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Part 31 "He, uh, he told me that he would take care of things on his end. I just wish we knew what Buffy was up to." Giles worried. "Well, she wanted us to do the ritual if we could, didn't she?" asked Willow. "Because I don't really like Spike all that much, but I'll do the ritual if it'll help Buffy. And also it'll help more people live, so I kind of think we have to." Giles' telephone rang. He answered it, listened intently for thirty seconds, and nodded. "Right now. Yes." He said. He came back out and sat down. "We need to get started." Willow nodded. She began to slow her breathing and calm her thoughts; she couldn't help but be reminded of when she'd done this the last time, with Cordelia - and Oz. Sighing, she pushed the thoughts of Oz out of her mind and tried to concentrate on the ritual. That was a problem, actually. Before, she had had Miss Calendar's original Romani curse to start from: the curse that had been personalized for Angel. Willow had had to run it through several translation programs and then go in and try to change every Angel reference to "Spike" or sometimes, "the Bloody one." She hoped it would work, but there were a couple of instances where she hadn't been able to change it specifically enough because the text hadn't been clear. She had substituted "vampire" and "blood-drinker" instead, and hoped for the best. On her right, Xander waved the smoking bundle of sage, while on her left Giles recited the responses to her own chanting. Her mouth was chanting the Latin phrases, but her mind chanted I hope it works, I hope it works, I hope it works, I hope it works! Spike paced restlessly around the lounge waiting for Adam to show up again. When he did, Spike fairly pounced on him. "Well? Did you get it? What took you so long?" Adam handed him the tiny glass globe. "Here it is: soul under glass." Spike eyed him sourly. "Right. When do we start?" "I called Giles on my way in, so it should be any time now. We'll put the orb on the table, and you sit here, and I'm going to wave smelly herbs at you and chant." Spike rolled his eyes. "Oh, God! Do you have to?" "Yep!" Adam grinned. "Trust me - I've been through this a time or three." Grumbling, Spike sat down at the table. He waved away the sage smoke irritably and yawned theatrically when Adam started to chant. "Those Gregorian chants always did put me to -" Suddenly his body stiffened. He screamed in pain and collapsed out of his chair. A few seconds later, the orb glowed brightly and - while Adam recited the rest of the spell - the glow was echoed in Spike's eyes. Part 32 A moment later, it was done. Spike sat up slowly, groaning. "God, what happened?" "You'll remember in a minute," Adam told him, not without sympathy. "It'll probably hurt, but at least you're not by yourself like I was. I can help you out, you know." He smiled at a memory. "I'll be your 'Whistler.'" "Right, well, whistle me up some aspirin, will you? You weren't kidding about the pain - my head feels like someone hit me with an axe!" Spike shook his head slowly trying to clear it. Adam slid one silently across the table, with a bottle of water. Spike swallowed it, then downed the bottle of water in one gulp. He slapped the bottle down on the table, then announced, "I feel better. Wow. This sure is a different sort of high from drinking slayer blood! It's interesting." "You're getting a high?" Adam asked, incredulous. "Huh. I never got a high. All I ever got was guilt." "Oh, I've got that too," Spike admitted. "I'm sublimating." "You're what? How can you do that?" Spike looked at Adam in disbelief. "I'm not the real killer, stupid. The demon is. Why should I feel guilty for stuff my body did while I was away?" He laughed suddenly. "Don't tell me you never realized that? Ha! No wonder you were always so boring and angsty!" Adam shifted uncomfortably. Somehow, Spike should be having a harder time with this! He was suspicious. "Ok, maybe you're sublimating the guilt, but what about the demon? Aren't you fighting it?" "Oh, yeah," Spike said airily. "The thing is, I've already been fighting it for weeks now, living with the slayer. Her blood is so... unbelievable, I've had all I can do every night not to suck her dry. This just gives me an ally." Adam gave in and accepted it. "Glad to hear it. And speaking of the slayer -" "What about her?" "Well, we got caught up in this ritual and sort of forgot about her." Adam said. "You did. I didn't. Listen, man, she's the only reason I even went through the bleedin' ritual - it's the one chance I might have with her." Adam tried to be soothing. "But she didn't say that exactly." Spike snorted. "She didn't have to, chum. Let's examine the situation, shall we? With you, she gets to go home to her family and friends, you and she get to have a life together and - when the time comes - get old and die together. What does she get with me? Nothing. The only thing on my side is that she's got a soft spot for vampires with souls." "It's true, she does," admitted Adam. He wasn't really worried about the girl's decision, but wanted to comfort his friend who wasn't going to have an easy time of it after Buffy left. "She and I have been through a lot, though," he said. "Yeah, yeah, you have a past. You fell in love, then tried to kill each other. WE tried to kill each other and then fell in love. What's the bloody difference?" Spike's voice had risen. Adam didn't answer. In truth, he didn't know what to say, but in the silence he could hear his own heartbeat. So could Spike. "Bloody hell!" he swore. "Did you have to remind me?" He got a sudden glint in his eye. "I could make you into a vampire again," he suggested. "Can you see the irony of that? Might cure that heartbeat problem you've been having! Not to mention that dreadful, garish sunlight..." "Except that she didn't want either of us