly. "Watcher guy's had his say, who's going next? Father figure guy?"

Giles let out a wry chuckle. "If he did, he’d probably have something to say about the age gap. A hundred plus years is hardly conducive…"

"Okay," the Slayer said holding up her hand for him to stop. "First off…conducive? Is that even a word? And secondly, you sound too much like a real dad. How about we just cut to the chase and go to friend guy." Her eyes grew round and appealing as she softly requested, "Tell me what you really think."

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

"Hey, Gorgeous," greeted Xander with a grin as he entered the Magic Shop and looked over at the counter where his fiancée usually stood. She wasn't there. "Ahn?" he called, his eyes sweeping over the rest of the shop and noting that the place appeared to be empty. Smile fading, he cautiously moved further into the shop. "Anya!"

There was movement from the back of the shop then Anya suddenly appeared, not looking at all happy. "Will you keep it down!" she chided in an angry hushed voice before turning around and going to the back of the shop once more.

"Hello darling," Xander said to himself mockingly as he followed her, wondering at her odd behaviour. When he got to the research table, he saw that the ex-vengeance demon was standing at the training room door alongside Willow and Tara. All three had their ears up against the door, straining to hear what was happening on the other side.

"What's going on?" asked Xander as he joined Willow, Tara and Anya at the training room door.

"Shh, Buffy's in there with Giles," Anya whispered to her fiancé. "She's telling him about Spike."

"Oh, how's it going?" Xander whispered back.

Anya gave him a pointed look. "I don't know. I can't hear anything because someone keeps talking."

The brunet opened his mouth to retort but a stern glare from his bride to be had him thinking better of it and he smiled feebly instead.

"I think they've been talking about the chip," Willow unexpectedly supplied quietly.

"Yeah, and I’m pretty sure Giles just complained about their difference in ages," Tara added with a puzzled look.

"Are you sure, sweetie?" the redhead queried, also looking baffled. "I mean, it’s just…without any yelling it's kinda hard to tell what’s being said."

"It's also hard to tell because people are talking," Anya added, her annoyance obvious.

Xander shot his fiancée a quick apologetic look then leaned towards the redhead. "Can't you just do a spell so we could all hear?" he whispered questioningly.

"No!" the witch discounted, her vehement tone hushed. "They're having a private conversation in there, we couldn't do that. It…it'd be rude!"

"Oh, and having your ears superglued to the door, isn't?" the carpenter asked dryly, forgetting to be quieter.

"Xander, I swear, if you don't you shut up, I'll withhold any hope of orgasms for an entire week," Anya threatened irately.

The brunet paled considerably and immediately clamped his lips together. Lifting his hand to his mouth, he pretended to turn a key in an imaginary lock and throw it over his shoulder. Moving behind her, he slipped his arms around her waist and dropped a kiss on her neck before joining the other eavesdroppers and leaning his ear against the door.

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

Buffy watched Giles reach up, take his glasses off and absently begin to clean them. Seeing it as a stalling tactic so that he could choose his words carefully, her agitation began to grow. This wasn’t going to be good.

Having put his spectacles back on, Giles looked at the young woman in front of him impassively. "To be perfectly honest with you, Buffy, Spike isn’t be my first choice of partner for you and never will be simply because he’s not human. In addition, he’s ill tempered, uncouth, dreadfully annoying and has the all social grace of a flea."

Buffy opened her mouth to hotly deny his appalling description of the blond but realised that there wasn't anything she could actually refute. Unfortunately, Spike could be all those things and more and if Giles’ intake of breath was any indication, he apparently wasn’t finished listing them yet. Shutting her mouth, she folded her arms and looked down, miserably waiting for him to continue his diatribe.

Giles saw her dejected expression and took a step forwards, causing her to raise her head and focus on him so she would see that he also meant what he said next. "Failings aside, his behaviour of late, especially during the business with Glory, has opened my eyes to Spike's more…benevolent nature. I see his devotion to you and Dawn…and it is unparalleled. His desire to protect you both, even at the cost of his own existence, is, quite frankly, a miracle for one without a soul. To be able to overcome one's nature like that, even though he received no encouragement from any of us, it makes him…" he paused, trying to find the right words and then concluded quietly, "…unique." He smiled gently. "So, no, definitely not first choice, but I have to confess that he does come in a very close second."

Buffy stared at her Watcher with tear filled eyes. A tremulous smile made its way to her lips and then she closed the distance between them and engulfed him in a hug so tight it almost cut off his circulation. "Thank you, Giles," she whispered emotionally.

The Englishman patted her gently on the back then extricated himself from her crushing grip. Looking down at her seriously, he said, "Before you thank me, please just promise me one thing, Buffy."

"What?" she asked with a look of trepidation.

Giles’ expression took on a part pained, part pleading look. "Let me know in advance when you’re bringing Spike to my place so I can hide my good whisky."

A huge grin bloomed on the Slayers face. "I think I can manage that," she chuckled and drew him in for another bone crushing embrace.

