_________________________________________________________________________

As soon as the first slow song came on, Buffy headed back toward their table. She was glad that Xander had picked a table in the back of the Bronze. It was the most secluded area in the club, but it had the best view of the dance floor.

Music flooded through the club as Buffy watched the couples dance slowly with each other. Anya and Xander. Tara and Willow. Buffy and no one, she thought to herself. And what prospects do you have Buff? A guy that chains you to the wall of an underground cave. Buffy sighed.

"You look like you're in the same boat as me." A pretty brown haired girl sat down next to Buffy.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you aren't here with anyone, are you?" The girl asked.

"No." Buffy replied uncertainly. The girl smiled slightly and stared off into the dance floor.

If I tell you
If I tell you now
Will you keep on
Will you keep on loving me

If I tell you
If I tell you how I feel
Will you keep bringing out the best in me

For some reason Spike popped into Buffy's head. As the chorus began, she wondered if the things she said that night weren't to avoid the truly forbidden relationship that she could have with the blond vampire.

You give me; you give me the sweetest taboo
You give me; you're giving me the sweetest taboo
Too good for me

There's a quiet storm and it never felt like this before
There's a quiet storm that is you
There's a quiet storm and it never felt this hot before
Giving me something that's taboo (Sometimes I think you're just too good for me)

You give me the sweetest taboo
That's why I'm in love with you (with you)
You give me the sweetest taboo, too good for me (Sometimes I think you're just too good for me)

"I've given up on the boyfriend search. But then you here a song like this and . . . and you hear and you know exactly what this person is saying, was feeling. And you feel like you're missing out on something. Maybe I'm wrong." The girl rambled, never taking her eyes off the dance floor.

"Oh." Buffy didn't know what to say. "Well yeah, I guess."

"Have you ever that kind of experience? What she sings about? Don't you want to feel completely happy and relaxed and consumed?" The girl sighed looking at Xander pulling Anya closer to him.

I'd do anything for you,
I'd stand out in the rain
Anything you want me to do, don't let it slip away
There's a quiet storm and it never felt like this before
There's a quiet storm I think it's you
There's a quiet storm and I never felt this hot before
Giving me something that's taboo

"I did for a while, but then I don't think I was ever relaxed. I was happy for a little while but then... Okay, I really guess I haven't been. You?" Buffy said thoughtfully, thinking of Angel and Riley. "Kind of. I think so. Isn't that sad? I'm not even sure. But you. . . where is he?" The girl finally looked at Buffy.

"Gone."

"Where? Why?"

Buffy for some reason felt like talking to her. "It wasn't going to work out."

The brunette turned to look at her. The lie was written plainly on Buffy's face. The girl stared for a moment, then simply turned her head back to the dance floor. Buffy didn't know what to make of it.

You give me the sweetest taboo
That's why I'm in love with you (with you)
You give me; keep giving me the sweetest taboo
Too good for me

You've got the biggest heart
Sometimes I think you're just too good for me
Every day is Christmas, and every night is New Year's Eve
Will you keep on loving me
Will you keep on, will you keep on
Bringing out the best in me

You give me; you give me the sweetest taboo
You give me; you're giving me the sweetest taboo
Too good for me.

The girl finally spoke. "No, you've never been consumed like her."

Buffy was taken aback by her words. How dare she?

"You would have never let him go," the girl continued.

"Excuse me?"

"Listen to those words. The only person that can ever make you feel that way is the last person you would ever suspect."

"I don't . . ."

"It's like an alcoholic haze. Something that numbs your senses and reawakens ones you never knew you had. Something so hot it burns your skin. Something so cold you have no feeling in your fingers. Something so dry that your skin crackles. Something so moist that your skin wrinkles. Something unreasonable, nonsensical, radical and relentless."

Buffy listened to the girl's tirade and realized that she had felt what the brunette was describing.

"So, what happened to you and him?" Buffy asked her.

You've got the biggest heart
Sometimes I think you're just too good for me
Every day is Christmas, and every night is New Year's Eve

Will you keep on loving me
Will you keep on, will you keep on
Bringing out the best in me

She kept her head looking straight on the dance floor. "He died."

