Chapter 8


Giles made tea and bought it in.

Buffy had taken her place on Spike’s lap again.

Giles sat down.

“Ok, what’s going on?” Angel asked looking at Buffy and Spike.

“No, first things first, why are you here?” Buffy asked, addressing her question to Wesley.

“Why, er, um well, erm, it’s er”

“Fucking…SOMETIME today!” Spike shouted glaring at Wesley.

“To help eliminate the nest that Darla and Dru are with” Wesley said, amazed that he didn’t stutter once.

“I see. Have you thought this through? – Do you have all the facts?” Spike asked.

“Facts, thought it obvious, um…” Wesley nervously looked at Gunn then Angel.

“We thought that we could stop Darla and Dru from going to this party, make things easier for you and Buffy to do the job” Wesley said.

“And why would you want to do that for, is it so…” Buffy shut up as Spike squeezed her hip to make her quieten.

“I thought it was to eliminate the whole nest” Gunn said.

“And get rid of a third of the guest list, very clever, don’t you think that would arouse some suspicion?” Buffy said witheringly to the black guy.

“Man, is she scary!” Gunn whispered to Wesley.

“We, um, er, we thought that Darla and Dru might cause you some trouble, with Spike, we’ve c-c-come h-h-h-here f-f-f-for you’re b-b-benefit” Wesley stuttered.

“Bollocks you did! Spike shouted. I can handle Dru and Darla, what YOU don’t know-“

“You’d like to THINK you could handle them” Angel spat out giving Spike a filthy look.

“Oh, and I suppose you’re going to tell me that you could handle them, as they are going to listen to you. How likely is that, since you’re the person that locked them in a warehouse and then tried to torch them, sure, Peaches, gonna be wanting to listen to you with every fibre of their undead being, They’ll be all over their ‘Daddy’ like a rash, I don’t think.” Spike said

Wesley looked puzzled, so did Gunn, Angel looked at the floor.

“Angel, what does he mean?” Wesley asked puzzled.

“This true, man?” Gunn asked.

Angel said nothing at first, then nodded.

“When did this happen?”

“About four months ago” Angel said quietly. Spike whispered to Buffy, and they both stood, Buffy gave Spike her front door key, kissed him and he left, saying nothing else.

“Um, where’s…he go – oh” Wesley began.

“Why did you try and kill them and not tell us?” Gunn asked Angel.

“Because…” Angel began, but couldn’t form the words.

“Because, he’d been sleeping with Darla” Buffy said. Wesley and Gunn looked at Buffy, and then at Angel, they both looked shocked.

“Is this true?” Wesley asked, frowning.

“How…” Angel looked up, looking pained. Buffy pulled on her coat.

“Later” She said to Giles, and went.

“Buffy…I can’t even smell you for him…why?”

“You don’t get to ask, Angel, not any more” With that, she left.

“Is. That. True?” Wesley asked Angel, very annoyed. Angel just nodded. Gunn sucked in air through his teeth, Wesley looked at Angel.

“Just how STUPID are you, eh?” Gunn rounded on him.

“I know, I know!” Angel sighed, dropped his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry Giles, seems as though we’ve wasted your time, I thought by coming here, we could help, but this puts a new light on things” Wesley said, trying for the life of him to understand Angel’s behaviour.

“Only just found out myself” Giles said.

“Oh, yes, I bet Spike LOVED telling you that, didn’t he, eh, and what’s all this, sitting on his lap business?”

“Actually Angel, it’s for the job, they have to look like a couple – not forced or contrived, they need to be as natural as possible to blend in, and in all this, although Spike did tell me about what you had done as regards Dru and Darla, about this job, his main concern is not putting Buffy in any more danger than is necessary, his first and last thought is for her, full stop. You being there adds considerably to the danger – especially as you aren’t Darla and Dru’s No. 1 fan club any more ”

Giles said. Gunn stood up and said angrily,

“I don’t understand you, man!- Darla! – She could have turned you back…”

“NO, NO, she…she couldn’t have turned me, that’s why I…anyway, what right have you to judge me?”

Angel defiantly rounded and faced the young black man.

“I have the right, when your behaviour puts me and mine into danger, that’s when” Gunn said angrily. Wesley stood.

“Well, as we’re not needed…”

“You might be, and Gunn, stay if you want to, I’ll go” Angel said.
Giving him a withering look, Wesley said,

“Oh don’t act the martyr Angel, it makes me nauseous, you brooding” Surprising everyone, including himself.

“I take it you can handle everything here?” Wesley asked. Giles nodded,

“I hope so…”

“If he gets too close to Buffy, he’ll…” Angel began, but the three other males looked at him so he shut up, made for the door.

Gunn and Wesley said goodnight and left.
Driving away, Gunn said to Angel,

“Man, what were you thinking?”

Angel said nothing.

“You realise you could have put us ALL in more danger than was necessary, by you not telling us you tried to kill them, and screwing around with Darla?”

Wesley said. Still Angel said nothing.

Gunn slowed at the traffic lights. Angel seized his chance, and quickly got out.

From the back seat, Wesley leaned forward, couldn’t see him out of the front window, so he scooted backwards, to look out of the back of the van.

“I can’t see him, he’s gone” Wesley was rubbing the dirty window, to no avail. The lights changed to green, and Gunn pulled the van up around the corner.

“Shall we go look for him?”

“Doubt if we’ll find him…where the hell does he think he’s going?” Wesley took out his mobile phone, and phoned Giles. Giles in turn phoned Buffy’s house.

“Thanks for telling us, bye” Buffy put the phone down. Sighing, she turned to Spike and said,

“Angel’s done a runner out of the van, they were going back to LA, his mates were having a go at him about putting them all in extra danger over Darla and co…”

“So, he’s on his way back here” Spike said

“Suppose so, he’ll be demanding answers”

“He can demand all he fucking well likes, pet…we don’t owe him any explanations. Besides, we can’t tell him what we don’t really know ourselves, love” Spike cuddled her up.

Raising her head from Spike’s chest, she said,

“You um, you don’t think that he’s gone to that warehouse, you know, where Darla and Dru are, do you?”

“Any idea where they were when he got out?”
Buffy shrugged, and said,

“Giles didn’t say, all he said was he did a runner at the traffic lights”

“Well, let me think, I left, you came out, what…two, three minutes after me, say they stayed another ten minutes at the shop…main highway out to LA…most likely the traffic lights by Blockbuster Video on the Malahide Road.” Buffy nodded.

“Which is…about fifteen minutes hike to these warehouses that Darla and Co are holed up. Let’s phone Giles.” Buffy pressed ‘memory 2’ on her mobile, heard it ring.

She gave Spike the phone, and then ran upstairs to check things.

“Rupert Giles”

“Giles, it’s me, look, I’ve worked it out, Angel probably jumped out of the van at the lights at Blockbuster Video, it’s only about ten to fifteen minutes or so from where Darla and Co are…” Spike said


“Yes…yes, you’re probably right. Oh Gods, he could mess things up right Royally too if he goes there alone…they’ll know something is up – even if one of them stake him, they’ll wonder what’s up, why he was there, and be extra vigilant…”


“I know, look, if he doesn’t show at the shop or here in the next…say…twenty minutes, half an hour or so, we can assume that he’s gone there”

“Ok, look ring me if…oh, hold on………………Its Wesley and Gunn back, if he show’s, ring me, and if he doesn’t, ring me anyway, bye. Wes” Spike heard the beginning of a greeting to Giles’ watcher friend who had obviously returned to the shop. Buffy came back down stairs.

“I’ve made sure all the windows are locked, not that he can get in, but, well, you know…and he’s not in the tree, what did Giles say?”

“Well, he’s none too happy, reckons Angel would cock things up good and proper if he goes to the warehouse alone, he said if he does or doesn’t show here in the next half an hour we’re to phone him, and that Wesley and that black kid had returned to the shop.

Who is he anyway, cheeky bastard, pulling a stake on me…nice right hook though babe!” Spike added with a grin, winking at her.

“Just one of a band of ‘vigilante’ brothers who works with them…he got a brother turned or killed or something, I’m not sure, don’t care”


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

“No…ok then Giles…no, look, we better leave things for tonight, he’ll have to hole up somewhere during the day, we’ll have a better chance of finding him then…can he get into your place?”

“No, I did the de-invite after Jenny…”

“Well, at least that’s something, just be careful…ok, bye”

“Not there?” Buffy asked.

“No. He can’t get in at Giles’ place anyway, not since he killed that bird of his…”
Buffy nodded.

“Can’t here, either” Spike nodded.

“Wes and that other bloke, are staying at the shop, Giles is going home…you know, I’ve just thought…” Spike said.

“What’s that, baby?”

“I bet…I bet you, he’s gone to my crypt. Shit. He’ll tear the place apart” Spike frowned.

The phone rang; it was Giles. Buffy answered it.
“Hi”

“Hi, Buffy, is Spike still there, at your place?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because I’ve been thinking, he, I mean Angel might go to Spike’s crypt”

“That’s exactly what Spike just said. He’ll probably rip the place apart, too”

“Tell Spike to be careful, we need to get this job done, Dracula always goes back to his native Transylvania after St. Vigius, and it’ll be another eight months at least before we get another opportunity to have a bash at him else”

“Yeah, ok, but don’t worry about Spike, he’s going nowhere, he’ll stay here, with me – being at the crypt is too dangerous” Buffy said, looking at Spike and smiling.

“Night then, ring me, even if it’s the middle of the night if there’s any trouble”

“There’s a first, Giles worried about me!” Spike said with a grin

“He wants this job doing, else it’ll be eight months before we’d be able to have another crack at Dracula.” Buffy said. Spike nodded, then said,

“Um, did he say anything when you said I was going nowhere?”

“No, only to ring him, even in the middle of the night if there’s trouble”
Spike’s stomach grumbled.

“Hmm, my baby hungry?”

“Actually, I am, rather…”

“Well, I know where there’s a nice fresh supply…”

“Do you now…going to tell me?” Spike grinned

“Better than that, gonna show you, follow me…”
Giving her the sexiest grin, Spike said,

“Anywhere”
Buffy grinned, turned off all the downstairs lights, and led him upstairs.

******


“Oh, oh baby…oh, don’t stop…oh yes, oh Gods, oh, oh, now, now, now!”

Spike bit into the vein in her neck, and Buffy exploded into deep, hard climax, squeezing the life out of his massive cock that was buried to the hilt inside her. As her sweet hot blood flowed down his throat, he shot a heavy load against her cervix. He stopped biting when his orgasm subsided, they were panting. Spike licked her neck. Eyes rolling, he took his weight on his forearms.

“You ok baby, I didn’t hurt you?” Spike asked, concerned.

“No, you didn’t hurt me…just the opposite in fact…wow! Um, had enough?”

