Author’s note: And here we are at number 10. I made it a special double chapter for you.
He just about gave his friends a coronary when the Bronze doors flew open violently, one of them coming off it’s hinges, and Clark materialized in front of them a split second later.
He spoke so fast at first that no one understood a word, but he tried again, until he was coherent.
Buffy scrambled for a plan.
Clark played the last message back for her, and she told him of all the places she knew of with that description. Clark ran off alone, trying to listen with his powers but being too nervous to get a clear reading.
Buffy, Xander and Dawn were eager for a cab but also ended up running. They ambled to the biggest and most obvious cemetery hoping to hit paydirt. Night had fallen more than 3 hours ago and although they had taken care of a great deal of vampires the night before, many things went bump in the night, especially in a CEMETERY.
They started up the path with the crypts, out of breath.
“Did they say they had a fire? What color tent do they have? What are we looking for here?” Xander asked, squinting in the darkness.
“A couple of morons,” Buffy slipped.
“Ah, come on Buffy, it’s not the smartest thing to do, but Chloe’s a reporter. She thinks vampires live in this town; where would you look?” Dawn interjected, having traded school and friend stories with Clark many times.
“Vampires DO live in this town, Dawn.”
“She doesn’t know that,” The younger girl replied her sister. “She’s just excited.”
Xander jumped in. “You’re right Dawnie, but it’s still not the smartest thing to do. I’m sure it’s illegal to be in a cemetery when it’s closed. And they might not know how to defend themselves; if our town had that standard human bad element, there could be a gang or two out here. You know, ‘cause you have to be manly to be out here at night.” “Ah!” He squealed in a high voice and jumped at a sound behind a bush. Turned out to be a cat.
The girls were nice enough to merely shake their heads.
As they approached a familiar crypt, they all stopped talking. Buffy looked like she was listening very intently, and the other two, knowing she wasn’t comfortable and didn’t want to talk about it, pretended to do the same.
Buffy almost got knocked over by the pair of them when she stopped to confirm the tent was close at hand. It was very hard to see because of a dark color, and the fire the strangers should have going had either gone out, or had never gotten started.
“You know what, Buffy? Can I go to Clem’s?” Dawn asked nervously.
“Dawnie, don’t you want to come meet Clark’s friends? Clark’s nice HUMAN friends,” the slayer teased.
“I knew you were going to say that! Anyway, just ‘cause they’re my age doesn’t mean I’m going to like them. I want junk food; I can meet them later.”
“Okay. Bring me back a soda.”
“Um.” Xander lifted his finger at the younger girl.
The younger Summers knew he wouldn’t be caught dead hanging out in a demon’s crypt, but he would have no qualms about eating his snacks.
“I’ll bring some for everyone,” Dawn reassured him, turning to knock on the door. Buffy stuffed money into her hand for Clem, because she felt bad Dawn was always mooching off him, and told her to holler if she needed any help carrying things back.
Buffy and Xander continued cautiously to the tent.
Dawn walked into the crypt, closed the door behind her and called Clem’s name. When she didn’t get an answer, she made herself at home. She turned on the television and searched for a watchable program, then started wading through the chip bags.
She had always been comfortable here, but this time she felt strange. She looked around the crypt, but it was bare.
She attacked the sweets next, tasting some along the way.
Then the candy, thinking it was funny Clem kept so much food, but was always paranoid about running out.
She went to the refrigerator for the drinks, pulling some cans of pop out for the three of them. She froze when she saw what was right behind the soda.
Blood bags.
Many blood bags.
Where there hadn’t been any just last week.
She took out the sodas and set them on the coffin she was using as a table.
She studied the room once more.
She saw the trap door was closed.
“Spike?” She called, uneasily. “Spike are you here?”
When she didn’t get an answer she threw a can across the room, where it exploded on the wall loudly and splattered everywhere. “Spike, you better get out here now!”
“Spike, it’s not funny. If it’s you, you have to come out!”
