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Chapter Text

Buffy really didn't know what she meant to do but all she could think of was escaping. She got tired of all the looks the Scoobies were giving her ever since she revealed that her dying meant going to heaven.

Some were giving her looks of pity, some of accusation, there was anger too and it was all too much to handle. She didn't want to stand still at what went down. She just wanted to find a way to keep moving.

That's how she found herself wandering the streets of Sunnydale, leaving the others to do the research for the bad of the week at the Magic Box. Dawn was safe there with everyone else and that's all she could bring herself to care about.

After walking around aimlessly, she ended up at The Bronze, maybe being around people would help clear the numb feeling she had for a while. Of course it didn't so she ordered herself a drink, it seemed to work the last time she drank, even though it was with Spike.

She downed the first shot and liquid went down easily, she ignored the burning feeling that came with it.

“Ah, it seems that spending time with the Scoobies have lead you to drinking. Are you looking to get sloshed, Slayer?” the blonde vampire said behind her.

“You know what, I'm just going to ignore that and keep drinking,” she answered and ordered a new shot.

“Everything alright there, Slayer? You seem a little off,” he said and stood next to her to get a good look at her. Though he had to admit he also wanted to see the cute face she makes whenever she downed a shot.

Buffy looked up at the ceiling, not in the mood to talk much and said: “I don't really want to talk about it so you can either join me in this drinking or go somewhere else, it's your choice.”

“Well, luv, then I know what my choice will be,” he answered with a smirk and went to order another round of shots.

Their drinking slowly lead them to a table a distance away from the dancing crowd. Buffy felt the alcohol doing its work and felt a little lightheaded. While Spike was still steady on his feet.

Suddenly, she stood up and saw the pool table was free, she felt brave and challenged him for a game of pool.

“Do you even know how to play pool?” Spike asked skeptically.

“I guess we'll find out soon enough,” she said and shrugged her shoulders. Already on her way to the pool table.

He followed her with a bit of nosh he ordered. She didn't seem very coherent and she needs to be if she tried to play pool.

“Eat up first, Slayer or your first turn is going to end up a disaster,” he said and handed her a basket of nachos.

“Ugh, fine, whatever,” she said a little annoyed, “If I do, you need to teach me how to play this game.”

After eating a bit, he shows her how to hold the cue and showed her the stance she needed to use. It brought them awfully close. Their bodies a hair's breath away from each other.

Spike tried to keep his distance but the Slayer always seemed to find a way to have her body touching his and it was driving him barmy. He tried to respect her boundaries because he knows she would never do this if she was sober.

“Why do you keep walking away when I'm close to you?” she finally snapped after the umpteenth time he stepped away.

“You're not thinking straight, you don't want this,” he insisted.

“What if I do?” she said seductively and stepped so close to him, he could feel her every breath.

“You don't mean that, you're sloshed, Slayer,” he said breathlessly.

“I'm not and I'll prove it,” she said, determination clear in her voice.

She then proceeded to do a cheerleader routine she learned a long time ago, she executed it perfectly.

Seeing her dance like that made Spike very conscious of how hot that made him. They were so wrapped up in each other, they didn't realize they were alone in The Bronze. The owner was too busy in the back to notice them.

“Now, where were we?” Buffy said and smiled.

Without waiting a beat, they closed the distance between them and crashed their lips onto each other. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer, getting lost in the feeling of her. All he could feel and hear was her and he didn’t care.

She put her hands on his necks to get closer to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he put her onto the pool table they were using before. Careful of all the balls on the table. He quickly pocketed them to lay her down on the flat surface and he rests his body on top of her. Ready for what he's been dreaming of doing ever since he met her.

Chapter Text

Just as Spike caressed Buffy's hips and his hands crawled under her shirt, she pushed him away.

“We can't do this,” Buffy said out of breath.

“Just mere seconds ago you were all but attacking me with your lips. What happened?” Spike asked, trying not to sound irritated but being turned on like this made him irritable.

She shook her head and got off the pool table to stand up but her knees felt weak because of their heated make-out session. He caught her in his arms before she landed on the ground.

She put her hands on her head to try and calm her breathing and answered: “I'm doing this for the wrong reasons. I just need an escape and this seemed like a great idea for that.”

“I don't mind, luv,” he answered with a smirk and looked her up and down like she was a delicacy to emphasize his point.

“You might not but I do, I won't use you or anyone like that but then…” she tried to explain but couldn't

With her still in his arms, he leaned in closer and whispered: “What, Slayer?”

She quickly escaped from his arms and huffed while saying with anger in her voice; “Then you do things like this, like getting close and being all attractively and then my head says ‘Buffy, yes!’ and then when things do actually happen between us, my head goes ‘Buffy, No!’ and you're just confusing me.”

“I think you just confused yourself right there, pet. Do you even know what you're saying?” he said while not being able to suppress a smile at her cute behavior.

“Ugh, it doesn't matter. Things shouldn't happen between us but they always do. I feel so lost, I can't keep facing the Scoobies with the looks they keep giving me like I'm going to break any second. I just need to escape the suffocation,” she said, frustration clear in her voice.

“Look, pet, I can't change how those Scoobies of yours act but I might be able to provide an escape for you if you wish,” Spike answered slowly, thinking of any way that could make her feel better and continued, “What if you leave town for a while, not for long, just for a wee bit? It's the right time, no baddies have gone bump in the night yet.”

“That sounds like the worst idea ever,” Buffy dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand but her head returned to the battle of ‘Buffy, yes!’ and ‘Buffy, no!’ It was a very tempting idea, she had to admit.

Spike saw her doubt and he thought he had found the perfect way to make her feel even a little bit better so he kept on going: “It doesn't have to be far, it can be a car ride away from Sunnyhell.”

“What will my friends and Giles think?” Buffy said and tried to come up with an excuse but the side of ‘Buffy, yes’ was winning this battle.

“They managed the summer without you, I'm sure they can last a few more days,” he insisted and started to feel hope he would convince her.

“Wait, how would you know they managed without me? I thought you hated the Scoobies, I didn't think you'd be close enough to them to know that,” she asked and her suspicions grew about what he has been up to this past summer.

He looked down when he felt her piercing him with her eyes and scratched his neck, suddenly feeling awkward.

“I might have stayed close to look after the little bit, I did promise I would keep Dawn safe,” he admitted a little sheepishly.

Buffy didn't know what to answer to this so instead, she said: “Just another reason I can't just up and leave for a few days. Who would look after Dawn?”

“She could come with us, I'm sure she'd like a road trip. She could have some fun after such dark times,” he was quick to answer. He didn't mind bringing her along, it might cheer the little bit up as well.

“I don't know, Spike, it all sounds too good to be true…” Buffy said with a sigh. She had responsibilities and the conflict in her head kept raging on.

Before Spike could answer, they heard a voice they thought they would never hear again… They both turned around to get a look at the sudden guest that interrupted their conversation.

Chapter Text

“Spike, is that you?” someone that looked a lot like Buffy answered in a cheerful tone, “Oh, it's so good to see you.”

Buffy's mouth fell open in surprise at the person that was standing in front of her. No, not a person, but a thing.

“Is that the Buffybot? I thought it was gone for good after all the baddies released hell on earth the night I was resurrected,” Buffy said in a surprised tone.

“Willow fixed me, though I didn't think she'd expect me to actually walk around right now,” the Buffybot answered with a bright smile.

“What do you mean by that?” Spike finally got around to say after the surprise that hit him.

The Buffybot had to think about that for a moment and then answered: “Well, she put me in sleeping mode but I somehow woke up anyhow and when I did, I went looking for you straight away, Spike.”

She walked closer to him and tried to go for a hug but Spike stepped away immediately, feeling uncomfortable and ashamed he had the thing made when his obsession got the best of him. How could he ever be happy to have this thing around when it could never measure up to the real thing.

“You can't just wake up without someone doing that for you, it sounds suspicious,” Buffy interrupted, trying to ignore how uncomfortable she felt being around that thing.

“I'm sure Red would love to find the answers for you, luv. She probably knows best how to deal with this,” the blonde vampire suggested, wanting it gone as soon as possible.

“I can't go back to Willow, I have to go on patrol, it's what I'm supposed to do first whenever I wake up,” the Buffybot said, tilting her head in confusion. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

“Even better, she can replace you while you get out of town for a while, Slayer. Little Red probably programmed all the things you normally do every day, that includes looking after the little bit,” he said, suddenly cheerful at the possibilities of this occurrence.

“Are you kidding, Spike? Now I definitely can't leave. This problem has a cause and we need to find it as soon as possible. It can't be good that she's back. There's got to be a reason for it.” Buffy said, angry at the suggestion he was still making.

“Fine, Slayer but there's got to be a moment where you should look out for yourself. You deserve to not worry all the time even if it's your job,” he said with a sigh.

She always jumped into action whenever there was a problem and he hated to see how much it always weighed on her. Couldn't the PTB just give her a moment of peace for once? Hasn't she done enough to deserve that, even for a little bit?

“Now's not the time to argue, we have things to do. We have research to do. Let's get back to the Magic Box, they're probably all still there,” she said and didn't wait for an answer.

She marched back onto the streets, back to her friends and responsibilities and their lingering looks. Yeah, a moment of peace was probably very welcome right now but when did she ever get what she wanted? Didn't getting pulled out of heaven tell her enough? The PTB really didn't think she deserved that.

She stormed into the magic store with Spike and the Buffybot on either side of her while she had a look of determination clear on her face. Time to get back to business.

“Willow, did you wake up the Buffybot again?” Buffy said, not beating around the bush.

“What?” her redhead friend asked in confusion and looked up from the book she was reading, “Oh my gosh. This can't be.”

She stood up from her chair and took a good look at the Buffy look alike next to her best friend and she pleaded: “I swear I didn't wake her, I mean, yes, I fixed her but I didn't wake her.”

“Well, someone bloody well did and you should figure out who because whoever this fellow is that did it, can't have good intentions,” Spike interrupted, irritated by the stalling the redhead did.

“Why shouldn't we assume it was you, Spike? I mean you were the one, that did have her made,” Xander said, intruding in the conversation that was happening between the three of them.

“I didn't even know she sodding fixed it, you poof so how would I wake the bloody thing up?” Spike said, very angry now at the implication, “You know what, it doesn't even matter what you think, just find out what happened here.”

With that last sentence, he left the shop, his duster floating behind him. The Buffybot was about to go after him but Buffy stopped her and went after him herself, not knowing that while doing so, she was finally going to have the moment of peace she so desperately wanted. Even if it wasn't going to be a good thing.

Chapter Text

Buffy ran as fast as she could to catch up with Spike. She didn't know why she followed him, she just knew he might be needed if they did figure out who woke the Buffybot up.

“Wait, Spike, don't leave. We might need you to help us fight whoever woke the Bot up, it can't be a good thing she's back,” she pleaded with him when he stood still as he heard her say his name.

“Is that the only reason you want me there? Because, Slayer, I'm pretty sure you can handle anything on your own,” he said with a shake of his head.