to kill the other one. Draining out my heart's blood might constitute a death, if only in the literal sense." Adam felt a little nervous. "Get out." Spike ordered in a carefully controlled voice. "I don't trust myself not to hurt you right now. The girl I love is going to spend the rest of her life with you, and I don't want to have to look at you. Out!" Adam got out. He still felt nervous, so he went upstairs and looked through some books on the west side of the building, where the late afternoon sun streamed in the tall windows. He sat down to read in full sunlight, keeping an eye on the door. Part 33 After a while Buffy came in, saw him sitting there, and headed right over to him. He smiled. "Hey!" "Hey." She said. She shook her head. "Sorry. Still not used to seeing you in sunlight." "That's okay," he said, putting his book away. "Hey, do you need help packing?" "Um, Ange - uh, Adam, I guess it is - I'm not going back to Sunnydale with you." "That's okay, Buff. We can go wherever you want." "I'm, uh, not going anywhere with you. I'm going to stay here. With Spike." She explained slowly. "What? Why?" Adam demanded. She sank down in a chair next to him. "I loved you. Angel. But I've just been through so much since we were together that I'm like a whole different person now. And YOU are definitely a whole different person now! We're not the same people who fell in love with each other before. And now I'm with someone else, and we think there's a chance he might get his soul back! Adam, I can't abandon Spike now. He needs me. And, weird as it is to say, I need him, too. Do you understand that?" Adam nodded heavily. He'd never expected this. Spike, for heaven's sake! "What about your slayer duties?" "I've found a different way to carry them out." "But the vampires in Sunnydale -" "Who's been slaying since I left?" "Actually, there hasn't been much activity since you left," Adam had to tell her the truth. "Spike, Drusilla, and I were pretty much it." He gazed at her a long moment, then inclined his head. "Go. He's waiting for you downstairs. Impatiently, no doubt." Buffy flew down the back stairs and ran for the lounge. "Spike!" she cried happily. "What? Come to hit me goodbye?" Spike asked bitterly. "Or maybe you need help packing your bags?" Buffy blinked. "Huh?" "Listen, Slayer," Spike began. Buffy winced to hear the title. So they were back to this, were they? He continued, "I know you can't wait to fly off into the sunset with the only guy around here who can, but you owe me a couple of things before you go." Buffy started to get angry. "Oh yeah? What?" "One: I want you to tell me straight out that you're going back with him. Don't try to spare my feelings or any rot like that; I want to hear you say it." Buffy's anger dissipated. "Fine, I promise I'll be straight with you." She said, hiding her smile. "What else?" Spike turned his back to her and went to the other side of the room. His normally confident voice came out quiet. "Stake me before you go," he said almost under his breath. Buffy paused a beat, then went over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. Very slowly, so that he could stop if he wanted to, she turned him around to face her. He lifted his eyes to hers, not even bothering to hide the pain that showed in his. He opened his mouth to speak, but Buffy laid a finger on his lips. "I'll be straight with you, Spike," she said softly, "just like I promised. I'm not going anywhere. I'm sending him back alone." Spike's scarred left eyebrow raised a fraction. "Are you serious?" She nodded. "I want to stay with you," she said, and without another word went into his arms. Spike held the slayer in his arms with one part of his brain marvelling at the fact she'd chosen him over her now-human lover, and with another part marvelling at how deceptively small and fragile she felt. He tipped her head so he could see her face, and smiled. "Thanks, love," he said, and kissed her fervently. He had had a dim, vague memory of the only two times they'd kissed before, the first time when Buffy had planted one in the airport utility closet to escape the cops. He had begun to remember that moment more and more frequently (and fondly) lately, but that was nothing compared to how she felt now. He wanted the kiss never to end, but Buffy broke it off when she felt his lips curve into a smile. She stepped back. "What?" she asked. "Nothing, luv. I'm just used to you hitting me when I do this!" "Maybe later," she teased. He grinned wider and pulled her back into his arms. They were still embracing when Adam walked in a few minutes later. He cleared his throat. "Uh, hello?" They separated. Adam continued. "Congratulations, Spike." He said with a self-deprecating smile. "Like you said, she has a soft spot for vampires with souls." "Oh!" Buffy's eyes got round. She turned to Spike. "I forgot to call Giles! Did you reach him? Did he think there was a chance for the ritual to work?" "Well, yeah!" Spike was dumfounded. "What the hell are you talking about?" She glared at him. "The ritual, fangface! The restoration ritual, the one Giles told me he was going to look into, for you! Duh!" Comprehension dawned like the sunrise on Spike's face. He looked at Adam. "YOU didn't tell her?" Adam was just as surprised. "And neither did you, apparently. What do you know? She really does love you, I guess." His expression warred between disappointment and amusement. "Will ONE of you please tell me, before you both fit into an ashtray?" "That might be difficult, since I'm no longer a vampire," Adam said mildly. He was starting to actually enjoy this scene. When all was said and done, he did want Buffy to be happy... and he really wanted to see her expression when she found out the ritual had already been completed. "I'll make you fit!" Buffy was really mad now. Spike finally took pity on her. "Buffy, listen to me." She heard