Forever

by Spikeskat

Ch. 1: The Prophecy

 

Rome

Six months after leaving Sunnydale…

She clasped his hand, looking deeply into his eyes. Wanting to maintain the contact with him as long as possible. Her hand ignites within his. The pain is intense, but she refuses to let go, to leave him.

‘I love you.’

‘No, you don’t. But, thanks for saying it.’

Time is getting short. The walls were starting to crumble in around them.

‘Buffy, you have to leave,’ he says.

‘No.’

‘Buffy, you have to. This place is falling apart.’

Reluctantly, Buffy releases Spike’s hand as he starts to burn from the inside out. Using the remainder of her energy, she runs up to the roof of the school. Just as the school starts to implode, she hurls herself onto the top of the moving bus filled with the remaining survivors.

~*~

Buffy abruptly sat up in her bed, Spike’s name frozen in a silent scream on her lips. Drenched in sweat, tears were streaming silently from the corners of her eyes in vertical lines down her face. Pulling her knees to her chest, she dropped her face in her hands breathing slowly to calm her racing heart.

It was the same every night. She should be used to them by now, but she wasn’t. She could still feel the pain from the fire as she gripped Spike’s hand. Could still feel the intensity of his gaze. It hurt just thinking about it.

Buffy shook her head to clear her thoughts. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she swept the covers off of her and stood up.

“I guess I better get Dawn up and on her way to school,” Buffy mumbled to herself, heading for the bedroom door.

Buffy had been trying to put Sunnydale and the Hellmouth behind her. She had finally carved a niche out for herself and Dawn in Rome after touring most of Europe. Dawn was in school, actually in school, learning languages, sciences, arts, and history, things that weren’t possible before because of the big bad in Sunnydale. At one point, the students weren’t even bothering to go to school. But, things were different now. The future was looking brighter for her younger sister.

Buffy had settled into a new life training slayers. With Giles starting to head up a new Watcher’s Council in England, he was too busy to see to it. It also helped that he was in charge, because he saw to it that Buffy was paid for her assistance as well as providing her with a nice place to live.

Now that there were many slayers, it made sense to give these “new slayers” every possible advantage over the Big Bad. As quickly as Giles, Willow, and Xander, could find them, the girls were arriving on her doorstep. Pretty soon she’d have to move to a bigger building. She missed seeing her fellow “Scoobies”, but she didn’t want to appear selfish. Their emails and weekly chats would have to suffice for now, although she had her morning conference call with Giles in England. And, since Giles was making the calls, it saved on her phone bill. Hooray for the new head of the Council!

Each day, after her morning briefing, she would head out into the courtyard to train and meditate before she headed to the third floor to start her basic training with the girls. At the end of the day, Buffy would take a shower, letting the hot, pulsing water heal her bruised and battered body. But, the training wasn’t enough. It did not help the heaviness in her heart. But, if she just trained hard enough, she might be able to fall into an exhausted sleep, devoid of dreams.

It never worked. Each night she dreamed of her last moments with Spike, and each morning she resolved to work harder so that she wouldn’t have the dream the following night. She was losing weight, and her lack of appetite wasn’t helping.

For the last six months, she had been going through the motions. After all the heartache from the aftermath in Sunnydale, emotionally Buffy shut down. Except for Dawn, Buffy didn’t have any room in her heart to love. It just hurt too damn much. Buffy realized too late how strong her feelings were for Spike. She had meant it when she said she loved him. And, it wasn’t just because he died saving her. He had been her rock after he came back from Africa. Believing in her, even when she didn’t want to believe in herself.

When Angel had shown up in Sunnydale claiming to be her champion, she almost said yes. Buffy knew, deep down, that if Spike was her champion he would be taken from her. And, she was right. But, it wasn’t to be. Since getting his soul back, Spike had the whole “hero” bit down pat.

So now, she had given up on men and relationships-the few men that she had loved in her life had ended up leaving. Even Spike. She knew it was irrational. She felt guilty for even thinking it. Spike had died saving the world. ‘But, he still left me, dammit,’ Buffy thought to herself.

~*~*~*~*~

Los Angeles

Wesley was sitting behind his desk when the mail clerk arrived at his office. Included with the other various envelopes, there was a dusty chest placed on his desk. Looking up from perusing an internal memo of absolutely no relevance (thanks Harmony!), Wesley glanced at the chest. On top of the chest was a weird inscription that he couldn’t make out.

Putting the memo aside, he got up and walked around to the front of his desk peering at the chest. Old in design, with many unusual markings, the chest was about two feet wide, by one foot tall, by one foot deep. There were no locks on the chest, just a clasp holding the top closed. Wesley opened the chest to reveal an old parchment written in an unusual language.

“Interesting. I guess I should take this and show it to the others,” he mumbled to himself.

Lifting the chest in his arms he headed off for Angel’s office. He ran into Gunn and Lorne on the way and told them to follow him.

“What’s in the box, Wes?” Gunn asked.

“I’m not sure yet. There’s a scroll inside written in a language I’ve never seen before. I was on my way to Angel’s office to see if he might recognize it,” Wesley replied.

Lorne opened the door for Wesley and followed him and Gunn inside. Angel and Spike were throwing verbal barbs at one another. Fred was sitting on the couch, silently laughing at both of them. Angel and Spike had come to an uneasy truce since Spike had materialized from the amulet and become corporeal. Lorne personally thought they bickered like siblings. He never mentioned it because he didn’t want to their glacier stares pointed his way. But, it was cute nonetheless.

Wesley set the box down on Angel’s desk.

“What’s in the box, Wes?” Angel asked.

“I was hoping you could get me. There is an inscription on the lid. When I opened the lid…”

“You what?! You ponce!” Spike yelled. “Aren’t you supposed to open new thingies in one of those secure thingies? What are you tryin’ to do? Start a bleedin’ new apocalypse?”

“Spike, shut up.” Angel muttered. “Wes, continue.”

“Er, right. Like I was saying. Inside the box is a scroll written in a language I’ve never seen. Since you’ve been around for awhile, no offense, I was hoping that you might take a look and see if you recognized the language.”

Wesley opened the lid, revealing the scroll protected inside. Angel and Spike peered at the scroll.

“Bloody hell! Looks like gibberish to me,” Spike said.

“I’m not going to be of much help either,” Angel replied.

Fred got up from the couch to take a look. The men in the room made a space so that she could see the scroll clearly.

“These markings look vaguely familiar. I thought I recalled seeing a book in Wesley’s collection with similar markings,” Fred exclaimed.

“You’re right, Fred,” Wes remarked as he headed back to his office to find the book.

“Right. Well, I leave you to it then,” Spike said as he followed Wes out of the office.

Once outside, Spike headed for the front doors of Wolfram & Hart. The night was young and he had a job to do. The others could stay and shuffle papers. Spike, on the other hand, took more of a hands-on approach. Nothing like staying sharp pitting your skills against the various scumbags inhabiting the city of Los Angeles.

“No wonder Buffy doesn’t trust the poofter anymore.” Spike muttered, on the lookout for some baddies to stake. “Since taking over at Wolfram & Hart, he’s gone soft. Never comes out of his office to get his fingers dirty.”

~*~*~*~*~

Lying on his bed, back at his apartment, Spike thought back over the previous hours’ work. Three vamps and some weird fandlyre demon. Not a bad night – but it just wasn’t the same without the slayer at his side. The past few months Spike had become dispassionate with the way things were handled at Wolfram & Hart. Angel, his ensouled Grand-Sire, had gone soft. He missed Buffy. ‘Bit too, now that he took a moment to realize it.

He had said that he didn’t know how to top his last exit, at least that was the excuse he gave for not going after Buffy. But the truth of the matter was that he was scared. Scared to take the chance of seeing Buffy and have her take back her words of love before he had been sent to hell.

“Quit being a bloody pansy,” he thought. “Just get on a plane and fly to Rome. Dandy-boy has a private jet. Put it to use. Get off your bloody arse and just go.”

With that thought in mind, Spike drifted off to sleep, clutching his pillow as if it were Buffy in his arms, just as the sun started to appear in the sky.

Ch. 2: Remember Me?
 

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

Spike looked out the window of the Lear jet as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean. He was trying to think of something to say to Buffy when he showed up on her doorstep.

“Hey luv, hows ya been?”

“Nope, s’too impersonal. Damn!” Spike mumbled as he threw back another shot of rum.

“S’Miss me?”

“Bollocks!”

“This is harder than I thought,” Spike thought as he refilled his shot glass with rum and gulped it down.

“ARRRGGGGHHHH!!”

Spike stood up on unsteady feet and flung the glass across the airplane. He picked up the bottle and drank from it straight. A minute later, the last of the rum was gone and that empty bottle joined the other empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor. Sliding back into his chair, he thought about the events leading up to him being on the plane. A smile came to his lips when he thought about his conversation with Angel.

