By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Buffy tried to take a walk in the sun when she thought Spike was gone. She didn't burn, and Spike knocked her back into the house. Buffy and Spike renewed their connection, and an interruption by Xander left Buffy staked but not dusty. Antoinette arrived on the scene to assist and issue another little warning for them all. Now Giles, Willow and Spike are researching anything else they'll need for the funeral tonight. Buffy is resting on the couch. Xander is unconscious in a chair in Giles' living room. So far Xander's life has been spared, but will the bonds of family allow him to survive?

**WARNING: A bit of torture, major character death, and violence in this chapter. Also if you love Xander, you are probably not going to want to read this chapter.**

(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

 

DEDICATION: This chapter is dedicated to my faithful reviewer Dana. She's been here from the beginning with her comments and ideas. Her ideas were a key factor to this chapter's contents. So, if you like Xander blame it on her. LOL. Just kidding. I wanted this to happen, but I just wasn't sure how to make it the most believable. She had some great ideas. Also the day this is being updated (June 13th) is her birthday. So Happy Birthday, Dana, and thank you.

 

After Antoinette disappeared, Spike worked on getting Buffy to rest. She refused to head to the bedroom. She deemed it too far away from Spike. She finally relented to resting on the couch. She adamantly denied being tired, but her body disagreed with her. Weary from her wounds and traumatic emotions over Spike's "death", her eyes closed and sleep claimed her rather quickly.

Giles checked on Xander's condition. Confident that Xander would remain unconscious for a couple more hours, he directed Willow down a new path for their research. He seemed to recall reading once or twice about vampires who walked in the sun. He dismissed the idea previously, but after the day's earlier events he wanted to look into it.

Spike sat at the table behind the couch. His gaze intermittently switched back and forth from Buffy to the books in front of him. He scanned the journals for any pertinent information. Maybe there was something to be found by reading between the lines. Right now he was as lost as a rowboat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Absentmindedly he fingered the amulet around his neck.

"Is that the cause of this morning's turmoil?" Giles pointed at the amulet Spike wore.

Spike nodded. "Seemed to have a few effects that someone forgot to write about or mention." He was still a bit disgusted at himself for not finding a way to get word to Buffy. He had assumed he would be able to use his thoughts when she lost his vampiric essence. "I knew the amulet would mask the essence of my demon, but the bloody thing covered more than I thought it would."

"It was foolish to wear something magical without being informed or knowledgeable of its function."

"I didn't have a whole lot of bloody choice, Watcher." Spike sighed in exasperation. "Do you honestly think after how I came barreling in here that I wanted her to think I was gone?"

Giles set down the book he was reading. He thought back to the earlier desperation he'd seen in Spike's eyes when he tackled Buffy. The question was better left unanswered. He was willing to support and protect Buffy, but he couldn't help his skeptical nature where demons were concerned. "Where did you get the amulet from?"

"Louis," Spike answered simply. "Surely you read about it in his journal." He held the book up off the table.

"Of course, but I assumed both amulets were destroyed when you made no mention of their existence."

"Why would I give up all my aces, Rupert?" Spike queried honestly. "Would you have told me if our places were reversed?"

Giles stuttered for a moment before he became silent again. He shook his head back and forth to indicate that he would have kept the knowledge to himself. "We need to work on our trust issues." He nodded his head in Buffy's direction. "For her sake."

"I'm trying, Watcher. You have no idea how hard this is for me. It's just as hard for me to trust you as it is for you to trust me." Spike sighed in frustration. "I keep waiting for the stake in the back." He tilted his head towards Xander's slumped form. "Not like it hasn't already been tried."

"I have no plans to stake you unless you give me further reason to. We have a common goal, Spike." Giles wrote down a few more references to check for information. "We both want to protect Buffy and kill Angelus."

"You have more in common than that." Willow muttered out loud. He voice was soft but audible to Spike and Giles.

Spike glanced over at the studious redhead. "What was that, Red?"

Giles' eyes widened in a minor fit of fearful trepidation. "I'm sure that we don't have time for frivolous jaunts, Willow. We have important research to tend to before tonight's confrontation." He tried to dissuade Willow from further conversation, but his words had the opposite effect on the young girl.

"I think it's cute, Giles." Willow grinned mischievously. She picked up several pieces of paper before she walked over to Spike. "The irony of it all is amusing."

"What's amusing?" Whatever Willow was referring to was making the Watcher nervous. Spike delighted in the squirming ritual Giles was succumbing too. "Has to be good if your wriggling that much."

Spike's words struck at Ripper's sarcastic side. His demeanor shifted to one of secret amusement. "We'll see just how funny you think it is shortly." He had a feeling that a vampire finding out he was related to someone from the Watcher's Council would grate the vampire even more than it did Giles.

Willow handed the small stack of papers to Spike. "I've checked and triple checked each date and person from several sources." She wondered if Spike would be upset at the link. 'It must be lonely to think you are all that remains of your family.'

Spike flicked through the first few pages. "Nothing but a whole lot of genealogy on the Watcher's fam ..." He stopped mid-sentence when a particular name caught his eye, Catherine Anne (Jamison) Giles. "No way."

Giles tried to act disinterested in Spike's reactions. He hadn't given much thought on how Spike would feel about their familial link. He watched the creases of confusion mar Spike's face. "Not so smug now, are you?"

"This isn't bloody funny, Watcher," Spike squawked in response. "You made this up." Although he protested vehemently, he hoped it wasn't some sick game. With Angelus' return, and subsequent faking of Spike's final death, Spike felt like he had been cut off from the last of his family. Buffy was the only one he could link to as family. 'If this information is correct, I'll belong to a whole new family.'

Willow risked patting Spike's arm with her hand. "I promise you that I have validated everything as best as I could." She inhaled deeply when Spike's cool hand covered her own.

"How did you find this, Red?" Spike smelled no deception coming from the girl. Her eyes reflected the honesty and purity within her.

"It took nearly all night to piece together where the familiarity of your name came from for Giles." Willow loved a good puzzle. Taking in each little note, clue or road block added to the merriment of the challenge for her.

Spike chanced a glance at Giles for confirmation. Giles nodded in the affirmative. "Your name struck a familiar cord in my memory. I was unable to ascertain the reason until Willow showed me her research."

"Once I found the link to Giles' family, I traced the whole line through the Watcher diaries and Council records." Willow beamed proudly. "You are Giles' great great great uncle. Your older sister, Catherine, married Giles' great great great grandfather."

Both Spike and Giles simultaneously exclaimed, "Bloody hell". Neither one of them knew what to say. One man was still a Watcher, and the other was still a vampire. They now had a lot more in common. Perhaps the time would come when they could talk about it further, but that time wasn't now.

"I'm not calling you Uncle Spike." Giles removed his glasses and started cleaning them. "I suppose it would be Uncle William, but I'm still not doing it."

"Stupid git." Spike rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't want you to. Sounds bloody ridiculous." Although a part of him enjoyed the fact that he was someone's uncle now. He wasn't going to admit that to Giles. He always assumed his family line died when he was turned. He'd forgotten about his Aunt Catherine.

"Good." Giles slipped his glasses back on. He tucked his handkerchief into his pocket.

"You do realize that you have a free life pass with me now." Spike considered the implications of Giles being family to him. "I've never been like Angelus when it comes to family."

"How so?" Giles questioned.

"Angelus hunted down all of his family when he was turned and killed them." Spike stated matter-of-factly. "I still respected my family, and I tried to stay away from them as much as possible. The only person I did anything to was in the hopes of curing her illness by making her a vampire because I loved her."

Giles stared at Spike awe struck. It was common knowledge that many vampires killed all human ties to world once they were turned. The fact that Spike didn't added another link to the puzzle of his humanity versus his demon.

"That didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but I never would have done it if I'd known what she would have become." The thought of his mother as a vampire still made him ill to think about. She was nothing like the caring woman he'd adored all of his human life.

"So you are saying that because I am family, you won't kill me?"

"That's right."

"Why?" Giles was curious as to how Spike's mind worked on these matters.

"Family is blood. Blood is family." Spike started in his explanation. "Blood gives us life, and it binds us. Being family tightens those bonds further. Some people will do anything to protect their family no matter what line they cross to do it."

Giles nodded as he listened. Willow sat enraptured by the conversation.

"I am one of those people. You don't know how much I want to kill that Whelp right now." Spike pointed at Xander. "The only thing that even saved his life was that my Mate's life was in danger, and she needed tending."

"I won't let you kill him, Spike, even though he deserves it." Giles' even tone belayed the anger that he himself felt over Xander's actions.

"I give my word that I won't do it this time, but not everyone in my family may be so forgiving." Spike turned his attention back to the journal in front of him, effectively ending the conversation. He had felt the rage of his "son" through the familial bonding all day. He had no doubts that a day of reckoning would soon be upon the boy known as Xander Harris.

Buffy kept her eyes closed on the couch, but she'd been listening to every word spoken in the last 15 minutes. Dalton's growing anger and rage nipped at her demon's psyche. She knew what he planned on doing. A small part of her told her that she needed to stop it from happening. The larger part of her Slayer and human side told her that Xander had been warned what would happen if he tried to hurt Spike or her. Her only concern was for her best friend Willow. She was likely to take the whole matter very hard. She'd deal with that when she had to. She sent along a reassurance to Dalton through their familial bond, giving her approval for what he intended.

Spike looked up over the back of the couch at Buffy in amazement. He'd felt her assurance and approval being sent to Dalton. He raised a curious brow but made no mention of Buffy's thoughts to Giles and Willow who were engrossed in their research again. Buffy continued to amaze him. 'She'll make a fine Mistress. Her understanding of our ways is growing as well as being tempered by her Slayer side. I have to change, but she is changing too. We'll find the middle ground.'

Buffy smiled to herself on the couch. She felt her Sire's pride in her. She understood many things that she couldn't before. She found a sense of peace in the mixture of what she'd been told was right and what she felt was right to do now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dalton's agitation grew exponentially as the day wore on. When Buffy was staked he shot out of Spike's room like a rocket. Before that he lay in his Master's bed enjoying the euphoric feelings of their joining. Only the presence of the sun stopped him from racing to Buffy's aid. He felt her pain finally subside, but that did nothing to appease his anger. Even Angelus' loudly uttered, "freak", hadn't deterred him from his mood.

Every hour that went by increased his resolve for revenge. He loved his new Master and Mistress. They'd welcomed him and given him a purpose or reason for "living" again. While he plotted, one obstacle seemed the hardest to get around. How would he get into the Watcher's house? He hadn't been invited in yet. 'I'll cross that bridge when I get there.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shortly before sundown, Joyce Summers arrived at Giles' place as planned. She was quickly greeted by her daughter's loving embrace before she could knock on the door.

A large pile of stakes lay on the living room table, joined by a couple swords and daggers. It looked like they were preparing for an all out war. In a way Joyce guessed that is what this was. They were waging a war on the vampires.

Buffy led Joyce over to Spike. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Spike. He's the one who saved me."

Joyce extended her hand out to Spike. "You look vaguely familiar to me. Have we met before?"

Spike gently grasped Joyce's hand and kissed the back of it. "Not properly, but you did slam the flat end of an axe into my skull on Parent/Teacher night at the high school."

Joyce gasped. "Oh my!" She pulled her hand back to cover her mouth.

"S'all right. No hard feelings." Spike smiled. "You were protecting your daughter. Can't fault you for that. I'm right fond of protecting her myself now." He pulled Buffy's back against his chest in an embrace.

"So, I see." Joyce regarded the vampire with a motherly interest. He seemed quite protective of her daughter, but he was also the reason she was a vampire in the first place. She had a hard time reconciling being thankful to him for that.

As if she read her mother's thoughts, Buffy spoke, "Angelus killed me, Mom. I would have died completely if Spike hadn't turned me. Be mad at him, not Spike."

"I'm trying to understand all this, Buffy. I really am. It's just hard for me to get it all straight in my head."

"I know that it's a lot to take in, Joyce." Giles stepped into the living room from the kitchen with a cup of tea in hand. He handed the cup over to Joyce. "I find myself at a loss to understand it all myself, but things are as they are. We need to focus on the future and not the past now."

"I'm sure you're right, Rupert." Joyce looked back at her daughter and Spike. "All I can promise is that I'll try to give you both a chance."

"That's all I can ask for Mrs. Summers." Spike sighed a sigh of relief. He worried whether or not Joyce Summers would stake him on the spot when they met.

Buffy felt her lover relax, and she smiled. "Once Angelus is dust, we all have a lot to talk about."

Giles nodded. "Quite, right." He opened up several backpack like bags and started to stow the stakes and daggers away in them. "The sun has nearly set. The mortician should have the casket in place. Willow do you have the ingredients for the cloaking spell ready?"

"Yes, Giles." Willow looked over the different herbs before her on the table.

"Cloaking spell?" Joyce questioned in confusion.

"It will make me practically invisible until I use the command to reveal myself. That way I can get into the coffin without alerting Angelus to my presence." Buffy explained.

"What about Spike? Won't he sense you somehow?"

"Not with this amulet around my neck. It works like a vampire dampening field." Spike turned to Giles. "Once all hell breaks lose, I'm taking it off though. Somehow I have a feeling that if it weakened some of my vampiric abilities, it could weaken them all. I need to be in top form for this fight."