“Baby, never, but I’m not taking too much, you need your strength too.”
Spike lay to the side of her; she cuddled him up.

Angel practically fell out of Willie’s bar; he’d managed to swipe a bottle of Jack Daniels on the way out.

He staggered in the alley way, hit the bottle neck against the wall so it broke, put it to his lips, and drained it, cutting his mouth in the process.

When it was empty, he let it slip through his fingers, with a satisfying smash, and he reeled off in the direction of the Restfield Cemetery.

Banging open the crypt door, he slurred,

“Daddy’s home!” and promptly fell down the step, and went sprawling.

Spike usually kept a torch or a few candles burning…Spike. And Buf…no. No. No, no, no. Wasn’t possible.

A rat scurried passed.

“No, s’not poss’ble” Angel said out loud. He got to his feet, very unsteadily, and staggered over to the sarcophagus.

He lay on it, and passed out.

“Are you tired baby?” Buffy asked, stroking Spike’s face.

“No”

Buffy giggled, and dipped her head below the covers and began to tease and tickle his rapidly stiffening cock. Spike grinned, also ducked below the covers, and said,

“Turn round, put your feet up this way…” Buffy did as he asked, so that they were in the classic 69 position. After that, Buffy straddled his slim hips, but Spike turned her around, so she was facing his feet, he sat up while still buried in her, fondled her breasts and bit her neck with blunt teeth, the huge bulbous head of his cock was rubbing her G Spot, reaching down to where they were joined, he gently pinched and rubbed her slippery clit, making her scream loud and long through her orgasm.

Still she wasn’t satisfied, they made love facing one another sitting, with her on top facing him, where Spike played with her breasts again, teasing her nipples, and then to finish, he spooned against her back, where they fell asleep, with him still inside her!

Gods, carry on at this rate and there’d be nothing left of him…and was he complaining? – Not one little bit!
 

Chapter 9


At 6.10am, Angel came to with an ache in his head, one in his back, and a bad taste in his mouth. He sat up.

“Where the…” He propped himself up on one elbow, and tried to take in his surroundings.

Then the nightmare came flooding back to him, and he groaned, flopping back, cussing and hissing as he cracked his head on the hard stone, he’d forgotten, no pillow.

He covered his eyes with the crook of his arm. Three words just repeated themselves over and over again in his head. ‘Spike and Buffy’ He sat up with an angry roar, and then held his pounding head.


A thought hit him…perhaps…just perhaps…say if they were just pretending, seeing if them looking like a couple could fool him? – that must be it, MUST be…must be, must…lying down, he fell back to sleep.

He was aware of being shaken, someone calling his name.

“Angel…Angel”

“Huh”

“Never mind, huh, wake up” Wesley persisted

“Wha-what, wassa time?”

“Well, it’s nearly three, in the afternoon, Gods, look at the state of you…”

Wesley frowned and tutted at the mud spattered duster, and caked shoes, trousers filthy to the knees, and the blood on his shirt. Quite a lot of blood, in fact. There was dried blood on Angel’s lips too. Wesley frowned, he wondered where the blood came from…hoped to god he hadn’t…his hand curled round his concealed stake just in case…

“Angel…ANGEL!”

“What, ow, fu…what?” he scowled at the source of his irritation, Wesley.

Gunn was having a poke around the crypt.

Angel held his head.

“Here, drink this” Angel could smell coffee; he took the scalding mug off him and put it down on the sarcophagus.

Just then they heard a female voice demand,



“And just WHAT the HELL do you think you’re doing here?”, Buffy marched straight up to Gunn and snatched one of Spike’s books out of his hand, and put it back on the shelf. Nobody had heard her come into the crypt.

“Um, j-j-j-jus’ looking, that’s all” Gunn said

“Well don’t, it’s private, and WHAT, may I ask, are you doing here?” She glared at Angel

“Shh, don’t shout, my bloody head…” Angel winced.

“I, don’t care about your bloody head, again, I ask, in words of the smallest syllables possible, What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

She emphasised each word with a prod of the finger on his shoulder.

“Um, not now Buffy, eh? – we can have the recriminations later, can we, please?” Wesley said, frowning at the state of Angel, even when Buffy had died, Angel hadn’t got into this bad a state.

“Did you go see Darla?” Buffy demanded, loudly. Angel winced and mumbled.

“WHAT?” Buffy demanded sharply. Angel winced and said

“No!” As clear as he could. Buffy sighed.

“Good, at least that’s something, maybe we can carry on with the job after all then. Come on, drink up, and get going, this isn’t your crypt, you shouldn’t even be here” Buffy said.

Gunn had edged his way outside.

This woman, tiny as she was, scared the living daylights out of him. Angel took two gulps at the scalding coffee and scowled, sat up.

Buffy had her arms crossed, leaning on one hip, looking really angry at him.

“Are you and Spike…” he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“None of your business, Angel, now drink up, and go” For emphasis, she leaned forward and said,

“LEAVE”

“Buffy, it’s daylight” Wesley reminded her.

“Well, go through the sewers then you’ll come out by the man hole cover at the back of the Magic Box”

“Buffy, I’m..” Angel swung his legs around and stood up, he lurched towards her, and although she’d showered, all he could smell Spike, all over her, his essence, knew that they’d been intimate…many, many times by the smell of things, as Spike’s essence was very strong.

“You let that, that DEMON touch you…I bet he told you he was fucking crazy about you…well he’s crazy about fucking you, I can see and smell THAT!” Angel hissed at her.

Buffy narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, and then she smiled, wickedly.

“Yes, absolutely EVERYWHERE, and it’s SO INDESCRIBABLY GOOD, TOTALLY BEYOND WORDS, ABSOLUTELY THE BEST, OK, HAPPY NOW?”

Buffy got up close and personal, right in Angel’s face.

Wesley bit his lip and closed his eyes. Gunn looked horrified from the doorway.

Buffy turned to close the crypt door on Gunn, leaving him outside, so he hurried off.

She slammed and shifted the sarcophagus lid pushing it aside so they could climb down.

“Bloody move!” She motioned down the hole with her head, and Wesley and Angel went down. Buffy followed, and pulled the lid shut.


“This way, and keep up, I haven’t got all day” Outside, Gunn heard Buffy’s voice come up through some grating, and decided to go back to the shop.

Slipping and sliding, they slithered their way through the tunnels, and eventually Buffy climbed up four rungs of metal tube ladder, shifted a manhole cover, and disappeared upwards to ground level.

Her head appeared upside down.

“Well, come on, what are you waiting for?” She said impatiently.

“Daylight, hello” Angel said. Buffy tutted.

“Big wuss, put your coat over your head” Trying to do this, climb and hurry up too proved too much for Angel and he slipped.

“Give me strength…” Buffy leaned in, yanked Angel up by the collar into the daylight.

“Ah, ah – ouch - ow” He began to smoke slightly.
He dived into the shadow of the backdoor, trying desperately to cover his head with his coat.

Wesley climbed out, Buffy replaced the manhole cover. She looked up, saw Gunn coming towards them.

“Right then I’ll leave you to it, bye” She ran off.

“Man, that woman scares me to death, bloody glad I’m not a vampire!” Gunn watched Buffy as she ran off, and then looked at Angel’s pained face. He was going to ask Angel what the attraction was, but thought better of it.

“Brandy was it, that got you into such a state?”

“Jack. Daniels” Angel added unnecessarily, wincing.

“How many”

“Oh, I should say, two?”

“Two shots of Jack and you’re totally shit-faced? – man I “

“NO! Not two shots…two bottles, or there abouts” Angel frowned.

“Glad I’m not your kidney’s bro, or your head, or liver come to that. It’s probably good that you’re dead already…and by the way, whose blood’s that?”

Gunn indicated Angel’s shirtfront. Angel looked down, frowned, thought for a second or two, he had a ‘flashback’ to the broken bottleneck cutting his lip.


“Oh, um don’t worry, it’s mine, I broke the bottle neck to drink…”

Giles let them into the shop.

“What happened to you?!” Giles was shocked at the state of Angel.

“He got drunk, went to Spike’s crypt, not the warehouse, thank Gods” Wesley explained. Giles frowned at the state of him, and sighed.
 

Chapter 10


“Well, everything seemed alright, that Gunn bloke was nosying around, soon put him in his place.” Buffy went and sat on the bed.

“I really don’t like that bloke.” Spike said. He was lying in Buffy’s bed, hands clasped behind his head.

“I think he’s frightened of me, every time I look at him, he’s like a rabbit caught in the headlights.” Buffy grinned as she said it. Spike smiled.

“So, how was the brooding one, you say he looked dreadful? – Not that I give a rats ass, you understand!” Spike said grinning.

“Gods, he did indeed look dreadful…covered in blood and mud, his face bruised and cut…he’d got the mother of all hangovers apparently!”

Buffy beamed at this, even Spike couldn’t suppress a smile.
Buffy leaned forward and kissed him. Spike’s arms went round her, and held her tight.


“Enough about that wanker anyway. It was horrible when I woke up alone…”

“Ahh, poor baby…anyway, got you a treat”

“Oh?” Spike gave her one of his lopsided grins that made her heart skip.

“You know you said that the hospital throws out perfectly good blood?” He nodded.

“Well, I got to it before it could be incinerated” Spike raised his eyebrows.

“It’s in the fridge, 36 pints of the stuff, it should keep you going for a while…”

“Baby!” he kissed her again, and she struggled a little, Spike let her go, his eyes questioning.

“I must get on, I’ve got SO much to do…”

“Such as?” Spike still held her close.

“Things!”

“Such. As?” he grinned at her.

“Housework, for one, laundry, and shopping…”

Spike had begun to undo the buttons on her blouse. Buffy looked down and smiled.

“Are you even listening to me?” She was still smiling, but making no effort to stop him!

“Nope, got more important things to do!” Flipping up her bra, Spike moved his hands to her now freed breasts, and circled her rapidly hardening nipples with his thumbs, before raising one to his mouth, where he gentle began to tease the stiff nub.

“S-Spi-ike!”

“Umhmm?”


“Ooooohhhhh!” Two hours later, Buffy was lying back in Spike’s arms.

“Evil, you are. Totally incorrigible!”

She was smiling while she said it. Stretching like a luxuriating cat that had just had the cream, she turned on her side and propped her head up on her arm.

“That’s me!” Spike said, grinning, mirroring her posture, then he added,

“Well, I know how a vacuum works, (he kissed her) and a duster, I presume that this household is furnished with enough patented spray and wipe cleaners for every surface imaginable…(kiss) you put the laundry in (kiss) and then we can go late night shopping at the mall.”

He kissed her neck. Buffy shivered with delight.

“Re-really –ahhh, oh, um, gre-atttt! Oh!” She (with a little effort) got free, began to tickle him.