~*~*~*~*~

“I need to borrow the plane, Peaches.”

“Come again?”

“I said…I need to borrow the bloody plane, mate.” Spike’s bad-boy attitude started to appear after having to repeat himself.

“What for?”

“Look. It’s just sitting at the bloody airport, not being used. What’s it to you anyway? Thought you wanted to be rid of me, and all.”

“Buffy,” he growled.

“Yeah, what about her?” Spike questioned, playing innocent.

“You’re going to see her!”

“So?” Attitude was coming off of Spike in waves now. “What’s it to ya? I’ve put it off long enough. Time to see where I stand with her. Lil ’Bit, too. Tired of sitting here wallowin in me sorrow. Forgot for a while who I was. I’m not running away. Time for me to take what I want and damn the consequences.”

Spike didn’t see the punch coming. One minute he was starting to get all philosophical and rationalize his feelings for Buffy, the next minute he was flying through the air, landing funny on the couch.

“Right then,” Spike said as he rubbed his throbbing jaw.

He vamped out and attacked. Angel was ready for him, already had his game face on. But, Angel wasn’t ready for a determined Spike. Spike was running towards Angel, but before he reached him, Spike launched himself straight at Angel’s midsection. The force of that headlong dive sent them both crashing over and behind Angel’s desk. Since Spike landed on top of Angel, he was able to get up first. Over and over, they traded punches, kicks.

So into their battle, they didn’t hear Angel’s office door open. Didn’t see Fred, Wesley, Gunn and Lorne step inside to see what the commotion was. They were too busy concentrating on who would get the upper hand. After a while, their bloodlust subsided. Now they were throwing punches for their own perverse pleasure.

Having had enough, Angel threw his Childe off of him saying, “Hurt her and I’ll stake you myself.”

“Hello?! Slayer. If anyone’s gonna be doin the hurtin, ’s gonna be her, Peaches.” His Grand-Sire raised an eyebrow over the obvious disrespect in that nickname but didn’t comment about it.

“I’ll call the pilots and let them know you’re coming.”

Spike walked out the door, never looking back.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike rubbed his jaw, shaking his head ruefully.

“Bloke could still throw a punch,” he muttered as he drifted off into a drink-induced slumber.

~*~*~*~*~

The jet touched down in England a few hours later. It was night when they landed, so he could freely leave the plane. Walking up to the cockpit, he told the pilots he had a few meetings but would be back before dawn so they could resume their flight to Rome.

“Now to see a man about a girl,” he smirked as he headed out into the night.

About an hour later, he caught up with him. Andrew had just emerged from the Watcher’s Council building. Hell, he even looked the watcher part, right down to the tweed suit.

“Hey mate.”

“Spike! What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in L.A.?”

“Old news. I need her address.”

“Who-. Oh, you mean Buffy’s? I don’t know if I should. She doesn’t even know...”

“Oh, bollocks. Look mate, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I may have a soul, but nothing is gonna stop me from seein’ ‘er. I’ve been noble bloody long enough.”

“Does Giles know that...”

“No he doesn’t, and I want to keep it that way,” Spike cut him off menacingly. He vamped out to make his point.

“No problem. I wasn’t going to say anything. I didn’t say anything before…after I came back from L.A.” Opening his briefcase, he took out one of his cards and wrote the address down on the back.

Spike took it and left without another word. He didn’t think that Andrew was going to keep his word, but it was too late now. He was over halfway there, he wasn’t turning back now.

~*~*~*~*~

Rome

5:00 a.m.

“Bloody hell!” Spike cursed as he looked out the window.

It was too close to dawn for him to leave the plane to try and find out where her place was located. This did nothing to improve his rapidly deteriorating mood. Frustrated, Spike slammed into the bedroom at the back of the plane to attempt to sleep the daylight away.

Grabbing a pillow, he cuddled close to it imagining it was Buffy, and fell into a fitful sleep.

~*~

8:00 p.m.

Night was finally upon Rome, and he was able to leave the plane. His Italian was rusty, so it took him a few hours before he found her place. Now that he had located it, he was getting scared. He headed to a bar around the corner from her home to get a drink to help fortify his courage.

A few beers and things weren’t helping. Paying his tab he exited the bar.

Spike walked back to the address on the paper. Looking at the building, he was surprised to see very few lights on.

“Great! Now I’ve missed her. She’s probably out on patrol.”

He knocked on the door anyway. After a few minutes he could hear footsteps coming closer to the door. He heard a few locks give way.

“Damn. Don’t they even ask who it is anymore?” Spike mumbled as the door began to creak open.

The door opened and Buffy stood in the doorframe. Spike was trying to look his fill. The last time he saw her, he was burning from the inside out. It felt like a lifetime ago.

“Spike?” Buffy whispered, reaching a hand out towards him. She promptly fainted, but not before getting out a weak: “come in.”

“Bloody hell.”

Spike caught her before she collapsed to the floor. Scooping her up in his arms he kicked the door shut and headed for the nearest bedroom.

Los Angeles

Wesley’s Office, Wolfram & Hart

Wesley sat in his seat behind his desk, while Fred sat on the edge of the desk. Both were peering at the scroll laid out on the desk. Several books were scattered on top of the desk, each book was open to various places to help them translate the scroll before them.

Empty, discarded take-out Chinese boxes also cluttered the desk. Wesley looked at the text again. Just when he thought he was on the right track, he’d be brought to a halt by another translation in a different book. So far, he had only been able to get two lines translated and they’d been working on this since yesterday.
 

Yet, but for love willingly chose  (Spawned from darkness and evil)

To give up the demon inside (Yet, but for love willingly chose)

For which a soul now grows

As the one grows weak

And begins to decay

A kiss, mixed with blood

To keep death at bay

A price will be paid

To save the one’s life

Forever immortal

“Hmmmm…” Fred grabbed another book and flipped to a page marked with a scrap piece of paper. (Couldn’t dog-tag these pages, Wes would have a fit!) “This may help us with the next part… Yes, that’s it!”

“To give up the demon inside…For which a soul now grows… It looks like this is the translation for the next two lines. Wow… Wes, this sounds like Angel.”

The person they were talking about chose that moment to knock on Wesley’s office door.

“How’s it coming, guys?” Angel asked.

“I think we’re starting to make some headway. It looks like we have the first part translated.”

“We’ll know better how it relates once we get the hole thing transcribed, but the first part says ‘Spawned from darkness and evil, Yet, but for love willingly chose, To give up the demon inside, For which a soul now grows,” Wesley replied.

“Well, keep at it, you guys,” Angel said. “And, let me know when you have it finished. I’ve got feelers out with other departments to see if we need to be worried about anything that might be coming.”

“Right. We’ll let you know what we come up with.”

Fred and Wesley once again bent over the scroll on his desk and got back to work.

~*~*~*~*~

Rome

Buffy’s Residence

Spike walked though the hallway taking in his surroundings, Buffy cradled gently in his arms. Bypassing the main hallway, which appeared to lead to various living rooms, libraries and such, he ascended the stairs seeking out Buffy’s bedroom. At the end of the second floor he noticed a door ajar. Pushing the door all the way open with his foot, he realized that this was Buffy’s room. Not because of any personal effects, the room actually looked quite barren. Rather, he just sensed that this was her room.

Spike laid Buffy gently on her bed, and then sat down next to her looking at her face. With hands that shook, he smoothed the hair back off her face.

“Luv, wake up,” Spike whispered. His eyes started to tear.

Buffy looked like hell. Her skin was pale, and she looked like she lost weight that she had no business losing. Dark circles prevailed under her eyes. ‘She looks like the walking dead,’ Spike thought to himself.

He got off the bed to quietly shut and lock the bedroom door. Next, he walked over to the drapes (nice, thick drapes, he noticed) and pulled them shut, sealing out any possible sunlight that may filter through come morning. Spike crossed back to the bed and pulled the covers down on one side. Carefully, he removed Buffy’s clothes and slid her over to the other side of the bed before pulling the covers carefully back up over her naked body. He then stripped off his clothes and laid them over a chair. Spike slipped into the bed beside her, resettling the covers around him. Slipping his arms around her, he gently pulled her back into his embrace. Idly, he ran his hands lightly down her face, whispering words of love she undoubtedly couldn’t hear. Spike held her like that for what seemed like hours before he finally succumbed to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Los Angeles

Angel’s Office, Wolfram & Hart

Angel was seated behind his desk talking to Lorne and Gunn when Fred and Wesley walked in to his office.

“Whatcha got, Wes?” Angel asked.

“I’m not sure what it means, but we’ve managed to finally get it transcribed. It took awhile because it wasn’t written in one distinct language. Rather, a blending of languages, if you will.”

“What does it say?”

“I’m not one hundred percent positive. Like I said, blending languages and all, but this is what I’ve come up with,” Wesley replied, then he began to read the transcribed scroll in its entirety.