Buffy hadn’t been as worried as she would normally be, because she couldn’t sense one vampire around at all. The ones that were left were no doubt lying low, and that was fine by her. It would take a few weeks for them to get their numbers back up, and if they could get Willow to show them how to break into the morgue’s database, they might be able to keep the count below normal for the rest of the summer. Or at least that’s what the Slayer was hoping for.
She and Xander approached the tent and found the fire extinguished and no one around. Since the tent was closed she kicked the side of it with her foot.
“Hello. Anyone in there?”
She didn’t get an answer, but she smelled… garlic?
She unzipped the front of the tent and found Clark’s friends, hiding under a pile of sleeping bags.
“You can come out guys, we’re human.”
When they didn’t, Xander bent in the opening and smiled at them, even though they hadn’t so much as moved one hair.
“We know you’re there. It’s okay.” Xander added. “Did we mention we’re friends of Clark’s and you’re Pete and Chloe?”
The young African-American male popped out first, gasping for air. “Oh, thank you. I was dying.”
He took Xander’s hand to get on his feet and out of the tent.
“Hi, I’m Pete, obviously. You must be Xander?”
“Yeah, and this is my friend Buffy.”
“Ah, you must be one of those hot girls Clark was talking about,” he smiled, fully meaning it as a compliment.
Buffy quietly walked to him and took the garlic necklace off; throwing it so far no one saw where it landed. Pete just stood there.
Slowly Chloe’s eyes popped out, then her whole head and slowly her body came out from her hiding place timidly.
Once out of the tent, Buffy removed the necklace and threw it just as she had Pete’s. She noticed they had crosses stuck in the ground around the tent and Chloe was holding one… So maybe they weren’t being COMPLETELY moronic.
“I’m Buffy. Hi. You’re Chloe, this is Xander.” She said awkwardly. “So… why are you guys out here?”
“I did some research for Clark about this town. Got interested. My boss gave me some time off. Not to mention if I come back with a story, I get paid.”
Xander chimed in: “I think what Buffy meant is, why are you here, IN the cemetery?”
“Vampires. There might be vampires. Or people that think they’re vampires. Or mutants,” she said seriously.
“Mutants?” Buffy questioned, somewhat amused.
“Yes.”
“I don’t think we have mutants.” The slayer answered. “So, what happened that had you so scared?”
“Well, first when night fell we noticed a lot of movement around us. At least, a lot more than there should have been in a cemetery. And then we felt like we were being watched. We brushed it off and kept talking but then this man was walking towards us, really fast. Since he didn’t say anything, we got in the tent and hid. He circled us for a while, asked us to come out, touched the tent; then I guess he left.”
“Right.” Pete agreed.
“SO what exactly were you planning on doing to these supposed vampires when you met them?”
“We had garlic. And crosses. And I sprinkled holy water on and around the tent. I thought it was sort of kick to do all that. We were just planning to observe, anyway. I thought there would be nothing, and then I could still write an editorial call it ‘I spent the night in a cemetery’. I’d have to keep it for a school publication, but it wouldn’t be a waste of time.”
“You just wanted to see Clark, really, really badly,” Pete chimed in.
Seeing Chloe’s face redden, Buffy spoke up.
“Not bad thinking with the crosses and the holy water. Especially since you went off half cocked.”
“Still, garlic? Now you both reek,” Xander teased, moving away from them and fanning himself.
“Xan!”
“It’s okay, I can smell myself, so it’s gotta be bad,” Pete admitted.
“So, are there vampires in this town?” Chloe asked Xander point blank.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“No.”
“But you’re in a neighborhood watch group, aren’t you? So you should know. Why else would this be the murder capital of the world? Why else would people die of exsanguinations more than all the other causes of death combined? Why else would there be so many cemeteries and churches and synagogues?”
Xander looked helplessly at Buffy, who sighed and spoke.
“Would you believe gangs on PCP?”
