Chapter 7

She handed the Watcher what was left of the sketches that she had made at the temple. The paper had several rather large watermarks and a fair amount of dried mud on it, but it was still legible.

“Sorry. I fell in some mud while I had it in my pocket,” she said in way of explanation.

The Watcher adjusted his glasses. “Yes, quite,” he stammered as he studied the sketches. “Does Spike know you have this?”

Buffy nodded. “Somehow he knew.”

The Watcher looked concerned at her answer and that concerned Buffy.

“So what is it?” She prompted Giles.

“Well, you remember, on the phone, I told you about the De Nugis Curialium telling the story of the Knights of Temper and the Pope dissolving their order. I also mentioned the theory that they had melted into the realms of the Freemasons?” Giles began somewhat haltingly.

“Remembering.” Said Buffy with an encouraging nod.

“That version is the short version; there is another level to it. There is speculation among some circles that the Knights of Templer and the Freemasons have ties with another more secretive and powerful organization. It is in fact, so secret that no one actual knows who its members are let alone whether or not the organization actually exists. It is called the Illuminati”

“Oh God. Not another secretive society” groaned Buffy.

Giles ignored her, now that he was totally caught up in his train of thought.

“The story tells that the Pope dissolved the order of the Templers not only because of their rumored worship of Baphomet, but also because many had become Priests of the Old Gods. It was believed that the power and the wealth of the Templers came from the dark side. When they dissolved they were thought by most to have taken up ranks within the Freemasons, but others believed they disappeared into the Illuminati.

“So what exactly do these Illuminati types do?” Asked the Slayer.

“The theory of the Illuminati is that it consists of influential, rich and powerful people from around the world. It is said to consist of Royalty, Statesmen, and multibillion-dollar businessmen. Their purpose is to control and manipulate banks and bankers, moneylenders, and world governments. Their intention is to cause economic collapse, bloody uprisings, and revolutions around the World. Each upheaval is calculated to restructure the status quo, leaving The Illuminati in greater positions of power.” Replied the Watcher.

He continued, “Modern theory points to The Illuminati being started in 1776 by a man named Adam Weishoupt, however the Watcher’s Council has a different theory. They believe that Adam Weishoupt’s Illuminati was just a branch of the real Illuminati, an older and much more influential organization. The Watchers council believes that the Illuminati existed for the Templers to enter it in 1312, and they go on to speculate that the Illuminati have existed since the times of the Ancient Egyptians”

Beyond that, The Watcher’s Council, believes that the money and conspiracy theory is only a ploy to distract us from the Illuminati’s true goal.

“And what would that goal be?“ Asked the Slyer.

“Well that is based in the theory that the Ancient Egyptian Illuminati was actually an order of priests, combined with the theory that the Templers had become priests of the Old Gods prior to their dissolution by the Pope. In short, they believe the real goal of the Illuminati is Religion, specifically Paganism and worship of the Old Gods.”

“Is their any proof of all this?” asked Buffy speculatively.

“No, no proof, just a great deal of speculation combined with allot of coincidences”

“What kind of coincidences?”

“Well, for one, symbols are common between the Ancient Egyptians, Templers, Freemasons, and of course the Illuminati. The sketch you made is one such example.” Said the watcher as he fingered the piece of paper.

Giles paused for a moment before beginning again, “However, it is not the symbol that you sketched that interests me, it is actually the letterhead of the paper you got from the limo”

“What are you talking about?”

“Here look” said the watcher as he laid her sketch in front of her and pointed to the printed symbol at the top of the paper.

“It’s the pyramid and the eye again.” Said Buffy in astonishment that she had not noticed it before.

“Yes....quite........and that is the symbol of the Illuminati.......I must say I have never seen it so blatantly displayed on letterhead paper before.” He added slowly.

“OK, so lets sum this up. Some how all these organizations are intertwined and their purpose in one way or another is control.”

“Well...yes....well that is very basic Buffy.......but quite accurate.”

“So for me, there is just one bit missing. What is Spike up to in all this? Why did he have the De Nugis Curialium in the first place?”

“That I don’t know for sure” said Giles slowly, but I have a personal theory. One just formed mind you and not at all certain...”

“Spill it Giles, I’ll bet on your personal theories any day,” said the Slayer with a smile.

“Lets looks back to how this all started. Spike reading the De Nugis Curialium. So, let’s look there for some answers” said the Watcher, forming his thoughts as he spoke.

“The De Nugis Curialium gives us our first story of vampires and it blends that in with the Holy Order of Knights Templer beginning to worship the dark Gods and aiming for the corruption of the Church. Well, now, might we not speculate that the Archdeacon was telling us that Vampires had gotten into the ranks of the Templers? And if we follow that train of thought, the next step would be that vampires are within, if not in control of, one of the most powerful organizations on earth, the Illuminati.

The Slayer was silent for a few minutes. “Are you suggestion Spike is a member of the Illuminati?” She said in a tone that was less than believing.

Before Giles could answer, he was interrupted by a chuckle from the door. Spike swaggered towards them with a grin from one ear to the other.

“Go on Watcher, tell the rest. This is the best story I have heard in years, not to mention that it is bound to do wonders for my rep!”

“Spike. What are you doing here?” said the Watcher, less than pleased.

“Oh it’s nighttime, and my mummy lets me play at night” replied Spike with dripping sarcasm.

Buffy glanced at the window and realized that they must have been talking for some time. Night had fallen without either one of them noticing. She had no idea how long Spike had been listening and exactly what he had or had not heard.

“I thought you’d gone back to Vegas” she said to the Vampire walking towards her.

“Yep, I thought I had to....but then I realized I still had some business here to take care of,”

“And exactly what would that business be?” said Giles as he moved between the Slayer and the approaching vampire.

Spike stopped and took in the Watcher protecting the Slayer and his eyebrow shot up. “Down boy. I don’t mean your precious Slayer any harm.”

Buffy stood and moved around Giles. “It’s OK. I’ll take care of this.”

“Oh yes Slayer. Please, please take care of this.” mocked Spike.

“Shut up idiot. Come on, let’s get out of here. I want to talk to you.”

Spike shot the Watcher a conspiratal glance, “All she ever wants to do is talk!” he whinned as he turned to follow the Slayer out.

A cold blast of air hit the Slayer as she walked outside causing her to pull her coat more tightly around her as she turned on the Vampire following her.

"I thought you left town. What are you doing here?" she snapped.

Spike opened his mouth to reply, but was cut of before he managed a syllable.

"How long were you standing there snooping on me...........and exactly how much did you hear? she continued.

Unaffected by the cold, Spike leaned up against the stone wall of the building and waited on her to finish. His duster hung open showing his usual dress of black jeans and T-shirt. A small smile played across his lips as he watched the Slayer rant on. He thought that she always look especially beautiful when she ranted....the way her eyes flashed, hands moving to emphasis her point, hair swinging around her expressive and open face....

"Hey, hold up there, one question at a time." he said, breaking her rant.

Buffy caught her next comment and turned it around. "Well?" she asked prompting him to answer her.

"To coin a phrase Slayer, which question would you like me to answer first?"

The words and the tone brought the Slayer up short. Dejavu hit her hard. Somehow she had been here before, but for the life of her, she couldn´t place it. It felt right and very wrong at the same time. Some other time and some other place, they had done this before.....but where? When?

Spike saw her confusion and knew immediately what had happened. Silently he cursed himself. He wasn´t ready for that yet. There was so much to cover before getting to that...if he ever did.

Pushing himself from the wall, he took hold of the Slayer´s arm and began walking down the street with her in tow.

