Excerpts taken from No Place from Home.

Many huggles and squishes to Megan for all her help with this chappie!

Single Quotes = Thoughts

Chapter 18

Spike squinted at Clem’s note and checked the address again. The saggy skinned demon’s writing looked like a spider had been dosed with LSD, then tossed into a pot of ink before being let loose on a piece of paper.

Buffy was curled up in the front seat of the Desoto and snoring softly.

Both of them were exhausted by the night’s events. After confronting Riley in the cemetery and discovering that Spike’s chip was inactive, they had chased him into the alleys of Sunnydale only to lose him. When they had tripped over a dozing tramp, and once they had managed to regain their footing, Riley was long gone.

Trudging tiredly back to the car, Spike had tested his lack of chippage, by deliberately walking into a group of teens and bumping them. To his delight the chip didn’t fire once. They figured it was a side effect of whatever Kendra and Whistler had done to them; Buffy promised herself next time one of them appeared she’d ask them.

Buffy had been pleased for Spike, glad that he would be able to defend himself from all attackers. Not once did it occur to her that he would go back to the killing fields; she trusted him. She tried to smile but failed- concern for Riley filled her, as well as disgust over his weirdness. They had headed over to the Magic Box to collect the car and leave a note for Giles and the others.

Buffy had fallen asleep the instant they had sat in the Desoto. Spike checked the address and drove two hundred yards down the street and parked up in front of a boarded up shop. He stepped out of the car and then leant against it.

“Clem, I’m gonna kill you!” Spike muttered under his breath as he checked the address again and confirmed he was in the right place. His azure eyes scanned the boarded up front, “is that his idea of necro-tempered glass?” Spike looked up at the sign, which proudly claimed to all who bothered to read it ‘Sal’s Gym’. “Bet it stinks of sweaty jockstraps as well…” Spike muttered.

He turned and checked on his sleeping Childe- she looked stunning, all soft and sleepy. He had been amazed that she hadn’t staked him immediately on discovering he was freed from the chip. Instead she had smiled and given him a gentle kiss.

His Childe - the Slayer. The way she had taken over his heart and mind in such a few days, constantly stunned Spike. He had never in his wildest dreams- and he’d had some doozys recently- expected this. And now Spike knew he would destroy anyone and anything that would attempt to take her from him. His eyes glinted gold and Spike’s fangs dropped at the thought of the fight he would put up for her.

But for now he was gonna pull Clem’s skin tight for pawning this dump off on him!

“Psst, Spike, over here!”

Spike’s head whipped up and he spotted Clem hidden in the doorway of the Gym. He had a Fedora pulled over his ears and was waving enthusiastically at the vampire.

“Clem,” he growled and stalked over to the demon.

“Spike, hey there! What do you think?” Clem handed over the keys and gestured for the vampire to open the door.

Spike snorted and stared at the keys in his hand; from the key chain swung a small Carebear. Unable to stop himself he smiled at the incongruous stuffed toy. It was typical of Clem.

“Spike?” Buffy peered sleepily out of the Desoto; her eyes widened at the wrinkly sight of Clem and she slid out of the car. “Um, hi, friend of Spike?” she said cautiously.

“Howdy.” Clem waved at Buffy; his eyes lit up, with surprise and pleasure. “Wow. Spike, she’s kinda cute for someone with tight skin!”

“Clem,” Spike growled warningly.

“So, are you Buffy? Spike’s mentioned you a few times, but when he gets drunk you’re all he talks about.” Clem continued nattering blithely, unaware of the now embarrassed Spike standing next to him. He was just delighted to see that his friend had got the girl.

“Shut up,” Spike hissed as Buffy giggled at Clem.

She liked this sweet demon and especially more so cos he had managed to get Spike all cute and fuzzy with shyness over his announcement. “Yeah, I’m Buffy, and I guess you’re Clem?” She stuck out her hand and it was enveloped in Clem’s massive mitt and was shaken vigorously.

“Yup, that’s me! So whaddyah think of your new digs?” Clem jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

Buffy’s tired eyes lit up with excitement, “Wow! It’s a gym, cool!” She bounced up to Spike and snatched the keys out of his outstretched palm and fumbled with the lock.

“Buffy…luv, I don’t think this is the place for you…” Spike whispered. “It’s not really the posh digs I had in mind.”

Buffy ignored him and pushed open the door.

“I’m gonna kill you Clem!” Spike growled and chased after his girl and then slammed into her back.

“Wow!” Buffy squealed and wrapped her arms around Spike’s neck.

“Did I do okay? I figured you guys’d want someplace to workout…the windows are on special order, they weren’t standard size so I had to put up the boards for now…” Clem babbled excitedly. “They’re going to be here tomorrow!”

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy and then turned them both to face the demon.

“Mate, m’sorry, thought you’d pulled a fast one on us!”

Clem shook his head, “Spike, never! I owe you big and not just for the kittens!”

“This is all for us?” Buffy scanned the well-equipped gym and all the weapons lining the walls, her eyes glittering with excitement.

“Yup! And I fixed up the loft for you guys too, come on!” Clem headed to the doorway on the left of the gym and pushed it open. “After you guys! Spike, maybe you should follow the human ritual of carrying her over the threshold?”

Spike curled his tongue against the back of his teeth and smiled. He swept Buffy off her feet and tossed her over his shoulder.

“Spike!” she giggled. Unable to resist she grabbed hold of his perky ass and gave it a good squeeze.

“Wot! It’s tradition!” Spike took the steps two at a time. He groaned as she squeezed his arse again and he hardened against his zipper. He gave her backside a firm slap in retaliation.

Clem followed behind them, laughing at the crazy couple. It filled his heart with joy to see the normally angry vampire happy at last. Harmony had been totally wrong for his friend; Clem wondered what had happened to the vapid vampiress. He’d been to the Crypt to collect Spike’s gear and she had been nowhere in sight…only a lot of dust. Clem’s eyes widened at the realisation that dawned on him. He wondered if it had been either of the blonds who had dusted her, or someone else. He decided to wait to talk to Spike about his erstwhile girl’s fate – he didn’t want to spoil the moment…

The heavy metal security door at the top of the stairs was kicked open and Spike stepped through. He swung Buffy to her feet and they stood looking around at the massive loft that Clem had given them.

The floors were the original pine, stripped back and polished to their former glory. The walls had been painted a deep umber colour, which gave the high ceilinged room a warmth and cheery brightness. Along the front wall were floor to ceiling windows, covered with wispy thin terracotta silks. There were shelves down one wall and a long oak table next to them. Arranged clumsily in a tall glass vase were some pink roses.

A large sofa and two big armchairs sat in front of an entertainment centre. Clem had known Spike would want a TV and had gone all out for his friend.

There was kitchen to their right, and next to it was a tall double door.

“Clem, this is beautiful!” Buffy turned and impulsively hugged him. She rolled her eyes at Spike’s rumble of warning.

“It’s the best I could do on such short notice. The windows up here are vamp safe so you can leave the curtains open! Umm, I stocked the fridge with blood and food, didn’t know who else was gonna be here.” Clem patted Buffy on the back as she squeezed him again.

“Also, Spike, I picked up your stuff from the Crypt, it’s all in the bedroom over there.” Clem hesitated. “Um, you’re friend wasn’t there though, so I took everything.”

“Friend?” Spike frowned. “Oh, you mean Harm…wonder where she buggered off to?” He peeked at Buffy wondering if she would freak out at the mention of Harmony’s name.

“Yeah Blondie Bear, wonder where she is!” Buffy sashayed past Spike and began to investigate the loft. She knew Harmony was a non-issue, but couldn’t help teasing her Sire about her. ‘Man his taste sucked until we got together!’ Buffy peeked into the bedroom and her eyes widened at the sight of the enormous wrought Iron bed. ‘Wow! Loads of room to play in!’ Clem rose even further in her estimation. She shut the door and sauntered over to the sofa and flopped down on it.

“Buffy, luv. Clem n’ I are gonna get your stuff from the car.”

“Kay, I’ll stay here and bond with the place.” Buffy ran her hands over the kilm covered sofa and hummed appreciatively at the texture and rich colours.

It took Clem and Spike several journeys to empty the Desoto of all of Buffy’s possessions. The two vampires had packed a lot the previous night after dinner in preparation for the move. By the time they had finished, Buffy had fallen asleep again.

Spike saw Clem out and locked up the front door for the night. His friend had done him proud.

Trudging tiredly up the stairs he scooped his sleeping Childe up and carried her into their bedroom. The door snicked shut behind them.


***********

Buffy yawned and stretched sleepily. She was bathed in a pool of sunlight and was as content as a kitten. Spike rolled onto his side and stared at her sleeping features in awe. He had only seen her once in the sunlight and he had been too busy dancin’ with her to notice how beautiful she had looked. He glanced at the windows in amazement and then back down at his hand that lay across her waist and was bathed in the same golden glow. ‘Ruddy marvellous invention!’

He realised that Buffy would enjoy this even more as she was still used to being able to walk around in the sunlight. Now she could in their home, he pondered asking Giles and Joyce if they would be open to installing the same treated glass in the shop and their homes. It would make life a lot easier for his Childe if she were able to move around in daylight. Which reminded him he needed to check sewer access here and make sure that any Tom, Dick or Harry couldn’t get in. ‘Wonder if Glinda could set up some sort of barrier for them? He knew that, being vamps, their home was open to all other vampires and that made him uneasy.

Unable to resist it, he tickled the end of Buffy’s nose. He wanted her awake and enjoying the warmth of the sunlight with him.

Buffy batted at her nose and woke with a sleepy yawn. “Mmmm…afternoon,” she sighed and then turned over onto her side and snuggled back into Spike’s body. He waited for her to notice and counted backwards 3…2…1…

“Spike!” Buffy sat up with a yelp.

“Yeah, luv?”

“The sun!”

“Right pretty, ain’t it?”

“But we’re not on fire!” Buffy gasped.

“I know, remember Clem put in the special glass for us?”

“Oh…wow…you look even hotter in sunlight…and can I sound any lamer?” Buffy flopped back on the crisp linen sheets and reached over and traced her index finger down his nose. “Your eyes are all pretty in the light!”

“M’not pretty! I’m handsome!” Spike pouted down at Buffy and then leant forward for a kiss.

“Hmmm, nice! Coffee?” Buffy murmured against his lips.

“Demanding hussy, aren’t you?” Spike teased as he slid out of the bed and padded naked to the doors. Pushing them open he stepped into the sunlit main room, he paused and stretched before heading into the kitchen.