He liked to be needed, sure, but he wished there was more to it. He wanted to be wanted but he only knew that it would only happen in his dreams. Nobody ever really wanted him just for him.

She shook her head in denial and said: “I'm not 100% yet. Of course I need you to help me fight. We might be dealing with someone strong. That's the only reason you should stay.”

—

Someone was watching them, they were waiting to release all kinds of tricks on the Slayer to see just how much she can handle until she breaks.

“Wrong answer,“ said a voice from their hiding place and pushed a button, “Sorry, Buffy but you'll be stuck in the same moment until you admit the truth to yourself.

—

“Wait, Spike, don't leave…,” Buffy said, running out of the Magic Box after the blonde vampire.

She stopped speaking when she had a weird feeling of déja vu and mumbled to herself: “Didn't I just say that a minute ago?”

“Slayer, don't tell me you've gone barmy in the head. You're talking to yourself,” Spike said with amusement heard in his voice. She looked cute talking to herself, but then again, she always looks beautiful and cute no matter what.

"Whatever, we need you here so you could be ready to fight just in case,” Buffy said while ignoring what he said to get back to business.

“Is that all you want me there for?” he asked, always trying to look for meanings that aren't there. He is love's bitch after all.

“Of course,” she said confidently.

Then she was running right back out the door after this annoying vampire. Dammit, why does she keep running after him? She really didn't like doing that.

“Why do I keep running after you? It's like this conversation keeps starting over!” she asked Spike but he just looked confused at her and she continued, “It's like I'm in some kind of hamster wheel I can't get out of.”

She ignored the piercing look Spike was giving her and thought about it for a moment. Then it finally dawned on her.

“I'm in a damn time loop. How do I get out of a time loop?” she asked no one in particular.

“Do you need something from me, Slayer, or are you going to keep standing there to talk to yourself?” the vampire interrupted her thoughts and she looked up at him.

“No, I just need you to help me fight at whatever behind us,” she said, distracted by her current predicament. She seemed to be the only one aware of this time loop so it's up to her to get out if it but how?

Then it all started over again and she yelled out frustrated. This has got to stop.

“What's wrong, pet? You seem a little out of it,” Spike said and stepped closer to her to make sure she was okay.

“Everything's fine. I'm just stuck in a time loop, that's all,” she said sarcastically.

“That doesn't sound all too well. What happens right before the time loop starts all over again? That's usually where things go awry,” he said, casually as if he has been through this a dozen times before.

“I keep saying I only need you to help me fight,” Buffy answered, trying to figure out why that's wrong to say.

“Maybe you’re not being honest with yourself. Maybe there is a different reason why you don't want me to go,” he tried and a little seed of hope grew inside of him.

“Okay, a different reason,” she paused and thought about it, “Why do I need you here to stay? Maybe it's not about needing but about wanting. I want you to stay because you're the only one I feel comfortable with right now.”

It all flowed out of her and now she was waiting for the time to restart but they just stood there for minutes at the time, looking around but nothing happened.

“It worked,” she said, cheerfully, “Now we should get back to business.”

She didn't want to dwell on what the words she just spoke meant so she went back inside and he followed closely.

—

“That wasn't so hard was it,” the voice that was watching them said, “The first step of my plan worked now they just need to follow the trail of breadcrumbs I left for them to find.”

—

“There you guys are,” Willow said and stood up from behind the bot's control panel, “I found something.”

“What is it, Willow?” Buffy said, eager to get to work.

“Someone's controlling the bot from a distance. They're connected via a wireless connection and I managed to find out where it came from,” the redhead said, happy to have found the results.

“It's coming from L.A.” Willow said and looked up at them expectantly.

“I think that means we have to go to L.A.” Buffy said, not happy about this turn of events. She really hoped she wouldn't run into her ex there.

Chapter Text

“I should go with you. It's likely the bigger fight is from wherever the Bot is controlled. I need to be there to help,” Spike immediately said after it was clear Buffy needed to go on a road trip.

He'd like the alone time even though it's likely they would come across her poof of an ex. He really hoped he was too busy to see them.

“Of course, you would say that because you'll be alone with her then,” Xander rudely interrupted his thinking. Spike got really bloody irritated every time the boy got high and mighty, which is almost always around him.

“What if it's human?” Willow reasoned, there wasn't time for an argument here.

“Not many humans know about the Buffybot's existence so I highly doubt the chip is going to stop me,” the vampire answered. The redhead was clearly the voice of logic.

“What do you think, Buffy?” Willow asked her best friend who's been quietly staring at nothing in particular.

She shook her head when she heard her name and asked: “What?”

“Do you think it's useful to bring Spike with you to Los Angeles? If whoever behind this is human, he will be useless in a fight,” Willow repeated, worried about her friend's distraction.

Buffy had to think about it for a moment. She already admitted she wanted him around, might as well go with it. Besides, she really didn't want to face Angel alone if they came across him. Their last conversation was bad enough.

“He'll come with me, no discussion needed,” she said, determined and stopping Xander from protesting.

“We'll take my car,” Spike answered with a delightful smile and almost danced on the balls of his feet in excitement.

“But I should bring Dawn with me, you'd be too busy researching possible leads to watch her, I'm sure she'll be excited to get out of here for a little bit,” Buffy added, “We'll need to pack some stuff. Who knows how long we'll be there to find the person behind it.”

“Here's the address that I managed to find. The signal was coming from there,” Willow said and handed Buffy a piece of paper, “Good luck, call when you find a phone on the way, I might have found more info by then.”

“Okay, thanks, I should get home to pick up Dawn, Anya's watching her right now,” Buffy said, still a little distracted, “I'm pretty sure she talked Dawny's ears off about all the wedding decisions she has to make.”

Willow sat back down next to Tara to look more closely at the Buffybot. Xander went back to his books, looking for a possible demon with technical knowledge.

Spike and Buffy left the shop in silence but he soon stopped her carefully by the arm to talk to her for real.

He turned her around so he could see her face and asked: “What's wrong, Slayer? You've been way too quiet in there for it to be normal.”

She sighed, she admitted a lot tonight, she might as well keep going and said: “I'm just not looking forward to going to L.A. Last time I was close to there, I met Angel after I got resurrected and that conversation didn't go so well. I don’t want to face him again.”

She looked down, she felt tears building up behind her eyes. She never saw Angel so emotionless. He even felt things without a soul but this time, there was nothing. Just a lot of awkward tension. It was like they were strangers, like nothing big happened between them.

“Hey, pet, look at me,” Spike whispered softly, he hated to see her hurt, “Please, look at me.”

She didn't and slowly, he put a finger under her chin and tilted her head so he could see her beautiful eyes who obviously had heartbreak in them. He felt she wanted to look down again so he rested his forehead on hers so she couldn't look away, even if she tried.

Her breathing stalled and all was quiet between them. All they did was look in each other's eyes and words were lost between them. He never felt close to Buffy, but this time he did. She wasn't hiding anything, she left all that was there bare for his eyes to see and he could see the world of hurt she's been through in her still young life.

In that moment, he decided that whenever they were done handling this business, he was going to ensure she had a break so she could go and do whatever her heart desired. He didn’t care what her friends would think, he just wanted to see her smile again. He hoped that not having the weight of the world on her shoulders just for a moment would help her get there.

But now, they had to get back to business and go to the belly of the beast.

He pulled away first and reassured her: “I'll make sure we don't even need to see a glimpse of Captain Forehead. We don't need his help, we can handle this on our own.”

“Alright then, let's get ready for a road trip in your crappy car,” Buffy said with the smallest hint of a smile.

“You take that back, that baby's been with me since forever. She's the only one who hasn't let me down,” Spike said teasingly.

They both go their separate ways to get ready for a road trip that would change things between them irrevocably. They just don't know it yet.

Chapter Text

They decided to get on the road when the sun went down. It was the safest time for Spike and he insisted on driving. He might have heard of Buffy's driving skills and he didn't want to risk it.

“How long is there left to drive?” Dawn whined to break the silence. She was excited to get out of Sunnydale but the drive was the most boring part and everyone in the car needed to know that.

“Just a few more hours, please be patient, we'll be there before you know it,” Buffy assured her, feeling like her mother who always had to deal with Dawn during long car rides.

“Can't we at least stop near a gas station or something, I really need to use the bathroom,” Dawn persisted, she really needed to stretch her legs. She couldn't sit quietly for too long.

“Fine, we'll stop along the way but we can't stay long. Who knows what kind of baddies hang around there around this time,” Spike finally said, he isn’t used to entertaining a teenager in an enclosed space.

Dawn clapped, happy to have gotten her wish and asked: “Can we also stop for snacks or something? What is a road trip without the right snacks?”

Buffy liked to see her sister smile and answered: “Fine, Spike should get the snacks while I keep an eye while you go to the bathroom. I don't want to take any risks.”

“I get it, you don't always need to be so overprotective. I'm sure we'll be fine. If not, I have the best fighters near me,” Dawn stated like it was a well known fact.

“I only have enough dough for a few snacks so don't expect a truck load but what would you like to have, nibblet?” Spike asked, wishing he had brought more money but he was pretty much out. He hasn't been to a game of kitten poker in a while.

‘Let's see,” Dawn had to think about it for a moment, “Chips of course and maybe some candy like lollipops. Yeah, I'm in the mood for a lollipop.”

“Then I'll get that for you,” Spike just said and took the nearest exit with a gas station and bathroom. They stepped out of the car when he parked and went to do their own errands.

Soon enough, they were back on the road. Buffy was relieved they were the only ones in that gas station. Dawn gladly took one of the lollipops from the big bag he bought and offered one to Buffy and she gladly accepted. She might find a little joy in this tiny thing. She used to like these a lot.

She started sucking on it, trying to get any feeling back and the small joy she felt, told her that it worked. She was so focused on her lollipop, she didn't notice the vampire at the wheel staring at her or better yet, her mouth and the lollipop.

The sight of her sucking it, brought Spike's mind into dirty territory. He felt himself get hard and he really had to focus on the road but it was difficult with that image in his head. He pressed on the brakes of the car, luckily, no one else was on the road. He couldn't take it anymore.

“That's it, you're driving, Slayer. I can't do this,” Spike said and sounded a little angry. He was mostly irritated with himself. He needed to stop being turned on by everything she does. He tried his best to hide the effect she had on him.

“What? What happened?” Buffy asked, startled by the sudden stop they made.

“Nothing, just drive,” he said, avoiding the question. Getting out of the car before she could see his face or anything else.

He didn't seem to be in the mood for an argument so Buffy didn't say anything and went to sit behind the wheel. He quickly explained how to drive the car, since it's an older one, she didn't quite know how to drive it.

Soon enough, they were on the road. Music was playing quietly in the background and Dawn was happy to listen to the songs that came on the radio while Buffy focused in driving as carefully as possible and Spike tried to get the image of Buffy and the lollipop out of his head. It wasn't simple but he finally managed to do so.

To keep himself distracted, he asked: “So have you figured out the location of the signal for the Buffybot?”