Buffy's heart sank as she heard the girl's whisper . "I'm sorry."

The girl looked at her venomously . "You should be. You killed him."

Buffy was completely taken aback, immobilized by utter shock and disbelief. That is, until the girl turned completely toward the slayer. Her black leather jacket opened slightly as she reached in her jacket and pulled out a shining black object. The girl held it close to her body so the slayer couldn't take it away from her.

"So you're going to shoot me. It's kind of crowded. Plus, I never killed anyone." Buffy hissed.

"Silencers are perfect. Especially here." The girl turned her glare on Buffy. "You never killed anyone? You, a vampire slayer? You are the definition of a murderer. You killed him. We were in love! When Jay died the first time, I thought that my world had ended. And then he came to me, a vampire. He wanted to turn me, so that we could be together forever . I begged him not to and he cried, telling me that it was his entire fault, he should have been more cautious. Some guy asked him for directions, and he turned his head." Her eyes filled with tears .

Buffy briefly considered taking the gun, but the girl wasn't stupid. "You might be able to dodge a bullet, but you can't outrun one, no matter what powers you have. I'm an excellent shot, too."

Buffy eyes remained trained on the gun as the girl continued. "I was really hoping that you'd have a boyfriend so I could kill him instead. But it figures that you'd be alone."

Buffy wanted to knock this girl out but she could tell that the safety was off the gun. With the silencer, she could probably shoot Buffy and leave the club virtually unnoticed.

Spike sat across the Bronze watching Buffy and Jay's girlfriend Gina talking for what seemed like a long time. He'd met Gina once when he came back to Sunnydale for the Gem of Amarra. He had thought that Jay was insane having a human girlfriend, but now here he was in love with Buffy.

Spike idly wondered where Jay was. He and Gina were usually inseparable. Spike always wondered how Gina dealt with Jay being a vampire. He killed and she knew it, but she never seemed to care. Spike was amazed at how cold she could be to other humans. He watched as instant tension clouded Buffy's face. Gina's back was to him, but a faint and familiar sent circulated through the air.

"So do you find it hard to accept that I used to be in love with a vampire?" Gina asked Buffy.

Buffy smirked . "No."

"Oh yeah. You used to. Didn't you?"

Buffy glared at her.

"You see, I blame you on two levels. My Jay died twice at your hands." Gina hissed as a couple walked past them.

The music changed . Buffy prayed that the gang would stay on the dance floor, not wanting them to get hurt. Thankfully, another slow song came on, and they continued, oblivious.

"Both counts? This is my destiny to kill vampires. They kill people. Didn't your boyfriend? Kill? Didn't he kill innocent people?" Buffy growled angrily at the girl.

"You don't get it. You killed him twice. You could have prevented his death the first time from what I hear. You could have saved an innocent. Instead . . ." Her voice drifted off as she watched a figure walk out of the shadows. The familiar face smiled at her.

"I don't . . ."

Gina dismissed the shadowy smile with a glance, turning back to the task at hand . "Angelus. You know him. Jay sure did. He was his sire. I heard that you were the cause of Angelus losing his soul. And I heard that you had lots of chances to kill him, but you didn't. Then when he came back, everything was fine between you two, even after all he had done, not only to others but even to you. And then you go and kill the only man I've ever loved. The only person that I would die for. You killed him."

Gina sighed heavily at the footsteps. Buffy resisted the temptation to look at the newcomer.

"What do you want Spike?" Gina never took her eyes off Buffy.

"Just came by to say hello, luv. Long time no see." Spike started. "Where's Jay?"

"Dust courtesy of your friend here," she replied, staring into Buffy's eyes.

"Friend? She's not my friend." Spike denied. "So, you gonna to kill her?"

"Yup."

"Guns get messy and loud, pet."

"True. Usually. Silencer will help. Plus the bullets will mushroom. Shouldn't be too much of a problem. Unless you decide to get in the way ." Gina replied coldly.

