by Nebula: nebula_authoress@yahoo.com

Note: This is a response to Challenge 43

"Don't be late, huh?" Buffy muttered under her breath. She leaned against the hospital wall, waiting for her Watcher. He'd sounded so serious about this, and now he didn't even bother showing up. Just great.

They were supposed to have met and made sure that the blood delivery to the hospital arrived safely, without falling into the wrong hands. Giles was half an hour late, and she was getting impatient.

"Dammit!" she swore as the truck pulled in. "Giles, you are going to meet my wrath." Inside, however, she was beginning to worry. It wasn't like Giles to be late like this. Giles considered tardiness a mortal sin, as far as she knew.

A doctor came out and took the bundles, thanking the driver as the truck pulled out. Buffy frowned. Shouldn't that be an orderly doing the dirty work, not the actual doctor?

Her fears were confirmed when two more vampires came out of hiding, each helping with the load. With a heavy sigh she pulled out her stake. Time to get to work.

< --- >

"What exactly are we doin' again? Remind me before I yank your head off," Spike growled, as he followed his minion. He didn't want to leave Drusilla for too long.

"It's good blood. Human. Everyone knows about Delivery Day," the minion said, grinning cheerfully. "Just ours for the taking."

"Wait. It's not even fresh?" Spike demanded, glaring.

The minion nodded, his grin wilting under Spike's hardened gaze. "Uh, y-yes," the minion said, "but it's safely stored in bags, and it's still human."

"Better if it's fresh," Spike said. "Besides, not as sporty if it doesn't have legs, does it?"

Still, it was better then nothing, he supposed. Ever since the Slayer had threatened Dru's life, they'd kept low, not wanting her to have a reason to hunt them down. It was almost time for the ceremony, and then Dru would be back to full health. Then...he grinned, thinking of how the Slayer should meet her end.

Sounds of a fight up ahead caught his attention, and his eyes widened as he saw a familiar flash of blonde turning the local vamps to dust. "You didn't say she would be here!" Spike practically roared.

"I-I didn't know," the minion said, cowering. "She's never been here before. Someone must've tipped her off."

"Great. Just bloody great." He glared at the scene, before snapping, "Go get the boxes, you bloody ponce!"

The minion didn't look happy about it, but did as he was told. His dust fell in a heap the minute he had headed towards the crates.

The Slayer turned, noticing Spike for the first time. "Oh great," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Just who I needed to see. Not."

"So glad I'm loved 'round here," Spike smirked, taking a fighting stance. He leapt at her, and she dodged him easily. He rolled on the ground and came up, ready for more. "Thought I'd get some blood for my girl. Needs somethin' to keep her goin'."

"Why not get it fresh?" Buffy retorted. Giles still hadn't shown up, and she was getting more agitated by the minute. He could be in real trouble, and she was here, fighting with Spike.

Spike sensed her worry, but realized it wasn't about this fight. He frowned slightly. A worried Slayer was a careless Slayer. She'd be easy to take down now. Another notch on his belt. Still, he didn't want to fight someone he knew would give him a decent fight. He wanted to take her down fair and square, no distractions.

He was about to reply when a vampire Buffy had missed pulled her back. She gasped as the vamp pulled on her hair, exposing her neck. "Wasn't thinking I'd get it fresh tonight," it leered at her, as she fought against him. The vampire growled and leaned in to take a chunk out of her neck.

It hissed as it was tackled to the ground, without leaving a mark on her. Buffy stared with surprise as Spike reached for a stake. "Do you mind?" Spike said, giving the vampire a pointed look. "We were talkin'."

Spike turned around after he'd dusted the thing and rolled his eyes. She'd taken off. Bugger. He frowned as he thought back to why he'd even saved her skin in the first place. He guessed it was because he still wanted to be the one that took her down. She was a fighter, and a good one at that. She was his to take.

He shook himself and grabbed three bags, then paused and put one back. He shoved the crates towards the door, rang the delivery bell, and headed home.