“Yeah, while you were buying snacks, I called Willow on the payphone there and she managed to know what the place was,” Buffy answered, not looking at him, “Apparently, it came from this bar called Caritas. It's a known hang place for demons and other night creatures.”

“Never heard of it,” he said, “We might have to ask around if anyone heard of it.”

“No need, I met someone on my last visit near L.A. who could help. I'm also probably going to ask her if she could watch Dawn because I'm not bringing her to a bar known for demon clientele,” Buffy explained and took a look in the rear view mirror, her sister was fast asleep.

“Who's this person?” he asked suspiciously.

“Well, you're about to meet them. They're waiting for me. I called ahead,” Buffy said with a small smile.

“Can't wait to meet this secret friend of yours,” Spike said, his curiosity piqued.

They stopped and got out of the car at an apartment building, Buffy's friend was waiting there.

Chapter Text

“East Hills Teen Center? What is this place?” Spike asked, looking at the building while Buffy slowly tried to wake up Dawn.

Groggy, Dawn got out of the car and looked at where Spike was looking and she frowned, too tired to ask questions.

“It's a place my friend runs. Her name is Anne. I met her after I ran away to L.A. after I sent Angel to that Hell dimension,” she explained, “We kept in touch ever since.”

“Is the place even open at this hour?” he asked, noticing it's the middle of the night.

“It's always open, I just don't know if she's inside so let's take a look,” Buffy said and pulled Dawn along to the entrance.

They all walked inside and Buffy immediately noticed the blonde talking to one of the homeless teenagers she was taking care of.

Anne Steele looked to see who walked inside and smiled at the visitors and said to Buffy: “Hey, Buffy, I didn't expect to see you here.”

“What is this place?” Dawn asked no one in particular.

“It's a safe place for teenagers who are homeless and seek help,” Anne explained, “I started it up after Buffy helped me with someone I thought was good but turned out to have killed my boyfriend.”

“Ah, the Slayer, always helping people, even if she's running away,” Spike smirked and couldn't help but smile at the thought of Buffy being Buffy while she pretended to be someone else.

“Oh, shut up, I was just doing my job,” Buffy dismissed with a wave of her hand.

“So what brings you here?” Anne asked, assuming this probably wasn't a social visit.

“Well, there's a new baddie after us and I was wondering if you might have heard something or at least heard of a club known to be a demon hangout,” Buffy hesitantly said. She hated asking for favors.

“I don't really have my ear to the demon ground but I know someone who might be able to help you, I'll give her a call,” Anne said and went to the phone to leave a message.

“Who is this bird you're calling?” Spike asked curiously.

“Her name's Fred, she works with this Angel guy, she helps him with all kinds of supernatural problems but sometimes she volunteers here. She heard of this place and wanted to help,” Anne said while typing in Fred's number.

“She works with Angel?” Dawn asked angrily.

“I'm sorry, I don't think we've introduced ourselves,” Anne said, ignoring the question while walking back to the trio after leaving a voicemail, “My names Anne Steele, a friend of Buffy's and you are?”

“Right, this is Dawn, my little sister, and this is Spike, someone who's here to back me up,” Buffy introduced them.

“Right, the sister that appeared out of nowhere and you needed to protect,” Anne remembered the stories she's been told.

“You tell her everything, pet?” Spike asked, amused by her knowledge.

“Of course, she's a good friend. It feels good to talk to an outsider.” the Slayer answered a little defensive.

“I didn't mean to…” Spike started but was interrupted by the door opening.

“You're lucky I was still awake. I was trying to find more information on the dimension I was sucked into,” a female voice said behind them, “What's all this?”

“Fred, this is the Buffy I've been talking about. Buffy, this is Fred, a scientist who knows about the supernatural in this city,” Anne introduced them.

“Buffy, the same girl Angel knew, right?” Fred asked and joined them at their table.

“I see everyone's talking about me here,” she said, a little annoyed.

“You are the Slayer, of course everyone is talking about you, but anyway, Anne said you needed my help. What's going on?” Fred asked, looking at Buffy expectantly.

“Right, well, someone's been messing with us in Sunnydale from here, L.A. I mean and we found an address where we may find whoever is behind this,” Buffy quickly explained.

“What's the address?” the girl asked.

“It's this place called Caritas, it's supposed to be a demon hangout,” Spike intervened.

Fred raised her eyebrows in surprise and said: “I know the place, it's a karaoke bar run by a demon named Lorne, I know him a little but that place is supposed to be neutral, everyone is welcome there as long as you don't fight.”

“Can you get us in?” Buffy asked eagerly.

“I guess but please don't use violence in there or I won't ever be welcome there,” Fred begged, she didn't want to be kicked out.

“We won't, let's go,” Buffy stood up, ready to confront this baddie, “Wait, Anne, do you mind watching Dawn? I don't feel comfortable at the idea of her being in a place crawled with demons.”

“Sure, I don't like going to those places anyway,” Anne said and looked at Dawn, “So what do you feel like doing?”

As they walked away, the other three stood up from the table, ready to leave.

“So, Slayer, are you up for some karaoke?” Spike, teased as they walked out of the center.

It was time to get some answers.

Chapter Text

Fred being there with them made sure they were let into Caritas without a problem. It was packed tonight. Buffy noticed all kinds of demons listening to the horrible karaoke happening up front.

“Oh, hi, there, dear, I thought you wouldn't come tonight. Said you found something new about the dimension we were in,” a man with green skin said and looked at Fred, approaching all three of them.

“I was and I will tell you about what I found but there are some people I want to introduce you to,” Fred said and ignored the confused looks Spike and Buffy were giving her, “This is Spike and Buffy, they wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Buffy as in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer?” the green skinned demon asked in surprise.

“I see you've heard of me. What's your name?” Buffy asked, a little uncomfortable from the suspicious look he was giving her.

“The name's Lorne but most call me The Host,” he introduced himself.

“Hi, there, mister Host, name's Spike. Can we ask you a few questions?” the vampire introduced.

“Oh, your aura is very dark, that does not look good. Tell you what, you could ask me a few questions after you went up there to sing,” Lorne said while looking at Spike and then to Buffy, “There's a lot of sadness hanging around you, dear. Would you like to sing as well?”

“Why would we do that?” the Slayer asked, confused.

“He has the power to see your future and emotions and other stuff when you sing. He wants to see if he can trust you before he helps,” Fred explained, “I did once too, it's very eye opening.”

“I only require one of you to sing so who's up next?” Lorne said and looked at both of them expectantly.

Buffy just looked at Spike and raised her eyebrows, he got the message loud and clear.

“Fine, I'll do it but you owe me for this, luv and I mean it,” Spike said with a knowing smile.

“He's a unique one, that guy. Anyway, I know you're used to using violence whenever you see a demon so just focus on the singing and everything will be peachy,” the demon said and went to the stage to help Spike pick a song.

It didn't take long for Spike to find the perfect song to sing, it was a good representation for what he’s feeling right now.

“Interesting choice. Prince, always a nice choice,” Lorne said and smiled at the choice, “Now off you go, let that soul or not soul sing of yours.”

The music started and Spike was completely focused when he started to sing: “I never meant to cause you any sorrow. I never meant to cause you any pain. I only wanted to one time see you laughing. I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain.”

As he sang the first verse, he could only look at Buffy. It was like he was saying these words to her. Like he actually meant them.

During the rest of the song, he was lost in his performance and didn't notice anything until he got to the last verse.

He started singing to Buffy again: “Honey, I know, I know, I know times are changing. It's time we all reach out for something new. That means you too. You say you want a leader. But you can't seem to make up your mind. I think you better close it. And let me guide you to the purple rain.”

Slowly, the song faded out and all Spike could hear was the loud applause they were giving him. He didn't dare look at Buffy, he revealed too much while singing, he was afraid of her reaction.

“That was beautiful, so beautiful,” Lorne said as he descended the stage, “So heartfelt.”

“Thanks, mate, so give it to me. What did you see?” Spike asked, trying to get back to business.

“Well, I see you just want to help Buffy so that's a good sign. I'll answer your questions but I might not have the info you want,” Lorne warned, he knew what they wanted but he couldn't help much, “As for everything else, I see your feelings for the Slayer run deep but they also hurt a lot. You're on a good path, keep following it. It's your best course of action and who knows, it might lead you to something you thought would never happen.”

“That's quite vague,” Spike remarked, a little irritated.

“It wouldn't be fun if I went into detail. I'm afraid you'll have to figure this out for yourself,” Lorne said and gave him a thumbs up that was meant to be encouraging.

“How lovely,” Spike deadpanned.

“Great, let's get back to my favorite guests,” Lorne said and steered the vampire to the two girls waiting for them.

Before they got there, there was a loud noise, as if something was breaking. Then the shouts started. It came from where the guys left the girls.

“Oh, please no, don't tell me she just ignored my warning,” the green demon said as he hurried to the scuffle.

“Good going, Buffy,” Spike said appreciatively while following the demon. Ready to step in when needed.

Chapter Text

When Spike and Lorne arrived, they saw a demon sitting on the ground, holding his bleeding nose while Buffy was standing before him with a raised fist.

“What did I tell you about violence?” Lorne exclaimed and took a look at the demon, he seemed fine aside from his nose.

“I didn't want to but he kept bothering Fred, trying to hit her on her and she was clearly uncomfortable,” Buffy defended, “He was about to touch her, who knows where.’

“Is that true?” Lorne said and looked at the witnesses for confirmation.

“It is, I saw it with my own eyes,” a familiar female voice said.

“Kate Lockley? I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were done with demons after you got fired from the LAPD,” Lorne asked, surprised.

“I guess I can't seem to stay away from it all,” Kate sheepishly admitted, “I've been keeping an ear to the ground, just in case more people could die.”

“I'm guessing you know each other,” Spike intervened, looking at the two.

“Yeah, we've met, maybe you could help our new friends here,” Lorne said and introduces them, “This is Spike and Buffy, this one's the Slayer. They're looking for someone who's after them.”

“I'll need more details than that,” Kate deadpanned.

“We'll get to that and hopefully we'll handle this business quickly or else some other person might end up with a broken nose,” Lorne said and looked at Buffy with a disapproving look.

“Can we talk more privately?” Fred suggested, fidgeting because a lot of people are still watching them.

“Fine, let me show you to my office,” the green demon said. Spike and Buffy closely followed him along with the two other women.

“Now, tell me all you know,” Lorne said and they all sat down in his office.

Buffy and Spike looked at each other and started talking.

“So the signal came from here?” Lorne asked for confirmation after they were done.

“Yes, do you know how that's possible? Does someone have remote access to a robot?” Buffy asked, looking at the demon expectantly.

“It's possible they might have broken in to use my computer. But the place is well guarded so I don't know how they could,” the demon wondered out loud.

“Or it's deceit,” Kate thought out loud, everyone turned to look at her, “If they know technology well, they might have found a way to bounce the signal to here.”

“But why?” Spike asked, not understanding much. He didn't use much tech.

“To lead you to a false trail,” Fred said, “They're trying to lead you somewhere they want.”