"Agreed." Giles gathered the bags, handing one to each person.

Buffy pulled several stakes from her bag and stowed them away on her person. She looked over at Willow, "Okay, cloak me up, Will."

Willow muttered the phrases for the incantation. She lit each herb in the order of succession that Spike told her. With a poof of smoke, Buffy disappeared from in front of them.

Joyce shrieked. "Buffy!"

"I'm still here, Mom." A disembodied voice danced around the room. "I'm still standing in front of you." A ghostly hand touched Joyce's arm. "See. I'm here."

Joyce's heart raced. "I don't know how I'll ever get used to this supernatural life of yours."

Buffy patted her Mom's arm. "It gets easier every day, Mom."

"Let's go." Giles led Willow and Joyce to the door.

"You guys go on ahead. We'll be right there." Buffy called out to Giles. She waited for the door to close before she wrapped her arms around Spike's waist. "You know he is coming for him."

Spike nodded. He wondered if Buffy felt the presence as much as he did. "Are you going to stop him?"

"No." Buffy shook her head back and forth. "I warned Xander what I would do if he tried to hurt you. He didn't listen."

"Are you sure that you can live with the consequences of this, pet?" Spike wanted the Whelp dead for what he'd done to his Mate but not at the expense of her sanity or guilt.

"If you mean will I feel guilty, then not so much. I will only hurt for how much it is going to hurt Willow." Buffy answered honestly.

"Tell him to make the boy disappear then. It will always leave a doubt as to what truly happened."

Buffy nodded. "All right. You'd better go. I don't want them to suspect you in any of it." She leaned up to kiss Spike softly. "Stay safe, Sire. We're in this together."

"I will, Childe. He may have been my Sire, but you are more important to me than ten Sires." Spike kissed Buffy's forehead and hugged her tightly before he left Giles' house. He needed to catch up to the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angelus practically danced around the mansion. "The streets will be painted red tonight, my dear."

Drusilla stood with her arms crossed in a pouting fashion. She was angry at her Sire, and she wasn't going to play his game tonight.

"Come my deliciously evil queen." Angelus nipped at Drusilla's ear. "It is time to play with the kiddies and make them bleed."

"I do not wish to go, Daddy." Dru stomped her foot in a tantrum motion. "The dollies aren't going to play nice, and I don't want to be there to see them take over."

"You're talking nonsense, Dru. We have them at our mercy and surprise." Angelus turned Dru around in his arms. "We'll crush them before they even know what's hit them."

"No, Daddy. The pixies tell me that play time is over, and we are going to be punished."

Angelus growled. He threw Drusilla away from him and into the wall. "I'll not listen to such crazy meanderings Dru. I've had enough of your double talk." He stomped towards the door. "Stay if you want to, but you will pay for your insolence when I return. You will know true punishment then."

Drusilla whimpered in the corner of their bedroom. She rocked herself back and forth singing, "Ring around the rosie. Pockets full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dalton watched Angelus gather all of his minions for the mission. He faked his remorse over Spike's death to a more dramatic level. Angelus had sighed in disgust then ignored him. 'Good. One obstacle out of the way.' He watched the minions and Angelus leave the mansion.

Dalton barricaded Drusilla in her bedroom. He wasn't sure what Spike would want to do about his former lover, but they didn't need her getting loose to help Angelus. Confident that she was secured, he headed out of the mansion towards the Watcher's house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce, Giles, Willow and Spike arrived at the predetermined cemetery. Spike quickly headed into a nearby crypt to wait for the right time to strike. Joyce rearranged some chairs for the people that were showing up to honor her daughter's memory. Several students from school, a couple teachers, and some of Joyce's business associates took their seats.

Giles and Willow strategically placed several stakes under each chair with tape. They opened the casket lid slightly to slip a few more stakes in there. Buffy would have her bag of stakes with her, but you could never have too many stakes when dealing with vampires. They both took their seats while they waited for Buffy and Angelus to arrive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The door of Giles' place opened up when Dalton arrived. It appeared that the door had opened on its own, but the whispered words of his Mistress brought understanding. "You haven't been invited, have you?"

"No Mistress. I haven't." Dalton tilted his head to the side in supplication to his Mistress.

Invisible fangs dove into his neck to take two long pulls for verification of what Buffy already knew. Dalton was loyal to her and Spike. "I'll bring him to you."

Dalton nodded. He watched the boy's unconscious body seemingly float across the living room to the door. The body was placed on the ground outside of the entrance.

"Do what you wish, but make sure no one finds the body." Buffy commanded. "He should know pain, but I will not see my other friends suffer even more because of it."

"Yes, Mistress." Dalton heaved Xander's body up over his shoulder. "It shall be done." He disappeared into the shadows of the growing darkness intent on his revenge.

Buffy headed off quickly towards the cemetery. She had to be in place very soon.

Unobserved by the others, an older woman left her place in the shrubbery that surrounded Giles' home. "A very interesting development indeed. I must check again with the others to be sure we are correct about this."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander groggily roused from unconsciousness to a searing pain in his limbs. He found himself stretched and tied to an X like fixture of wood. His hands and legs were each bound to a different end of the X. He was stretched out just beyond the limit of being comfortable, and the pain was slowly gaining strength.

"You're finally awake." Dalton stepped out of the shadows into the moonlight. He held a wooden stake in his hand that he slapped against his palm constantly.

"What do you want? Untie me and maybe Buffy won't stake you." Xander recognized the vampire who had visited all of them in the library a few nights ago.

Dalton laughed. "Who do you think helped me to get you?" He reveled in the look of fear on the boy's face. "That's right, little one. You broke her trust, and now you will pay for it."

Xander yelped and pulled against his bonds. The face before him was a true demon bent on revenge. Each pull against the ropes dug them into his wrists causing them to bleed. He nearly pulled his arm out of its socket to get away from the rapidly approaching vampire.

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to know your Mate or Mistress is in such pain as you caused?" Dalton stopped right in front of Xander. "Do you know the burning that it causes in your gut when you can't do a thing to help?" He slashed out the sharpened stake cutting Xander's clothes and cutting into the skin of his abdomen.

"AHHHH!" Xander screamed. A burning sensation buried within his abdomen as well as the pain from the wound created. He wondered if the tip of the stake was laden with some kind of poison.

Dalton smirked. "Oh it won't kill you." He lifted up the point of the stake to show Xander his own blood and a slippery green residue underneath it. "It will just make it hurt more."

Xander's eyes widened, and his screams were louder with the next slash of the stake deeper into his stomach from one side to the other.

"I should turn you into a vampire and torture you for decades." Dalton taunted. "Even then I would not feel satisfied that you had suffered enough." He laughed. "No one worries about the bookish vampire. Well you are learning differently, aren't you boy?"

"Ye ... yes ..." Xander stuttered. "Oh God, it hurts."

"This is nothing compared to what I could do to you." Dalton twirled the stake in his hand. He raised it to shoulder height. "Do you know what she felt? What she was willing to go through to keep you from hurting her beloved?" He rammed the stake forward into Xander's lung, near his heart. He pushed at it again to embed the wood deep enough to press the tip into the wooden X that he was attached to.

Xander screamed bloody murder, but it was no use. Wherever they were, no one was near enough to hear them. The pain was excruciating, and he found himself loosing consciousness. He wasn't able to bear the pain, and he knew he was going to die.

Dalton hated violence as a whole, but his demon rejoiced in the pain he caused the young man. Even his human side felt justified in this revenge. As the boy lost consciousness, Dalton sank his fangs into Xander's neck. He drained him to within a couple heartbeats of his last before slashing his wrist and forcing the blood down the boy's mouth.

Dalton murmured a few words that required no permission from the boy to accept. He only gave him enough blood to allow him to turn. He would barely even be strong enough to be a minion, but it wouldn't matter. He uttered a few more phrases to hasten along the turning.

The boy would be a vampire enough by morning that when he greeted the sun he would feel the pain burn through him before turning to ash. There would not be any remains to be found, save some ash that no one would be able to identify as Xander Harris.

Dalton fulfilled his promise to his Mistress and his need to avenge the wrongs committed against his family. Now it was time to head to the cemetery to aid his family against Angelus.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)
 

Revenge For Love - (13) Revenge, Sweet Revenge
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Dalton took care of Xander.  Spike and the rest of the Scoobies
are at the cemetery already.  Buffy is on her way there.  Everything is set up
for Angelus' appearance, and everyone is quite nervous about it.  Dru is locked
in her bedroom at the mansion.  It's time for the big fight between Angelus and
the Scoobies.  Only one group will walk away successful.  Will it be the
Scoobies or Angelus and his minions?

**WARNING: Major character death (even though it is a villain or two), lots of
violence in this chapter (the title of the chapter should give that fact away),
and language.**

Author's Note: One of the characters in this chapter will have an accent.  I
will be trying to show this by phonetically, or otherwise, spelling words out
for their speech.  So no, I don't need to correct typos.  It is being done on
purpose.  Just an FYI.

(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story.  "Regular" quotes are
around spoken words.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Buffy practically skipped the entire way to the cemetery.  She put all thoughts
of Dalton and Xander out of her mind.  She needed all of her concentration to be
focused on her upcoming battle with Angelus.

Since Spike and Buffy renewed their claim right before they left Giles' house,
both of them still heard the other one's thoughts.  Spike felt Buffy draw nearer
to the group.  'You all right, luv?'  He was worried about Buffy's emotional
state of mind after she made the decision concerning her former friend's life.

'Yep.  Everything is according to plan.'  Buffy's invisible body walked by
several barely concealed vamps about fifteen feet from her "gravesite". 
'Angelus isn't hiding his minions well.  I just passed 4 vamps by the Tapper
crypt.'

'He thinks the humans are too weak with grief to be a threat.'  Spike paced in
the crypt he was hidden in.  'Everything is in place here but you in the
coffin.'

'I'm getting there now.'  Buffy walked up behind her mom.  She tapped her on the
shoulder.

Joyce yelped and shot out of her seat.

"Joyce, are you all right?"  Giles rested his hand on Joyce Summers' arm.  He
knew this whole situation was still a shock to his Slayer's mother.  He worried
that the slightest thing would snap the woman's emotional stronghold into
smithereens.

"Sorry mom," Buffy whispered.

Joyce's heart raced.  "I'm fine, Rupert.  Cemeteries have always spooked me." 
She tried to cover up her reaction to Buffy by passing it off as nerves.  It
wouldn't bode well to alert Angelus to their plans.  They'd come this far
already.  There was no turning back now.

Giles nodded in understanding.  He felt the air stir when Buffy moved in front
of Joyce.  "I've never been very comfortable in them myself, despite my ...
profession."

Buffy leaned as close to Joyce as possible.  She whispered into her mother's ear
at a level only Joyce would hear.  "Walk over to the coffin.  Stand in front of
it.  Then I need you to open the lid just enough for me to crawl in."

Joyce walked over to the coffin slowly.  The site of it unnerved her, even
though she knew her daughter was "alive".  She carefully lifted the lid with
only a small space for Buffy to sneak into it with.

Buffy squeezed her way into the tight space.  She laid herself out in the bed of
satin.  She felt the extra stakes Giles left for her in the lower half of the
coffin.  She added her bag of stakes to the stash.  "Angelus is here," Buffy
whispered low.  "When I appear, open the lid the rest of the way.  Then have the
priest begin."

Joyce nodded.  She added a few sniffles for effect and to calm her nerves.

"Body, reveal," Buffy uttered the phrase that made her body appear in the
casket.  The spell still masked any vampiric essence from anyone's senses.

Joyce outwardly shivered.  "I hate this."  She brought a handkerchief to her
face to wipe away real tears.  Her daughter truly looked dead as she lay there
unmoving.

Buffy wanted to jump out of the coffin to comfort her mother, but she forced
herself not to do that.  She had to remain still.  Any movement might tip off
Angelus.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angelus watched from a nearby tree.  He delighted in the grief stricken faces of
Buffy's family and friends.  The pain they suffered laced the air, much to his
delight.  This was a delicious way to have his revenge on all of the Scoobies. 
Before sunrise this town would belong to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce motioned for the priest to begin.  She took her seat next to Giles.  Giles
clasped his hand with Joyce's to show his support.  He promised himself that
tonight he would protect this woman at all costs.  She was new to everything
supernatural, and her emotions would not keep her focused enough for a proper
fight.

Buffy waited in her coffin for the right moment to strike.  She needed to wait
for Angelus to make the first move.  She only hoped that he stuck with his
method of taunting his prey before killing them.

Spike bounced on the balls of his feet, itching to be out there to kick some
butt.  He was ready for a fight.  He'd been ready for weeks in that stupid
wheelchair, waiting for the right opportunity to stick it to the poofter.  Now
he had even more reason to want the bastard dead.  Everything was a matter of
timing.  Patience wasn't a strong point of his.  He felt Buffy send him a
calming sensation and patience to help him out.

The priest stood in front of Buffy's coffin.  He not only wore a cross around
his neck, but every piece of clothing and jewelry he had on consisted of
multiple cross patterns.  He'd lived in Sunnydale for a lot of years.  A sunset
graveside service was NOT a smart idea.  "Friends and family, we are gathered
here today to honor a vibrant young life who was taken long before her time."