< --- >

Buffy frowned, deep in thought as she headed home. She'd found Giles at his house, and he'd clearly been upset about something, snapping at her to leave even.

She hadn't gotten far when she bumped into someone. "Sorry," she began, then stopped. Great. She hadn't really wanted to meet up with Spike again.

The two stared at each other. Buffy looked even worse then before, Spike noted with some surprise. She looked upset, worried, and tired. "Fight somethin' unpleasant?" he asked.

Buffy stood, shocked into speechlessness. "Um, if you can count a Watcher," she finally said. Was she really having a conversation with Spike? Wait; did he look...concerned?

Spike snorted. "Givin' ya grief, eh?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "In the way that only an adult can." Her expression turned serious once more, and she sighed. "Something's bugging him. Majorly. He practically growled at me, and told me to leave him alone."

"He'll get over whatever it is, I'm sure," Spike offered, but Buffy shook her head.

"He was really mad at me. He's never this upset," she argued. Inside, she was wondering why she was even talking to Spike, of all people, about this.

Spike was wondering the same thing. "He's human, Slayer. Bound to get brassed off some time."

She blew out a frustrated breath. "You don't get it. This is Giles; never gets mad or anything."

"Why does it matter to you so much?" Spike asked suddenly.

Buffy stopped, her face flushing. "He's the closest thing to a dad I have," she mumbled, staring at the ground. His approval meant the world to her.

A gentle touch on her shoulder brought her head back up. Spike gazed at her with something akin to sympathy. "I know the feeling," he said, his rough accent having disappeared.

For a moment, the two just gazed at each other, caught up in the moment. Then they seemed to realize where they were, and more importantly, who with. Spike jerked his hand away as if he'd been burned, and Buffy shook herself.

"Well, you're just lucky I wasn't in a fightin' mood," Spike snapped.

"I'M lucky? I could've staked you so fast, you wouldn't have been able to say 'bollocks'," Buffy retorted.

The two glared at each other before stalking off in different directions. "And I have computer class tomorrow on top of this," Buffy muttered under her breath.

Spike rolled his eyes. Like the whole world revolved around her, it did. NOT! He headed back to the factory, to his Dru.

< --- >

Spike hissed as he poured alcohol on his wounds. What had been her problem?

He'd come back around half an hour ago, arms spread wide for Dru. He hadn't expected her to claw at him viciously, despite her lack of strength. She said she'd known what had happened with him and the Slayer. Nothing had happened!

Now he was hurting, physically and emotionally, and it was the Slayer's fault. He grinned wickedly. It was her fault. She should pay for it. Dearly.

An image of her crest-fallen face earlier flashed through his mind, making him pause. Poor Buffy. He shook himself. What was he thinking?! No wonder Dru had slashed him.

He wrapped up the marks and headed out to find her. She turned, looking lost.

"I can't find the stars, my love," Drusilla whispered.

"I know, pet," he said, wrapping his arms around her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I know what would make you stronger, so you can find the stars again. How about the blood of a Slayer?"

Dru looked excited. "Oh, it sounds so wonderful! I can hear Miss Edith applauding. Will you bring it to me, my Spike?"

Spike grinned. "Consider it done, pet. I know exactly where she's gonna be tomorrow."

< --- >

"Giles?"

Buffy peered into the library, concerned. He hadn't shown up today, either. Not even to see Ms. Calendar. Now she knew something was majorly wrong.

"Giles?" she called again. No sign of him. She hurried to glance in the office, then the cage. Nothing.

"Please be okay," she whispered.

"Probably better off then you are," a familiar voice said. Buffy whirled to see Spike's smirking eyes.

She clenched her fists. "And you would be here because...?"

"Well, see, I wanna fight now."

Buffy chuckled bitterly. "Boy, did you pick the right time. I couldn't have asked for a better time to pound someone."

Spike snarled and was about to jump when he heard screaming behind him. Both fighters turned to see the Scoobies with Jenny running into the library.

"What's going on?" Buffy asked.