“Could be but where to?” Buffy said she didn't like someone misleading her.

“Don't know, could be anywhere but it's a lead. Whoever turned on the bot and sent the signal here is good with technology, the list can't be long because they also have to know about that piece of junk you call a bot,” Kate said, a little angry because of the last part.

“No need to judge, he knows it was wrong to let it be made, let's focus on the issue at hand,” Lorne said.

“I'm not sure whether I like it that you know so much about me,” Spike said, irritated.

“I can't help it, you project everything so clearly,” the demon defended.

“Let's fight another time, boys. How do we put names on this short list of suspects?” Buffy asked.

“I'm sure the demon world might have some names,” Kate said, “Demons tend to get chatty when playing cards or something like that.”

“What? I found out a lot by just hanging around this place,” Kate said when she felt everyone looking at her suspiciously.

“So all we have to do is find a game they're playing tonight and we're all set,” Spike said enthusiastically. It has been a while since he played for kittens.

“I can find out, but that's where my help stops. You're on your own for this one, I'd like to keep my business above board,” Lorne said, giving them a warning look.

“That's good, then I can tell you all about what I learned,” Fred said, smiling.

“I'll stick around for a while, see if I can find more info,” Kate said.

“Ready to play a game, Slayer?” Spike said, looking at her, smirking.

“I'm going to regret coming with you, aren't I?” Buffy commented, shaking her head.

“But it will be fun, you can even get something to drink if you're bored,” Spike teased, “I sure like how you act when you're a little lightheaded, pet.”

Spike rested his tongue behind his teeth to look seductive and Buffy was cursing herself because it was working. That look brought out feelings she thought were long buried. She wasn't sure she liked it just yet.

“I'm going to need a lot of drinks,” Buffy said and walked out of the office, ready for their next mission.

Chapter Text

“Of course this game takes place in the creepiest place of Los Angeles,” Buffy said when they looked at the building in front of them.

It was obviously a cafe for demons like Willy's in Sunnydale. If this place is like the one at home, she was sure they'll find the info they need.

“I find it quite appealing,” Spike joked at the place called Marx.

“Yeah, I'm sure it is, especially the booze that can be found inside,” Buffy said, shaking her head, “Let's get this over with.”

They walked in and Spike went straight for the bar and said: “Hi, there. I heard there was a game going on here, I'd like to pitch in.”

“And I would like the strongest things you have,” Buffy said when she got to the bartender.

"Alright, lady,” the human looking bartender said and gave Buffy the drink she asked for, it was a shot of whiskey and then turned back to Spike, “You got something to play with?”

Spike showed him all the cash he had left, I'm sure he would win it all back if he played his cards right. Buffy wasn't paying attention, she downed her drink in one go.

"Another one, please,” she said and handed over her glass to the guy behind the bar.

“You know what, we'll take the bottle,” Spike said and once he got the okay, he led her to the back.

She wasn't easy to take along, she was too busy drinking from the bottle. She had to drown the fact that she went to two demon hangs in one night and felt comfortable for the first time since her resurrection. Something was seriously wrong here but something inside her told her that the reason for this was dragging her by the hand at the moment.

She walked a little wobbly, she almost slipped but Spike caught her in his arms on time.

“Careful there, Slayer or I might think you're falling for me,” he joked as he helped her on her feet.

“That's the lamest pickup line I've ever heard,” she slurred a little.

“It wasn't meant to be one but I could come up with a few if you want and I'll guarantee you, love, you'd be at loss for words,” Spike flirted, trying his luck.

He liked seeing her cheeks flush at his innuendo and he walked with a smirk to the table in the backroom, his hand still in hers.

“ ‘Ello there, fellows, can I be in this game?” he announced himself.

“If Mark lets you in, I guess we don't have a choice,” one of the demons handing out the cards said.

“Alright, what are we playing?” the vampire asked eagerly, sitting down on the empty chair. He left Buffy resting against a wall.

“Kitten rummy,” a blue demon said, “You familiar with it?”

“Of course, the price is kittens while you keep trying to score 50 points until your hand is empty,” Spike said, shrugging.

It was an easy game, cheating wouldn't be too difficult. Buffy might not approve but he needs cash and he'll never see any of these demons again after tonight. He needed them distracted while he fished for information on the new baddie in town.

The game started slow and Spike tucked away cards whenever he could. He made sure there were always fourteen cards in his hands to hide his cheating and Buffy observed while drinking sip by sip. The rules got a little fuzzy after the fifth time she sipped the bottle.

“So I heard there's a new baddie messing with the Slayer. Their messing around seemed to be effective. I wonder who was smart enough to mess with her head like that,” Spike started the ‘small talk’ in between turns.

Buffy scoffed at the insinuation, whoever this needed to do more than turn on a robot and put her in a time loop to get her down, she died and came back to life for God's sake.

Spike smiled at the noise she was making, she doesn't have a filter when she's drunk.

“Oh, that. I heard about that, just a kid thinking he's the greatest genius alive. He's a little pompous for such a small guy who can only talk about robots and dolls. He likes to brag, a little squeaky, likes to talk about how he handled the Slayer like a Pro, even before all this,” the demon across from Spike said.

The vampire looked at Buffy to know if she recognized the description. She stood a little straighter and she had a pretty good idea who they're talking about.

“Oh, he's so dead,” she said, angrily.

“What is that girl doing here again?” the demon on Spike's right asked, “She wasn't invited.”

“She came with me, trying to find some entertainment,” Spike explained.

"Entertainement? This has been the most boring game I've ever witnessed,” she said what she thought aloud, “Had to keep drinking to make this more interesting.”

“You don't have to be here!” the blue demon shouted.

“You're right. Spike, you've just won this game, we can leave now. So kindly give him his winnings and we'll be on our way,” Buffy said and headed to Spike.

“Well, she's right, I won,” he said gleefully while emptying his hand and completing the 50 pointers on the table, “I'll take that.”

He took his cash and the extra bills and frowned at the basket of kittens, he couldn't take them with him.

“Oh, here,” she took the basket and walked outside to release all of them. They were running away freely.

“You sobered up quickly,” he commented as they walked ahead.

“Finally having a name will do that to you,’ she shrugged it off, “Plus, I didn't drink that much. Now let's go get that little man.”

Chapter Text

“So tell me, Slayer. Who are we killing?” Spike asked after a long moment of silence.

Buffy was pacing in front of the cafe they just came out, lost in thought.

“You've met him, he likes to dabble in magic. He even did that spell where everyone worshipped him,” she explained, trying to think of a way to find him.

Spike scoffed and said: “That poof. I didn't think he liked messing with you.”

“I'm sure he's trying to build a reputation in the demon community. But I didn't think he was a technical genius. Maybe he used magic to wake the Buffybot up, I don't know. He must know Warren or he wouldn't know about the Bot in the first place,” Buffy said in one breath, trying to make sense of it all.

“Hey, pet,” Spike said and stopped her pacing by taking her by the arm carefully, “We could ask him all that when we find him.”

She took a deep breath and agreed: "You're right. We need to find him. I just don't know how.”

Spike gave her a small smile and put a strand of hair behind her ear and then pointed at her cranium and encouraged: “If anyone can come up with a plan, it's you, luv.”

Her breathing hitched at the touch and looked him in the eyes, getting lost in how blue they are.

“As much as I like this development of you staring at me, we better come up with a plan. I want to get this over with as soon as possible,” he said, feeling very conscious of himself under her stare.

“Right,” she said and pulled back to think more clearly, “It would be impossible to find him in such a big city so we're going to have to draw him out.”

“Alright, that's a start. What's the best way to draw this poof out? Maybe play on his weaknesses,” Spike suggested. He wished he knew the little fellow better to be of more use to the Slayer.

“That's it,” she called out excitedly, “His weakness. He wants to be worshipped so all we have to do is make him think someone is worshipping him and get the word out in the demon community.”

“Like a fake fan,” Spike said and smirked, “Easy enough, we can spread the word at Marx's and Caritas. Maybe suggest we want to meet him in person. Get him to a place we know. Trap him there to question him.”

“Maybe we can lure him to where Angel Investigations used to be before some evil law firm blew it up. It still stands there, it just doesn't have all four walls,” Buffy suggested.

“I thought you didn't really speak to Captain Forehead anymore,” Spike said, sounding a little jealous.

“I don't but he brought me up to speed during our last conversation. That was all it was, an exchange of information. No emotions whatsoever,” she said, a little sad. That was an awful memory.

“I'm sorry for sounding like a pillock. Let's get the word out. I know the place you referred to. Let's split up and go to both places and meet up at the location in an hour,” he said, not wanting to stay on something Buffy was obviously struggling with.

She just nodded and went in the direction of Caritas. They did as planned and by now, the entire demon world knows about the fake fan they invented. He may have overacted when talking about the boy but he needed to be obvious.

When Spike's job was done, he headed to their meet up place. Before he got there, he was stopped by the demon he played cards with earlier that night.

“Your boy reacted to the fan news with a message. I was told to give it to his greatest fan,” the demon said and handed over a small paper.

‘Good to know I have a fan. Can't wait to meet. I have some errands to run but I'll be there tomorrow by nightfall,’ said the note and Spike sighed.

It seemed Spike and Buffy had some time to kill before the meeting. It gave them time to catch up on some sleep but it also gave the opportunity to talk. Maybe he can actually have a conversation with her that doesn't involve favors or threats. He suddenly couldn't wait to tell her the news.

Chapter Text

“Thank you for letting us stay here,” Buffy said earnestly as she and Spike made their beds, “This is so much better than a motel.”

“No problem, no one uses the beds during the day anyway so it's good you're on a vampire schedule,” Anne said, welcoming them in the teen center.

“Thanks, luv. Buffy has chosen a good friend,” Spike said and laid down on his bed.

“I'll let you guys sleep now,” Anne commented as she walked out of the room.

Not soon after, they both fall asleep in their own beds. They're out cold for a few good hours until a ruckus wakes them up.

They were getting food ready for dinner. Some teens eat there every day to have a decent meal at least once a day. The Slayer and the vampire asked if they could help but Anne declined help since Fred is helping her. So they head back to their room.

Spike looked at the sun who's nowhere near under and remarked: “Alright, we have a few hours to kill before we have to meet the boy. Do you have any suggestions?”

The way he said made Buffy think he's already got some ideas on his mind, ideas that'll make her blush if they're said aloud.

“Do you ever not think about sex?” Buffy huffed. She had to hide her reaction at his implications.

“Not around you, Slayer. I can't help it. My hot body reacts to yours immediately,” he flirted.

He wouldn't keep doing it if he didn’t see a hint of a smile anytime he tried. She liked his flirting, she wasn't ready to admit it.

Buffy laid her head in her neck and rolled her eyes: “I really wish I was actually drunk right now. Then I might be able to tolerate you.”

“Ah, your wish is my command, pet,” he reacted and pulled a bottle of the good stuff out of his duster, “I snagged it at Marx's when they didn't see me.”

Buffy's eyes grew wide and took the bottle from him and took a swig. He did the same.