As Buffy listened to the priest drone on and on, she mentally snickered.  'Hey
Spike, he thinks I was taken long before my time.  Think he has any idea just
how much longer I'm going to live now?'

Spike laughed.  'Very funny pet.  Pay attention.'

Buffy mentally rolled her eyes.  She sent an image of her sticking her tongue
out at her Sire.

'Careful pet.  I am more than willing to put that tongue to good use.'  Spike
retorted.

Buffy snorted from the coffin.  'Oops.'

The priest stiffened in front of the casket for a brief moment before he
continued on with his eulogy.  'I need to get out of this town before it kills
me.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An ebony skinned woman silently passed through the entrance of the cemetery. 
She'd heard about the event through various indirect channels.  Thankfully she'd
already been on her way to Sunnydale after a very disturbing dream.  She had a
feeling she was going to be needed tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles casually looked from one end of the guest area to the other.  His main
focus was forward on the priest, but he allowed his eyes to scan their
surroundings.

The longer the priest droned on, with no sign of attack from Angelus, the more
tense the Scoobies grew.  Joyce knew Angelus was near.  Buffy told her so.  Why
wasn't he attacking?  She really hated that vampire.

Angelus jumped down from the tree limb he previously perched on.  With an
arrogant air about him, he slowly walked over to the open casket.

The various classmates and Joyce's co-workers assumed Angelus was a late
attendee of the funeral.  When the man turned to face the gathering in full
vampiric visage many screamed.

"Come, Come ..."  Angelus cupped his hands in come hither motions.  "We are all
here today because of Buffy.  Don't be shy."

Angelus' minions quickly returned the few attendees who attempted to escape from
their seats.  Giles and Willow inched their hands lower on their seats towards
the taped stakes underneath.

"Some of your faces I recognize."  Angelus clapped his hands together.  He aimed
a broad grin at Giles.  "Those of you that I don't know, I'm sorry you chose to
come to this funeral because you are all going to die."

Various gasps and shrieks carried through the crowd.  One woman fainted into her
husband's arms.

Angelus turned back to face the casket.  His minions had the whole group
surrounded anyways.  So, he wasn't worried about an attack from behind him.  He
leaned over the coffin.  "My poor dear Buffy.  So young," His voice seemed to
soften the more he leaned into Buffy, but the timbre was laced with mocking
disdain.  "But thankfully you're finally dead, bitch."

"Don't count on it."  Buffy head butted Angelus then flipped out of the coffin. 
"I've had a little reprieve.  Heaven isn't ready for me yet."

"What?!"  Angelus growled as chaos erupted behind him.  Giles, Joyce and Willow
flipped their chairs over.  They ripped the stakes from underneath and attacked
the minions surrounding them.  "I killed you!"

"Not so much."  Buffy circled and counter circled Angelus' position.  "Didn't
your mother ever tell you to be sure clean your plate completely.  Never leave
food behind."  She growled, jumped at Angelus with a swinging kick, and knocked
him over to the ground.

Spike ran out of the crypt out of the site of his Sire.  "Reveal me."  He didn't
care if Angelus saw him or not.  Besides the amulet still hid his essence from
his Sire.  He knew the Scoobies needed help with all of the minions.  He
barreled through a group of three vampires who attacked some of Buffy's
classmates.  He tackled another that had a hold of one of Joyce's co-workers.

Joyce forced a stake into the back of one vampire before it could reach one of
Buffy's teachers.  Her gut instincts took over while she raced to the casket.  A
cowering priest was pushed out of her way.  She ripped the skirting from the
casket, drew out a familiar looking axe, and twisted back around to the priest. 
"Their vampires for crying out loud.  You have a cross, and now a stake," she
handed him a stake, "Use them."

The priest made a cross with his fingers from his head to his chest followed by
both shoulders.  He sent up a prayer to heaven before he jumped into the fray of
battle.

Dalton ran in from the side along with three other minions, who upon seeing
Spike switched sides.  The only reason they were fighting on Angelus' side was
because they feared Spike was dead.  Seeing their Master alive, they immediately
returned to his service.

Spike howled in the delight of battle.  He felt the thrill of the violence
running through the borrowed blood in his veins.  He fought to keep his game
face at bay.  That way he wouldn't scare the various humans he was trying to
save.  Two vampires dusted from separate stakes he'd slipped from the sleeves of
his duster into their unbeating hearts.  "About time you showed up, Dalton."

"Sorry, had a bit of trash to take care of."  Dalton entered the fray at his
Master's side.  He looked briefly at Buffy who was fighting Angelus.  "Is she
all right?"

Spike craned his neck to see Angelus have his Childe pinned against the coffin
with his hand on her throat.  "Oh no you don't."  He ripped the amulet off his
neck and stuffed it into his pocket.

Angelus jumped back from Buffy.  He held his head in pain as the emotions,
essence and presence of Spike returned to him.  "Hell!"  He screamed with a
growl. 

The few moments of distraction gave Buffy the opportunity to gain ground again. 
She kicked Angelus away from her.  "Thank you, Sire!"  She rubbed the title into
Angelus' mind.

"What?!?"  Angelus' head snapped back up to Buffy.  "Sire?"

Spike taunted Angelus while he dusted Angelus' minions.  "Should have listened
to Dru, Sire.  She might be batty, but she knows what she's talking about at
times."

"Reveal all."  Buffy commanded the spell to completely end.  She watched in
delight at the contorted features on Angelus' face with the knowledge of just
exactly what was before him.

"No ... No ... that's impossible."  Angelus was furious.  How dare they trick
him this way?  He was the head of the Aurelius Clan.  They should be withering
at his feet in obedience.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The wailing scream of a vampiress bounced off the walls of the mansion.  She
pulled her locks from her head when the presence of Spike was revealed to her
mind once more.  She scratched and kicked at the locked door.

The essence of Spike's Childe, no longer being hidden from her, forced her to
the ground on her knees.  "No ... Daddy ..."  She knew that nothing she could do
now would save her precious Daddy from dust.  The pixies had been right, but he
wouldn't listen to her.  Now they would both die.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The ebony skinned woman jumped into the fray of battle.  At first she had a hard
time finding out just who was on what side.  Her first trip to Sunnydale
revealed to her that not all vampires should be considered evil.  Some of the
vampires seemed to be attacking the humans.  Others seemed to be helping them. 
She staked a vampire through from the back that had Giles pinned to the ground.

Giles adjusted his askew glasses when the pressure of the vampire was removed
from his chest.  He looked up at the woman before him.  "Kendra?"

"Hello, Wawtcherman."  Kendra offered a hand to Giles.  "Is dis a pryvat partay,
or did I jost miss ma inveetation?"

Giles laughed.  He was amazed at the growth in Kendra from the last time they
saw her.  She actually seemed to crack a joke.  "We're glad to have you."  He
stood up again.  "There's too much to catch you up on, but don't stake Spike or
Buffy.  Angel lost his soul.  So feel free to stake him this time."

Kendra looked over at the small blond who fought with fierceness against
Angelus.  "I tink she wahnts dat playsure herself."

Giles nodded.  "Quite, true."  He was proud that the amount of minions against
them had greatly dimished.  He picked up the presence of Dalton's head bobbing
over the pair of vampire's he was fighting.  "That one in the glasses is on our
side too.  Anyone else, you'll have to use your judgment."

Kendra nodded.  She accepted the extra stake Giles handed to her.  She departed
into the middle of a bunch of cornered humans.  This was going to be fun.  With
a shrill Xena like howl, she dove through the humans at the vampires.  "Tyme to
meet Misstair Poynty, devils."

Joyce gasped for breath.  She'd just managed to cut the head off one of her
latest attackers.  She leaned against Giles.  "Who is that?"

"That is Kendra.  She is another Slayer."

"I thought you said there was only one?"  Joyce looked at Giles in confusion.

"I'll explain later."  Giles removed his glasses a moment to clean them.  He
ducked the punch from a nearby vampire.  The vampire met with the flat head of
the axe over his head.  When the vampire fell to the ground unconscious, Giles
staked him.  "Nice work."

"Thank you.  Must be in the Summer's blood."  Joyce laughed.

Giles joined her in laughter.  Together they attacked another vampire to keep
him from disturbing Buffy and Angelus' battle.  "You're a natural, Joyce."

Spike retrieved several more stakes from inside the coffin.  He tossed two of
them through the air.  Each hit their targets with unfailing accuracy.  The
vampires shouldn't have tried to sneak up on the Island Slayer anyways.  "Face
em fair and square, I always say."

"MASTER!"  Dalton screamed in warning.

Spike turned in time to bring a stake up protectively and curl to the ground. 
The dead vampire's dust covered his duster.  He jumped up and brushed the
vampire's remains from his treasured coat.  "Pillock."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Angelus' fight heightened in ferocity.  Angelus was pissed, and he
wanted to make sure to rid the Slayer from his life and once and for all.  "Why
are you even fighting if you are a vampire?"  He backhanded her.

Buffy's head snapped back with the force of the blow.  She loved taunting
Angelus.  She'd been waiting for this moment since the first minute she'd opened
her eyes to the night.  Even though Spike was her Sire, her only desire had been
to kill Angelus not Spike.  "Funny thing about us Slayer's," She quipped back. 
"We keep our souls."

Angelus sneered in disgust.  "That's just wrong."  He swiped his foot out to
knock Buffy off balance.  "You just can't do anything right, Spike.  You have a
bleeding heart Scooby for a Childe."  He bellowed into the night air.

"Leave my Mate out of this, you bastard."  Buffy elbowed Angelus in the gut
followed by a high heeled boot heel into his foot.  "He's more a Master than you
will ever be."  She raised her hand in the air.  She brought it down hard to his
chest.

"You'll never know what you're missing, Missy."  Angelus pushed Buffy to the
ground.  He lay on top of her with the stake partially into his skin.  "Besides,
you can't kill the face of your lover."

Buffy pushed the stake into Angelus' chest a little harder.  "Sorry, Peaches,"
She used one of Spike's nicknames for his Sire.  "But I have a wonderful lover,
and you aren't it.  You were most disappointing."  She forced the stake the rest
of the way into Angelus' heart.

The shock on Angelus' face was the last thing she saw before a poof of heavy
vampire dust covered her body.  Buffy closed her eyes.  She whimpered at the
loss of her first love, but the pain she felt was for the loss of Angel and not
Angelus.  She realized that her first love had died the moment Angel lost his
soul.

Spike ran across the gathering area to his Childe.  He felt the pain that tore
through her the moment his Sire died.  He gathered her in his arms.  He rocked
her back and forth.  He whispered soothing words of comfort and calm.

Buffy nodded against Spike's chest.  "It needed to be done."  She looked up into
the loving blue eyes of her Sire and Mate.  She saw the questions and doubts in
his eyes.  "I don't regret my decision.  I never will, Mate."

The two of them kissed passionately while the fighting around them ceased. 
Those few minions loyal to Angelus froze at the death of their Master.  It made
them easy pickings to be sent to their final death in a flash of dust and wood. 
Family and friends gathered in different clusters to comfort each other after
the night's trauma.

Kendra, Dalton, Willow, Giles, and Joyce gathered around Buffy and Spike.  Giles
wrapped an arm around Joyce's waist.  He drew her in to rest her head on his
shoulder.

Dalton sniffed Willow slowly.  He picked up the scent of what might be a
werewolf, but he also sensed an underlying power under the surface.  'This one
would be fun to get to know.'  She gave off an air of intelligence that
intrigued him as well.

Kendra looked back and forth at everyone.  Her dream had proven to be a Slayer
dream, but she still needed a lot of things explained before any of this would
make sense.

Spike and Buffy looked up at their gathered comrades.  He stood up slowly.  He
directed orders to his loyal minions to return to the mansion without further
bloodshed to await his orders.  In a flurry of "Yes Master's" they left the
cemetery.

Buffy hugged her mother and Giles tightly.  Willow joined in the hug as well. 
Buffy finally noticed Kendra's presence.  "Thank you, Kendra."

"Naught a problem, Bouffy."  Kendra smiled.

"Let's get back to my house."  Joyce offered.  "I think we could all use some
rest and regrouping."  She turned to Spike.  "Something tells me that you'd be a
hot chocolate man."

Spike's ears perked up.  "Hot chocolate?"  He didn't even try to maintain his
Big Bad image.  He had no idea on this woman figured out his chocolate love, but
he loved her already.  "Do you have any of those little marshmallows?"

Joyce laughed softly.  With instructions to Buffy's classmates and Joyce's
co-workers that everyone should go home, the Scoobies headed out of the cemetery
towards the Summers' home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dru wailed and wailed at the mansion.  Blood red tears fell from her face.  Even
though the pixies told her about Daddy's death, she felt the pain of his loss so
deep that it tore at her very being.  Even when Angelus was souled, she still
felt him in the back of her mind.  Now there was nothing left.  Her daddy was
gone.

When Angelus was souled, Dru always held out the hope that he would return to
her.  Now she had no such chance or hope.  She refused to live any longer
without him.  She had nothing left to live for anyways.  Her Spike was lost to
her, and now Angelus was dead.

Drusilla stood up slowly from her spot on the floor.  With determined steps she
walked away from the door to the window.  She threw open the heavy draperies
that previously protected the entire room from being bathed in sunlight.  The
easterly facing window would be flooded with sunlight come the dawn.