Angrily, the Slayer jerked her arm free from his grasp. "What in the hell do you think you are doing?"

Spike shook his head in mock defeat. "Buffy, why don´t you just relax a teeny tiny bit?"

For a second, Buffy was caught of guard. The last thing she wanted was for him to think that he made her uptight.

"Not uptight. Nope. Definitely one unuptight person" she clamored in her defense.

Spike looked unconvinced.

"Look Slayer. I´m here tonight because YOU came to see ME, not the other way round. You obviously had something you wanted to say or ask me or you wouldn´t have gone to the trouble of looking me up!"

For that, Buffy couldn´t think up an argument. He was right........and she hated him being right. It went against everything in her.

Spike continued. "I´m sorry that a couple of things came up and disrupted your game plan, but I´m here now with no other agenda than you, and I´m ready to listen."

Buffy dropped her eyes and studiously began to examine her shoes. The conversation was going in a direction she didn´t like.......even though she had prepared for it. Trying for an out and finding one, she raised her head and attempted to stare him down.

"I think that whatever I had to say in the beginning is a mute point.....I mean, the talking and explaining needs to come from you. Spike, what is going on with you?" she asked referring to his strange extracurricular activities.

Spike laughed and shook his head. "Nice try Slayer, but it´s not working. My business is my business, I didn´t bring it to you, you just decided to crash in on it. You on the other hand, did bring your business to me, so lets make that the topic of conversation."

Buffy looked the vampire up and down. He was totally relaxed and at ease. His blue eyes laughing at her struggles, while his face evidenced his resolve to have the topic of conversation go his way not hers.

Looking at him standing there, against the familiar backdrop of Sunnydale, the Slayer finally felt a degree of comfort and the old companionship that they used to share. He looked, acted and ´felt´ like the ´old´ Spike, not the mysterious and ever changing Spike that he became outside Sunnydale.

Shrugging, Buffy decided to let the argument go for the moment. She could get back to it later.

"So, where were we going?" she asked.

"I don´t know, where do you want to go?" he said, reversing the question.

"I don´t know, you decide." said the Slayer politely.

"No, you." he said firmly.

Buffy chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she tried to come up with somewhere.....anywhere that she could take the vampire and not run into any of her friends.

"Let´s just go to the park" she said finally. "There should be no one there now it´s dark and we might just get peace to talk."

Spike didn´t comment on her choice; he simply turned and headed in the direction of the park at a brisk pace, leaving the Slayer to hurry after him.

The roads they walked down were mostly devoid of people even though the night was early. The citizens of Sunnydale had a healthy respect of the dark, and those that were out on some type of business or fun, walked in alert groups.

The night was air remained briskly cold, but Buffy began to warm up as she matched the pace Spike set. Her exhaled warm breath formed a trail of smoke in the air, and Buffy realized it was the first cold night Sunnydale had experienced this winter. Of course, the weatherman had missed it, predicting a mild evening....but then again, you had to give some credit, cause cold evenings in Sunnydale were never the norm.

Buffy´s thoughts continued to tackle mundane issues as they walked. She did not want to think about the conversation to come; that was too nerve racking. Glancing up at Spike, she noted that he too seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Ahead of them, the park gates loomed in the dark and just beyond them, the playground swings. Spike headed straight for the swings and sat down on one. Buffy hesitated for a second, and then joined him on the adjacent swing. Spike stayed completely still on the swing, hands deep in the pockets of his duster, but Buffy´s childhood instincts caused her to use her feet to rock gently back and forth. The inane movement helped her to relax as she let her eyes roam around the park. Glancing at the man beside her, she noted that he too was checking out the park. For all their differences, they were both predators. Both used to unconsciously checking out every environment they entered for victims, potential attack, and of course, anything out of the ordinary,

"So" said Spike, gently prompting her.

Buffy heard him, but she continued to look the park over with very close scrutiny. It was only a ploy to gain more time, and she knew that he knew it.

She really didn´t know what to say. True, she had spent time figuring it all out before she originally set off to find him, but that had been before Lear Jets, Mexico and strange Temples. Now she wasn´t sure who or what he was, and she was certainly nervous about spilling the beans to this `new´ Spike.

The thoughts that were swirling around her mind were starting to give her a headache. To much intensity with too few answers. Trying to back away from that deep pool of thought, the Slayer took her hands from her pockets and grabbed hold of the swing´s ropes. Kicking her feet hard against the ground, she propelled herself from a gentle rocking to a full-fledged swing.

Legs shooting out in front of her then curling under her as she hauled on the ropes, the swing shot towards the sky. Spike watched disinterested as the Slayer worked on this new stall tactic.

"Won´t work Slayer." he shouted at her as she sped by on her ever increasing half circle. "Sooner or later, you´re gonna have to talk."

Buffy didn´t answer. She was having fun. She wouldn´t have believed it, but flying through the air made her feel relaxed and free for the first time in a long while.

Glancing at the Vampire as she flashed by she began to taunt him. "What´s up Spike? Never learn to swing"

Spike frowned.

"Bet you can´t beat me to the top." she challenged on her next pass.

"Can too" he replied, but still he didn´t move.

"Can not" she yelled as she passed by again.

"Can too" he shouted back.

"All talk, no action.........as usual" taunted the Slayer.

At this Spike´s eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"OK. Now that means war!" he replied as he took his hands from his duster pockets and grabbed the ropes of the swing, giving a powerful kick off with his feet.

Within seconds they were both soaring through the air. Back and forth, so high that the ropes of swing gave a little jerk at the peak of each arc as gravity removed their occupant's weight from them for brief milliseconds.

A laugh bubbled up from inside the Slayer and she glanced over at Spike. His face was a mask of disinterest, but his eyes twinkled back at her merrily.

"Bet you ain´t got the guts to jump Slayer" he taunted at her.

Buffy laughed. "What are the stakes?"

"Don´t use that word" growled Spike.

"What word?" came her innocent reply.

She couldn´t believe they were doing this. That she was doing this and that he was going along with it! She felt like a kid. A kid without responsibilities and endless duty.

"So, you going to jump first?" asked the Slayer on her next pass.

"Nope. We´re going together." he replied.

Buffy laughed. "OK.....here goes: One......two....three." she called as the swing reached its highest point in the arc.

And then she was flying through the air high off the ground. Weightless and free for the briefest of instants. Heart pounding in her chest with the recklessness of her actions. Her side vision picking up the image of Spike flying through the air beside her. Ground rushing up to greet them. Legs bent for impact, they hit the ground with their momentum carrying them forward in a staggering run.

Laughing, the Slayer regained her balance and slowed to a halt. Turning, she looked behind her for Spike.

"I don´t believe we just did that" she said. "I don´t believe YOU just did that!"

Spike shook his head, "Then you don´t know me do you Slayer." his voice took on a serious note. "Then you don´t know how I feel about you."

Spike turned away from her and sat back down on the swing, gently rocking it back and forth. Buffy looked at him in astonishment for a few moments, before realizing that her mouth was hanging open. She snapped it closed and took a long breath.

She should have known he would go out on a limb to make things easier for her. She was beginning to realize that Spike did allot of subtle things that left him wide open to emotional or physical attack in his desire to ease her burden.

Walking over, she straddled the swing next to his and faced him.

"There was this guy," she began hesitantly, "he was good looking, intelligent and had a great sense of humor........and he was sooo NOT a vampire. I was so over vampires. I was so over you..."

She glanced over at Spike, but his head was down and unreadable. She was on her own. She sensed that everything rested on the next few minutes and what she said.