him use her name again, and relented. He continued. "Adam called Giles a few hours ago. We got the details and he and your friends in Sunnydale performed the ritual today, while you were out walking." "You mean..?" "Well, you wouldn't let us kill each other. We had to find something to amuse ourselves." Adam said, grinning. "You mean..?" "I got soul, baby!" Spike joked. "And might I say how flattering it was to know that you'd stay with me even without it?" "Yeah, yeah," she teased, "Just don't let it go to your head!" She threw her arms around him and laughed. "Oh my God, Willow and them must be so proud!" "Oops." Adam said. "Um, I hate to say this, but they don't know yet. We sort of got distracted, fighting over you. I'll go call Giles and tell him what's going on." He left. Part 34 Giles put down his empty plate and picked up the phone. He dialed the number of the school library, testing out his newly-gained knowledge of how to check his answering machine messages by remote. Ha! It worked! And just as he'd hoped, there was a call from Adam. "Hello, Giles, it's Adam. Good news and bad news. Good news is, the ritual worked. Spike isn't much of a killer anymore, and Buffy's fine. The bad news will wait until I can tell you in person tomorrow morning when my flight lands at eight. It's 847. Talk to you then." Eight o'clock the next morning found Giles waiting impatiently for flight 847, eager to see his slayer again. At last Adam came through the gate into the room. Giles looked past him, then back at his face. "Adam, welcome home. Uh, where's Buffy?" Adam shook his head. "She, uh, didn't come. Let's just say the ritual worked, and she has a soft spot for vampires with souls." "I see. Is - is that all the bad news?" Adam nodded. "Well, thank God it's no worse!" Giles said. "So she's all right?" "She's fine. She was beaming and had her arms around Spike when I left," Adam said stiffly. Giles understood. "I'm sorry. But perhaps we can yet change her mind about...uh, that, and about coming home?" "You try. I've given up. Feel like giving me a ride home?" Adam said. Giles consented, and they rode back to Adam's new apartment in silence. Adam invited him in for a cup of tea, and Giles walked into the new kitchen and looked around. "Uh, Adam? Did you know you seem to have a large gap in your kitchen?" "Oh, that," Adam nodded. "Yeah, the countertop was so long they had to bring it up in three parts. The first two are here, but I'm wondering if I'll ever see part three of the Countertop." He grinned mysteriously. Giles looked at him oddly, but said nothing. Willow was lying on her bed at home, crying. Oz hadn't really even given her a reason for the breakup, just that he knew it wouldn't work out so why drag it on and on? She shook her head. She didn't think it was his lycanthropia, because they'd already worked through that problem. Which meant it must be her, she thought. She sobbed. The phone rang, and she rolled her eyes. She could think of any number of people who had her personal number, and didn't want to talk to any of them right now. Unfortunately, she was also cursed with one of those compulsive natures which can't bear to just let it ring, so she blew her nose and said her hello with as much cheer as she could muster. Apparently, it wasn't enough. "Will? You okay? You sound upset." Xander said. Willow swore, deep inside herself. Why did he have to pick now to suddenly become observant-man?
"I - um... I -
"I'll be right over," he said, and the line went dead. Oh, great.
She was somewhat better composed when he got there, but still red-eyed. Xander walked into her room and hugged her immediately. "What's up, Will?" he asked tenderly.
"It's Oz," she said, breaking down again. The gentle note in his voice had done it. "He... I... We broke up. I mean, to be honest, he broke up with me. Yesterday. And I don't even know what I did!"
"I'm sorry, Will," Xander said. He supposed that, in a strange way, he was. Willow had seemed happy with Oz, and he was sorry to see her in pain. This did not diminish his urge to hurt Oz badly with dull silver objects.
"And he didn't even give me a good reason! All he said was that our relationship wouldn't last, so why drag it out. I mean, even if it wouldn't last, why not enjoy it when we had it? Cuz it's more than I had before!"
Xander stroked her back. He tried to crack a joke about what the children might have looked like covered in fur, but she just cried harder. He eventually got her calmed down and promised to go talk to Oz for her. Yeah, he'd talk to him, all right. He'd demand to know Oz's reasons for dumping the sweetest, smartest, most beautiful girl in the world, and then he'd punch him in the face as hard as he could.
Well, that was the theory, anyway. Oz's explanation took the wind out of Xander's sails, leaving him with no righteous indignation left for the hitting.
Oz had been just sitting outside in the park, playing (badly) on his guitar. Xander had come up and said, "Hey, Oz, what's up? Heard you just dumped my best friend, and she's crying over you now. Any reason I shouldn't punch your face in?"
"Well, yeah, actually, I think there might be." had been Oz's response. He'd then gone on to explain, "See, even if there weren't the werewolf thing, there's still the senior thing. I'm leaving in a couple of weeks to go to college in New York, and I didn't want to leave her tied down. Second thing is, I heard what you said to her in the hospital, that she's your best friend and you love her. Third thing is, you're her best friend, and she loves you. Always has. Now, I love her, but she could never love me as much as she loves you. Just hasn't known me long enough, doesn't have the background with me as with you.
"So, there it is. Would you believe I broke up with her because I love her and want her to be happy?" Oz shook his head and went back to his guitar.