Drusilla admired the twinkling of the stars above.  They called out to her to
join them.  They told her it was time to come home.  She sadly danced her way
back to her bed.  She gingerly cradled Miss Edith in her arms after she laid
down.

Dru stared up at the blood red canopy top above her.  Her mind was blank of
thought except the resignation that it was time for her to go.  The welcoming
voices of her mother, father, and sisters called to her on the breeze.  She
closed her eyes to the memories of her human days.  It was time to rest, and
soon she would be with her family again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I didn't see Dru, Dalton."  Spike turned to his "son".  He was proud of how the
vampire fought tonight.  "Any idea on where she is?"

Buffy grumbled a bit to herself because of Spike's question.  She knew where his
love lay, but she couldn't stop herself from a little bit of jealousy rising
over his concern for Drusilla's well being.

"I locked her up in her bedroom at the mansion, Sire."  Dalton explained his
earlier actions of the evening.  "She refused to follow Master Angelus out for
the ambush.  He confined her to their quarters."

"He is not your Master anymore, Dalton."  Buffy snapped.  "I don't want to hear
those two words together again."

Dalton cowered away from his Mistress.  "Yes, Mistress.  My apologies."

"Easy there, pet.  Old habits die hard."  Spike squeezed their joined hands. 
"We know where his loyalties lay."

Buffy sighed.  "I'm sorry, Dalton.  I shouldn't have snapped."

"It's all right, Mistress.  I understand."  Dalton leaned over, took Buffy's
free hand in his, and kissed the back of it gently.  "My true Mistress and
Master are you and Master Spike.  Forever more."

Giles watched the exchange with much interest.  He had a feeling that he would
learn a lot about vampiric families by watching these three from now on.  There
was an extra bond there that he was sure had been sealed with blood.  Everything
about vampires dealt in blood, at least from Spike's point of view.

The whole group continued walking through the streets of Sunnydale on their way
to the Summers' residence.  They were all happy that this night's battle was
over.  It was time to regroup and recuperate.  They each spent the remainder of
the journey lost in their own thoughts.
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
"Miss Summers?"  A darkly dressed man in his early thirties stepped over from
the Summers' porch swing to stand in front of the main door.

Spike stood in front of Buffy to block the way between the stranger and his
Childe.  "Who wants to know?"

The man pulled a cross from his pocket.  He advanced on Spike's position.  "Step
away from her, vampire.  She is Council property, and we aim to reclaim what is
ours."

Spike hissed, but he refused to give up his position.  Buffy tensed behind
Spike.  Her whimpers told her Sire that she had no intention of willingly
leaving with any Council member.

"I don't think so, tweed boy."  A strangely familiar bass voice called from the
street.  His footsteps hastened across the lawn.  The dark haired boy stopped a
few feet away from the group of Scoobies with an M-16 machine gun pointed at the
Council representative.  "Stand down, and I won't fill you full of holes.  These
bullets can more than kill a human with one.  If you don't step away, I'll
unload the whole clip on you."

Buffy and Willow blinked in surprise, the former being more surprised than the
latter.  "Xander?"

Spike growled.  He had no idea why the Whelp was still alive, or why he was
protecting them now after trying to kill them earlier.  "Whelp!"  He snarled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 

Revenge For Love - (14) Surprises and Explanations
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Angelus is dead.  Dru is waiting for the sunrise at the
mansion.  A Council representative has showed up to "reclaim" Buffy, but Spike
and a surprising appearance by Xander stopped it from happening.  How in the
world is Xander alive or has he just escaped Dalton's bonds?  Kendra showed up
to help with the battle in the cemetery.  What happens now that the battle is
over?  Will Kendra stay?  Will the Council succeed in taking Buffy back to
England?

(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story.  "Regular" quotes are
around spoken words.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dalton looked at Xander from head to toe.  He hadn't sensed a vampire coming
near.  This boy hadn't felt like a vampire either, and he knew that he should be
a vampire if he was walking around.  There was no way the boy would have
survived the blood loss and vampire blood given to him.  He walked over behind
Xander.

Xander watched the vampire move behind him.  He remembered his name was Dalton
from the time he visited them in the high school library.  He kept his main gaze
on the Council representative, but he was curious as to why the vampire circled
him.

Spike gazed at Buffy in confusion.  'Pet, I thought you said that problem was
taken care of?'  He questioned her in their thoughts.

'So did I.'  Buffy followed Dalton's movements.  He seemed to be as confused as
they were.  She knew her "son" would not have failed them.  'I gave Xander to
Dalton, and he was quite upset with Xander.  There is no way he let him live. 
Look at him.'  She nodded towards Dalton.

Spike glanced over at Dalton.  He tilted his head to the side while Dalton
examined Xander.  'He does seem perplexed.'

Buffy nodded at Spike.  'Yes, he does.'  She let her concern about the Council
representative wander since Xander had the gun pointed at him.  She walked over
to Xander.  She sniffed him near his neck.  When Xander was passed out at Giles,
she'd been too busy to make any sense of Xander's actions.  They had so much
more to work out at the time.  She hadn't paid attention to his scent.

Dalton sniffed Xander again.  He looked at his Mistress and shook his head.  He
whispered softly enough that only Spike and Buffy would hear.  Of course Xander
heard too since Dalton was right near his ear.  "This is not the one I turned. 
There is no way he could have escaped, and he does not even smell like the one I
killed."

Buffy nodded in agreement.  "He isn't a vampire either."  She added to the
conversation.  "So, if you turned him, this isn't the man you took with you." 
She was highly confused.  Who was this person before her?  She never really
smelled Xander when she was completely human.

"Buffster," Xander briefly switched his glance to Buffy.  "I will explain
everything as soon as I can.  I promise."  He returned his gaze to the cross
wielding Council member.  "Right now we need to take care of tweed boy here."

Buffy stepped back next to Spike.  She motioned for Dalton to keep an eye on
Xander.  "Don't let him out of your sight."  She said loud enough for everyone
to hear.

Willow moved next to Buffy.  "Why, Buffy?"

"Something isn't right, Wills."  Buffy told her friend.  "Until we get it all
figured out, no one is leaving."

Xander stepped closer to the man with the cross.  "Move it, buster.  Inside." 
He waved the front of his weapon in a motion towards the front door.

Giles, who had been watching everything going on with avid interest, whispered
to Joyce, "Go in through the back door to unlock the front door please."

Joyce nodded.  She disappeared around the side of the house to the back door. 
Lights flickered on from the kitchen to the entryway.  Then the door opened. 
She stepped aside for the strange man to enter followed by Xander, Dalton,
Spike, Buffy, Kendra, Willow and Giles.

"Mom, how did we get in?"  Buffy knew that she had no need for an invitation
because he mom told her earlier that she'd been invited just in case, but Spike
and Dalton still did.

"I invited them each in vocally when I went home to rest," Joyce answered. 
"Just in case they'd have to get in quickly when I wasn't here."

"Thank you, Mommy."  Buffy hugged her mother tightly.  She was amazed at how
well her mother was handling everything.  Joyce accepted her vampiric family as
if they were human.  It made her feel good to know that she had her mother's
support.

"Breathing, Buffy.  I really need to do that still."  Joyce choked out.

"Oops.  Sorry.  I always forget that."  Buffy blushed.

Buffy walked over to the man from the Council.  She ripped the cross out of his
hand.  "Oooo . Owwww."  She teased then rolled her eyes.  "Stupid Council."  She
tossed the cross to Giles.  "Do we have anything we can tie this idiot up with?

Joyce headed downstairs for some ropes she had.  The banging of various storage
items being sifted through was heard up the stairs from the basement.  Finally
Joyce Summers emerged with thick nylon ropes in her hand.  She handed them to
Buffy.

Spike chuckled and winked while Buffy tied the man to one of the kitchen chairs
that had been placed in the living room.  'I'll have to keep in mind that she
has those, pet.'

'Pervert.'  Buffy laughed, even though her thoughts held a note of chastisement.

'And you love me for it, sweetheart.'  Spike answered her with a gleam in his
eye.

Buffy secured the last knot around the man's feet.  "All right, now someone
better start explaining a few things."  She pointed at Xander.  "You first
because I know darn well that you should not be able to be here right now."

Willow shivered at the coldness in Buffy's tone.  "Buffy, maybe he just woke
up."

"He shouldn't have survived something if my guess is right."  The dawn of
realization was upon Giles.  The strange looks that passed between Spike, Buffy
and Dalton made more sense now.  "Right, Buffy?"

Buffy faced her Watcher, mother and friends.  "You're right, Giles."  Her voice
held no remorse.  She gave Willow a sympathetic look though.  She doubted that
she would understand her reasoning.  "I had to protect myself and my family,
Willow.  I'm sorry, but I gave the person at Giles' house to Dalton to take care
of."

Willow gasped in shock.  "Oh my gosh."  Her hands slapped over her mouth.  "You
told Dalton to kill Xander?"  She looked over at Xander's strangely calm face.

"Yes, Willow.  That is what I did."  Buffy sighed.  "I knew Dalton would do
right by his family.  I don't know how to help you understand why I had to do
what I did."

The man tied to the chair spoke up.  "See, this just proves that you need to let
the Council take care of her.  She isn't stable."  He squirmed in the chair to
try to get loose.  "She's killing humans."

Kendra stood next to the couch.  She leaned against the wall.  She was ready to
make a move at a moment's notice if Giles' gave any indication that Buffy should
be staked.

Giles shared a look with Spike.  "You said that not all of your family would
understand why you hadn't killed Xander right away."  He spoke about their
conversation earlier in the day at his house.  "Did you know what was being
planned?"

"Not specifically."  Spike stood at Buffy's side in a show of solidarity.  "I
felt the anger from our son.  I had a feeling that he would seek retribution." 
He wrapped his arm around Buffy's waist.  "I was not going to stop him.  It was
his right."

"The rights of a vampire are inconsequential!"  The Council representative
yelled out.  He looked at Giles.  "Surely you can't condone the death of a
human."

Xander raised the butt of his weapon.  He brought it down hard on the back of
the Council representative's head to knock him unconscious.  He looked up at the
shocked faces around the room.  "He was getting annoying."

Dalton spoke up for the first time since they stepped inside the house.  "The
one who is waiting for the sunrise is not this one."  He pointed to Xander.  "I
would know.  His scent is embedded in my brain because of all that I did to
him."

"He smells familiar to me."  Buffy walked around Xander.  "But I didn't pay
attention to his scent the first night I saw him as I am now."

"You know there is a way you can tell, pet."  Spike offered a suggestion to
everyone.  He knew they wouldn't like it, but it would answer a lot of
questions.  "You bit him the first night you saw him."

Buffy nibbled her lower lip.  "Yes, I did."  She shyly looked around the room at
the various expressions on everyone's face.

"But . Buff . Buffy."  Willow stuttered.  "You can't mean that you want to bite
Xander again?"

Giles glasses were quickly ripped off his face and cleaned vigorously.  "As much
as I hate to agree, that would be a sure way to find out.  Faces may be
glamoured, but blood does not lie."  He sighed.  "Not that I condone it mind
you.  It is Xander's choice."

Xander gulped and stiffened.  They'd told him that he would be required to do
something that would scare him, but they assured him that it was necessary for
the greater good.  "I have an explanation for what happened, but you'd just
think I was lying if you weren't sure of who I was, eh?"

Spike stared at the dark-haired boy in surprise.  He figured that the human
would be all running away right now.  "You'd be right about that, Whelp."  There
was no doubt that the teenager was afraid.  The scent of fear radiated off the
boy, but he hadn't run away yet. 

Spike hadn't spent much time around the boy before now.  So, his sense of the
boy's scent was useless.  He only knew the scent of the one who attacked him the
last time.

Xander rested the M-16 against the wall by the front door.  He gulped hard, and
his breath caught in his throat.  He moved to stand in front of Buffy with his
hands in the air to show that he had no weapon against her.  He closed his eyes
and turned his head.  "Just do it quickly."  He put his faith in Giles and
Kendra to stake Buffy if she started to take too much.  He'd been shown so much
of the future and what would happen if he let his anger get in the way.  He had
to trust Buffy this time.  He only hoped that his trust was well placed and that
his worst fears wouldn't come true.

Buffy looked at Xander with wide eyes.  She shook off her shock, reached for one
of Xander's hand, and brought his wrist to her lips.  Blood was blood.  She
didn't have to take it from his neck.  She thought it might make the whole thing
easier for him if she took the sample from his wrist.  She looked over at Giles
one more time to see if he was going to stake her.

Giles edged to the front of the couch, but he kept his hands in his lap.  The
look on his face told her that he didn't like it, but he wasn't stepping in.  He
held his breath when Buffy slipped into her demon's guise. 

Buffy's elongated fangs pressed against the skin of Xander's wrist.  Their
sharpness met no resistance to pierce the vein and pull the needed taste into
her mouth.

Xander gasped the moment Buffy's fangs pricked him.  It was different than the
first time he'd been bitten.  Sure he was scared this time too, but he was more
confident that he would survive the encounter this time.  He felt the shiver of
slight pleasure go through him, and it shocked him into opening his eyes.  "Oh
my."

Buffy stopped pulling on Xander's blood.  She licked the twin prick holes
closed.  The saliva on her tongue held healing properties to hasten the sealing
of the wound.  She released Xander's hand, stepped back into Spike's arms, and
trembled.  "That is Xander."  She'd been unprepared for her own reactions to
sampling Xander's blood that way.