"I wanted him. I mean, I really wanted him. I wanted to feel. I wanted to be!" her voice mirrored the desperation she had felt; the loneliness that had consumed her.

"Anyway, we get to that point in our relationship.....he tried, he really tried.....and there was nothing wrong with what he did.....he, and everything he did was so right. Should have been so right........" now her voice echoed her confusion.

"But nothing from me.....and I tried so very hard. I want it so much....but nothing." she said grinding to a halt.

For several moments silence reigned as Spike thought about her words. Then he raised his head and those ice blue eyes locked onto hers.

"So, lets see if I got this right Slayer. You looked me up cause you need a good piece of ass?" he ground out icily. "The lady can´t get it off with a regular guy.......so you thought you´d hunt up one with a bit of monster in him, that it pet?"

Buffy recoiled at the crude hardness of his words. "It´s not like that Spike!"

"Sounds exactly like that to me. Got a taste of the bad didn´t you......and you liked it....maybe you found you can`t live without it"

"That´s not it" denied the Slayer.

"Then why don´t you tell me what I got wrong then?"

Buffy sensed he was ready to walk. She also sensed that if he walked this time, that finding him would not be so easy again.

Closing her eyes, she searched for the right words. "Over the last two years I learned a few things about myself." she began with a great deal of hesitation. "I learned I wasn´t alive inside.

She glanced at Spike and saw that he was watching her closely. It took all her courage to keep eye contact with him.

"I thought it was me. I thought there was something wrong with me. Some inner reason I couldn´t find love......but then I realized it wasn´t me.....it was you. I realized that I could love because I had loved......I had loved you."

There! She had said it.

"Spike. I want passion in my life. I want a passionate man who loves me and wants to make love to me. I think I deserve that."

Spike didn´t say a word.

"......and that is why I came to find you. I finally realized that the only time I feel complete is when you are around............even when you make me mad enough to want to stake you" she ended with a nervous laugh.

Spike just sat and looked at her, his face an expressionless mask that gave nothing away. Buffy waited for him to speak.....for him to tell her that he loved her......for him to kiss her......anything!

Eventually Spike stood up. "Come on Slayer. Let´s get out of here."

"Spike?"

"Look slayer. I have nothing to say right now. It´s gonna take time for me....for you, to work through this. I´m not real sure you know what you are getting into."

Buffy bristled. Pride and indignation rushed to the surface. She had laid it on the line and he simply brushed it aside!

"Of course I know what I´m getting into. Don´t you think I thought it all through. I know what a vampire is for God´s sake!"

Spike shook his head. "Only a vampire knows what a vampire is.......everyone else only thinks they know."

"If you thought it couldn´t work out, then why did you start this in the first place." said Buffy angrily.

"....and that, Pet, is the million dollar question." he said as he turned and walked towards the park entrance.

He hadn´t gone more that a few feet when the headlights of a car pierced the night as it turned into the park.

"What the buggery bollocks is this now!" exclaimed Spike, angry at the interruption.

The car pulled into a parking space close to the swings and the driver killed the lights. Buffy could see that it was some kind of luxury car, probably a Mercedes by the outlined shape. She walked up to the vampire and stood close but slightly behind him.

The car door opened and a figure could be seen climbing out and turning in their direction.

"William my boy. Is that you?" came a very upper crush English voice. "I have had the devils own time tracking you down I must say!"

Buffy glanced up at Spike´s face and saw that he recognized the voice. She also saw, by his sharply drawn in mouth, that he was not pleased at the interruption.

The man who had hailed Spike was making his way over to them. As he came closer, Buffy gasped in recognition. Spike´s hand shot out behind him and grabbed her hand giving it a gentle squeeze. Without words he was warning her to stay silent.

The man finally realized that Spike had company, and it became his turn to frown.

"William, I need to speak with you in private."

Spike turned to Buffy, "Excuse me a minute Pet." he said, moving off with the visitor.

Buffy stood in the dark watching the two huddled figures. She could hear muffled voices but she couldn´t make out what they were saying. For once she wished for a vampire´s hearing. This was too interesting for words.....the man that Spike was huddled in conversation with was a blast from the past...Lord Argyle.

The conversation only lasted a few moments, and then Spike returned to her side with Lord Argyle in tow.

"Buffy, I have to go back to Mexico," Spike began but he was interrupted by the Lord.

"Here now William. Do you really think you should be discussing this with the girl!" he said disapprovingly.

Spike ignored the blustering Lord and reached out to take Buffy´s hand. "I want you to come with me."

At this the Lord almost choked. "My God William. You can´t be serious. You can´t take the filly with you!"

Spike whirled round and locked the Lord with a piercing gaze. "And exactly when did you become my mother?" he said menacingly.

Realizing that he had overstepped the bounds of safety the Lord backed up and shut up.

Spike turned back to the Slayer. "You say you know me. I don´t think you do. You know me as a vampire cruising around Sunnydale, occasionally causing trouble and getting in the way......and in a sense that is me....but there is more." He paused for a minute as he looked for the right argument to convince her to come with him. "Look slayer, you say you love me and you want to be with me. Well you can´t reach that decision till you know all I am and accept it willingly.......will you come?"

Buffy nodded. She´d go.

Spike´s arm slipped round her shoulder as they headed to the waiting car with Lord Argyle bringing up the rear.

The trip to the airport had been a mirror image of the previous one, excepting that the airport had been in California rather than Nevada.

Once again, Spike had become reserved with little to say. The only difference was that now he kept hold of her. Either his arm rested round her shoulder or he held her hand as they made their way onto the waiting Lear. Buffy found that oddly comforting.

The same airhostess greeted their arrival, but this time there was a little less attitude. Onboard, they were not alone.

Lord Argyle entered the plane just behind them, and there were several other men already seated and awaiting take off,

Spike nodded at several of them as he guided the Slayer towards two empty seats. As they busied themselves fastening their seat belts the airhostess closed the outside hatch and the plane began it´s taxi toward the runway.

"Spike, who are all these men?" asked the Slayer quietly so that no one could hear her except Spike.

"Not now Buffy" came Spike´s absentminded reply; but he did reach out and take her hand, guiding it to rest on his thigh and covering it with his own.

The Slayer looked at her hand resting on the Vampire´s leg and marveled at how such a little act could squash all her inquisitive nature and leave her content and happy when she really should be working hard at getting to the bottom of all this mystery.

The plane gave a little lurch as its wheels left the runway and within a few minutes the plane settled into it´s cruising altitude. The seat belt sign went off, and several of the men unfastened their seatbelts and began chatting. Spike ignored them all.

Buffy closed her eyes as all her senses focused on the man next to her. The feel of his leg beneath her hand became the center of her world. Slowly her hand began to move on his leg, minutely feeling and massaging. She wanted more.

Suddenly, his hand, which had been gently resting over her hand, clamped down bringing her roving exploration to a halt. Buffy opened her eyes and looked over at him. His eyes were intent dark pools of controlled passion.

"Don´t start what you can´t finish" he growled.

"Who said I can´t finish it?" replied the Slayer with a cheeky grin.

Spike opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a hand landing on his shoulder.

It was one of the men. "William, we need to talk" he glanced over at Buffy, "in private" he said. "No disrespect intended Miss." he added thoughtfully.

"None taken" acknowledged the Slayer pleasantly.

She knew she was being to accepting but she just couldn´t seem to get herself interested. Her world seemed right for the first time in years and it was all because of the man sitting beside her.

