By the following afternoon, Buffy still hadn't figured out what had frightened away Sunday and her gang. Anyone who could scare a pack of vampires had to be very powerful indeed. She'd suspected Angel, but would he really just lurk about and hide from her? Then again, who else would both *want* to help her *and* be imposing enough to scare off the vamps? It had to be Angel, didn't it? Except that she hadn't sensed his presence and he hadn't answered when she'd called his name. She didn't think he'd let her worry needlessly. Anyway, maybe whatever had turned up had no connection to her at all. Her thoughts led her in a circle, and she was left with no good explanation.

Since she hadn't gotten in touch with Giles yet, Buffy decided to run her ideas past Willow while they ate lunch in the college cafeteria. She finished her recap with, "It was really weird. The vampire was all set to bite me and then she acted like she'd seen a ghost. She couldn't leave me alone fast enough. At first I thought maybe Angel's been watching over me and he scared her away but now I'm not so sure."

Willow looked up from her peanut-butter sandwich. "Huh? What was that, Buffy? I was lost in thought about chemistry class."

"Nothing," Buffy muttered. "I was just thinking out loud, I guess." She really couldn't blame Willow for her lack of attention. Her friend was blossoming in an environment in which knowledge was not only desired, but rewarded. It wasn't fair to expect her to have vamps and other assorted nasty creatures on her mind all the time. "Look, I'm gonna go back to my room now and get my stuff for my next class. See you later." Buffy grabbed her tray and went to the nearest garbage can. As she was about to dump her trash, a young man bumped into her. Buffy barely managed to balance her tray and keep the contents from spilling all over the floor.

"Whoa! I'm so sorry," apologized the guy, flashing a blinding white smile. "Excuse me."

He was pretty cute, Buffy noted, with dark-brown hair and a nice build. Polite, too. She smiled back. "That's okay, no harm done." She pitched her garbage and set the tray aside.

"Hey, don't I know you? From music appreciation class?" the boy asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No, this is my first semester and I'm not taking that course."

"Somewhere else, then. By the way, my name is Parker Abrams." He extended his hand.

She shook it. "Buffy Summers."

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, Buffy." Parker smiled one last time before he turned and went back to his table.

She wouldn't mind running into him again, Buffy decided. He seemed like a great guy, and it was about time she got back into the dating scene. Even Angel had wanted her to do so. She'd keep an eye out for Parker in the future.

*****

Ensconced in the study of his new lair, Spike waited for his guest to arrive. He'd sent a fledgling to summon Sunday, the vampire that had attacked Buffy. It wasn't even twilight yet, but that didn't matter. Spike had carefully chosen his base: an abandoned building that had full sewer access, which allowed for extra mobility during daylight hours. He would be able to come and go during emergency situations. He could also receive visitors at all hours.

A tentative tap sounded on the door and a voice called, "She's here, master."

"Send her in," Spike instructed.

The door opened and Sunday sauntered in, affecting an air of bravado. "I heard you wanted to see me. Well, here I am."

Yeah, anything that looked as slutty as her immediately lost credibility in Spike's eyes. Sunday had the attitude, but not the fashion sense. And she *really* had to do something about her hair. Spike slowly lit a cigarette and took a deep drag before speaking. "Saw you yesterday with your gang. I could tell you were the leader of the pack and the only one worth bothering with."

Sunday preened, practically glowing from the praise. "I figured my reputation might have preceded me."

"Not really. This is about what I saw you try to do to the Slayer. Friendly warning, pet: Fangs off. Slayer's mine. You'd best pass the word to your mates, too. Leave that one strictly to me."

Sunday scowled. "If she comes into my territory again, I'll defend myself."

"I think you mean *my* territory," Spike firmly corrected. "You want your own, you might want to head to greener pastures. South of the border, for instance."

"I'll think about it," Sunday said with a pout.

"You do that." Spike twirled his chair around in a clear sign that the other vampire was dismissed. He listened as Sunday sashayed out of the room, attempting to save face. He thought he might have neutralized her, but then again, she might really be as stupid as she looked. If so, he'd soon find out and take care of the problem. Spike put her out of his mind and turned his attention to other concerns.

Months ago, Dru had told him he was in love with the Slayer, and she'd been right. Oh, Spike had been in denial for some time, but he'd eventually accepted, even embraced, the truth. He was a vamp who wasn't afraid of being in touch with his inner feelings. If he loved a Slayer, it was right. In fact, Spike figured he could probably find a prophecy or two about him and his Slayer, if he bothered to dig around in some of those old books. Maybe he'd make a minion do that one of these days, but at the moment he had more important matters to attend to.

He had to convince the Slayer of his love. He realized, of course, that this might take a while. Although he wasn't the most patient of vampires, he was determined to do it right. He didn't want to scare her away by moving too quickly. If he was dealing with Dru, he'd just torture her into loving him again. But he didn't think that approach would work so well with the Slayer. He had to soften her up first, prove his sincerity. She was human; she'd expect little gifts and suchlike.

He'd thought about giving Buffy an amulet first but then remembered the cross necklace she sometimes liked to wear. He wasn't sure if she'd give it up for a new piece from a secret admirer. So he selected a ring instead. Spike was pleased with his choice. The witch he'd taken it from had insisted it was an ancient piece that had long ago been enchanted with a protection spell that would shield the wearer. He'd killed the witch, so that she wouldn't do anything vengeful like cast a curse on the item once he was away with it.

It would make a fitting gift for Buffy, help keep her safe until he could claim her. Spike was taking other precautions, as well. He was already consolidating his power base in Sunnydale, getting the general vampire population under his control. The Slayer would, therefore, face fewer opponents and stand a lesser chance of being harmed. The ring was just a little something extra he thought she'd like. Spike carefully packaged his first present and called to one of the more intelligent minions. He wanted his offering to be hand-delivered.

*****

Later that evening, Buffy made her way back to her dorm room. With Willow, Oz, and Xander helping, patrol hadn't taken as long as usual. Plus, she'd started pretty early, and the almost complete absence of vamps and other demons had also helped.

She was prepared to quietly let herself into her room in case her roommate, Kathy, was sleeping, but she saw a light shining under the door and heard the Cher song "Believe" playing. Kathy didn't know Buffy was the Slayer and Buffy was determined to keep things that way. She'd been left with little choice but to go with the "night owl" cover story to explain her nocturnal ramblings. Since the other girl was still up, though, Buffy didn't have to worry about the situation for tonight. She slipped inside, prepared to go to bed right away and get some much-needed rest for tomorrow.

As she entered the room, Kathy looked up from a thick textbook and pointed to a small box on the desk. "Hey, someone dropped that package off for you earlier."

"Thanks." Buffy picked up the plainly wrapped parcel and tore off the paper. Inside the box lay a deep-red gem in a burnished gold setting. It was a lovely ring, and very old-looking. "It's beautiful," Buffy breathed.

