Spike could only stare at the Slayer, mind racing as he sought to comprehend what she said.

"Lost his soul again, has he?"

"Yes. The Mayor found a soul-caster to take it away. And then Faith, the other Slayer, she...she's working for the Mayor now, and she...took...him."

Spike frowned, processing this information. "So...they set a trap for you, caught you, and...attacked you?" He found himself reluctant to use the word rape.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Let me see," he ordered, reaching for the rags of her clothes.

"No!" Buffy flinched away from his touch, trying to curl into a fetal position.

"Yes," he insisted. "I promise, I won't hurt you."

Carefully, with a gentleness she would have never expected, he pulled off the torn strips of her clothing until she lay, naked and shaking, in front of him.

"Let me see," he said again, softly.

She made no further protest.

One of them had used a whip...her shoulders, her bottom, the backs of her legs were deeply scored. Spike could see the twin holes of a vampire's bite on her right thigh; there were also the impressions of human teeth on her breasts.

"How did you get away from them?" he asked at last.

"I.."she bit her cracked and swollen lip. "I...pretended to...pretended to..."

"To enjoy it?"

"Yes." Her head sagged in shame. "I did...everything they wanted. To both of them. And then finally...when they were...distracted...I grabbed my clothes and ran."

"Not the safest place for you, pet." Spike indicated the mausoleum.

"Where is safe?" she asked. "There's no place! And now, they're together..."

"And they'll be coming after you," Spike concluded. He stared into space for a long moment. Then, he glanced at her, removed his long coat, and unbuttoned his red silk shirt.

"Put this on," he instructed. After she obeyed him listlessly, he nodded his satisfaction.

"Listen to me, pet. You'll have no chance against a Master vampire teamed with a Slayer; that's a powerful combination. You've got one hope...me."

"You?" Buffy stared at him.

Spike nodded emphatically. "I'm all you've got."

"But...why'd you want to help a Slayer?" Buffy asked uncertainly.

"Because. I hate my sire more than I do you." Spike said coldly. "If I help, you can defeat them and save your friends. And I get my revenge. Well?"

Buffy hesitated. If he hadn't mentioned her friends, she'd have been inclined to refuse. But she had no illusions. What Angelus and his new lover had done to her was tame compared to what they had planned for the others, especially Xander and Willow. Her two closest friends would be primary targets for that vicious pair.

"I agree," she said slowly.

He tilted his head, studying her intently. "You sound rather half-hearted, Slayer. I think...I'll have a guarantee."

"What? What kind of guarantee?" Buffy asked in surprise.

Spike shook out another cigarette and lit it, drawing in a deep breath before he spoke. Then he said something that shocked her so much she was sure she'd misunderstood him.

"Let's get married."

Buffy stared out the tinted window of the limo at the dazzling lights of Las Vegas.

She'd never been here before, and she wasn't likely to see much of the place this trip. It was very different from Sunnydale; could almost have been in another country.

She stole a quick glance at her husband.

She'd been married now for thirty-six minutes; and it was less than an hour until dawn. The facade of their hotel loomed up...she climbed from the car and followed Spike inside.

The events of the night whirled through her head...She'd known immediately that she had no choice but to agree to any conditions Spike set, but still she'd tried to demur.

"Why do we have to be married? Can't we just..."

"No." He cut her off. "No, Slayer. I need to feel sure you're committed to me...that you won't suddenly go back on our deal if one of two things should happen."

"What things?" Buffy asked.

Spike's mouth curled down. "One...Peaches regains his soul. Or two...you decide you can accept him without one."

Her head flared back with a touch of the old defiance. "I won't!"

"I think I believe you," he conceded, "but...I still want that guarantee."

"But what does marriage mean to YOU, anyway?" she objected.

He shrugged. "The point is what it means to you. Quite a bit, I'd say. Yes or no, Slayer?"

And next thing they were at the airport where a helicopter had been hired to fly them directly to Las Vegas. Buffy couldn't even go home to pack; instead, Spike paid a hotel employee a staggering tip to run out and buy her some things.

She stayed in the shower for almost an hour, scrubbing every trace of Angelus and Faith from her skin, closing her mind to the knowledge that her mortal enemy was about to become her husband. She dried herself gently, observing that the welts were no longer bleeding but that her entire body was still stiff and sore.