They play fought, hitting with pillows, tickling, till they both lay giggling and panting on the bed, exhausted.

“Gods, I’m knackered – she turned to face Spike and caught sight of the clock radio.

“Geez, have you seen the time?!” Buffy shot off the bed. Spike turned and looked, 6.10pm.

“’Bout the time I usually get up!”

“Come on, let’s get to it!”

“If this ever got out, Master Vampire, completely domesticated, I’d die of shame!” Spike stood from plugging in the vacuum cleaner

He switched on and began to clean, he even shifted the coffee table to vacuum under it.

“You’re already dead silly, and you move the furniture to vacuum-wow?!” Buffy said, grinning. She began to spray and wipe.


An hour and a half later, the place shone. Polished, vacuumed, garbage out, laundry drying, the only place they had left to do was the bathroom, but they’d do that in the morning.

Buffy phoned Giles.

“I was just going to phone you”

“Really?”

“Yes, to see if things were alright”

“Hunky Dory. Now, have they gone?”

“If by they, you mean Wesley and co, no, they haven’t.”

“Oh, terrific, but why not – I don’t see what they can do to help – plenty to hinder us, yes” Buffy said flatly, and shook her head at Spike, who rolled his eyes.

“Well, we might find a use for them, we could have Wesley waiting in the car for you or something, basically, I still think that they can help.”

“Like how, Angel gonna brood them to death with his hangover?”

Buffy asked with as much sarcasm as she could muster. Spike snorted a giggle, making Buffy smile.

“Buffy, come to the shop, and bring Spike, soon as possible, time is getting on”


**********

Buffy came striding into the shop. Gunn visibly shrank in his seat.

“Where’s Spike?” Giles asked.

“Just coming, parking the car…we stopped off at his crypt” Spike came in, glaring at the trio at the table, but nobody would look at him.

“So, what’s so urgent?” Buffy asked, leaning against the counter. Spike came and stood by her, rested his arm on the countertop behind her back, leaning towards her slightly.

“We should go and do a reccie of this warehouse, find out things.”

“What things, and why?” Buffy asked puzzled.

“Well, um, it’s important for us to …know their, um, movements…and”

“This is bollocks, and you know it. We’re not going to kill them, it’ll rouse too much suspicion; you know that.” Spike said


Buffy nodded. Giles took off his glasses, put them back on, removed them and began to clean them. There was silence for a few seconds.

“Oh, for Gods sake, come on babe, were wasting time here, we could be doing more important things, like… buying ketchup…”

Spike said and they both went to leave.

“Buffy” Giles said, she stopped, turned and looked at him in a bored fashion.

“Giles?”

Giles put his glasses back on, looked at them, then the three at the table.

“Um I er…”

“I’ll phone, later” Buffy said, and went through the door Spike was holding open for her. Angel banged the table with his fist, but said nothing.

Spike pulled up on the driveway of her house. Buffy put the shopping away.


Spike fed, Buffy had some pizza, and then Spike said to her,

“Never mind about that lot at the warehouse, want to go see the interesting stuff?”

“Dracula you mean?” Buffy asked grinning, holding both of Spike’s hands. He nodded.

“You’ll need to change though pet, something practical for climbing” Spike said.

Five minutes later Buffy came down in slim black pants and a black polo neck sweater.

“This do?”

“Great, now, it’s that old vineyard in WestPoint, do you know it?”

“Heard of it, never actually been there” They went out.

“Do you want to tell Giles where we’re going?” Spike asked as they got in the car.

“What, and risk the three mouse-ket-eers wanting to come too?”

Buffy smiled at her own joke. Grinning, Spike reversed off the driveway.

Parking a little way off from the entrance, they looked down on the huge lodge.

There was a lot of coming and going, vans and trucks. Buffy shielded her eyes from the bright moonlight, and squinted down. Spike morphed into game face, and watched for a few minutes.

Turning back into his human guise, he said to Buffy,

“Well, he’s not there yet, that’s for sure, he couldn’t stand the noise or all the coming and going on of the preparation…”

“Where do you think he could be?”
Spike pouted,

“Well, in his coffin, in some quiet dark cavern or dungeon somewhere, it would have to be unused by anything else…he wouldn’t use a vault or a crypt or anything like that…and no sound of running water, and not anywhere near anything religious, that’s why he doesn’t go into graveyards…”

Buffy came over and stood by Spike, and he put his arm around her.

They made their way down the steep rough scrub of the embankment to the lodge.

Quickly and stealthily they looked in through one of the windows. They could see this funny looking little man ordering people about, tables and chairs stacked … minions running back and forth.

A platform being built, sawing and hammering could be heard. They left and went back to the car, drove to the Magic Box.

It was empty.

“I wonder if that gizmo has come yet?” Buffy said

“What the thingy for killing Dracula?” Buffy nodded.

“Giles didn’t say?”

“No, he didn’t mention it, but yesterday he said it would be here today. Spike”

“Hmm?”

“Want to…go look see at the warehouse?”

Throwing his cigarette down, he ground it out with the toe of his boot, he grinned and they got back in the car. Half an hour of hard, fast driving, and they were there.

Turning down one of the side roads about half a block away, Spike turned off the ignition.

Seeing some people walking towards them, Spike quickly pulled Buffy into an embrace and kissed her.

“Wha-hmm!” She grinned at him.

“They were vamps, love” Spike said seriously.

The smile went from Buffy’s face and she nodded, she really did need to concentrate, she didn’t even sense them.

They got out of the car, and walked to the end of the block.

She tapped Spike on the arm, and he turned his head and looked at her, then to where she was pointing.

It was Gunn’s van.

Spike rolled his eyes, and motioned with his head for her to follow him. They stealthily ran / crept to the entrance, keeping low, ducking under the windows. Spike looked in, it was pitch black. He morphed, Buffy wasn’t scared, knew that with his preternatural hearing and sight he could do things she couldn’t.

Letting his human guise back, he whispered,

“All I can hear is Pain-gel and the three stooges! Gods, if any vamps are in there, and any of them are game face ………” Spike waved his hand for Buffy to back up, and they ran around the corner.

Seeing a gang of vamps walking down the road, Spike pulled Buffy into a doorway; he dropped his head to her neck, watching till they passed.


“Do you think that Giles and Co be in bother now?” Buffy whispered.

“No, look” They saw Wesley and Gunn run to the van, quickly followed by Angel and Giles.

Spike and Buffy walked hand in hand back to their car. They heard running and shouting, and he quickly got Buffy then himself inside and locked the doors.

“Some fuckin’ human’s sniffing and nosing around…’er ladyship will go ape shit if she finds out…”

Spike looked at Buffy, they smiled at one another.

“A lesson in how not to do things, I think.” Spike threw the car into gear, and roared off to the shop.

Spike went the back way taking the lanes, and pulled up a good five minutes before Giles and co did.

Buffy had agreed to let Spike do all the talking. They were sitting at the table when Giles and the others walked in.
 

Chapter 11


Buffy and Spike sat at the research table at the Magic Box waiting for the four to return.

“Oh, Spike, Buffy, you’re here, we’ve been-“ Giles began

“We KNOW where you’ve been, and, because you gave an excellent lesson in how NOT to do things, so do they.” Spike said.

“Whu-what?” Wesley looked worried and sat down

“Man…I said it was a bad idea…” Gunn shook his head

“We went to the warehouse too, we were outside, and all I could hear, was you, asking what you were looking for, (Spike pointed to Gunn) you (pointing to Angel) telling someone to get off standing on your coat, and you (pointing to Giles) having the sense to try and shut everyone up. What you omitted to do was wear gloves.”

Spike said. Wesley opened his mouth to speak; he frowned and was cut off by Spike continuing,


“And from our hidden vantage point we heard Daria run passed shouting, and looking for, and I quote, a bunch of fuckin’ nosey human’s, that was going to make her ladyship go ape shit when she smelt them, unquote”


“See, I told you we were…” Giles started to say angrily.

Angel pulled a face, and said,

“Huh, surprised that you two could drag yourselves out of bed to …” He didn’t finish. Spike hissed,

“Oh piss off! Grow UP! Let’s just hope that you drank enough last night to mask your bloody essence, mate, else this could all go pear shaped, if Darla and Dru smelt you.”

Spike said truthfully. Giles closed his eyes, Hell - he hadn’t thought of that.

“No one could smell me” Angel said irritably, hoping to the gods that that was true.

“Know that for a fact, do you? - Look, you poof, it’s ME on the bloody guest list, ME that’s taking Buffy, and if they think for one minute you’re around, it won’t take Dru five minutes to think that we’re all in league somehow, and that puts us in danger, me and Buffy, and I WILL NOT, repeat, WILL NOT have Buffy put in any more danger than is necessary, you got that, Peaches, it’s US two that’s taking the risk, not you, so just bloody well think on before you do anything else reckless, ok, just butt out”


The silence was deafening. Buffy had slipped her hand into Spike’s. Giles then said tentatively,

“Well, um, erm I er, I, I wonder if Dracula’s arrived yet?” Giles said, desperately trying to change the subject of their incompetence.

“No, he hasn’t, the stage is still been built, too much coming and going yet, too much noise and preparation” Spike said.

“You’ve been there, without back-up?” Giles frowned.

“Back up? Yeah mate, managed great without Grumpy, Sleepy, and Dopey there too”

Buffy found it hard to suppress a grin and she looked down, biting her bottom lip.

“So, um any idea’s as to where he’d be?”

“Know his M.O, yeah” Spike said.

“Shall we have some tea and talk about things?” Giles suggested.

“Rather chew my own arm off” Buffy whispered to Spike, who giggled.
Angel shot her a hurt, angry look.

“I don’t notice you wearing gloves, anyway” Angel said to Spike.

“What? – What for? That’s because we had no plans to do anything other than watch for a while, anyway, I’m on the guest list, being head of Clan Aurelius, and not persona non grata like you”

Angel stood up, and said angrily,

“You’re NOT head of Clan Aurelius…”

“Oh, you telling us Darla succeeded then, ANGELUS?” Spike asked defiantly.
Deflated because Spike had a very valid point, Angel blustered,

“NO! No, erm, no, she didn’t…”

“Actually Angel, as the right of succession isn’t cognatic, and in point of fact, as Angelus doesn’t exist, Spike IS in fact the rightful-“

“OKAY, ok, don’t go on” Angel snapped at Wesley, wishing he was anywhere but here, right here, right now.

Every single word Spike had said was true, much to Angel’s chagrin, and what he’d said about putting Buffy in danger, well, that was true also.

He’d been shocked at the depth of feeling that Spike had put into the ‘not putting Buffy into anymore danger than is necessary’ speech, he could tell, Spike REALLY meant that.

“Has the device come?” Buffy asked.