Kathy stood up and peered over her shoulder. "Yeah, it sure is. I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"I don't. Not exactly." Buffy sifted through the packaging, fruitlessly searching for a card. "Did you see who brought this?"

"No. I heard a knock on the door and when I opened it, no one was there. Whoever it was left the box on the floor," Kathy replied, already losing interest in the situation.

Buffy slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. Maybe Angel *was* back, after all...

*****

The next evening, Sunday was still smarting over her conversation with Spike. She lay back in the plush green recliner she'd stolen from a freshman just last week and felt sorry for herself. Who did Spike think he was? Okay, so he was about a hundred and something years old. Well, so what. Who was he to just waltz back into town and take over like it was his right?

Realistically, though, Sunday was well aware she was no physical match for the other vampire. To stand any chance against him, she'd have to rely on her wits, or maybe just overwhelm him with sheer numbers. Yeah, that was it. She'd get her gang to back her up, and then Spike would see what a mistake he'd made in ordering her around. Sunday grinned devilishly. She had to hand it to herself; when she came up with an idea, it was a darn good one. She wasn't going to let Spike intimidate her for one more minute. He'd warned her to stay away from the Slayer, so the first thing she was going to do was defy him.

She looked around the den. The other four vampires were all there, pawing through boxes of loot they'd stolen from unlucky students. Perfect. Sunday jumped up and called for attention. "Guys! I have a plan. Flash, go find out which dorm room is the Slayer's. Her real name is Buffy Summers."

Flash didn't move. "What are we going to do? Go kill her?"

"Nah, we're just going to rip off her stuff. I bet she'll be so embarrassed she runs back home without telling anyone, then we'll never have to think about her again."

Theresa slowly raised her hand. "Um, Sunday? Are you sure it's going to work? I mean, what if she goes crying to Spike? I don't want any trouble with him."

"Hey! Who's the leader here, you or me?" Sunday yelled.

"Uh..."

Sunday transformed into vamp face and glared at the group. "That wasn't a trick question. The answer is me, dummy. *I'm* the leader. *I* give the orders, and all of you listen. Now, get to work. I want to pull this off tonight."

*****

"Master Spike." His right-hand minion, Gregory, poked his head into the study. "I have the information you asked for."

Spike spun his chair around to face the doorway. "Yeah, let's hear it."

Gregory stepped inside and stood in front of the desk. "Sunday and her pack have been camping out in the abandoned Phi Theta fraternity house on the south side of the UC Sunnydale campus. According to what I was told, they've been feeding off of college students and stealing their belongings."

Spike thought for a moment. If the gang continued to operate on campus, it was bound to run into the Slayer. He wondered if Sunday had been following his order to steer clear of her. Well, there was one sure way to find out. "Right, then." Spike glanced at the clock. "Gregory, here's what I want you to do. Slayer should be heading out on patrol 'bout now. That works out nicely." He picked up a wrapped box about the size of a book. "Take this package and drop it off like you did with the one the other night. You say you left it outside the door and the roommate took it in?"

"Yes, master."

"Good enough. You do that, and I'm going out myself for a bit."

*****

Later that evening, Spike skulked onto the UC Sunnydale campus, keeping a wary eye out for Buffy or any of her friends. If Gregory was correct, he had to find an abandoned building on the east side of the area. He avoided as many of the annoying students as he could and soon found himself venturing into a quiet wooded area. From there, it was only a short distance to an old wreck of a building that matched the description he'd been given. Spike heard rustling sounds and laughter coming from inside, and paused outside the front door to listen.

First, he recognized Sunday's voice. "It was just too easy. Wait until she leaves, get invited in, grab the stuff, and here we are."

"It's a bad haul, though," someone else protested. "What do we have here? A bunch of junk."

"Come on, it's hilarious," Sunday replied. "Look at this: a stuffed pig? A diary? We can have a field day with it! I'm telling you, the Slayer'll be so embarrassed we'll never even see her again."

Spike had heard enough. He leaped up the front steps, shoved open the wobbly front door, and shot into the cluttered main room, where the five vampires were scattered about, examining their loot. "Now, Sunday, I warned you."

"Spike." Her mouth dropped open before she put on a show of defiance. "Hey, *I* told *you*--this is my area, and I'm not giving it up. We have every right to stay here."

Spike nodded. "Sure, you can stay here if you want. My problem is, that over there is the Slayer's stuff."

"No, it isn't," protested a fat vampire who was holding a psychology textbook.

Spike sidestepped a pile of CDs and edged closer to the pack. "Don't try to shit me. I *know* it's her stuff."

"Okay, so what if it is?" Sunday dropped the skirt she'd been examining.

"I warned you," Spike reminded her.

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking about that."

"And what exactly have you been thinking?" Spike pressed.

Sunday took a step toward him. "I've been thinking a lot of things. Right now, I'm thinking there are five of us and only one of you. That's what I'm thinking."

Spike stood his ground. "I'm thinking, too. I'm thinking that I'm older than all five of you put together, not to mention smarter."

"Five against one," Sunday repeated. "C'mon, gang. Let's get him!"

Spike rolled his eyes. He liked a good spot of violence as well as the next vampire, but this was simply pathetic.

A handful of blocks, kicks, parries, and punches later, Spike and Sunday were the only two vamps left standing. A snap of the neck after that, and Spike and five piles of dust remained. It hadn't been amateur hour after all. In fact, it had barely been amateur minute. Spike brushed off his hands and decided he was going to make damn sure the Slayer eventually learned the indignities he'd had to endure on her behalf.

*****

Following a late meeting for a group project in philosophy class, Buffy clutched her textbook and a handful of papers as she hurried back to her dorm room. She hadn't realized college would require quite so much outside-of-class work, but she'd found herself having to gather with her partners at an odd time to work on the assignment. She glanced at her watch and quickened her pace; she was supposed to meet Willow so they could go out on patrol together.

A gust of wind whipped up and stole the papers from her grip, scattering them on the ground. Buffy dropped down and attempted to collect the material before the wind could carry the pages any farther away.

"Here, let me help you." The young teaching assistant from her psychology course, Riley Finn, knelt beside her. Together, they successfully corralled all the loose sheets.

"Thanks." Buffy accepted the papers Riley handed her and added them to her own stack.

Riley's gaze settled on the large ring adorning Buffy's hand. "Pretty stone," he noted.

"Yeah, it is," Buffy agreed with a smile.

"Well." Riley stood. "I'd better let you get going."

"Right. Thanks again." As Buffy moved away, she could sense Riley's eyes following her. Now that she thought about it, he had been looking at her a lot lately during psych class. And he'd made a point of mentioning her ring. 'I wonder...' Buffy thought.