"Being chased...by the dead..." Willow gasped.

Spike grinned. "I'm right here!"

"Not you," Willow said, jerking back at a corpse that looked half-eaten. Buffy bit her lip, forcing her breakfast back down.

"It tried to touch me!" Cordelia wailed.

"What does it want?" Buffy asked, frowning.

"Giles," a voice said from behind Buffy. She spun to see a familiar looking man standing on the second landing.

"Ethan Rayne?! Okay, that's it. This is too much to take. And what do you mean, it wants Giles?"

The back door slammed open, Giles bursting through. "It wants Ethan as well," he panted, running in.

"Giles! You're okay!" Willow exclaimed.

"Stay away from him!" Giles warned, pushing Ethan onto the floor. "You'll stay there until we've had a discussion, are we clear?"

Ethan grinned. "Perfectly, Ripper."

"Ripper?" Xander asked, frowning.

Buffy shook herself, bewildered. "Okay, this is too confusing. One thing at a time. First thing, weird dead corpse that's dragging itself to us."

She hurried to where the gang was pushing against the door, trying to keep the thing out. Buffy sighed, before turning to Spike, who looked just as bewildered as anyone else. "Would it kill you to help?" she asked.

"Well, considerin' I'm already dead..."

"Good," Buffy said, gesturing towards the doors. "You're gonna help me get rid of this thing."

"Does that mean we have to let go and run like crazy?" Willow asked, her face scrunching up.

Buffy nodded. "Right about now would be nice."

The Scoobies complied gratefully, as the corpse barged in. "Buffy! Stay away from it!" Giles yelled after her, but she ignored him.

She landed a kick on it, before being shoved backwards. Jenny, seeing the corpse heading Buffy's way, grabbed a chair and tried to force it back as Giles scrambled to the weapons chest. It shoved it back at her and knocked her to the floor.

"Jenny!!" Giles yelled, kneeling next to the unconscious teacher.

Buffy managed to flip up and block a few punches, before getting hit on the jaw. Stars spun in her vision as she fell to the ground, trying to get back up. She could feel it grabbing her hair, pulling her up...

She dropped again, her head cracking against the tile. She could hear the others yelling around her, and the sounds of swords clanging as the fight continued. She tried to push herself back up, but she couldn't seem to even open her eyes, let alone move.

Something grabbed her, pulling her up. No, she had to fight it...

But this wasn't harsh and cold, like the corpse had been. It still felt cold, but it felt like whoever was pulling her up was trying to be as gentle as they could. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her in closer.

She could hear that the noises had stopped; the fight must be over. "Put her down," Giles' stern voice commanded. She could feel whoever was carrying her place her down on the table softly.

Buffy's eyes fluttered, as she struggled to pull back into the world. "Giles?" she mumbled.

"I'm here," she heard him say. Scuffling of feet hurrying to the table.

Buffy finally managed to get her eyes open, only to not believe them when she saw who'd carried her. "Spike?"

"What is he doing here, anyways?" Xander demanded, running to the weapons. "We'll take care of him." He grabbed a cross and stake, hurrying back over.

"Hey, wait a bloody minute," Spike stammered, almost tripping backwards.

"Leave him be," Buffy managed. She sat up and glanced at the green goo on the floor. "What is that?"

"Corpse remnants," Willow supplied as Jenny groaned. No one noticed the green goo slip under Jenny.

"Are you all right?" Giles asked, hurrying over to Jenny. She nodded, accepting his hand to help herself up.

Buffy glanced around at the mess, feeling...she didn't even know how she felt. "And you guys are okay?"

"Well, we were almost killed, but yeah, we're peachy now," Cordelia snapped.

Buffy flushed, turning away. Now she knew how she felt. Like a failure; her friends could've died, and she couldn't even get up.

"Well, as long as that ended well," Xander said, trying to joke.

"You're explaining this," Buffy said suddenly.

Giles glanced at her sadly and nodded. "I know. Where's Ethan?"