“Isn’t that a tranquilizer?” Chloe questioned herself.
“So you’re saying they do exist?” Pete squeaked. “’Cause I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’m not even used to the meteor mutants yet.”
“Meteor mutants?” Buffy asked, trying to deflect attention.
“They’re the ah- hometown, homegrown freaks.” Pete answered, smiling nervously. How was one supposed to react in this kind of situation, anyway?
“So, do you know where Clark is?” The young blonde asked, suddenly uneasy in the open and looking around…
“He should be here soon.” Xander assured her.
“Runs off on you too, does he?”
“Nah,” the slayer defended the alien. “I just sent him to get…” Buffy drew a blank.
“Changed?” Xander supplied.
“Yeah, his shirt clashed with our group color scheme. See, we’re all wearing blue, white and black.” Buffy answered, than turned around to rub her temples. She wasn’t that great a liar. She just didn’t care enough.
Buffy listened for Clark, but only heard a few meows in the distance.
Dawn took a fighting stance when the trap door moved, then opened all the way. She kept the same stance when she saw the brown hair with platinum tips, and beautiful blue eyes she used to think she knew so well.
“You scared me, Spike.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Whatever; what are you doing here?” She asked, tentatively putting her arms down.
“I need her help,” he admitted, eyes cast away from her as he closed the trap behind him. He didn’t dare say her sister’s name.
“Is it true?” She questioned coldly, through gritted teeth.
“Is what true Nibblet?”
She advanced on him and stood mere inches away, looking him straight in the eye, challenging him to answer her. “Is. It. True.”
“Yes,” he replied truthfully.
That got him punched in the face, very, very hard. His nose oozed blood and sported a cut. Dawn’s hand throbbed from the force. Spike didn’t say anything.
“How could you do that to her?”
When the vampire didn’t answer she punched him in the gut and kicked him in the stomach, then threw him up against the wall, holding him up by his collar.
A small smile came over the vampire and Dawn misinterpreted it.
“You sick bastard.”
“No, pet, look, I was just thinking how you remind me of her. Of how she beats on me.”
Dawn sighed and let Spike go. He didn’t move. She paced around for at least a minute before coming back into his personal space.
She had tears in her eyes and she spoke much more softly. “Why? I want to know why you did that, Spike?”
His face stayed the same, but tears started poring freely out of his tired eyes.
“Tell me.”
“She was denying there was anything between us. I wanted to make her remember, to make her feel,” he explained, sounding like he was relating the facts, not like he believed it was a valid justification.
“And you think that’s an excuse? I thought you loved her. We all did.”
“But I stopped. As soon as I realized what was happening I stopped. I scared her, I disgusted myself and I stopped.” He stated blankly.
“Really. You disgusted yourself?” She asked with a sarcastic tone, like she wasn’t buying it.
“I was. I really was. I was mad that I did that. I was even madder that I hadn’t finished it. It meant the man in me was stronger than sodding vampire, Bit. It meant I was fading away.”
Dawn punched the wall next to his face in frustration. Her knuckles started bleeding. Spike turned away from the blood.
Dawn’s face softened as tears came slowly, and then steadily, down her face.
“I don’t understand, Spike. I don’t understand. Why did you do that? Why? I cared about you. Did you know that? I loved you. I always have. You were like my crush and my friend and God, you did the dad thing at my school last year.”
“I should never have been any of those things.”
“You fucking were, okay? You saved my life so many times... And even when you didn’t have the chip you were nice to me. “
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Please don’t cry Dawn.”
“I hate you.” She sobbed into his shoulder.
“I know.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too Bit. I missed you too.”
Buffy was getting dizzy from looking around and around the cemetery. She was feeling uneasy, but she was distracted with the conversation she was having, or trying not to have. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Clark in the distance, and he appeared behind his Smallville friends.