"Buffy, over here!" From down the sidewalk, Willow's voice interrupted her musings.

"Hey." Buffy joined her friend.

"You ready to go out on patrol?"

"Let me drop this stuff off first. I'm running a little late. And I'd better call Giles, too," Buffy remembered as they cut across the lawn toward her dorm.

"Oh, yeah? Anything wrong?"

"I don't think so, but you never know. It's just that I had this really creepy dream. When I say creepy, I mean like a demon putting a scorpion on me and pouring blood down my throat, then sucking some sort of light out of me. I have to tell Giles so he can check into it in case it's a prophetic dream."

"It could just be an ordinary old nightmare, right?" Willow suggested.

"Yeah, I hope so. But I've had it two nights in a row, so I ought to mention it anyway." Buffy led the way into her room, but stopped short just across the threshold. Her half of the place was devoid of her belongings. Even the bed was stripped bare.

Kathy looked up from her sprawled position across her own bed. "Buffy. I thought you were moving out. Your friends came and took all your things about an hour ago."

"My friends," Buffy repeated.

"Right, five of them."

"Did they say their names? What did they look like?"

"There was this blonde girl with really funky hair, and one of the guys was wearing a T-shirt with a skull on it. I love how they insisted I invite them into the room before they'd come inside."

"Oh, shit," Buffy muttered. "Did you see which way they went when they left?"

Kathy shrugged. "They turned right when they went out of the room. That's all I know. They're not *my* friends."

Buffy threw her armload of papers onto her bed and bolted out the door, with Willow in close pursuit.

"Hey!" Kathy yelled from behind them. "You got another present, too!"

"No time to worry about that," Buffy decided as she rushed down the stairs. "The vamp gang must have taken my stuff. I'm going to kill them!"

"Buffy, if they were here a whole hour ago, they could be anywhere by now," Willow pointed out.

Ignoring her, Buffy dashed down the remaining steps and burst out the door into the night air. She wildly looked around the campus, which was lit only by safety lights. She didn't see a group toting her belongings, but a girl was sitting on the dorm steps, reading a manual. Buffy tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, have you been here a while? Did you see a group of people come by here carrying boxes about an hour ago?"

"Yeah, they went that way." The girl pointed.

"See?" Buffy said to Willow. "We have a general idea now. Maybe we can find them." The two hurried across the campus, following directions from a few more students who had also seen the pack. Soon, they ended up on the outskirts of the grounds, facing the woods. "They must have a lair nearby if they were carrying the stuff," Buffy decided.

"Buffy, maybe we should get some help or weapons or something," Willow suggested.

Buffy shook her head. "No time for that. I'm going to find them and get this over with. Pushing me around is one thing. Breaking into my room is another."

"In that case..." Willow nodded to the left. "Look over there. It's an old building."

Buffy peered through the shrubs. "It looks like a perfect vamp nest. Let's check it out." They cautiously approached the ramshackle building, which appeared to be deserted. Buffy stood very still for a moment. "I don't hear anything, but they could be sleeping. Let me go in first." She motioned for Willow to stay back while she crept into the building.

The place was quiet but lit by a few small lamps in the main room. They gave off more than enough light to reveal to Buffy that no vamps were present, but her prized possessions had been picked over by the gang. Even...

"Hey!" Buffy cried indignantly. "My diary!"

"What is it?" Willow called from outside.

"Come on in, it's safe for now!" Buffy yelled back. She began to pile her things back into boxes as Willow walked in. "I think those vamps were trying on my stuff," Buffy complained. "If they were here right now, I'd dust them." She thought for a second. "Okay, if they were here right now, I'd *try* to dust them. I haven't exactly been operating at my best lately."

Willow glanced around. "You know, it's not just your stuff in here. They must have been robbing a bunch of other people, too."

"I'll definitely have to come back later and put them out of business permanently," Buffy agreed. "Well, come back with some backup, of course. It shouldn't so hard now that we know where they're based. But for right now, I want to haul some of these things back to my room. I'll make another trip back for the rest later."

Together, Buffy and Willow sorted out the most important of the items, then piled them into boxes and toted them back to the dorm. They entered Buffy's room to find Kathy scowling at them.

"Buffy, I tried to tell you before you ran out before, but you got another present," her roommate greeted them. "And I guess you're not moving out after all. I don't like to complain, but if stuff like this is going to keep happening then the least you could do is warn me."

Buffy ignored her and retrieved the box from Kathy's bedside table. It bore simply the name "BUFFY" in block printing across the top. "Okay, nice gesture but a card would be helpful." She removed the plain wrapping and lifted the top off of the box.

"What is it this time?" Willow asked. "A necklace?"

"No." Buffy carefully pulled the item out of the box and displayed it to her friend. "It's a dagger. Now, isn't that a weird present?"

*****

Neither Willow nor Buffy had classes the next afternoon, so it was an ideal time to meet with Giles. Oz was busy, but a currently unemployed Xander was more than willing to come along. They gathered in Giles' living room, where Buffy summarized the recent goings-on: her bizarre dreams, the situation with the gang of vampire thieves, and the two anonymous gifts she had received.

She concluded her story with, "Xander, Willow, Oz, and I all went back to the vamp lair this morning with weapons to try to catch the gang off guard but no one was there. They might have just holed up somewhere else for the day, but who knows where or why."

"Buffy, may I examine the ring?" Giles asked.

"Sure." She pulled it off her finger and passed it across the table to him.

"Well?" Xander prompted. "What is it?"

"I can't tell from just a glance," Giles informed him. "Gemology is hardly my area of expertise. I shall have to do some research."

"The stone looks like a ruby," Willow guessed.

"Possibly," Giles agreed. "Which in and of itself means nothing. Whatever the stone, this ring could be any of a number of things: cursed or enchanted, for instance. Or it might simply be an ordinary ring. However, we'd rather be safe than sorry."

"What about the other gift?" Xander asked. "The knife?"

"Dagger." Buffy gave Giles the box that contained the small weapon.

He lifted it out and studied it. "Very intricate workmanship. The hilt is quite fine. I'll research this item, as well. Now, Buffy, have you any idea who has been sending these gifts to you?"

"My first guess was Angel, until I got the dagger. That just doesn't seem like something he would send me, especially anonymously. Now I don't know who could be doing it. I suppose my only other guess is Riley Finn. He's the teaching assistant in my psychology class and I think he likes me. But why would he send me a dagger, either? Anyway, other than those two, I have no clue."

Giles tapped his fingers on the table for a moment. "Well, if it is indeed Angel, that will be a great load off of all our minds. Best to contact him immediately and find out. You can use my phone."

"Right." Buffy stood and slowly moved toward the telephone.