He started opening the cabinet doors and investigated the contents of the kitchen.

“We should call the others and let them know where we’re living. Kinda cool we’re only down the street from the shop.” Buffy appeared dressed in Spike’s discarded t-shirt that skimmed her toned thighs. Her hair was all sleep-tousled as she watched Spike saunter around naked, her eyes glowing in appreciation.

“Think there’s a phone round her summwhere,” Spike mumbled around a Weetabix.

Buffy hopped off the counter and began searching for the phone.

“Could hang off for a bit, so we can get ourselves sorted here?” Spike asked hopefully, not wanting the real world to intrude into their home.

“Hey Mom!” Buffy looked over apologetically at Spike, she mouthed sorry as she listened to her Mom chatter. “Mom, hold on, I just wanted to give you the address of our place…yeah, we’ve moved in…uh huh…sure, it’d be great if you could bring some more of my stuff over…we’re just down from the Magic Box.” She gave the address and hung up happily.

“Sorry, sweetie. She was already on the line. But she’s promised to come over much later.” Buffy pouted up at Spike and batted her eyelashes.

He leant in for a kiss and before their lips touched there was an almighty crash

“Bugger it all to hell, can’t a bloke get cosy with his girl?” Spike stormed off to the door and was about to yank it open.

“Spike!” Buffy yelled.

“Wot?”

“Umm, as much as I appreciate the view I don’t want you flashing your goodies all over town!” Buffy pointed to his groin.

Spike looked down at his semi erect cock and then shrugged. He disappeared into the bedroom and reappeared pulling on some sweat pants. His bare feet slapping on the pine floor as he headed down the stairs.

Buffy poured some coffee and sipped at it as she listened to the muffled voices coming up the stairs.

“Right, nothing happened, just the windows being installed. Looks right smart.” Spike reappeared and headed for the kitchen. He smiled at Buffy as she handed him a mug of coffee.

“Are they done?”

“Nearly, luv. Clem’s mates are just cleaning up and then we’re all set!” Spike sipped the cooling coffee with a sigh and scrubbed his hair with his free hand, adding to his curls.

“Can we train?”

“Sure, luv, but lets get some of your gear stowed first. Gotta make the place look smart for your Mum and Nib when they come visiting.”

********

“No fair!” Buffy scrambled up from the mats and pouted at Spike who was bouncing on his feet and laughing. “You distracted me with your pecs!”

“Well gotta use the weapons to hand, Childe of my heart!” Spike sniggered. Before he could launch into another attack, the doorbell rang.

“Ohh! It’s Mom!” Buffy rushed over and pulled the door open with a welcoming smile. She was bursting to show off her new home to her Mom and Dawn. She was greeted with a massive squeal of excitement from Dawn as she swung through the door.

“Wow, Buffy! Check it out. It’s your own personal gym…” Dawn’s excited babble dried up and she flushed bright red at the sight of a shirtless Spike.

“Alright, Nibblet?” Spike called over as he tugged a black wife beater over his head and covered up the object of Dawn’s admiration. She flushed even redder and gazed in adoration at Spike.

Buffy suppressed a growl of jealousy at Dawn’s obvious attraction towards her Sire. 'She’s so annoying…’

Buffy knew that Spike would be mortified to the depths of his surprisingly active Victorian morals if he realised her baby sister was macking on him. He viewed Dawn as family and if he ever thought she entertained anything more than filial love Spike, would be horrified!

“So, who’s Sal?” Joyce teased as she walked in and handed Buffy the massive orchid plant to Buffy. “It’s okay, I made sure to get you a silk one!” She had noticed the flash of anger in her oldest’s eyes towards Dawn and quickly intervened before her daughters said or did anything that they wouldn’t be able to take back.

The older woman knew that Dawn’s crush would be fleeting and that she was unaware that she was broadcasting her puppy love so loudly. Teenage crushes were to be expected and it wasn’t surprising that Dawn was attracted to Spike. Joyce wasn’t blind. Spike was an attractive vampire - his tenderness and animalistic grace were entrancing to all women. ‘His cheekbones should be illegal!’

“You know me too well, Mom.” Buffy brushed a kiss on her mother’s cheek in thanks, drawing Joyce’s attention back to the moment with a start. “We’re gonna have to lose the sign, Spike!”

“Too right luv, last thing we need is people coming here looking for membership.” Spike made mental note to get rid of the shingle as soon as the sun went down. “Hullo, mum.” he leant over and pecked Joyce on the cheek. He inhaled her perfume and a genuine smile spread across his full lips.

“Make way, the pack mules are here.” Anya’s voice appeared from behind a box as she staggered into the room.

“Sorry, honey. Dawn told them and they offered to help…” Joyce wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulder in apology.

Tara and Giles followed Anya, both carrying boxes.

“We packed everything up for you,” Tara added and smiled in thanks when Spike relieved her of her burden. “Just a few more,” she disappeared out the door.

“Buffy…Spike,” Giles nodded at them in greeting, as he carefully set the box he was carrying down. He hoped that helping his Slayer move into her new home would add to the freshly brokered truce he and Spike had engendered the previous night.

“Watcher.” Spike returned his fellow Englishman’s nod warily. He hoped that maybe last night was the beginning of something more comfortable between them.

Giles pulled off his glasses and cleaned them on his coat sleeve. Carefully putting them back on he looked around the refurbished gym. “Looks very serviceable.”

“That it is,” Spike mumbled. He was taken back by the new and improved Watcher. He wondered what Joyce had threatened him with.

Giles walked slowly around examing the punching bags and the boxing ring set up to one side. His eyes lit up at the array of gleaming weapons that lined the walls. “I say, are those Ninjato swords?” Giles pulled one of the short swords off the wall and examined the blade.

“Yeah, a mate of mine sourced the lot for the Slayer.” Spike watched as Giles’s face lit up with excitement as he swung it around him.

“These are very useful for combat indoors- a much shorter span and less likely to get stuck in a wall! Simply marvellous…” Giles replaced the gleaming weapon reverently and moved on to examine the other weapons.

“Nice to see you like the collection,” Spike commented neutrally. He managed to keep his excitement and relief at the Watcher’s ease in their home.

“Oh my, an Italian crossbow!” Giles pulled the small weapon off the wall and gazed down the site. He turned to Spike and gestured at the target on the wall. “May I?”

Spike nodded and watched as the tweed clad man took aim and fired the powerful weapon; the arrow hit the target dead centre.

“Not bad, Rupes,” Spike commented as he walked over and pulled out the arrow.

“I try to keep my eye in,” Giles replied with a hint of a laugh.

“Hey guys, less with the manly displays and come help carry!” Buffy called as she walked up the stairs carrying two large boxes.

Giles caught hold of Spike’s arm as the vampire walked over to help his Childe. “If it isn’t too much of a bother, maybe we could move Buffy’s training room and accoutrements over here?”

Spike realised that this was a major offering of an olive branch and took it in the manner it was offered. “Ruddy sound idea, mate! Can’t think of a better plan, more room to manoeuvre.”

********

“So, Riley was stalking you guys? That’s creepy!” Dawn shuddered.

Buffy had stopped breathing earlier, remembering Anya’s advice from the night before- there were too many heartbeats around her. She was still trying to adjust to being around humans and their blood pumping around their bodies was calling to her demon. Her soul and her conscience were suppressing the urges – but it was difficult. She looked over at Spike who was handing out cups of coffee and wondered how long it had taken him to adjust after he had been turned. She made a mental note to talk to him when they had a few moments to themselves.

“Yeah, but we were more worried about the massive amount of bites we scented on him. Kinda lost track of him when he ran off…” Buffy trailed off as she remembered the look of lust on Riley’s face when he realised she was a vampire, and failed to suppress a shudder. She was still filled with guilt that she hadn’t managed to have the ‘talk’ with Riley.

But there had been no time, what with the fight between Spike and Riley, the discovery the chip wasn’t working and then the dry humping. Which was still grossing her out, all the time they had dated Riley had never been so overtly sexual towards her – but what filled her with horror was Riley had been like that because she was lacking a pulse and had fangs!

It wasn’t anything else, not relief that she was back. Only the sheer excitement that he had thought she was now equipped too enhance his sexual games and help with his not so sexy biting fetish. Buffy failed to suppress her shudder, her only relief was that Spike was secure enough in their relationship not to be worried or threatened by her soon to be ex. She was frustrated that she hadn’t been able to explain to Riley that it was over and now she had no idea when she would get the chance.

“This is developing into a real problem. He is dicing with death here and endangering us all.” Giles looked longingly at the well stocked bar. Spike stood and poured him a scotch and handed it to Giles with a brief nod. Giles sipped the amber drink gratefully. No one commented that it was too early in the day for liquid courage, it was a tense time and everyone recognised this, letting Giles’s need for a drink slip.

“We need to be very careful. Dawn, if Riley ever turns up and asks for an invite what do you do?” Buffy asked.

“Slam the door in his face and call you guys,” Dawn recited with a bored expression on her face.

“That’s right, Nib.” Spike slid down behind Buffy and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest, his legs on either side of hers. Dawn glared at Buffy as jealousy consumed her.

“So we’ve tried to locate Dracula through magics, but he’s well cloaked,” Tara diverted the attention away from Dawn, before a teen tantrum could erupt.

“Crap! The dead body…” Buffy slapped her hand to her forehead.

“S’okay, luv. Called Rupes last night when Clem and I were unloading the Desoto.” Spike interjected.

“Thanks…”

“So we’re essentially in the dark about Dracula’s location. I’m afraid it’s going to be legwork that finds his hideout. Buffy…Spike, can you search him out on patrol?” Giles asked hesitantly.

The two blonds nodded.

*********

Buffy and Spike walked quietly down the street, abandoned factories on either side of them. They had patrolled the cemeteries and were now searching for either Dracula or Riley. So far it had been a bust.

They had discussed Dawn in muted whispers, neither or them could fathom why she had been sent to Sunnydale for safety. Which in itself was ironic seeing that it was an active Hellmouth. Only that she was there for Buffy to protect and, as an extension of that, for Spike to as well.

“We’re gonna have to bring the Watcher in on this, pet. He’s the one with the books and whatnot, he might be able to work out what Dawn is and why she’s here.” Spike lit a cigarette and puffed on it thoughtfully.

“I know, but it’s kinda gonna be tricky getting him to believe that Dawn hasn’t always been here…” Buffy kicked at a can and watched it skitter down the sidewalk.

“I know, but we’ve not really got a clue and from what Short and Smelly said, neither do them upstairs…” Spike jerked his thumb up at the sky.