“Hi Guys. Hey man. Chloe.” Clark shook hands with Pete (and did the manly embrace/pat on the back thing) and wrapped Chloe up in a hug, twirling her around and kissing her cheek.
“So Buffy,” he said, approaching her and whispering.
“There’s someone behind those bushes at one o’clock. Not human. Not vampire. His organs are reversed and working properly, but the body has a few extras and the external shape’s a little off.”
Buffy listened as hard as she could and took a few tentative steps in the direction Clark had indicated.
All she could hear were cats. Or maybe not cats…
“Clem, is that you?”
She didn’t get an answer.
“Clem, come out here right this instant.”
The saggy skinned humanoid came out of his hiding place with a sheepish grin, and a large picnic basket.
“Clem.”
“Oh, hi Buffy. You look nice. What brings you to the neighborhood? Dawn with you?” He asked, a little too fast.
“She went to your crypt to raid your stash.”
“Right, so I’ll be going then.”
“Not so fast,” she said, grabbing his arm as he walked by to swing him around. “Have you been playing kitten poker again?”
“No. Of course not. I would never. Well, I have, but I wouldn’t now, no.”
“So you won’t mind if I look in that basket of yours then, right?” She asked, advancing to grab it. The basked rattled and all heard scratching noises.
Clem jerked back and started walking backwards. “Well you see. I got myself these special types of um… toads as pets. If they see the outside, they’ll… ah-melt?”
“Let them go Clem.”
“Oh, come on. I’m going to take care of them and eat them nice and proper. If I let them go, they could get hurt.”
“Let them go Clem. I want no part of this.”
“But-“
“I’ll give you human money to buy more food.”
“Fine. Jeez, you could have just said that,” the demon said, opening his picnic basket to let go of a litter of kittens. Buffy wondered if they would even survive but hoped they would be picked up and put in a shelter.
“Excuse me,” Chloe asked Clem as nicely as she could. “But what are you?”
Clem looked at Buffy who shook her head no.
“I have a skin disorder. Don’t you know it’s not polite to stare?”
“I’m sorry. Can I just ask one more thing?” The reporter smiled.
“What is it?”
“What’s the disorder called?”
“Um… saggybaggyelephantis?” He tried, grinning proudly at his quick thinking, until he saw the look on Buffy’s face and realized he hadn’t done too well.
“No remember, I saw the brochure and it said extremesepilodermitus.” Buffy said through clenched teeth.
“Yeah, that’s it. So anyway, I better be going now.”
“Tell Dawn to hurry up.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“And stay away from the kittens.”
“I said alright, jeez.”
Dawn was still crying on Spike when Clem walked in.
“Hi guys.”
“Clem.” Dawn said, jerking up and wiping her tears. “I got some money for you.”
“Thanks,” he said, passing by to take the bill.
“So.”
“So?" Asked the junk food aficianado.
“Can you give us a minute?” Spike asked.
“Sure. I’ll be downstairs.”
When he was gone, Spike wiped the remainder of Dawn’s tears away with his thumb and put her hair behind her ears.
“I don’t forgive you,” she told him.
“I don’t expect you to.”
She stared at him for what seemed like minutes. “Something’s different. You don’t seem like-“
“Like what?”
“Why are you like that?”
Dawn took his face in her hands and searched his eyes. Really searched them.
“Like what, Bit?” He asked, trying to act nonchalant while escaping her gaze.
She held his face in place and made him look at her.
“Like Angel,” she whispered, backing away from him in disbelief.
“I’m not,” he scoffed, forcing a smile.
“What happened?” She inquired, not letting it go.
He looked into her eyes challengingly, not wanting to give up his secret. She wouldn’t concede.
“Let’s just say I was asking for it and leave it at that,” he relented one minute later.
“Right.” She said uneasily, unsure of everything.
“Please don’t tell.”
“Fine,” she agreed, a little numb. “I gotta go, Buffy’s outside with some friends”
“Yeah. Alright then.”