While she placed the call, the others continued to debate various possibilities. Xander thought Angel was responsible and was annoyed that the vampire was jerking Buffy around again. Willow suspected Riley and thought it was sweet that Buffy had a chance at a normal boyfriend, even if he did have questionable taste in gifts. Giles simply hoped they figured out the individual's identity soon. They hadn't come any closer to agreeing by the time Buffy returned from her call.

She dropped down onto her chair. "It wasn't Angel."

"Are you *sure*?" Willow pressed.

"Yes. It definitely wasn't him. I talked to him directly and he's still in Los Angeles. He hasn't sent me a thing and he had no idea what I was talking about when I asked him."

Willow smiled. "You really do have a secret admirer, then."

Buffy frowned. "Yeah, one who sends me weapons as gifts. Must be a Hellmouth thing."

"Or maybe it's an admirer with a split personality," Xander suggested. "Which is of comfort to no one, including myself."

Giles cleared his throat. "I'm afraid it is quite possible these presents are not coming from an 'admirer' at all. Look at the evidence: a dagger, a strange ring. These are very disturbing signs. Buffy, you could be in grave danger. I fear these gifts might be coming from an enemy who wants to challenge you. "

*****

While Buffy and the others were drawing the wrong conclusions about the anonymous gift-giver, an oblivious Spike was trying to be patient. However, he was fighting a losing battle. He was a vampire of action, and he was anxious to learn if the Slayer had liked his first two offerings. He also had no idea if she had located her belongings yet. The least he could do was go over to her room and leave a helpful note on her door. And if he happened to notice her about, he'd could just check out her hands to see if she was wearing the ring. He had to know if he'd made any progress yet.

He impatiently waited until it was dark and therefore safe for him to emerge from his den. His little sunlight allergy was seriously cramping his style. He had to be able to approach Buffy during the day as well as at night or his plans would never work out, but Spike figured he had that problem in hand. He had minions slaving away on the solution even as he thought about it.

He cautiously entered Stevenson Hall and crept up to the Slayer's floor. He had detected no sign of her thus far, which meant chances were, she was in her room. If so, he could lurk outside and wait for her to emerge. He knew from his contacts that she still patrolled almost every night and she was bound to come out sooner or later.

Moving carefully to avoid attracting any particular attention, Spike approached Buffy's door and hovered outside. He strained his senses and realized she wasn't home. There was no telling when she would show up now. Should he leave a note informing her about the vampire lair? As he considered, Spike noticed something strange. He smelled...well, it wasn't quite a demon, but it wasn't quite human, either. The most likely explanation was it was the scent of a demon trying to pass itself off as human. Whatever it was, the smell was coming from the Slayer's room. Spike wasn't going to let anything happen to Buffy on his watch. If a demon had invaded her home, he would do his best to "take care" of the problem. He raised his hand and firmly tapped on the door.

"Come in!" called a female voice from inside the room.

An invitation; how convenient. Spike slipped inside, then shut and secretly locked the door behind himself to ensure privacy. The sole occupant of the room was a perky-looking, dark-haired girl who outwardly appeared to be quite human. "You must be Buffy's roommate."

"Yeah, I'm Kathy. So, you're a friend of hers?"

"You could say that." He edged closer and finally placed the masked scent. The "girl" was actually a Mok'tagar demon. From the little he could recall about them, they were extremely dangerous, disagreeable types. "So, you know when Buffy'll be back?" Spike made idle conversation as he pondered what to do. He could blow his cover and warn the Slayer about the situation. He could force the demon to tell him her plans and move on from there. He could allow events to play out as they would, culminating in whatever the demon had in mind. Or, he could simply kill the creature, thus eradicating the problem. It took him about a half second to settle on the last option.

Spike racked his brain for the most effective method of doing in a Mok'tagar demon. Decapitation, staking, direct sunlight, drawing and quartering, cremating...Oh, screw it. He couldn't remember and decided to go with the tried and true, time-honored neck snap. There was a reason it was a classic.

"Nice poster," he interrupted the demon's ramble about Buffy's potential whereabouts. He nodded at the ugly picture of Celine Dion on the wall behind Kathy.

She smiled brightly. "Yeah, isn't it pretty?"

Just as he had expected, she turned her head to look at the poster. Spike promptly struck, taking out the "girl" with one powerful blow. He dropped the dead body at his feet and waited for it to revert to demon form, but it stubbornly continued to look unrelentingly human. That wouldn't do at all. How would Buffy know he had saved her from possible torture and death if she didn't know her roommate was a demon? Spike poked the body with his foot. "Go on, change. Melt into a pile of goo. Do *something*." No luck.

What now? As he weighed his options, Spike heard a key scrape at the locked door. In a sterling example of horrible timing, the Slayer was back! He couldn't let her catch him in her room. He could predict the scenario already: Buffy would walk in, spy the vampire she thought was her mortal enemy standing over the dead body of her supposedly human roommate, and immediately attempt to send Spike to the dustbuster.

While he was fairly confident he could hold his own against her, Spike didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. He scanned the room for an escape route and settled on the windows. He dashed over to the nearest one, pushed the blinds aside, and shoved the window open. As the door began to swing wide, Spike dived out headfirst and twisted in the air so he would at least land on his side instead of his head. Good thing the Slayer lived on only the second story. He bounced hard on the ground, gathered himself, and took off at a dead run. He wasn't going to stick around to hear Buffy's reaction to her "friend's" death.

*****

The day following the discovery of Kathy's body, a shell-shocked group once again met at Giles' place. Buffy, Oz, Willow, Xander, and Giles were all present to discuss the escalating problems surrounding the Slayer.

"Aside from having a dead roommate, I'm officially homeless," Buffy noted. "My dorm room is now a crime scene. Oh, well, at least it's a Saturday so I have all weekend to look for another place to live."

"You can move in with me," Willow offered. "My roommate decided to drop out of school. Side effect of murder on campus."

"I'm benefitting already from Kathy's death. Somehow that doesn't seem right."

"That's for sure," Xander agreed. "Suddenly things aren't so innocent anymore. I mean, rings and daggers as gifts are one thing, but dead bodies? Gruesome isn't a harsh enough word for it."

Buffy winced. "So you're saying the only reason Kathy is dead is because she was my roommate and someone wanted to get to me through her? Gee, I feel special. I mean, I didn't like her much, but I sure never wished anything like that on her." She looked at each of her companions. "I don't want any of you alone until we find and slay the killer. Whoever it is could come after anyone next."

Willow nodded. "What about your mother?"

"She's out of town on business for a while so she should be safe. By the time she comes back, we'll have things under control--I hope."

"What do the police think?" Xander asked. "What did you tell them?"

Buffy shrugged. "What *could* I tell them? Suspected vampire attack? Evil demon? All I could say was that I found the body and I didn't see who did it. Of course I have my suspicions. No one on campus noticed anything out of the ordinary--no strangers, or noises, or anything really obvious. So we can assume the killer was some sort of demon that can pass itself off as being human. I vote vampire."