“So what do you want to do for real?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“How about a drinking game?” he suggested, “A game of truth or dare but only truth. If you tell the truth, you drink.”

“Is this your excuse for any question you've always wanted to ask me,” Buffy guessed and looked at him in disbelief.

“Maybe, are you in or out?” he insisted and she agreed with a nod.

They started out small by asking small questions like favorite movies or series. Pass times, what they like to do the most.

They kept telling the truth so they were pretty sloshed. Buffy's filter was gone and she just asked anything she could think of.

“You know, Angel implied some stuff when he lost his soul and I've been wondering ever since,” she started and frowned in thought, trying to remember what her ex said.

“What is it?” he sounded suspicious, he had no idea what Angelus could have said to her.

“That vampires don't care where their pleasure comes from. That anyone would do if they satisfy the needs. Like girl vamps would be with girl vamps and guy vamps would do stuff with guy vamps,” she carefully said.

“Right, well, the family tried to teach me that anyone could give you pleasure, they even demonstrated it. I went along with it but I wasn't particularly fond of it. I was fine just being with Dru but Darla and Angelus wouldn't allow that,” he said quietly, not liking that particular part of the past.

He didn't necessarily have a problem with getting intimate with men but he preferred birds and most of all, he preferred to have long term commitment. Something that went against vampire philosophy so he didn’t yell it from the rooftops.

He took a big swing from the bottle and handed it to the Slayer and he asked: “How about you, Slayer? I know you've only been with boys but have you ever thought about birds like that?”

Her cheeks turned scarlett and she drank before she answered: “I've thought about it a few times, not realizing I was doing it. It was just a moment where I thought: what would it be like to kiss her? I didn't dare think further on the subject.”

“Interesting. I never could have thought but it doesn't matter. You should do whatever or whoever you want,” he said while processing her answer.

Every time he got to know one more thing about her he didn't know, he fell in love with her even more.

Just then, he looked outside and saw the sun was about to set.

“As much as I'd like to continue this game. It's time to go. We have a meeting to get to.” he said and stood up and helped Buffy up with his hand.

“Let's hope this is over by tonight,” she said while they said goodbye to Anne and Fred.

It was time to meet up with Jonathan Levinson.

Chapter Text

“So how long do we have to wait before he shows up?” Spike asked, getting impatient.

Buffy and Spike hid behind a piece of rubble so they could ambush Jonathan when he arrived. Spike really wished he didn't have a chip in his nogging or he would punch the twat just because he messed with his Slayer.

“Sh, be quiet or you're going to ruin our cover,” Buffy said and gave him a mildly annoyed look. She was happy she didn't have to wait alone in this ruin.

They waited there for another few minutes until they heard footsteps, clearly heard over all the rubble.

“Hey, it's Jonathan Levinson, the one you admire so much. Are you there?” Jonathan shouted, looking around to see if he saw anyone.

Buffy rolled her eyes and then appeared right in front of him to say: “Hi, there. Missed me?”

“Buffy!” he shouted and tried to run away but Spike used his vamp speed to block the exit.

"Oh, no, you're not going anywhere, you sod. You have some explaining to do to the lady,” the vampire reprimanded him.

Jonathan squeaked out of fear. He wasn't ready for an ambush. He thought he wouldn't have to face the Slayer.

“It's not what you think!” he yelled out quickly.

“Really because it looks like you're trying to mess with me by turning on the Buffybot, someone that looks exactly like me. To freak me out even more, you made a time loop happen to make me confess," Buffy said angrily.

She didn't have the patience for his denial so she tried to intimidate him by walking forward, forcing him into a corner. Spike by her side. He had nowhere to go.

He was visibly shaking and looked between them in panic, trying to find a way out.

“It wasn't me!” he rushed out, “I mean, yeah, I gave her the info she needed and even gave her that spell to cause a time loop but she was the one doing all this.

"She? There's another one wanting to mess with the Slayer?” Spike asked in disbelief.

“Sounds about right, not everyone likes me fighting evil. You know, friends and all but who is she?” Buffy waved away his disbelief and tried to get to the bottom of it all.

What she didn't say was that it was very tiring to keep on fighting. She was supposed to be done. She tried to hold back her tears but one question remained: ‘Why did they have to rip her out?’ She longed for peace again but that won't happen anytime soon. So she shoved her longing down and crossed her arms, looking at Jonathan expectantly.

“I can't tell, she'd kill me if I did,” Jonathan said in a small voice and looked down at the ground.

“Such an old excuse and I could tell from experience. I am a 100 year old vampire,” Spike commented.

Buffy gave him an incredulous look and he defended himself: “What? I'm not that old.”

She shook her head and switched her attention to the quivering boy in the corner.

“Just give us something useful and we'll let you go,” she said in a bored tone, she wanted to get it over with.

Jonathan took a deep breath and said: “Fine, I may not be able to tell you her name but I can send you to a place where you can find her. Just follow this lit up trail. It'll get you where you need to be.”

He took a handful of some kind of dust from a jar and blew it to the streets to make a trail.

“Should we trust him?” Spike asked skeptically.

Buffy shrugged her shoulders and said: “It's the only lead we have.”

Something in her chest pulled her towards the trail, like a magnet and she couldn’t fight it. It should be her first clue that something was off.

Spike followed her cautiously, he didn't want to lose her out of his sight if something were to happen because he had a feeling it would.

When their backs turned to Jonathan and were out of earshot, he let out a breath of relief and whispered: “Thank God that worked or she'll have my head.”

He looked on as the pair walked straight to their undoubtedly unpleasant adventure.

Chapter Text

Spike and Buffy have been walking for over an hour, still following the trail of dust Jonathan threw. The longer they walked, the more Spike thought it was a bad idea to listen to that boy.

“Do these trees look right to you?” he asked as he looked at the branches that looked like arms, ready to grab the closest thing.

Buffy didn't dare look around or she just might yell. She caught one glimpse of the woods they were walking in and that was enough for her. All she looked at was the glowing dust.

“I'm sure it's just our imagination playing tricks on us. The woods do look creepier in the dark," she answered.

“Sure,” he just replied, he had a feeling that raising his doubts wouldn't do them any good. Why did they trust that poof again?

They were quiet for a long time until they came across a clearing. It was fully covered by the branches of the trees surrounding them. It was one open place except for the big red tree right smack in the middle of it. The dust stopped at the tree trunk.

Buffy shined her flashlight at the tree and she could swear he heard the tree protest against the light.

“Why stop here? I don't see any trace of anyone except us, this can't be it,” he said, worried and listening to their surroundings.

He didn't hear anything. Not even one small animal. This is definitely wrong. He was about to suggest to Buffy that they should get back but she walked closer to the tree trunk.

“What are you doing, Slayer? That can't be safe,” he said in panic as he stepped closer to her, ready to grab her and get the hell out of here.

“You really should get away from the Spooky Old Tree,” he said quickly, in a hurry to get through to her.

She ignored his warning and tried to inspect the tree but a gush of wind pulled her down to the ground and her flashlight fell out of her hands.

Buffy felt invisible arms grab her legs and she tried to claw at the ground to keep them from dragging her. It reminded her of clawing out of her own grave and she froze, except for her fingers desperately holding onto the ground.

“Slayer, no!” Spike yelled out and ran to her as quickly as he could.

He stuck the heels of his boots into the ground so they wouldn't move and desperately tried to grab Buffy's hand. He got a hold of both and pulled as hard as he could but the invisible arms didn't budge.

He eventually lost his grip and he shouted a desperate no while Buffy got pulled into an invisible hole at the root of the tree.

Spike noticed the hole wouldn't close and before he could think, he let himself get pulled into it.

“I've really got to stop chasing the Slayer everywhere she goes,” he said quietly while disappearing into the rabbit hole.

Chapter Text

After a moment of darkness, a sudden light appeared in front of Buffy that blinded her for a second, making her scream louder. Behind her, she heard someone else screaming and she felt disoriented.

Soon enough, the tunnel she was pushed through came to an end and she landed on a soft bed of small leaves. It was a lot less darker than she expected.

Seconds later, a male body with bleached hair landed next to her. She realized it was Spike. She felt a little relieved she wasn't alone in this uncharted territory.

She looked around at where they were and she could feel the sun burning on her face. A little later than she should, she realized the vampire next to her had a slight allergy to the sun.

“Spike, the sun!” she yelled out and turned her head to look at him, holding her hands to cover him if needed.

Instinctively, he tried to hide from the blasted sun but after a few moments, he realized he didn't feel the usual burning he's used to in broad daylight.

“You're not on fire,” she said in surprise, she had seen him in the sun before.

She felt the same curiosity she did back then to feel his skin to see how it reacts under the sun. She had to admit he looked attractive under the sun. She knew the first time around but she was too busy fighting him to focus on that part.

“Glad to know you're worried about my fragile skin but I'm fine, pet. Don't know why though. I'm not wearing that sodding ring,” Spike said dryly, looking around.

This place seemed surreal with the too green grass, the too blue water ponds spread across the open field they find themselves on. Even the sky seemed a little too clear to his liking.

He vaguely recognized the place they were at but it seemed from a time too long ago to remember it well.

He frowned and commented: “This is too perfect, something’s off.”

Buffy didn't reply, she was too distracted by the way his eyes looked even bluer under this bright sun.

Her admiration was cut short when she heard a loud engine nearing them. She didn't recognize the noise but of one thing she was sure. Whatever it was that was approaching them, it was a lot bigger than a car.

Her suspicions were confirmed when they saw the military tank coming in their direction from across the field.

“Is that a…?” Buffy asked the clearly unnecessary question.

“I believe it is, Slayer,” Spike answered, his eyes wide. The thing didn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

“Must be another trap, this Jonathan boy sure does like them,” he commented, standing frozen.

“I don't think this is his trap,” the Slayer said and frowned at the approaching vehicle.

She was in her fighting stance and it seemed like she wanted to fight the thing on her own.

“Are you barmy? You can't sodding fight this thing, we have to run,” he shouted and pulled her along by the hand.

They were running towards the woods. The tank never stopped once. Its barrel pointing straight at the two of them. But he didn't fire, it seemed to only want to lead them in one direction.

They were running fast and the tank kept up with their pace. They were near the edge of the woods and the tank seemed too close for comfort. Eventually, they entered the woods.

The trees would slow the thing down, Spike thought as they stopped to catch a breath. Her hand is still in his. They looked up when the noise of the vehicle got too loud, just then, they saw it turn around. Back to where it came from.

“What is the meaning of this? he asked in disbelief as they looked at the retreating vehicle.

‘It wanted us in the woods,” Buffy guessed, looking around, not ready to let go of his hand, “But why?”

He didn't know the answer to that and he just shook his head. Then a growling noise came from deep in the woods.

“I think we're about to find out,” he said as he turned around to the woods. Getting ready for whatever's about to come.

Chapter Text

Buffy slowly crept towards the noise. Trying to figure out what it was. But the hands of the vampire she was still holding stopped her.

“Uh, luv, I don’t think we should get closer to the noise. We should walk in the opposite direction,” Spike said, his voice shaking a little.