Buffy opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the can that she had kicked come sailing back at her.

“I always wanted to kill the Slayer,” a voice boomed out of the darkness.

The can struck Buffy in the shin and landed with a clatter.

Before either Buffy or Spike could respond, an overweight vampire punched Buffy in stomach.

“Oi!” Spike pulled the tall, heavyset vampire off his girl and span him away from her. He ground his cigarette out on the attacker’s face with an angry snarl.

Buffy grunted and tugged her faux fur jacket straight before kicking her attacker in the balls.

Spike winced in sympathy for a second before he thumped the doubled over vamp in the temple.

“Got loads of unexpressed rage, haven’t you, mate?” Spike watched as Buffy beat the stuffing out of the biker vamp. He eyed the naff t-shirt the attacker was wearing, and smirked. “Into Russian Roulette, are yah? Well, guess what, she’s loaded!”

Buffy rolled her eyes at her lame Sire and pulled out a stake. “Ever thought of anger management classes?” She quipped before slamming the vampire against a chain fence and efficiently staked him. She dusted her hands and turned to Spike, who was watching her with a mixture of pride and lust in his pale blue eyes.

“Hey! Miss, if you’re looking for one of those rave parties I think you might be late. Chased a bunch a kids outta here last night…”

Buffy and Spike squinted as a flashlight shone at them and a security guard appeared.

“Oh, right. Yeah… darn. My fellow ravers will be so disappointed. It was my turn to bring the Bundt cake.” Buffy quipped. She and Spike stood watching the man warily, they weren’t sure that he had witnessed the dusting.

“You know, if it was my call, I'd let you do whatever you want. It's not like anybody's using this place or nothin'. But they just don't pay me enough to argue with the boss, so...” The security guard shrugged.

“Oh, we’re gone, sorry…” Buffy tugged on Spike’s sleeve and gave the Watchman a big smile.

“Oh, hey! Hold it miss. Take your... whatever this is with you. He bent over and picked up a glowing yellow orb and handed it to Buffy; both vampires looked at the sphere quizzically.

“Glow balls, huh …I swear, I don't get your generation. What is that thing?” he asked curiously.

“We'll let you know as soon as we find out,” Spike muttered. Nodding his thanks to the man, the bleached blond vampire pulled his puzzled Childe away and they disappeared into the darkness.

A/NGulp hope you enjoy!!

 
Dark Gift

Feedback : I would love input. It's a drug that I could become addicted to! Drop me a note at schehrezade_1@hotmail.com

Archived at our own site badrudeman.com

Rating: R for now will vary from chapter to chapter. Will always put in a warning.
 

Excerpts taken from No Place from Home.

Many huggles and squishes to Megan for all her help with this chappie!

Italics = Thoughts
 

There was a faint scent of faded perfumes in the air; the delicate musky scent tickled his senses and slowly pulled him from the depths of unconsciousness.

Riley shifted and rolled onto his stomach.  The cool rumpled silk sheets felt good against his stubbled cheek. He stretched out on the soft bed where he was ensconced. Slowly he became aware of his surroundings and the events of the last night flooded back. With a crisp certainty, Riley realised he was screwed.

The lanky solider's eyes slitted open and he cautiously examined his luxurious surroundings. THis army training came to the fore as he quickly checked his environs. His analytical mind processed the exact layout of the room and the possible sources of escape, and also possible weapons.

The room was lit by flickering candles and decorated with theatrical flourishes of High Gothick.  The fabrics used were velvet brocades of the darkest purples and the sheets on which he was stretched out upon were a pale dusky rose and rumpled.

The bed was a massive masterpiece of mahogany and gilded wood.  At each corner was a heavily carved post that twisted up into the air. About the bed was a massive giltwood antique mirror- the glass was worn and eroded in places and reflected Riley's sprawled form back down at him.

The walls were ancient stone and were unplastered - hung here and there with tapestries depicting erotic scenes that would have made the most seasoned of Madames blush. Riley squinted at the mullioned window that was set in a recess at the far room. He could see through the think gauzy curtains that fluttered in the faint breeze, his tired eyes could make out the bright Californian sun and blue skies. A gust of wind made the curtains billow and he could see the terracotta roofs that were so familiar to him - he was still in Sunnydale.

Riley froze when he heard a faint feminine giggle.  To the casual listener, the sound may have sounded light and sweet. But it filled Riley with a sense of dread- his skin tightened into goosebumps and the hair on the back of his neck stood up on end. Riley gave up any pretence of sleep and rolled onto his back. He edged up the massive bed and leant against the headboard then openly scanned the room again. It was empty, or so he thought.

A trickle of sweat ran down his back at the faint scratching sound Riley heard; he couldn't tell where it was coming from. The sound reminded him of nails being dragged down a blackboard and he gritted his teeth and tried not to twitch at the sound of another muted giggle.

The atmosphere in the ornately decorated room began to grow oppressive and Riley cautiously slid to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over the side.

As his bare feet made contact with the stone flagged floor, Riley winced at the cold that seeped up his legs and his toes curled. His head shot up as he heard the whispers again.  He tried not to shiver but there was a menace in their tone, now, that was overt and filled his already frazzled nerves with terror.

"Someone there? Show yourself!" he called out, the timber of his voice belying his absolute terror. Riley's hand shot to the small of his back, and came away empty. 'Shit, no stake,' he thought anxiously. The tall soldier scanned the room again, trying to pinpoint the source of his tormentors and whoever incarcerated him in this velvet lined prison.

Riley stood slowly and winced as the bite on his inner thigh re-opened. Riley felt a trickle of blood seep out and for the first time he cringed at his absolute stupidity. 'What the hell was wrong with me?' The events of the previous night came flooding back and Riley mentally recoiled from his shameful behaviour.

If his Mom, Pops and the Reverend could see him now, they would've been so ashamed of him. Hell he was ashamed of his actions. But now was not the time for recriminations. Now was the time for GETTING THE HELL OUTTA HERE AND RUNNING FOR THE HILLS!

He needed to get back to Buffy. Riley winced mentally from the memory of his dry humping her last night in the cemetery- in front of Spike. Shame filled him yet again - he had been turned on by her changes and instead of supporting her, helping her through the difficult transformation that had been forced upon her, he had instead wanted to have his girl sink her fangs into him.

How far had he fallen into the abyss?  The sensual carnality of vampiric bites and the rough sex that accompanied those exquisite nips had blinded him to the sordid reality of it all, as well as the danger. A tortured lust had made him uncaring towards the agonies that Buffy must have suffered through. Instead, his addiction had made him see her changed status as something he could benefit from. Buffy had moved from the elusive girlfriend that he knew so well, to a convenient set of fangs for him to get his next FIX from.

Riley hung his head in shame.  "I don't deserve her anymore," he whispered dejectedly, wondering what had become of his life. He had been a rising officer with a good university career ahead of him and now...and now, he was a bite addicted fang hag. Even Riley couldn't find it in himself to cast the blame on Buffy for his fall from grace; it was all his own doing. But he could track it back to another strong blonde role model, one who had dominated his life.

Maggie Walsh.

In a way, Riley was glad she had died at the hands/stake of her own hubris - if it hadn't been for her insane and deluded actions he would never have lost his academic career, or his place in the army. Not only had she meddled with mystical forces beyond her comprehension - ones that she had no reason or right to do, Walsh had meddled with his body and mind, pumping him full of drugs and putting in a chip to control him - much like Spike's.

All of which had nearly led to him being another victim of FrankenForrest and Adam! Much like she had.

If it hadn't been for Buffy and the others, he would have either died or become another mindless automaton of Adam's. Riley still had nightmares over what Forrest had ended up as. And how did he repay Buffy? By going to vamp whorehouses, getting bitten, being fucked and sucked by both male and female vamps - as long as they bit him he hadn't cared what else they had done to him. He had endangered them all - he now understood why Giles and the others had been so incensed at him - he wanted to go back and make it right!

Riley continued to list all the other ways he had let Buffy down. Faith and the body swap- that was still another huge black mark against him and even now he felt the shame of not recognising her. Buffy may have forgiven him, but he hadn't forgiven himself. He couldn't. 'How could I not have known? Buffy had recognised Giles when he was a demon, but I couldn't realise that I wasn't sleeping with the girl I love?' Riley filled with the familiar anger he had every time he dared to dwell on what had happened that fateful night.

But now he had managed to top all his mistakes with Buffy; he had been too busy getting bitten to go save her from Dracula.  Instead, Spike had, a suspicion that had been confirmed by the vampire's cocky and protective attitude in the cemetery, as well as him escorting Buffy everywhere. Riley had tried to pretend it wasn't spying, just that he wanted to see how Buffy was doing, from a distance.

Riley had a grudging respect for the peroxide pest, for managing to save Buffy. Despite everything, Spike had proven he cared for Buffy. The demon - the vampire had walked into the proverbial lions den and snatched her from Dracula in an elegant way, one that Riley had to admire. Spike's heroic actions had disproved everything Riley had been taught; 'demons have no capacity for love' - but his saving Buffy had showed the world otherwise.

His epiphany was a hard one to stomach, but in light of his own behaviour, Riley felt that Spike was deserving of the grudging respect he was feeling towards him. Spike cared for and saved Buffy, when on one else had been able to. When he hadn't been able to bestir himself from a bite-induced stupor to save his girl...

The naïve mortal was no fool, he had seen the way Buffy and Spike interacted with each other, touched each other and even defended each other last night. They were a couple. Riley's large hands fisted and he hung his head dejectedly. It was over; he and Buffy were no more...once the Iowan accepted this realisation, a sense of relief filled him. Their spluttering relationship was at an end.

He felt a wave of sorrow fill him for the loss of what they'd had, but at the same time realised she had never truly loved him like he had loved her. He was filled with a sense of saddened relief, 'I guess I was the rebound guy...' He loved her but now he could accept they weren't meant to be - maybe they could be friends?  He would fight beside her until Buffy didn't want him too.

Riley raised his head, his chin set defiantly. He would get away and try to apologise to them all for his insane behaviour. If he could make amends in any way, he would! In a sense, the dark realisations the ex Initiative soldier was having had returned him to the man he had been before it had all gone wrong, before Walsh had gotten her claws into him and messed everything up.

He was a good man, a flawed one - but a good man and he was determined to do right by Buffy if he could...