'Spawned from darkness and evil’

‘Yet, but for love willingly chose’

'To give up the demon inside’

‘For which a soul now grows’

‘As the one grows weak’

‘And begins to decay’

‘A kiss, mixed with blood’

‘To keep death at bay’

‘A price will be paid’

‘To save the one’s life’

‘Forever immortal’

‘No longer among light’

“What does it mean?” Angel asked.

“I have no idea,” Wesley replied.

~*~*~*~*~

Rome

Buffy’s room, the following morning

Buffy lay in bed, not completely asleep, not quite awake. She felt rested for the first time in well, a long time. She realized something was different but couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. Slowly, things were coming back to her. Then, she bolted upright in bed.

Several things went through her mind at once: 1) no heart wrenching dream last night, 2) no crying myself awake, 3) Spike is alive! Turning, she looked into the piercing blue, although uncertain, eyes of her blond vampire.

Spike had instantly awakened when Buffy bolted up in bed – game face on – ready to protect Buffy with his life if need be. Seeing no one else in the room, the ridges above his eyes quickly faded, and eyes went from yellow to blue in a flash. He looked at Buffy trying to judge her mood.

Buffy reached out a tentative hand, trying to determine if the vision before her eyes was real or just a hallucination. Her fingers shook as they made contact with his sculpted cheekbones.

“Spiii…iike?” she stuttered softly.

“Yes, luv.”

Slowly, she dropped her hand from his face. Her face crumpled, and she began to sob uncontrollably.

“Awww, luv, don’t cry,” he whispered as he scooped her up in his arms and cradled her close to his body.

In between sobs that racked her body, Buffy got out little phrases like: “…so hard after you were gone… wanted to be with you…. missed you so much…wanted to die so I could be with you…”

Spike just held her while she poured out her grief, mumbling incoherent assurances, comforting her as best he could. After a time, her crying subsided and Spike quietly rocked her, holding her as tightly as he dared. ‘God, it feels good to have her back in my arms,’ he thought to himself.

Ch. 4: Here to Stay
 

Rome

Buffy’s Room

Buffy lay in Spike’s arms. Every so often, her body would shutter from a delayed half-sob. Spike just continued to hold her, running his hand from the top of her head down the length of Buffy’s hair. The soothing touch eventually lulled her into a light sleep.

Spike gently eased himself out from under Buffy’s body and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. Afterwards, he grabbed his pants and shirt from the chair he had laid them over last night and put them on. Hearing a door open down the hall, he quietly unlocked Buffy’s bedroom door and slipped silently into the hall, pulling the door shut behind him. ‘Better talk to Niblet before she wakes up Buffy,’ he thought to himself.

Dawn was walking down the hall on the way to waking up her sister before she started to get ready school. Various thoughts were running through her mind, so at first she didn’t see the blond-haired vampire walking towards her. Suddenly, she glanced up. Just as she was about to let out a blood-curling scream, Spike’s hand settled over her mouth.

“Smii…” Dawn mumbled behind his hand, her eyes going wide. He nodded at her, grinning. When Spike was sure that Dawn wasn’t going to start yelling, he removed his hand from her mouth.

“Spike? It’s really you? How?” Dawn questioned as she launched herself at him for a huge hug, tears starting to form in her eyes. Spike enveloped Dawn in a big hug.

“Hey, Bit. It’s a long story. Once Buffy wakes up we’ll talk, ok?”

“Er, ok. I have to get ready for school. Oh, and there’s about ten other girls staying with us right now. Feels like a sorority house at times! Good thing they’re out patrolling late so I can get into the bathroom first. Otherwise, I’d never make it to school on time!” Dawn said. With a smile on her face, she turned around and headed back to her room. Halfway down the hall, she stopped and turned around.

“You’re gonna be here when I get home, right?” Dawn questioned, concern clouding her features.

“You bet. I just got here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Ok, then,” and she continued back down the hallway to her room, a little skip in her walk.

Spike turned around and headed back inside Buffy’s room. Seeing her still asleep, he went and sat in the chair, his eyes never leaving her still form. Eventually, he dozed off.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy woke feeling slightly disoriented. Suddenly, everything from this morning came rushing back her, and she glanced to the spot beside her. Nothing. ‘Don’t tell me it was a dream. I couldn’t take it,’ she thought to herself. She quickly sat up in bed, pulling the covers to her naked chest. Frantically, her eyes darted around the room. She let out a breath when she spotted Spike sprawled in the chair across the room. His feet were resting up on the matching ottoman. His elbow was propped on the armrest, while his head lay in his upturned palm. He was fast asleep. ‘I wasn’t dreaming,’ she thought.

Shoving the covers off of her, she bounded out of bed. Somehow, Buffy had managed to lose all her clothes last night. Walking over to the dresser, she pulled out a pair of underwear, a pair of shorts and one of Spike’s black t-shirts. (They had all packed duffle bags before the big showdown on the Hellmouth and Buffy had kept Spike’s stuff because she couldn’t bear to part with anything of his.) When she was feeling especially despondent, she’d go to her bottom drawer and pull out something of his to look at or wear. In those times, she felt a little closer to him. She didn’t really need to wear it now, but she wanted him to know that she had thought about him. Hadn’t forgotten him.

Padding quietly across the floor, she slipped into the bathroom to take care of a few necessities. After using the bathroom, she made quick work of brushing her teeth and washing her face. Grabbing a scrunchie, she gathered her long hair into one hand and tied her hair back into a ponytail. Looking in the mirror she thought, ‘Wow. I guess I need to get a haircut.’

Quietly, she walked out of the bathroom. Spike was still dozing on the chair, so she slipped soundlessly out of her bedroom and went in search of Dawn. Walking down the hall, she could hear Dawn singing along to some song in her bedroom. The door was ajar, so Buffy pushed it open. As usual, Dawn’s room was a mess. Looking at Dawn’s reflection in the mirror, Buffy could see that she was unusually happy. Just then, Dawn looked up and made eye contact in the mirror. Twirling around in her chair, she bounded up and over to Buffy.

“Can you believe it? He’s really back!” she gushed.

A slow smile came to Buffy’s face. ‘I guess he already ran into Dawn.’

“I know! Dawn, you can skip school today if you want. Hang out here with us,” Buffy said.

“I thought about it, believe me, but I have a huge history test. Can’t miss it. It’s ok. He said he’d be here when I got back. You’ll make sure, right?”

“Count on it. Well, let me get you some breakfast before you go.”

“Uh, Buf. No thanks. I know how you are with food and cooking. Non-mixy. I’ll just grab a pastry.” Seeing the crushed look on Buffy’s face, she said, “But, if you’re making coffee….”

Perking up, Buffy said, “Right, coffee. Coming right up.” She left Dawn’s room and walked down the hall, then descended the stairs to the first floor. Walking across the hallway, she entered the kitchen to start the coffee. Once the machine whirled to life, Buffy sat down at the small kitchen table. As the coffee started to drip into the coffee pot, the smell helped wake her up.

“Uh oh. Spike’s gonna need some blood.” Standing up, Buffy rushed up to Dawn’s room to let her know that she was running down the street to the butcher shop. Back downstairs, she stopped by the desk in the front hall. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out some cash to take with her. She let herself out the front door and walked down the street to the butcher shop.

‘How much should I get? Maybe I’ll just get a couple of liters for now.’

Once at the shop, she noticed a few people waiting in line. ‘This shouldn’t take too long.’ And, it didn’t. The people in front of her didn’t waste any time with their orders. Before she knew it, it was her turn.

“What can I get you, miss?” the man asked.

“A couple liters of pig’s blood.”

The butcher gave her a weird look, but didn’t comment. Buffy paid for her purchase, took the brown bag, and walked back home. Dawn was just heading out the front door when she got there.

“I’m off. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

“’Kay. Have a good day.”

Buffy headed inside and pulled one of the liters out of the bag. She poured some blood into a mug and put it in the microwave. Putting the half-empty liter bottle back into the bag, she put the bag in the refrigerator and shoved it towards the back. ‘No need freaking out the girls yet,’ she thought ruefully. The microwave went off and she grabbed the warmed mug full of blood. Buffy then headed back upstairs to her room.

Spike came awake as Buffy quietly shut and locked the bedroom door. Smiling, she headed over to the chair. Buffy held out the mug of blood to Spike. He sniffed the contents before taking a sip.

“Pig’s blood. Best I could do on such short notice,” Buffy apologized.

“It’s fine, luv. I’ve had worse.” Spike then proceeded to down the contents. Finished, he set the empty mug on the floor beside the chair. “Thanks.”

Spike looked up once he had set the mug on the floor. Buffy was eying him nervously, unsure what to say. Spike reached out his hand to her.

“Com ‘ere, luv.”

Taking Spike’s hand, Buffy allowed him to pull her towards him so that she could sit on his lap and lay her head on his shoulder. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask. In the end, all she could get out was: “How?”