Xander slumped against the wall.  His heart raced from the encounter.  He wasn't
quite sure what to think of it all.  It certainly didn't feel like he'd expected
it to.  He tried to calm his quickened breathing.

Everyone watched Buffy and Xander's reactions with interest.  Each person had a
different angle or thought on what they'd witnessed.

Willow moved over to Xander to hug him.  She held him in a tight embrace.  "I'm
so proud of you Xander."  The fact that Xander went from trying to kill Buffy
and Spike to helping them was huge.  Though now she was confused as to who
Dalton killed.

"You shouldn't be, Wills."  Xander found his voice again.  He hugged his best
friend then let go.  "If they hadn't found me after I called the Council, I
might be the one who was dead.  I was full of hate."

"Who are they?"  Giles questioned.  "And what possessed you to call the
Council?"

"I was upset, G-Man."  Xander began his tale.  "She went from one evil dead to
another."

Spike growled deeply.  He tightened his arms around Buffy.

"Give me a minute to explain, bleach boy."  Xander held a hand up to silence
Spike.  "I have to tell the bad to get to the good."

Buffy rested her hand on Spike's chest.  "Let him finish."

"Only for your sake," Spike answered Buffy.  He pulled her over to the other
side of the room to sit down in a chair together.

"There is so much more at stake here than any of us probably realize."  Xander
picked up the gun when the man started to rouse awake again.  He didn't want to
have to deal with him too.  So, he used the butt end of the gun again to knock
him out.  "All I wanted to do in the beginning was get Spike away from Buffy. 
So, on the way home the first night I snuck into the high school to get the
Council's number from Giles' office."

Giles mentally went through where he had the number stashed.  "How did you even
know where to find it?"

"I came in one afternoon after school when you needed to make a report.  I just
waited out in the main library area until you were done, but I saw where you put
the book away at."

"I'll have to move that, it seems."  Giles huffed, a bit flustered.  That drawer
should have been locked.

"I'll replace the lock."  Xander answered the unasked question. 

"Oh Xander."  Willow whimpered in exasperation and sympathy.

"I was desperate."  Xander explained.  "So anyways, I called them the first
night.  Then when I came back to Giles' place the one day I saw Spike and Buffy
all over each other on the floor, I turned right back around and headed home. 
That was when Mister Tweed here showed up."

Joyce listened to the boy who was supposed to be one of Buffy's best friends,
talk about how he betrayed her.  Her motherly instincts wanted to slap the boy
upside the head.

"It turns out that they've had operatives here every other week watching Buffy
since the Master killed her.  This week was their off week, but the operatives
were close enough to get back in a hurry when I called."

Spike growled at the mention of his Great-Great-GrandSire.  "Stupid bat faced
git."

Buffy chuckled.  "Watch it.  He's family."

"Was family, luv.  Thankfully you dusted the idiot."  Spike snorted.  "He
deserved it.  No one touches my girl."

Kendra raised an eyebrow.  Her arms were crossed over her chest.  She might be
silent, but she hadn't missed any of the exchanges between anyone.  She wasn't
here for most of what they spoke of, and her last trip taught her to get all her
facts before reacting.  So, she was trying to be patient.  It was hard to do in
the presence of so many vampires.  She was itching to stake them all, including
her Slayer sister.

"Believe it or not, I actually refused to go back to the house and stake Spike." 
Xander found himself still a bit unsure of why they wanted him to do it instead
of them.  "They said they needed me to stake Spike so they could take Buffy back
to England.  That wasn't why I called the Council.  I thought I was protecting
Buffy from evil boy there.  I didn't want anyone taking her anywhere."

Giles sighed.  "You were very foolish to call them especially with everything
you've read and heard about the Council.  You should have known they wouldn't
let Buffy go if she was a vampire."

"I know Giles.  It was pretty stupid."  Xander frowned.  "When I refused they
tied me up, gagged me, and put me in the closet of my room.  Before they put me
in the closet I saw one of the Council guys actually change into my clothing,
and he had my face on him.  I have no idea how they did it, but right before my
eyes was another me."

"That explains why Xander tried to stake Spike."  Willow entered the
conversation.  "I didn't think Xander could be that hateful to kill Spike after
Buffy's warning."

"What changed your mind about Spike though, Xander?"  Buffy questioned.  "You
were defending him, as well as me, with that gun on the Council guy.  Also, how
did you escape?"

"There are a lot more people that know about Buffy's predicament than we've been
told.  The Coven explained a lot of things to me about how wrong I was about
vampires."  Xander started to speak again when a loud knocking came from the
door.  He quickly walked over to see who it was.

"Careful Xander.  Council members won't need an invitation."  Giles cautioned. 
Spike stood up ready to attack if necessary.

"No one else from the Council should be able to get past the street now." 
Xander opened the door.  He revealed the face of a middle aged woman with
piercing green eyes and auburn hair.  "Hello Athena."

Athena stepped into the Summers' home.  She smiled brightly at Giles.  "Hello,
Rupert."  Her voice held a clear and crisp British accent.  She opened her arms
up to Giles.

"Athena?"  Giles stood up, walked over to the new woman, and hugged her.  "It
has been forever since I've seen you.  You don't usually leave the Coven in
England.  What brings you here?"

Athena looked around the room until she rested on the blonde head of Buffy
Summers.  She took two steps forward before the bleach blonde vampire blocked
her path.

Giles clapped Spike on the shoulder.  "Athena is an old friend.  I trust her
with my life."  He looked at Athena.  "Do you promise not to bring any harm to
my charge?"

Athena nodded.  She watched the vampire as he reluctantly stepped to the side of
his Mate.  "This young lady is what brings us here earlier than we intended." 
She extended a hand out to Buffy.  "We've waited a long time for another Slayer
to emerge this way."

Buffy accepted the lady's hand.  She stood up in front of Athena.  "You've
waited for me?"

Xander's voice from the other side of the room brought the attention back to
him.  "Seems like you are all prophecy girl again, Buffy."  He half chuckled. 
"Except this time you got to come back from death with a lot more perks."

"An interesting way to put it, Xander, but it is so much more than that." 
Athena stepped back to face the entire room.  "We've known about the one who
would bring light to the darkness and darkness to light for hundreds of years. 
When the last Slayer was turned, Antoinette, we tried to defend her, but we
weren't strong enough.  We knew she wasn't the one the scrolls spoke of, but we
tried anyways.  It was the Coven who gave the monks the amulet you used
William."

Spike blinked in surprise.  Athena knew his name.  Why would a Coven, which he
knew consisted of a bunch of witches, care about knowing him?

"Yes, William, we know who you are."  Athena read the waves of curiosity off of
the vampire.

"How did you know Antoinette wasn't the one the prophecy spoke of?"  Giles
itched to have his notepad in front of him.  He looked around the room for any
kind of paper and pen that he could take notes with.

"Mom, I think we need to get Giles some paper before he starts writing on his
arm or the furniture."  Buffy laughed.

Joyce chuckled.  In the time she'd spent with Buffy since her turning, they
talked about Giles and his research.  Joyce had read some of Giles' journal
entries into the Watcher's Diaries as well.  He was quite thorough in his
quests.  She opened her roll top desk, picked up a pad of paper, chose a
suitable pen, and walked back over to Giles.  "Here you go, Rupert."

Giles actually blushed at the gesture.  "Thank you, Joyce."  He hastily opened
the notebook and started writing furiously.

'Some things never change.'  Athena smiled and shook her head.  She'd known
Rupert Giles for many years.  "Antoinette only died once.  The scrolls speak of
one Chosen in the land of the sun who would die at the hands of a Master.  We
didn't realize it actually meant THE Master.  Also it is told that she would be
shaded from then on until her second death, where she would find her peace in
the darkness."

Buffy squeezed Spike's hand.  'That part is right.  I have found my peace in the
darkness.  You are my peace, beloved.'  She kissed the back of Spike's hand.

'You bring light to my darkness, pet.  You are my sun.'  Spike turned their
joined hands over and kissed the back of Buffy's hand.

Athena sighed happily at the sight of the two lovers.  They seemed to be a good
match.  This bode well for what they would face later.  "The Council also knew
of these scrolls.  There are many things that the hierarchy of Council members
actually keeps from the general Watcher eye.  This is one of them."

"I always suspected that they held things back, but the last few days have shown
me so much that I never knew about."  Giles sighed in disgust.  "The group that
I thought I was protecting from evil has shown that it holds a lot of evil in
its own.  They taught us so many lies."

"Yes, they have.  Lies that have tainted the origins of demons and Slayers
enough to cause friends to turn on one another."  Athena looked Xander squarely
in the eye.  "Though thankfully once we explained a few things, and showed him
bits of time, he turned around."

"I won't make the same mistake again."  Xander promised Spike and Buffy.  "I may
not like it, but I'm not going to like everything and everyone.  This is what
you want.  So, I'll deal."

Buffy jumped off the chair and ran at Xander.  She hugged him with tears in her
eyes.  "Oh Xander, I'm so glad you feel that way.  I didn't want to see you
dead, but I thought you tried to kill my family."  She looked at Willow.  "I
don't regret sending the man that hurt my Mate and I to his death, but I'm glad
it wasn't really you Xander."  She turned back to Xander to hug him again.

"You gave us a bit of a scare with that one, Buffy."  Athena interjected.  "We
thought that our calculations were incorrect when we saw that you allowed the
death of a human.  Once we looked at the situation further, we realized why you
did it.  Evil comes in many forms, and not all things evil are demons.  You did
what you had to do."

Spike relaxed some in the chair.  Maybe if this Coven supported their rights in
this way, they would have a chance to convince the Watcher and Red that Buffy
was justified in her actions.

"How did you know about Buffy's transformation though?  Other than Xander's call
to the Council we haven't told anyone about it."  Giles shook the pen in his
hand to make sure the ink continued to flow.

"We have been watching Sunnydale for a long time."  Athena pointed to Willow. 
"We felt the presence of a new power itching to emerge from that young lady
there.  Although she hasn't realized it yet, she will be quite powerful in the
future.  We were watching to be sure that she was trained before her power took
her."

Athena crossed one leg over the other as she sat down in a chair.  "It made the
arc of emergence more noticeable to us when Buffy was turned.  Immediately we
watched the Council to see if they realized what happened.  As soon as we were
aware that they knew, we warned them to stay away from the Slayer."

"I'll bet the wankers didn't like that too much."  Spike snorted in disgust. 
"They think they own the Slayers, as if they aren't even people."

"You are correct, William.  They laughed at us and told us to mind our own
business."  Athena huffed.

Giles actually laughed.  "The Council told a coven of the most powerful witches
in this realm to mind their own business?"

"I had the same reaction to Quentin Travers when he told me that."  Athena
nodded.  "That man has gotten far too power hungry."  She shook her head back
and forth.  "We warned them that the Coven would protect this one.  I told him
that we knew of the prophecy, and we would not allow the Council to destroy this
girl."

"You can't keep us from what belongs to us."  The Council operative was
conscious again.  "You stupid and foolish woman.  She isn't yours to control. 
She's ours."

"Arrogant fool."  Athena smirked.  She flicked her fingertips at the man, and he
disappeared.  She blew the end of her fingers with a grin on her face.  "Never
liked Charles."

Willow blinked.  "What did you do to him?"

"Don't worry, my little Wicca."  Athena smiled.  "I just sent him back to the
Council with a little present of warning.  He is alive."

Giles wished he could see the look on Travers' face when his operative was
returned to him magically.  "So the Coven will protect Buffy whenever possible?"

"Yes, she will be magically warded as well as her natural defense enhancements." 
Athena pulled a book from a bag that appeared on her wrist.  She opened it to a
specific page.  "Buffy's Slayer demon, and yes Slayers were originally created
from a vampiric like demon, has turned Buffy into what we call a daywalker." 
She pointed out several passages.  "The Council found this information a few
hundred years ago around the time of Antoinette's turning.  She will be able to
walk in sunlight, crosses will not harm her, and she will not dust from a
staking.  Though she could still die from it since it could cause her to bleed
to death if her healing abilities were weakened.  Of course having her head cut
off would have the same effect as it would to a human or vampire."

Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy tighter.  He held her against his chest.  He
knew that he would rather dust himself than see any harm come to Buffy.

"We assumed that Buffy would have some vampires willing to help her, but we did
not expect a full claiming and mating to occur."  Athena sat down facing Spike
and Buffy again.  "Antoinette and Charmand shared a deep bond, but it was not as
strong as what you two share.  We aren't sure why."

"Maybe I kept more of my humanity than he did?"  Spike interjected his thoughts. 
"I also became a Master vampire fairly quickly.  Though that was because of the
Slayer I killed during the Boxer Rebellion, but with the blood of two Slayers in
my veins that would increase my demon as well, right?"

"Perhaps that is it."  Athena pondered the information.  "You do realize that
you never lost your soul completely when you were turned?  Not all vampires do." 
She looked over at Dalton.  "Your son is the same way."  She realized the
connection between the vampires here was strong.  She turned back to Buffy and
Spike.  "Also the auras we've seen from you two show that when you mated Buffy's
soul connected with what remained of yours.  It enhanced its strength and
solidified it within you."