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

"Quick, they’re coming out, let’s go," Willow urged as she straightened up from her eavesdropping position by the door and hurried over to the research table followed by the others.

By the time Giles and Buffy exited, all four Scoobies where apparently thoroughly engrossed in the demon texts that were spread over the table top.

"Don’t even bother," Buffy told them with an amused smile. "Stampeding elephants are quieter and I heard Xander knock the chair over."

Giles nodded his agreement. "Yes, we really must work on your stealth abilities if you will insist on listening in on any more of our conversations."

The gang all stared back at the pair with varying levels of sheepishness then visibly relaxed back into their seats.

"Sorry," Willow offered humbly. "We were just…"

"Being nosey," Anya finished for her.

"I was going to say, concerned," the redhead corrected, shooting the other girl a reproving look.

Buffy grinned. "No big," she announced with a shrug. "And since you already listened in, we can just go shop for my hot new outfit now."

Xander grimaced slightly. "Is that for the much hyped, phase two?" he asked, putting his hands up and signalling quotes in the air with his fingers as he spoke the last two words, slightly derisively.

"Yep," the Slayer confirmed as she grabbed her coat and put it on.

"Phase two?" Giles asked with a perplexed look.

"Of the plan," Buffy supplied helpfully.

"Plan?" the Watcher repeated, his bafflement deepening. He looked to each of the gang in turn. "What plan?"

Remembering that Giles wasn’t a party to the Willow’s scheme, Buffy quickly remedied the situation and gave him a brief outline. "So, you mean to tell me that Spike has now developed a guilt complex?" he queried in amazement. At the energetic nods of affirmation from all the women, Giles’ eyes widened. "Remarkable," he murmured, removing his glasses and frantically cleaning the lenses. Replacing them back on his nose, he walked up to the table and moved a couple of books until he found a scrap piece of blank paper underneath. Picking it up, he felt around in his pockets for a pen and having found one, he wandered off muttering to himself, "I must write this all down. I’ve never heard anything like this about a soulless vampire before. He truly is quite remarkable."

Buffy turned back to Willow and Tara with a grin. "Mall?" The witches grinned back and nodded. "Let’s go."

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

Buffy hurried through the cemetery towards Spike’s crypt. She was late. Again. And if he dared to make one crack about her needing beauty sleep tonight…still, it’d be worth it. She’d found a great outfit at the last store they’d been to. As soon as she’d walked out of the changing room, both Willow and Tara’s eyes had widened and pleased grins had appeared on their faces as they voiced their approval of her choice.

"That's it!" Willow had exclaimed, indicating for Buffy to give them a quick twirl. "I'd like to see him try and resist you now."

"Well, he can be pretty stubborn," Buffy had replied as she turned to eye herself critically in the mirror. "Do you think I should go for a lower cut top or would that be too obvious?"

"Any lower and you might as well not bother wearing a top," the redhead had chuckled.

"Okay. Too obvious. Gotcha. I'll stick with this then," the Slayer had decided then gone and changed before paying for her purchases.

Once home, Dawn was waiting and had demanded seeing her new clothes too. Once she had her sister's approval as well, she'd grabbed a sandwich and got changed for patrol.

Spike's crypt loomed up ahead and she speeded up to a trot for the last couple of hundred yards. Coming to a halt, Buffy about to kick the door open, when it suddenly swung inwards and Spike appeared in the doorway.

"Late again, Slayer," he stated without preamble. "Beginning to think you’re forming a bad habit there, pet."

"Twice is hardly a habit, Spike," she retorted defensively. "And I’m only late today because I was out shopping with Willow and Tara. I had to get something to wear for the party tomorrow."

"Like you haven’t got stacks of stuff," he commented with a snort as he exited his crypt passed her and headed off through the cemetery.

"Not dressy stuff," she said dismissively as she fell into step beside him.

"Course you have, luv. What about that little black dress you’ve got pushed right to the back of your ward…" He paused, a look of panic coming over his features as his brain finally caught up with his mouth and he realised what he’d inadvertently let slip.

"I beg your pardon?" Buffy asked, her eyes wide. "Have you been looking through my closet? After that whole chaining me up, altar to the Slayer having thing, I thought you said that you got my blue sweater from the washing pile in the basement?"

Busted!

"I did," Spike lied, looking covertly around the cemetery. Where’s a bleedin’ grave big enough to swallow you whole when you needed one, he wondered bleakly to himself as he reluctantly turned his eyes back to her face.

Buffy looked at him knowingly, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "Uh-huh. So how do you know that I have a black dress at the back of my closet?" she asked deliberately, tilting her head slightly to the side as she awaited his answer.

Stalling for time, Spike rummaged around in his pockets for a cigarette and made a show of lighting it then inhaling.

"Well?"