Spike proceeded to tell her about how he was brought back by the amulet that Buffy had given him to use, how at first he was non-corporeal. He told her about everything that happened right up until he got on a plane to come see her. Throughout his explanation, she said nothing, although she had unshed tears shining in her eyes.

“Why didn’t you come back to me sooner?”

“Hate to say it, luv. But, I was just scared. I was trying to be noble, tryin to do the right thing. But, I couldn’t do it. I missed you too damn much. I know I’m no good for you, but I couldn’t stay away.”

“I’m glad. Glad you finally came back to me.”

Picking her head up from his shoulder, she looked into those blue eyes that seemed to haunt her dream. Placing a hand on either side of his face, she ever so slowly lowered her lips to his. She lightly brushed her lips back and forth across his own, driving him wild with the gentleness of the kiss. His cock hardened, the pressure of his jeans becoming unbearable. Spike’s hands tightened into fists in the waistband of her shorts, he started to moan, “Buff…”

That was the opening Buffy was waiting for. His mouth open for the taking, she left her gentleness behind and plunged her tongue inside his mouth, reacquainting herself with him, claiming him. Spike couldn’t hold back any longer. His tongue started its own exploration, reacquainting himself with her tastes and textures. When he could stand it no more, he gripped Buffy tightly to himself while he stood up from the chair; Buffy locked her legs around his waist to hold herself in place. Never breaking their frenzied kiss, he headed to the bed across the room.

Ch. 5: Introductions
 

Rome
Buffy’s Room

Kneeling on the bed, Spike slowly laid Buffy down then followed stretching his body out on top of her. Her arms were still clasped firmly around his neck. ‘I’ve got to slow down, going to fast,’ he thought. “Buffy, luv, gotta slow down.” Balancing the majority of his weight on his elbows, he leaned down and nipped lightly at her bottom lip. “Over too fast.”

Leaving his lips, Buffy made a trail to Spike’s ear and started nibbling lightly.

“Next time,” she purred in his ear before she began to nibble lightly on his ear.

All thoughts of him taking it slow went right out the window. With a growl, he released his weight from his upper arms. Grabbing Buffy, he rolled so that she was straddling him while he stretched out underneath her. Grabbing the bottom of her black t-shirt, he lifted it up over her head and threw it to the floor. She wasn’t wearing a bra. He sucked in an unneeded breath at the sight of her bare breast. Sitting up, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Her bare breasts smashed against his naked chest, a soft moan escaped them both at the contact. Spike lowered his lips to devour her mouth one more.

“Cor, Buff… feels so good,” he whispered after he broke off the kiss, allowing her to catch her breath.

Fisting one hand in her hair, he tugged her head back, strong enough to drive her crazy, not strong enough to hurt. Slowly, he trailed kisses down her exposed neck. He could see the blood pumping through her jugular. He made out the marks left by his Grand-Sire, Angel, the long-dead Master, and that ponce Dracula and bypassed them. Buffy didn’t even notice. Spike couldn’t wait anymore and flipped her onto her back. Sitting up, he quickly peeled the shorts down her legs. The shorts followed the path of the discarded shirt. Except for a tiny triangle of red, Buffy was completely exposed to him.

He quickly stood up and stripped off his own jeans, then rejoined Buffy on the bed. Starting with her toes, he trailed kisses slowly up one leg. When he reached the red triangle at the apex of her thighs, he gave a quick kiss to her mound. ‘This is no time for foreplay,’ she thought. Buffy’s body was humming, she couldn’t wait any longer. Fisting her fingers in his platinum hair, she tugged his head up.

“Fuck me now, Spike,” Buffy growled, her need making her aggressive.

Spike didn’t have to be told twice. He ripped that tiny piece of red triangle from her crotch before sliding up her body,. Grabbing his dick, he positioned it at the opening of her wet hole slowly rubbing his cock up and down across her slick opening, coating the head with her juices. He was torturing her, teasing her with his slight penetration. The pleasure was driving her crazy. Her body was screaming for release.

“Spike!” He slammed into her in one motion, burying himself to the hilt. Fisting his hands in her hair at the back of Buffy’s head, he once again tugged her head back to expose her slim neck. With his face buried in her neck, he pumped into her with strong, forceful strokes. Buffy wrapped her legs around his lower back and locked her ankles to hold herself in place, allowing him a different angle, a deep penetration. The tempo increased to a frenzied pace; the bed started to creak as he pounded away driving her deeper into the bed. Buffy was close to sailing over the edge. She wanted Spike there with her.

“Now Spike, gonna... cum… now,” Buffy gasped. Her inner walls started to contract, squeezing his dick, coaxing him to his own release, sending him tumbling over the edge after her. With one final stoke, he poured his seed into her, groaning her name before collapsing on top of her. Both laid there, completely sated as they slowly became aware of their surroundings. After a moment, he shifted and slipped out of her before rolling to his back and dragging Buffy on top of him. Giving her a gentle kiss on her lips, he let her collapse on top of him, allowing her recover.

At first, he wasn’t sure if she would let him hold her like this. Before, she would get up, hastily grab her clothes and leave. She hadn’t liked for him to hold her afterwards. It wasn’t until the night she was kicked out of her own home by her friends and family that she actually broke down and let him hold her. Nothing happened that night, of course, but it felt good just to have her in his arms. She came to him again the night before their battle with the First still reeking of Angel, but he couldn’t turn her away. Could never turn her away.

Idly, he ran his fingertips up and down her back while her labored breathing and heart rate began to slow. It didn’t appear that she wanted to move out of his embrace so he continued to rub his hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture. He tucked her hair behind her ear, exposing it, enabling him to lightly nibble on it. He could feel her body start to stir above him, smell her becoming aroused again. It was making him hard again. ‘Slowly this time,’ he thought as he slipped inside her welcoming heat once more.

Gradually, he rolled them so that they both lay on their sides, letting her top leg drape over his hip. Tilting her chin up, he made eye contact with her. He began to slowly slide in and out, never breaking eye contact. He made love to her like he had always wanted to, cherishing her with his body. Her eyes glazed over at the pleasure he was invoking, but she held his gaze. She had never allowed this before, this connection. Before, it was always about lust, passion, need. This time-with their gazes locked on one another, his slow, deep thrusts-it was about love. All too soon the pressure became too much. Buffy’s eyes started to drift closed as her orgasm approached.

“No,” Spike whispered. Buffy’s eyes snapped open again.

“Look at me,” he urged. “I want to watch you. See your eyes.”

Spike kept up the slow, deep pace. Suddenly, Buffy’s mouth opened, her eyes became unfocused. He felt the beginnings of her orgasm.

“I,” he whispered.

“Love,” he whispered again.

“You,” he mouthed.

He punctuated each whispered word with the thrusting of his hips. Eyes locked with Buffy, he joined her, spilling his seed inside.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy lay in Spike’s arm, listening to his deep, even breathing. (Not that he was or needed to breath, but that was the image that was in her mind. Someone completely sated after making love – and this time, it was making love – and falling into a deep slumber.) After a time, she got up and headed to the bathroom. She took a quick shower then went to her dresser to grab some workout clothes. It was time for her to start her training session with the girls. Grabbing a piece of paper out of her nightstand, she wrote Spike a brief note.

Spike,

It’s almost noon. I’m on the third floor training the girls. Join me when you wake up.

Buffy

When she finished her note, she laid it on her pillow so that he would see it. Quietly, she made her way to her bedroom door. Opening it, she gave a last backward glance at Spike before stepping out in the hallway and soundlessly shutting the door. With a little sigh, she headed down the hallway to the flight of stairs leading to the third floor, the Slayer training room.

Walking into the huge room, she noticed the girls were all sitting on the floor, stretching out their muscles, getting ready for the coming workout. Various weapons littered the walls. In the center of the wall was the scythe that had been saved from the last battle on the Hellmouth. It served as a reminder that evil was still out there but could be overcome with a little faith, determination, and a nice big axe.

Buffy took her position at the head of the room. The girls stood up and spread out throughout the room and Buffy began the kata. After about an hour and a half, she finished and the girls broke up into smaller groups to work on their hand-to-hand skills. Another hour went by and the girls grabbed stakes, daggers, or small crossbows to practice against the dummies stationed throughout the large room.

Spike walked into the room to see a girl mangle a suspended dummy with a broadsword. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair was standing on end. Buffy had sensed Spike nearby, and she stopped instructing one of the girls on how to escape a chokehold to look at the door. ‘Bed-head Spike, yum,’ she thought to herself. She could feel her panties getting moist. Spike just gave her a knowing smirk his scarred eyebrow raising.

The others in the room stopped what they were doing to see what had distracted the Slayer. Usually she kept them at it for five straight hours without a break. Today, it seemed like her mind was somewhere else. Plus, there were no harsh words. No quick criticism. Today, she was actually taking time to go over stuff without getting angry. Seeing a vamp, master vamp at that, standing in the doorway quickly got the girls on edge.