Clark wanted to ask his friends so many things. And wanted to tell them how stupid they were for doing what they had done. But he couldn’t. They were teenagers. As he was. He would have gone along with this had they been back in Smallville. It wouldn’t have been his idea, but he could follow Chloe anywhere…
He needed to follow her everywhere! She was like a beacon for trouble. Still, if he hadn’t been sent to Earth there would probably have been no meteors, therefore no meteor mutants, and Chloe might have been safe.
Pete leaned into Clark, shaking his head in both desperation and undeniable fondness as he watched Chloe advance on Xander and Buffy.
“She’s got that glint in her eye again.” Pete told his friend.
“Yep.”
“Man, when that girl gets an idea in her head, there’s no stopping her.”
“That’s for sure. Still Pete, you could have gotten hurt coming here, and setting up in a cemetery?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time; plus she batted her baby blues at me. I mean, what was I supposed to do, bro?”
Clark and Pete sighed and turned their attention to the intrepid reporter.”
“So you know all about the deaths and the exsanguinations?”
“Yes, alright. I know. We all know.” Buffy conceded. Everyone knew she was the Slayer anyway. She’d rather not tell, but if this girl really wanted to know, really think she could deal, she wasn’t going to stop her.
“Your high school class had the lowest death rate in years.”
“Yeah, go us. ‘99 is #1.” Xander said sarcastically.
“Clark, did you give her our last names?”
“No. I didn’t. I only mentioned Xander and you Buffy, and only by first name.”
“There are no other Buffys in Sunnydale.”
“Whatever.”
“So, how’d you do it?” Xander wondered.
“I sort of did an overview check of school statistics and records because the “paranormal” activity in Smallville happens more often around high school students. I got lucky.”
“So, you’re a hacker. We could use you, right Buff?”
“Sure, I was going to call Willow but if we can give her a rest we should do that. Clark. Any objections?” The slayer questioned.
“To what?”
“The truth concerning this town?” Xander supplied.
“If they want to hear it.”
“Lay it on me, it’s all I ask.” Chloe replied with extreme excitement.
“Pete?” Clark nudged his friend.
“Well, I’d rather not be the only one in the dark. If this town is really as freaky as ours is, I wanna know why and how and who to stay away from.”
“First, you have to promise not to tell anyone. The government, they already know, most officials are totally in on it, but it is not our place to tell the rest of the world, so if it’s a story you want here, you won’t get it.” Buffy explained to Chloe.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” the younger blonde replied sassily.
“Than I’m not saying a word.”
“Fine. I won’t expose you and I won’t expose the town,” the reporter swore, clearly not liking the idea and fighting the juvenile urge to cross her fingers.
“Xander, do you want to take this or shall I?”
“World is full of demons. High School was on a Hellmouth. Mystical convergence makes Sunnydale a hotspot. Lots of people die here. We try and keep ‘em from coming back.”
“Neighborhood watch?” Chloe asked, looking Clark’s way.
“Sort of.”
“So, vampires?” Chloe asked skeptically. “Really?”
“Yes, among other things,” Buffy confirmed.
“Like that guy?”
“Yep. Saw right through that, did you?” Xander smiled.
“I’m pretty sharp. Saggy Baggy Elephant 'is'? That’s just... dumb.”
“Hey, I thought mine sounded believable,” Buffy said, mildly offended.
“It did, but the damage was done.” SHe said. They could tell she was super excited.
“So, what do you do?” Pete asked, curiously. “You walk the streets and what? Tell these things to move on, scare them away?”
“It’s a long story. Look, let’s pack up this stuff and get out of here, shall we? We’ll go to my place. Xander, can you put Pete up tonight?”
“Sure,” he accepted.
“And can you go get Dawn while I help them with this, just in case something happens?”
“I’m all over it. Still want that soda?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Dawn wasn’t exactly comfortable, and she didn’t know what to think about the turn of events. She just let Spike stack the candy and sweets and chips and soda cans into her arms and help her out the door. That’s when Xander walked up.