Spike sighed in resignation. "I seem to keep doing this, but would you mind giving me a few moments with this lot"

Buffy shrugged. This she didn´t like. She wanted to stay with him, regardless of what he wanted to discuss with these men.

Standing, Spike took her hand a lead her to the room at the back of the cabin.

"You´ll be comfortable in there" he said quietly.

Buffy looked unconvinced.

Spikes hand slid round her neck and pulled her towards him. Gentle lips touched hers in a kiss that held promise of things to come.

"Go on Pet" he said softly.

Buffy walked into the room and plonked herself on the bed. Behind her, she heard the door click firmly closed. Seconds later she heard voices, but once again she was unable to hear what was being said.

Standing she walked over to the door and put her ear against the crack. It didn´t help. The voices remained muted and indistinguishable.

Sighing, she returned to the bed and curled up on it. She felt exhausted and wildly alive at the same time. Unable to get comfortable, she stood up again and unbuttoned her jeans, then slipped them off. This time when she climbed onto the bed, she slipped between the silky sheets. Still she tossed and turned, unable to find the perfect spot. Longingly she glanced towards the closed door. If he´d just come in and hold her, she knew she would relax.

He didn´t come. Time passed and slowly the Slayer´s eyelids began to get heavy. Without knowing exactly when, she slipped into a deep sleep.

She didn´t hear him enter the room, but she felt him when he slipped into bed behind her. He curled his body along her back as his arm slipped round her and he gently kissed her neck.

Immediately she snuggled backwards into him as her hand came up to rest on the arm he had round her.

"Though you were asleep" he murmured.

"Was. Not now" she said as she turned from her side onto her back. The room was dark and she could only make out the outline of his face resting above her.

She felt total peace and contentment with him beside her. It overwhelmed her for a moment. They were emotions that she was not used to.

"Is big super secret conference over?" she asked.

Instead of answering her, he bent his head and his lips lightly grazed across hers. Buffy felt her heart stop. Such a simple kiss but so much emotion.

For a second Spike was still but then, with a groan of desire, his mouth began to move across hers more insistently. Buffy´s arms encircled his shoulders and pulled him to her.

For several seconds his mouth plundered hers as she willingly gave herself up to the man above her. Bodies melded together as Buffy´s hands traveled along his back pulling him ever closer. Tugging at his shirt, she pulled it free from his jeans and let her hands roam underneath onto his bare skin. The feel of his skin was electric to her senses.

Spike groaned at the feel of her hands on him, and he raised his head to gaze down at her.

"You are so beautiful" he murmured. "I had almost given up hope that you would come to me.......come to me of your own free will."

Buffy answered him by pulling his head back down to her and laying a kiss on his lips....but before the kiss could deepen, Spike pulled back

"Not now Pet. The plane is about to land. I came in to tell you that you needed to come back into the cabin for landing." he said with regret evident in his voice.

Before Buffy could object, he stood and left the room, turning the light on as he left.

Skin still tingling from his touch, Buffy sat up and smoothed her hair away from her face. With a steadying breath, she stood up and began dressing.

Above her head, the `fasten seat belts´ sign flashed on. Hurrying, she left the room and walked into the main cabin. Several pairs of eyes turned on her, but she only had eyes for one.

Trying to mask her feelings, she walked down the isle and sat beside him and fastened her seat belt. Almost immediately, his hand claimed hers as the plane banked hard right and began its approach run.

This time, there was a fleet of cars waiting at the small landing strip; the passengers departed the plane filing quickly into the waiting cars. Buffy found herself in a Mercedes with Spike, a driver, and two of the men from the plane.

Leaning over, she whispered in Spike's ear. "Am I going to the motel again?"

Spike shook his head. "This time, you stay with me."

Buffy smiled in contentment and showed her pleasure by holding his hand just a little tighter.

"Where are we going?" she whispered again.

Spike grinned at her. She was capable of a never-ending stream of questions.

"We are going to the Temple.......and that's the last question I'm answering tonight.

Buffy grinned back at him. "What ya gonna do? Whip me if I don't behave."

"Don't tempt me Slayer." replied an amused Spike.

"God, I really didn't say that, did I?" groaned the Slayer as she turned to look out the car window and noted the first glow of dawn beginning on the far horizon. Worriedly she glanced over at Spike.

Spike acknowledged the source of her concern. "Don't worry Slayer. We're almost at the Temple."

Within minutes the cavalcade of cars pulled up outside the Temple and the passengers hurried inside. The temple doors closed behind Buffy and Spike just as the first rays of sunlight began to creep towards the building.

Once inside, Spike moved directly towards a grand staircase that lay directly opposite the main door. Buffy however, had come to a complete standstill and was busy taking in her surroundings with nothing less than pure awe.

Spike rolled his eyes and walked back over to her. "Come on, I'll take you to a room you can stay in while I take care of this business stuff."

Buffy glanced at him momentarily before turning her eyes back onto her surroundings.

Spike rolled his eyes again. "Look Slayer, I have to go. I can see that you are interested in all this stuff. Do you want to hang around down here for awhile and browse?"

Buffy looked at him in surprise. "I can do that?"

Spike smiled. "Sure. Lots of people do. I fact, people come from all over the world to look around down here."

Buffy looked confused.

"It's just an old Temple Buffy. The lower floor holds alot of historical stuff and is open to researchers at various times of the year. There are no great secrets here."

Buffy looked skeptical. "Yeah sure, it's just an old Temple.......maybe down here, but what about up there.' she said, pointing to the stairs.

Spike's eyes sparkled with mischief. "...and that is none of your business Pet. Now, do you want to stay down here or not?"

"I'll stay.......for now" replied the Slayer thoughtfully.

"If you get bored, go on up the stairs and at the top you'll find an assistant. They will be able to escort you to my room and you can wait for me there," said Spike as he walked away. "Oh, and Slayer," he said turning back to her "...don't go outside this time."

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" replied the Slayer dismissively; her attention already on her surroundings rather than Spike.

Spike shrugged in defeat and then took the stairs three at a time. He was sure the Slayer had absolutely no intention of following even one of his requests. All he could hope for was that she would stay out of life threatening trouble until he got back.

Meanwhile, Buffy was still busy taking in her surroundings. She didn't know what the rest of the building held, but the enterance hallway and staircase were masterpieces in their own right as far as she was concerned.

The overall impact was of airy lightness with arcitechture full of geometric lines. The walls were mirror smooth stone in various light earth tones and all accent pieces, picture frames etc were in beautifully finnished silver. It looked very old and very new, all at the same time. It was not at all what she had expected from seeing the building from the outside. Apart from the staircase, the hallway boasted two double doorways. On the wall at the side of each door was a silver plaque. Walking over to the doorway to her right, she took a closer look at the plaque.

MDCCLXXVI

Shrugging, Buffy turned and walked over to the other door.

Novus Ordo Seclorum

"Need Giles" Buffy mumbled under her breath as she reached out for the doorknob. A glance over to the guard type person at the front door confirmed that he was paying her no attention. Obviously Spike's invitation for her to wander around was good enough for the guard.

Hesitantly she pushed open the door and walked through.......and came to a complete standstill.

She had expected some kind of museum type room, but that was not it.......not it at all!

Instead she found herself in a space which reminded her of some kind of ancient Egyptian temple type room. At first glance she thought the room was open to the sky, but then she realised that the ceiling had been crafted out of some type of reflective stone, which was picking up the startlingly blue floor tile and giving the effect of an eternally moving sky.