“Erm, well, we thought it best that um…”

“That you keep it away from me in case I get tempted to use it on some other vampire?” Buffy quirked an eyebrow, and pushed herself away from the counter,

“Probably right, come on lover, let’s go home”

“But Buffy, we-“

“Later, Giles, bye” They left.

“You were brilliant!” Spike said, catching her around the waist.

“Me? –What did I do – Nothing! Funnily enough though, I was just thinking the same about you…”

They’d stopped just outside the shop. Buffy gave Spike a rather passionate kiss.

Giles coughing discreetly interrupted them; he’d followed them out to talk to them. He was embarrassed.

Buffy rolled her eyes. He walked towards them as they stood next to Spike’s car.

“What is it, Giles?” She asked in a bored fashion.

“Buffy, I don’t have to remind you how serious this matter is, the device is here, well, half of it, come to the shop early in the morning please, and we’ll go through things”

Without smiling, Buffy said,

“Fine, but just remember, it’s not us that’s been acting amateurish in this situation, is it?”

She got into the car; Spike said nothing, drove off.

“Pompous prick!” Buffy folded her arms and pouted.

Giles went back inside the shop, to find Angel and Wesley bickering.

“Whatever happened to loyalty, eh?” Angel asked.

“I wasn’t being disloyal! I merely pointed out that as the females can’t be clan heads, and you are no longer Angelus, then –“

“Alright, ok, you don’t have to go on.” Angel said irritably

“I never did find out, what were we looking for” Gunn asked.

“I told you we should have worn gloves”

Giles thought he’d add his four pen’noth

“Spike DID make a good point about them smelling you though, Angel” Wesley said. Angel looked at his feet.

He felt wretched, never felt so alone and miserable in all his existence.

“Can we go back to LA, my sister Letitia is due to give birth anytime soon and-well, I’d like to be there for her.” Gunn said.

“Might as well, you’ll ring me if you need help?” Wesley said. Gunn and Wesley stood.

“Angel?”

“You carry on, I’m staying”

The three males frowned.

“Do you think that’s wise, after all that’s been said?” Wesley asked.

“Where will you stay?” Gunn asked.
Giles was still frowning, he didn’t want Angel staying in the shop, or his place, he’d never forgive him for Jenny, he knew it wasn’t strictly Angel, but…

“Don’t worry about me”

“Hey, man don’t go to that dude’s crypt, the slayer’ll …” Gunn didn’t finish.

Wesley and Gunn shook hands with Giles, and patted Angel on the shoulder.

“Are you sure you won’t come home Angel?”

“I have things to find out” Angel said quietly.

Wesley nodded, and the two left. Giles came in and shut the door. Sighed, this wasn’t going to be fun at all.
 

Chapter 12


“So.” Angel said, looking at Giles, who sat opposite him. Giles took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose.

“When did this all start?”
Sitting back in the chair, Giles put his glasses on, and said, without stuttering;

“I take it you mean this…relationship between…(Angel nodded) Couple of day’s ago, if you’d have seen Buffy’s reaction on Friday to this job and working with Spike, screamed there was ‘no freaking way on this earth that she was going to do it with Spike’, to the next day, when they are all over one another like a rash, couldn’t keep their hands off… first, they told me it was acting for the party, but then they come clean, and say they don’t know what happened themselves, but they don’t want ‘it’ whatever ‘it’ is, to end, but remember, he’s had to bite her, put her under his thrall”

“WHAT, WHY?”

“To mask her soul, don’t forget, she’s encountered Dracula before, he’s bitten her, he’d know instantly the slayer was there, then so would a hundred and twenty or so other vamps…give or take”

“And Willow is?”

“Willow – Um, well, she’s away at university, Oxford, England, why Willow anyway?”

“Because she’s a witch, spells… And Spike?”

“Wasn’t even going to the party, wasn’t all that keen to go either, said it wasn’t his style at all, he honestly took some persuading, when I suggested it, he asked me when I thought he’d had a frontal lobotomy to go along with such a hair brained scheme”

“Buffy hasn’t got a boyfriend?”

“No”
Angel pursed his lips and said,

“It’s the sex then, it has to be”

“What?”

“Spike, it’s the sex, that’s one thing that Spike is very…VERY good at. Once, at the Elysée Palace in Paris, I saw must have been at least two dozen noble-women fighting over him…a real cat-fight…several told me, ‘he was the best fuck in the world’.”

Angel looked down, a pained look on his face.

“Oh, erm, oh” Giles didn’t know what to say.

“But I don’t understand…” Giles began.

“Spike is very good at sex, what isn’t there to understand about that?”
Angel asked irritably.

“Yes, o-o-o-ok, g-g-g-got that, b-b-b-but…”

“But what?”

“Well, that might be the case but, well, isn’t there supposed to be some attraction between people before, well before they hit the sack?”

“Oh yeah, like it hasn’t been his every waking thought to jump her bones ever since he clapped eyes on her…you know, thinking about it, it could be him wanting to get back at me for taking Dru…”

“You’re forgetting one thing, Spike’s known her for years, why hasn’t he tried anything before now, and well, that doesn’t explain Buffy’s reaction, does it?”

“Could Spike have got a spell do you think?” Angel asked.

“No, Spike doesn’t like magic, he’s always said with magic there’s consequences” Giles took his glasses off, and stood up. Giles had to be careful; he didn’t want to raise suspicion.

“Angel, she’s a grown woman, and why does this have to boil down to you, anyway?”

Giles replaced his glasses and looked Angel full in the face. Ignoring what Giles had just said, Angel continued,

“And you’re her watcher…”

“Yes, exactly, her watcher, not her father, or her moral guardian…she might just be…”

“Well?”

“Well, they’ve worked together before, Spike can ‘kick ass’ I believe is the terminology you use…and now the other’s are not around, Willow in England, Xander and Anya married…maybe they just got talking and found out that, well, they were mutually attracted.

Don’t torture yourself Angel, you incur her wrath over this, and she’ll stake you, you can be sure of that, same as if I tried to put my foot down and create about them seeing one another, I’d be told to mind my own business, she did it with me when I wasn’t happy about you at first…and she was 16 then, she’s nearly 21 now…I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but whatever she is, she’s professional, and I do believe Spike when he says he won’t have her in any extra danger, look how he tore into us earlier, and I’m sorry to say this, but he was right on every count”


“Yeah…he does care, I can see that, when Spike’s committed to something, he doesn’t let up until…look how long he stuck with Dru.

But I KNOW they’ve been well, they must have had an awful lot of sex…I couldn’t even scent her because of his essence…”

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it, make the job easier…Go home Angel, you’ll do no good here” Giles urged. Angel nodded.

“You’re right, but they’re well gone now, aren’t they?”

“Here, take my car, Wesley can always drop it back” Giles threw Angel the keys to his Citroen.

“Thanks Giles…”

“Just mind the clutch when you go for third gear”

“Yeah, not just the car, for making me see sense, I’d have only sat out in the tree torturing myself listening to them” Giles raised his eyebrows, then said

“Erm, yes well, I’ll tell them we had a little chat, and…”

“No! – I don’t think they’d take kindly to know they’d been talked about”

“What, oh, no, I suppose…well, um could you drop me off?” Giles asked. Angel said,

“Sure” And Giles got his coat. He drove home carefully, still none the wiser as to Buffy and Spike’s relationship, but at least he felt…not better or definitely not happy about it, no, more…accepting? – Perhaps, he’d see.

When Angel had gone, Giles leant back against the door and blew air up his face. He’d got away with it; nobody suspected it was him with the spell…
 

Chapter 13


Spike was drowning in pure ecstasy, her soft tight cushiony walls, slick and hot were stretching to accommodate his huge manhood, Buffy writhed and bucked, moaned and begged underneath him. Gods, never had anything felt so good!

Pulling out nearly all the way, Spike thrust up hard, making Buffy emit a little grunt of pleasure each time he thrust back up deeply inside her.

Her legs wrapped tightly around him, ankles locked, she scratched his back leaving raised red welts, she bit his neck and shoulders, crying out how good, and massive he was.

She couldn’t get enough of him.

And Boy! Was there a lot of him to have, and she wanted him. Every last millimetre, filling her, stretching her, she felt reborn, wanton, nothing had ever felt so good as this, and she wasn’t about to give it up either.


“W-want-you, oh, Gods, don’t stop, Spike…uhn, oh…” She bit her bottom lip, the climax she could feel building was going to be a tooth-rattler.

Her head rolling, exposing her neck, she pulled his head to her. They kissed, lip-bruising, passion fuelled kisses, and as he felt the first tight clench of her orgasm, she pressed his mouth to her vein.

Increasing her pleasure ten fold, she cried out how he was the best, and she belonged to him. This did it for Spike, that and the fact that her sweet tight little pussy was wringing every last drop of come out of him.

As their orgasm’s abated, and they calmed, panting, Buffy ran a hand through her hair.

“That was incredible…YOU are SO…” She turned and looked at him.
Spike was looking at her with such awe, such tenderness, and dare she even think it, love?

“Me, uh huh, it’s you, babe, so sweet and beautiful and delicious and…hmm”

Buffy wrapped her arms around him; he lay his head on her breast, where she stroked her fingers through his hair, soothing him.

He woke virtually in the same position. Smiling, he couldn’t resist raising his head, and circling her nipple with his cool tongue. Immediately the areola puckered, and the nipple stood proud, he sucked it into his mouth gently, swiping his tongue back and forth over the hardening nub.

Buffy mewled, then gasped, smiled in her sleep, she stroked his head, although she was still asleep. Spike stopped his ministrations, and looked at her…Gods, who’d have thought it, she was so beautiful…

“You’re SO beautiful,” Spike whispered.

Buffy’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled, turned her head to look at him fully in the face.

“Hello baby” her voice cracked, still thick with sleep. She stroked her hand through his hair.

Spike’s undead heart fluttered.

“’Lo, beautiful” Spike said seriously. Buffy cupped his face and leaned up for a kiss. So tender, so ooooohhhhh godddds! What a kisser…Flopping back breathless, she pulled his hair, softly tugging, she traced round his ear and down his neck with her finger, making him shiver with delight.

Buffy looked at the time, it as 5.25am.

“I won’t be long” She got up and went to the bathroom.
Two minutes later, she got back into bed, all relieved and minty fresh. She cuddled up to Spike, stroking his strong back.

Spike nestled in as close as he could get.

“You ok baby?” Buffy asked, she had her eyes closed, still stroking him.

“No” Spike said.

Alarmed, Buffy was wide-awake, and tried to sit up, but Spike was reluctant to let her go.

“Why, what’s the matter, baby?”

“I’m scared. I’m scared that you’re suddenly going to…(he looked away from her for a few seconds) come to your senses or start thinking about what Angel said, or something, and…well, leave me”

The last two words came out barely above a whisper, and he swallowed nervously. She smiled, and hugged him close, running her fingers through his hair.