His entire demeanor changed and Dawn had to jump back. She tried to say something to hold him off, but he had lunged forward. He knocked her down trying to get through and her snacks went flying.
Xander grabbed on to Spike’s neck impossibly hard and kneed him in the groin and without letting him recover, dragged him towards the group of people.
Buffy was still talking when they came up behind her.
“Buff” He asked, clearly mad, and she turned around. “I found this hanging around your sister. What do you want me to do with him?”
Buffy’s face blanched, but her heart started racing a mile a minute. This was the last thing she expected. She hadn’t even felt a vampire around at all. Spike looked absolutely horrible, and he was just letting himself be manipulated physically. To her dismay, she didn’t get any satisfaction from seeing that.
“Come on Xander, let him go. It’s okay.”
“It’s okay? It’s okay?”
“It’s okay, Xan, come on,” she said, taking a step forward.
Clark had stepped back in front of his Smallville friends and was watching the scene wearily. This was clearly a vampire, but he felt different from the others. He curiously felt the need to protect him.
He decided he needed to butt out this time.
“After what he did? I was there. I found you that day, remember? So don’t you tell me everything’s okay Buffy. It’s not. It’ll never be okay. What this bastard did- What this scum did to you…”
“I said let him go Xander.”
“You can’t ask me that! You don’t have the right. Someone hand me a stake, I’m going to finish this once and for all.”
No one complied. Dawn finally walked up to Xander and pried his hand away from the vampire’s throat.
“I want to kill him. I want to be the one to feel the stake ram through his non-existant heart. I want him gone.” Xander cried. He broke down. “Please let me kill him.”
When again he got no answer, he screamed in frustration.
Dawn embraced him and Spike stood aside, making himself scarce.
Xander calmed a little and looked into his nemesis’ eyes.
“You’re not going to survive the summer if I see you again, you got that? Some things are more than unforgivable.’” He threatened icily, then spit in his face. Dawn got him walking and bent them both down to grab some refreshments and mouthed she was going to take him home to Buffy. She nodded her approval.
Xander was going to be needing a new punching bag ASAP, and what he would deem a logical explanation. She hoped that once again their friendship would prevail.
Arms crossed, she looked at Spike.
Clark tried to keep Pete and Chloe away by telling them that it is none of their business.
“That was intense.” Pete whispered, about to start a conversation of his own.
Chloe pushed past Clark, clearly eavesdropping, and the boys had to follow her…
“Buffy?”
“Spike.”
“So how are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Dawn needed to work through some things.”
“Who knew she was that strong, huh?”
“I did. She has Slayer’s blood. She’s not in the traditional line, but she may as well be.”
“I guess I should have known that.”
“So. This is awkward," he said, toeing the ground.
“Yeah. Where were you?”
“Africa. L.A recently. Um. See. Um. Angel’s gone missing.”
Buffy’s previously held together face cracked. She felt blindsided.
“Don’t you dare bring him up to me! You have no right to speak his name.”
“He’s my sire.”
“Grandsire.”
“No such thing. You think Dru molded me?”
“Whatever Spike. I don’t care.”
“He’s in trouble, I know he is. I came here to see if you would consider helping me. For old time’s sake?” he asked, not specifying which old times he was talking about.
“Helping you. HELPING YOU? HELPING. YOU.” She roared. “We could have used your help when Tara and I got shot. We could have used your help when Willow tried to destroy the world. We could have used you and instead you went off on some sort of holiday-“
“Holiday? After what I did? You think I went on break?”
“Well what were you doing then?”
“Tryin’ to get the bleeding chip out. I figured I owed it to us to give it a try, to come back and kill you. To stop the pain.”
“Your pain, of course... Figures Spike. Really. So how’d it go?”
“How do you think it went?” He asked, clearly ashamed, eyes cast down.
“Don’t be too disappointed, means you’ll live longer.”