‘Bloody hell woman, give a bloke time to think,’ he grumbled in his head then gave her a careless shrug that belied his inner tension. "Just a good guess," he finally responded aloud. "All you birds buy a sexy black number and shove it in the back of your wardrobe’s, never to be worn. It’s like a female teenage requirement or something."

Buffy knew he was lying through his teeth but decided to let it drop…for now. She chuckled lightly at his joke and nodded agreeably. "You’re right, we do."

Spike was surprised she let it go so easily but didn’t push it, deciding to change the subject to safer ground instead. "So, you interested in what I found out last night?" At her nod, he continued. "Willy told me he found one of his customers, Lana, out back in the dumpster. Dead with no sign of a struggle but not drained."

"Are you thinking it could be linked to our guy?"

"Possibly," he replied, dropping his cigarette butt on the ground and treading on it without breaking his stride.

"What about the non drainage?" she queried with a slight frown.

Spike shrugged. "Maybe he got disturbed and dumped the body before he had time to take any," he suggested.

Buffy nodded. "Sounds reasonable," she replied then looked over at him hopefully. "I don’t suppose anyone saw anything, did they?"

The vampire shook his head. "No, but a couple of days ago, I saw Lana with a right ugly git. Not seen him before so could be new in town. Thought we could have a bit of a bar crawl tonight and see if we could find him."

"New demon in town possibly killing other demons," Buffy said flippantly. "Seems like he’s doing me a favour, I should just let him get on with it. The less nasties around here, the better."

Stopping abruptly, Spike turned towards her, his jaw tightening as he tried to keep his sudden flare of temper at her careless words in check. "For your information, Slayer, those so-called nasties that have been murdered lived peacefully alongside humans. Their kind never hurt a fly, human or otherwise. I know in your book, demon equals evil, but it’s about time you understood that not everything in this world is that black and white. It never has been."

With one last hard look at her, he turned away to walk off but Buffy’s hand on his arm stopped him. Turning his head, he looked pointedly down at her hand then back up to her face, eyebrows raised.

"You’re right, I’m sorry," she told him quietly. "It was wrong of me to say what I did." She gave his arm a light squeeze and smiled gently. "Forgive me?"

Taken aback at the sincerity of her tone, Spike remained silent. For the second time in as many nights, she’d surprised him. He’d expected harsh words, not an apology and it confused the hell out of him. "Nothing to forgive, pet," he eventually told her, letting his gaze drop back to where she was still touching him. Freely. Willingly.

For a moment he allowed himself to enjoy her touch then suddenly felt the invisible threads of her world start to wind their way through his unbeating heart and begin tugging. He immediately took a step away from her, breaking the light contact she had on his arm. Clearing his throat, he swallowed hard and took a deep unneeded breath. "I think it’s best if we start at Willy’s and go on from there, don’t you?" he suggested, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Sounds like a plan," Buffy agreed lightly, trying to not let the disappointment of his sudden withdrawal show on her face.

"Right," he said, glancing at her before starting to walk. "Let’s go."

Three unsuccessful hours and five bars later, they walked slowly along Revello Drive and came to a halt outside Buffy’s house. To their frustration, they hadn’t found the ugly demon nor managed to garner any information about him. The only highlight of the evening was the brawl Spike had started at the third bar when a drunk Tamar demon had bumped against Buffy almost knocking her over. The vampire had immediately demanded an apology on her behalf and when the Tamar had refused point blank, the blond had seen red and punched him hard on the nose. Buffy had sat on a stool and watched the fight play out in front of her with a wide smile on her face, simply enjoying seeing the vampire in action.

Thinking of the fight immediately brought a smile back to her face as she remembered a particularly fine roundhouse kick he'd delivered that had made his T-shirt ride up slightly to reveal a glimpse of his taut stomach while his duster swirled around him dramatically. The blow had rendered the Tamar unconscious and Spike had stood proudly over the limp body before throwing a triumphant glance her way. It was a memory she'd been replaying on and off during the rest of the night and on a couple of occasions she'd been so wrapped up in her reverie that she'd missed something that the vampire had said. Just like now.

"Huh?" she queried blankly, desperately trying to come out of her Spike-happy induced fog so she could focus on the vampire in question.

Spike looked at her strangely but didn't say anything. She'd been a bit spacey ever since the fight he'd had at Donnelly's. He wondered briefly if it was something to do with him but discarded it almost instantly as she looked far too happy for that possibility. "I said I’ll try Willy’s again tomorrow night," he repeated slowly, checking to see if she was listening this time. "Someone, somewhere knows something. I might play a hand or two of poker, see what I can find out."

"Oh, right, yeah, you should do that," she replied. "I would help but…"

"Party. I know," the blond supplied, smiling a little at the thought of her sitting in on a game of cards where the stakes up for grabs were cute fluffy kittens. That'd be an experience.

"Yeah." She looked over her shoulder to her house and then back at him. "Well, I'd better go in, it's late."

Spike nodded. "Goodnight, pet," he replied, feeling a little stab of hurt that she hadn't tried to get him to the party one last time. Not that he'd go, but still… "Enjoy yourself tomorrow."