Riley sank back down onto the bed and lay back with a sigh. For the first time in a long while he felt good about himself. Before he could move, a slender feminine hand curled over his shoulder and pulled him further back onto the bed with a throaty purr. Within seconds three extraordinarily beautiful scantily clad women surrounded him. Their hair was done up in elaborate styles and they were clothed in diaphanous silks and satins. Their hands and mouths were all over him; Riley struggled against their attentions but was quickly overpowered.

One of them crawled over his supine body and gazed deeply into his eyes. Before he could move or speak, her thrall overwhelmed him and Riley was lost.

*********

"Sorry about this, luv." Spike lifted Buffy up into his arms and leapt over the pile of sludge that was blocking the sewer that they were travelling through.

"Having vamp senses suck!" Buffy fanned her hand in front of her nose.

Spike chuckled, "luv, you can stop breathing, you know?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and pouted at her pest of a Sire. Spike caught the pouty lip with his and gave it a good suck. He dropped her onto her feet and patted her on the backside.

"Come on, Watcher wanted us to have a snoop around that warehouse where we found the Dagon Sphere."

Buffy sighed and nodded. After their meeting with the security guard they had headed over to Giles's, and after the initial flurry of inviting Buffy in, the sleepy Watcher had ploughed through his books and located the name of the orb. He had looked up at the two vampires with concern and then filled them in on the history of the orbs and their uses.

"So, you think that Doggie thingie was put there cos the latest Bad is in town? It is the right time of the year for it?" Buffy daintily stepped over pile muck and tiptoed around a rat. "Man, I can't believe how rank it is down here. I'll never get used to it!" She shuddered.

"Watcher did say it was an old thing going back centuries, said it warded off an ancient primordial evil." Spike ignored the daintiness of his irrepressible Childe, more concerned about whatever was headed their way.

"Which is not of the good if it's here on the Hellmouth," Buffy interrupted. She kicked the floor with her boot.

"I know, pet. But lets have a gander around before we start battening down the hatches. No freaking until we have to." Spike ran a soothing hand over his Childe's rigid shoulder.

"Yeah right, cos Giles wasn't freaked either! Repel that which cannot be named, usually an object of deep worship or great fear," she mimicked Giles using a really lame British accent.

"Okay now, that really was too Dick Van Dyck for me!" Spike laughed and then paused at a rusty ladder.

"Dick whatsie?" Buffy asked looking utterly perplexed.

"Y'know, the git from Mary Poppins with the crap Brit accent? Oh, buggering hell!  It doesn't matter, we're here!" Spike pointed up at the manhole cover at the top of the ladder.

"Okay, but why do I think you're making fun of me?" Buffy eyed him suspiciously and then began to climb the ladder, closely followed by a chortling Spike.

******

"Why is it always crumbly warehouses?" Buffy stepped through the gaping hole in the wall and eyed the twisted remains of the tempered steel door. Spike flanked her and stared at the wreckage with concern.

"This doesn't bode well..." Spike stepped in front of his Childe protectively and scanned the massive room, searching for the cause of the destruction. Instead he spotted a bruised, brown robed man tied to a chair.

"Whoa!" Buffy pushed past Spike and ran to the man. "It was you who planted the Dagon Sphere, right? I got it, don't worry. I'm stronger than I look."

Glory stepped up behind Buffy, unaware that Spike had sauntered up behind her.

"I have had experience with stuff like this before. Best of all... we're not stupid!" Buffy turned and grabbed Glory by the throat.

"You sure about that last part?" Glory gave Buffy a withering look, and wrenched Buffy's arm from her neck. She backhanded the Slayer with such force that Buffy flew fifty feet across the room and impacted against the cement wall so hard it cracked.

Buffy fell to the floor and looked up at Glory, stunned at her power.

Spike growled and wrapped his arms around the small curly haired woman, who was dressed in red and teetered on high heels. Glory batted him away, much like a cat playing with a mouse. "Really, the two of you mortals, trying to touch me! The impertinence!"

Glory stalked over to Buffy and pulled her up and threw her against a pillar.

"And another thing? I just want you to know... The whole "beat ya to death" thing I'm doing? It's valuable time out of life that I'm never gonna get back." Buffy tried to fight back but Glory grabbed both her arms and wrenched them downward. Buffy screamed out in pain.

"Wait, I've always wanted to try this. You know that thing with worms. Where if you have one, you rip it in half, you got two worms? Do you think that'll work with you?" Glory sneered at the struggling girl and held her easily, not even breaking a sweat.

Spike rolled to his feet and started towards Buffy, but before he could help, Glory lashed out with her leg and kicked him across the room to land near the bound monk. Spike tried not to whimper but failed, it felt like his ribs had been pulped with that one kick.

Buffy slammed her head into Glory's face and broke free. She tried not to vamp out and show her stronger opponent that there were easy ways to kill her, a well-placed stake, her head being ripped off or her heart being ripped out. Cos she knew that this strong woman would be able to do those without breaking a nail.

"You hit me! What, are you crazy?"

Buffy pressed her attack, hitting and kicking for all she was worth, forcing Glory backwards and away from Spike and the monk, but her blows seemed more to offend Glory than injure her. Buffy could hear Spike whimper and roll to his knees. She needed to buy him some time to free the man, so Buffy intensified her blows. Not talking, trying to save all her energy to keep the mad woman away from her Sire.

"You can't go around hitting people. What, were you born in a barn? Fine. Be that way."

She easily blocked Buffy's next blow and swung her around hard into the wall. She tried to aim a punch at Buffy's face, but the turned slayer managed to find the energy to duck at the last instant and Glory's fist punched through the concrete. Glory picked Buffy up by the throat and held her there.

"Hey! I just noticed something. You have super powers. That is so cool. Can you fly?"

She hurled Buffy clear across the room where she landed next to Spike and the now freed but dying monk.

"Think we can freak now?" Buffy commented wryly as she got to her feet and pulled Spike up with her, both of them bruised and bloodied but ready to fight if they had to.

But as one, they both realised that their priority was the monk. Spike reached down and pulled the battered man to his feet.

"Hey! Hands off my holy man!" Glory yelled at Spike.

Buffy rammed into the two men and ran toward the massive window behind them, it was their only way of escape! Spike looked in anguish at Buffy as they crashed through the window, the monk cradled between them and out into the blazing sun.

Glory charged after them, but she was too late.  The three of them were out of her reach, for now.  She stumbled to a halt when the heel on her shoe broke off. Taking off the shoe the Goddess glowered at it in frustration. The irate woman threw it across the room and stomped her bare foot hard against the concrete floor, and it cracked under the impact.

There was an ominous creaking sound and Glory looked up as the ceiling collapsed, "oh shit!"

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

Glass shards showered the three figures as they hurtled out of the window and into the unforgiving sun. Cutting into their skin, Buffy and Spike curled around the injured monk and shielded him as best they could. Spike's nostrils flared as the smell of his Slayer's blood filled his senses, despite the desperate situation his mouth watered.

As they fell, Spike's life and unlife flashed before his eyes and realisation dawned on him- it was only when he had met Buffy that he really began to live. She was his everything. Not Dru as he had thought for so many years. Buffy was and now they were going to die before he could tell her...

They fell, the ground rushing up towards them.

Her skin began to tighten and prickle - it felt like serious sunburn. Buffy glanced over the Monk's head and stared in terror at Spike.

His face was beginning to smoulder; she knew that her skin was doing the same thing.

All her life she had lived in California, the sun was a constant in her youth. Days spent on the beach getting the perfect tan, worrying over white lines and basting herself in factor zero to be the brownest she could be. All that time she had never considered the dangers of the sun; yeah, she had worried over skin cancer. But now, she was literally burning up. The pain began to deepen and she screamed in agony.

Never had she thought the sun would be her enemy.

"Buffy, luv...m'sorry..." Spike whispered. Sadness permeated his expressive blue eyes. He knew that this was it for them. There were no magic windows for them to hide behind and still enjoy the golden light.

They were going to burn up and fade away.

"No! I won't let this happen," she growled and vamped out. Seconds before they hit the ground, the three entwined figures disappeared in a puff of smoke.
 

**********

"Girls, bring him, he is needed." Dracula's cultured voice filled the room. The three Brides looked up from Riley and pouted, their lips were smeared with his blood. Riley lay unconscious under them, his naked form littered with bites and bruises from where he had struggled against them.

"But Master, we want to keep him, his blood is delicious!" The tallest of the women reached down and petted Riley's limp cock, and then dug her talons into it, nearly tearing it off.

Blood spurted onto her hand.

The two other Brides leant down and lapped at Riley's flaccid and torn member, their throaty purrs filling the room.

Dracula eyed the still form of the tall man with a blank expression, he was used to his women playing with their food and this was nothing new for him.

"The mad one has need of it! Bring him!" He ordered as he turned and left the room.

The three vampires frowned and growled, but as usual they obeyed their Master and Sire.

Eventually, they rose and two of them dragged Riley's naked and abused form along with them.

********

"They took it away from me! He was mine...the nasty worms took him away from me! It hurts...I hate, hate, hate, hate them all!" Glory rolled on the bed, clutching and pulling at her hair. She kicked her heels against the mattress and wailed angrily.

"They all smell like meat sacks, the stink of them covers this whole sorry world! I want them all dead...ground to dust under my heels." Glory rolled onto her knees and panted, sweat pouring down her face as her mind weakened.

"All of you out!" She roared at her simpering minions.

"You scabby, miserable, stinking vermin.  I need to be alone!" On her command, all her followers scurried out of her suite, bowing and scraping as they ran and shut the door behind them.

Glory slumped onto the bed with a moan. She closed her eyes. "Come back," she whispered pathetically. "I need..."

"This is what you need, Glorificus." Dracula pushed open the door and gestured for his Brides to drag in Riley.

"Oh yes, yes, yes! Bring him here to me!" Glory crawled to the edge of her bed. Oh goodie! He's a big one!" She eyed the comatose man and frowned at the bites that littered his body.

"Ewww! I can't believe you'd bring me your blood cow! Is this how little any of you respect me?" Glory glared at Dracula. "I really loathe this pathetic dimension!"

"It is all we have for you, at this time.  My supreme apologies, Goddess." Dracula bowed and gestured for his women to leave Riley. The four vampires retreated and left the room.

Glory slapped Riley on the head and curled her fingers into his hair and pulled his head up.

"All asleep, no fair. I like it better when they're awake and begging for their lives... makes them tastier, the fear and panic is just dreamy." With that she plunged her fingers into Riley's skull with a relieved sigh. "Ahhhh... much better!"

A silver light poured out of Riley's nose, mouth and ears as Glory drained him, it spluttered and faltered.

"No! Not now..." Glory shrieked and her form flickered and then shifted.