"Yeah, but wouldn't a vamp have drained Kathy instead of breaking her neck?" Oz pointed out.

Xander nodded. "Right, why would a creature that lives off that stuff let all that blood go to waste? It doesn't make any sense."

Giles removed his glasses. "On the other hand, Buffy had a recent run-in with a vampire gang that later gained an invitation inside her room. However, complicating matters is the fact that an unknown party stopped those same vampires from killing Buffy just a few nights ago, and we still don't know the identity of the party who has been sending Buffy the packages."

"We have a starting point, though: Sunday and company." Buffy stood up. "I vote that we go back to their home base and see if they've turned up yet."

Giles held up a hand. "Wait one moment, Buffy. We have a lot of ground to cover quickly and we should get organized first. Xander, Oz, you two go to the morgue and try to get a close look at Kathy's body to see if you can spot any clues that may have been overlooked. Willow, you can help me with research. Buffy, check out the vampire lair, but be careful."

Everyone else murmured words of agreement, and the group split up for the time being.

*****

Meanwhile, Spike was not a happy vampire. Being wanted for murder didn't bother him a bit, but having Buffy out for his blood did. Matters were not proceeding as he had planned--not at all.

He was sick and tired of running away from the Slayer. Just once, he wanted *her* to run away from *him*. Well, no, that wasn't quite right. He actually wanted her to treat him with a little respect. After all, he'd made quite a worthy opponent for her. Could have killed her more than once, except for certain unforeseeable circumstances. Every time they'd fought, it seemed that at the critical moment Buffy always got help from her mother, her Watcher, her friends... if he'd known that was the way things were going to be, he would have looked into getting a better support system for himself.

Bored and disgusted, Spike stalked out of his den and toward the makeshift living room, fangs showing. The few minions and fledglings that stood in his path wisely scuttled away to avoid their master's wrath. Spike didn't spare the lazy things so much as a glare as he threw himself onto the leather sofa and flicked on the television set. Unfortunately, cable hadn't been installed yet and all he got was fuzzy reception on three channels. Damn, now he'd have to kill the minion he'd assigned to take care of entertainment.

Spike threw aside the useless control and flopped back on the couch, eyes closed. One of the few times he went to the trouble of coming up with an elaborate plan, and look where it got him: absolutely nowhere. If he went to the Slayer and tried to tell her the truth about her demonic roommate, she'd stake him. If he went to her and lied, she'd stake him. And if he never went to her at all she wouldn't even know he was around, which defeated his entire purpose for being in Sunnydale in the first place. He still had to alert her to his presence, convince her of the sincerity of her intentions, and win her over. He wasn't doing too well on any of those counts, and he'd just dug an even deeper hole for himself. Approaching the Slayer as her "human" roommate's murderer was not the way to go about fixing the situation.

Halting footsteps nearby alerted Spike to the fact that he hadn't even been allowed to sulk in peace. He cracked open one eyelid and saw a fledgling inching toward him.

"Master Spike?" she whispered.

"Yeah, what is it?" Spike didn't bother to even try to remember the girl's name.

She continued in a slightly louder tone. "The minions were digging in the south tunnel as instructed and have made a very important discovery. They said you should come right away."

A discovery, huh? Was it the item he had hoped for but had never counted on finding? Spike jumped up and hurried out of the room. If he was right in his guess about what his servants had dug up, this moment could mark the turning point in his pursuit of the Slayer.

*****

Being pretty experienced at sneaking in and out of various odd places, Xander and Oz encountered little trouble getting inside the morgue. Xander stood guard at the door while Oz located Kathy's body and peeled back the sheet covering her face.

"Xander," he called softly. "Come look at this."

Xander checked the hallway one last time, then crossed the room to Oz's side. Together they stood gazing down at a decomposing, brownish corpse that was clearly not human.

"Kathy was a demon?" Xander said. "Well, that changes things. But how, exactly?"

Oz shrugged. "Guess we'd better ask Giles."

*****

After Oz and Xander returned from the morgue and reported their findings to Giles and Willow, the small group sat deep in thought.

"What difference does Kathy being a demon make?" Xander wondered.

Giles sighed. "It could make quite a lot, or possibly none at all. Most of the demons we encounter here on the Hellmouth are evil. However, neutral and good demons also exist. Kathy could well have been one of the latter kinds. The fact that she was attending college and acting as a human lends credence to that theory. Still, we don't have any definitive proof."

"So we need to figure out what type of demon she was," Willow guessed.

"Correct." Giles turned to Xander and Oz. "You say her body was decomposing. We know that it took at least several hours for the body to revert to demon form, and the decomposition then proceeded in an extremely rapid manner. I'll see if this information is enough to operate on."

While Giles selected a volume from his vast book collection, Willow filled in Oz and Xander on their progress in researching the ring and dagger Buffy had received, finishing with, "The ring is definitely enchanted but we're not sure how yet so there's still a big question mark there. As for the dagger, we found a sketch of it in a weapons book. It's one of a kind and it's called the Dagger of Ridana. It was made by a South-American based race of warrior demons called the Erlock."

Giles cleared his throat. "I believe I've found what we were looking for. This section about the Mok'tagar demon describes Kathy perfectly. Also, do you recall the strange dreams Buffy had? They're part of a ritual relating to this demon. Apparently, Kathy had been attempting to steal Buffy's soul during the night. Hence, the dreams."

"So, Kathy was a bad demon," Oz summarized.

"Yes, most definitely very bad," Giles confirmed. "We should count our blessings that she was killed before she could do any irreversible harm to Buffy."

Willow wrinkled her brow. "Then if Kathy was evil and it's good that she's dead, whoever killed her was being helpful."

"Which doesn't equate with what we know about Sunday and her gang," Xander objected. "Why would they try to kill Buffy and steal from her, and then help her out?"

"Because Sunday had nothing to do with Kathy's death!" Willow exclaimed. "Remember Buffy's secret admirer?"

Giles nodded. "Yes, we do keep coming back to this individual. It's possible we may have misjudged him. We need to provide Buffy with this new information."

"She hasn't reported back from campus yet?" Oz asked.

"No, and she's been gone rather a long while. Can you three look for her? Be sure to stay together--we can't let our guard down yet."

"Okay." Willow stood up, then hesitated. "What about you, Giles? If we leave, you'll be all alone."

He waved them off. "Don't worry about me. I'll take all necessary precautions. Just find Buffy and pool your knowledge to see if that helps."