She nodded and smiled then walked up her path and opened the door. Before crossing the threshold, she turned and gave him a brief wave then entered her home. Spike stayed until he heard her lock the door, then slowly walked away. Half an hour later he was back. Lighting a cigarette from his newly acquired pack, he looked up at Buffy’s window watching her silhouette as she prepared for bed. The light went off and he moved across to the tree where he’d spent many a long night watching over his girls.

Settling himself back against the coarse trunk, he recalled her apology from earlier that evening and felt his still heart twinge once more. Taking a drag on the cigarette, he exhaled the smoke telling himself that it wouldn't hurt to watch over them for one night…just for old time's sake.

END CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9 - Preparations

Buffy awoke late the next morning, feeling refreshed and completely rested. Throwing back the covers, she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom contemplating her day ahead. There were a couple of things she still needed to take care of before the evening and Willow and Tara were coming over to help. Realising she didn't have long before they arrived, she quickly showered and dressed then headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

Greeting her sister, she grabbed a box of cereal and poured some out in a bowl. She added some milk then sat down next to Dawn.

"All set for tonight?" the brown haired girl asked.

"Pretty much," Buffy replied in-between mouthfuls of food. "Just a couple of last minute details to take care of and then I can get ready."

Dawn grinned. "Major pampering, huh?"

"Yep," the Slayer confirmed with a nod. "Bath oils, excess hair removal, manicure, pedicure and hair primpage."

"All by nine o’clock tonight? Geez, Buffy, best get started now," the younger Summers said with a pointed look at her watch.

"Very funny," her sister replied dryly at the implication that eleven hours wasn’t enough time for her to beautify herself. Picking up her now empty bowl, Buffy carried it over to the sink then turned around and leaned against the counter with her arms folded. "So, you arranged to stay at Janice’s tonight?"

"Yep, she said it’s no problem, so don’t worry, you and Spike will have the house all to yourselves," Dawn assured her with a mischievous giggle.

Buffy grinned back, a faint blush lighting her cheeks at the thought of possibly spending the night with Spike. Alone. All night. No distractions. And with any luck…naked. Oh God…please…let there be nakedness. Especially of the bleached blond, undead, lean-muscled variety.

Dawn rolled her eyes as she lost her sister to what she gathered must be an extremely pleasant daydream then stood up and went to answer the front door when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Hey Dawnie, Buffy up yet?" Willow greeted brightly as she and Tara entered the house.

"Hey Willow. Hey Tara. Yeah, she’s in here," the teen replied carelessly as she walked back into the kitchen and gestured over at her sister who was still staring into space with a sappy smile on her face.

"Let me guess; thinking about Spike again?" Willow asked wryly, having experienced the Slayer phasing out on her four times the previous afternoon while out shopping.

"More like major droolage," Dawn replied with a shake of her head.

"I think it's sweet," Tara commented with a smile.

"Yeah," Dawn and Willow both agreed softly. Smiles appeared on their own faces as they gazed at their sister and friend, noting with pleasure that she looked happier than she had in months.

Buffy sighed then blinked a couple of times as she came out of her reverie and saw Dawn, Willow and Tara all standing in the kitchen doorway smiling knowingly at her. "I did it again, didn’t I?" she asked wryly.

"Yep," Dawn answered with a laugh.

"Totally gone," Tara agreed.

"Sorry guys, I was just thinking about tonight," she said, hoping they’d take her explanation at face value and not realise that she’d been happily fantasising about Spike laying stretched out on her bed wearing nothing but his duster and trademark smirk.

"Don’t worry, it’s going to go just fine," Willow told her assuredly. "I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything covered."

Determinedly putting thoughts of Spike from her mind, Buffy nodded then pushed herself away from the sink and looked at her friends expectantly. "So, we ready to go?" They nodded and she turned to Dawn. "You want to come along too? Could use an extra pair of hands."

"Yeah, sure," the teen replied eager to help get her sister and favourite vampire together.

That decided, the sisters grabbed their coats and followed the witches out of the house. As they reached the end of the path, Buffy glanced over at the tree in her front yard out of habit, knowing that was where Spike used to spend his nights watching over them. Not expecting to see anything, she slowed to a stop when she noticed several cigarette butts littering the ground beneath the towering branches. It took a few seconds for the realisation to sink in that the vampire had obviously stood there the previous night and she felt a rush of warmth flood through her system at the knowledge. A smile lighting her face, she hurried after the others, determined more than ever that what she had planned that night would be a resounding success and Spike would no longer believe he belonged on the fringes of her life.

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

Giles looked up from the reference book he was reading and stared at the four young women who had just entered the shop and were now stood in front of him. "Good Lord, what on earth have you all been doing?" he enquired curiously, noting the fine coating of dust that liberally covered their shoulders and their hair.

All four touched a hand to their heads self-consciously then looked at each other and chuckled when they realised what they'd done.