In her place a very confused man stood, dressed in her red dress. "What the hell?"

Ben pulled away from Riley and stared in horror at the slumped man.  "Oh my god, what have I done?" Ben reached down and pulled Riley up onto the bed. He patted Riley on the cheek, "hey, are you in there?"

Ben strode to the cupboard.  As he walked he tore off the dress and threw it onto the couch. Flipping through the clothes he located some of his own and quickly dressed. Turning back to Riley's limp body, "come on, I've got to get you to a hospital..."

*********

There was a resounding splat and then a very loud “EWWWWW!”

Muttered curses and apologies filled the dank and dark sewer.

“And you couldn’t zap us somewhere more sanitary?” a grumbling British voice demanded.

There was a scuffle and Buffy disentangled herself from the groaning monk. “Gross, disgusting and man, what did I put my hand in?” Buffy yelped.

There was a sound of a lighter being lit and Spike stood. His sharp features illuminated by the small glow cast by the flame. He vamped out and his amber eyes scanned Buffy anxiously, checking to see she was really there. The scent of her burning flesh was cloying and he could taste it at the back of his throat.

He was so caught up in his anxious perusal of his Childe he was unaware that she too had vamped out and was checking him for injuries. A fine line appeared between her brows when Buffy spotted him cradling his injured ribs with one hand. His lip was split and the heady aroma of Sire’s blood filled the stinky sewer, overlaying all the other smells.

“You’re hurt!” Buffy hobbled over, her legs protesting at the movement. She could still feel every blow that the skank had landed on her body. All of which were ignored as worry filled her entire being- Spike was hurt and she needed to look after him!

Spike blinked in surprise at the sight of Buffy batting his hand away and burrowing under his shirt. Her hands were gentle as they took inventory of his mashed ribs. He winced away from her soft touch and whimpered. “Ow…”

Buffy glanced up, her violet eyes glimmered with anguish. “We need to get home.”

“Bit o’ mutual wound licking?” Spike curled his tongue and pressed it against the back of his teeth and then cringed form the pain that shot through his head. He stuck his tongue out and tried to check if it was still all there.

Buffy watched as Spike crossed his eyes and tried to look at his tongue. “Uhh, if that’s the latest in your repertoire of sexy Spike poses – kinda have to say not one for the record books!”

“I ‘it my thung!” Spike mumbled around his wounded tongue.

“Owie! Lemme see,” Buffy grabbed the lighter and held it close to the wounded appendage and peered closely, last thing she wanted was for Spike’s very talented tongue to be broken. She spotted the fang marks and winced in sympathy. “Yup, you bit the edge…” before she could tease Spike they were both brought back to the grim reality of the last hour with a moan. The monk that they had rescued was awake and panting in agony.

Spike and Buffy turned to face the supine man who was labouring for breath. Immediately, all thought of their injuries dissipated at the sight of the broken man at their feet. Both of them could sense he was not much longer for this world. Buffy hardened her heart against the wave of sympathy that rushed through her; they needed to know who the blonde superwoman was and why she had been torturing the Holy man. Unaware that Spike’s thoughts were running along the same line as hers, Buffy knelt in the sludgy mess of the sewer, her hands hovered over the monk, unwilling to inflict any more pain on him by touching his injured form.

Spike was less squeamish and pulled the monk up by his soaked robes and leant him against the brick wall.

Spike squatted on his heels and eyed the man, “wot the ruddy hell was that?” he jerked his thumb to the ceiling.

“De Beast,” the man coughed and blood spilled from his waxen lips.

“And?” Buffy prompted.

The man swivelled his head to stare in awe at her, “how…how did you manage to do that?”

“What? The dissappearo trick?”

The monk nodded. “We knew you were the Slayer, but now I wonder…” he gestured weakly at her vamped features.

“Oi! Wanker. She’s still the Slayer, just has some extras now!” Spike refrained from mentioning her vampiric nature, you never knew who was plodding around in the muck down here.

“Sorry,” the monk bowed his head. “The woman you fought, she is searching for the Key…”

“The key to what?” Buffy demanded.

‘M’not thinking it’s for her Chastity belt, cos that one’s no innocent,’ Spike thought maliciously and then mentally slapped himself and focused his attention on the situation in hand. They needed all the info they could. That bitch had been strong and they had to find out what she wanted and exploit the weakness to beat her, preferably to a pulp. Safety of his family came before anything…

“My journey's done, I think…” the monk whispered

“Don't get metaphory on us! We're going to get you help,” Buffy didn’t want to offer false hope but she needed this man to spill the beans and if a teeny white lie helped, then so be it.

“You have to... the Key. You must protect the Key,” he pleaded, his bruised face a picture of agonised torment and fear.

“Fine. We can protect the Key together, okay? Lets just get a good bit of distance from here,” Spike tilted his head and heard the rumble of the collapsed brickwork being shifted. Buffy stiffened when she heard the same commotion; she flicked a look at Spike out of the corner of her eye and noticed him staring fixedly up at the roof.

“Many more die if you don't keep it safe!” the monk’s anxious voice distracted both the vampires from the noise that was still emanating from above their heads. They looked at the man in shock; there was a silence in the sewers that was only broken by the drip of water at his announcement.

“How? What is it?” Buffy demanded, her slim hands curled around the front of the Monk’s robes and pulled him towards her. In her urgency, she ignored the shriek of pain that emanated from his bleeding lips. Spike’s hand wrapped around her left wrist and he gently urged her to let the man go.

“The Key is energy. It's a portal. It opens the door...”

“The Dagon Sphere?” Spike interrupted.

“No, for centuries it had no form at all. My brethren were its only keepers. Then, the abomination found us. We had to hide the Key, gave it form, moulded it flesh... made it human and sent it to you.”

Spike felt a chill settle in his gut, he knew who it was, “The Nibblet.”

“Dawn,” Buffy sighed.

Both of them felt something click in their heads; everything was now clear. The sudden presence of a sister and everyone accepting her. The monks had changed everything and had placed them all in danger.

“She's the Key,” the monk affirmed.

“You put that in my house?” Buffy whispered. Her heart breaking at calling Dawn a thing but she was wrung out and unsure as to what to do or say.

“This lot prolly knew you’d protect her with your life, along with all your mates,” Spike hissed. His skin prickled at the thought of Holy men doing something so careless and playing god with peoples lives. He was evil, but even so, he knew what they did was wrong!

“Everyone’s memories, my mom’s?” Buffy whispered. Despite that they had already agreed to protect Dawn, she couldn’t believe that they had messed with the natural order of everything – it was wrong. If it hadn’t been for Kendra and her whammy, then she and Spike would be the same as the others.

“We built them.” Shame filled the monk, he was not happy with being confronted with the consequences of his and his brother’s actions. At the time they had been desperate, the Beast had been hammering her way into the Sanctuary and it was a last ditch attempt to hide the Key from her. They had spared no thought for those who would be affected.

“Then un-build them! This is my life you're-“ Buffy trailed off when the Monk began to cough even harder, her vampiric hearing could hear his heart struggling to beat, he was fading fast.

“You cannot abandon,” the accent thickened as he began to panic. The Slayer was a demon now, he could see that, but there was still a goodness surrounding her and the monk tried to appeal to her -to state his case.

“We didn't ask for this! I don't even know... what is she?”

Spike reached over and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Buffy’s thin fingers reached up and she laid her hand over his, drawing strength from his silent support.

“Human... now human. And helpless. Please... she's an innocent in this. She needs you.” The monk pleaded.

“How can we protect her from that bitch?” Spike snarled.

“I trust in God that you will find a way to save the world. If the Beast manages to find your sister, the world will be plunged into hell. We had no choice; we needed to send her to the strongest being who could protect her.”

“Does she know that she is not my sister?” Buffy demanded, wondering if the animosity that Dawn was directing towards her was something more than sibling rivalry.

“She doesn't know,” the monk struggled out as he took one last shaky breath, exhaled and then slumped sideways.

“He’s dead, pet.” Spike pulled Buffy away from the monk and pulled her into his arms. He could sense her fear, anger and worry and tried to calm her.

“Spike, what do we do?” Buffy looked up at him, the violet fading from her eyes and her fangs receding as worry filled her.

“We call the Watcher so he can get the coppers to pick up him- s’not right for a religious type to kark it in a sewer and then be left for the rats- then we go hope and get ourselves cleaned up…”

“And then Scoobie meeting?” Buffy interjected.

“Yeah, rally the troops and all that rot – luv, don’t worry, we’ll manage.” He kissed her forehead, deftly avoiding the burned patches, and pulled her away from the dead monk.

*****

“Bugger, that bint kicked me right good!” Spike hissed as Buffy carefully wrapped his torso and checked that the strap holding his ribs in place was tight enough.

“I know, honey.” Buffy ran her fingers through his damp hair; her fingers tugged his curls gently. Once they had called Giles and filled him in on what had happened, the two had made their way back to their home, each supporting the other.

Spike had run a hot bath and then stripped Buffy before carefully taking inventory of each cut and bruise on her body, silently vowing that the evil bitch that had inflicted them would pay in kind. He had then stripped and joined her in the large bath with a groan. The two of them soaked away their aches and pains. Buffy had examined her burnt hands with a morbid interest; the sun had damaged her skin badly, she knew now that, despite their fancy windows here at home, the sun was her enemy on a very basic level. Twisting in the tub, she had then ran her fingers gently over all the damaged areas of Spike, tears falling from her eyes as she did.

The doorbell chimed. Buffy looked at Spike as he lay back with a sigh on their bed, and rose. “Rest. I’ll go see who it is.” She wrapped her robe around herself and padded slowly down the stairs into the gym.

Buffy carefully positioned herself and pulled open the door, managing to avoid the weak rays of the setting sun.

“Oh, you look crispy fried!” Anya clattered and thrust a brown bag into Buffy’s hands.

“What’s this?” Buffy pulled open the sack and peered in. “Oh! Thank you.” She scrunched the top shut on the bags of blood.

“I made this for you and Spike, G…Giles said you were hurt by the sun.” Tara handed the glass pot filled with some kind of cream to Buffy.

“Thank you, Tara.” Buffy leant over and brushed a kiss on Tara’s soft cheek.

“Are you alright, my dear?” Giles stepped in and shut the door behind him, his eyes scanned Buffy’s burned and cut face and filled with even more worry.

“She looks like she was fried on a griddle, Rupert!” Anya interrupted.

“Is Spike o…okay?” Tara asked quietly.

“Been better, Glinda,” Spike yelled from the loft apartment. “Get yourselves up ‘ere so we can get talkin’,” Spike instructed.