Xander was stunned. "Yeah, man, I guess I would. I'm sorry." He stuck out his hand in a sudden gesture of friendship. After a moment's hesitation, Oz took it. "Good luck in New York, friend," Xander said, and left without bashing one single head.
Part 35
Xander went by Cordelia's house before returning to Willow's, to have a talk with her. He knew she wouldn't like what he had to say, but he had to tell her. "Cordelia," he said. "I want you to know that I like you. A lot. And I'm really lucky to be dating the most popular girl in school, but the truth is that I realized I love Willow. Now, I don't know if I even have a chance with her -- but even if I don't, I like and respect you too much to make you play second fiddle."
Cordelia nodded. She'd been expecting this ever since her phone call from Willow yesterday, informing her of Oz's defection. That didn't take away the humiliation of being dumped by a dweeb, but at least it was understandable. And he was right - she didn't want to play second fiddle to anyone! In fact, "That's okay," she said sweetly. "I was going to break up with you later on today anyway. I just found out my dad's been transferred to -"
" - New York?" Xander asked snidely. She nodded and looked at him strangely. "Oh, maybe you'll see Oz there. He just told me he's going to college in New York. And maybe you'll see Buffy and Spike there, too. Boy, at this rate, you might even find another hellmouth!"
"Hmm. Oz is going there too?" she asked coyly. Xander rolled his eyes and took his leave.
Giles had reached Willow before Xander did, and she wasn't home when he stopped by. Knowing the limited number of places she was likely to be, he headed for the library. Bingo.
"Xander!" Willow said. "I tried to call you but you weren't home. Adam's back from New York."
"With Buffy?"
"Actually, no," Adam said, coming out of Giles' office followed by the man himself. "Hard as this is to believe, she's staying in New York with Spike."
"The ritual worked!" Willow informed Xander in an excited squeal. "It worked! I did a powerful magic spell, and it worked!"
"Wow. That's great, Will. So she's staying there, huh. Great." Xander's tone of voice belied his words.
"The ritual seems to have had a curious side-effect as well," said Giles, as usual ignoring the by-play of his charges. He was holding a letter. "It seems that, due to some of Willow's substitutions in the text in addition to the use to two orbs of Thesula at opposite ends of the country, the ritual also restored the souls of all the vampires between here and New York City. I got this letter from the Watcher Council this morning." He put it on the table, and Xander snatched it up.
"Wow, holy vampires, Batman!" he quipped.
Adam grinned. "Nice change from the usual unholy kind, I must say!"
"Yes, Willow, you have congratulations sent from the Council, from Father Joe, and from Brother Luka. Well done. Well done, indeed!" Giles beamed at his protégé, who had gone red, smiling, and speechless.
Part 36
Later that day Willow went red and smiling once again, as she was checking her e-mail. She got a message from secret-admirer@guesswho.com and was intrigued. It read "Meet me at the Bronze tonight at 7. Don't worry; I promise I'm not a demon!" She laughed, wondering who it was. The phone rang at that moment: Xander.
"Hey, Willow! What'ya doing tonight?"
"Actually... I think I have a date." There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Xander? Are you there?"
"Um, yeah. Yeah, I'm here. I, uh, wanted to see you today sometime, to talk."
Willow suggested he come over after her date ended; she would call him. He agreed, and she went and turned on the shower to start getting ready. At seven o'clock, Willow appeared in the doorway of the Bronze wearing an outfit that showed off her good mood about the ritual's success, her newfound confidence, and her legs.
She scanned the crowd for familiar faces and found none. Then she heard a dark, sexy voice from behind her say, "Glad you could make it!"
She whirled around to see - "Adam?" Leaning against the wall smiling at her.
"Hi, Willow. I take it you got my message."
She nodded dumbly. She hadn't known whom to expect, but it sure hadn't been him! "Um. Hi," she managed to say.
Adam's eyes searched her face and mistook surprise for dismay. Disappointed, he said, "I'm sorry. You must have been expecting someone else. I'll take you home now, if you'd like."
"Well." Willow said. "To be honest, I was expecting someone else. More accurately, I was expecting ANYone else. I never expected you to be, uh, interested in me. I mean, you're way out of my league. And what about Buffy?"
"About Buffy. Well, she loves Spike now, for one thing. For another, she's changed a lot. I mean, she loves Spike now, for heaven's sake!" He gave an ironic smile. "But I've always liked you too. I just had an obligation to Buffy that sort of took over my life. And that thing about being out of your league is pure bull. If anything it's the other way around."
Willow smiled into his eyes, grateful for the explanation. "Thank you, Adam. And I know exactly what you mean." Since she'd become a "Slayerette" her own obligation to help Buffy had taken over her free time, attention, and even career goals. She continued, "Well, you should know that I'm sorta rebounding from Oz. But we've always been friends, haven't we? And there's no reason why we shouldn't ... have coffee sometime." She blushed, suddenly remembering the time she'd blown up at him for not having coffee with Buffy.
Adam smiled brilliantly. "Or a dance?" he suggested as he led her to the floor.
Xander was waiting on Willow's porch when Adam walked Willow home. He sat on the porch swing absently whittling stakes - more out of habit than because he thought they'd be needed - when he saw them approach in the darkness: Willow and - ? Who was she with? That guy's way too tall to be Oz, he thought. As he watched, the man bent down and kissed Willow on the cheek and went away. She came up the path alone.
