“What is it, Blondie?” he snarled.

Buffy blinked. “You could be a little friendlier,” she commented huffily, coming to a stop and placing her hands on her hips. “After all, we’re keeping your undead ass in blood.”

Spike smirked. “And it’s such a generous thing for you to do, when you know you wankers are only trading on the poof’s connections in this town. Why he wants to help me, I have no clue. But I’m sure you’re not doing it ‘cause you get to keep in touch with Angel that way, but out of a bloody burnin’ desire to help your worst enemy.”

Buffy kept the tight smile in place as she sweetly retorted, “Hardly, Spike. I think I’m in more danger from Sunnydale’s bunny population than I am from you. Bunnies can bite, you know.” She threw him an insolent grin as she added, “And you can’t.”

Spike snarled at her, but wisely stopped just short of attempting to strike her. “You know what, Slayer, one of these days, you’re going to know what it’s like to feel my bite,” he threatened.

Buffy eyed him, the sudden pounding of her heart having nothing to do with the fact that Spike was threatening her life. With a boldness she didn’t know she possessed, she stepped up to him and got right in his face. “Maybe I want to know,” she growled softly.

Spike blinked. Then a slow, sexy grin curved his lips. “You *do* know you’re offering me a blatant invitation, don’t you, Slayer?” he asked, not quite sure he was hearing correctly.

Buffy swallowed and stepped back, shaking her head. “Not the kind of invitation you want, Spike,” she covered, stepping back a little more. She opened her mouth to say something, shook her head, closed her mouth and turned to flee.

Spike watched her go, more than a little confused. All he knew was that he had felt a familiar rush of blood in a southern direction and now he was feeling even more violent than usual from suppressed urges. “Damn the little blonde chit,” he snarled. He stared after her, the frustration building until his true face emerged. Finally he whirled around and stomped off in the opposite direction.

Xander stared at the scene he’d just witnessed, Drusilla clinging to his hand. “What the hell was that?” he asked stupidly.

Drusilla giggled. “It’s happening, it’s happening,” she sang out, letting go of Xander and twirling around on the sidewalk.

Xander looked confused. “What is, Dru?”

Dru smiled happily. “The reason I came back.”

Xander took her in his arms. “I thought *I* was the reason you came back.”

Dru nodded. “You are, kitten. But Spike and the Slayer are the other.”

Xander stared at her in shock. “Buffy? Spike? They’re the ones who realize what they want? Who they need?”

Drusilla tilted her head, falling backwards and causing Xander to nearly drop her. She stared dreamily at the stars, ignoring Xander’s question. After a brief moment, her eyes clouded and she swayed back and forth. "The Slayer is fated to lie with the vampire,” she intoned.

Xander smirked. “Been there, done that,” he reminded the dark-haired vampiress.

Drusilla pulled herself upright and gave Xander her most indulgent, placating smile. “This time, it’s for eternity.”

“I just don’t understand!” Willow raged, stomping into her and Buffy’s dorm room. “Why the hell are they letting the psycho bitch loose?” She threw herself down on the bed and looked up at Buffy, anger distorting her fair features.

Buffy whirled around in the center of the room. “I don’t know, Wills,” she snapped. “If I had my way they’d lock her up and throw away the key. Or better yet, they’d feed her to a vampire. What can the Council be *thinking*?” she bitched. She flopped down on the bed opposite from Willow.

“This is a catastrophe!” Willow moaned. “Faith, back in Sunnydale. Loose. *Patrolling* with us like it’s a normal course of events!” she howled. “How can Giles let this happen?”

Buffy sighed. “Well, Wills, to be fair, Giles doesn’t really have an influencing hand in the Council’s decisions anymore. And he wasn’t any happier about it than we are.”

Willow nodded grudgingly. Then she brightened. “I wonder what Xander’s going to have to say about this,” she giggled. “And will he decide he’s not really as much in love with Drusilla as he thinks he is?”

Buffy smirked. “It would serve him right if something happened between Spike and Faith,” she snickered. She refused to acknowledge the faint stirrings of jealousy at the idea of Spike and Faith as a couple.

Willow, however, noticed the slight tensing to Buffy’s shoulders. “Buff, what’s wrong?” she asked in concern.

Buffy sighed, then looked sheepishly at Willow. “What would you say if I told you… well, that, um… that I kinda think Spike is sort of hot?” she ventured.

A broad grin split Willow’s face. “You’re kidding!” she exclaimed. “You’re actually admitting it?”

Buffy balked. “I’m not admitting anything,” she insisted. “I just think there’s something wrong with my genetic makeup that makes me be attracted to the undead-variety of male.”

Willow laughed. “Buffy, there’s nothing wrong with liking Spike,” she assured her blonde friend.

Buffy’s mouth flew open in horror. “You’re not serious,” she objected. “Me, like Spike? I so do not think so. I said I sort of thought he was hot. I don’t actually like him!”

Willow’s eyes sparkled as she prepared to tease Buffy. “You mean all that banter, the sniping and everything, that isn’t hiding some sort of sexual tension?”

“I’d have more sexual tension with a tree,” Buffy retorted, a glare on her face.

Willow held up her hands in mock-surrender. “Okay, okay, I give. I won’t tease you about Spike anymore.” She darted a quick, impish glance at the Slayer. “Vampire-lover.”

Buffy’s glare started to melt into a smile. “You don’t wanna go there, Will,” she reminded the witch. “I believe last time we got into an insult-war, I won.”

“Yeah, right,” Willow snorted. “I got the last dig in, with the ‘bad seed’ thing.”

“But I responded with-.” Buffy stopped, stumped. “Guess you’re right,” she conceded reluctantly.

Willow smiled triumphantly. “That’s right,” she sniffed. Buffy mock-glared at Willow, then with a lightning-fast move, grabbed her pillow and hurled it at the other girl. It smacked Willow directly in the face, cutting off her next sentence, to be replaced with a muffled, “Umph.”

When the pillow dropped, Willow was sputtering. “Don’t mess with a Slayer’s reflexes, Will,” Buffy said with a chuckle.

Willow flopped back on her bed, pouting. Her pout was spoiled by the grin that formed on her lips, and pretty soon she and Buffy were laughing hysterically.

Their laughter faded as the two both recalled the reason they had come home in a snit. “Faith,” Buffy sighed. She stood up and grabbed the framed photo off her dresser, the one of the entire group before things had gone all crazy senior year. She pulled the photo out and unfolded it, smoothing out the side where one face had been folded back. Her, Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Oz, Giles. Faith. The one unsmiling face off to the side, looking uncomfortable and out of place. “Wills, do you think it’s possible that she can be good again?” Buffy ventured. “I mean, she wasn’t that bad when she got here. She was just a little wild. Do you think we can help her feel accepted this time, so she doesn’t have to be an evil psycho bitch?”

Willow snorted, the sound ugly and harsh. “I don’t think anything can fix that tramp,” she muttered acidly. “She’s bad news, Buff. That isn’t ever going to change.”

“Do you think maybe you’re just biased ‘cause she got Xander?” Buffy asked softly.

Willow flushed in anger. “Why does everyone assume that’s the only reason I don’t like her?” she snapped. “In case you didn’t remember, Buffy, she killed two people. She tried to kill Xander. She tried to kill Angel. She tried to kill you. I think that’s more than enough to put me in the justified camp,” she sniffed.

Buffy sighed and sank back down onto her bed. “I know, Wills, I know. But whether we like it or not, whether we like her or not, in less than a week, we’re going to be working with her again. And unless we want to get killed, we better learn how to get along with her.”