*****

The abandoned Phi Theta house contained no fresh signs of Sunday and her gang. In no particular hurry to rendezvous with the others, Buffy took advantage of the daylight and scoured the nearby woods for any other possible hideaway, but came up empty. Apparently, the vamps had selected a new, secure home she would have to find the hard way. Putting aside the hunt for the moment, Buffy turned and cut through the woods on her way back to the campus. She was most of the way there when a tingling sensation ran down her spine. It was the same feeling she'd had several nights ago, when she'd been out walking with Willow and Xander. She hadn't figured out what had caused the feeling, but whatever it was, it was close again.

"Who's there?" she called. "I'm sick of this hide-and-seek garbage. Just show yourself and let's get this over with."

Her response was a rustling in the bushes to her right. Seconds later, a familiar figure stepped into her path. "Slayer. Long time, no see."

Buffy stared. The intruder was a very familiar, very unwelcome platinum-haired vampire. "Spike? What are you doing here instead of in South America with your ho? She leave you again for another slimy demon?"

Spike shook his head. "Nah, I'm here to see you."

"How did I get so lucky..." Buffy's voice trailed off as a horrible realization struck her. "It was *you*. *You* killed Kathy and you've been stalking me."

"Wasn't like that, luv. I mean, yeah, I did in your little friend, but you ought to be thanking me for that. You don't know what she really was."

"I'm thinking an innocent victim? And what are you doing out and about during the day, anyway? I know it's nice and shady under the trees but if you set even one foot in the wrong spot, you're dust." Buffy edged closer and noted that Spike had carefully positioned himself in a sheltered spot. All she had to do was either stake him or drag him into a handy patch of sunlight and the entire nightmare would be over.

As she crept forward, Spike retreated a few steps. "None of that, now. I didn't come here to fight you."

"That's too bad, because few things would give me more pleasure than kicking your ass." Buffy lunged at Spike and punched him in the jaw, sending him reeling.

He made a quick recovery and took up a defensive position. "Will you just listen to me? I want to tell you something, is all."

Buffy snorted. "Yeah, right. Nothing I want to hear, I'm sure. I knew I should have staked you last year when I had the chance." Without giving Spike another opportunity to plead his pathetic case, she launched an attack.

Surprisingly, Spike fell back under her fierce blows, doing far more parrying than striking out. From her previous fights with him, Buffy knew this approach was unusual. Of course, since Spike had come out on the losing end of all their battles to date, he must have decided to adopt new tactics. He was probably trying to confuse her and throw her off her game. Well, she wasn't going to fall for one of his lame tricks.

Buffy redoubled her efforts, finally sending Spike to the ground with a leg sweep. She swiftly pinned him down and grabbed a stray stick that was approximately the size of her usual vamp-dusting weapon. Before Spike could squirm away from her yet again, Buffy rammed the makeshift stake directly into his heart and waited for him to dissolve into dust.

He didn't.

She frowned and looked at his torso. The stake was firmly embedded in seemingly the perfect position. Still, maybe she'd missed by a fraction of an inch. Buffy yanked the stake out, determined to try again.

Through the tear in Spike's shirt, she watched the wound over his heart seal up.

That wasn't supposed to happen so quickly, even taking into account the accelerated healing powers of vampires. Buffy eyed Spike suspiciously. "What have you been feeding on? Even if I missed your heart, you should still have a visible wound!"

He didn't reply, and Buffy poised the stake over his body once more. This time, she was absolutely sure she'd strike his heart. She rammed the stick home, and once more Spike failed to turn into dust. Also once more, the hole in his chest sealed as soon as Buffy pulled the stake out.

"What's wrong with you? Is your heart in the wrong place?" She *could* just keep jabbing him over and over in different locations until she found the right one, but Buffy had a better idea. She grabbed Spike by the collar and dragged him toward a huge patch of sunlight that streamed through a gap in the trees.

For the first since the attempted stakings, he spoke up. "You don't want to do this, Slayer."

"Oh, yes, I do," she grimly replied. She tugged Spike the last few feet, deposited him right under the harshest of the sun's rays, and stood back to watch the fun.

Spike shaded his eyes with a hand. "It's brighter than I thought it would be."

His head and hands were completely exposed, but he wasn't even smoking. "Why aren't you on fire?" Buffy demanded.

Spike lowered his hand and gracefully rose. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes! Yes, I would!"

"Too bad."

Buffy felt like smashing the insolent vampire's face in, but she was pretty sure it wouldn't help her get any answers. "All right, then, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Spike shrugged. "Maybe nothing, now. I wasn't threatening you in any way, and you attacked me and beat me up with no provocation whatsoever. All that doesn't exactly make me feel inclined to have a pleasant discussion with you."

"You said you killed my roommate! How was I supposed to react?"

"You could have listened to me for 10 seconds instead of going off like you did. I was trying to tell you she was a demon. You know, those nasty, evil things you like to kill?"

Buffy stared at Spike. Could she believe even a word he was saying? A better question: Why was she even considering believing him? Spike was her enemy, for God's sake. She should know better than to cut him any slack. "How about trying the truth, instead?"

Spike shook his head. "Oh, Slayer, how misinformed you are. You just think about what I said." He turned and strolled off down the sunlit path, calling over his shoulder, "And don't worry, you're going to be seeing a lot of me around from now on."

Buffy was still staring dumbly at the spot where Spike had disappeared into the woods when Oz, Willow, and Xander ran up.

Willow touched her shoulder. "Buffy? Was that Spike?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Well, why didn't you stake him?" Xander asked.

"Long, evil story. *Very* evil story. Actually, I did stake him. It didn't work."

"How could it not work? Stake plus vampire is a deadly combination."

Buffy pulled herself out of her daze and shrugged. "Apparently not anymore. I staked him twice, and it didn't even faze him. Neither did a sunbath."

Oz frowned. "So, you tried the usual on Spike and he laughed it off?"

"Exactly." Buffy looked at Willow. "Any ideas how?"

"Sun repellent. Magic. Pure, dumb luck," Willow suggested.

"Whatever the reason, an invulnerable Spike is not something we want to deal with," Xander noted.

"Hey, what was he doing out here anyway?" Willow asked Buffy. "Was he trying to kill you?"

"Strangely, no. He said he wanted to talk to me. He admitted he killed Kathy, and that's when I attacked him. He barely made a move to fight back. Then I staked him and tried the sunlight thing, and he just got up with no harm done. *Then* he fed me this ridiculous story about Kathy being a demon. Can you believe he thought I was stupid enough to fall for that?"

The others looked away.

"Guys?" Buffy looked at each of them in turn. "What is it?"

Oz finally answered. "Um, Buffy, Kathy *was* a demon."

*****

Spike sauntered along, enjoying his view of the daytime world of Main Street. He felt good. Really, *really* good. He'd confronted the Slayer, confused the hell out of her, and walked away, none the worse for wear. Sure, it would have been even better if she'd been more receptive to his advances, but one couldn't expect too much too soon. As Shakespeare had written, the course of true love never did run smooth. Spike was confident he'd eventually wear Buffy down.