"Right here," Spike called, his hand around Ethan's throat. "Caught him tryin' to slip off. I take it you want him here?"

Giles smiled. Buffy shuddered at the wickedness in it. Was that her watcher? "Please," he said, his voice oily.

Spike frowned, noticing the change as well, but said nothing. He hauled Ethan over and threw him into the chair. "Talk."

Giles sat across from him and sighed heavily. "When I was younger, I dabbled in the dark arts of magic..." He proceeded to tell them the tale of 'Ripper', a brash, young man who had let loose a demon with a few others. All carried a tattoo that singled them out to the demon. The demon set out to kill the others. The only two left were Ethan and Giles.

"I should've told you," Giles said, shaking his head. "I thought I could handle this on my own. I owe you all an apology."

"I'm touched, but I'll survive," Spike said, wiping a mock tear away.

Giles glared at him. "All but you." He turned back to the group, unsure of how to handle this.

"Wow," Willow said, her eyes wide.

Buffy couldn't believe it. Giles, someone that had played with the magics, just to get a high? It sounded like something a teenager would do. Not a respectable adult. It then occurred to her that he had to be a teen sometime. Somehow, that overlooked fact made things so much more...real.

The gang said a little small-talk before deciding to call it a night. Giles offered to take Jenny home, and take Ethan with him. Ethan, however, had disappeared. "Slippery little devil," Giles muttered.

Buffy nodding, not really hearing him. "Call if you need anything!" she said, but no one seemed to listen. She headed out, feeling like she'd failed them somehow.

She was about to leave school grounds when she met up with Spike. "What do you want?" she snapped.

"You didn't fail 'em," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Buffy blinked, startled. "How did you...?"

"Easy as readin' your face," Spike said, stepping towards her. "You didn't fail them," he added in what was almost a kind tone.

She shook her head. "I did, though. They could've gotten hurt, or died, because I couldn't get back up and help them. I was useless."

He shook his head. "Sometimes you have to save them, and sometimes you need to be saved. It's just how things are."

She frowned slightly, surprised that he had that much emotion. As far as she knew, vampires didn't show emotion, unless they had a soul attached. Spike was just different, she supposed.

"Well...thank you," she finally said, offering him a tentative smile.

Spike's eyes widened. The Slayer was thanking him? Chalk up a new side for the girl. She wasn't some cruel, hard-hearted person. She was just a girl, with beautiful green eyes, and a kind smile, and a body that...

Whoa! Where did THAT come from? He shook himself, causing her smile to disappear. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Now he was even more lost. The Slayer cared. Scratch that; Buffy cared. The Slayer part of her probably wanted him dead. But the girl inside was a person worth knowing, he began to realize.

"Nothin', just that I've gotta head back to Dru."

Buffy blinked at the abrupt change of the conversation, then shrugged. "I guess you should be doing that, then. Wouldn't want to keep you from her craziness." She stopped, surprised at herself. She could've sworn she felt jealous.

Spike clenched his fists. So much for a sweet young thing. He was back to the nasty old hag. "At least I have someone. Where's your honey?"

"I wouldn't, Spike," she snapped. She actually didn't know where Angel was; she hadn't seen him for days. She didn't feel all that worried, though. In fact, she was more upset over Spike then Angel.

"Ah, did I hit a sore spot?" Spike goaded, grinning.

"Speaking of sore spots, how's it feel to carry on a fuller conversation with a brick wall then with the nut-case?"

Spike fumed. How dare she? What made it worse was that on some days, it was true. "That's it. Next time I see you, Slayer, I'll rip your bloody throat out." He turned and stalked off, his black coat sailing out behind him.

Buffy glared at his retreating form. "That's fine with me!" she yelled after him. "I hate you!"

She paused, frowning at herself. "What's wrong with you? You sound like a child." To be more specific, she sounded like the kid who had a crush on someone, and proceeded to tell that person that they hated their guts.

Her eyes widened. No! No Spike! She had Angel. Didn't she? Angel was kind, helped her out...

So does Spike, a voice within whispered. He's pretty handsome, too.