The room contained no windows and there was no central point of focus, such as an alter.......yet the room '~felt' like a place of worship. The room was devoid of conventional furniture, but the stone floor had been crafted to form seemless objects that looked like they could serve as chairs or tables. All was covered in the royal blue tiling that sparkled with tones of blue and green. Bending over, Buffy looked at the tiles closely and noted what seemed to be imbeded flecks of emeralds.

Walking over to one wall, she looked at one of the symbols imbeded into the white stone wall. Like the plaques outside the room, the symbol made no sense to her.

With a sigh of frustration at her own lack of knowledge, Buffy turned to leave. As she turned, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Hi, is somebody there?" she called down the room in the diretion of the movement.

Nobody answered, so she decided to investigate. Walking quickly and quietly she covered the forty or fifty feet to the other end of the room, heading towards the pillar where she had noted the movement. Skirting the pillar, she took a look into the corner and found the source of the movement.

Someone was sitting, cross-legged on the floor with his back to her. The person was hunched over and seemed to be busily involved in sketching something into a book that he held on his lap.

Noting that he wasn't a vampire or some other noticable baddie, Buffy decided on the direct approach.

"Hello" she said loudly. Immediately her voice began reverberating off the surrounding walls, repeating the hello a thousand times.

Buffy jumped in surprise, but the poor man on the floor.......who had obviously believed himself alone.......jumped so high that he almost hit the roof.

Buffy bit her lip in an effort not to laugh. "I'm sorry. I startled you didn't I?" she said apologetically.

The man swung round to look at his attacker and his jaw dropped.

"Buffy?"

"Oh....my....God!!!" said Buffy as she recognized the man on the floor. "Lizzy....I mean...Larry! What in the hell are you doing here?"

"I might ask the same of you, might I not?" said the young man.

Buffy stared at the man as her mind worked to adjust his presence to this new place and time. The last time she had seen Larry The Lizard had been at her mum's exhibit opening night two years ago. Shortly after that night he had left town and Willow had mentioned that he had gone off to University somewhere.

"Let's start with you Larry and then I'll tell you about me." she finally managed.

Larry stood up and brushed off his trousers. "Well OK. Well it's really quite simple..."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. The Sunnydale Lizard ending up in a Mexican Temple at the exact same time as her....coincidence or what!

".......I am studying ancient cultures and societies at Harvard. I managed to get my undergraduate degree in record time, as one would expect of me," he said smuggly, "now I am working on my postgraduate degree."

"And that still does not explain what you are doing here." said an unamused Buffy.

"Well! Give me a chance and I'll get to that."

"Just spill it" pushed the Slayer.

"OK. OK. Well, as I said, I am working on my postgraduate degree. I needed a research topic and I thought about this place. I had read a few minor pieces on it in various periodicals, but I really wanted to investigate further. Anyway, I wrote asking persmission to do my research here and they agreed........actually, your boyfriend agreed." finished the Lizard.

"My...WHAT?" choked the Slayer.

The Lizard gave a wicked smile. "Your boyfriend....you know...the bleach blond punk."

"You better tell me more." said the Slayer.

"Well, after I wrote asking permission to research this building, they wrote back and invited me for an interview to discuss the type of research I wanted to conduct. Can you imagine.....interviewing me!" he said, obviously still incredulous that someone would dare to question him.

"Just get on with it" said the Slayer.

"Anyway, these two men interviewed me and then told me that they wouldn't be able to grant me access to the building at this time. I was really upset, let me tell you!"

Larry glanced at the Slayer to ensure she understood just how he had been wronged, but he only got a stony glare from her.

"So, I was just about to leave when your boyfriend arrived. Last person I expected to see around here........he recognized me straight away and asked what I was doing here. I told him and he said I could stay. That simple."

"So you are telling me that the decision on whether or not you could do your research here rested with Spike? The Lizard nodded. "Yep, only they don' call him Spike. They call him William.......and they treat him like some kind of God."

"A God!" spluttered the Slayer.

"My sentiments exactly" agreed the Lizard.

For a moment there was silence as Buffy took it all in. Finally she raised her eyes to the Lizard. The time for games was over. It was time to get to the bottom of this.

"Larry, how long have you been here?"

"About two months now. The let me rent an old trailer in the paddock behind the building, but I spend most of my time in here doing my research."

Buffy glanced around the room. "Can you tell me what all this stuff is?"

The Lizard smiled his superiority. "Of course" he hesitated, "Well at least I can give you the theory and speculation.......nothing is for sure." Buffy grimanced. "Speculation works for me right now. It's better than nothing."

"Come on then, lets start over here" said the Lizard walking over to a diagram imbedded in the wall.

Buffy followed him but her mind had slipped up a notch. Spike knew the Lizard was here.......he knew she knew the Lizard......he knew the Lizard would tell her. Therefore Spike wanted her to know!

Buffy glanced over to the Lizard. "Tell me"

The Lizard pointed up at a spot on the wall just above her head. At first Buffy didn't see what he was pointing at but she took a couple of steps backwards and eventually it came into view.

The diagram had been etched out of the stone wall. No colors, decorations or any other additives, which might have drawn attention to it, were added.

"See, it's like this" the Lizard began. "They have lots of diagrams and symbolization around here. Most of it is brightly colored and full of precious or semi precious stones. I believe they were designed that way to draw people's attention away from the real treasures.......these." he said pointing at the plain etched diagram again.

Buffy tried to make out the symbols in the diagram. "It looks like a flame with a star over the top impressed over a leaf?"

"Exactly." nodded the Lizard. "Now lets talk about what it means."

Buffy waited expectantly, but the Lizard seemed stalled.

"What's up" asked Buffy.

"Well, I don't quite know where to start. Someone of your limited knowledge will obviously need a great deal of background information before you could even begin to grasp what I'm about to tell you." he said condescendingly.

"Try me" said the girl.

"Well Buffy, there are certain ancient secret organizations that exist in our world..."

Buffy interrupted. "Yeah, I know. That would be the stuff about the Knights of Templar and their dissolvent by the Pope and the theory that they dissolved into the Freemasons or the Illuminati depending on which work of fiction you're reading."

The Lizard's mouth hung open for a moment then snapped closed. "I'm impressed. Very impressed."

Now it was Buffy's turn to offer a condescending smile.

"So you know then that the Illuminati was rumored to have started in 1776 yet the Templers disolved in 1312 long before that. That means the Illuminati had to exsist before the speculated 1776" said Larry.

"I can go one better than that," said Buffy as she racked her brain for all the info that her Watcher had given her. "The De Nugis Curialium in 1190 talks about the growing corruption of the Templers by something or someone whose goal is the distruction of the Church"

"What or who do you think corrupted the Templers?" prompted the Lizard in a way that told that he knew the answer but wanted to see if she did.

"Vampires" said Buffy looking hard at the Lizard to see if he had accepted the potential for a supernatural element.

The Lizard was now positively grinning from ear to ear. "Go on.....finnish it."

"So the Vampires corrupted the Templers to get at the Church and when the Templers were disolved by the Pope, The Templers disappeared into the Illuminati taking the Vamps with them?" said Buffy slowly. The Lizards smile faded. "No No No.......think about it. That doesn't make any sense."

Buffy sighed. "Engough. Tell me what does make sense."

"OK. Think about it. Why would Vampires suddenly up and try to corrupt the Templers. Too much like hard work for our ordinary hard working vamp. Let's face it, they just don't have the interest in world domination...all they want is to know where their next meal is coming from." began Larry.

"I don't know about that. I've met a few who had plans" Buffy disagreed.