"We've just been helping Buffy get a few last minute things done before tonight," Willow explained.

"Tonight?" the Watcher asked blankly. "I don't follow."

"I told you yesterday, Giles," Buffy reminded him. "You know, the whole Spike guilt, Willow plannage, Spike smooch…"

"Yes! Yes, I think you've jogged my memory quite enough thank you, Buffy," the Englishman replied with a pained look as he held up a hand to stop her completing the sentence. "No need to continue."

"Okay," Buffy acquiesced with a grin. Resting her hands on the chair opposite him she continued, "We were just passing and I thought I'd better stop in and ask how the research was going."

The Watcher removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before replacing them and blinking a couple of times. "Not good, I’m afraid," he admitted on a sigh. "While there are numerous demons that could drain a body if they so chose to, I can’t find a single reference to one that needs a willing participant." He leaned back in his chair. "I suppose that since there’s only been the one occurrence, I’ll just have to make a note of it for future reference."

"Actually, Willy found another body. A girl this time," the Slayer informed him. "Spike seems to think that it could be the same guy behind it but the blood wasn’t drained from this one."

"Then what makes him think it’s linked?" the Watcher asked, puzzled.

"Because, apparently, there wasn’t any sign of a struggle. Spike thinks that the killer may have been interrupted."

"It’s feasible, I suppose," Giles allowed consideringly. "Does he have any idea on who could be doing this?"

"He says that he saw a really ugly demon talking to the girl that Willy found. Could be new in town. We checked in a few bars last night but didn’t find him," she explained.

"Ugly, you say?" Giles queried with raised eyebrows. "Well, I could try cross referencing that piece of information but as that particular description fits most of the demon population, I doubt that it will be of much value."

"Me either, but I thought you might want to know anyway," the Slayer replied with a shrug.

"Quite. You never know when something seemingly trivial turns out to be the answer to everything," he commented as he closed the book he'd been reading. Standing, he picked it up then turned and put it back in its place on the shelf behind. He took a few seconds to choose another tome then turned back and placed it on the table. "So, what time does your grand scheme begin tonight?" he asked as he sat back down.

"Around nine-ish, all being well," Buffy replied.

"Well, I suppose I should wish you good luck," the Watcher offered with a small smile.

"Thanks," the Slayer responded warmly. She turned to her sister and checked the time. Upon hearing that it was nearly three o'clock, she gave a little squeak of dismay then announced that she'd better go and get ready. All four girls said their goodbyes to Giles and Anya, who was at the counter, then headed for the door.

Giles watched them for a moment, then opened up the large book in front of him, smiling wryly as he heard Willow comment on the fact that six hours was a little excessive, even for Buffy, to get ready. The door opening and shutting cut off any response the Slayer made and Giles sighed hoping that everything went well that night. He had feeling that if it didn't, Spike, with all his unpredictable complexities, might possibly move even further out of her reach.

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

Spike turned over onto his front and let out a frustrated huff. "Bloody go to sleep, you prat," he grumbled to himself in annoyance. After leaving his vigil shortly before dawn, the vampire had returned to his crypt, downed a bottle of JD and then retired to bed.

Knowing that the drink wouldn't be enough to make him pass out, he'd turned to the only other option that did…pleasuring himself. Of all the thoughts of the evening spent with Buffy filling his head, it was the remembrance of her hand firmly clasping arm as she said, "Forgive me," that finally triggered his climax, her name tumbling repeatedly from his lips in short gasps of unneeded air.

As soon as he started to come down from his high, he'd mentally castigated himself for being so pathetic as to get off on what she'd said, while, at the same time, trying hard not to feel guilty over using her words and image like that in the first place. Impatiently, he’d waited for the relaxing calm that usually followed his act to bathe him in its glow so he could get some much needed rest.

Unfortunately, unlike him, it didn't come and the sleep he craved continued to allude him. Cleaning himself up with the bed sheet, he'd balled it up and thrown it into a corner in disgust before getting himself another. For hours he'd tossed and turned, trying out different positions. On his back, on his front, left side, right side, feet raised on his pillow, head hanging off the bed, sitting up…hell, even standing up! Nothing worked.

Nothing. Nothing stopped the incessant clamour of guilt that kept knocking at the back of this mind with a determination that he was sure would eventually make him insane.

Flipping over onto his back, he let out a long sigh and officially gave up. Going by his internal vamp clock, he knew still had a few hours before the sun went down, but he decided to get up anyway. Throwing the sheet back off his body, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached out to grab his jeans from the floor. Standing, he put them on then walked over to the ladder that led to the upper level. A couple of minutes later, he was seated in his chair, a bag of blood in one hand and the television remote in the other. Absently flicking through the channels he stopped on an eighty’s high school based chick flick and settled down to watch. If this didn’t send him off to sleep double quick, then the boredom of it would soon have him staking himself…either way, he figured, his internal torment would be happily over for another day.