Okay, that part she couldn't argue with. Spike was a masterpiece; sculpted just perfectly. She growled and hit herself on the head. Hello! Evil vampire? Angel, Angel, Angel...think Angel thoughts...

But every time she thought back to Angel, her mind drifted to the strong arms that had carried her away from the danger.

She sighed and was about to start walking again when she heard shuffling in the bushes beside her. She spun, ready to defend herself, but was too slow.

The crowbar came down on her head, knocking her out before she'd even touched the ground.

Ethan chuckled, dropping the crowbar. "You'll help me with my problem quite nicely, Slayer." He picked her up and headed for his destination.

< --- >

Spike had almost reached the warehouse when he heard footsteps behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Willow and Xander running up to him.

Willow frowned. "Buffy's not with you?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Hello? Vampire here! No, the bloody Slayer's not with me. Why?" he asked, narrowing his gaze at the redhead.

"She said she was going home, and we checked. She wasn't there."

"She also wasn't at Giles' place," Xander piped in. "We thought maybe she'd met up with you, and you two were fighting."

Spike looked from one Scooby to another. Something wasn't right... "Why do ya need the Slayer?" he said suspiciously.

Willow shifted uncomfortably. "Well, um..."

"That green goo, from the corpse?" Xander said, making a face. "That was the demon. Now it's got Jenny, and we need Buffy. Fast."

"Well, haven't seen her," Spike said, offering them both a Cheshire smile. "Toodles."

He turned and began to walk away, then stopped. He was a bleeding Nancy-boy...

"I'll help," he muttered, earning a smile from Willow.

"Yay! Hoping you'd say that," Willow said. "Now: where did you last see her?"

< --- >

Spike increased his pace, smelling blood. Fresh, strong blood. A Slayer's blood.

For some reason, he was beginning to worry. She would be all right though, right?

"Over there," Xander said, pointing at a crowbar on the ground. Possibly she wouldn't be okay.

Spike knelt next to it and sniffed. "Her blood," he said, his worry deepening.

"Okay, this is getting worse," Willow said, cringing. "First, Jenny gets taken over by a demon. Then, that weasel Ethan disappears. Now, Buffy's..."

"Wait," Spike said, standing. Willow could've sworn a light-bulb went off over his head. "You never found him?"

Xander shook his head. "Ethan's gone."

"I don't think so," Spike replied, glancing down at the weapon. "Think he had somethin' to do with this."

"It doesn't matter," Willow said to Xander. "If we don't find him, the demon will. Remember, that stupid tattoo?"

Xander rolled his eyes. "I know. Giles has one, too. Why can't they just get rid of it?"

Spike felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "What?" Willow asked, noticing the look on his face.

"I know what he's gonna do," Spike said, turning to Willow. "Is there any way to get rid of the demon?"

Willow shrugged. "I'm not positive; I could go back and look through the books. I know what the tattoo looks like, so it's pretty easy research."

"You do that then. You go with her and get weapons, then follow after." With that, Spike began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Xander called after him.

"To find her," Spike whispered, breaking into a run.

< --- >

Buffy moaned, her head throbbing. "Oh, good evening," Ethan's oily voice said. She could almost see the cynical grin through his tone. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I want to hurt you," she said, trying to move. She frowned and tried again. Nothing.

She could hear him chuckling. "You're currently tied down to a table," he said, bending down so she could see him. "And you're currently going to do me a tremendous favor."

"I don't think so," Buffy started, but stopped as she watched him pick up a vial of black ink.

Ethan smiled at her as he picked up a needle and began to fill it with the black ink. Her eyes widened. He wouldn't.

He pulled her hair away as she tried to fight him. "Now, now, do calm down," he said, setting the vial down. "It will only hurt more if you fight it..."

"Oh, and one more thing," he said. His grin was wicked as he continued, "Do feel free to scream."

Buffy was about to retort when she felt the needle slide into her back. She hissed, jerking slightly. Okay, he hadn't been lying. Moving DID hurt. At her whimper, he smirked.