"Yeh" replied the Lizard "whatever plans they had were short-term plans, hurridly thought up and designed to end the world instantenously.....in other words, junk plans"

"OK" said Buffy wearily. "Tell me your version."

The Lizard stood up straight trying to give as much creadance to his next statement as possible.

"I believe that Vampires have been on this World much longer than recorded history tells us. In fact, I believe I have found proof of them all the way back to the ancient Egyptians. I also believe that I have found proof of the Illuminati all the way back to the ancient Egyptians." he said pausing for breath, then continued. "I think the Illuminati has existed, quietly ruling and guiding cultures and societies for thousands of years and that vampires have been an integral part of that orginisation since its inception."

Buffy looked skeptical.

"Imagine Buffy. Imagine that the corruption of the Templers was as designed plan of the Illuminati. Imagine taking Knights of the Church and corrupting them and then taking them and their acquired wealth of the Church into the folds of the Illuminati. What a power coup"

He paused, "Buffy I believe Illuminati Vampires took down the Templers, rather than Vampires taking down the Templers and then entering the Illuminati"

"Proof?" said Buffy.

"There is proof," replied the Lizard, "and I'm going to show it to you......but I want to remind you that the Archdeacon who wrote the De Nugis Curialuim told you this in 1190. Never written about before, somehow the Vampire shows up in this manuscript and is connected to the Knights of Templer and their destruction."

"Why would Vampires do that? As you said, it isn't really their sceene" asked Buffy.

"Not ordinary Vampires, Buffy. Illuminati Vampires. A different breed. A breed above the common vampire. Intelligent, quiet, resourceful and virtually immortal. Buffy think hard....organisations loose power when leadership changes and new 'management' takes over. Imagine a Vampire at the helm of something like the Illuminati. Imagine an underground world power with the long-range goal of , say, a thousand years."

He paused gauging if he should continue. "A vampire like your boyfriend." he ended quietly.

Buffy's eyes locked on his. For a moment her stomach sank but then she remembered.

Shaking her head negatively. "Couldn't be Spike, he's nowhere near old enough." she said with relief.

"And what makes you believe that." asked Larry.

"I have my sources" replied Buffy, thinking of the Watcher's Council and their tracking of Vampire's existances.

"Then your sources are wrong." said Larry slowly.

Buffy didn't argue. There was no point. Who knew anything for sure anymore?

"The diagrams. Let's get back to them." she said instead.

For a moment it looked like the Lizard might argue the point, but in the end he thought better of it.

"The flame you see there" he said, pointing, "is the eternal flame of the Illuminati, the star is six-pointed star, and the leaf is a maple leaf. The translation is that the Illuminati have control of Canada."

"Yeah right" said a disbelieving Buffy.

"OK then" said the Lizard, clearly annoyed. "Perhaps you can tell me why that very same symbol appears in Parliment House in Ottawa? Why would the Canadian government allow such a symbol in their Parliment unless they were controlled by it?"

For a moment Buffy was stumped, but then she retaliated. "The symbols might have other meanings. Nice meanings. Meanings that have nothing to do with the Illuminati."

"OK lets leave that one. Come and look at this one" said Larry pointing to another symbol. This one had a bird's spread wings. The body of the bird was outlined by two snakes. Between the snakes was a pyramid symbol with an open eye.

"This is a reproduction of an Egyptian symbol. The winged disk with the two snakes represents upper and lower Egypt. The eye is the All Seeing Eye of Ra or Osiris. It's function is to represent humanity undder survaillance...in ancient Egypt it is the eye of Osiris, it appears in with the Freemasons as the All Seeing Eye, and above all it is the symbol of the Illuminati."

"Go on" said Buffy as she stared hard at the symbols.

"The winged disk represents the great Egyptian Sun God Amen Ra....now look here" he said handing Buffy a dollar bill.

"Look at the Eagle. There are thirty-two feathers on the right side of the Eagle, which symbolises the 32 degrees inside the Scottish Right of Freemasonary. There are 33 feathers on the left side which recognises the honorary 33rd degree in Freemasonary. Look at the pyramid on the dollar bill. Do you se the letters MDCCLXXVI ?"

Buffy nodded.

"It means 1176. Now most think it is in reference to the signing of the Declaration of Independance, but that may not be so. 1776...." he was interupted by Buffy.

"1776 was also when that branch of the Illuminati started." she said slowly.

Larry nodded and then pointed back to the dollar bill. "Look at the nine tail feathers of the Eagle. That represents the nine beings in the innermost circle of enlightenment in the Illuminati."

He paused. "Buffy, I could go on and on. I could walk all over these rooms and showing you Ancient Egyptian symbols and then showing you how they are carried forward within goverments, politicians, currency and organizations around the world.......but I think you get the idea."

Buffy nodded wearily. "One last thing. On the other door out there, it says 'Novus Ordo Seclorum'....what does that mean?"

Larry looks at her pityingly. "New Secular Order"

"Oh" said Buffy slowly.

"Buffy, if you have any doubts try this one little thing for me. When alone...completely alone and quiet....take out a dollar bill. Turn it to the Great Seal. Then sit and stare at the eye of the pyramid. I'll tell you now, not many can stare for long. Isn't that strange?"

Buffy ignored him; she didn't have time for games.

"Larry, I really thank you for all your help but I have to go" she said as she turned quickly and headed for the door.

Larry watched her for a moment. "Buffy' he called.

She turned and looked back at him. "Get rid of that boyfriend of yours. He is a dangerous piece of work" he said earnestly.

Buffy gave a sad smile. "I always do what has to be done. Don't worry Larry."

As Buffy left the room, she turned and walked quickly towards the staircase. Her half baked idea was to go up there, find Spike, and demand answers. Granted, it wasn’t a great plan since she had absolutely no idea how she was going to get Spike to talk, but at least it was a starting point.

However, as she put her foot out to take the first step, she glanced upwards and then abruptly came to a halt.

At the top of the stairs, Buffy saw two people standing close to each other obviously deep in some interesting conversation. The woman looked vaguely familiar to Buffy but for the life of her, she couldn’t place it.

The woman, sensing that someone was looking at her, turned and looked down the stairs. She seemed to recognize the Slayer and an evil smile crossed her face as she said something to the man at her side. Taking a step forward, the man looked down the stairs at the Slayer before taking a disinterested step backwards.

The woman was so familiar to Buffy, but she still couldn’t work her identity out of her uncooperative memory. The woman and man were obviously Vampires but that didn’t seem to help Buffy place them. The woman was stunningly beautiful with dark auburn hair that fell to below her waist. She was dressed in an elegant pair of black, ankle hugging, corduroy jeans that she had finished off with a pair of black leather ankle boots. In contrast, her shirt gleamed with what seemed to be a material spun out of pure silver. The vampire at her side was equally elegantly dressed in a, perfectly cut, gray double-breasted suite.

And then the woman turned, and as she did her hair swung out around her. With that movement, Buffy had it. Cassandra!

The vampire from the Club that she and Spike had visited almost two years ago! The one who had tried to make her mad enough at Spike to kill him. What in the Hell was she doing here? More than that, was absolutely everyone that she knew, congregating in this God forsaken corner of Mexico!

Glancing up, Buffy noted that the Vampiress was on her way down. The male Vampire had not moved but stood watching Cassandra intently.

Buffy closed her eyes for a brief second. She didn’t want to talk to the Vampiress. In fact, to be honest, she did not want to be here at all. Things were just a little to crazy.

Without a word, Buffy spun on her heels and ran for the front door. Before the guard there could utter a protest, she jerked the door open and dived out into the sunlight, slamming the door behind her.