He loved that, and she knew it soothed him too.

“Don’t be scared baby, I don’t know what’s happened to us, but I know this much, I don’t want it to end, I promise you, not now, I couldn’t give you up, it’s too good between us, too special…I won’t let anything spoil it.”

Buffy hadn’t taken her eyes off his as she spoke, she saw everything, passion, fire, anger, but most of all she could feel love, see it, knew it, as sure as she knew it was growing inside her too… Spike kissed her.

He always kissed her as though it might be the last time, as though everything was ending, they left her breathless and full of want.

Gently pushing him down on his back, Buffy straddled his slim hips, nuzzling his neck, she whispered,
“Hmm, want you…need you………got to have you, you are so gorgeous, so big and so good…”

Spike’s eyes rolled, god, she was sex on legs, and just looking at her was turn on enough, but this – her words, her…

“Ooooohhhhh! Buf-fy!” Spike groaned as her soft warm femininity slid down over his hardness, deep into the core of her need.


Leaving Spike in bed, Buffy took herself off to town, arranging to see him at the shop after lunch.

“Well, I don’t know what you said, but something must have filtered through, I was expecting him to be sitting outside in the tree”

Buffy said to Giles.

“Yes, well, and he did…I said I wouldn’t say anything, we didn’t think you’d appreciate being talked about.” Giles said. The phone rang, and he went to answer it.

Buffy came and stood behind Spike, and she leant her arms on his shoulders, whispered. Spike held her hands in front of him, they just had to be touching.

“I swear to you, I haven’t used magic, baby, I wouldn’t, I don’t…”

“I know baby, I trust you, believe you…hey, I want this to be-“

“Well, shall we get on?” Giles came in brisk and efficient, trying to regain a little credibility from last night’s fiasco of the warehouse.

Giving Spike’s shoulder a little squeeze Buffy whispered ‘later’ and came and sat next to Giles.

“Right, this, is it” Giles put a small box on the table, slipped it out of its cardboard sleeve.

“Spike, I’d come and stand over here if I was you, just in case” Giles said, and Spike did so.

The box was of the type that would have held a ladies watch or fancy pen, long and slim.

He opened it, and at first glance, you’d have thought that’s just what it was, a pen.

Slim and black, pointed at one end. Giles took out a folded piece a paper, and smoothed it out on the table, and began to read the instructions.

Taking off his glasses, he said to Buffy, seems you really use it as a stake, except that this bit here, at the end, when you drive it into his heart, you press this little end bit, and it injects a very concentrated holy water type fluid that’ll make it hard for him to re-materialise, then if he wasn’t standing on the cloth, you use it to ‘mop up’ and dust, it’ll cling to it like a magnet apparently, then you drop everything into the lead lined box…which we still haven’t got yet, but it’s on its way as we speak”
 

Chapter 14

“Can I?” Buffy held out her hand, and Giles passed her the device.

“What’s it made of?” Spike went to touch it, and it burned him, there was a hiss like water on a hot plate.

“Ow!” Spike sucked his finger.

“Baby – you ok?” Buffy looked concerned, kissed it for him. Giles rolled his eyes.

“Well, supposedly, wood from the crucifixion.” Giles said. Buffy’s and Spike’s brows rose.

She put it back into its box.

“So, what way are we going to do this…before, during, after the party?” Buffy asked Giles.

“Ah, well, we thought that-“

“We?”

“Um, yes, Q-Q-Q-Quentin and I erm………… d-d-do what y-y-you w-w-want, really”

“I should think so too! I mean, well, fair’s fair, it’s Buffy taking the risks… she should play this how she wants” Spike said.

Buffy smiled and squeezed his hand.

“Yes, well, do please concen…trate” Giles looked down at the floor, away from Spike’s irate stare.

“We will, I won’t have her in any more danger than is necessary, we’ve been through this, I seem to remember.” Buffy held Spike’s hand, his angry look disappeared when he looked at her, and he couldn’t help giving her a soft little kiss.

She leant her head against Spike’s shoulder, and slipped her arm around him.

Giles looked at the two of them and nodded, he did believe him.

A delivery driver rapped on the door. Giles went, came back a minute later carrying a package wrapped in brown paper.
“Is that it? – I was expecting something bigger” Buffy looked at the box on the table.

It was roughly three inches wide, by four inches deep, and about seven inches long.

“Well, it only has to accommodate a handkerchief and the stake thingy, doesn’t it?” Giles said.

“I suppose”

“What’s that, Dracula’s coffin?” Spike asked, grinning. Buffy nodded and smiled.

“Spike, are you going to see Dru?”

“No, I’ve, we’ve, Buffy and I’ve decided, that if Buffy has her hair dark, Dru won’t recognise her, we’ll keep very much to ourselves, if Dru thinks I’ve got myself a new queen, she dare not act up, anyway, she’s probably got someone else herself.”

“Erm, here’s the receipts, for the outfit” Buffy handed three tickets to Giles.

“Victoria’s Secret? – Valentino? Jimmi Choo?! Buffy!, this isn’t what we agreed!”

“I think the Watcher’s OWE me, don’t you, Giles?”
“Yes, but underwear and shoes too, good gods, HOW MUCH?” Giles whipped off his glasses, incredulous that underwear could cost so much!

“Got to look the part, need the um…foundations to get the look I’m after.”

Spike went to nosey into the lingerie bag, but grinning, Buffy slapped her hand on it,

“Wait, you’ll get to see it soon enough” she whispered, grinning.

Giles had his back to them, Spike pressed Buffy back over the table, gave her a kiss, breathed,

“Can’t wait” Into her ear. Buffy shivered, her nipples hardened, and Giles turned to say something, and they jumped apart.

“I think for safety’s sake we better put the nipples – erm, um, er, er, I-I-I-I m-m-m-m-mean b-b-b-box, the b-box away” Giles went blood red, and strode off behind the counter rummaging about unnecessarily underneath.

Spike held the back of his neck, and looked up to the ceiling, trying not to laugh, Buffy had hunched over till her nipples had gone back to normal, she swatted Spike’s backside, they were both grinning.

“That was your fault!” She suppressed a giggle.

“So, Saturday morning, I thought that you could come here and- “

“No. Not Saturday, not the day of the party, we need to be together, all day” Spike said to Giles, indicating just him and Buffy.

“Yes, well, I understand that, but I thought that you could practice scenario’s in the training room, and”

“No, we won’t be practicing, we just need to be together, is all”

“Oh, but”

“No buts mate, just me and Buffy, alone at her place, okay?”

“I see.”
Giles looked from Spike to Buffy.

“Well, can I see you on Friday night, just to have a quick run through?” Buffy looked at Spike, to take her lead. He nodded.

“Sure”

“Good. Oh, that blasted phone…” Giles went off to answer it.

“I could leave you in bed Saturday, and” Buffy began.

“No, baby, because WE’LL be in bed, all day!” Spike said with a grin.

“ALL day, Spike!”

Pulling her to stand between his legs, Spike said,

“Listen babe, we need to cover you with as much of my essence as we can, we can’t have Dru smelling the slayer and ruining things, can we – or Dracula twigging that there’s something up?”

Spike reasoned, but he couldn’t keep the extremely happy tone in his voice or the grin off his face while he said it. He carried on,

“I mean, if we hadn’t got ourselves…involved, then things would have been different, but we have, haven’t we, babe – Got ourselves involved?”

“We sure have”. Buffy couldn’t help herself, and she kissed him.

The thought of being in bed all day with Spike as part of official business, almost made her feel guilty, she grinned when she broke off the kiss.

“Steady on, you’ll frighten the customers” Giles said.

Buffy stayed where she was, her forehead resting against Spike’s. Giles wanted a quick word with Spike alone, so he said,

“Oh, er Buffy, go get all the burber root’s we’ve got in the storeroom, would you, Spike can have them”
Spike grinned.

“Really, oh, thanks!”

“We can get them on the way out” Buffy said. Giles looked pained.

“Please Buffy”

“Oh. Ok” So taking the hint, she went off. As she disappeared from view, Giles turned to Spike.

“Right, Spike, you swear you’ll not get Buffy into any danger”
Spike looked at Giles, and said honestly,

“I promise you Giles, I’d cease to exist before I saw her hurt or in any serious danger.”

“Do you love her, Spike?”

“Think I must do, although…(Giles raised a brow) I know I shouldn’t, but I do, very much.”
Giles nodded.

“I’ll see if I can get you some expenses…gas money, bottle of scotch, something”

“Oh, er yeah, great”

Buffy came back upstairs from the stockroom with about half a carrier sack of roots.

“Can we scrounge a lift?” Buffy asked.

Um, can’t I’m afraid, I haven’t got my car, I leant it to Angel so he could get home”

“Oh, thank gods for that, I’m so glad you did, if he’d have hung about last night, I’d have staked him for sure.”

Buffy said, and Giles looked mildly surprised.

“Oh, um right, come on then, see you Giles” Buffy picked up her three carrier bags, and Spike got Burber root, and the left via the tunnels.


********


“Gonna show me then?” Spike went to open the lingerie bag that lay on their bed. He was grinning.

“I suppose I’d better, else you’ll never stop going on about it…what are you going to wear, anyway?”

Buffy began to undo her blouse, and Spike pulled out a lacy Basque. His eyes went big and he swallowed, Buffy slipped it on, adjusted the top, so her breasts were pushed up high and full, almost spilling over…

“I won’t put the stockings on, don’t want to ladder them. Pass me the blue bag, please”

“Huh, wow!” Slowly, and without taking his eyes off the beautiful sight of her all trussed up in black lace, Spike passed her the designer bag. She drew out a black silky dress, strapless, short, tight, and she looked sensational.

“So, what do you think?” Spike was speechless, then he said seriously and quietly,

“He’ll want you for sure”

Buffy cocked her head and gave Spike a little smile, and said,

“Baby, all Dracula’s going to get from me, is a staking…I promise. Want to see the shoes?” Spike lifted the lid on some very thin strapped high diamante strewn sandals.

“They might not be suitable for fighting, but I can always wear my patent leather pumps…don’t tell Giles I spent $350 on shoes for nothing!”

“How much?” Spike grinned. Looked up at her, she’d taken off the dress, and was standing there, her back to him in just the Basque, slipping her dress onto a hanger.

She smiled as she heard his zip being pulled down, and when she felt his cool fingers inching up her thigh…is cool soft lips on her neck, she was TOTALLY gone……

The sight of his massive cock as he plunged in and out of her, from behind, it all shiny with her copious juices had Spike frantic for release, never had he seen anything so erotic…reaching round he gently pinched and rubbed her slippery clit, making Buffy shriek and force herself back on him hard, so he was so deep, he felt the sweet hot tight clench of her orgasm, and cried out as he came deep and long and hard, surging up again and again, till he was well spent.