“Sorry, he’s kinda grouchy and ouchie,” Buffy apologised as she gestured for the others to precede her.

******

“So, Dawn isn’t real?” Anya frowned and then turned to Buffy for confirmation.

“Yup, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t think she is my sister. We have to make sure she doesn’t find out, cos I don’t want her to flip out and do something dumb,” Buffy added.

“She is the Key that this woman is looking for?” Giles glanced out of the window at the Magic Box; he wished he had his books here so he could start researching this latest threat to them.

“Yeah mate, she is,” Spike drawled as Buffy started putting on the soothing cream Tara had made for them. She gingerly dabbed it onto the end of his nose and smoothed it. He shivered as Buffy’s cool breath caressed the back of his neck as she anointed the charred skin there with the lavender infused cream.

“And you already knew Dawn wasn’t real?” Giles demanded, nearly grinding his glasses to a powder as he polished them furiously. He glared at Spike and then looked reproachfully at Buffy. There had been a time when he would have been privy to her secrets before anyone.

“She is REAL!” Buffy answered angrily.

“Well no, she isn’t. But I understand, Buffy.” Giles primly placed his specs on his nose and looked over them; his actions reminded Spike of a Spinster maiden aunt.

“Lay off, Rupes,” Spike warned. “We only realised summthin’ was up when we got back to Sunnyhell,” he added tiredly.

“But I can remember her having a crush on Xand…” Anya glanced apologetically at Buffy at mentioning his name.

“So do I, and much more. This is really amazing. These Monks had an incredible power to be able to meddle with everyone’s memories so completely.” Giles reached over and picked up the now empty jar and sniffed it.

“So what do we do now?” Tara asked worriedly.

“I would recommend that Dawn and your mother are removed from Sunnydale immediately. We need to protect them both and the further away they are, the safer they will be. Also, we need to find out who or what this new player in town is, and work towards either killing her or at the very least, neutralising her.” Giles pulled out a notebook and began to scribble in it.

“Giles?” Buffy’s lower lip wobbled and tears filled her eyes. “I can’t send them away, it wouldn’t be safe. Who would protect them?”

“Buffy, time is of the essence here. We need to ensure that whatever is planned by this woman is not allowed to come to fruition!” Giles absently commented, not even bothering to look up at his distressed charge as he began to write down a list of books to start reading.

“Ruddy hell, Rupes, you’re starting to piss me off! Ship off the Nib and Mum where? Who would protect them, and then wot? We stay behind leaving my Childe’s family vunerable and defenceless? How many years did you train for this post? That’s you’re grand plan? Dump the defenceless and get on with fighting an opponent who basically creamed the arses of the two strongest fighters of the group! Cos from where I’m sitting, it sounds like you could barely give a toss for the little one.” Spike brushed off Buffy’s calming hands and began to pace back and forth. All three women watched him stalking around the room, muttering to himself.

“I say!” Giles leapt to his feet. “I’ll have you know that I do care about Buffy’s family and their safety.” He lunged for Spike only to be stopped by Tara reaching over and placing a calming hand on Giles’s wrist. Spike stared at Giles waiting to see if the Watcher was going to have another go at him, the vampire was hurt and itching for a fight. But Tara spoke before either man could start fighting, she realised tempers were high and wanted to calm everyone down before Giles was paste!

“Um, what if we placed a geas on Dawn so that this woman couldn’t sense her?” Tara hesitantly offered.

Buffy’s head snapped around and her eyes filled with hope, “could you do that, Tara?”

Tara ducked her head, suddenly aware that she was the centre of everyone’s attention.“I can try, there may also be something in the books at the shop about setting up an early warning system. I could look for you?”

Anya nodded, “I can help there, maybe we could ask for Sanctuary with Hoffie, he might help?”

Giles stared at Anya appalled. “I don’t think that handing over the Key to the leader of the Vengeance demon sect is a good idea!” he exclaimed angrily.

“Well, when you put it that way, no. But we could get either Dawn or Joyce or even Buffy to call for Justice, Hoffie couldn’t say no if we worded the request carefully…” Anya faltered under the steely gaze of the annoyed Watcher. “Maybe not, but hey I can help with searching for spells.”

“I…I’m not as strong as Willow with the magicks, but I’ll do my best,” Tara added.

Spike turned on his heel, his fathomless azure eyes softening as he gazed at Tara and Anya who, despite their own worries, had rallied to help them in their desperate hour of need. He sauntered over and fluidly knelt before the two women, taking their hands in his and squeezing gently. “Thank you, ladies.” With that he adopted these two amazingly strong women into his family. They were his, and no one could say otherwise.

“The wards and the geas are all good temporary measures, but we need more information.” Giles interrupted the moment between the vampire and the two women. He looked over at Buffy and raised a questioning eyebrow at the soft smile that lingered on her lips as she watched the tableau of her Sire and friends.

“I know, but where from?” Buffy pulled her attention back to Giles and began to worry her lower lip with her teeth.

“I hesitate to mention them, but the Council do have resources that could be used for our benefit here.” Giles leant forward earnestly; he knew that his suggestion would not be popular. Buffy loathed the Council with a vehemence that he didn’t dispute. Travers and his minions had never treated her well or with the respect she was due.

Before Buffy could reply, Anya’s derisive voice cut across the conversation.

“Oh yes, Rupert. Call the Council. And don’t forget to mention that Buffy is a vampire- I’m sure they’ll falling over themselves to help. Oh wait, no. They’ll be falling over themselves to stake or behead her! Really, for such a wise man you can be very silly…” She rolled her eyes and then looked at Spike’s thunderous expression. “Uh oh!”

Spike growled and Buffy braced herself for the explosion and then raised her eyebrows in surprise at Spike when he shook his head, rose and then sat down next to her with a sigh.

“Tosser,” he muttered and pulled Buffy onto his lap with a contented rumble.

“Ah right, sorry, possibly not the most sensible of suggestions.” Giles turned to Buffy and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, my dear. It’s just sometimes I forget that you are a vampire.”

Buffy nodded, her heart filled with relief. Giles saying that made her realise that he had accepted the changes wrought by Dracula, and this filled her with happiness.

“I think for now we must do all the things we have discussed. I will research and possibly you and Spike could question Willy- he may have heard of this woman?” Giles closed the notebook and glanced around at the others. They all nodded in agreement. “Maybe we should order some food and retire to the Magic Box? Buffy? Spike? Are you well enough to accompany us or do you need some time to heal and rest?”

Before either vampire could answer, they stiffened and as one, rose and ran to the window. Something tugged at them, it was familiar to Spike - family was close by. And was angry. Buffy could sense something was nearby, but as a new vampire, she had no idea what was happening to her. They reached the window at the same time and looked out.

“Bollocks!”

“Oh no!” Buffy exclaimed at the same time Spike swore.

“What’s he doin here?” Spike turned to face Giles. “Please tell me you didn’t call him?” And as the blond vampire uttered the question, he smacked himself on the forehead. “Sod it…I’m the arse who called the bastard.”

“Spike?” Buffy turned to her Sire and smacked him on the back of his head.

“What’s going on?” Anya ran to the window and peered out. “Oh, he hasn’t changed much, has he? Still tall and glowery…”

“Oh please don’t tell me it’s him!” Giles rolled his eyes and before he could get up, there was the sound of an angry fist hammering on the door downstairs.

“How did he know where to come?” Buffy hissed. This was a confrontation she wasn’t looking forward to.

“He probably scented us…” Spike stalked off down the stairs, closely followed by the others.

“This should be fun!” Anya whispered to Tara as they caught up with Spike.

“Who is it?” Tara whispered back.

Spike swung the door open with a flourish. “Peaches! Good to see you!” Before he could start taunting Angel, the taller vampire punched Spike on the nose with a growl.

“What is going on here?” Angel growled as he launched himself at Spike with a howl that would have impressed a Viking berserker - if they had still existed.

“That’s Angel, Buffy’s ex,” Anya explained to Tara as they both watched the two vampires wrestle on the floor.

“Oh…” Tara pulled Anya back as Angel was flung at their feet.

“Spike!” Buffy and Giles shouted in unison.

“Buffy!” Angel scrambled to his feet and stared at her in horror. “You smell funny!”

Buffy folded her arms across her chest and pouted at Spike, “You said the funky sewer smell was gone!”

Spike rolled to his knees and knelt; with one hand he blotted the blood off his lips with a grimace, “don’t think that’s what Peaches means, luv.”

Angel whirled, his leather coat flaring dramatically around and kicked Spike in the balls with an incensed howl. “What did you do to her?”

Spike’s eyes rolled up in their sockets and he collapsed with a whimper, his hand cupping his injured groin and he curled up into the foetal position.

“Spike!” Buffy flew across the gym, pausing briefly to kick Angel in the same place that he had just kicked her Sire. She didn’t hold back on using her combined Slayer and vampire strength. She knelt down next to Spike’s shuddering form. “Are you okay, Sweetie? Lemme see…”

“M’not dropping trou in front of the brooding git- he might think it’s a come on!” Spike gritted out through his clenched teeth.

“Ouch!” Anya exclaimed as she stared down at Angel. “Bet that hurt?”

Angel stared up at the ex demoness through watering eyes. It felt like Buffy had kicked his balls up into his stomach. He gingerly checked to make sure that they were still in the right place.

“There you are!” Wesley panted as he stepped into the gym, followed closely by a tall dark skinned man and, to Buffy’s surprise, Cordelia.

“Man, I’ve never seen you run so fast. Where’s the fire?” Gunn drawled.

“Why are you on the floor? And is that Spike?” Cordy demanded.

“Buffy’s a vampire!” Angel wheezed.

“Ah.” Wesley stared at Buffy in surprise

“Oh, which one is Buffy?” Gunn asked

“Whoa! So much for that vision thing!” Cordelia shrieked.

Buffy- unable to resist- vamped out as she pulled Spike into her arms and petted his forehead. Looking up she flashed some fang and waved at the three stunned humans. “Hi guys!”

“She’s pretty!” Wesley exclaimed.

“She needs to be dusted,” Angel snarled and pulled a stake from his pocket, ignoring the agony in his crotch as he lurched towards his errant Grandchilde and Buffy with a stake held firmly in his large hand. In his blind rush he ignored the chorus of ‘no’s’ directed at him.

Dun dun dun cliffhanger anyone LOL!

Italics = Thoughts

Megan thank you for betaing this so quickly!! You are a STAR!!

Angel was felled with one blow to his head.

Everyone froze.