"Xander!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming over until I called." She leaned against the column at the edge of the steps.
Xander's tone was caustic, edgy. "Well, gee, Will, it got to be 10: 30 and I got worried. I wondered 'What was Oz thinking, to keep you out so late?' But now I see you're all over Oz and ready to move on to someone ELSE who's not me!"
Willow gave him her own special brand of the usual "Xander-what-are-you-talking-about?" look and asked him, "Xander, what are you talking about?"
As sometimes happened... occasionally... not often at all... Xander's mouth got going before his brain clicked into gear. "I'm talking about you, with guys. First there was cyber-sleaze, then Bobo the dog-faced boy, now this new guy who's probably a giant shape-shifting frog. How long do I have to wait to catch you between mutants and ask you out?"
Willow slapped him with all her strength. He fell backwards against the porch steps and looked up at her in disbelief. In a towering rage she approached him, step by ominous step. He was first relieved, then uncomfortable, when she decided to lay into him verbally instead of with her fists.
"How dare you?" She cried through gritted teeth. "Do you mean to tell me that now, after I've watched you run after every other girl in school, and I've finally decided to move on with my life, that NOW you notice me? Let's see, first there was Praying Mantis Natalie, who wanted to violate and decapitate you. You'd rather have been with her than with me. Then just for a change from bug to mammal, there's Hyena Jane..."
Xander looked away. He hadn't known anyone else knew about the hyena incident. True, he had been alpha male and Jane had just been coming into season, but... somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if his experience with her constituted his bug insurance. He shook his head and focused back on Willow, who was still screaming at him.
"... you'd rather have been with an animal than with me, and oh, let's not forget Mummy Dearest. You'd rather have been with a decaying corpse that time, than be with me. And Cordelia! She's almost the worst of all! She's hated us both since before we even started school! She's a lot closer to normal now, thank God, but still - ! And so now you notice me." In a sudden change of energy, she sat down beside him on the steps. "Xander, I've loved you since before we could walk, and you've had chance after chance to ask me out. You wasted them, though. You took too long, and my feelings for you have changed. You're still my best friend, and I hope you always will be, but I don't love you like than anymore. I've moved on. Past you!"
Xander hung his head. She was right; even he couldn't deny it. He'd always known, in the back of his head, how she felt about him, but he'd deluded himself into thinking of her as his best bud instead of actual romance material. He'd taken her for granted, and her diatribe had made him heartily ashamed. "Willow, please," he said. "Please, listen to me. I'm sorry I said those things just now, but I'll explain if you just listen!" Gently, he took her hand in his and just held it loosely. In a calmer voice, he began.
"Will, we've always been friends, and I've loved you as a friend for as long as I can remember; but it wasn't until I almost lost you that I realized I love you as more than that. Now you and Oz broke up, and I broke up with Cordelia because I wanted to see you tonight, to see if we had a chance."
Willow smoothed his hair, not angry anymore. "I'm afraid not, Xander. What I told you is true: I love you very much as a friend, but any feelings other than that are gone now. I'm sorry."
Xander tried to hide his disappointment. "Oh, hey, that's okay... I'll take what I can get. And you might change your mind sometime; after all, this is the hellmouth. Stranger things have happened. So who's the guy you were with tonight? 'Cause, if he's not good enough for my Willow, I'll have to kill him." He tried to joke.
"It was Adam." Willow said quietly.
"Adam? Adam Who? You don't mean -"
"Angel. Yes."
"Willow, are you crazy?" Xander demanded. "That guy's -"
"Xander, I don't want to hear it." Willow said tiredly. "Please, just drop it."
In an uncharacteristic concession, Xander relented. He gave her a brief, hard hug and took his leave. As he started his walk home, he mentally tallied up his country music CDs; for some odd reason, he was definitely in the mood for some painful music.
Part 37
Xander took a short cut through the park, aware that the vampiric activity had been low since the end of school. Nevertheless, he took the precaution of taking out a cross and making sure his stake was where he could reach it. As he neared the band of trees, he heard the sounds of a scuffle. Breaking into a run, he made it past the trees and saw two ugly vampires beating up on... Adam? Xander tensed and prepared to attack.
"Damn, if this one don't look like Angelus!" said Ugly.
Uglier replied, "Yeah, but he's got better posture. All those years of brooding made Angel round-shouldered!" They two of them laughed. Uglier got Adam into a headlock and Ugly bent down to drink.
Xander made his move. He leaped forward, his momentum causing Uglier to fall into his partner, who lost his grip on Adam. He never regained it, but managed a quick look of surprise at the stake protruding from his chest just before he exploded in a shower of ash.
Ugly looked startled. He lunged for Xander, but tripped over the foot that Adam just managed to stick out. He fell at Xander's feet. Xander kicked him in the head, hard enough to knock him out.
"Quick, your stake!" Adam cried.
Xander shook his head. "I let go when I dusted the other one. It's gone now. Are you okay?"