“Do you think that's going to get us out of whatever this is. Because I'm thinking we probably need to face the danger head on. It seems this is some kind of simulation that gives us one test at a time,” she said thoughtfully as she looked around, “I just don't know what the end goal is here.”

This whole experience felt a little like her 18th birthday. Only she's locked in a much bigger place and it's not just one vampire she has to face. She has to fight alongside one.

“Maybe this bird is trying to get you to do something. Something you normally wouldn't do or she just wants you dead and tries multiple ways to get the job done,” he suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

She shook her head and said: “So far, she's only been giving me tests. Nobody actually tried to kill me.”

“That's refreshing, I miss the times when they just wanted to kill the Slayer and not play games,” he shook his head in disappointment.

“You mean like you,” she gave him a pointed look.

“Exactly,” he expressed and turned his head when he heard the growl again. Only it was a lot closer now.

“Oh no,” she let out while looking like a deer in headlights.

“Is that a…,” Spike said in surprise, “A bear. You made a bear again.”

“It wasn't me,” she scoffed, “But the puppet master of this entire thing definitely knows me.”

She called her fists and was clearly in thought when she asked: “It's a brown bear. So does that mean we have to stand frozen or run as fast as we can?”

“Forget the real world, Slayer. I think we're going to have to fight this thing,” Spike let out sadly. He's definitely never been in a bear fight.

The bear was charging so they didn't have a moment to consider their options. They let go of each other and stood in their fighting stance.

The growling bear ran towards them on four paws, getting ready to knock them off their feet. But they prepared for the move and moved at the last minute. Making it stop in its tracks and turning around. Now solely focusing on Buffy.

“I don't think we're going to win. I have to hold it off while you run, pet,” Spike said as he looked at the clearly angry bear. It wasn't going to let them live after outsmarting it.

“No, we're in this together. We have been from the start of this awful journey,” she shouted and stubbornly crossed her arms across her chest.

“I'm touched, luv. But you gotta go. I'll be right behind you,” Spike said with all the confidence he didn't have and looked at her to get the message across.

She sighed and said: “Fine, but if you're not following me in 5 minutes, I'm heading back.”

Then she ran off. Running as fast as she could and he came face to face with the bear again.

“Now it's just you and me, little bear,” Spike taunted and they both charged at each other at the same time.

Chapter Text

Buffy ran and ran until the landscape stopped her. She was at the edge of a lake and she wasn't planning on swimming. She needed to wait for Spike. She couldn't go through whatever this is alone.

She knew Spike was strong and a bear might be nothing compared to what they usually fight but she didn’t care. He could still get hurt. Just the thought hurt more than she realized.

Ever since she came back, he was the only one who made her feel anything. Being around friends seemed more like a chore than actual fun. She needed effort to do anything these days but not with Spike. He didn't expect anything, being around him is simple and that's all she could ask for right now.

She hadn't had the time to dissect what that entailed but she wanted to figure it out. She paced as all these thoughts went through her, anxious for a sign of him.

She heard all kinds of noises, grunting and growling. Hitting sounds, a little shredding sound and that made things worse for her. All the causes of that noise made her fear something happened to him.

“Spike!” she shouted desperately. She wanted to hear him laugh, he always did when he was winning a fight.

“I'm fine, Slayer. I couldn't say the same thing for that bear though,” he snickered and she jumped in surprise when she heard his voice right next to her.

Without thinking, she put her arms around him and held him tightly and said: “You scared me.”

“Am I hearing you underestimate my fighting skills? I'm disappointed, pet. I thought our fights showed that I was more than capable,” he said, trying to lighten the tension hanging in between them.

She didn't answer and she just looked into his eyes and then down to his lips. The urge to feel his lips on hers was big. It's never been this potent before and she thought the place was doing this to her. The feeling has never been this strong.

Just when she was about to lean in to do what she's been wanting to do for a while, he pulled back. The spell was broken.

“What are you doing?” she asked, frustrated.

“I'm sorry, luv, I really want to snog you right now. But this place, it dawned on me how I know it,” he sounded sincere. The memories hit him too hard to enjoy the moment. He was going to regret pulling away later.

“What is it?” she asked, not letting go of him.

“This place looks like Bath in England, you know the town,” he said and looked around to confirm his suspicions, “I visited this place before I turned. I have nothing but good memories of this place.”

She backed up a little to enjoy the small smile he was showing her while digging up the past: “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I went here with my mum, she was very ill and we heard this place might help her get healthy again. They said a Roman bath might be the cure. So I insisted on going,” he said, a little embarrassed by the story, he just let her know he was a mama's boy. He sounded like a wanker.

But her smile encouraged him to go on: “It seemed like it was working. She had colour again in her face. She wasn't coughing, she wasn't constantly tired. We walked and made a lot of memories but then we had to get back and she fell ill again. We couldn't afford to go again.”

He had a distant and sad look in his eyes so he held onto her tight for support. He shook his head and he was back in the present.

“That's a nice story, thanks for telling me,” Buffy said softly and smiled at him. She liked this sensitive side of him, it was refreshing.

“Sure, Slayer but why did we land here? What does it mean?” he asked, not wanting to get too stuck on the past.

“There's a note,” Buffy said as she looked behind his shoulder.

She reluctantly let go of him and walked to the rocks beside the lake, then picked up a piece of paper.

“What does it say?” Spike asked as he looked over her shoulder to read it.

‘Welcome to Fantasy Island where all your hidden dreams come true. Once you start this journey, you can't go back. You must live out your fantasy until the end. To help you figure out the fantasy you have in common, go behind the waterfall of the lake. You'll find what you need there.’

They looked at each other in confusion. It all sounded too good to be true. There's definitely a catch, they'll only find it if they do what's asked so they start heading towards the waterfall to fulfill their fantasy.

Chapter Text

After a while of walking around the lake to get behind the waterfall. They find a back entrance and enter something that looks like a cave. Sunlight was coming through the gaps between the rocks and it gave an ethereal sight.

“There's another note,” Spike noticed and went to grab it.

‘Have you ever dreamed of the other? I'm sure you did. Telling each other about your dreams will get you closer to your fantasy.’

“So we basically have to act out our dreams,” Buffy said, a little nervous.

Her dreams of Spike have been very r-rated. She couldn't possibly tell him all the dreams she's had of him.

Spike was nervous too and scratched in his neck behind his hair. He didn't know how the Slayer would react if he told her that he dreamed all the time that the fights they had in them were both naked. That every fight ended in an impasse and all they could do was shag it out of them until they're both too exhausted for anything else.

“This isn't awkward at all. We've got to lay it all bare now. How do we go about this?” he nervously asked.

“I think it's clear we're both speechless so maybe we should show instead of tell?” Buffy suggested. She didn't know how far they would take it but it was a start.

Spike took a deep breath and said: “Alright, but I do have to say that being with you in the sunlight was part of those dreams. That fight we had when I had that ring. It was glorious because you looked so beautiful with the sun shining on your hair.”

“You look exactly like you did then,” he commented after a moment of silence. She didn't know how to react.

“I dreamt of that moment too and during that fight, there was a moment where I thought we could solve this differently,” she said, a little out of breath.

“Show me how,” he whispered and he took a step closer to her so she could do what she wanted to do.

Without a warning, her lips slammed on his and took his head between her hands to get him closer so their bodies would touch. She already felt the effect she had on him on her stomach but she tried to ignore his clearly growing bulge.

What was she doing to him? The smallest movement against his lips already made him hard and he wanted to lay her down on the ground and do exactly what he always dreamed of but he had to take control of himself. He tried to bring his thoughts to her kiss and not to his cock.

He put all of him in the kiss and grabbed her by the waist so there wouldn't be an inch of space between them.

The water of the waterfall was a romantic background noise for the kiss to deepen. He asked for entrance with his tongue and she gladly obliged. Their tongues were dancing just like they usually do when they fight. It was even better now. Everything fell away except for the waterfall and he was fine with that. All he needed at this moment was her.

Reluctantly, she pulled away to breathe. She almost forgot to do so with his lips on hers.

“Wow,” she let out, her mind blank.

“I have to say, it's a lot nicer to snog you when you're not drunk,” he teased.

She was a sight for sore eyes with her swollen lips and her dazed look. His chest swelled with pride because he was the cause of this all.

“Shut up and kiss me again,” Buffy ordered and she didn't wait for him to listen, her lips were already on his.

This was definitely a fantasy come to live for Spike. He didn't want to think too much of the implications so all he let himself focus on was snogging the Slayer and she didn't seem to mind.

Chapter Text

It felt like forever when they finally pulled away. They were both smiling widely after making out for hours. They were sitting down by the lake now, enjoying the view.

Buffy felt content after this event and it was a strange feeling to her. She didn't think she ever felt like this, not even with Angel.

With him, there was always something else going on. She just focused on Spike and it felt nice to not have to worry about anything else but she knew it wasn't right. They still had to find a way back home.

Something’s changed between them, no doubt but she didn’t know how she was going to handle it when they're back in Sunnydale. They couldn't keep this going, her friends would not look at her the same way.

“This feels nice, maybe a little too nice,” Spike interrupted her thoughts, “Feeling the sun on my skin without burning. You snogged me without holding back.”

“I know, none of this is real. This couldn't possibly happen in the real world,” Buffy answered nonchalantly.

Her words hit him hard and he was hurt but he refused to show her and said bitingly: “Yeah, because your friends would certainly have something to say about you snogging me because you want to.”

“Spike, we can't possibly work. Not just because of my friends but I just feel too broken to even think about the possibility,” she defended herself, “Besides me being resurrected, my love life has been a disaster even before I died. I can't afford to get lost in it.”

“Maybe, just maybe these boys weren't right for you. Captain Forehead only thinks of himself and never asks for your opinion because he thinks he knows better, you can't even shag him without him losing his soul that's a little bit too loose,” he started ranting, “As for Captain Cardboard, he could never keep up with you and he resented you for that.”

“I don't know, it's all muddled in my head, I don't know anything anymore,” Buffy said, defeated. It's been a long few days.

Just as he was about to protest, they saw the water of the lake start stirring and small leaves that fell from the trees around it started gathering themselves. They started forming letters on their own.

Frankly, it looked like alphabet soup. Buffy couldn't help but notice. Only this alphabet soup was a lot bigger and they had to stand up to read the words the leaves formed.

“Stop fighting yourself, let yourself go. You'll be thanking me later, Slayer,” Buffy read out loud.

“This bird seems really eager to get us together,” Spike tried to lighten the mood.

“I guess but it can't possibly be out of the goodness of her heart. Why would us being together help her?” she wondered out loud.

“Maybe it has something to do with the consequences it will bring,” he reasoned.

He could have a good guess at the consequences of them getting together. It will definitely lead to a fallout between Buffy and her Scoobies. Every baddie knows Buffy is the strongest with her friends having her back but he didn't want to say this all out loud.

He wasn't sure this was the reason. But if it was, he was going to make sure that Buffy and the Scoobies will talk it out. Make them see the reason for a change.