There was complete silence.

Which was punctuated with a gasp of pain from Buffy.

And then an angry voice interrupted the pregnant pause.

"Get the HELL away from my daughter!"

"Whoa!" Cordy's jaw dropped open in shock at the sight of Buffy's Mom standing over Angel's slumped form swinging her purse.

"Buffy?" Spike gasped in horror at the sight of Angel's stake that was stuck in her shoulder. Blood was pouring out of his Childe. The sweet intoxicating scent filled the room.

Buffy slumped back against Spike's chest. As Angel had charged towards them she had positioned herself to protect his heart thinking that the brunette vampire had been aiming for Spike. To her shock she had heard his exclamation and realised he wanted to dust her.

His angry words echoed through her head 'she needs to be dusted!' The pain that ricocheted through her body was secondary to the hurt in her heart. Angel wanted her dead, no questions, no pausing…nothing. Just wanted her dusted. For what? She was stunned and hurt by his callous actions. 'So much for him loving me for ever, no matter what, even if I where covered in slime and had antlers.Guess fangs don't count.'

Spike realised that Buffy was in shock, the injuries she had sustained earlier fighting the frizzy haired psycho were still fresh and now she had a stake in her body. Ignoring everyone in the room he carefully turned Buffy in his arms and reached for the stake.

"WAIT!"

Spike froze at the sound of Giles's barked order.

"We need to get her comfortable before you try to remove the stake." Giles pushed past Anya and Tara and knelt down beside Buffy and Spike's huddled forms.

"Is she okay?" Joyce stepped over Angel's body and stared in shock at the sight of the blood pouring from her baby's body. Her hand shot to her mouth as her face paled in fright.

"Oh Buffy, what has he done to you?"

"Mom...mommy…it hurts." with that Buffy passed out, unable to cope with the pain that was pulsing through her entire frame.

"Well." Wesley shifted uncomfortably. The tall teen that had trailed in after Buffy's mother was giving him the evil eye. He blinked and his memories adjusted, then a small smile wavered across his lips, he finally had a name for the angry face glaring at him. Dawn Summers, Buffy's younger sister. He hadn't had much to do with his Slayer's younger sibling in the past and she was an unknown entity to him.

"Well what? You sail into town with him and try to kill my sister?" Dawn kicked Wesley in the ankle and turned in a huff to stare down at Spike and Buffy. "Mommy? Can I help?"

Wesley muffled a curse and hopped away from the angry teen with a yelp. He was bursting to ask questions. From the moment Angel had received the call from Spike a few days ago the vampire had been in a bad mood and then suddenly this afternoon Angel had announced that he was going to Sunnydale to find out what Spike was up to. Wesley had been surprised it had taken so long - he had expected Angel to rush off immediately- but they had all been distracted by various cases in LA. It had only been a few days since they had moved to the Hotel and after ensuring that Bethany, the telepathic girl was safely out of Lilah's clutches, Angel had made his announcement.Cordelia had greeted Angel's decision with a series of voluble shrieks and then a general denouncement of Buffy and her relationship with the souled vampire. Which had fallen on deaf ears, as usual. Wesley had resigned himself to a road trip and had called Gunn for support.

Before any of them could say 'Brooding One', they were halfway to Sunnydale. Angel was even more taciturn than usual and refused to be drawn into a conversation of any type. Their arrival had been a flurry of events with Angel searching for Buffy. Eventually leading to this rather smart gym and him lying unconscious at their feet after discovering that Buffy was without a pulse and sporting some rather fetching fangs

Joyce glanced up with a wan smile on her face, "Dawnie, could you get a towel and spread it over the bed so we can move Buffy upstairs?"

Dawn nodded and skipped up the stairs to the loft apartment, trailed by Anya.

"He really is a broody idiot!"

All the remaining bystanders heard Anya's voice as she clattered up the stairs, offering her opinions on various ways to get vengeance on Angel. "We could castrate him, it's not like he uses it that much, what with the curse."

Gunn flinched his hands involuntarily covering his groin, "who the hell was that and can I add she is damn scary!"

Cordy nodded in agreement and then squatted down next to Angel and turned him onto his back. Blood seeped from a cut in his hairline where Joyce's purse had hit him. "We need to dress this cut!"

"I vote he waits until the vampire with a gushing wound is tended too," Spike growled as he took a cloth from Tara and began to staunch the crimson flow of blood.

"Should we pull it out now?" He asked Joyce and Giles who were busy unpacking a first aid kit that Tara had found on a shelf.

"No lets get her comfortable upstairs.

"We can't leave Angel like this!" Cordy interjected angrily.

Spike glanced over at the slumped form of his Grandsire, his blue eyes hard and uncompromising. "No, your right!"

"Thank you," Cordelia replied. Relief coloured her voice.

"Rupes, can you toss him out with the rubbish?" Spike snarked.

"Hey!" Gunn and Cordelia's voice echoed in unison.

Before Spike or any of the others could say anything Dawn called down the stairwell, informing them the bed was ready and that Anya was warming some blood as well.

"Spike, can you manage or shall I carry her?" Giles had decided to put aside any lingering worries he had for Spike's loyalty. The worry and anguish that was etched across the British vampire's face told him all he needed to know. Buffy was safe with him. It was a hard realisation to swallow but the Watcher would do so, if it meant Buffy's happiness.

A sense of relief flooded him as he finally accepted Buffy's new life and her choice of a partner in that life. It would not be easy, but he would be there for her and stand next to his Slayer through thick and thin. He just hoped Spike wouldn't drive him to drink or make his hair thin anymore than it had already due to the stress and strain of being an active Slayer's Watcher. He paused for a moment, wondering if Buffy could be considered that anymore, and what ramifications her new status would have in relation to the council.

Spike, unbeknownst to Giles, had been watching him as he had finally accepted Buffy's new situation. Spike was no fool, he realised from the moment they had returned to Sunnydale that Giles had reservations. But now there was a loose limbness to the usually stuffy Watcher, what ever he had been pondering had resulted in acceptance.

Taking an unnecessary deep breath, which his shattered ribs protested against with a jolt of pain, Spike offered an olive branch to his Childe's father figure.

"Bit bashed up here, could you do the honours?" Spike refrained from adding that his balls hurt like the blazes and the strain of carrying Buffy would probably result in him falling to his knees and sobbing like a baby. He did not want to show that sort of weakness in front of any of them - especially Peaches's groupies.

"Right then, Joyce if I may?" Giles gently pushed the older woman's hands away from Buffy's shoulder.

"Thank you, Rupert." Joyce straightened and watched as Giles carefully cradled Buffy against his chest and stood up. He ignored the blood that stained his suit and walked slowly to the stairs. Joyce reached down and helped Spike up, slipping his arm over her shoulder and helped him limp after Giles and Buffy. Spike gritted his teeth as each step sent a fiery bolt of agony from his groin to his stomach.

Tara glanced shyly at Gunn and Cordelia, who were pulling Angel to his feet. The tall vampire's head lolled, as he remained blissfully unconscious. "I think it'd be okay to put him on Spike and Buffy's sofa," she gave a small grin at the look of surprise on the brunette woman's face. "Follow me?"

"They live together?" Cordelia hissed as she tightened her hold on Angel.

"Allow me?" Wesley stepped forward and took over the Angel hefting duties.

"Y…yeah," Tara slipped away up the stairs before Cordelia could cross-examine her. Willow had told her all about the brunette ex Sunnydale High alumnus and Tara wasn't ready for the grilling that was bound to happen. She decided there was probably safety in numbers. She was hoping that Giles or one of the others would take over and she could look after Buffy and Spike.

******

"So Xander went nuts and Willow tried to skin him alive?" Cordelia sank back in her seat and stared at Giles in total shock. "And Willow is gay?" Her voice rose to a high pitch.

"Figures she would focus on the sexual orientation angle and not the sewing of the guy's mouth shut and then trying to kill him." Gunn whispered to the shell-shocked figure of Wesley.

"Dracula turned Buffy and Spike saved her?" Angel sat up and then sank back down with a groan when the room span. He felt ill at the thought that his errant Grandchilde had been the one to rescue his girl.

"Still hurts?" Anya asked from her perch on the windowsill.Angel groaned and then whispered an affirmative.

"Good. I hope your head explodes!" Anya huffed. She eyed the bruise that was flowering out from under the gaze padding Cordelia had stuck on Angel's head. "Must say purple is a break from the whole black on black look you're cultivating!"

"Spike wears black." Angel mumbled defensively.

"Yeah but he wears it with panache and not as if it were a badge of mourning." Anya retorted.

"Not one of her favourite people right now, are you, Angel," Gunn interjected with a smirk.

"Hardly. He hurt Spike's testicles. Buffy will not appreciate that! And then you tried to kill my friend! Not a very nice thing to do. Bet it's a big black mark on the road to redemption." Anya grumbled and gave him her patented 'if I were still a vengeance demon you should be quaking in your boots' look.

"She hurt mine!" Angel gestured to the strategically placed icepack.Anya opened her mouth to retort and Tara interrupted the verbal one up manship battle, which Anya seemed to be currently winning.

"Anya could you help me in the kitchen?" Tara pulled her friend away before she said or did something else. The two women retreated to make sandwiches for the hungry masses.

"Dracula is real?" Gunn asked the now silent room.

Giles nodded, "yes, unfortunately he is and he has made his presence very well known here in Sunnydale."

"Dracula is real?" Gunn repeated.

"Yes he is!" Giles answered again with a hint of exasperation in his tired voice.

"Right…so...he turned Buffy and now she's an ensouled vampire." Wesley tried to steer the conversation back to a more essential topic.

"Yes, it appears the Powers stepped in to help and saved her from being a killer." Giles responded.


*******

"You okay Spike?" Joyce watched as Spike very carefully lowered Buffy onto their bed. She caught hold of Dawn by the waistband of her jeans and stopped her from snooping through the Armoire that contained some of Buffy's clothes. Joyce knew from all the complaints over the last few days that Dawn was missing having Buffy's clothes at home for her to raid and supplement her wardrobe. She had promised the teen to go shopping at the Mall on the weekend as a treat, and hopefully to stop the whining. She loved her youngest but sometimes the teen hormones were exhausting.

Buffy's eyes fluttered open and stared up into the worried blue gaze of her sire and lover, who was leaning over her supine body and gently stroking her hair. "Ow?" She looked down at the still present stake embedded in her should courtesy of her ex and nearly retched at the sight. A few more inches lower and she would've been staked through the heart.