Skidding to a halt in the middle of the dirt road, she turned and looked back at the Temple. No one followed her out, but then she hadn’t really expected them too. It was the middle of the day. Barbecue time for vampires. As for the human guards, they knew they didn’t have the strength to overcome the Slayer without their Vampire accomplices. Buffy figured that no one would come looking for her until nightfall.

Turning around, Buffy took a look at the village. The last time she had been out in the village it had been nighttime and she had seen virtually no signs of life except for those in the Bar. She expected to see more people around now, since it was daylight. She was wrong.

Around her, the village seemed to be deserted. The only signs of life included an old woman walking down the road beside a donkey about half a mile away and a stray dog rummaging for food across the road.

"Very odd" said Buffy under her breath raising her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight.

Over too her right, about a mile away, she saw what appeared to be the outline of the sign that stood outside the motel that she had stayed at during her last visit.

"That means that bar is nearby" she said, still talking to herself. "Definitely somewhere to start." she said as she set a brisk pace in the direction of the Motel.

The walk was relatively short and uneventful. She only passed a couple of people on her travels and they all avoided eye contact with her. Once she found the Motel she stood outside and got her bearings, locating the Bar with minimal difficulty. Resolved to her task she set off for the Bar, hoping that someone would actually be there at this time of day.

She was not disappointed. Several old cars lay scattered around the parking lot and the sound of soft jazz music drifted out of a couple of open windows. Without pausing, Buffy opened the door and walked into the cool darkness.

Immediately several pairs of eyes swung onto her, before quickly turning away and ignoring her.

Buffy shrugged and headed over to the bar. The bartender watched her approach with something akin to hate.

"Hello again" said Buffy with the sunniest smile she could muster.

The bartender glared at her. "Get out, I don’t want you bringing them here."

"Bring who?" asked Buffy. "I’m all alone here. Just want to talk."

"You are with him. You brought him here last time. We don’t want him here again, so leave before I kick you out." ground out the bartender.

"Hey look. I’m with nobody and I certainly don’t want to cause you any trouble." said Buffy trying to calm the bartender’s ruffled feathers.

"It will be dusk soon. I want you out of here." repeated the bartender, totally unmoved by her arguments.

"Listen. I need some help. I need some answers to a couple of questions. You help me out and I’ll leave; promise." said Buffy, making a cross my heart gesture.

"Lady, there is no help for you and it is more than my life is worth to answer one single question. So please just leave. We don’t want any trouble."

"What exactly are you guys afraid of?" asked the Slayer turning to look at the patrons of the bar. Not a single one of them held her gaze.

Buffy opened her mouth to continue her argument, but before she could the doors to the bar burst open and in stumbled a man. Well actually it was a vampire covered in a softly smoking sheet.

"I’m what they are afraid of Slayer" said Spike lightly as he tore the sheet from his head, threw it on the ground and stomped out the smoking areas.

The bartender glared at Buffy. "See, you brought him here, now we will all have to pay."

Buffy ignored the bartender and walked over to Spike.

"What are you doing here?" she ground out.

"Chasing after you Slayer," he said as he dusted the last remnants of smoke and ash from his clothes. "and chasing after you is a full time job at the very least."

Buffy opened her mouth but was cut off by Spike giving a ‘time out’ signal.

"Just a minute Slayer" he said turning to the patrons of the bar. "Would you ladies and gentlemen mind leaving us alone for a few minutes"

He didn’t have to ask twice. The scramble of bodies hurrying for the door would have made any fire marshal proud at the quick evacuation time. Buffy watched the patrons’ hurried departure with a frown.

"You know, if I find out you are sucking on them, I’ll have no choice but to kill you." she said mater of factly.

Spike looked totally affronted. "Who me? Would I do something like that?"

"Stow it Spike"

"OK Slayer. Look lets leave that for a minute. We need to talk and we don’t have much time" he said as he moved over to one of the round bar tables and motioned for her to sit.

Buffy sat. "What is the rush, where are we leaving for."

Spike shook his head. "I’m not leaving, you are."

"Really" said the Slayer. "Pray tell, where am I going?"

Spike looked her dead in the eye. "Are you ready to listen or do you just want to ask questions?"

Buffy gave him a tolerant smile. "I’m all ears; shoot."

"You spent time with the Lizard and I know that Giles also talked to you before we came here, so I know that you now know about the Illuminati." he began.

"Hold up there. No I don’t know about the Illuminati, but I sure would be interested in you telling me about them."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and listen, we haven’t much time." he began. "To make things short and sweet, yes there is an Illuminati. It is more than, yet less than you have been told. It is not what most people imagine it to be.....but that is a story that we don’t have time for right now"

"Make time" said the Slayer forcefully.

Spike shook his head. "It would be a waste of time anyway, you’ll only forget."

Buffy’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean."

Spike sat forward in his seat and took hold of her hand which was resting on the table. "Buffy I wan’t you to think back to the night we spent together two years ago. I want you to focus on the time directly before we met in the gas station."

"What’s this all about?" said Buffy watchfully.

"Just do it Slayer."

"OK. Thinking" said the Slayer.

"Now tell me what happened.......anything specific that happened in the days prior to our meeting" asked Spike.

Buffy opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. The Slayer’s eyes became increasingly wild as she hunted through her memory for something, anything that she could tell him.

Finally she looked up at him. "I can’t think of anything. It’s like its there in my peripheral vision but when I try to look at it closely it fades away."

"Now Slayer, think about the two years between the time you saw me and now, and give me anything specific from that time period."

Again the Slayer tried, with her face becoming more distressed by the minute.

"What’s going on here Spike. Why can’t I remember?"

Spike took a deep breath. "You can’t remember it because those time frames do not exsist within this continuum."

Buffy stood up. "What in the Hell are you talking about? What Continuum"

"Sit down Buffy. We havent’ much time and I need to tell you all this before you go." Spike looked off into the corner. "I don’t know why I need to tell you......its useless you’ll just forget..."

Buffy sat back down. "Tell me"

Spike looked at her. "Couple of months back you died."

Once again, Buffy was on her feet. "Now I know you are crazy."

Spike ignored her. "I couldn’t save you. I tried, I really tried, but I couldn’t do it."

Buffy sank back into her seat. She felt detached from reality. Spike’s voice seemed to come to her through a fogged haze.

"Once you were gone, I couldn’t take it. I wanted you so much....so I brought you here. I shouldn‘t have, but I did."

"If I died....which I absolutely don’t remember anything about it.....where exactly is here?" said the Slayer slowly.

"Here is a continuum detached from the one you exist in. One of the reasons that the Illuminati have never been truly identified is due to the fact that they do not function on your continuum. This is the continuum of the Illuminati."

"Yeah right. Somehow I don’t believe all off this" said Buffy.

"It doesn’t matter what you believe, this is bigger than you. Buffy, for you, the reality of this continuum is about to collapse and when it does you will have no memory of this time or of the times we spent together in this place."

"Hold up. Back up. How did you create this continuum.......if this is real." asked the Slayer.

Spike looked evasive but Buffy was having none of it. "You’d better tell it all" she said warningly.

Spike nodded. "It’s a long story and it has to do with the theory of Virtual Chaos and the Time/Space continuum. But the hows and whys of how its done are secrets lost to history." He paused, looking for a way to explaing himself.

"You remember how you wondered about me being able to read the De Nugis Curialum?"

Buffy nodded.

"Well, you read English easily don’t you?" Spike asked.

"Yes...but your point would be?" replied the Slayer somewhat testily.