"Bloody hell.  I'd better not resort to my namby pamby days, Slayer, or so help
me ."  Spike growled.

Buffy laughed.  "You're still the Big Bad to me, love.  Always."

"That's easy for you to say.  You have no idea what a poncey git I was when I
was a human."  Spike huffed.

"You are as you always have been when you've allowed your true self to show,
William.  You will share more of an even balance with your demon now."  Athena
interrupted.  "We don't know what other benefits you will see as time goes by. 
The more blood you two share, the stronger things will be between you.

"What does this prophecy say about me?"  Buffy needed to know what she should
expect.

"You are the guardian of the mouth of hell.  That must refer to the Hellmouth." 
Athena looked over at Kendra.  "The Slayer line runs through Kendra now.  There
is only one blood Slayer."  She focused on Buffy again.  "You will live for
quite a long time if your Mate, friends, and the Coven have any say in it.  You
will actually outlive the Council itself.  That is one reason why the Council
wants you.  It is said that you will abolish the Council in time."

Giles gasped.  "Abolish it?"

"We don't know why.  We only know that it is destined to happen."  Athena saw
how worn the faces of everyone around her were.  "I know this is a lot to take
in at once.  You may keep that book.  It holds all the information you need. 
Rest assured the Council will not be interfering again.  I will be having a
personal little chat with Quentin Travers today.  If he doesn't behave, the end
of the Council will be sooner over later."  Her voice held the note of a threat
and anger in it.  "They will not be allowed to destroy the Chosen One.  We will
make sure several Coven members are present in Sunnydale for the time being to
be sure our instructions are followed to the Council."

"Thank you, Athena."  Buffy sighed a bit in relief.  "I've been worried about so
many things since I woke up.  I feel so much safer now."

Athena stood up.  She cupped Buffy's face in her hand.  "You have such a great
love inside you, Buffy.  Share it with the world.  Let your heart guide you. 
You will find the right way to live then."

Athena moved in front of Spike.  "Your love and devotion will serve you for many
decades to come, William.  Forget the pain, but remember the lessons learned
from them.  Do not return to the life of mayhem that you led, or it will destroy
you and your Childe."  She offered her hand to Spike to bring him to his feet. 
She leaned forward.

Spike felt the warmth caress his cheek and course through his body when Athena
kissed his cheek briefly.  He looked at her with widened eyes.  "Wha ."

"A gift, fair warrior."  Athena stepped away from Spike.  She moved over to
Willow.  "We will be watching you young lady.  Soon, you will need to begin your
training."  She smiled warmly at Willow.  "It is time for me to leave.  Your
home will be protected with our wards.  You can all rest easy."

Joyce and Giles nodded in synchronization.  "Thank you, Athena."  Joyce was
happy to know that her daughter would live for a lot longer.  She would never
have the kind of life Joyce envisioned for her, but she would be happy.  That
was all that mattered to her now.

Xander let Athena out of the door.  Then he sat down on the couch next to
Willow.  He hugged her.

"So another apocalypse averted."  Willow chirped.  "No more Angelus trying to
eat all of Sunnydale."

"Yep.  The Hellmouth is not so hell mouthy right now."  Xander quipped.  He
smiled at Buffy and Spike.  They did look very good together.  He bit back the
jealousy in his heart.  He never would have had her in the first place.

"Do you think you'll be staying, Kendra?"  Buffy asked her sister warrior.

Kendra shook her head no.  "Dis is yawr playce to be."

"I doubt the Council would keep her here."  Giles sat back on the couch. 
"Especially since the Coven will be clear about Buffy remaining on the
Hellmouth."  For the first time in weeks he felt relaxed.  "The Council won't
want to incur the wrath of those powerful Wiccas.  You two should be safe."

"For now."  Buffy sighed.  "Until the next time someone thinks they are bad
enough to take me on."

"We'll always be ready, luv."  Spike kissed Buffy's cheek chastely.  "With
everyone here, they wouldn't survive any attempt they made on you."

"You're right."  Buffy stretched out in the chair she and Spike shared.  "If I
can tame the "Big Bad" no one else will even be a challenge."

Everyone in the room laughed but Spike.  He pinched her butt and tickled her
mercilessly.  "I'll show you who's big and bad."

Buffy jumped up off the chair and ran for the stairs.  She squealed the whole
way up while she tried to escape Spike.

Everyone heard the door to Buffy's bedroom slam closed with much giggling and
shrieking.  They all looked back and forth at each other.  No one wanted to
acknowledge what would be happening next up stairs.

Giles cleared his throat.  "Well ."

"Yes . I suppose I should go grab the sleeping bags for everyone to sleep in and
some sheets for the couch."  Joyce stood up.  "I think it would be best if we
all stayed together still."

"Quite right."  Giles agreed.  "At least until we are sure the Coven was able to
get through to the Council."

"Dibs on the couch."  Xander chimed in.

"Giles gets the couch."  Joyce corrected.  "He deserves to be as comfortable as
possible."

"Darn relegated to the floor."  Xander mock pouted.

"Be happy you even get the floor after what you did."  Joyce waggled a finger at
him.  "You'd better not hurt my baby girl again, or you will meet Mama Bear
Joyce."

Xander gulped and nodded.  Willow giggled.  Giles smirked.

"What about me, Mrs. Summers?"  Dalton questioned.

"Please call me Joyce."  Joyce Summers smiled warmly.  "I have a cot that I can
put in the basement for you.  That way you will be safe from the sun.  I'm sure
Buffy will take care of covering her window for her and Spike."

"Thank you, Joyce."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the sun rose from beneath the horizon two separate vampires went to meet
their end.  One male vampire, recently turned, was sent to the hell he deserved
for his many actions against those he should have tried to protect instead of
kill.  He left this realm screaming in pain and cursing his fate.

In another part of Sunnydale an old vampiress went from flesh to dust peacefully
and quietly.  No screams rent the air when the flames consumed her.  She left
this world with a smile on her face because her soul was leaving for heaven. 
The insanity she suffered from all those years after being turned was no more. 
Her soul, long buried deep within her to protect it, was set free to join her
family in the sky.  She was at peace, her destiny fulfilled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)
 

Chapter Summary: Athena from the Coven in England informed the Scoobies about a great deal of what was happening to Buffy and Spike. We found out just who the real Xander really is. This chapter is written for 6 months after the last chapter. We catch up on what has been happening with the Scoobies and how everyone has adjusted or not adjusted to the changes.

Author's Note: I have had several people express interest and request a sequel to this story after Ch. 14 was sent out. I do have ideas in the works for it, but it will not be the next story I go into. I have a promise to keep to Bloodshedbaby for a story to one of her challenges. I might start the sequel once I'm into that story if I see in reviews for this chapter that the interest for a sequel is still there. The way I end this story, you can take it as an end or a set up for a sequel. {Smiles}

(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

Buffy's voice penetrated the Summers' residence before the blonde daywalker stepped inside followed by Giles. "I don't work for them anymore. I refuse to babysit and train who could actually be here to kill Spike and I. If we let her that close, I don't know what affect it will have on the wards."

"Remember the wards are based on blood now, Buffy. It won't affect that. I've checked out the Council's story with a few of my trusted colleagues." Giles closed the door behind him, blocking out the mid-day sun. "The new Slayer is quite a rebel. She bawks their authority at every step. She's already gone through two Watchers."

"So why should I take this Faith off their hands?" Only six months passed by in their lives since the final battle with Angelus. Three months after Kendra returned home they received word from the Coven of the Slayer's death. Buffy tried to keep busy with her new life since then. She wasn't ready to face Kendra's replacement yet. "It sounds like her rebelling is actually helping our cause to keep the Council off balance."

Joyce Summers stepped into the living room from the direction of the kitchen. She heard the argument between her boyfriend and her daughter in full swing outside. So, she had a feeling Rupert would appreciated something to drink. She kissed Giles briefly and handed a glass of bourbon to him. "Rough day, dear?"

"Yes. Thank you, Joyce." Giles returned a short, but sweet kiss. After tentatively, then seriously, dating for 5 months Joyce and Giles decided he should move in with Joyce. Buffy and Spike had their own place to live, and Giles only rented his apartment. With both Giles and Joyce living alone it seemed reasonable for them to advance their relationship on many levels. The Summers' residence became Scooby Central. Although their lives were never quiet or sedate, Joyce and Giles were happy together.

"That bastard Travers called Giles today to tell us he was sending the new Slayer and her new Watcher to Sunnydale." Buffy hoped her mother sided with her in the argument. Joyce acted like a mother bear ever since she found out about Buffy's death and new calling. "Make Giles tell Travers to go to Hell."

"Language please, Buffy." Joyce rolled her eyes. Spike took excellent care of her daughter. She'd never seen Buffy happier, but his cursing was one thing Joyce wished Buffy hadn't followed in his footsteps with. "I'm sure Rupert has a good reason why he is willing to accept this." Her tone indicated that Giles better have a good reason for putting her daughter in danger.

Giles gulped the bourbon down in one swig. One thing he learned quickly while he dated Joyce was that Buffy's spirit, determination, and stubbornness were not Slayer traits. They were in the Summers' family genes. He admired Joyce's tenacity, but he didn't want to be on the wrong side of an argument with her. "I don't believe Faith is a plant. My sources actually believe the Council is sending Faith here with the hope that her reckless behavior will get her killed and maybe her Watcher too."

"How screwed up is that?" Buffy snorted in disgust. "I'm with Spike on his Council of Wankers analogy. It's sounding better and more true everyday."

"Be that as it may, I feel we should take this girl under our wing." Giles tried to reason with Buffy. "She was not discovered as a Potential until after she was already Chosen. She hasn't lived her whole life with Watcher training."

"Still not seeing why I should care." Buffy crossed her arms in front of her against her chest. Her attitude may seem harsh to someone that hadn't lived her life the last few months, but her resentment came from her concerns for her friend's and family's well being.

"She, like you, hasn't spent her whole life being poisoned by their teachings." Giles handed the empty glass to Joyce. "She hasn't spent enough time with her last two Watcher's to be influenced by their teachings either. From what I've heard she didn't listen to them much anyways."

Joyce accepted the glass back from Giles. With the way the conversation was going, she decided to refill it for him. She knew her daughter was as stubborn as she was when it came to protecting those she loved. Buffy wanted them all prepared and protected.

Joyce spent the better part of the last 6 months training with Giles, Spike, Buffy and the other Scoobies. She was rather proficient with crossbows. She procured an artistic looking cane that she kept at the gallery for further protection. The cane held a sword in it should she need it as well. She was able to wield it easily, and it was sturdy enough to get the job done.

"We have a chance to bring her across to our way of life. Like Kendra, she could accept and be willing to protect the truth about Slayers, vampires and other demons." Giles stepped closer to Buffy. He rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know you are worried, but we need to do this. The more people who share our way, the better off the supernatural world will be handled properly."

"But is it really worth the risk?" Buffy hated arguing with Giles. She loved him like a father, but she feared any contact with the Council again, even indirectly. Yes they needed more people on their side, but they couldn't afford to be wrong about anyone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Council wasn't happy with the Coven's original demands, as the Scoobies expected, and for several weeks after the battle the Council tried to get around the Coven's spells. The Council had a few witches of their own that they relied on. They foolishly sent several Watchers and a dark ops unit to observe, infiltrate, capture and/or destroy Buffy and Spike.

The first attempt on Buffy's life merely annoyed the Coven's elders and Buffy. The protection wards and safety spells deflected the feeble attempts of the Council to test the Coven's seriousness and power. Buffy felt when anything challenged the magic surrounding her. It was a warning system to let her know something was going on. It allowed her to contact the Coven before any real damage was done to the wards.

The second attempt, two months later, was a more elaborate plan to bring down the wards and capture Buffy through indirect means. The dark ops team kidnapped Willow, Giles and Spike. They tranquilized Spike enough to keep him incoherent but conscious enough to keep the link open. They counted on Buffy's ability to track down her Mate to bring her to them.

What the Council overlooked was the determination and dedication of Joyce and Buffy to the men they loved, and the military edge to Xander's way of thinking that he cultivated more over time. At the time no one understood how the Council operatives were able to kidnap Willow, Giles and Spike in the first place. Later the Scoobies found out that three of the Coven members, three stationed in Sunnydale, took magically ill right before the kidnapping. Losing the magic of that many members at once, near Buffy, weakened the wards enough for the Council's team to sneak in close and grab them.

Buffy wanted to tear through every place in Sunnydale to find Spike once she realized her Mate was gone. Only the strength and patience of Xander and Joyce combined was able to stop the Slayer/Vampiress from raining down death and destruction in a raid of pure bloodshed. They used Buffy's connection with Spike to help pinpoint the area their friends and family were being held.

Xander worked up a plan for infiltration that included help from Joyce and Buffy. It would have been nice to have Oz's help, but he wasn't available to help the Scoobies. He wasn't even in Sunnydale anymore. His band got a U.S. touring opportunity that they couldn't afford to pass up about a month after the battle. He broke off his relationship with Willow because he said it wasn't fair to ask her to wait for him when he might never be back.

Willow was crushed, but she knew her place was with Buffy in Sunnydale. Giles made sure Oz had some tranquilizer darts and a list of names for others who could help him in certain cities on the full moon. Willow buried herself in her books, studying various aspects of witchcraft at the suggestion of the Coven members in Sunnydale. She visited them often to discuss specifics of certain spells.