Adam nodded quickly, and looked around. He spied a broken-off branch sticking out from a nearby tree and ordered, "Here, help me!" Together they lifted the vampire high into the air and slammed it, chest first, against the tree. It regained consciousness long enough to clutch the tree in surprise, then turned to dust.
"Tree-hugger!" Xander taunted. He turned towards Adam, who was bent over trying to catch his breath. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah," Adam said. "I guess in this new body I don't know my own weakness. I thought I could take on both of them." He flashed Xander a quick grin. "Not very manly, I know! Thanks for, uh, saving my life, man."
Xander brushed off the thanks. "Yeah, well, I like to think you'd do the same for me. Listen, just you be good to my Willow, okay?" He shook Adam's hand and left, walking off alone into the darkness. A faint breeze carried his muttered words back to Adam's ears: "That guy always gets the girls I like, and I can't even hate him anymore! I must be sick." Adam smiled and went home.
Giles, refusing to give up on his slayer, called his friend Linda again after a couple of days, and asked her to check out the lounge in the lowest basement. "Please, just go down and see. I've heard from a good source that the slayer might be, uh, living down there, and I'd really like her to come home."
Linda agreed and started down the stairs for the basement. She had worked there for long enough that she knew the way, even in the darkness. She opened the door to the old lounge and flipped on the light. She raised her eyebrows at what she saw.
A petite blonde girl that Linda recognized as the slayer was about to get bitten by a bleach-blond vampire.
"Look out, slayer, he's a vampire!" Linda shouted a warning to the girl.
Part 38
Spike and Buffy's lives really hadn't changed that much since Adam's departure and the realization that they loved each other. They still kept to their old habits, except that they no longer fought about Spike's kills, since he didn't even feel like killing anymore. Now they fought for fun.
"Unh! Do you have to be so rough?" Buffy complained as she nursed the arm that he had struck with his full strength.
Spike hauled her close to him. "One of the things I love best about you is that you can take anything I throw at you." He had always loved fighting Buffy; she was so strong and clean in her moves, it was almost a pleasure to be taken down by her.
Wriggling out of the embrace, she punched him in the face, then whirled and kicked him in the jaw. He fell to the floor and she fell on top of him. "And you can take whatever I throw back!" She exulted as she gave him a kiss every bit as aggressive as her fighting had been.
He responded enthusiastically, grabbing the back of her head to pull her mouth closer. They kissed hungrily for several minutes, then he pushed her away and sat up. "You sure take a man's breath away, sweet!" he told her, keeping his arms wrapped around her loosely.
"You don't have any breath," she teased.
Spike smiled. "If I did, it'd be gone now," he promised her. With a grin, he pulled her close and kissed her again, eagerly, their mouths seeming to melt together. His hands roamed Buffy's back, sliding under her shirt to stroke the soft skin of her shoulders. He fumbled with her bra clasp for a little too long, and she growled and unfastened it herself, removing both bra and shirt over her head in an impatient gesture.
"God, you're beautiful," Spike whispered. She smiled at his stunned expression and reached over to undo the buttons on his shirt, one by one.
When she was almost halfway down, he grabbed her hands and clutched them tightly. "Listen, luv, I'm not sure this is such a good idea."
Hurt, Buffy withdrew her hands and put her shirt back on with one smooth motion. "You don't want me," she decided, moving to the other side of the room.
Spike snorted. "Sweet, we both know that's a big lie!" He crossed the room and put his arms around her from behind.
Relaxing, she leaned back against him, enjoying the solid feel of his arms enfolding her. "So why..? Uh, I mean, Why not?" she asked.
His arms tightened slightly and he sighed. "Every time we kiss, I can feel myself start to Change. Now, the demon has already tasted your blood. I just don't want it to take control and drain you while my mind's on other things."
"You wouldn't let the demon hurt me," Buffy reassured him.
"That's not all, though. I've never, well, made it with a living human before." He looked uncomfortable when Buffy turned and looked at him with wide eyes.
"So you were a... you know... when Angel made you?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Drusilla had gone whacko and nearly gotten both of them killed, so he needed a keeper for her. He found me wandering the streets of north London, brought me home with him, and brought me over. Then he showed me Drusilla, and she was so beautiful, and she needed me, and I just had to stay with her. I've been with her ever since."
"Meaning you've never 'been with' anyone else?" Buffy asked. They went to one of the couches and sat down to talk, and she held his hand and looked up curiously into his dark eyes.
He would have blushed, if he'd had blood. "'Sright." He looked at her apologetically. "Let's just say I don't know how to do it without bloodletting."
"Eww!" Buffy said. "I really didn't need to know that!" She shuddered, then gave his hand a little squeeze. "Well, you already know all about my, uh, 'experiences.' I've only done it once, but that was enough to turn my boyfriend into a ravenous, blood-sucking fiend from hell. So really, I don't mind taking things slow!"
Spike laughed and kissed her. The kiss deepened after a moment, and he felt the beginnings of the Change. He backed off and turned his head away so she wouldn't see the demonic visage, but he hadn't reckoned on her slayer's strength. She forced him to look back at her with furious yellow eyes in a vampiric face... and she kissed him again.
Buffy broke the kiss, then rested her head on his shoulder and held him, knowing full well that his fangs were mere inches from her throat. She felt them descend, touch her neck lightly, then withdraw again. Spike kissed her neck gently.