“Guess they need to work on their intuitive skills a bit, luv,” Spike remarked. “I could sense you all the way at the end of the hall.”

“I haven’t got that far yet. I’m still working on their defensive skills,” Buffy replied.

Seeing the camaraderie between the vamp and the Slayer, the other girls began to relax. Buffy chose that moment to introduce Spike to the girls.

“Spike, these are some of the girls that the new council members have sent me.”

The girls walked away from the various stations they were at to form a half-hazard line about ten feet in front of him. The youngest appeared to be no more than thirteen, the oldest not much older than that.

“They’re a little young, slayer.”

“That’s the age group I get. Once they reach sixteen, they’re given their own watcher to look out for them. Right now, I teach them. Then, we go out as a group to patrol.”

Spike gave her a questioning look. At that, she said, “I wasn’t feeling well last night. That’s why I was here.”

“Ah, right then.”

“Anyway. These are my girls: Angelina, Stephanie, Zhora, Theresa, Francesca, Katherine (Kat for short), Lionna, Sydney, Petra, and Corina.” As each name was said, the girls smiled. Some gave a little wave.

“Ladies. You ‘bout through here, pet.”

The girls looked ready to drop.

“Actually, we’ve got another hour or so.” Groans erupted from some of the girls. “But,” she said over their outburst, “I think we can knock off for today.” There were actually a few cheers to that announcement.

“Besides, we can always work a little longer tomorrow.” More groans. Buffy winked at Spike.

“Ok, girls. Let get the weapons put away then hit the showers, dinner will be in a few hours.”

Buffy grabbed Spike by the arm and left the training room. “Come on. I need to get a shower before Dawn gets home. I promised her that you’d be here when she got home from school.”

With a wicked grin she asked rhetorically, “Now, how am I gonna manage to keep an eye on you and get a shower at the same time?” And, she sauntered off down the hallway leaving a rock-hard Spike standing there staring after her. He recovered quickly and raced after her. Scooping her up in his arms, he upended her over his shoulder caveman style and raced down the stairs as fast as he could manage without jarring her. Her squeals of delight floated back up the hallway.

If the slayers-in-training thought it was weird for a slayer and a master vampire to be acting like a bunch of lovesick teenagers, they sure didn’t voice it.

Ch. 6: Something Wicked This Way Comes
 

Dawn, Buffy, and Spike were sitting at the kitchen table. Spike was explaining to Dawn how he came back. Buffy had heard the story earlier so she just sat quietly to the conversation flowing around her. Spike’s story was interrupted quite frequently by Dawn’s, “No ways! Reallys! Uh uhs! and Wows!” Once he finished retelling his tale, he asked Dawn what she had been up to.

“Not too much. We traveled a bit during the summer, and then decided on Rome as a place to live. It’s way different than Sunnydale. I’m back in school. It’s actually kinda fun. Way better than before.”

“That’s good, Niblet.”

“Yeah, and now that Giles is in charge of the new Watcher’s Council, we don’t have to worry about money. Buffy’s actually getting a paycheck. Can you believe it? And, the Council even footed the bill for this place. Neat, huh?” Dawn asked.

“’Bout bloody time,” Spike grumbled. Buffy just smiled ruefully.

“It’s getting late, Dawnie. Better get started on your homework. I’ve got to go get ready for patrol,” Buffy said as she stood up from the table. Spike stood up as well.

“I’m comin’ with, if it’s all the same to you, pet. Maybe I can show your little slayers a thing or two. Will the ‘Bit be ok here?”

“She’ll be fine. This place is surrounded by a protection spell, thanks to Willow. It was one of the things she managed to take care of once we finally settled on a place to live. Giles insisted.”

“’Lemme just grab my jacket and round up the girls. I’ll be right back.” Buffy walked out of the kitchen and headed up to her room to get her jacket and a few weapons. On the way back out into the hall she called the girls. They began to trickle out of their rooms and followed her back downstairs. They weren’t surprised to see the blond vampire waiting for them.

They didn’t stay out on patrol long. It was kind of hard to sneak up on the “baddies” with such a large group. They weren’t exactly the most quiet. However, they did manage to find a few minion vampires to dust, so all in all, it wasn’t a bad night. The girls got to practice their hand-to-hand combat skills, and Buffy was grateful to have an extra pair of expert hands keeping an eye on things.

Once back home, the girls headed up to bed. They needed to get some sleep so that they would be ready for their tutor tomorrow morning. The young slayers didn’t go to a regular school like Dawn. Buffy didn’t want to worry about having to answer any questions posed by school officials. So, the council sent tutors to teach the girls English, science, math, and history. They also learned about religion, relics, demons, and magic. Every little bit helped, right?

Buffy walked through the place double-checking the locks. Spike trailed behind her. Once she was satisfied everything was secure she headed upstairs to her room.

“The girls are good. A little green, but the slayer instincts are there.”

“Yeah. I’m afraid I’ve been a little hard on them.” Spike just looked at her quizzically. Buffy glanced at him, but didn’t comment as to why. The last thing she need to do was voice her recurring nightmares and the steps she had been taking to deal with them and prevent them from reoccurring.

“Now that you’re here you can help me with them. You are staying, right?” she asked a little uncertainly.

Spike enveloped her in his arms. “Just try to make me leave.”

Pulling slowly out of his embrace she told him, “I’m gonna go check on Dawnie real quick. I’ll be right back.” It was a little after eleven. Dawn would probably be asleep, but Buffy always checked on her. Just to be safe. Buffy no longer took things for granted. Cracking Dawn’s door open, she stuck her head in the room. Dawn was snuggled under the covers, fast asleep. Re-closing the door, she headed back to her room.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike waited in the bedroom for Buffy. He wasn’t sure exactly where he stood with the slayer. True, they had made love, but he didn’t want to presume anything. With nervous uncertainty, he prowled around the room. Hearing Buffy walk back down the hall towards him, he stopped his pacing and went to stand over by the window. Lifting the curtain away from the window, he peered out at nighttime Rome. Everything was quiet. Almost too quiet. ‘Not good,’ he thought to himself.

Buffy pushed open the door, then shut and locked it behind her. ‘He feels it too. I knew I had reason to worry,’ she thought.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who can sense it.” Turning away from the window as her voice broke the silence, he looked at her, his head cocked to the side.

“It’s too bloody quiet.”

“I know.” Walking over to him, she laid her head against his chest. Spike wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

“Wonder if this has something to do with the chest that showed up on Angel’s door back in L.A.”

“Huh?” she asked as she looked up at his face.

“Nothin’, luv. Just thinkin’ out loud.” Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her over to the bed and laid her on top of the covers. He pulled off her shoes, then shucked his own. Climbing onto the bed he stretched out alongside of her, pulling her back into his arms.

“It’s just that when things show up mysteriously, for no reason, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Before I left L.A., Wesley received this chest containing some scroll. Didn’t know where it came from.”

“I’ll ask Giles tomorrow when he calls and see if he’s heard anything, knows of anything. I don’t like this quiet. It’s just a feeling I have, nothing tangible. I’m worried, Spike.”

“Don’t be, luv. I’m here now. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He leaned in and kissed her ear, whispereing, “Now rest. It’s been a long day.” It killed him to say those last seven words.

Turning in his arms to face him she said, “I don’t want to rest. Love me, Spike.”

‘Oh, thank God!’ he thought. “Always, pet,” sealing his vow with a searing kiss. Clothes were quickly shed, and then Spike was once more sheathed inside Buffy’s liquid heat. Home. Soon, all thoughts were gone as he was caught up in Buffy’s radiating heat.

~*~*~*~*~

The Outskirts of Rome

The cloak-clad figure stood staring at the rising fire in the hearth. He seemed transfixed as he stared at the flames, as if they were talking to him in a language only he could understand. A manservant stood in the corner of the room, awaiting word from his master. In his hands, the servant held the book that would aid his master in ridding the world of all the new slayers.

“Bring it to me.”

The servant walked quickly forward, coming round to stand in front of his master, his head bowed. He held the book up. Red eyes glanced quickly at the cover of the book before fading to black, then he opened book. His hand hovered a moment over the book. Magically, the pages began flipping. Halfway through the book, the pages stopped, coming to rest where the man needed. Quickly, he scanned the pages, then let forth with an evil laugh. ‘This is almost too easy,’ he thought.

Ch. 7: A Call to Aid
 

England

The Watcher’s Council Headquarters, Giles’ Office

“Hello, Buffy,” Giles said into the phone. “How are things progressing on your end?”

Silence. “That’s good.”

More silence. “Er… uh, no. No, I didn’t know that he was alive. Wait…how do you know he’s alive?” (Silence.) “Oh. Oh, I see.” Giles pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How?”

More silence. “And, he’s been at Wolfram & Hart’s this whole time?” he asked. “Helping Angel? You don’t say. Andrew never said a word.” Wonder why?