Yeah, maybe she did have the neato reappearing trick but she sooo didn't want to try it out cos she had been staked!

"We need to get that out, luv." Spike gently rubbed her sides, trying to distract her from the sucking chest wound look she had going on.

Buffy nodded, "’kay."

There was a rap on the door and Giles stuck his head through. "I've got everyone sorted in here, is there anything I can do?"

Spike glanced at Joyce and Dawn, and then at Giles.

"Ah, Dawn, maybe you and your mother could assist in organising some dressings for Buffy and some blood to help her heal up?"

Spike nodded his thanks and then turned to Buffy without a word. When the room had cleared he began to tear her top off and then a rage filled him. The sight of her pale skin surrounding the stake was almost too much, but then the seeping blood that trailed down her side and soaked into the towel pushed him over the top. He lost control on his hair-trigger temper and turn with a howl to the door, intent on destroying Angel.

A slender hand lay over his wrist and a hushed whisper of four words word stalled him in his vengeful tracks.

"Don't, I need you."

*******

Angel lay on the massive couch and watched as Joyce and Dawn re-entered the bedroom carrying a first aid box and several mugs of blood for Buffy. Angel wondered if anyone was going to offer him some blood and then decided to wait, deciding not to risk asking as the looks he was getting from Anya suggested she might put something disgusting in it!

He had heard the quiet exchange over the other’s voices and then the whimper of pain as Spike pulled out the wooden stake Angel had rammed into Buffy's body. The whispered words of comfort had filled him with a faint jealously, and then his concentration was pulled away from Spike and Buffy. Instead he had suffered a verbal attack like no other from the odd woman that Xander had been dating.

Xander.

If it had been possible, steam would've poured from his ears after Giles had revealed that it had been Buffy's so called best friend- and his biggest detractor -who had fed her to Dracula. 'And all because he wanted to be a vamp? Guess that explains a lot.'

Angel shook his head and then regretted it when it began to ache. He wondered what the hell Mrs Summers had in her purse- maybe some bricks from the feel of it.

He was pulled from his musings by Giles's voice. Angel's head snapped up and his jaw dropped.

"She has a soul?"

"Well yes, did you honestly think I would've allowed Buffy to continue to exist if she hadn't?" Giles peered over his glasses in irritation at Angel before dismissing him and turning to Wesley.

Relief flooded Angel-she had a soul. Which meant that he didn't need to dust her.

"So she is en-souled, this is a relief- and no clauses, I imagine," Wesley gestured to the closed doors of the bedroom. Giles nodded, his eyes never leaving Angel's.

"Well, that's is reassuring’. Wesley reached for his cup of tea and took a restorative drink.

Cordelia huffed and folded her arms; "I can't believe you guys are all with the accepting of Spike here. Last time we saw him, Spike tortured Angel and nearly killed him."

Angel's brown eyes swung and pinned Cordelia with a warning gaze. "Cordy, not now," he warned.

"We know. However, circumstances have changed since then," Giles responded curtly.

"Yeah, so?" Cordelia retorted. She stopped herself from saying that Angel was more equipped to deal with Buffy the souled vampire - she sooo didn't want to have the blonde coming back to LA. That was so not a possibility.

"We have more important problems to focus on," Giles replied calmly.

"Like?" Cordelia challenged when she realised that Angel was staying silent on the whole subject of Spike. She wondered what the hell was going on with him; instead of arguing against Spike and Buffy, he had stayed surprisingly quiet. Well, since the initial 'grrr argh' attack.

"Dracula for one, Cordy," Gunn interrupted the blossoming argument, returning to the subject to the villain of the hour.

"Is that where Spike and Buffy sustained their injuries? Fighting Dracula?" Wesley asked his voice filled with Watcherly interest.

Giles shook his head and before he could reply, Tara surprisingly spoke.

"No, it was someone else that nearly killed them both." Tara ignored the others and carried on making sandwiches.

Angel twitched in surprise. He was amazed at the quantity of injuries that both Spike and Buffy had sustained- before he had attacked. Whatever it was they had fought, it must have been strong. Both of them were powerful and canny fighters, and despite how he felt about Spike, one thing he had to give his Grandchilde - he was an un-paralleled scrapper who rarely lost a battle or allowed himself to be injured so badly. Angel also suspected that they had both been exposed to sunlight for a long period, if their skin was anything to go by.

"What did that to them?"

Giles sighed tiredly, as did Tara.

"We don't know much, all that Buffy and Spike discovered from that dead monk was that it was called de Beast" Anya responded for the other two.

"No other name?" Gunn demanded. "What did it look like, this demon?"

"About 5ft nothing in heels, skanky red dress and long blonde hair," Anya sighed. "But hits like a pile driver,” she added helpfully.

"Human?" Wesley raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"No, it was supernatural, but we have no idea what she was, I haven't had a chance to research as of yet." Giles was itching to get to his books and start sifting through them.

"Maybe I could assist as well?" Wesley offered.

"Thank you. I imagine you have several avenues to investigate in LA that are not open to us here." Giles was secretly relieved that he hadn't had to ask his former colleague for help.

"Yes, have you considered approaching the Council to see if they have anything on this latest threat?" Wesley asked curiously, his own contact to their former employers was limited to the occasional strained conversation with his supremely disappointed father and nothing more.

Giles shook his head.

"We thought that mightn’t be the best idea, seeing that they would send over some large and well-muscled thugs to kill Buffy if they found out what she has been turned into." Anya snorted and rolled her eyes. That Wesley guy was kinda dumb, the ex demoness pondered as she began to load the dining table with all the food she and Tara had prepared.

"Turned into?" Buffy's tired voice made everyone jump.

Angel swivelled his body slowly to face the door from which Buffy's voice had emanated. She and Spike stood side-by-side, leaning against each other. Angel took in the sling that her arm rested in so has to help avoid straining the damage inflicted on her body, and he lowered his eyes guiltily. He started at the soft touch of Cordelia's hand on his knee and he looked up at her, surprised with the understanding smile the brunette directed at him.

Angel turned back at the united front that Spike and Buffy were displaying towards him. They stood alongside each other; Buffy's unencumbered hand was wrapped around Spike's waist and tucked into the waistband of the loose fitting sweats he had put on. Joyce and Dawn flanked them and both were glaring at Angel in disapproval.

Angel felt the burden of their angry stares and also the burden of guilt for hurting Buffy and surprisingly, Spike.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Spike snarled angrily.

"Don't even start, Peaches!" He growled and pulled Buffy against his side protectively. He had felt her tense when the Poof had spoken and every cell in his body screamed at him to protect her. He had failed once already tonight and his precious Childe had been nearly staked. Not again, he vowed.

Not again.

And no way was he going to tolerate the great git brooding over it - it made his fangs ache even thinking about the pity me session Angel was gearing up too.

Dawn gave Angel her patented hairy eyeball glare and flounced past him and sat down on the arm of Giles's chair. Joyce ignored Angel and sat down at the dining table - acutely aware of all the history between the three vampires and unwilling to add to it.

Buffy and Spike sat down slowly in an over large armchair, each moving awkwardly from their still healing injuries.

"Buffy?" Angel muttered under his non-existent breath.

Buffy reluctantly looked over at her ex and a pang of sorrow filled her gut at the morose sight that greeted her. Angel was staring at her with sorrowful eyes and his large frame was hunched over as if expecting an attack at any moment. She was hurt and angry at his reaction; even when he had been Angelus she had held back slightly - hoping that something may have been done to save him. Never had she attacked first and asked questions later, like he had - Buffy felt betrayed by Angel's actions and was amazed at the depths of antipathy she felt towards her 'first love'.

Things had changed. She had been through the 'wringer' recently and had been forced to grown up very quickly. The realisation that nothing in this or the supernatural world was black and white had been a tough lesson to learn - but she had.

Buffy sighed and peeked up at Spike through her lashes, only to find him watching her with concern colouring his expressive eyes. She raised her eyebrows in question, aware that he had probably picked up on most of what she was thinking. Which, On top of that what they had discussed briefly in the bedroom when they had been alone all lead to her having to accept Angel's apology.

Spike narrowed his eyes for a split second, then sighed and rested his head against her uninjured shoulder.

Buffy and Spike were so absorbed in each other that they were unaware of being watched by the others. Their silent exchange was a revelation to their observers. The newcomers were filled with surprise, those more used to the two vampires regarded them fondly, and one was filled with an unwarranted jealousy.

Buffy nudged Spike and he grumbled under his breath.

"Okay, stop nagging woman!" Spike huffed playfully at Buffy. He was not eager to ask what he was about to of his Grandsire for several reasons - two of which were now looking at him as if he was insane, and, the other reasons were best left between him and his Grandsire. Peaches knew what they were and there was no use rehashing well-trodden ground again - not now, anyway.

"Spike, go on." Buffy pinched him on the thigh.

There was no way she was asking.

"Peaches, we need you to do us a favour." Spike jerked his thumb at Joyce and Dawn. "We need you to take Mum and the Nibblet back to LA with you." Spike closed his eyes and waited for the explosions- and was left unsurprised.

"No!" Dawn yelped. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Angel blinked in surprise. Of all things he imagined, he had never expected this. He looked from Buffy to Spike and saw the determination on both their faces. In that instant he realised that they were entrusting him with the most precious of burdens, and he determined that he wouldn't fail them- again!

Buffy remained silent throughout the entire exchange. She knew that when Giles had first suggested this, she had been the most vociferous of opponents. But in the quiet moments when Joyce and Dawn had left them- while Spike tended to her injuries- they had talked and come to a decision. One that Spike was revealing now to their surprised friends and allies; they needed to be safe away from Sunnydale so that she and the others could focus on destroying Dracula and the latest Big Evilina. She knew that Dawn would raise hell over going, and also mom. Buffy looked over her unusually silent mother and a small crease of confusion appeared between her brows.

Joyce watched as her eldest daughter sat there in the midst of Dawn’s arguing with Giles and Anya, who both supported this idea of them fleeing the town. She glanced over at the brunette vampire who was still frozen in place in wonderment and looking at both Spike and Buffy with a mixture of confusion and acceptance. The eldest Summers had never warmed to the vampire, even before she had known of Angel's true vampiric nature. Joyce had still felt a small amount of guilt over encouraging Angel to leave Sunnydale, but in the end she knew it had been the right thing to do. It had been for the best.

Spike and Buffy were more suited for each other. Anyone could see that.

Joyce took a deep breath and then clapped her hands to disrupt all the conversations. Once their attention was directed to her, the fair-haired woman ended all the discussions with one sentence.

"We are going to LA.”

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