Xander tried to ask Cordelia to help as well, but the ex-cheerleader no longer wanted to have anything to do with him or his "freakish" group of friends any longer. She refused to understand Xander's need to stick by and defend Buffy now that she was a vampire. She said their relationship wasn't worth having to deal with all the craziness that made up his life.

With the loss of Oz and Cordelia, and the strange loss of communication with the Coven, the remaining Scoobies felt deserted. So, it was a strange little trio of Scoobies who were forced to mount a rescue on their own. It was hard for each of them when several days passed by before they were ready to make a move. All of them were on edge by the time it came to move in.

Buffy figured they only had one shot at a rescue. If they failed, every one of them would be dead or a lab rat prisoner of the Council. Thankfully luck was on their side. The dark ops team never expected the three person rescue group to be so meticulous with their planning and execution.

The captors were taken completely by surprise in the middle of one of their taunting sessions of the captured Scoobies. In the midst of taunts and jeers that the former Slayer left them to die at their hands, the operatives were incapacitated with bolts and arrows through shoulders, knees, arms, and legs followed with punches, kicks and elbows at key pressure points to knock them unconscious.

Xander cradled an emotionally wrecked Willow in his arms after he released her from her bonds. Joyce wept in Giles arms. Both of them held each other up, comforting the other. When Buffy located her Mate in a separate room from the others, she growled. The guard barely had a moment to realize the Vampiress was in the room before his body hit the floor half drained.

Buffy lowered the bruised and bloodied body of her Sire to the floor. She pulled the still bleeding guard over to him. She lifted Spike's head to the guard's neck, and Spike awoke enough to finish the blood that remained in his tormentor.

All of the Scoobies' physical wounds healed in a few days, but the emotional and mental scars that were left on all of them took a lot longer to heal. The rest of the operatives were sent back to the Council magically bound with nightmares implanted in their brains that would keep them from even thinking about returning to Sunnydale again.

Dalton was furious when he returned to Sunnydale after his trip to England to visit the Coven. He apologized profusely for not being there when his Master and Mistress needed him. He informed them that he'd had the pleasure of tormenting Quentin Travers for a considerable amount of time in revenge and warning to leave them alone. He worried that they would be upset for him harming the human.

Spike and Buffy reassured their son that all was well. They held no anger towards Dalton. He did nothing wrong in their eyes. He protected his family, and he carried out the wishes of the Coven to show the seriousness of Travers' refusal to obey their directives. Being nearly drained by an enraged vampire was not something Travers was soon to forget. Quentin was allowed to live with the warning that should he ever cross them again he and his whole family would be wiped from the earth.

Athena visited Sunnydale after the kidnapping incident. She strengthened all of the wards and spells by linking them to Buffy's blood. Spike, Buffy and Dalton already shared a blood bond from feeding from each other and being linked through a familial claim. Joyce, being Buffy's mother, was also protected by her link to Buffy's blood automatically. Xander, Willow, and Giles agreed to share a familial blood link with Buffy to keep the protection spells more specific and unbreakable.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy was pulled from her memories of the past few months by the sound of the front door being opened. Spike stood framed in the doorway by the sun. He pulled off his black leather duster and shook it outside. It was dusty from a mix of burnt herbs, dirt and sawdust. He slipped it back on once he was confidant that he wouldn't get Joyce's house dirty.

Joyce hugged Spike at the door. "I don't think I will ever tire of seeing you so handsome in the sunlight, Spike."

Although the vampire still wasn't accustomed to showing a lot of open affection around most humans, he loved Joyce as much as he did his own mother. He returned the hug with tenderness. "I'm not sure I'll ever get completely used to being able to walk in the sun again. Sometimes the minions forget I can go out during the day. They try to stop me from leaving and almost dust themselves." He shook his head back and forth.

Buffy ran over to her Mate eagerly. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Being apart from Spike for long periods of times was still hard for her to handle. Her only consolation was the link they shared. It grew stronger with each passing day. They'd spent the last week apart, except for brief times during the days when they met to talk out current plans or strategies.

Spike grinned at his beautiful Childe after they separated from their kiss. He rested his hands on Buffy's waist. Seeing her beauty in the clarity of the sunlight still made his unbeating heart flutter. Buffy was always gorgeous to him, but in the sunlight she was even more breathtaking. He'd never forget the first time he saw her in full sunlight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The morning after the battle, Spike awoke from a deep slumber by Buffy's screams. They'd forgotten to close the curtains amidst their frolicking earlier. The sun shone brightly through the window.

"Spike!" Buffy screamed. "Oh my gosh!" She jumped up to close the curtains. She stopped after she realized that Spike wasn't even smoking. "Spike?"

Spike opened his eyes groggily. "Oy, pet. Turn off the lights." He raised his hand to cover his eyes from the brightness.

Buffy tugged on Spike's arm. "It's not the lights, Spike." She pulled his hand away from his eyes. "It's the sun."

"Sun?" Spike jumped from the bed out of reflex. "You trying to dust me, Slayer?"

Buffy giggled. She imagined the worried look on his face mirrored the one she had when she woke up. "No, silly. You weren't smoking. Come back here and see."

Joyce, Giles, Willow, Xander and Dalton burst through Buffy's bedroom door. Dalton jumped back into the hall to avoid the sunlight. The other four stared at the naked pair of vampires, one of which who wasn't smoking and should have been.

"What is going on?" Joyce grabbed Buffy's robe from behind the door and tossed it to her. She threw Spike a towel from the hall closet. She was dealing with her daughter being intimate with another man, but that didn't mean she wanted to see it so openly. "Why were you screaming, Buffy?"

"I woke up, and the sun was beating down on Spike. I panicked. Shouldn't he be dusty?" Buffy started to explain and question.

Giles looked over at the half covered vampire. "Fascinating." He adjusted his glasses. Enough direct sunlight still hit Spike's body, and there was no sign of smoke or blistering.

Dalton peeked out from behind Giles' body. He was careful to avoid the sunlight by staying in Giles' shadow. "Master?" His worried voice questioned. His Master's and Mistress' panic hit him while he was in the middle of drinking a mug of blood downstairs.

"It's all right, son. I'm fine." Spike's comforting voice soothed Dalton's nerves. "Looks like that kiss from the witch really did mean something." He laughed heartily. "And here I thought she just found me too irresistible to pass up." He teased.

Buffy slapped Spike playfully on the arm. "You think this was the gift she meant?" Buffy asked.

"It's quite possible," Giles answered. "If Spike was unable to go with you during the day, you would be at more risk. The Coven has taken up the mantle of your well being. This could be another way to ensure you are safe."

Spike stepped back into the sun fully. He closed his eyes. He practically giggled like a small boy with delight at the warmth of the sun on his skin. His demon wanted to shrink back from the light, but Spike pushed forward until his body was covered completely in light.

"So beautiful, Sire." Buffy stared at her lover in awe. His alabaster skin appeared to glow in the brightness because it was so pale. It almost looked like he had a halo surrounding his whole body. "Like an angel."

Spike opened his eyes. With a feral growl he pounced on Buffy on the bed. "I'll show you that I'm nothing like an angel." He grinned like a predator at his Childe. "I'll always be a little devil."

Willow shrieked. "I think that is our cue to vacate." She rushed out of the room, pulling Xander with her.

"Yes, quite." Giles wrapped an arm around Joyce's waist. Dalton preceded them into the hallway, and they all headed back to the kitchen for their interrupted lunch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles extended his hand for Spike to shake. "Everything finished at the house?" Any doubts Giles had of Spike continued to be eradicated with each day that passed. He couldn't deny the fact that Spike put Buffy's needs always before his own. He'd put up with the entire Scooby gang's quirks and protected them. At first it was because Buffy wanted him too. Now it seemed that he'd grown to care for each of them in his own. He was a part of their family, as was Dalton.

Buffy and Spike lived at the mansion since the battle, but Spike wanted a place that he and Buffy could call their own without the memories of the past. The two of them picked out a fixer upper house only a short distance away from Revello Drive. It was close enough for visiting but far enough away to give everyone his or her privacy.

"Yep." Spike accepted the extended hand and shook Giles' hand firmly. "I finished sanding the porch this morning, and the stain is curing on the deck right as we speak."

"I'm so excited." Buffy bounced up and down in Spike's embrace. "He hasn't let me back into the house for the last month. Once he let me pick things out and tell him what I'd like, he kicked me out. I've hardly seen him at all the last week." She pouted.

"Oooo ... look at that lip." Spike flicked his fingertips over Buffy's extended lower lip. "Gonna get it."

Buffy pulled out of Spike's arms. "Not until I get to see my house." She hid behind Joyce's back and stuck her tongue out at Spike on the side. "No more spiking for Spike until I'm in my new home."

Spike laughed. Joyce and Giles shared a knowing look. They loved to see how much joy Buffy got out of life now. Her calling was dangerous before. Now it was even more dangerous since her calling had been altered. Both were amazed that Buffy seemed more alive now that she was technically dead than when her heart beat.

Giles cleared his throat. "There is still the matter of Faith to discuss, Buffy."

"Is that the new Slayer bird?" Spike heard about the Council's call from Xander second hand. Xander showed a knack for carpentry and construction over the time Spike worked to fix the house up. The two shared a camaraderie while they worked. It strengthened a growing friendship between the two of them.

"Yes." Giles turned to Buffy. "I am certain that Quentin is going to send the girl and her Watcher no matter what we say."

"Why is that, Rupert?" During the last few months, Spike and Giles also found a common ground or means to base a friendship on. Spike was able to read, write and speak several languages, including a few demonic ones like Fyarl. He surprised Giles with his knowledge of history and literature as well. Things were not anywhere near as tense between the two now. The pair would often be caught sharing a drink and chatting or watching British football on the television.

"My sources indicate that Quentin already feels this new Slayer is a liability." Giles inhaled deeply. "She won't follow his orders, and she's already gone through two other Watchers. Her last Watcher was killed because of her refusal to follow orders. At least that is the story he's giving the rest of the Council."

"You think he's lying?" Joyce piped up. She felt nothing but loathing for the head of the Council. He'd done nothing but put her daughter into danger from the moment of her calling. She knew that most of that was due to Buffy's calling itself, but the Council wanted to take her little girl away from her family and friends. That was not something she was willing to tolerate.

"Richard Wadsworth, an old Watcher friend of mine, told me that the order would have obviously resulted in Faith's own death. Faith must have realized that, and she refused to follow the order." Giles removed his glasses. He pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. "Faith's Watcher, a Miss Gwendolyn Post, was found dead the next day. Richard indicated the cause of death being highly suspicious. We fear that she was eliminated because she couldn't control Faith."

"That's awful!" Joyce exclaimed.

"Bloody wankers!" Spike echoed Joyce's sentiment.

"A new Watcher has been assigned to Faith named Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. He's rather green, and his father is a bit of a prat, but Wesley's pretty harmless." Giles sighed. He knew how hard it was to follow in your father's footsteps. He was born into a family of Council serving Watchers and support staff. He fought what was expected of him for many years. He felt a draw to help the young man break free of the ties that bound him.

"So, it would be of no consequence to the Council if the new Watcher was killed along with the girl?" Spike questioned.

"Probably not. He's green, and his father seems a bit unhappy with his performance even though his marks are quite high." Giles drank down the second glass of bourbon that Joyce offered to him earlier. "If we could persuade both Faith and Wesley to our cause, it would go a long way to securing Buffy's safety from the Council."

"It won't be easy," Spike intoned. "A wet behind the ears Watcher is more likely to spout off the handbook and regulations than he will be to accept the direct opposite to what he'd been taught."

"Or he might be more willing to accept the proof that the Council isn't what he thought it was when he realizes they sent him to his death without a second thought." Giles countered.

"This is all irrelevant if I don't want them coming." Buffy growled low. Sometimes it frustrated her when Spike and Giles got going on different topics. The two talked almost as if no one else was in the room. It was both scary and comforting that the two got along so well now.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Buffy. Quentin is sending them here whether we like it or not." Giles put his glasses back on. "We either remove the possible threat as soon as they get here, or we give it time to see which way they are willing to go. I vote for giving them that chance."

"I'm willing to give it a try." Spike put in his two cents worth. "Either way we watch her and the Watcher carefully to be sure if they are on the up and up. If they aren't, then we know what we have to do. Might as well give them a chance first."

Joyce nodded in agreement with Spike. She hugged Buffy who was now at her side instead of behind her. "They deserve a chance. What kind of people would we be if we didn't give them an opportunity to prove themselves."

Buffy sighed. She saw that she was outnumbered even amongst the four of them. She wondered what the other three of their official family of Scoobies would vote for. "I'm not comfortable with it, but I'll back up whatever the majority wants."

"I'll call the others to come over to discuss it." Giles headed for the phone.

"I'm taking my girl home." Spike dove for Buffy. He lifted her into his arms easily. "Since we've already given our vote, we're not needed. Right, Watcher?"

"That's fine, Spike." Giles dialed Willow's number. It was more than likely that Xander would be at Willow's house since he wasn't at Spike's. Hopefully he'd reach two people at once. "We'll let you know what is decided."

"Thanks, Rupert." Spike juggled the squirming Slayer in his arms to open the door. He hooked his foot behind it to close it.