Spike had insisted on carrying her from the mausoleum to his car..."Makes me feel all manly, pet." She found him opening packages and strewing the contents all over the enormous bed.

"See anything you fancy, kitten?" he asked. He handed her a bag filled with toothbrush, hairbrush, an assortment of make-up.

She thanked him, surprised by his thoughtfulness, and turned her attention to the clothes. Impulsively she selected a short white eyelet skirt with a matching camisole top...it looked crisp, and clean, and ...innocent. All the things she was sure she'd never be again. Yet she put it on.

"Good choice, pet," Spike nodded his approval.

Buffy had been expecting a tacky Vegas marriage mill, with a ceremony performed by an Elvis impersonator.

Instead Spike had found a place that resembled a little garden, with real climbing roses over a wicker trellis; and the elderly official who conducted the service did so in a simple, dignified way.

Buffy glanced down at her left hand, then at Spike's. The matching rings gleamed in the subdued light.

He noticed the look. "Regrets, luv?" he asked tightly.

"It...it's so...unreal," she said at last.

He scowled darkly. "Think of the Ascension...that's real enough."

He drew the curtains, plunging their room into darkness. "Better get some sleep; we'll return to Sunnyhell right after sundown."

Spike handed Buffy another of his shirts to sleep in. When she emerged from the bathroom, he was already in bed and looked to be asleep.

Timidly, she slid in beside him and stretched out gingerly. Not too bad...another day would see her healed completely.

Exhausted, Buffy closed her eyes.

"Who has Angel?" Faith gloated, tauntingly.

She kissed the vampire hungrily, positioning her body so that the chained Buffy was forced to watch.

"When Angel is finished with me, he'll turn on you!" Buffy warned.

"Yeah," Angelus grinned, never taking his dark eyes off Buffy. "I probably will."

"Then, we'll just have to make sure we keep you alive for a long time," Faith shrugged carelessly. She lowered the knife away from Buffy's face; and slowly, almost tenderly, sliced down the front of her shirt.

"A long time," echoed Angel, coming up behind Faith. "Let the games begin."

And Faith's head darted forward like a striking snake, teeth closing on Buffy's breast; while Angelus...

"Noooo!" Buffy's screams made her own ears ring; there was a suffocating weight on top of her. Angelus....his once-loved, now hated body...

"Slayer! Slayer, stop! It's a bad dream, that's all. You had a bad dream." The British accent reassured her; Spike's face swam into focus. He removed his hand from over her mouth.

"Sorry," she whispered, through dry lips. "I thought..."

"I know. It's all right."

She shuddered, raising one hand to rub the tears from her eyes.

"Slayer, do you need a doctor?" Spike asked.

"No, I...I'm about healed," she responded.

"I meant...another kind of doctor."

Her hand dropped in astonishment. "You mean...a SHRINK?"

He shrugged. "If it helps..."

Incredibly, she almost laughed. "And how do I explain everything?"

"All you'd have to do is tell about the rape," he said quietly.

"No! I can't...I don't...don't want everyone to know." Buffy hunched her shoulder defensively.

"You'll have to tell your friends." Spike's voice was curiously gentle.

"I know," Buffy whispered. "I told Giles that...that Angelus was back; and he'd teamed up with Faith. But I couldn't...I never said everything that...happened."

"I'll do it," he offered.

She looked at him gratefully. "Thanks." Then, she curled up on her side, facing away from him.

Spike wondered if he should hold her, then decided not to. It would be strictly to comfort her; but after her mistreatment by Angelus and his new whore, he rather thought that Buffy would prefer not to be touched.

He reached out and pulled the sheet up over her shoulders, and as he did, the glint of his new wedding ring caught his eye. What imp of perversity had got into his brain, to cause him to take to wife a Slayer? And one, moreover, who considered him her mortal enemy?

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Everyone was gathered at Buffy's house: Joyce, Giles, Willow, Oz, Xander and Cordelia. There was a moment's delay while Joyce invited Spike inside.

"Sorry," Willow said quickly, "I thought...what with Angel...I mean, I did the 'Vampires Stay Out' ritual."