“I’m sorry about you and the bird. She-“
“Save it. She died.”
“Yeah, I got that part.”
“We did fine without you.”
“Yeah?” Spike perked up slightly.
“Xander saved the world.”
Spike felt like he was punched in the solar plexus. Again. He swallowed the ball in his throat and looked at his love pleadingly.
“Buffy, I have to say I’m sorry. It’s not an excuse, but I was … You know how it was with us. We were always violent. You even more than I, it was foreplay. I didn’t catch on as quick as I should’ve, I know. I got carried away. I didn't see the difference.”
“Whatever. I’m mostly mad at myself, anyway.”
“For what?”
“Deep down I trusted you. Deep down I counted on you. I still think of turning to you when things go wrong.”
“You can, Buffy.”
“Don’t you call me that and no I can’t. You don’t have a soul Spike. You’re a crutch. You’re nothing more than a replacement because I can never have a man in my life. Because Giles is gone. Because it’s easy.”
“What kind of man do you want, *Slayer*? ”
When she didn’t answer Spike continued.
“Come on, if you could have your pick: what would dream-bloke be like? Someone who can take care of himself? How ‘bout someone who can fight and who’s not threatened by your strength? Who wouldn’t be affected by the hours you keep?” He kept listing, “Someone you can feel passion for, right? Someone who loves your little family. Someone who’ll tolerate your friends and take care of you when you need it.”
“Shut up.” The blonde told him coldly.
“Someone who understands you’ll always love Angel, even though you were more ill-suited for each-other than we are,” he continued. “Someone you can talk to.”
“We don’t talk.”
“You wouldn’t let us. Every time we did you’d cut it short; afraid I’d start feeling like a boyfriend instead of a shag. Come on Buffy. You know it’s true. I’m the man you need. You could fall in love with me.”
“You’re a vampire, you don’t know love,” she relied just to hurt him, and it worked.
“I’m the first to admit the conscience is harder to find, but damn it loving is what I do best. I always knew love. Angelus had to get a soul and skulk around for 100 years before he felt it. I felt it when I was alive and I felt it when I died; I feel it still. You’ve been my conscience. You treat me badly, but it doesn’t change the way I see you. I love you, weather you’re in my bed or kicking my ass. I love you when you think I’m not watching. I LOVE YOU when you’re not loving me. I love you when you’re at your very best and even more when you’re at your worst. You’re inside me Buffy. You’re in my heart.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I love you.”
“You’re a glutton for punishment,” she said, the beginning of a smile on her lips.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he said, looking almost shy.
“God Spike. Look at us. We can’t do this!” The slayer returned to earth. “You tried to rape me when I told you I was hurt.”
“I stopped, didn’t I? Could you say Angelus would have done the same? I’m more than just a vampire. I’m a man, Buffy. I could be yours.”
“I hate you Spike.”
“I’m sorry. I know what it feels like to be… in that situation. The panic, the disbelief. I know and I’m sorry I put you through that. I never-”
“Go away,” she cut him off. “And stay away from Dawn.”
“I will.” *Beat.*
“Buffy? About L.A.?” He practically whispered.
“Why would you want to find Angel anyway? And how do you know he’s not off fighting evil somewhere else?”
“It’s a long story: Jist is everyone knows L.A’s wide open now. Angel being gone’s big news, lots of rumors, though... something about a law firm. There’s a lot we don’t know and almost nowhere we can get answers. Not to mention I can’t harm more than half the population. I’d need your left hook to gather information,” he explained.
‘How do you know he’s not…”
“We’d both have felt it.” Spike cut her off, taking a tentative step towards her. He lifted his arm to tuck one of her stray hairs behind her ear, but she took a small step back.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Leave.”
Clark walked up to Buffy and took her in his arms. She didn’t break down, but he knew a few tears were wetting his shirt.
She put on a brave face, swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat and ignored the questions whizzing through her brain. They all got to work packing up the tent.