Slowly pulling out of her, thick rivulets of cool semen ran down her thighs…she felt hot, sticky and fuelled up for more…
Showered, and back in bed, Spike said,

“If he makes a move on you…”

“Which is what we want him to do, it’ll make the job easier, he takes me to his room, I stake him, we go, end of story”

“But love…his brides will be with him, Christina, Elvira and Elizabeta”

“Well, I’ll play hard to get…” Buffy reasoned, then added,

“I suppose you c-c-could, um…”

“No, I couldn’t, feign interest in them – they’d know in an instant I was lying…”

“But I thought you said they were beautiful?”

“They are…but, well, they couldn’t hold a candle to you” Buffy smiled and stroked his face.

“Oh, my sweet baby…look, if we’re in danger, either of us, we just get out, I don’t want anything happening that might harm you”

“Buffy!” Spike kissed her passionately, and she responded with equal fervour.

They made love all night again, and Spike fell asleep. Buffy got up, went into the bathroom, and dyed her hair a rich mahogany brown.

She got back into bed. When Spike woke sleepily at 11.28am, he glanced at the sleeping brunette and went to cuddle her, then he shot up, staring, then realised what she’d done.

“Gods, you gave me a fright, thought I was in bed with a stranger!”
Buffy smiled, tousled his already unruly locks and said,

“Not the only one going dark, and those waves are SO sexy…”

“Really, it’s keeping it tidy, as I can’t see in a mirror”

“I’ll keep you looking gorgeous” Buffy kissed him. Spike ran his hand down her hair,

“You look so different!”

“Good, that’s what we want isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I know…take a little getting used to, though.

“Ah, but you still love me, right”

“Oh, of course I do, I’m just not used to………” he swallowed, looked at her serious faced, he realised what he’d said, he hadn’t voiced the fact that he loved her before…

“I’m sorry, that was a rotten trick. But, I’m not sorry what you said” Buffy said, moving in close.

“No?” Spike looked at her. it was blinding obvious, he WAS in love with her…
She smiled, leaned in and kissed him softly,

“Not sorry one little bit, because I –“

Spike and Buffy sighed deeply, and Buffy answered the phone.

“Willow!” Ten minutes later, Buffy put the phone down.

“Well, I think she’s happy for us”

“Well, you did kinda spring it on her, love. ‘Hey guess what, Spike and I are an item!’” he smiled, feeling a little bit sad, wondering if they could get back the mood of ten minutes ago…

“So, what were you going to say, before the phone rang?” he asked hopefully

“Say? …Oh, um I forget” She bit her bottom lip to stop from smiling.
Spike just nodded once, looked a little sad.

The sadness soon went as her hot little fingers crept down over his cool smooth abs, towards his rapidly stiffening manhood. After licking and sucking him to a frenzy for ten minutes, she sat astride him desperately wanting to feel him inside her, she sank down on him, groaning erotically, Spike reached up, fondled her breasts, teased her nipples, she looked magnificent rising and falling on his huge hardness, her head rolled, eyes closed, mouth half open emitting one long continuous ‘ooooohhhhh’, Spike swiped his thumb across her slightly distended clit, and Buffy moved harder and faster, fluttering her inner muscles, he held her hips and thrust up really hard, pushing right up into her cervix, Buffy screamed that she was coming for all the world to hear, lost on a sea of pure orgasmic pleasure, she croaked out,


“You, only you, baby, I – I love you!” Spike surged inside her, panted out,

“Say…say it a-a-again, plea, please baby!”

“I, love, you…I love, you, I love you! Ooooohhhhh!” She multiple orgasmed as Spike clung to her as she squeezed him with her strong vaginal muscles.

“Buffy, I love you…oh, gods, Baby I love you” nothing had ever sounded better than those words, sweet music to his ears.

Gently resting against his cool chest, Buffy looked into his eyes.

“I mean it, you’re mine now” Spike squeezed away tears of joy, he couldn’t speak, just buried his head in her neck.

“Mine, mine, mine!” he whispered, stroked her hair.

“All yours, baby!” Buffy breathed.
 

Chapter 15



Buffy rattled the door of the Magic Box

“Sorry we’re closed”………(she did it again)

“I said, we’re clo- Buffy!?” Giles did a double take, and then opened the door.

“So, whaddya ya think?” She held her hands up to her hair without touching it, and gave a little twirl, grinning.

“It looks…um, is Spike here with you? Oh hi, Spike, I didn’t recognise her!” Giles said closing the door of the shop behind them.

“I know, I thought I woken up with a stranger!” Suddenly Spike realised what he’d said, and looked a little embarrassed, then shrugged.

Even Giles must realise they were sleeping together. How wrong could a euphemism be, sleep, they did precious little sleeping really!

“I’ve stopped using my usual shower stuff too, and perfume, I’m using the stuff Spike uses, it’s lovely!” Buffy enthused.

“Yes, right, good, look, every things here, the cloth, stake and box. Now, do you want me to come as back up?”

“No, we’ll be fine the less people I have to worry about, the better”

“Ok, and I don’t suppose you want…Wes and - ”

“ - Don’t even suggest it, not after the fiasco that was the other night…incidentally, what DID you go inside the warehouse for – it could have been really dangerous, AND you only just got out in time, Spike and I thought that we’d have to come and rescue you all”


“To tell you the truth, even I don’t know, my last words were, why are we here, and shh, and then finally, we should have worn gloves.

You will be careful, won’t you Buffy” Giles looked a little worried.

“Sure, and I’ll have Spike with me, he’ll watch out for me, don’t worry”

“I certainly will, I’ll not let any thing happen to her Giles, rest assured on that”
Giles nodded, he did believe him, especially after that tea he’d used on him yesterday.

“Have you checked the venue out?”

“We’re going tonight, but it seems pretty straight forward” Spike said.

“There’s been a huge black container lorry driving up from LA, we think it might hold Dracula, it’s been noted before, something like that could easily be parked at some quiet end of the docks…oh, excuse me”

Giles went off to answer the phone. Buffy had got the three items together needed for Dracula’s demise.

“Right, oh, where’s Giles?” Buffy asked, coming over to Spike.

“You might know, phone” Buffy nodded.

“He’s just told me, that they think Dracula’s being driven up from Angel’s neck of the woods, in a huge black container lorry, makes sense I suppose, parked up by some quiet docks…” Spike said.

“Pity it can’t be impounded, left there so he starves…”

“Are you worried, babe?” Spike asked, cuddling her up.

“No, not worried…got my bestest guy with me, I just want to get it over with, so we can be together.” Spike rested his head on her shoulder.

“What are we going to do?”

“When?”

“When this job’s over… - will you phone your mom in Santiago – do you think she’ll disapprove?” Buffy looked Spike in the eyes, stroked his face tenderly.

“Bridge we’ll have to cross, still, you have one advantage over Angel”

“Oh, what’s that?” Not sure whether he like being compared to Angel either favourably or not.
“My mother actually LIKES you.” She kissed him lightly, rested her head against his.

Before going to the venue, Spike drove them to the warehouse.

“Why here?” Buffy asked.

“Come with me, I’ve had an idea - I just want to cause a little trouble.”

“Spike, is that wise…I mean”

“Shh, Pet, don’t worry, you’ll understand what I mean, come on”

She followed Spike without further question, showing him she trusted him.

Checking to see if there was anyone in, Darla and Dru had left two fledges on watch, not expecting any trouble.

Spike quickly dispatched both, catching them totally by surprise, and then they looked around, found the tickets to the ball, which Buffy took, and Spike then found what he was looking for. Buffy frowned.

Spike looked around for something suitable, found a piece of hair ribbon. He pulled the head off Miss Edith, beloved doll of Dru’s, and tied the ribbon round the neck part, and tied it to the beam so the dolls head hung down like it had been hanged, he pierced the body of the doll to the table with a big dagger.

They left.

“That with the doll will send her even more mad than she already is, and she won’t feel like partying…” Spike said. Buffy smiled, nodded.

They hung around outside in the shadows, and soon the gang of them came back, Dru included.

They got inside, heard Drusilla scream and wail. They heard Daria shouting for the fledges they left on watch, and then they heard another one say that the tickets had gone.

“Come on babe, we’ve heard enough.” Spike took Buffy’s hand, and they ran to the car, drove off.

“It was only a fucking doll, Dru…” Darla shouted, unsympathetically. Dru wept and wailed, took to her bed, cuddling the bit of dismembered doll.

“Find those fledges, find those tickets, and somebody mend that fucking doll, before I burn the lot of you” Darla screamed hatefully, sending clan members running everywhere.


Spike drove them to the vineyard; they parked in the same place as last time, and scrambled down the rough embankment. Inside, everything was ready, from what they could see through a chink in the roughly drawn curtains.

“That’ll be the stage I’ll present you on…” Buffy nodded.
They drove home in silence; Buffy could see Spike was edgy.

She went upstairs as soon as they got home, and ran a bath. Calling Spike up, they enjoyed a relaxing bath together. Spike was still a bit quiet.

“What’s wrong baby, hmm?” Buffy sat on the bed next to him, stroked her hand through his damp hair to relax him. Spike turned and sat more on one hip, so he could face her, and hold both of her hands.

“I’m…I’m worried that I’ll…cock things up…” he looked down.

“You won’t, I’m sure, and I wouldn’t want anyone else in there with me, but you”

Buffy dipped her head, trying to look into his eyes.

“It’s not the fighting, or even how many of them there are…it’s………”

“What, baby, it’s what?”

“If he touches you, I’ll rip his cock off and make him eat it for wanting you, I’ll gouge his eyes out for looking at you, and I’ll rip his arms off for touching you…”

Buffy leaned forward and kissed him. Cupping his cheek, she held him close.

“He won’t be able to thrall me, he couldn’t do it last time, and I’ve only got to concentrate on something, like sing a nursery rhyme in my head, or recite a shopping list or something like that, get the job over with, and then we can go and be together…anyway, won’t you have Huey Dewy and Louis to contend with, his brides?”

Spike smiled and asked,

“Would you be jealous?”
“What, I’ll stake the lot of them if they make a move on what’s mine!”

Spike held her close, kissed her like the world was going to end. They spent all night making love, slept all morning, and then made love for most of the afternoon.

“I hope we don’t have to do to much fighting, I’m knackered” she didn’t shower, needed all the smell of Spike on her she could get.

She got dressed, and wore Spike’s coat in the car for good measure. Buffy had the device down her bra, along with the handkerchief, and they left the box in the car.

Spike looked SO sexy in his suit, he had the tickets and the seal of the Clan Aurelius.

They didn’t get there too early, arrived a little after eleven o’clock. Just before they got out of he car, Spike said,

“If you feel his thrall taking over…”

“I’ve only got to think how much I love you, and you love me, his thrall will be useless”

Buffy leaned forward and kissed him.