He pulled out and inserted it again, a little down. She glanced around at her surroundings. Undressed mannequins, a glass counter...the Halloween shop! From his first evil deed in Sunnydale. How nostalgic.

But that meant she was in the middle of town. There were lots of shops around. Lots of shops meant lots of people. The all night club wasn't too far from here. Maybe they'd hear...she took a deep breath and began to scream.

Ethan flinched and pulled the needle out, his concentration broken. She did have a pair of lungs. "I changed my mind," he said, reaching for a cloth. She struggled as he forced it into her mouth and tied it around her head. "I don't want you to scream. My poor eardrums," he muttered.

Buffy let her head fall against the table. So much for that plan. Now she was choking on a piece of cloth that smelled like turpentine, and no one had heard her.

He inserted the needle once again, this time pushing the liquid in quickly. Her cry of pain was muffled by the gag.

"Two down, only a hundred and some odd to go," Ethan drawled.

Tears pooled in her eyes as he injected more ink into her skin. Come on, she had screamed pretty loudly. No one had heard her?

The answer, it seemed, was that even if they had heard, they hadn't cared.

< --- >

She was wrong, however. Someone had heard her scream, and someone did care. Though why he did, he wasn't sure. The chit was out to get him, and here he was, trying to play the bloody hero...

A small light in a store that housed a 'For Lease' sign in the front gave Spike a pretty good idea of where they were. He crept up to the door,
trying to peer inside.

Someone was moving around in there, and from the height, he would guess it was Ethan. Which meant Buffy.

Putting on his game face, he yanked the door open and burst inside.

Ethan jumped backwards, the needle in his hand. "You're a little early," he commented, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I'm not quite finished with my art yet."

"As far as I'm concerned, you're not gonna be finished with it. Ever."

Buffy couldn't turn to see him, but she'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was Spike.

Ethan smiled, then dropped the needle on the table. Spike began to move towards him, but Ethan already had the bottle hovering over Buffy.

"I believe you know what this is," Ethan said, shaking it. Buffy could hear the liquid above her, and was pretty sure it wasn't something good.

Spike swallowed. "Yeah. It burns off the skin. Good for gettin' rid of things. Like tattoos."

Ethan nodded. "Very good! Now, I was going to use this on me, but I can just as easily pour it on her. I have enough to do her and me."

Buffy began to thrash on the table, but Ethan shook his head. "None of that, now," he said, tipping the bottle towards her. Before Spike could react, a small amount had dropped from the bottle and onto her skin. She whimpered, tears streaming down her face. That had hurt.

Spike growled, a surge of anger coursing through him. Ethan would pay for that one.

Ethan was about to turn back to Spike when the front door burst open. Both men whirled, and Ethan quickly poured the rest of the liquid on his arm. He hissed, then shook it off.

Spike glanced at Buffy, horrified. Ethan didn't have the mark anymore. Buffy didn't have all of it, but she had most of it. Who would the demon choose?

Jenny's eyes glowed green as she looked from Buffy to Ethan, then settled her gaze on Buffy. Spike mentally restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Of course; never the easy choice. If it had chosen Ethan, he would've stepped to the side.

Jenny launched herself at Buffy, but Spike grabbed her and pulled her to the floor. The two traded blows, and Spike finally got the upper hand. He was about to sink his teeth into her when he heard frantic noises coming from above him. He turned to see Buffy shaking her head as best she could.

"Right. Want her alive." He tossed her against the wall, then prepared to knock her out.

He never got the chance. Jenny kicked him, sending him flying into the door. As he tried to shake himself off, Jenny headed his way, then stopped, shuddering. She fell to the floor, unconscious.

Spike gasped as the demon slithered from Jenny's form into his. He could see the demon, tall and nasty, and ready to kill Buffy.

"Not gonna happen," he gritted out, closing his eyes. He let his inner demon loose upon it, and watched as they duked it out.

He groaned as the demon fell, then disappeared. He was triumphant once again.