He held out his hand and admired his new accessory: the Gem of Amara. Or, a vampire's best friend. That little ring provided invincibility to any vamp lucky enough to have it in his or her possession. Spike had no intention of letting it out of his anytime soon. His minions had found it just that afternoon, buried in a treasure trove beneath the streets of Sunnydale. Spike had hardly been able to believe his luck. The Gem was legendary in vampiric circles. It hadn't been seen in so many centuries, some didn't even think it had ever existed. But, having heard the stories and put together the clues, Spike had narrowed down its location to one of several areas on the Hellmouth. *He* had been the only vampire with intelligence and vision enough to find the Gem, and it was everything he'd heard it was.

He was going to have to secure it better, of course. The Slayer was bound to figure out why he hadn't been dusted or cooked, and then all she'd have to do was yank the ring off his hand and he'd be back to being normal old Spike, killable by any of a number of simple methods. He'd definitely work on that issue very soon. Right now, though, he had another decision to make. Spike stopped in front of a sunglasses stall and considered: Ray Bans or Gucci?

(Note on the spelling of Gem of Amara: In the "Buffy" episode "The Harsh Light of Day," closed captioning and transcripts say "Amara." In the "Angel" episode "In the Dark," the "Amarra" spelling is used. Since the shows couldn't get it straight, I just picked one and went with the spelling used on "Buffy.")

*****

Buffy, Willow, Oz, and Xander decided that pursuing Spike would do no good, so they returned to Giles' place, where they filled him in on the latest happenings.

"So, what exactly is Spike up to?" Xander asked. "I mean, I don't get why he's around at all."

Buffy shot him a disbelieving look. "You're serious? You really haven't figured it out yet? Okay, let's summarize. He's been sending me bizarre anonymous gifts."

"And while you four were out, I identified the ring," Giles chimed in. "It was enchanted with a protection spell. Spike undoubtedly knew this at the time he gave it to Buffy."

"He killed Kathy to protect her," contributed Oz.

"He didn't fight back when Buffy attacked him," Willow added.

"Don't rub it in," Buffy protested. "It's bad enough that he's here in the first place, but for *that* reason? I have just one question: Why me?"

"What?" Xander looked from one face to the other. His friends' expressions ranged from repulsed (Buffy) to stoic (Oz). "Okay, I'm officially an idiot. What are you all getting at? What am I missing?"

Willow prompted, "Spike...sending Buffy presents...killing people--or demons--for her...coming back to town to see her..."

"Oh," Xander said. Then he repeated, "*Oh*," in a very different tone. "You mean Spike is the secret admirer we've been wondering about. Ew. Ew. And a thousand more times, ew."

"That about sums it up," Buffy agreed. "Right now, though, what I most want to know is why he isn't dead. I staked him and tried to fry him. Either/or has been 100 percent effective in the past. I don't like the thought of Super Vamp running around, oblivious to my Slayerhood. Giles?"

He rubbed his jaw. "I suppose magic seems the most likely answer, except that if such is the case, one would expect more vampires to have utilized it. It must be a rare spell indeed, if so. Perhaps it was a brief enchantment and Spike can never use it again."

"We can hope, can't we?"

*****

Five days later...

As soon as Giles responded to the pounding at his front door by opening it, Buffy brushed past him and stalked into the living room. "We have to do something about Spike! Now!" she demanded.

Giles readjusted his glasses and watched as Buffy paced in clipped strides. "We are all aware of the Spike problem. Have there been any new developments?"

Buffy stopped and narrowed her eyes. "Yes! I saw him strolling around campus, wearing sunglasses! Sunglasses! That is so wrong, I can't even begin to express my feelings about it."

"Well, did he do anything to you?"

Buffy dropped down onto the couch and sighed. "No, not exactly. He just...winked and walked away when he saw me."

Giles settled down with a cup of coffee and observed, "That's good, at least. He's been very quiet since his return."

"It's true, local deaths have gone down," Buffy grudgingly admitted. "But I don't like it. He's been *too* quiet, so he must be planning something huge that will ruin my life."

"That, of course, remains to be seen. In the meantime, I may have narrowed down the source of his invincibility. An ancient relic called the Gem of Amara grants the powers you witnessed. It hasn't been seen for centuries, however, so I'm skeptical that it's the answer. Still, did you happen to notice if Spike was wearing a ring or any other jewelry when you fought him, or today on campus?"

"No, I wasn't exactly looking at his hand." Buffy blushed. "Not that I was looking anywhere else, either. Oh, you know what I mean!"

"Yes, quite. Well, I'll continue my research and you keep your eyes open."

*****

For several more days, life was peaceful, meaning that Buffy saw no signs of Spike. Activities on campus had returned to normal. When Kathy's body had reverted to demon form, the magic of the Hellmouth came into play and the murder investigation had been forgotten. Instead, word spread that the entire situation had been a huge mistake and Kathy was no longer around because she had dropped out of school. Buffy had then moved into Willow's dorm room and felt a little better about the whole mess. At least Spike didn't have an invitation into her new residence.

Partially because of the recent problems, she was still struggling in most of her courses. Buffy headed into composition class knowing she'd probably done poorly on the most recent assignment, which she had thrown together at practically the last minute. She settled down at her usual desk and pulled the wrinkled paper out of her folder.

As she attempted to smooth the sheet, someone moved close to her and cleared his throat. Buffy looked up, her irritation changing to pleasure when she recognized Parker Abrams, the guy she had met in the cafeteria a couple of weeks ago.

"Hey, Buffy," he greeted her. "I don't know if you remember me."

"Um, Parker, right?" She deliberately hesitated, not wanting to appear overly anxious.

"Right. Well, ever since I ran into you, I've been hoping to see you again but we don't have any of the same classes. Anyway, I noticed you coming in here just now and since I've been wanting to talk to you, it seemed like a good time. I'll just get right to the point. I was wondering if you'd like to go out on a date with me sometime."

A date? With a normal guy? Buffy was stunned. "Sure, that sounds..." Phenomenal? Unbelievable? Perfect? "...Nice."

"Great." Parker flashed a blinding white smile. "Say, Friday night, to a club or something? Maybe a place you know, since it's our first date."

"Have you ever been to the Bronze?" Buffy asked.

"Once or twice. Sounds good. So, I'll pick you up at your dorm room at 7?"

"Yeah, all right." Buffy scrawled her address on a scrap of paper and handed it to Parker, then watched in a daze as he retreated. Her first date in months, with a guy who seemed ordinary. She finally had something good going on in her life. Now, if only her composition would magically repair itself. She was about to return to her disaster of an assignment when her attention was caught by the sight of an unpleasantly familiar blonde head next to Dr. Petrovski. No two individuals could have hair precisely that color, could they?