"Hello?" Giles spoke into the phone. "Yes, it's Giles. We need to have a meeting tonight. Can you be here by 4?" There was a pause as the person on the other end of the line answered. "Great. We'll see both of you then, Xander." He hung up, and he dialed Dalton's cell phone number.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About a block from their home, Buffy squirmed right out of Spike's arms. She took off in a dead run towards the house. "Catch me if you can." She taunted back to Spike.

Spike growled playfully. "Oh, I'll catch you all right, missy. Then you'll be in trouble." He bolted down the street after her.

"Promises, promises."

Anyone who looked out their windows would have been surprised to see only a blur of color as the two supernatural beings ran with full strength and speed down the lazy Sunnydale street.

Buffy stopped dead in her tracks at the edge of the front yard. Her mouth gaped open. She stared at the house that only a few weeks ago looked about ready to be condemned. She'd been skeptical when Spike spoke of buying the house and fixing it up. They picked all the colors and styles out together, but she never imagined it would look so good. If the outside looked this great, she had a feeling the inside was going to blow her away.

Spike grabbed Buffy around the waist from behind. He twirled her around and tossed her up in the air. He caught her in his arms. With confident steps he strode up the recently stained deck to the front door. "Welcome home, pet."

Buffy leaned over in Spike's arms. She turned the doorknob. The door opened easily. The lock wasn't based on a physical key but a mystical one. It was based on blood ... their blood.

Spike carried Buffy over the threshold. Although they weren't considered married in the human world, they were mated which was considered stronger than being wed in the demon world.

"Such a romantic." Buffy kissed Spike's lips. "You big softie." She teased.

"Oh really?" Spike carried Buffy upstairs to their new bedroom. He turned the corner through the doorway into the lavishly decorated room. During the renovations, he knocked down the wall adjoined to what used to be a bedroom next door to make a huge Master suite. In the center of the room, along the outside wall, was a four poster cherry wood bed adorned with crimson silk sheets.

"Wow." Buffy slid from Spike's arms to the ground. "This is gorgeous. It's like I envisioned it could be and so much more." She leaned back against Spike's chest.

"Only the best for you, pet." Spike cradled Buffy in his arms, and he rocked her from side to side. He rested his chin on her shoulder, kissing her neck.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles followed the maitre' d with Joyce to a table at one of Sunnydale's more ritzy restaurants. The Scooby meeting completed, he whisked Joyce off for a night on the town. Each Scooby would send their vote in to Giles' phone once they thought about it overnight. For now Giles put his full concentration on Joyce. He had something special planned for her.

Joyce noticed Giles was fidgeting a bit more tonight. She hadn't seen him this nervous around her in quite some time. She wondered what he was up to. When the maitre' d directed them to a private room with candles gracing a table for two, she became even more suspicious. "What's going on Rupert?"

Giles smiled warmly. He waited for the gentleman to pour two glasses of champagne and walk out of the room before he pulled out Joyce's chair for her. "Something special, darling." Instead of pushing the chair back in, he lowered himself to one knee next to Joyce.

Joyce's eyes widened. Giles seemed in a hurry to get the Scooby meeting over with, but she had no idea that he was planning something like this. When he practically ran up their bedroom before they left for dinner, she figured he needed to get his wallet. Now she wondered just what he picked up.

Giles looked up longingly at the woman who stole his heart so quickly. After Jenny he thought he wouldn't find love again. He certainly didn't expect to fall in love again so quickly, but he knew without a doubt that Joyce was the woman for him. "Joyce," he began, "I know we've only been dating for a short time, but you are already firmly wrapped around my heart."

Joyce held her breath. Her hands trembled against her thighs where they twisted around each other.

"Your fire and devotion warm me to the center of my being. Your tenacity and love complete me." Giles foraged through his pants pocket for the tiny velvet box he bought at a jewelry story weeks ago. Using one of Joyce's rings from her jewelry box, he had it sized to fit her perfectly. "I can not imagine my life without you, and I want you to know how much you are cherished and loved."

Joyce gasped at the now opened velvet jewelry box. She stared at the heart shaped emerald nestled in a bed of tiny ruby and diamond chips around it. She looked up at Giles with love shining in her eyes. "Oh Rupert."

Giles breathed a little easier because Joyce wasn't laughing at him. He'd never asked someone to marry him before, and he was very nervous. He pulled the ring from its home. He cradled one of Joyce's hands in his while the other readied the ring at the ring finger of her right hand. "Joyce Summers, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife for the rest of our days on this earth and beyond."

"Yes!" Joyce hugged Giles tightly after he slipped the ring on her finger. They shared a passionate kiss followed by more hugging and tears of joy falling down their faces. "I never thought I'd let another man into my life like this, Rupert, but I love you so much."

"And I you, Joyce. All my heart is yours. I want to spend the rest of my lifetime showing how much you are loved." Giles kissed her again. They were interrupted by the knock of their waiter on the door outside. Giles stood up behind Joyce and scooted her chair in. He leaned down to whisper into her ear after he called the waiter in, "We'll celebrate properly later." He kissed her cheek softly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy turned in Spike's arms. She backed away from him towards the bed. She ran her fingers down the buttons on the front of her blouse. Starting at the bottom she slipped each pearlized button through its buttonhole.

Spike watched with fascination at the little seductive display Buffy gave him. He stepped closer to her. He ached to touch her. While he worked on finishing the house, Buffy stayed at the mansion. He wanted it to be a surprise for her. It had been too long since they'd touched and shared a bed.

Buffy stopped revealing the skin underneath her shirt when Spike moved. She shook her head at him. "Nuh uh," She spoke. "You teased me through our link with all those images as you stroked yourself the last few nights. My turn to tease."

"I wasn't doing it intentionally, luv." Spike stopped and whimpered. "You didn't exactly help with that little display of thoughts while you showered last night."

Buffy huffed. "I was entitled to a little pleasure after the VERY graphic dream you had yesterday morning." She left the last two buttons alone. Her breasts were barely covered with the mostly open shirt. She lowered her hands to the waist of her jeans. "All those delicious images of our bodies mingling and grinding against each other."

Spike shivered in remembrance of the dream. "I missed you, pet." He felt himself grow harder every minute. His demon wanted to rip the rest of Buffy's shirt open, throw her on the bed and ravish her breasts with his teeth and tongue. "I can't be held responsible for what I dream."

Buffy grinned. She felt how close to the surface Spike's demon was. The power radiated off of him in waves of sexual tension and desire. She bent over, unzipped her boots, and then kicked them off. Her breasts exposed themselves when she bent over. They hung downward in the absence of a bra. When she woke up that morning she decided to torment her lover to the point of taking her. She knew how knowing that she had no bra on would tease him.

Spike growled. His cock pressed against his jeans so fully that it hurt to even move. 'Two can play at this game,' He thought. He unzipped his jeans, and his cock sprung forth quite happy to be out of its prison. He wrapped his hand around the pale shaft at the base. He caressed it in a couple full strokes and licked his lips.

Buffy groaned. 'That's not fair.' She unbuttoned her jeans then lowered the zipper. She slowly lowered the denim to reveal every inch of her tanned body. Once Buffy found out that she could still walk in the sun, she worked on maintaining her California golden tan. She kicked the discarded jeans at Spike's face followed by her wet panties.

Spike snatched Buffy's panties from the air. With his free hand he buried the silk and lace into his nose. He inhaled deeply the scent that was his lover's essence. His growl deepened. 'I'll never get enough of that scent, beloved.'

'I hope not,' Buffy answered. Speech wasn't possible during times like this when their bodies were as tight as a coiled spring. It was at these times that their telepathic link came in very handy.

'I'll never get enough of you, Buffy. Eternity isn't long enough to spend with you.' Spike narrowed his eyes on Buffy's body, laid out on the bed and exposing herself to his gaze. Her glistening mound called to him, and he forced himself to remain still. He wanted to bury his face into the sweet honey of her pussy. He practically drooled at the thought of her taste on his tongue.

Buffy followed Spike's lust filled eyes. She teased her fingertips up her stomach. One hand disappeared beneath her shirt to tease and pinch taunt nipples that showed through the shirt. The other hand worked to release the last two buttons. The shirt fell completely open, and it was removed shortly thereafter.

Spike followed the trail of her fingers. His tongue longed to trace the path her fingers took. When Buffy's hand dipped back down her stomach to nestle in the trimmed curls surrounding her sex, his patience broke. Before Buffy's fingers pinched her clit in the tips, Spike pounced on his lover.

Buffy squeaked out her surprise. She wondered how long she would be able to tease Spike before he would be unable to keep from responding to her scent and their shared needs. She found herself ably pinned to the bed with both her hands caught in one of Spike's hands.

Spike's t-shirt was pulled off of him before he ever made it to the bed. He kicked his boots off a few seconds after his body hit the bed. He grabbed Buffy's hands in one of his. His tongue lashed out to tease at Buffy's nipples. He licked and suckled his way around each breast then nibbled each nipple with care.

Buffy arched into Spike's touch. Her body hummed in the anticipation of their joining. She moaned out loud when his fangs, now extended into his mouth, grazed over her nipple enough to draw blood. The smell of her blood in the air called forth her own demon, and she "vamped" out.

Spike felt his lover change into her demon form. He looked up at her through hooded eyes of passion. He bit down harder into Buffy's breast around her nipple. He shook his head back and forth a little to bury his fangs into her deeper.

Buffy responded eagerly to her Sire's bite. She tried to pull her hands from Spike's grasp. She stilled when he growled deeply. She whimpered in need. "Please, Spike. I need ..."

"I know what you need, baby." Spike lifted his head from Buffy's breast. He kissed a trail down her stomach. "This sweet little place needs my attention?" He teased with a lick up between her nether lips to her extended clit. He let go of her hands.

"Yes!" Buffy's hands shot down into Spike's hair. She arched her hips up and ground her pussy into Spike's lips.

Spike removed his jeans with one hand. He worked his pants down with one foot and then the other. His face never left the sweet haven of his lover's sex. He lapped up every bit of her sweet essence. He felt her tense beneath him. He knew she was near her climax by the way she panted and squirmed. He felt the need for her release through their link. He knew what would send her over the edge.

Buffy screamed out her release the moment Spike's fangs pierced either side of her clit. Her whole body quaked and quivered in a wave of bliss. Her hands tightened in his hair to hold him in place while her body bucked repeatedly against his face.

Spike grinned in male pride at being able to pleasure the woman he loved. He drank in the mixture of her blood and cream of satisfaction deeply. When he felt Buffy's body come down from its high, he leapt up her body. His cock plunged into her still twitching pussy in one solid thrust.

"SPIKE!" Buffy screamed out in surprise. Her lover never ceased to amaze her. Sex with him was never the same. He varied positions, pleasures, and taught her something new every time.

Spike's cock beat at the back of her channel into her cervix. It plunged deeply and poked at the entrance of her womb.

Buffy lifted her legs straight towards the ceiling. She wrapped her ankles around his neck. Her ass lifted from the bed, and the angle of Spike's penetration changed. Both lovers moaned in delight at the new angle.

Spike's thrusts picked up speed. 'Gonna fuck you into the mattress so hard you won't leave this bed for days.' He snarled from the force of the next thrust into Buffy's tight canal.

Buffy squeezed her inner muscles around Spike's cock. She knew what he liked, and she was more than happy to oblige. Her muscles fluttered around the rock hard shaft piercing her body.

Spike threw his head back with a roar of pleasure. He would never tire of those wonderful Slayer muscles. His thrusts quickened in their pace. His gaze locked with Buffy's. In a flash his struck, his fangs buried into Buffy's neck.

Buffy howled her release into bliss yet again. She came hard. Her muscles tightened like a vice on Spike's cock in pulses, and she buried her own fangs in Spike's neck.

Spike came hard. His cock burst forth with thick streams of his cold seed. He buried his cock in deeply, and his seed pulsed against Buffy's cervix to fill her.

Buffy careened over the edge again the moment Spike's seed touched her womb. She shivered and bucked against Spike's body.

They both held each other tightly. When both of them came back down to earth, they retracted their fangs from each other's necks.

"Mine, as I am yours," Spike spoke softly and reverently.

"Yours, as you are mine," Buffy answered lovingly.

Spike flipped them over to ease the weight of his body off of Buffy. His semi-hard cock remained inside of her.

Buffy collapsed on top of Spike. Both of them panted even though neither needed to breathe. She buried her face into the crook of his neck. The Slayer within lay contently satisfied from the raw need she was able to bring forth in her Sire and lover. The woman within felt warm and complete, surrounded by the love of her beloved. The only time her demon and human sides were satisfied was in Spike's presence.

Spike wrapped his arms loosely around his Mate. He was content on so many levels. His demon languished in the aftermath of their passion and blood sharing. The man inside him relished in the love and connection he felt to the woman he loved. In Buffy's arms and presence was the only time he felt completely satiated and at peace.

While Spike and Buffy slept peacefully, spent after their night of lovemaking and passionate sex, a text message came through the encrypted system to their phones. The Scoobies' vote was finished. By majority vote in the positive, Giles and Buffy would meet Faith and Wesley upon entering Sunnydale. It was time to seek out more allies.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**The End**

(If you wish a sequel to this story, please post a review requesting one. Some people wrote me with interest, but I want to be sure that enough people are interested.)