“Spike persuaded him?” (Silence.) “Oh.”

~*~*~*~*~

Rome

“Ok. The girls have the instinct, they just need the direction.”

Silence. “Giles, did you know about Spike?” she questioned out of nowhere.

More silence. “He’s back. He came back to me. He’s here with me. In Rome. Right now.” At his question of how, Buffy told him briefly about how he was brought back through the amulet and that he’d been staying with Angel in L.A.

More silence. “I think Spike may have persuaded him to keep quiet.”

“Listen, Giles. The reason I’m mentioning Spike is because he’s feeling something. And, the funny thing is…so am I. Have you heard anything? Some new apocalypse I’m not aware of? I’m not liking this feeling that I’m getting. Something isn’t right. Like it’s lurking in the shadows, biding its time. I worried, Giles.”

Dawn suddenly came into Buffy’s line of vision as she sat behind her desk taking into the phone to Giles.

“Look, Giles. Just check into it for me and get back to me, ok?”

Silence. “Thanks, Giles. I love you. Talk to you tomorrow. Right. Bye.” Buffy hung up the phone and looked at Dawn. It didn’t appear like she heard anything. ‘Phew. That was close,’ she thought. ‘I don’t want her to worry if I can avoid it.’

“Are you ready for school, Dawnie?” she asked, adopting an overly-bright tone to her voice. Dawn didn’t notice anything unusual, figuring her sister was on a happy high now that Spike was back. It was nice to finally see a little life back in her sister’s eyes.

“Yep. I’m just gonna get me a cup of coffee before I head out.”

“I’ll join you. Giles caught me before I could get a cup.” Both girls headed to the kitchen to get their morning java. They doctored their coffee to their liking then went to the kitchen table and sat down. Buffy had just taken a sip of coffee when Dawn asked, “So, what’s the deal with Spike?”

Coffee went down the wrong pipe and Buffy started coughing. Dawn just sat there sipping her coffee, blinking in wide-eyed innocence, waiting for her to recover. After a few moments, Buffy was able to get air down to her lungs, rather than coffee. She glared at her sister.

“Not that it’s any of your business.”

“You’re not gonna send him away, are you?” Seeing anxiety start to creep over her sister’s face, she rushed to reassure her.

“No, Dawnie. Believe it or not, I’m glad he’s back. I’m not going to be the one to send him away. It’s going to be his choice as to whether or not he wants to stay.”

“It’s about time!” She opined, her good mood quickly restored.

“Hey!”

Dawn just smiled. Finishing her coffee, she stood up. She put her coffee cup in the sink then went to grab her books for school.

“I’m off.”

“Ok. Have a good day.”

“You too.” Dawn winked at her she walked out the door. ‘Cheeky little brat.’

~*~*~*~*~

About eleven thirty, Buffy headed upstairs to get ready for her daily workout with the girls. She carried a mug of blood for Spike with her. Cautiously, she opened the door. ‘Good thing the girls don’t come down to my room. They’d be in for an eyeful if they had happened to open the door.’ Spike laid on the bed in all his glory. The sheet that would have provided a modicum of modesty had managed to fall well below his waist. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Setting the mug on the dresser, she tiptoed over to the bed, quietly stripping out of her clothes along the way.

Gingerly, she placed one knee on the end of the bed, glancing at his face to make sure that she hadn’t waken him, then the other. Either he was starting to have a really good dream, or his body sensed her presence. His cock started to get hard, right before her eyes. She stopped crawling up the bed when her face came parallel with his dick. Without touching his body, she breathed lightly over him. His cock moved of its own accord, reaching up in an attempt to reclaim the warm caress of her breath. With a wicked glint in her eye, she scooped her hair in one hand. No point in alerting him to her presence just yet by having her hair fall across his thighs. Without so much as a touch of her finger along his length, she opened her mouth and enveloped his cock.

Spike’s hips shot up off the bed a groaned “bloody hell” escaping his lips. His head flew back in utter ecstasy; ridges appeared above his eyes, and she knew instinctively that if she could see his eyes, they’d be yellow instead of the blue she normally saw. Buffy loved that she could drive him that crazy, make him lose control so completely; it made her wet just thinking about it. The night before last had been about reconnecting; their first time frenzied in an attempt to soothe their bodies after a long separation. Then, it had been slow – a first for them. Then yesterday in the shower they’d been playful before the haze of lust had claimed their bodies and Spike had bounded into her body as the shower rained water on them. Last night, Spike had once more been tender, as if to eradicate any hint of the demon inside. And while he had been passionate in his lovemaking, he had been careful to conceal the violence that had defined their relationship a few years back. But, part of Buffy needed that – a taste of the violence that was swirling inside her. And she refused to let Spike deny it, as if it didn’t exist.

Since he was wide-awake now, there was no point in holding her hair back. Releasing it, she allowed it to tumble down around her, providing a silky curtain around her face. Buffy proceeded to love him with her hands and mouth, driving him wild, wanting that blessed control of his to snap.

Spike’s hands made fists into the sheets. His force of will great, as he attempted to hold his demon at bay. But, she seemed determined to release it as she scraped her nails down his side. Buffy could feel the blood pounding in her lower region. Moisture dampened the curls between her legs. She needed release, now. It was time to make him lose that control he so desperately guarded. Spike almost sighed when she finally released his swollen cock from her mouth. He’d been so close, so close, to taking her and ravaging-

Then he felt her teeth sliding over the length of him from the base up towards the head. His eyes flew wide and his control snapped.

Spike sat up and pulled her mouth off his cock, then flipped her onto her stomach. Lifting her ass off the bed, he slammed into her from behind. Buffy moaned at the force of his invasion, doing nothing to stop him as he pounded into her sopping hole. Buffy needed this, this roughness. Not all the time, mind you. Slow and sweet was nice, but so was this. This mindless fucking, the barely stemmed violence, that made her blood thrum though her body. It was making her crazy. She needed that release that only Spike could seem to give her.

Spike reached in front of her and started fingering her clit. But, it wasn’t enough. Her body was poised on the brink of rapture, but she couldn’t tumble over. Spike leaned down over her back. He could see the blood rushing through her veins, hear it pounding in his ears. Without another thought, he brought his fangs to her exposed neck. His demon wanted out; the slayer made sure it would. Sensing what he was about to do, she moaned, “Yes!”

Spike sunk his fangs into her neck. That second penetration sent her spiraling over the edge. Her orgasm slammed through her body and she screamed his name. She came hard, her inner walls milking his shaft. The taste of her blood and her slayer muscles squeezing his cock sent him tumbling after her. Releasing her neck, he shouted his release. When the last of his seed has filled her, Buffy’s legs gave out and she fell forward onto the bed; Spike collapsed on top of her.

Spike slowly became aware of his surroundings. His facial features smoothed out. Carefully, he pulled out of her wet warmth, groaning from the pleasure as he did so. He flopped onto his back and pulled Buffy into his arms. He could see the marks he left on her neck and gently ran his tongue over the puncture wounds. He could still taste her. Resisting the urge for more, he placed a kiss on each hole.

“Buffy, I…” He tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

“Shhh…Don’t.” Buffy placed a finger over his lips. “It’s ok, Spike. I wanted you to. I needed this, you needed this. It doesn’t always have to be like this. Like it was before. But, we can’t deny this. It’s there. And, I trust you.” Spike relaxed back into the bed. He had been worried. He didn’t want to revert to how they had been before. Now that he had a taste of her lovemaking he didn’t think he could handle going back to just their violent coupling that hard marked their previous relationship. Still sensing his unease with what happened Buffy leaned her head back a bit, exposing her fresh puncture marks.

“Show me.” Spike didn’t understand at first what she was talking about. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, she draped it over the shoulder of her recently marked neck. Seeing the mark that he had left, he vamped back out. Slowly, she lowered her chest back onto his, bringing her neck close to his fangs. He couldn’t refuse the invitation. Grabbing a fistful of her hair he lightly tugged her head to the side, exposing more of her vulnerable neck. Leaning up, he once more sunk his fangs into her neck.

‘Oh, God!’ His cock hardened instantly. Sensing what he needed, Buffy slowly slid back down onto him. Barely draining any of her blood, Spike let her ride him. Just having his fangs in her neck was driving him crazy. When he could stand it no more, he flipped her onto her back and pounded into her, never once letting go of her neck. Buffy wrapped her legs around his lower back, allowing him to sink deeper into her moist heat. She couldn’t stop the tremors that began at her inner core and worked outward until her whole body was shaking. Her orgasm was long and hard. Spike wanted to keep driving into her slick heat, but those slayer muscles squeezed him so tight, he was unable to hold back. Finally releasing her neck, he reared back, yelling her name as his release claimed him, his yellow eyes blazing.

His features evened out yet again and he collapsed on the bed beside Buffy, pulling her back into his arms. Much as she wanted to stay right there, she had a bunch of girls that were going to be waiting for their lessons. Sighing, she turned over to face him.