Suddenly, a voice from the doorway called to warn her: "Look out, Slayer, he's a vampire!"
Part 39
Buffy jumped away, producing a stake from nowhere, and looked around wildly. She saw no one but Spike and the woman in the doorway.
She was a tall woman, big-boned but shapely, and wearing a simple grey knit dress. Her hair was strawberry blonde and quite short, and her only jewelry was a silver cross on a chain, a perfect match to the one Buffy wore.
"Who are you?" Buffy demanded. Spike's face morphed into its human guise, but he kept his distance from the woman and just waited to see what would happen.
"Linda Carrington. I work here, and I'm a friend of Rupert Giles'. May I ask why you're threatening me with that stake instead of turning that Billy Idol lookalike into dust?" the woman asked calmly.
"May I ask what business is it of yours?" Buffy demanded, not lowering the stake.
"Well, if there's a vampire slayer camping out rent-free in the basement, the least she could do is to slay the odd vampire or two! How long have you been here, anyway?" Linda retorted.
"Almost three months. Who told you we were staying here?"
"Oh, so it's 'we,' is it? You've had a vampire here in the library for three months and haven't slain him? What on earth is Rupert Giles thinking of, to let his slayer roam the country with vampires? Listen, Slayer, I'm afraid you're going to have to leave." Linda crossed her arms.
Spike wandered up and put his arm around Buffy. "I'm not into killing anymore, Sweetie, so you can just take your attitude right back up the stairs with you and leave us alone. We were just leaving anyway!" He glared at the woman, who seemed unperturbed.
"Fine, I'll leave, but you two had better be out of here for good, the minute the sun goes down today!" She turned and left.
Buffy sank down on the couch. "Oh, great, now what do we do?" She groaned.
Spike stroked her hair. "Not to worry, pet. I've got a plan." She looked at him curiously, and he cocked his head to one side. "How would you like to go home tonight?"
"Home? You mean..."
"Sunnydale. Now that the cops aren't after you anymore, and your friends still like you, and your watcher is -" he gestured to the now-empty doorway, " -- evidently still looking after you... why not go home?"
"Spike, I'm not leaving you."
He huffed. "What, and you think I'm staying here? No way. See, I'm sort of homesick myself, and I've got it figured out. We could fly into LA tonight, drive down to Sunnydale tomorrow night, and by the day after, you could be back with your mum. And if she's still squiffy, then come and live with me! That way I could watch your back when you patrol."
She looked at him sharply. "Who said anything about patrolling? If I go back to Sunnydale, it'll be to enjoy a normal life!"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and shacking up with a re-souled vampire is normal, is it? Listen, "Slayer" -- that's what you are. You can't escape it, so you might as well go home and face it." Spike shrugged. "And look on the bright side: it can't get any worse than it has already!"
Buffy broke down and laughed. She cuffed him affectionately. "I suppose you're right. Fine, 'luv,' let's go home."
Epilogue
Two days later, Buffy cautiously opened the doors to the library, both hoping and fearing to find Giles there. Her hopes and fears were realized and in fact deepened; he heard the door open and called out, "Joyce? I'm in here." He came out of his office and saw her. "Oh!" His jaw dropped, then he smiled broadly and enfolded Buffy in a hug. "Oh, thank God! Buffy, you're home!"
"That depends," Buffy said, laughing at his unusual display of feeling. "I still don't know if I have a place to live yet, (unless you count here!) but I am definitely back among the living!"
"Have you left Spike?" Giles asked in surprise.
"Oh, no. Well, I left him sleeping in Angel's old apartment, but no, I haven't left him. The ritual worked, you know."
"I know. Adam told me. So you haven't seen your mother yet?"
"Nope. You're my first stop. Sounds like you have, though. 'Joyce, I'm in here'?"
Giles removed his glasses, then put them back on again. "Well, you did say in your note to her that she should come to me with questions. She did."
"Giles. How much time have you spent with my mother?" Buffy demanded.
"Well, she does have a LOT of questions. I begin to see where you get certain of your, uh, personality traits."
"Giles!" Buffy warned.
He sighed and sat down in a chair. "Three or four evenings a month." He confessed. "Also some mornings and afternoons." He knew he might as well tell her; she would find out sooner or later anyway. He looked back up at her, prepared to meet her look of outrage, but was surprised when her expression showed... amusement, and an odd kind of satisfaction.
"Well," she said, sitting down beside him. "At least you're not some psycho android who's going to drug her with cookies and object to my going out slaying every night!"
"No. At least I won't do that. And were I you, I wouldn't worry too much about not being welcomed home." Giles reassured her. They smiled at each other, glad to have things back to some degree of normalcy.
"BUFFY!" came Willow's ecstatic shriek from the doorway as she rushed to hug her friend. "Welcome home! Adam told us you were back, and I had to see you right away!"
"Hi, Will! Hi, Xand-man!" Buffy said happily. Then, slightly nervously, "Hi, uh, Adam."
"Hey, Buff. Glad to have you back with us," Adam said. He had come in with Willow. He hugged Buffy tightly after Willow had her turn, then purposely went and put his arm around Willow.