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

Buffy clicked off the hairdryer then put it down on her dresser and ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it to the desired effect. Staring at herself in the mirror, she teased a couple more strands into place and tilted her head appraisingly. Finally, happy with the result, she stood up and padded over to her closet where her clothes for that evening were on hangers on the door.

Removing her bathrobe, she took the blouse off its hanger and slipped it on over her black, lacey, strapless bra. Next, she reached for the skirt she was going to wear with it and pulled it up over her black, sheer, hold-up stockinged legs to cover her black lacey high cut panties. Once she'd drawn up the side zip fastening, she sat down on her bed and pulled on black suede, knee high boots and zipped them up too.

Fully dressed, she left her bedroom and went into the bathroom where she applied her make-up with practised ease. With one last fluff of her hair, she blew herself a kiss in the mirror and then headed downstairs to her waiting friends.

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

After becoming thoroughly engrossed in the film, Spike had watched it to its inevitable romantically slushy outcome then eventually fallen asleep for a couple of hours in his chair when the news began. Awakening just as the sun finished it's descent into blackness, Spike got up feeling only slightly better than before he'd slept and finished dressing.

Pulling on his duster, he grabbed his cigarette packet from a rickety old dresser he'd aquisitioned from the nearby dump one night then walked out of his crypt into the warm evening. Shutting the door after him, he strode through the cemetery towards the exit. When he reached the sidewalk, he paused for a moment and looked left, contemplating whether to go the Bronze or not for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening.

With a slight shake of his head, he turned right and headed into town. He’d told Buffy that he’d carry on looking for the ugly git and he was going to do it, no matter how much he longed to do the opposite.

Bloody guilt complex…turning him into a right do-gooding pansy.

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

Buffy slowly walked down the stairs to be met at the bottom by five pairs of admiring eyes.

"You look great," Willow enthused with a grin.

"Very pretty," Tara agreed.

"I think you look fantastic," said Dawn almost bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Yeah, I…uh…like your…uh…top," Xander sputtered, unable to tear his eyes away from the ample amount of cleavage that she had on display.

"Yes…excellent choice of clothing," Anya complimented. "Spike's going to jump your bones as soon as he sees you wearing that."

"Ahn!" Xander exclaimed, finally looking away from Buffy's chest long enough to cast his fiancée a horrified look.

"What?" she queried innocently. "Isn't that the whole purpose of this evening?"

"No!" the brunet told her crossly. "At least…not within the range of my hearing, it isn't!"

"Oh, well, you'd better go into the other room then because I have a few handy tips to aid in vampire seduction that I want to give Buffy and you probably won't want to hear them," the ex-demon instructed matter-of-factly. Without waiting to see if he did as she said, she looked back at the Slayer and smiled. "Now, necks, obviously, are an erogenous zone. So are their ears, chests, arms, legs…well, actually, pretty much anywhere you to touch them will induce instant arousal, especially their pe…"

"Okay, okay, minor amongst us," Buffy interrupted hastily, holding her hand up to stop the woman from talking. "I really don’t want Dawn hearing this…"

"Oh, Buffy!" the teen protested with a whine. "I'm not a kid!"

"…but, uh, thanks for the tip Anya, it was…uh…it's been a big help," the Slayer concluded after shooting her sister a silencing glare which produced folded arms, an eye roll and a very pronounced sulky pout from her sibling.

"Oh, but I have loads more," Anya began eagerly, ignoring the fact that Buffy didn't want to listen. "Sex toys and bond…"

"Anya, honey, I think Buffy gets the idea," Xander cut in, taking his fiancée's arm in a firm grip and pulling her away towards the door. "We have to go," he said looking over his shoulder at the Buffy and the others. "Good luck with tonight."

Buffy smiled and gave Xander a grateful look then couldn’t help but cringe when the ex-demon continued to talk. "But Xander, I haven’t had a chance to tell Buffy about their staying power. I’m quite envious really…being a vampire, Spike can have sex all night long; he’ll always be ready…"

"Hey!" Xander exclaimed an aggrieved tone as he opened the door and all but pushed Anya through it. "First off, I have staying power, thank you very much and I'm always ready…unless I've had a hard day at work, of course. And second off…Oh…my…god! Did you have to say the words 'Spike' and 'sex' in the same sentence? Do you know what that does to my nervous system? I think it's shut down."

"Oh, stop overreacting, Xander. Just me saying 'Spike' and 'sex' can't possibly affect you physically."

"You said it again! My God, it really has shut down this time! I think you've actually managed to traumatise me for life, you know that?"

"Oh please…"

The door shut behind the bickering pair leaving the four remaining women to look at each other. As one, they started smiling and then laughing which only abated when the sound of a horn blaring outside filled the air.

"Oh, that's Janice's mom, I gotta go," Dawn exclaimed running up the stairs and grabbing her overnight bag from her room. She rushed back down and engulfed her sister in a quick hug before wishing her luck with the evening and running out the door to her waiting ride.