“I hate to get up, but I’ve got a bunch of girls waiting on the third floor for me.” She glanced over at the clock. 12:15. ‘Oh, no. I’m late.’ With a shriek, she jumped up out of bed. She swayed slightly from the slight loss of blood but more from the way her body had been so wickedly used. Shaking it off, she darted over to the dresser.

Spike just propped his hands behind his head and watched her as she raced frantically around the room, trying to find some workout clothes. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. Buffy heard it and stopped what she was doing to glare at him.

“It’s your fault I’m late.”

“My fault? How you figure that, slayer? You’re the one that woke me up, remember?” Buffy blushed at that. “Not that I’m complainin’, mind you. Not in the least. Feel free to wake me up like that anytime.” He flashed a wicked grin.

“Ohhhhh…. Can I help it that I was distracted because you were lyin’ in bed without a stitch of clothes on?” she pouted. Spike just chuckled. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stood up. Grabbing his jeans, he slipped them on. Padding barefoot across the floor, he opened the door.

“Go take a quick shower, luv. I’ll keep the girls entertained till you get there.” And with that, he closed the door behind him and was gone.

Buffy was about to go after him, demand that he put some more clothes on, but changed her mind. She headed for the shower instead.

Ch. 8: Mastermind at Work
 

The Outskirts of Rome

The cloak-clad figure stood before the fire once again, deep in thought. ‘The advent of all these new slayers is tied to two people, the witch that created the spell and the Chosen One. Eliminate one and the spell is broken. The world goes back to only the two slayers, Buffy and Faith. The witch is too powerful, anyone that was able to pull off the spell in the first place would be. But, the slayer.’ He chuckled ruefully. ‘Now she is vulnerable.’

Even though that vampire guards her, he could get around that. It would just be a matter of timing. It wouldn’t even take any fighting on his part. Thanks to the book, he had the means to take down the slayer without having to resort to violence. It may take a little longer to see the effects, a week perhaps, but it would work. All without exposing himself or his agenda.

Turning away from the fire, he left the room to set his plans in motion.

~*~*~*~*~

Rome

1:30 a.m.

Spike left a sleeping Buffy and made his way downstairs to the office to use the phone. He hadn’t wanted to worry her, so he had waited until she had drifted off to sleep before quietly slipping out of bed. But, he need to see what – if anything – that prophecy had to do with what he could feel was coming. Spike picked up the phone and dialed the number to Wolfram & Hart. He hated to involve his Grand-Sire, but he needed to make sure that scroll had nothing to do with Buffy. And he needed to see if they were also feeling these vibes that he was having. He figured that since Angel had a gateway to the senior partners he could actually put the paper-pushing ponce to work. Besides, if something evil were about to happen, the boys at Wolfram & Hart would hear about it first. Shoot, knowing them, they probably already did. It would just be a matter of twisting the right arm for the information. Or neck.

“Wolfram & Hart, how may I direct your call?” a female voice enquired.

“I need to speak with the poof… uh gimme Angel,” Spike said.

“One moment, please.”

“Angel’s office, how may I help you,” Harmony asked.

“Harmony, is Angel there?”

“Blondie-bear! How are…”

Spike interrupted her. “Harmony, just get Angel on the phone. It’s important.”

“Uh, right, sure. Lemme see if he’s in.” A pause. “Spike, he’s not in his office. He’s probably pow-wowing with Wesley and Gunn in Wesley’s office. Something or other about a new prophecy.”

“Damn. Hey, ring me to Wes’ office.” Spike heard a few clicks, and then Wesley’s voice came on the line. Well, it sounded like Wesley’s voice anyway. Damn speakerphones. Bloody annoying.

“This is Wesley.”

“Wesley, it’s Spike.” The other occupants in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at the phone.

“Spike?”

“Yeah. So tell me, did you guys ever get that scroll translated?”

“Er, yeah. Just not sure what it means yet.”

“Whatsit? Bloody connection.”

“I said that we’ve translated the document as best we can. We’re just not sure what it means, exactly.”

“Look, the slayer and me, we’re getting a bad vibe. Nothing specific. Just a feeling, really. I don’t bloody well like it either.”

“Spike.” This from Fred.

“Hey, pet. How are things?”

“I can’t complain,” she said with a smile in her voice, a sideways look at Wesley. “How are you?”

“Not bad, pet. Except for this weird feeling ‘m havin’. Almost like the calm before a bloody storm.”

The tunnel-voice abruptly ended when Angel picked up the phone. “Tell me.”

“Good day to you too, peaches.” Spike scowled into the phone. “Look mate, I’m not likin’ this. Not one bit. It’s not just me either. The slayer feels it too. She’s worried, but isn’t sayin’ anything, as usual. She’s got Giles looking in to it as well. I think you should send a translation to him. See if he can help you guys out.”

“I’ll get Fred on it. I would have sent something before, but Buffy isn’t exactly in the ‘trusting me’ mode right now. Speaking of, how is she?”

“She’s good. Got a whole passel of li’l slayers running around here. Enough to creep out even a master vampire like myself.”

“Little slayers?” Angel asked confused.

“Oh, right. Buffy trains the younger girls that became slayers when Red cast that spell back in Sunnydale. You know how that went. Bloody slayers were poppin’ up everywhere. Some are too young to deal with it. Buffy helps.” Usually, slayers weren’t “called” until they were fifteen or so, but when Willow did the spell, it included all potentials, no matter their age. Most had no idea of the gift they had been given. Hence, the “slayer school.”

“Oh,” Angel replied, shaking the image of little Spike/Buffy’s running around. He so did not want to go there. “Anyway, stuff’s on its way to Giles. Keep me posted on your end.” ‘Keep her safe.’ he silently voiced. “I’ll let you know if we find out anything here.”

“Right.” ‘I will.’ Spike replied, ringing off. Silently, he made his way back upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike quietly closed the door to Buffy’s room. Looking towards the bed he could make out her figure underneath the sheet. He didn’t like what he saw. Buffy was thrashing around in bed, moaning in her sleep. He crossed quickly to the bed to try to get her to wake up.

~*~

Buffy walked through the hallway towards the training room. It was quiet. Too quiet. Dawn was at school, but the other girls should have been getting ready for their workout. Buffy was getting a bad feeling. Hurrying the rest of the way down the hall, she quickly threw open the door to the training room. Angelina, Francesca, Lionna, and the others were lying on the floor, blood pooling onto the ground from their numerous wounds. She froze for a moment from the sight that greeted her, but quickly recovered and ran to the closest body. Bending down, she turned over Angelina checking for any sign of consciousness. Nothing. She hurriedly checked the other girls, but it was too late. Tears were silently falling unchecked down her face.

Standing up, she backed carefully out of the room. Her hand was covering her mouth, trying to hold the screams back.

‘I’ve got to get to Dawn,’ she thought.

Turning, she ran down the hallway and practically flew down the two flights of stairs to the first floor. On her way to the front door she heard a shrill ring. She couldn’t place the sound. Then she remembered: the telephone.

‘Maybe it’s Dawn.’

Reversing her steps, she ran to the phone. In her agitation, she dropped it. The sound of the phone connecting with the wooden floor resounded through the quiet building. Recovering quickly, she picked up the phone.

‘Dawn!?’ she shouted, panic evident in her voice.

‘Buffy, it’s Giles.’

‘Wha… Giles? I can’t talk right now. I’ve got to find Dawn. Something bad has happened.’

‘Buffy, wait. It’s not just there. It’s everywhere. The slayers are gone.’

‘How? That can’t happen. There’s too many of us now. They can’t get us all.’

‘It’s you, Buffy. It’s tied to you.’

‘Huh? You’re not making sense, Giles.’ Buffy glanced at the mirror beside the phone. She let out a muffled scream, the phone slipping silently from her fingers as she brought them up to touch her face. Her normal tanned complexion was pasty-white, her veins protruding blue through her translucent skin.

‘Buffy. Buffy!’ Giles’ voice was calling frantically to her from the dropped connection. She was unable to support her weight and slide silently to the floor.

‘Nooooo…’ she whimpered. ‘Noooo…’

~*~

Just as Spike reached the bed, Buffy went deathly still. If his heart were actually beating, it would have stopped. Quickly, he leaned over her, grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her.

“Buffy, wake up! Wake up, dammit!” He continued to shake her. Abruptly, her eyes opened. Gasping, she sat up in bed. Instinctively, she reached for Spike.

“Hush, luv. I’ve got you. It was just a bad dream. I’m here now,” he said as he cradled her gently in his arms. Buffy was openly weeping. Spike just continued to hold her while she calmed down.

After a while, he pushed her back so that he could look at her. She got out a muffled, “slayer dream.”

“Tell me what happened.”

In a halting breath, Buffy told him that she was making her way to the training room, but was getting spooked because it was so quiet. She told him about how all the girls were dead, that she was trying to get to Dawn when Giles called saying that all the slayers were dead. She told him that she could see herself dying right before she woke up.