"How do you read English so easily?" continued the Vampire

"Because I grew up with it. It’s all I have ever known" said the Slayer quickly. "Why wouldn’t I be able to read English, that’s not the question here the question is how you come to be able to read ancient Latin..........." the Slayer’s words trailed off as her mind kicked into gear. The Lizard’s words came back to her....he’s old; very old.

Buffy looked up at Spike. "You read ancient Latin easily because you lived in that time." she said slowly.

"I read ancient Latin Buffy..........I also fluently read and write at least twenty ancient languages, some forgotten to history, including Ancient Egyptian."

Buffy looked at the man......the vampire.....sitting across from her. Bleach blond punky hair, long black leather duster, jeans.....don’t forget the black nail polish. That was the man she knew. This new stuff didn’t fit in at all.

"You can’t be that old. What about your sire? What about Dru and Angel?" she asked.

Spike shook his head. "Dru and Angel know the score and for reasons that we won’t discuss here, they watch my back........even when they hate me and want to see me dead."

"The Watchers know when you were sired." said Buffy still looking for a way to make this all go away.

"The Watchers know only what I want them to know Pet. A new hair color, and new style of clothes..." he said flicking at his coat, "....a new accent and a little slight of hand and I’m brand new again. Don’t like getting too old on paper........people get too interested in you when you become very old....better when they think your just a hundred or so years."

"The accent.......are you really English?" she asked.

Spike smiled. "What I am is long forgotten. Look at the shape of my face, it is not sculpted from modern lines." he leaned forward. "And with that we get back to your question about this place and the continuum."

He paused for a moment looking for the right words. "Researchers have often speculated about the Ancient Egyptians and their death rites. Some have speculated that they were visited by beings from outerspace. The researchers were close, but slightly off. What the Egyptians practiced was movement through the continuum."

"Are you telling me that you learned how to do this from the Ancient Egyptians?" asked Buffy.

"What my race learned from the Egyptians and what they learned from us is a mute point. It simply is."

"Why are you trusting me and telling me all this?"

"Because you will forget it all when you leave this continuum." he replied.

"Why am I leaving?"

"Willow aimes to pull you back" he said slowly.

"Willow?"

"Yep. She is right now busily working a spell to bring you back from the dead."

Buffy sucked in a long breath. This was all too much to take in.

"So why tell me if I’m about to forget it all."

Spike looked her straight in the eye. "Because I’m hoping that some vague memory of our time together will get pulled back with you......that you might not forget everything about our time together here."

At that moment a sharp pain hit Buffy hard in the stomach and she bent over clutching herself. Wild eyes locked on his.

"What’s happening?"

Spike bit his bottom lip. "Red’s spell is starting to work on you. You’ll be gone soon."

Suddenly the impact of all he had said hit her. Reality and belief surged in on her as she accepted the truth of all he had said. Her mind focused and then shoved out of the way all the none essential stuff. Gone were thoughts of the Illuminati and what they were up to; gone were thoughts of the implications of Spike’s age and his role in the Illuminati. All that was left was the realization that she was about to loose Spike.

"When I go back I won’t have any feelings for you? It will all be gone?" she asked.

Spike nodded.

Buffy took a deep breath and then took each of his hands into hers. "Promise me that you will make me love you again." she said quietly.

Spike closed his eyes against the pain, but Buffy squeezed his hands forcing him to open his eyes and look at her.

"Promise me you’ll take all the shit I hand out and that you’ll stay there with me until I either remember or fall in love with you again."

Spike hesitated. "I promise Slayer."

Another pain racked through Buffy and she began to fade before his eyes. The hands that he held began to loose substance.

Buffy looked at him in panic. "Please be there Spike. I need you."

And then she was gone.

.......and then, without movement, she was rushing through the darkness of the heavens. Stars and planets flashed by in an instant as she rushed towards her unknown destination. There was no fear or pain, only curious acceptance.

And then Spike was in front of her and they existed in their own capsule of space as the stars rushed by them. His eyes gazed into hers, mesmerizing her and promising her all that she could ever need, and though he made no movement towards her, she began to feel hands moving over her body as if trying to commit her form to everlasting memory. Buffy tried to raise her arms to touch him, but she seemed to have no form, no way to reciprocate the feelings that he was arousing in her body.

Then she felt him invade her as his mind entered hers. More than any physical possession of the body, this invasion of her mind generated the most erotic sensation that she had ever experienced or dreamed of. Gently he became her body and her soul as she fell into him.

And then he allowed her into his mind. She felt what she did to him and the power she held over him. She felt his need for her. She felt her own body under his hands and she saw the erotic fantasies that he held for them in his mind. She felt him moving in her and through her. Masculine and femine becoming one spirit and soul.

And then he was ripped away. All that remained was complete darkness and a loneliness that threatened to engulf her very existence...

Spike walked into the Egyptian room in the temple, dragging the terrified girl behind him.

Behind them came Cassandra and her partner.

"You can’t do this Spike. You are needed here." said the female Vampire.

"Yes William. You cannot shurk your duty for nothing more than a girl....a Slayer no less." said the elegantly clad male vamp.

Spike turned and glared at them. "Fuck you."

"Now William, there is no need for crudity." said the male vamp.

Spike threw the terrified girl into a corner and strode back over to the two watching vamps.

"I’m leaving, and if either of you two ass holes think you can take over in my absence think again. I’ve played with better in my sleep than you two could ever be, even if you lived to be a thousand." he ground out.

With that, he walked back over to the quivering girl and grabbed her hair, forcing her to her feet. Pushing her in front of him, he walked over to a diagram imbedded into the wall. Jerking the girl round to face him, he raised his hand ready to slit her throat but just before his hand struck, the girl’s face changed. Instead of the Mexican girl that he had grabbed outside the Bar, he was now holding Buffy. In an instant the image was gone, but the message remained. Buffy didn’t like him to kill.

Instead of slashing her throat, Spike gently took her throat in his hand and pressed in with his fingernails. Five small spots of blood welled to the surface and began to trickle down her throat and onto the floor. The girl’s eyes were wide and horrified but she stayed completely still.

Spike watched the blood accumulate on the floor until a small puddle was visible. Then, without another thought for the girl, he tossed her behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other two vamps take a step forward, excited by the smell of her blood.

Spike shrugged. He might no kill her, but he wasn’t interested in whether or not the other two did. He was not a good boy, just a little tamed by love.

Glancing down at the floor, Spike saw that the portal had begun to open. Within seconds the portal was fully open and pulsing at his feet. Without a glance backward, Spike stepped through.

In the Heavens the continuum hiccupped and and virtual chaos rushed to realigned itself.

Spike sat beside her and listened to the Slayer breakdown and tell him that she thought she had been in Heaven rather than Hell. That she had not wanted to come back and that she had been happy there.

He kept his emotions deeply hidden and simply offered her the comfort of his company. He knew that, as yet, she had no idea why she felt comfortable with him. Why it was only with him that the loneliness and depression left her. Why she was willing to share with him many of the truths that she would not share with her closest friends. As yet, it had not dawned on her that their closeness was unnatural.

Sitting so close to her and seeing her pain, hurt him. He want to reach out and love her in every way that a man could love a woman....but it was not time for that yet. He had promised her that he would make her love him again and he knew that would take time. There would be a time and a place for them if only he showed patience.

She stood to leave him, but then she turned back and told him that they, her friends, could never know the truth. That he must promise to keep the secret.

As he watched her leave, he thought about the irony of the situation.

"You’re wrong Slayer. It’s you who will never know the truth"

The End