"Well, guess I'd better get going too," Buffy said, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"Did you want to wait a couple of minutes until we find out where he is exactly?" Tara asked, sensing the blonde woman's unease. "It'll give you a better idea of how long you've got then."

"Yeah, that's good idea," the Slayer replied with a smile.

The witches moved into the lounge and sat on opposite sides of the town map that they'd laid out in preparation a couple of hours before. Herbs were mixed, words chanted and a small burst of flame ignited near the centre of the map.

"He's at Willy's," Buffy said, bending over to take a look. "That should give me about forty five minutes."

"Right," Willow said, standing up. "We'd best get going."

Tara also stood and the three women walked to the door and out into the night. At the end of the path they stopped and grinned at each other.

"I'll call you later, okay?" Buffy promised.

"We want all the details," the redhead told her with a mischievous giggle.

The Slayer just shook her head and gave her friend a gentle push to get her moving. "Just go already."

The witches waved goodbye then headed into town towards Willy's, while Buffy turned and walked off in the opposite direction. Nerves fleeing with each step she took nearer to her destination, Buffy was soon looking forward to the evening ahead.

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

Fen strolled into Willy's place and surveyed the bar appraisingly. He needed to feed. Saul hadn't sustained him for a long as he'd hoped and now his limbs ached protestingly, crying out for more nourishment. He'd visited a couple of bars on the other side of town the night before but had found nothing of interest and so had returned to the place where, so far, his hunting had been successful. He hoped it would be again tonight.

His gaze flitted around the room, pausing every now and then to rest on certain demons as he silently reached out his senses to check if they were a likely candidate. Three quarters of the way around he found what he was looking for and smiled. She was exquisite and he felt a momentary pang that she wouldn't be alive by the end of the night.

He took a step towards her table, then stopped as the door behind him opened and someone in a long leather coat with a shock of white bleached hair walked past, heading straight for the bar. Fen couldn't believe his eyes…or his luck. He'd been so certain that the witches had killed the unholy creature who was ordering a bottle of whisky as he watched.

"Oh, vampire, your pain is great but soon you'll not have to suffer any more," he breathed, his grin widening as his senses latched onto to Spike's tumultuous emotions. His earlier prey forgotten, Fen saw the blond pay for his drink, then head for a table at the back of the room. As soon as he sat down, Fen wiped the smile from his face to adopt a concerned look and headed over.

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

Willow and Tara stood nervously outside Willy's hand in hand.

"You ready, sweetie?" Willow asked her girlfriend.

"Ready," Tara replied with a gentle squeeze of her hand.

The redhead took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, we're going in."

With a nod of assent, Tara gripped Willow's hand a little tighter and together they entered to bar.

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

Spike raised the shot glass to his lips and surreptitiously gazed over the top, his eyes immediately locking onto the ugly demon who was wending his way through the tables to the bar. Or not, he realised as the man changed direction and nonchalantly headed his way. Even better.

When Spike had approached Willy’s he’d felt a chill run up his spine and recognised it as the feeling he’d recently had twice before. The initial time was when he’d first seen the very demon that was walking towards him and the second had been in the alley when he was being followed. Now, as he sat there with his spine still tingling, he knew without a doubt that his stalker that night was the demon that had just stopped at his table and was smiling at him in a friendly way.

"Something you wanted?" the vampire asked coldly.

Fen’s smile widened just a fraction. "You looked like you could use a friend," he replied, sitting down on the chair next to Spike. "Someone to talk to."

"That right?" the vampire asked slowly.

He nodded. "Name's Fen. I'm a very good listener." He leaned forward, staring hard at the blond. "Go on, you can tell me. Let it all out. You know you want to," he encouraged.

As the quietly spoken request reached him, Spike was taken aback when he felt a compulsion to do exactly what Fen wanted and tell him everything. The vampire's eyes widened slightly as he realised what Fen was trying to do and he forced a tight lipped smile to his face and as ground out tersely, "A thrall is it? Vampire here, you nit. Don't work on us."

Fen chuckled. "Yes it does and what I do is so much more than a mere thrall, Vampire. I wouldn't fight it if I were you, you'll only hurt yourself."

Spike gritted his teeth and made a determined effort to try and look away but found that he couldn't. He was just starting to feel slightly worried when he suddenly felt a hand land on his shoulder followed by Willow's voice urgently saying his name.

"Spike! Oh, thank Goddess we found you."

Disturbed by the interruption, Fen broke eye contact with Spike and shot the witch a baleful glare instead. Regaining control of his senses and body once more, the vampire let out a low growl and swiftly stood up, turning his back on the demon to face Willow and Tara.

"What's up, Red?" asked Spike, taking a step to his left and effectively blocking Fen's view of the two witches so that the demon couldn't try his trick on either of them.