"Hey, what's all this, then?" Buffy asked, teasing. "Are you guys dating now? How did this happen?"
"It's the hellmouth," Xander started to explain, but got cuffed by Willow.
She blushingly tried to explain. "Well, Oz left me and went to New York, and then Adam came back without you and asked me for a date, and well..."
"I like her. And you seemed so happy with Spike," Adam explained, watching her closely. He DID like Willow, but didn't want to hurt Buffy. "Buff, are you okay with this?"
"Well, other than the fact that it's really weird, yeah!" she grinned. "And yeah, I am happy with Spike. Hey, thanks for letting him have your apartment, by the way."
"No problem. I'm a lot happier with the nice, high, sunny place that I have now." He said. "Been a long time since I could say that!" He grinned.
"Well, isn't this a happy gathering!" Principal Snyder stalked into the library in his usual pompous way. "So, Summers, finally decided to come back and finish the job?"
"You know I didn't do that! Not even the 'deeply stupid' police still think I killed that girl!" Buffy shot back.
Snyder gestured impatiently. "I know that, girl! Do you think I'm as stupid as they are?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"I'll have none of your lip, Summers. Listen up. School starts next week, you've been reinstated, and I expect you to be there. Uneducated Vampire Slayers are a hazard to themselves and others. So finish what you've started!" And with that, he stalked out again, leaving behind a totally mystified group of people.
"Oh, my!" spoken by Giles, pretty much summed up the feelings of everyone in the room.
"Well, listen guys, I'm going to go home now and see where things stand with my mom. I'll see you all later."
Buffy went home to find that Giles had pretty much summed up the situation with Joyce fairly accurately. Mrs. Summers, although still greatly worried about the dangers of her daughter's nightly battles, had had three months to get used to the idea. And with that came pride in her daughter.
"Buffy, can you ever forgive me for being so clueless? For not noticing? All these years I've thought you were an underachiever and a troublemaker, and now I find out you've saved the world several times and you go out every night and fight demons! And win! It was fairly mind-blowing." Joyce told her after the effusive and tearful greetings were out of the way.
Buffy smiled. She couldn't remember a time when every aspect of her life had melded so well and she felt so at peace. Then she remembered. "Uh, mom? Did Giles tell you I'm dating another vampire?"
When the dust had finally settled in the aftermath of that battle-scene and she finally left her mother's house, the late afternoon sun was making long shadows in the streets. She went toward the Bronze and up a small alleyway nearby, and knocked on the door of what used to be Angel's apartment.
"Slayer!" Spike said happily when he opened the door. "Come on in."
Buffy went in and put up her feet, smiling wearily. "Sorry, I'm still not used to being awake all day."
"Didn't think you would be. Here." Spike handed her a cup of coffee, which she sipped gratefully. "So, what's going on? You didn't come back last night. Did your mum-- "
"She took me back. Oh, Spike, it was so weird! Get a load of this: I'm gone for three measly months, and Xander and Cordelia break up. She's moving to New York, of all places, and so is Oz. Willow, who I thought would be heartbroken about Oz, is happily dating Angel -- uh, Adam! My mom knows all about my being the slayer, and Giles even told her about some of the other stuff that's gone on. She doesn't even hate you anymore!"
"Good. Bet she still won't talk to me, though," Spike said, amused.
Buffy shrugged. "And that's not all! She and Giles have a DATE tonight! How gross is that, my mother and my watcher having a.... thing! Xander's still Xander, of course, but instead of lusting after me, he's after Willow now!"
"...who is with Adam, you said?" Spike said, his brain beginning to whirl.
Buffy stood up and began to pace back and forth. "Yeah. The one good thing is that the school board got on Snyder's case and got me back into school. My mom told me about all this. Seems he goofed up big-time -- get this! -- he thought I was a demon, or something! He knows about the hellmouth, but he thought I was part of it! I think he got some sort of reprimand from the Watcher's Council, so he let me back in and he's toeing the line now."
"Finished?" Spike asked dryly as Buffy's torrent of words ended and she collapsed beside him on the couch where he had been watching her pace back and forth, back and forth. Like watching tennis, he thought.
"Yeah, I think that's everything." Buffy said.
Just then the phone rang. Buffy answered it. Giles' voice came across the line, "Buffy? Oh, good, I was hoping I'd find you there. I need you to come to the library right away; while you were gone, I've been studying the Pergamum Codex. There have been some serious portents which point to a rather alarming prophesy concerning the slayer's return. We need to step up your training so you'll be prepared to face it."
"Well, what is it, Giles?" Buffy asked.
"Well, according to my research and Willow's, the signs seem to point to the end of the world." Giles stated flatly.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Is that all? Geez, Giles, you could have waited till tomorrow for that. After all, it's not like we haven't been there before!"
"Buffy, I --" Giles sputtered.
Buffy said, "Kidding, Giles! I'll be there in a while." She hung up the phone and started to laugh.
"What's up, luv?" Spike asked.
"Oh, there's another end-of-the-world prophesy that I have to abort later on tonight. Nothing major." Buffy explained, taking another sip of coffee.
Spike chuckled. "Hey, find one thing and do it better than anyone else! Home, sweet hellmouth, eh?" he said as he kissed his slayer.
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