"The Big Bad can't be beat," he smirked, before glancing around. Jenny appeared to be all right, and Ethan was gone. Again.

Buffy lay still on the table. Spike couldn't even see if she was breathing. He ran to the table to find her eyes closed. "Buffy?" he whispered.

Her eyelids fluttered as she locked her gaze on him. She tried to say his name, but the gag wasn't helping.

"Hold on, luv. Get you out in a second." He bent under the table and quickly disposed of her bonds. As she sat up, he reached forward and untied the cloth. She choked as he pulled it out, before coughing.

"You all right?" he asked, frowning.

She nodded, wincing as she moved her shoulder. "I'm now the proud owner of half a tattoo, and a mouthful of turpentine. Joy."

He grinned at her monotone voice, before undoing the ropes that had pinned her legs down. "Thank you," Buffy said, looking away.

Her voice surprised him. "Huh?"

"Thank you. You didn't have to come help me, but you did. So...thanks."

Spike shrugged. "I didn't do it for free, ya know."

Buffy turned to him, feeling a pang of disappointment. "Oh." The Scoobies had paid him to help. Of course.

"And I intend on collectin' what I want," he said, looking up at her. Unable to stand the look of hurt on her face, he leaned forward and captured her lips with his.

Her eyes widened, before closing as she began to respond. Her hands had just begun to explore his chest when she heard a throat clearing behind her.

She broke from the kiss reluctantly and turned to view her friends and watcher standing with disapproving looks. "Hey, I got tattooed and burned. I can do what I want," she said with a glare.

A grunt from the floor had Giles scampering to help Jenny up. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

Jenny glanced around, then at him. "I think I'll be okay," she said, smiling at him.

He returned the smile as Willow beamed at the couple. "You okay, Buff?" Xander asked.

Buffy nodded. "Just have to use my allowance to get this thing off, that's all. So much for those new shoes," she grumbled.

"Well," Willow said, picking up the bottle, "you could just pour this on it, and it would save you..."

"NO!" Buffy said, shaking her head frantically. "Trust me, a world of no. That hurts."

Willow put the bottle down on the table. "In that case, bad bottle."

"Bad Ethan," Spike muttered, causing Buffy to turn, surprised.

"Can we go home now?" Jenny asked.

Buffy nodded, hopping off the table. "Please."

As the others headed off, Buffy lingered behind with Spike. Neither wanted to destroy the moment, but they knew it would be broken anyways.

He reached a hand out, smiling when she blushed and accepted. They continued to follow the Scoobies, until they came upon the road leading to the warehouse. He looked at it with dread. Dru would know by then what he'd done, but he didn't really care that much. He just wanted to be with Buffy. Heading back to the warehouse meant he had to give that up.

Buffy turned to see what he was staring so intently at and bit her lip. Of course; he still had Dru waiting for him. "I suppose this is where you leave?" she said as nonchalantly as she could.

Spike sighed. "Yeah."

She nodded, turning away. She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms, trying to pretend she didn't care. She wasn't jealous. Right. She could almost feel the green horns sprouting on her head.

"Right," Spike said, recognizing the cold shoulder. He headed off to the warehouse, not looking back.

Buffy sighed and turned back to the gang, who had stopped and was now watching her intently. "I...I think I'll just take a walk around town," Buffy said, feigning a smile. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Willow nodded. "Okay. Call me," she added as she headed back.

Buffy watched them disappear, before walking away, her heart heavy.

Footsteps moving fast had her spinning, only to gasp as she was tackled to the ground. When she finally got a good look at her opponent, her mouth dropped open. "Spike, what are you..."

He cut her off, crushing his lips to hers. She barely had time to respond when he pulled back, his smile broad. "Bugger it," he said, his eyes laughing. "I want you, not her."

A smile began to grow on her face as she pulled him down for another kiss. She wondered if 'want' could soon change to 'love', but she couldn't think about those things right now. All she could think about was his lips on hers, and that's all she wanted at the moment.

THE END