When Spike heard that, he tightened his hold on her. She didn’t seem to mind, taking comfort in his tight embrace.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe with me.” He spoke more to convince himself than her. He wouldn’t be able to go on if something were to happen to her. He’d died once to protect her, he’d gladly do it again.

Buffy squirmed in his hold attempting to get out of bed.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to check on Dawn.”

“I’ll go. You stay here.” He placed a quick kiss to her forehead and let her lay back in bed. “I’ll be right back.” Spike left the room to make sure that the Niblet was ok.

When Spike left, Buffy got up and went to the bathroom. Turning on the cold-water tap, she cupped her hands under the cold stream. Lifting her hands to her face, she let the water splash down her face, removing the last vestige of sleepiness. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, grateful when she saw her normal, slightly tanned complexion. She took a few deep breaths to slow her heart rate down. She was sure Spike could hear the pounding of her heart all the way down the hall.

As far as slayer’s dreams went, this one was a doozy. She could almost feel herself dying in her dream, and she definitely had some experience with that feeling. Only, this wasn’t a blissful death. It was filled with a pain so deep, she could hardly contain it. The pain of it had leaked over into her consciousness. Its deadly talons digging at her from the inside out. Resolutely, she put the dream from her mind.

Walking from the bathroom, she looked up to see Spike shutting the bedroom door. At a questioning look from her, he said, “She’s fine. Sleeping like a baby.”

“We’ll need to call Giles,” Buffy said.

“We will. In the morning. Right now, you need to get back to sleep.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“Well then, I’m sure I can think of something to occupy our time.” Scooping her up in his arms, he crossed to the bed. He laid her body tenderly on the bed, and then crawled in next her. Wrapping his arms around her, Spike pulled her up on top of him. True to his word, he kept her busy until the first rays of the sun could be seen behind the thick curtains.

Ch. 9: An England Assist
 

Rome

They lay in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, until they could hear Dawn getting ready for school. Sighing, Buffy disentangled herself from Spike and got up. Crossing to the dresser, she threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Spike sat up in bed as well, the sheet falling down his naked chest too pool in his lap. He didn’t want Buffy to have to make the call alone, so he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, scrounging for up his own clothes. Slipping on a pair of jeans, he padded barefoot to the door, a few steps behind Buffy.

“You don’t have to come with me,” she said.

“Buffy. I’m here. I’m not gonna let you go through this alone. Besides, I need to talk with Giles as well.”

Buffy cocked her head to the side, giving him a questioning look. He just shook his head at her. “Not here.” Quietly, they made their way downstairs to the office Buffy used to keep in touch with Giles.

~*~*~*~*~

If nothing else, Giles’ phone call was like clockwork. Promptly at eight, the phone began to ring. Buffy picked up the extension before the second ring could finish.

“Hi Giles,” Buffy said into the phone.

“Er...Buffy. Hello. My, that was fast.”

“I was waiting for you. I’ve got something bad to tell you. I think I’ve had another slayer dream,” she rushed out, a catch in her voice. Hearing this, Spike came around the desk. Scooping her up in his arms, he sat back down in the chair behind the desk, settling Buffy in his lap. Buffy was grateful for his support. She didn’t know how she would get through the story without his presence. Every time she relived the dream, unshed tears welled up in her eyes. Spike, for his part, just continued to soothe her with his touch. Soon, Buffy was finished with her story. He took the phone from her and spoke to Giles.

“Giles, Angel is going to be couriering something to you.” (Silence.) “I’m not sure. Something that showed up at their place before I left. It may not even have anything to do with Buffy’s dream.” (Silence.) “Right. Well, I’m here. I’ll look out for her.” Spike rattled off Angel’s number in L.A. “Wesley deals with most of translation stuff, so he’d be your point of contact. Let us know what you come up with. I’ve got a bad feeling, and Buffy’s dreams aren’t helping matters.”

Moments later, Spike slipped the phone back in its cradle. Waiting for the backlash from Buffy, he was surprised when none was forthcoming. Guiltily, he looked up at her. Whereas before she would have been all over him for withholding information, now she waited patiently for him to explain.

“Sorry, luv. I didn’t want to worry you. Besides, I’m not sure it has anything to do with us. Probably doesn’t, even. I just don’t trust that wanker not to mess it up, so I told the pooft...er, Angel, to send what he had to Giles. If anyone can suss this out, it would be Giles.”

Buffy just smiled. ‘I think that’s the longest explanation he’s ever given me,’ she thought to herself. She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Growling, Spike grabbed the back of her head to give her a real kiss.

“Hey, none of that. Dawnie will be coming down those stairs in just a moment.” Looking towards the door, the person under discussion peeped her head in.

“Hey guys!”

“Hey Dawnie. Ready for school?” Buffy asked as she pushed herself off Spike’s lap. She gave Spike a “you couldn’t tell she was there” exasperated look. If she thought he could blush, she figured he’d be bright red right about now.

“Hey, ‘Bit,” Spike got out, a little strained. Quietly he said to Buffy, “You go ahead. I’ll be along in a few.” Buffy just blushed as she headed for the door to join Dawn. There was no mistaking the bulge she felt as she slipped off of Spike’s lap. Spike just closed his eyes and tried to will away his hard-on. ‘No need to get the ‘Bit blushing like her sister.’

~*~*~*~*~

England

Giles stood up from behind his desk when he heard his fax machine click on. Walking over to the machine, he looked at the cover sheet. True to Spike’s word, the gang from Wolfram & Hart was sending what they had on the mysterious prophecy they had received. Putting down the cover sheet, he walked out of his office to get a cup of tea. ‘Nothing like a spot of tea to get the mind functioning properly,’ he thought. On his way back into his office he saw that the fax machine had clicked off. Taking the papers, he went back behind the desk to look over them. Briefly scanning the pages, he saw that Wesley had included the text in its original form as well as a translated copy. The translated copy he put aside for now. He didn’t want to be biased as he attempted to translate the document himself.

Giles got up and walked over to the extensive library of books lining one whole wall of his office. He quickly scanned through several rows, randomly selecting several texts as he went. Walking back to his desk, he placed the texts for easy reach during his research. Giles then pulled off his glasses, and in a manner completely “Giles-like”, cleaned his glasses before replacing them on his face, then sat down to begin translating the script he had received.

~*~*~*~*~

Rome

“What’s taking him so long?”

“’Luv, he just got the stuff from Wesley a few days ago,” Spike said. “It’s not like e’s got the Scoobies to help ‘im like before. Besides, I’m sure he wants to take his time to make sure he gets it right. He’s been callin’ you every day with an update. Just be patient, pet.”

Buffy looked up from her journal to look at Spike. She had taken to writing her thoughts down in the aftermath of Sunnydale. Well, more like forced; but that was another story. She had never been good at voicing her feelings, but by writing them down, she had eventually been able to cope after Spike had died. In the first months after she left the crater that was once Sunnydale, her journal had kept her sane. Her journal allowed her to talk to Spike, allowed her to still be close to him, maintain some form of connection. Even though she had him back with her now, she still wrote in her journal every day. Maybe one day she would get up the courage to show it to him. Then, he would understand the depths of her feelings for him. Her journal housed all the feelings, desires, and words that she had been unable to voice. And that she still had some trouble with. But, she was getting better at that. Slowly.

Spike never asked her about what she was writing in her journal. He just assumed it was slayer-related. A sort of progress report done for her trainees. He respected her privacy, and just watched quietly each day as she wrote away. Usually, he had a book out and read while she was writing. He enjoyed the almost-normalcy of their special quiet time. It was something they never really had before, this companionable silence.

“I’m trying.” Spike glanced up from the book he was reading to look at her. In the week he had been here, he had noticed a change in her appearance. Gone were the dark circles under her eyes; the sallow, washed-out complexion. Her eyes sparkled with life now and she had a healthy glow to her face. She had started to put on a few pounds now that she was eating properly and not training until she dropped from sheer exhaustion.

“I know you are, pet. I told you, it prob’ly has nothin’ to do with us anyway. C’mere, luv.”

Sighing, Buffy closed her journal. She unfolding her feet from beneath her and stood up. Quickly, she put her journal away in the hope chest that housed all her personal possessions. She walked over to where Spike was propped up against the headboard of the bed they shared. He put his book on the nightstand next to the bed and held out his arms to her. Eagerly, she slid onto the bed into his embrace. Spike’s arm enveloped her body and Buffy laid her head on his bare chest. Slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair. She’d had it cut a few days ago so now it only fell midway down her back. The golden tresses now gleamed with renewed vitality.

“No sense borrowin’ trouble before it’s ‘ere. Giles will suss it all out, Wesley too. In the meantime, you’ve got me here and I’m not gonna let anything happen to ya.” Buffy closed her eyes and let his soothing words flow over her.

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