“We should get going, see where else this fantasy of ours will bring us,” he changed the subject, “We have to let this fantasy play out and we'll see how we go from there.”

She agreed with a nod and let the subject rest for a while. She hoped it would end soon.

Chapter Text

They ended up in the town of Bath which looked exactly like Spike remembered from his human years. Memories kept flooding his head. He met a few people here, they were nice, not like the prats from London where he lived. They admired his determination to make his mum feel better, sadly they couldn't stay. Obligations were waiting for them in London.

“It's kind of cute,” Buffy interrupted his thoughts, “Is this what towns looked like during your human years?”

“Suppose so, most people came here to help sick people. Roman baths seemed like a miracle cure,” he explained.

“So what exactly are we supposed to do here?” she asked after she couldn't think of anything to answer.

“How about that quaint little restaurant? I'm sure you're a bit peckish after such a long journey,” he suggested, the place seemed cozy.

“It looks like a date place,” she remarked, “I guess that means we need to go on a date and talk.”

Spike noticed her nervousness and took her hand to distract her and said: “I suppose so. Would you like to have dinner with me, Miss Summers?”

He said the last thing in his old Victorian accent and she couldn’t help but laugh at his formality. It definitely wasn't like him to be a gentleman. It was nice.

She nodded at his questions and he offered his arms so she could rest it on hers. Just like old Victorian times.

They walked inside the cozy building and the maître d’ was ready to welcome them.

“Would you tell me your names?” the girl in Victorian clothes asked.

Spike looked at Buffy with a spark in his eyes. If they're stuck here, might as well enjoy it.

“Of course, it's Leicester Railway and Windsor Castle, my lady,” Spike fell into his old pattern of talking formally. This place was affecting him more than he thought.

Buffy giggled quietly as they followed the hostess to their table. It was in a separate and quiet corner, Buffy was glad. They had some privacy.

The hostess gave them the menu and left after they were seated and they looked at what's available.

“So why Leicester Railway and Windsor Castle?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“I thought it was funny but they were actual people I remember meeting while I was here,” he explained while putting the menu down.

“Seriously? Wow, those names are odd,” she said in surprise, “What was your human name?”

“I'm guessing you ask because you think it'll be funny but I'm not going to give you the satisfaction,” he waved it off.

“Fine, but I will find out one way or another,” Buffy warned and pointed at him with a penetrating look.

Spike just took that finger and grabbed her hand and said: “We'll see about that.”

They talked for the rest of the evening, about small things like the demons they fought and about the big things like previous loves. They laid it all bare and it felt comfortable. It felt like they could never run out of conversation.

Buffy felt herself connecting to Spike and she never felt that before. It was strange how easy things are with him around. They seemed to be on the same wave length. None of her previous boyfriends ever made her feel like she was the most interesting thing in the world.

It scared her, the thought of how easy it would be to just ignore everything but the feelings he awakens in her. She could see herself falling like it was nothing, regardless of how painful the fall would be in the end. Maybe, just maybe, the pain would be worth it.

And that was a dangerous thing to feel, especially here.

Spike didn't notice the turmoil happening inside of Buffy and he was just happy to have spent the evening with her like they could be something real, like she could fall for him and they could be a real, normal couple. As normal as they can be as a vampire and the Slayer.

It was an impossible dream but he will keep on dreaming it, the hope was too strong for him to ignore. It was the first time in his unlife that he actually felt happy and that was enough for now.

After they finished dinner, the hostess appeared in front of them and asked: “Are you ready to go to your quarters, Mr. Railway and Miss Castle?”

They both widened their eyes. It seemed like the night wasn't over just yet. They were both nervous about what this could possibly mean.

But they had no choice so they went ahead and retired to their quarters. It's almost time to end the fantasy.

Chapter Text

The hotel room looked like all the romantic cliches Buffy's ever heard of. There were petals spread on the ground leading to a big canopy bed with more petals on it. The only light in the room were the candles spread all over the room.

“This bird is laying it on thick, isn't she?” Spike commented.

Romanticism wasn't something he did, at least not with Dru. She hated romance so this was a weird sight for Spike. He found himself secretly liking it. There's something about the softness of romance that attracted him. His love life was never like that.

“She’s thought of it all,” Buffy said as she pointed to a bottle of champagne in ice, "I do have to say that the candlelight makes it look all cozy.”

She walked to the bed, wringing her hands together. She's definitely thought of them together a few times but she always dismissed the dirty fantasies because they could never happen for real. But now, she wanted it to be real. To know what it's like, besides making out with Spike earlier today made her want it even more.

“You don't have to do this, Buffy,” Spike tried to comfort, “No one should force you.”

“I know but we got to see it through to the end, right?” she said, walking over to him slowly and his breath caught, “Besides, making out with you made me want more.”

The last thing she said shyly. She was never good at expressing what she wanted. It never seemed to come out right.

Spike looked at her with near worship in his eyes and he couldn't believe what was happening. She wanted this to happen and it took a lot of strength to say it out loud and he couldn't stop himself anymore.

He pulled her close and he quieted her scream of surprise by snogging the life out of her. She immediately kissed back and opened her mouth to welcome him.

With his hands on her waist, his tongue seeked out hers and she pulled him closer by laying her hands on his neck, she answered his question eagerly. Their tongues danced and he was rock hard, it started to hurt.

She pulled away for some air but he didn't let her go and placed kisses down on her neck. She looked gorgeous underneath this candlelight and he wanted to worship every inch of her body.

They moved to the bed, clothes flying off during the trip and then they were naked. With him on top of her.

His lips went from her mouth to her neck to her breasts. He stopped to take her nipple in his mouth while one hand tried to pay attention to her other nipple. She tried to stop herself from moaning and pulled his hair in pleasure.

It made him groan and he pulled away to say: “Don't hold yourself back, Slayer. Scream as loud as you want.”

To help her let go, he took her clit between his fingers and pleasured her. His ministrations were working because she was already dripping wet. So he pushed a finger inside her and the feeling was like heaven to him.

The sight was even better, the Slayer writhing underneath him. He was the one making her moan, it was glorious.

Her orgasm rolled over her in no time and she yelled out his name. He put his fingers in his mouth to know what she tastes like and he rolled his eyes in pleasure.

“You taste amazing, Slayer,” he breathed out.

She seemed too lost in the feeling of coming to hear him but she surprised him by grabbing his cock and trying to pleasure him like he did with her but he took her wrists in his hands to take her hands off of him.

She looked at him confused and he explained: “If you touch me, I'm gonna pop like a sodding school boy but I want to cum inside you. At least if that's okay, with you.”

She nodded in answer and he aligned his cock with her entrance and he pushed inside her slowly. It was torture to go slow and not just thrust inside her in one go but he wanted to be careful with her.

His cock was now fully inside of her and he moaned at the feeling and said: “You feel so good, Slayer.”

She signaled him to move so he did. He thrust slowly inside of her, wanting to prolong it as much as possible.

His fingers were at her clit and her nipples and she arched her back in pleasure. She held onto him tight and he felt her nails digging into his skin. It was the best feeling in the world to be so close to Buffy. It was better than he could ever have imagined.

The pleasure was too much for him so he went faster and her second orgasm came right before he released himself.

His arms gave out because of how strong his orgasm was and she circled her arms around him as he rested himself on her body. He could never have enough of this. Of the Slayer surrounding him in every possible way. He felt blessed.

“Wow,” she said, she couldn’t say more. No words could describe that experience.

“Tell me about it, luv,” he answered.

They laughed at their silliness and she's never looked more beautiful with her smile and the way she looked in this candlelight.

“Now, ready for another round?” he asked after their breathing was regulated.

His cock was hard again and still inside of Buffy and he thrusted once to show he was ready for another go.

Soon enough, they were moving again, chasing another high. He hoped this fantasy would never stop because it was the best thing he ever experienced.

Too bad, it was going to end abruptly and painfully.

Chapter Text

Buffy was taken from her very nice dream of last night when someone was shaking her and calling her name.

“Not yet,” she said, irritated, “I'm still sleepy.”

“Buffy, wake up, luv,” Spike whispered, “I have more effective methods to wake you up like eating you out but I want to be nice.”

“You're never nice,” she grumpily said.

“True that,” he said with a smirk. To emphasize his point, he trailed her naked skin with his fingers. Ghosting over her nipples and her hips and her thighs, slowly creeping to the inside of her legs.

“Okay, I'm up,” she shouted. She couldn't take anymore, he exhausted her to the fullest last night.

“Too bad,” he said while getting out of the bed, “it could've been fun.”

“It's way too early to mess around, Spike. Why did you wake me up?” she grumbled. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“I want to show you something. Something I kind of miss ever since I turned,” he shyly answered. Last night's events made him more nervous around the Slayer because he didn't know what it meant for her, while it meant everything to him.

“So get dressed and meet me outside,” he said, in a hurry to show her.

20 minutes later, she was up and dressed and leaving their amazing room to meet him outside on a hill.

The sun was coming up and the glow of the rising sun was right behind Spike's head. It made him look like he came from somewhere else.

“The sunrise, you wanted me to see the sunrise?” she asked in disbelief.

“Of course, I've always thought it to be special. There's something about seeing the sun getting ready for the day. Everything's quiet while the sun prepares to lead the people to their plans of the day,” he mused while looking at the sun, “I haven't been able to enjoy the sunrise without feeling any pain for so long.”

“The Golden Hour,” she murmured, “It’s what they call the golden hour. Sunset is also a golden hour.”

“I can see why, the colors of the sun look golden at this time,” he said quietly.

He closed his eyes to enjoy the feel of the sun fully. It was nice to feel warm again. Not just because of the sun but because of last night.

“So last night really happened,” Buffy said to break the silence.

“Yes and it was a wonderful night,” Spike smiled at her. Flashes of the events came to him and it was glorious, “Do you regret it?”

“No, I don't, it was pretty amazing. It felt good to feel again. It wasn't just pleasure, it was more but I just don't know what exactly,” she reassured him.

“Really?” he was surprised to hear her answer. He didn't expect all that much.

“Yes, really. Whatever it is that I felt, I want to explore it more. I can't promise anything, Spike. All I know right now is that I don't want to lose this, whatever this is but I need time to come to terms with it, to let my friends come to terms with it,” she wanted. She didn't want to give him too much hope. She knew it would go too fast for her if he had too much hope.

“I told you once that all I asked for was a crumb and right here, you gave me that. That's all I could have ever dreamed of,” Spike said and took a shaky breath, “I will make sure you don't regret this, pet. That's a promise.”

She gave him a genuine smile as she pulled him towards her to kiss him with all that she was feeling at the moment. This right here, felt right. To both Spike and Buffy.

Before they could deepen the kiss, the ground started shaking and they were forced apart.

“How nice,” a female voice said behind them, “You're so close, Buffy, so close to living out this fantasy.”

“Oh god,” Buffy said as she turned around to see who was talking, “Amy Madison.”

Amy started to smile at the recognition and said with spread arms: “Isn't this a nice little setup? Too bad I'm going to have to break the illusion.”