"Good idea," Buffy said quickly. "Everybody better be extra careful."

"Especially you," Xander put in. "I always SAID Angel would really hurt you one day, and now..."

"Xander." Giles' quiet voice held unmistakeable authority. "Shut up."

There was a stunned silence; but Spike gave the Watcher a look of approval.

Joyce rushed over to them and flung both arms around her daughter. "Buffy, are you all right? How badly did that...that monster hurt you?"

Buffy winced, and gave Spike a look of appeal.

"Why don't you...help your mum make coffee, pet?" he suggested. "While I have a word."

She gave him a speaking look of gratitude, and followed Joyce into the kitchen.

"Who're you to hand out orders?" Xander demanded ferociously. "I know Buffy invited you in, but..."

"Xander!" Once more Giles called the boy to heel.

"What happened to Buffy?" Oz spoke for the first time.

Spike told them.

There was an appalled silence; then everyone spoke at once:

"The insufferable pillock!"

"I'll kill him...Deadboy's going down!"

"Poor Buffy...oohh, I KNEW Faith was trouble!"

"Is she going to be ok?"

"Ewww...that skanky biker babe? How COULD he?"

The clamor died as Buffy and her mother returned. Of the two, it was Joyce who wept; Buffy remained calm. Willow leaped to her feet, flinging her arms around the Slayer- and Xander embraced them both.

"It's ok, guys," Buffy assured them. "I'm all right."

Deliberately Giles detached both Willow and Xander- and then hugged Buffy hard. That's when she let the tears come.

Spike watched as she sobbed against her grim-faced Watcher's shoulder. The tears seemed to bring her relief. Everyone, even the self-contained Oz, was crying by this time, except for Spike. He was waiting for the inevitable reaction when they noticed the gleaming new wedding bands.

Again, everyone spoke at once:

"You insufferable pillock!"

"I'll kill you for taking...taking advantage this way, blood-sucker!"

"Poor Buffy...but...but...married? And to Spike!"

"Are you going to be ok?"

"Ewww, another vampire! How COULD you??"

Amazingly, it was Joyce who came to Spike's defense. "Stop that right now," she ordered. "Buffy needs all the help she can get to deal with Faith and that...that..."

Unable to think of a word bad enough to describe Angel, Joyce spluttered to a halt. "I'm glad Spike is here; I'm glad he's helping Buffy; and I'm glad they're married," Joyce concluded defiantly.

"You're right," Giles concurred. "With Faith, Angel, and the Mayor all against us, we must come up with some sort of plan; but it's necessary to take every precaution. From now on, no one goes anyplace, not even around the corner, alone."

Oz turned to Willow. "You just got a new roommate," he said firmly. "I'm Buffy's replacement."

Cordelia arranged to move in with Joyce for the duration; while Xander opted for bringing a sleeping bag to Giles' apartment- much to the Watcher's chagrin.

Everyone, even the Slayer, seemed to assume that Buffy would be living with Spike.

Carefully, methodically, Giles worked out schedules, making certain everyone was covered. Spike felt a new respect for the Watcher's mental capacity. The man reminded him of Dalton, the bookish vampire whose death Spike frequently regretted.

"We can't keep this up forever," Willow pointed out.

"We don't have to," Giles explained. "The ascension must take place during the night of the blue moon...and the next blue moon will occur in three months

"Oh Buffy, it's gorgeous!" Willow admired the apartment with its high ceilings, brick walls, and wood floors, furnished in soft shades of bronze and green.

"Yeah, Spike got it when we found out how long it'd be until the ascension," Buffy said quietly.

Willow ran up the graceful spiral staircase to the second floor. There were two bedrooms, each with a matching bath...one decorated in soft shades of peach and the other in indigo and cream.

"I love your room, Buffy," Willow enthused. "I guess you and Spike don't...uh...sleep together?"

"Of course not!" Buffy said sharply. "Our marriage is strictly a business deal- you know that!"

It was true, as far as it went...she and Spike didn't share a room. But- that wasn't the whole truth, either. Even though Buffy kept assuring everyone that she was fine, she still had nightmares about that horrifying night with Angel and Faith.