“Gods, I do love you Buffy, so much” He caressed her face, his eyes burning into her.

“Good, coz you’re MINE, and I’m not letting you go!” They kissed, and then got out and made their way to the venue.

Dracula himself wouldn’t show much before midnight anyway. Outside, Spike could see Daria trying to argue the toss with the gatekeeper.

“Well, check your guest list, you’ll see that we’re on it”

“But I need your tickets, you could be anybody”

“Why aren’t we in there yet?” Darla called out angrily to Daria. They could hear Dru snivelling miserably,

“I want to go home…I want to see Miss Edith…”

“If you don’t shut up about that fucking doll, I swear I’ll burn the rest of it, and YOU, NOW, SHUT THE FUCK UP! AND GET US INTO THE PARTY!” Darla screamed out of the car window.

Keeping their heads down Spike and Buffy went in smoothly and trouble free.

He refused a drink, blood, drugs and everything else that was offered, as did Buffy.

It was dark, and loud music thudded, the bass beat bouncing off their chests.

After about forty minutes, the music was turned down and it was announced that Dracula had arrived, and would see the clan heads and their queens in his rooms shortly, this will be done in alphabetical order, so it will be Clan Augustus, followed by Clan Aurelius, then Clan Brutus Andronicus… the announcer droned on.

“So, Babe were on second…and he’s receiving us in his rooms, eh?”

Someone came up to Spike, and pawed at Buffy’s arm, Spike gave a low warning combat growl, and they left.

“Have we got his ‘gift’?”

“Don’t worry, it’s tucked safely in between my boobs”

“Lucky it!” Spike breathed in her ear…Buffy kissed him, then the announcer called for the leader of Clan Augustus.

“If there are enough for us to take, we’ll do it now, if not, then we’ll just have to leave it till later…”

About five minutes later, the head of Clan Augustus came out of the rooms, angry looking, his ‘queen’ in tears, he was pulling her by the arm.

“Oh dear, perhaps she wasn’t to his ‘taste’ Spike smiled, then said,

“Alright then we’re up” The announcer called for Clan Aurelius.

He gave Buffy an appreciative stare as they passed.

Spike narrowed his eyes, and the announcer realised this and kept himself in check.

They went through a dark passage, the only light coming from a flaming torch at the end of the corridor.

There was a huge vampire standing guard by the door, and Buffy went to go in, the guard put his hand on her shoulder. Spike gave a very low growl, warning the guard off, and when he wasn’t quick enough to move the offending hand,

Spike snarled, and the guard looked at him closely.

He must have saw something flash in Spike’s eyes, because he soon moved it, big as he was.

They herd a bell ring, and the guard moved to one side, and Buffy and Spike were allowed in.

It was quite dark. There was a bed, and Dracula was surrounded by his three ‘brides’, Buffy thought that she was in some sort of sixties time warp, what with their hair and makeup, all thick eyelashes and brows, bouffant backcombed hair.

“William the Bloody, Clan Aurelius” The announcer said.

“Ah, Will-yam, it’s been a long time…”

“Dracula” Spike leaned forward to kiss the hand offered to him.

“You have bought me your queen?”

“I have indeed…she’s mortal still, I will take her when the full moon rises…” Spike said.

“Hmm, pretty little thing…still mortal…I might turn her…give you the honour of my brides”

“I respectfully decline your offer, and you won’t take my queen, she, is mine, and mine alone” Spike said confidently

Dracula sat up and everyone hissed at him. Spike stood his ground.

“I remember well, the Scourge of Europe…you are a renowned warrior…” he rolled the letter ‘R’ in all his words, making his east European accent thicker.

“Come, come here my pretty, I may not be able to turn you…but I can claim a kiss” Buffy didn’t move.

**Stay put baby, don’t give in to his thrall** Spike said through his thrall.

“Come to me” Dracula held out his hand, trying to draw her close to him. Buffy didn’t move.
Narrowing his eyes, Dracula tried again, holding his hand out, beckoning her to him, like he was trying to draw her in on an invisible cord.

“You vill come to me”

Closing her eyes, Buffy recited, ‘Mary had a little lamb…la, la, la, I love Spike your thrall is crap, doesn’t effect me… half a pound of tuppenny rice, half a pound of treacle…I love Spike, he loves me, he’s mine’ she didn’t move.

Spike was SO proud of her, the thrall was strong; even HE could feel it.

“She resists me…HOW IS THIS SO?” Dracula was intrigued.

“She knows her own mind, is very strong willed…perhaps…”

“Come to me, child, I COMMAND you!” Dracula was sitting bolt upright. His brides were writhing, hissing, they wanted her too.
**Resist babe, please, I love you…** Spike thralled her.

Buffy just about held on, she felt very tired. She kept on with the nursery rhymes…’Humpty Dumpty sat on…on a wall…Mary had a little…her eyes flickered, and Spike began to thrall her for all he was worth.
**Hold on baby, please, I love you, you’re mine, not his… please baby…**

Buffy felt her own power and Spike’s thrall combine and overpower Dracula’s thrall.

“Now!” She shouted, and as Dracula collapsed back his thrall draining him,

Spike threw himself at the vampiresses; he pulled a viol of accelerator fuel out of his pocket, and grabbed a candle, threw the fluid at them and ignited it.

Their screams alerted the guard outside, and he opened the door, the oxygen rush fanned the flames that engulfed them and Spike threw himself on the hulking great demon, and they began to fight.

Meanwhile, Buffy pulled out the special stake, and plunged it into Dracula’s chest, quickly mopping up the dust before he had time to re-animate, the screams and hissing of his brides had bought more guards in.

They were on fire, shrieking and wailing, flailing their arms around, setting the room alight. The bed, drapes and even the carpet caught fire, and Spike thought it about time they made their exit.

Several more of Dracula’s minions came running in, and Spike threw a chair at the window, but it bounced off some bars.

“Shit!” he began to fight, Buffy joined in, they managed to get out into the hallway, and inspiration struck.

The bedroom was totally aflame now, no one could enter, Spike was fighting four big vampires, keeping them off Buffy.

She’d staked six already, and Spike had staked at least twice as many, but still they kept on coming.

Ducking and punching, Spike pushed Buffy out of harms way.

“Go!”

“Spike!”

“Save…oof….go, I’ll be ok…bastard, take that…uh! – Buffy…GO!”

Buffy could see how grossly outnumbered they really were, desperately trying to think of a way to get them both out safely.

Suddenly she had a brainwave.

“Hold on baby, got…ow! – got an idea…” She punched and kicked, fought her way along the corridor, until she came to the stage where the music was being played.

She ran into the party, went over to the music and stopped it, screaming,

“It’s a trap, it’s a trap, the slayer!”

Screaming and a stampede started for the exits, the hall began to burn and

Spike staggered in the hallway, the big guard that had blocked their way earlier had caught Spike in the back with the base of a broken candlestick.

Buffy screamed, and flew for the guard, she dusted him with a broken chair leg, went over to a semi-conscious Spike.

The candlestick was so close to his heart.

“You…you did great, baby, just great…I love…y-uh!” As he slumped down the wall, it pushed the candlestick into his heart and he exploded into dust. Buffy screamed,

“SPI-I-I-I-I-IKE!”
 

Chapter 16


She fell to her knees, she thought quickly, and grabbed the fabric that held the dust of Dracula. She quickly mopped up all she could, and put it in her pocket.

She ran outside, slipping and sliding, got to his car, and sobbing hysterically, she got inside, put the fabric, although not the stake as she was supposed to, inside the box and closed it.

She phoned Giles. She was shaking so much, blinded by tears.

Giles couldn’t make out what she was saying at first, then he realised that she was saying Spike was gone.

Two hours later, Buffy, her eye’s red and swollen from crying, was in Giles’s flat.

“Buffy, I have to send the box, unopened to the watchers council, there they will reanimate Dracula, do their experiments and then finish him for good.”

“Bring him back to kill him, how stupid is that? – I want Spike back, I don’t care what it takes, I want him back.”

“I’m sorry Buffy, there’s nothing I can…”

“DON’T LIE TO ME, IT’S NOT THAT YOU CAN’T, IT’S THAT YOU WON’T, WELL, IF YOU WON’T, I WILL!”

She screamed at Giles, and snatched up the box, ran out.

“Buffy, Buffy, come back, Buffy you mustn’t open the…oh dear lord…” Giles took off his glasses, and rubbed his forehead.


Ten minutes later, Giles put the phone down on an incandescent with rage Quentin Travers, whose last words were,

“She’ll be the death of ALL of us will that one, YOU FIND HER, AND YOU GET THAT BOX BACK TO ME, DO YOU HEAR ME?”

Giles just put the phone down. He’d heard him all right.

Buffy ran carrying the box; she didn’t know where she was going, or what she was going to do when she got there…

Giles found her an hour later at Spike’s crypt, she was hugging the box, crying.

She heard the crypt door open.

“Buffy, there you are, I’ve been so worried, you um, you haven’t opened the box, have you?”

Buffy sniffed, shook her head once, but didn’t look at him. Giles heaved a sigh of relief, and closed his eyes.

“Good. That’s, good.”

“Why, what will happen?”

“I um, I don’t know, but Quentin said it was imperative that I get the box back to him, unopened…”

“Ok then, come on, let’s go,” Buffy said.

“What, what do you mean?” Giles asked, puzzled.

“Let’s go, now, take this box to the watchers.” Buffy said.

“I um, well, I think…”

“No, don’t Giles, don’t think, when you think, it turns you into a watcher moron, the watchers can have their precious box, and Dracula, all I want is Spike back, pure and simple, and I’m NOT, REPEAT, NOT, letting this box out of my sight until I get him back, is that clear?”

She shook it at Giles, and then frowned, bit her lip.

“Sorry baby” she said to the box as though talking to Spike, she cradled the box again, and glared at Giles.

“Very well, come on then…”



********


Three Hours Later at the Watcher’s Council, Quentin Travers office;

“Now, never mind WHAT you say, this is how it’s going to be; Buffy said, matter-of-factly,
1). This box doesn’t leave my sight.
2). You can have your box, Dracula, anything, I just want my Spike back”

“Your spike?” Quentin frowned interrupting, thinking she meant some kind of stake.

“Yes, Spike, the vampire who helped me do this, this fiasco of yours, he’s in that cloth with Dracula, I want him back.”

“But why?”

“Never mind why, I just do”

“Well, I don’t think it’ll be possible, Miss Summers, for one, the stake that’s in the box there with them has probably turned them into goo by now…”

“You mean this?” Buffy pulled out the special pen stake from out of her bra.

“What!! - That should be…” Travers clenched his fists, and hissed at her through gritted teeth.

“Do you EVER do as you are told, do you, huh, THAT was supposed to be put in the box with the cloth, we made it quite clear!”