Then everything turned black and all Buffy could feel was the ground shaking beneath her.

Chapter Text

Buffy woke up slowly, she felt pain all over her body. She tried to move but something stopped her, she couldn't move her arms. When she tried, she heard rattling.

“This can't be good,” she said out loud without realizing.

“You got that right,” Spike scoffed from behind her.

Buffy realized they were sitting back to back. Something holding them prisoner. This felt familiar in a way.

“I might have tied you up in chains before, Slayer. But I for sure didn't put them on so tight,” he remarked. He had much more pleasant things in mind when Buffy would be in chains.

“Just want to make sure you don't escape," Amy said a few meters from them.

Buffy looked around and noticed they were no longer in this so-called Fantasy Island. They were in an abandoned warehouse. She guessed they were back in L.A.

“How lovely, is this the part where you explain your plan before you kill us?” Spike asked sarcastically, trying to pull on the chains.

They were a little tight but Spike thought they could be broken if he and Buffy combined their strength. He pulled on Buffy's hand, trying to convey his plan. He pulled a little and she knew what he meant. She nodded almost invisible. They needed to distract Amy first.

“I would but my guess is that you already know, Spike,” Amy answered confidently, “You know, I'm very grateful for that little imp Jonathan. He discovered me by accident while I was still a rat and he managed to turn me back. He's a good lackey.”

“I'm secretly hoping Willow would turn you into a rat again,” Buffy commented without thinking.

“But then you would have missed all these revelations about Spike. I have to say, it's excruciating to see how hard you deny what you truly want. Angel really did a number on you," Amy commented, pleased with herself.

“I'm not in denial, at least not anymore,” Buffy said, looking angry, Angel was still a sore spot.

Amy laughed at this and said: “True but you really should stop caring what your friends think. I mean, they pulled you out of heaven and they thank you by putting the weight of the world back on you. They don’t even care if you're struggling financially.”

“I gotta give it to her, pet. She's got a point there,” Spike paused for a moment, “But that's what you want, ain't it? For the Slayer to stop caring about her friends so she's separated from them. That'll make it easier to defeat the Slayer and probably the witch too since she couldn't turn you back.”

“Good guess,” Amy said and turned around to laugh.

Buffy and Spike took advantage of the momentary distraction. They exchanged one last look before they both pulled as hard as they could and the chains broke instantly.

Amy turned around at the noise and screamed in frustration. She started chanting but Buffy quickly ran over to her and punched her to the ground. She held Amy's hands prisoner so she couldn't do anything.

Amy tried to struggle out of her grip but Buffy held on and said: “It's a smart plan, I'll give you that. But there's one flaw, you don't believe in their loyalty. But I assure that once I tell them what's going on, I'll make sure they understand that doing what I want doesn't necessarily mean I've gone off the deep end. It just means that I'm finally ready to live again. That I deserve happiness, even if it's with Spike.”

“Hey, that's offensive,” Spike protested but quickly put his hands up when she threw him a dirty look.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw her in her element. He hoped there would never be enough of this. They'd make a great team, he was sure.

“Now, what to do about you?” Buffy wondered, “You did suffer while being a rat so I'll let you go and I suggest you stay in Los Angeles. Then you can become Angel's problem. If you ever set foot in Sunnydale or do something to hurt me or my friends, I'll make sure Willow turns you into something worse than a rat.”

Then, Buffy let Amy go and stood up to turn to Spike.

“That was impressive, pet,” Spike said with a look of pride on his face.

“Thank you. Now let's get Dawn and go back home. We're done here,” she said as she took his hands while walking towards the exit.

One ride left before she has to face her friends. It'll give her time to find the right words to tell them she came home with a boyfriend.

Chapter Text

Buffy and Spike slowly found their way back to the center where they knew Dawn and Anne were waiting for their return.

They walked inside hand in hand and Dawn squealed at the sight of them. She pulled them both in a bear hug.

“Please, tell me it's true. Please tell me you're together,” Dawn pleaded as she let them go. Jumping up and down in excitement.

“I guess so, Dawny,” Buffy said and gave her sister a genuine, warm smile.

“You're smiling, I haven't seen you smile in so long,” Dawn commented, a little forlorn.

Spike almost danced on the balls of his feet in glee: “All because of me, nibblet. She decided she couldn't live without me, this one.”

“Don't get too cocky,” Buffy reprimanded playfully and turned to Anne, “Thank you so much for everything. For helping us and watching Dawn. I owe you big time. But we should get going, we have urgent conversations waiting for us at the moment.”

“You're very welcome. Call me when you get home so I could hear the story of how you two came to be,” Anne answered.

“I definitely will,” Buffy reassured while hugging her goodbye, “It was nice to see you again.”

“We got to get going, Slayer. Time seems different from where we were because it's nightfall. Unlike fantasy island, I can burn in the sun here,” Spike interrupted, looking outside.

“Right, say goodbye to Fred and Lorne for us. They helped us big time,” Buffy quickly said before leaving L.A. behind for good.

“Fantasy Island? What's that? I need to know everything,” Dawn chatted on while getting in Spike's car.

On the way home Buffy told Dawn what happened minus the very dirty details she couldn't share with her little sister. Spike smirked at Buffy trying to helplessly gloss over that night in the hotel room.

“Wow, Amy made this big plan just for it to fail miserably. At least she got you two together, that's something,” Dawn said after Buffy was done talking.

“I don't think we've seen the last of her but she wants Willow so it's her problem now. I can't fix everything for her,” Buffy remarked.

“Well spoken, luv,” Spike said and just because he could, he kissed her on the cheek.

“Please don't do that in front of me. I might be happy for you but I do not want to see you be all kissy and other things,” Dawn emphasized her point by making a grossed out face.

“You'll have to get used to it, nibblet because I'm going to take all that I can get now,” Spike said, teasingly. He liked annoying the nibblet.

“Well, I guess you are my boyfriend now so you have certain privileges,” the Slayer interceded.

Spike had to smile at her words, this was definitely the best day of his unlife. Nothing could top this.

Spike then teased: “As your boyfriend, it's my duty to give you a good time. To take you out for dinner and other things that couples do.”

“Is that your way of asking me out, peroxide pookie?” she taunted.

“Absolutely not… Is it working?” he protested at first but then got serious, “You'll also have to come up with a better pet name than that, pet.”

“I guess we can go on a date,” she said nonchalantly, “But the nickname stays, I like how annoyed you're with it.”

“You'll regret that,” he warned while pulling her closer to kiss her properly while they were waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

“Ugh, gag!” Dawn let them know she was still sitting in the backseat, “You tend to forget you have a crowd.”

Buffy's cheeks turned crimson and Spike smiled at the scene. Life was definitely good. All that's left standing between them is the Scoobies who will definitely make their opinion clear to Buffy.

If they give her a hard time, Spike thought, they'll have to be reminded that they are the cause of Buffy's recent pain and that they should be happy Buffy finally found a reason to smile again.

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Buffy decided it'd be best if she arrived home alone with Dawn. Her friends would be waiting for her and it was best Spike wasn't here because they would for sure blame him. She didn't want to put him through that.

The first thing her friends did when she walked inside was ask about what happened and she told them everything. Except for the intimate parts with her now boyfriend. Dawn already went upstairs to sleep because she was exhausted.

Willow promised she would make sure Amy would leave them alone. Xander was just happy it was over and Buffy took care of it. They talked about the Buffybot and decided it could be useful in any way Buffy wanted. Like patrolling with her or finding a job so they could get money. It was what Willow came up with when she felt guilty Buffy was fixing another mess. They had to make sure she couldn't be hacked again first.

“There's another thing,” Buffy took a deep breath to find the courage, “Something happened to me when I was gone, I realized something in L.A. I have feelings for Spike and I would like to explore them. He’s the only thing that brought me peace after I came back and I don’t want to lose that.”

As expected, many protests came, especially from Xander. Willow was reacting better but still disapproving. Buffy wished Tara was here, she would have been the mediator but instead she let it all hit her until they were done.

“In my darkest moments, he kept me going. So much so that he helps me whenever he can. I'm done suffering, it's like I'm at the starting line,” Buffy explained after it became quiet, “I did my time. I've been poisoned long enough.”

“He's a vampire without a soul,” Xander said once again and Buffy rolled her eyes at his only argument.

“Yet, he helped you all summer while I was gone. Dawn told me about that. He could have left after I died but he decided to stay. Even if he wasn't going to get anything out of it, except pain.”

“She’s got a point,” Willow interceded and sighed, “But I don’t know if it's a good idea. Maybe you being brought back got all your feelings confused.”

“Don't tell me how I feel. You have no idea what it's been like for me. All you cared about was that I was back and I could fix your problems for you again. I was happy but when I got back, I lost that feeling and I found it again. It doesn't matter where I found it. What matters is that I did,” Buffy got angry but tried to control herself.

“But Spike?” Xander exclaimed.

“Well, you're dating Anya, she was a demon once too or don't you believe anyone could change with the right motivation?” Buffy pointed out.

“But…” Xander tried but Willow stopped him.

“Don't. If she's happy, we shouldn't get in the way of it. It's the least we could after what she's been through,” the witch said, although she wasn't entirely convinced.

The conversation seemed over after that. Buffy asked if they could watch Dawn while she went out. She didn't say where she was going, she didn't have to, they knew where she was headed.

Buffy wouldn't take the chance to lose him now that she has him. Her friends tried to make her lose him but she wouldn't hear it. She knew she was going to spend a lot more time with her boyfriend and she was looking forward to seeing him again.

She's been feeling trapped since she got back. But now she's fresh out the slammer and she was running home to him. He would definitely be her first call if she ever really did time.

She was almost running, to the crypt where he was waiting up. To the one who said she was the girl of all his dreams and unlife. She knew that no matter what she's done or will do, she wasn't going to screw this up now that she knew she couldn't lose him.

Once she arrived, she didn't knock, she stormed in like she owned the place but Spike had already heard her and stood next to his comfy chair with a glass of blood in his hand, looking straight at her.

“How'd it go?” he asked genuinely curious as he took a sip.

“As well as expected,” she said while giving him a smile, “At least it didn't turn into a screaming match.”

“That's something, then,” he said, quietly and wrapped his arms around her as soon as she was within reach.

“I could get used to this,” she said while hugging him back, “Willow seemed to be more understanding so maybe in time, they'll accept it. They might not like it but they'll accept it.”

He pulled away to put his glass down and took her hands in his to tell her: “They're your mates, they should be happy for you.”

“I don't want to talk about that right now. Let's focus on the fact that we don't have to hide and we can do whatever we want now,” she tried to sound seductive and raised her eyebrows to show what she meant.

“Do whatever we want, huh? Be ready, Slayer, because if we're going to do what I want, you won't be able to get up for hours,” he said meaningfully.

“I'd like to see you try,” she challenged and she wrapped her legs around him as he lifted her and took her down to the lower level of his crypt.

Spike made good on his promise and made sure she couldn't get up for hours and she was totally fine with that.