"Think how you'll feel when your boyfriend's cutting into you," Faith would gloat.

And Angel...Buffy cringed to hear him: "But Faith, that's such a waste. Lacks...poetry. I can think of so many things I'd rather do with Buffy."

Faith would sulk, "But what about me?"

Then...Angel laughed. "I wouldn't think of leaving you out, lover." Then, he'd turn to look at Buffy while his laughter died. "We'll both have her."

And Buffy would start screaming. Her screams would wake her...eventually.

But they always woke Spike at once.

She'd come out of her nightmare, sobbing in terror, to find him beside her, stroking her hair.

"All right?" he'd ask, when her tears stopped. She would nod; and he'd slowly withdraw to his own bedroom.

He never touched her at any other time.

But none of this could she tell Willow.

"Buffy?" Willow asked hesitantly, "where do you think they are? Faith and...Angel?"

"I heard they went to New York to get something the mayor needs for the ascension," Buffy said. "I don't care what...I'm just so happy to have a breathing space. I'm SO not looking forward to meeting either one again!"

Willow's heart ached for her best friend; but Buffy seemed unwilling to talk about her ordeal. "I wish she would talk to someone," Willow thought unhappily. "It's not like she could ever talk to Spike!"

But in this she was wrong.

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The gang had been patrolling en masse...but that night the weather turned cold and stormy. A lashing rain brought down several power lines; and Giles ordered everyone to go home and stay there.

Buffy treated herself to a long, vanilla-scented bath, pulled on some dark blue velour pants and matching tunic that she loved to feel against her skin...then added a thick pair of bright red socks to keep her feet warm. She curled up on the couch to watch television.

Spike, still damp from his shower, wandered in to find her.

"What's on, Slayer?"

"Rob Roy. I never saw that movie, did you?"

"No." Spike hesitated; for an instant she thought he was about to sit down beside her; but then he settled on a chair nearby.

They watched with increasing absortion- until that harrowing moment when the villain cornered Mary McGregor in her own house, and the vicious rape that followed...

Buffy gasped, as Spike moved swiftly to turn it off. "Don't!"

He paused. "You don't need to see this, pet."

His concern for her touched her; but she shook her head resolutely. She watched the film until the end, tears streaming down her face; while Spike studied her in an agony of indecision.

"Rob Roy killed him," she said intensely, "and I'm glad!"

Spike wished despertely he knew what to do to ease her pain. Instead he said, as he would have to Drusilla, "I'll kill him for you, luv."

"No," she countered, "I want to kill them. I want them to pay for what they...what they...I want them to see that this time, I WILL fight them! I'll fight back!"

Somehow he found himself beside her, clutching her slim shoulders. "Pet...listen to me! You couldn't fight them...not both of them! They would have killed you...don't make any mistake about that."

Her eyes wavered. "Maybe...maybe that would have been better."

He shook her roughly. "I am NOT hearing this! You're lucky you're still alive!"

"Am I?" she asked plaintively.

"Yes, you bloody well are! What's the matter, Slayer? You survived as long as you have by not knowing when you're beaten. Are you going to let that Slayer bitch and my wanker of a sire defeat you...after I couldn't?"

She looked at him, and amazingly her mouth lifted in a minuscule smile. "I wouldn't dare."

He returned her smile. "That's my girl." He leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly against her forehead.

But that night, the nightmares came again.

This time it was Mary McGregor in her stone house, menaced by the evil swordsman...then suddenly Mary turned into Buffy, and Archie into Angel..while Faith watched the punishing assault with a smile that promised furthur humiliation. She woke to find Spike leaning over her, gently shaking her awake.

"Spike! Oh Spike, it...they...were there, they..."

"Shhh." He pulled her into his arms and held her until she calmed.

"I'm okay." She pulled away from him, even though she wanted nothing more than to cling.

"Sure?" he asked.

When she nodded firmly, he said, "Then how about some hot chocolate? I got some of those little marshmallows you like."

Her laughter sounded strange...it had been so long since she'd heard it.

"You mean YOU like them! Would you like some hot chocolate to go with your marshmallows?" she teased.

He grinned as they padded downstairs to the kitchen.