The milling students impeding her view sat down, and to her dismay Buffy realized the newcomer *was* Spike. Could she have no peace from him? She watched the instructor accept a paper from Spike and strained her ears to make out their conversation amid the other chatter in the room. "William Stafford," Dr. Petrovski read. "You'll be auditing? Wonderful. We're glad to have you. Just take any empty seat."

With a feeling of foreboding, Buffy glanced at the desk next to hers. It was just one of several empty seats scattered throughout the room, but she was already sure Spike would choose it.

Sure enough, he made a beeline for the spot and leaned close to her. "'Lo, Slayer. Told you you'd be seeing me around, didn't I?"

*****

Promptly at 6:30 on Friday night, Spike arrived outside the Bronze. He estimated that the Slayer and her nitwit date would appear in a little over half an hour, judging by the conversation he had overheard in the college classroom the other day. Just in case their plans had changed and they showed up earlier, though, he was ready and waiting. Besides, a pack of his fledglings was due to turn up as well, and he wanted to make sure they knew what they were to do.

Buffy was coming with someone named Parker Abrams. Spike sneered. What an idiotic name. Obviously, she was rebelling against him by choosing to go out with someone else. Well, he'd let her play hard to get for a little while, he supposed, but no way would he allow her to run around without him there to monitor the situation.

As he watched the sun droop toward the horizon, Spike touched his chest over the incision he'd had made so the Gem of Amara could be planted inside his body. He now stood virtually no chance of losing it, although to be fair, no one knew he had it. Even the minions that had located the Gem had no idea of its significance. All they knew was that they had dug up a treasure trove of jewelry and weapons, and for once Spike hadn't been pissed at them. The reason why he was safely able to go out during the daytime remained a mystery to them. It had also, in mere days, enhanced Spike's reputation to near legendary proportions.

He continued to hover outside the building, impatiently waiting for his fledglings to appear with the arrival of sunset. He still had plenty of time to waste before Buffy showed up, so Spike decided to grab a snack to tide himself over. He casually looked around and waited out the first few groups of people who wandered past. He wanted someone who was alone. The Bronze was a pretty busy place on weekends, but most people had the sense to travel in packs. Still, it only took one who didn't. After just a few minutes, Spike found that one: a young man wearing an apron and a nametag.

"Hey, mate." Spike waved him over.

The man hesitated and then crossed the street to stand before him. "Yeah, what is it? I'm going to be late for my bartending shift."

"You got the time?"

When the bartender pulled back his sleeve to check, Spike pounced. He grabbed the guy and tugged him into the shadows, then sank his fangs into the man's neck. The thick, delicious taste of blood streamed into his mouth, and Spike had to remind himself to drink just enough to take the edge off his hunger. After all, he didn't want to leave a pile of bodies in his wake and ruin any chance he had with the Slayer. Not when he was finally making real progress with her.

Restraining himself, Spike withdrew and allowed his victim to crumple to the ground. The stunned bartender opened his eyes and stared up at Spike. "What just happened?"

"You passed out. Need a hand?" Without waiting for an answer, Spike hauled the confused man to his feet. "Off you go, now."

"Yeah, thanks." The bartender wobbled toward the Bronze, looking uncertain but determined to get to work.

Satisfied that he had covered up well enough, Spike turned his attention back to thoughts of Buffy. Given his new sunproof status, enrolling in her college courses had struck him as an excellent idea. Until the minion who had hacked into her computer records reported that all but one of her classes were full. Spike had immediately signed up to audit that single course, reasoning that it was better than nothing. Buffy had to get used to seeing him as a regular part of her life. As soon she'd realize how well he fit in to her everyday existence, she'd have to reason to reject him.

Finally, the sun sank low enough so that the idiot fledglings could make their way out of the lair to meet him. Spike quickly repeated the instructions he had given them earlier, confirming that the young vampires couldn't possibly forget the importance of their assignments. Then he slipped inside the Bronze and selected a corner table in the darkest section of the room.

At a few minutes after 7, his patience was rewarded. Spike watched from his secluded spot as Buffy and her date weaved their way through the crowd and collected drinks from the bar, then chose a small table near the dance floor. They began to chat animatedly, not seeming to lack for topics of conversation. Buffy looked like she was having a good time--way too good. She was laughing at some comment the idiot boy had made. Spike was close enough to get a good view of their actions, but he couldn't make out their conversation and he didn't dare move. As long as he stayed a fair distance away, odds were good that the Slayer wouldn't sense he was in the building. The minute he crept close enough to hear them, though, she was sure to notice him and accuse him of spying on her. Which he was, but he figured he had a right. She was more or less cheating on him, and he thought his reaction was pretty restrained. It didn't mean he had to enjoy watching her out with someone else, of course.

Spike growled as Buffy laughed for the third time. He nervously checked his watch, hoping the stupid fledglings could successfully complete at least this one task. It was almost time...

He looked at the doorway. Sure enough, a fledgling appeared there. Spike established eye contact and nodded. The vampire obediently crossed the room, chose a victim from the dance floor, and lured him outside, all within mere moments.

A minute after the first fledgling left, another entered the Bronze and repeated the process. By the time the third vampire had come and gone, Buffy started to catch on to the pattern. Spike looked on as she stopped listening to Parker, who had to touch her arm to get her attention. Spike could see her make an excuse to her companion, then cut across the floor toward the exit. He relaxed in relief. It had been only too easy to disrupt the date. Buffy couldn't resist a call for help, and Spike had arranged for a steady stream of them tonight. So he'd lose at least a handful of fledglings in the process. So what? They were disposable anyway, and the results would be well worth the small inconvenience.

While he waited for Buffy to return from wasting the first three puny fledglings, Spike idly watched Parker go to the bar to collect drink refills. He brought the glasses back to the table, then slowly glanced around the room. Spike turned away, avoiding eye contact just to be safe. When he looked back at the other table, Parker was reaching into his pocket. Spike narrowed his eyes, observing as the boy pulled a small item out and held it hidden in his fist.

Before he could make another move, Buffy came trotting back into the room and slid into her seat. Parker shifted his hand back to the pocket, depositing the object inside, before he presented Buffy with her unharmed drink. Clueless, she smiled and accepted it.

Spike settled back into his corner, boiling with rage. If he was correct, Parker had just attempted to drug Buffy's drink. Worst of all, Spike could do little about it at the moment. If he approached Buffy, she would rightfully accuse him of following her and probably not believe a word he said anyway. He decided instead to continue to watch and wait, then confirm his suspicions and take care of Parker as soon as the date was over. He would have plenty of opportunities to make sure nothing untoward happened; with the interruptions he had planned, Buffy wouldn't have five consecutive minutes of peace for the duration of her date.