Buffy got right up close and personal to Travers, and hissed back at him,

“I thought it might hurt him, so I didn’t put it in, now I know you were going to re-animate Dracula to experiment on him, so just GET IT OPEN AND GET ME MY SPIKE BACK!”

“Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“Do you REALLY want me to tell you? - Yes, I DO know who I’m talking to - a murderer, in all intense and purposes, a assessory before during and after the fact, a toss pot who seems to get off on seeing young girls killed before they are twenty five, you rob us of our lives, no home life, no proper family, no chance of a happy time or children or a normal relationship, instead of worrying over what outfit I should wear on a date, I worry if what I wear is suitable for vaulting over gravestones, I have to whittle stakes, not paint my nails…ever thought about that, and don’t prattle on about ‘sacred duty’

I’ve died for you lot twice, and still got no thanks, so, for once your gonna do something for me”

Travers sat there speechless, he pressed his intercom button and said,

“Miss Lawrence, bring Professor Evans here, will you please?”

“I’ll take that, if I may” Travers held his hand out for the pen stake.

Buffy went to hand it over, then realised she might have to use it as bargaining power.

“No, you won’t, give me Spike, you can have it, no Spike, no stake” She saw his fists clench again, and saw Giles smile faintly.

Travers went out. Buffy still held the box.
“Soon have you out, baby…I hope” she said into the box

“Well done” Giles said, looking at Buffy and smiling.

“Well done…, I thought you were on their side?” Buffy frowned.

“Good lord, no. They needed telling…I couldn’t have put it more eloquently myself…a toss pot, hmm…”

They both looked up as Travers came back into the room, with the professor.

“I’m afraid what your asking is impossible, Miss Summers, we will not be able to bring back your…um, friend…”

“Why not, you were going to bring back Dracula weren’t you…though the Gods alone know why after all the trouble he’s caused…”

“Be that as it may Miss Summers, we haven’t got the resources to…”

“TRY” Buffy said through gritted teeth.

“I’m…sorry” the professor looked pained at her then Travers.

Tears stung her eyes again, but she was determined not to cry in front of the watchers.

“So am I, I’m sorry too, sorry that I ever got my friend into this, sorry I got him killed, and for what, a bunch of ungrateful wankers like you…”

She picked up the box, she’d put the stake back in her bra.

“Er, where are you going with that?”

“Why, it’s no good to you, you can’t or won’t help me, so…”

Travers went to stop her, and Buffy said very angrily and quietly,

“You better get out of my way NOW, else I’ll show you how I can kill umpteen strong vampires without even breaking a sweat, except I’ll be using you for the demonstration, ok?” she walked round him, wrenched the door open.

“Wait! – wait Miss Summers…” Travers said, he looked at the professor. Sighing, he said,

“I won’t pretend that I’m happy about this, because I’m not, but…you have demonstrated a certain……… skill, and as you said, you have died twice for the cause, (he turned to the professor) See what you can do”

The professor nodded held his hand out for the box.

“Oh, no, do you think that I was born yesterday? - I trust you lot about as much as I trust politicians…this doesn’t leave my sight”

“Very well” Travers sighed, thinking not for the first time, that he was getting way too old for this game.


******


Wearing gowns and masks, like a proper operating theatre, Buffy watched the professor open the box, and take out the cloth with tweezers. Outside the room were Giles and Travers.

“She has…spirit, I’ll give her that” Travers said.

“She has power, spirit and so much more, you did the very first thing you shouldn’t have done, and that was back her into a corner, you should know by now, she’d come out at you like a tigress protecting her cub.” Giles said quietly.

They watched as the professor did some chemical sprinkling, and said an incantation, and two thin streams of mist rose from the cloth, slowly, Buffy and the professor stood back…the thin streams got thicker and thicker, till there was two human shapes began to form, the swirling into shape, and then suddenly, sitting facing one another, two solid human shapes sat cross legged.

Buffy pulled down her facemask.

“Spike?” she asked tremulously, her eyes filling with tears.

“Buffy? – Buffy!” he jumped down from the table, hugged her.

Buffy held him so tight, squeezed her eyes shut forcing out the tears. Giles looked at Travers.

“What is it about that girl and Vampires, he’s not the first one she’s…” he heaved a sigh, ‘youth’ he thought.

For a full minute, Buffy couldn’t speak, she just held onto Spike as though her life depended on it, gulping and hugging him.

Eventually she calmed enough to gasp out,

“Spike, I thought I’d lost you…”

“Baby, oh Gods, what happened?” he whispered in her ear.

“Let’s get home, oh, hold on, there’s something I must do…” She quickly turned, taking the pen stake out of her bra, staked Dracula again, his dust fell onto the cloth, she grabbed it and dropped it, and the stake into the box, doing things properly this time.

“There, mission accomplished!” She grinned, put her arm around Spike and left, walking passed Travers and Giles without a word.



********


“Bastard caught me straight in the back, by surprise, I was worried for you, I was trying to hold them off so you could get away…what did you do?”

“I ran to the announcer’s stand and switched off the music and screamed it was a trap, the slayer was there, all hell broke loose for the exits, and of course the fire began to take hold.

Buffy said, holding onto Spike tightly.

“I remember him stabbing me, and I staggered down the hall to find you, then I saw you…did I say anything?”

“You said I………(tears welled up) said I did great…and, oh Spike!” She sniffed and held him tight.

“Shh, it’s ok baby, I’m here…”

Eventually she told him everything. Spike was grinning.

“I really, really HATE that Travers bloke.” Buffy pouted.

“Don’t baby, don’t hate him, he isn’t worth the effort, let it go” Spike gently rubbed her back, soothing her. Buffy cuddled him up.

“So, what happened for you?”

“Well, one minute I’m in that corridor, and my only thought was to get you out of danger, then the next minute, nothing…I’m sort of floating…weird”

“You wasn’t in hell, or anything” Buffy smoothed the hair out of his eyes.

“Anywhere without you is hell…” Kissing her so passionately, Buffy pulled him down on top of her.

Still fully clothed. The doorbell rang, and cussing like crazy, Spike sat up.

“That’ll be Giles, I bet” Buffy said.

She opened the bedroom window. To her surprise, it was Angel.

“its Angel” She frowned.

“What the hell does HE want at this hour…?”

“Angel?”

He looked up.

“Buffy, are you all right?”

“Um, yeah, why?”

“Only I…um”

“Only you what?”

“I felt like, well, it felt…is Spike there?”

“Angel, will you go away, I’m tired, I’ve had an awful, awful night”

“He IS dead then…I thought that you’d be…”

“What are you going on about?” Buffy asked irritably.

“Spike, he’s dead, isn’t he”

Spike had had enough of this, and poked his head out of the window.

“Sorry to disappoint you Peaches, but as someone else once said, the stories as to my demise have been greatly exaggerated, now, if you don’t mind, we’re very tired, sod off, and that’s the polite version”

He slammed down the window, pulled the thick curtain across. His angry look melted away when he looked at his beloved Buffy.

Angel frowned…he could have sworn he’d felt his child’s demise…

“How the hell would he know…?” Buffy frowned and turned to face Spike.

“Instinct, I suppose…who cares anyway – come here you!”

“I love you, baby” Spike whispered. Buffy beamed,

“Love you too, you’re MY big gorgeous vampire…come here…” Spike didn’t need asking twice, and they tumbled to the bed kissing.


**********

Angel went over to Giles’ house. He was pleased to see the light on; Giles had just got home from the Watcher’s council.

He knocked on the door. Frowning, Giles wondered who it could be at this hour, and squinted through the peep- hole.

“Angel, what…”

“I thought, that is, I felt that Spike had died………but I was wrong”

“Actually, no Angel, you were right, only Buffy’s dogged determination got him back, she had one almighty row with Quentin Travers, you should have seen her, she was magnificent”

Giles said with a smile. He was reluctant to ask him in, but had no option really; Angel had bought his car back.

“What would she have done with it do you think, if they hadn’t have relented?”

“Kept the box, and the special stake, I’ve no doubt, read up what she could, even go to England to see if Willow could have helped…she wouldn’t have given up, of that I’m certain.”

“She truly does love him, then”

“I think she must do, yes…”

Angel nodded sadly. He resigned himself to the fact that they did love one another.

“So, what happened?” Angel asked. Over a couple of large Scotches, Giles told him the story that Buffy told him.

“Spike made sure he drew all the other vampires away from her, held them off so she could get herself to safety.

So, you see, his first and last thought was for her, he was trying to get her out of danger, when the bodyguard caught him in the back with the candlestick He slid down the wall, and that finally pressed if further into his heart”

“So, Dracula’s truly gone?”

“Well, just before we left, after the professor had re-animated them, Buffy did what she was supposed to do in the first place, stake him and then put the cloth WITH the stake, something she omitted to do at first, in case it hurt Spike, then she dropped the lot into the lead lined box”

“And you’re sure that they are still both madly in love”

“You said yourself that Spike stuck his head out of her bedroom window, I’m sure if things had gone back to where the way they used to be, I doubt if Spike would have been in her bedroom” Giles said. Angel nodded.

“Um, if you’ve bought my car back, how are you going to get home?”

“Oh, er Gunn’s in Kennedy Heights, do you know it, it’s about three miles out, by the”

“Airport, I know” Giles said nodding.

“He’s gone to see someone, he’ll pick me up, he’s going to phone when he’s done” Angel explained. As if on cue, his mobile rang.

“Hello, yes, I’m ready…no, they’re fine…yeah, both of them, ok…oh, I’m at Giles’ house…er…ok, look to make things easier, I’ll wait outside the Magic Box…twenty minutes, ok” Angel ended the call.

“Easier than to try and tell him where you live” Angel explained.
Giles nodded.

“If you ever find out…you know, why they fell in love…” Angel said Giles looked at him.

“Would it make any difference, what would you do…reverse it, what ever it was?” Giles asked.

Angel stood in the doorway, holding the door open. He didn’t have an answer to that, not now.

Not now he knew that Spike was as good as his word, and kept Buffy out of harm, even ceasing to exist to keep her safe.

“See you” He left.

Giles poured himself another Scotch…he was curious himself as to the deep feelings of their relationship still, but knew that together, they’d be practically invincible, he wondered if they could be persuaded to carry on.

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

Deep in the mists of time, where the Powers That Be reigned supreme, the goddess of love, Aphrodite smiled.

She’d heard the plea from the Watcher, and made it so that it would be so good for the Vampire and the slayer, they’d never want to be apart…things would get rocky sometimes…but she thought that in about two years time, she’d send them a little ‘gift’, that would ensure that they never parted for ever…



THE END (for now!)

Labour’s of Love Trilogy

1st Story You Only Un-Live twice.
2nd Story, A Gift from the Gods
3rd Story, The Legend of Amun Rah