Angry at being thwarted by the same witches that had interfered previously, Fen furiously pushed his chair back with a loud scrape and stood up. The noise was enough to make Spike turn around, although he still made sure that he provided enough protection for the women. For a split second, their eyes locked and Spike felt the pull of the thrall run briefly through his body before Fen released him and gave him a nasty smile. "I'll be seeing you, Vampire," he promised with a sneer then abruptly turned and walked away.

Spike watched him leave the bar then a hand on his arm drew his attention back to the witches.

"Who was that?" Willow asked with a worried frown. "Was he the ugly demon you told Buffy about?"

The vampire looked at her blankly, debating whether to tell the truth or not. If he did then it’d be all hands to the Scooby decks with Buffy shouldering the load as usual. If he said no, he could deal with Fen himself and Buffy would be none the wiser and a whole lot safer until it was over. Fen was powerful, but Spike was sure he could take him out. Hell, if a hundred and twenty years worth of Dru's attempts at enthralling him hadn't worked then this guy should be a doddle to resist once he was prepared. And maybe, just maybe, at the end of it all, if he was really, really lucky…he’d have earned himself enough redemption to ease the guilt he carried over Dawn to a more manageable level.

God, please, let him be that lucky.

"Spike?" Willow pressed when it looked like he wasn’t going to reply. "Did you hear me?"

"It’s not him, Red," Spike lied calmly. "That was just some guy wanting to know where the action was, that’s all."

Willow looked at him uncertainly then glanced at Tara who looked as disbelieving as she felt. Looking back at the vampire she said, "Are you sure? Because Buffy said that you said he was really ugly and that guy was really ugly."

"Not him," Spike repeated firmly then changed the subject. "Now, what was it you wanted again?"

"Wanted?" the redhead repeated dumbly. There was a momentary pause until Tara nudged her girlfriend in the back and leaned over to whisper Buffy's name in her ear.

"What about Buffy?" the vampire immediately challenged when he overheard.

Having forgotten about Spike's enhanced hearing, Willow was glad that Tara hadn't anything more than her friend's name. She didn't want to ruin her plan before it even had a chance. Shaking off the uneasy feeling she still had about the demon that had just left, she tried to focus on the task at hand. "Right, Buffy," she began, getting herself into pretend concerned friend mode. Pitching her voice to what she hoped was just the right amount of trepidation, she told him, "She found out there's a whole bunch of vamp's nesting in the Sherman crypt at Rosewood cemetery. She's on her way over there now and asked us to come get you."

"She wants my help?" Spike clarified, dubiously wondering if the effects of the thrall had affected his hearing in some way. Even though they patrolled almost every night, Buffy had never actually asked for his help. He just pitched into a fight when he wanted to.

"Yeah," Willow nodded then after a pause added, "She said she needs you."

Spike's eyes widened at that and he swallowed hard. Buffy needed him? Needed him! And he was standing there like a complete wanker. "How many?" he suddenly demanded as he began moving towards the exit.

"She doesn't know for sure, but we think at least twelve," Willow supplied, walking quickly to keep up with the blond's strides as he weaved through the tables.

"Maybe more," Tara added.

"Bloody hell! Couldn't you get the stupid bint to at least wait for me?" Spike ground out, his fear for the Slayer taking on that many vamps alone making him angry. Not even expecting a reply to his question, he reached the door and yanked it open then turned back to the witches and gestured around the bar. "This place it dangerous. Go home and I'll get the Slayer to call you when she gets back."

Once they nodded their assent, Spike turned on his heel and broke into a dead run in the direction of Rosewood cemetery.

Willow and Tara followed him out then stood just outside the bar and shared a satisfied smile. "And so begins phase two," the redhead said with a trace of smugness. "Gotta say, he was easier to convince than even I thought he would be."

"It was the, 'she said needs you' part that did it, I think," Tara replied as they began to walk. "Nicely done."

"Thanks, sweetie," Willow replied, grabbing her girlfriend's hand giving it a squeeze.

They walked in silence for a few moments until Tara ventured quietly, "That demon Spike was talking to when we came in had him kind of spooked, didn't it?"

Willow sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought," she admitted. "He looked kinda dazed but angry, it was odd. And I just know Spike was lying when he said that wasn't who he and Buffy were looking for…I mean…hello?…not blind…pretty darn ugly demon guy, standing right there." She sighed again then frowned. "And did you hear his parting shot?" she asked before adopting a deep voice to say, "I'll be seeing you, Vampire."

"Yeah, definite threat," Tara agreed. "I think we should let Giles know. It should help with his cross referencing now we know what we're looking for."

Willow nodded. "Let's go now. If this guy has Spike worried then I think we should try and find out exactly what he's capable of."

As they hurried away, they failed to notice the figure staring after them from out of the shadows. "Don't worry, Witch, you'll have your answers soon enough when your pet vampire is nothing but dust trickling through your fingers," Fen muttered spitefully. With one last malevolent glare at their retreating backs, he turned around and headed back inside Willy's. There was still his hunger to sate.

END CHAPTER 9

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