"Okay, you've got it all figured out." Spike shrugged his shoulders and prepared to leave. Buffy's eyes pleaded with him to stay. "Sorry love. I consider the uninvite an all over kind of thing. You didn't only uninvite me from your home, but from your life in general. So I feel no obligation to you, Slayer."

"Fine, I invite you back into my house. Do something."

"Are you pleading, Slayer?"

Gina took in their antics, knowing Spike was biding time and Buffy was helping him. She could still kill them both easily. Well, not so easily anymore. Spike could take a bullet and keep on going. Unless she aimed for his head. The Slayer she would shoot through the heart.

Resolved, Gina waited patiently until she noticed Buffy's friends walking toward the table. It was now or never.

Gina pulled the gun from the safe cover of her jacket, jumping back from the Slayer and vampire, planning to just unload the clip. Buffy didn't have time to react to Gina's movements. Distracted, she had only now noticed the scoobies walking off the dance floor.

Buffy felt a stinging sensation along the right side of her ribcage. Then Spike pulled her into a tight embrace, his leather duster cloaking her as his body jerked under the bullets' impact. In a space of seconds, it was over and Spike fell to the ground between the two women.

Gina couldn't believe her eyes. The first bullet had hit Buffy, but not where she had intended. Then Spike had thrown himself in front of the slayer, protecting her. Gina emptied the clip anyway, cursing the vampire.

Flinging the now useless gun away, the brunette ran toward the back entrance and disappeared into the night as the scoobies reach the table.

As Spike fell to the ground, Buffy prepared to attack Gina, but the girl was already gone. Then the scoobies came running. No one else in the Bronze seemed to notice. Buffy winced as she looked at Spike. A small pool of blood began to form around him.

"Oh my gosh." Tara gasped.

Xander just walked over and helped Buffy lift the vampire. The two of them, followed by the others, dragged Spike out of the club.

"Okay, was I the only one that saw Spike actually put himself in harms way for Buffy?" Anya asked Willow and Tara as they walked behind Buffy, Xander, Spike.

"I saw." Tara raised her hand slightly.

Spike woke up to dull, humming pain in his back.

"It's about time you woke up." Buffy grumbled, easing herself out of his armchair.

"What . . ." Spike started, then remembered the events of the night before.

"Next time you want to play super hero don't. Lugging your dead ass around is a pain. Plus you were completely lucky that Willow and Tara were able to take out those bullets with magic because we wouldn't have been able to save your undead butt otherwise. And the next time one of your friend's girlfriends decides to take out their aggressions on me, she should do it at a less public place. Even though no one really noticed at the Bronze."

Buffy grabbed angrily at her coat but put it on gingerly, careful not to aggravate her own wound.

Spike couldn't believe his ears. "What? Oh I get it. Always blame Spike. I think it's a syndrome for you : ABS Syndrome. You think that . . . Never mind. Bugger off Slayer."

He tried to move, but his body ached too much.

"Actually, that was my way of saying thanks Spike." Buffy said sheepishly.

"Yeah right?"

"Fine. It wasn't a thank you. But it should have been." Buffy looked at the ground. "I'm going to get you some thing to eat. I'll be back in five."

Buffy leaned against the crypt door and breathed a sigh of relief. Today could have been THE day and not even at the hands of some big, ugly, bumpy, scabby demon but at the hands of a mortal. Buffy knew that Spike had saved her because of his alleged love. Stupid vampire.

"God, life is way too complicated."

The night air whistled through the trees. Suddenly his words came back to her: I love you. You're all I bloody think about... dream about. You're in my gut... in my throat... I'm drowning in ya Summers, drowning.

Of all the things that she knew about Spike, whether she liked them or hated them, she knew that he was dedicated. Something told her that he'd always be there for her. Never leave her, and he would - as he demonstrated tonight - die for her.

"God! I can't be falling for another vampire," she whispered to herself as she walked through the cemetery.

THE END

If you liked this fanfic why not tell the author your thoughts and comments, richess78@hotmail.com

Back to Richess Fanfiction