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Chapter Six


Buffy was worried, Spike had fled from Giles' into the day. This was not like the dimension where sunlight didn't burn.
The sewer access was slightly open and that meant he must have gone down.
"Oh joy!"
Buffy leapt down and was not happy that the disgusting liquid had splashed up at her and she had disturbed the stench.
She could see three tunnels and didn't know which to take.
"Vampire sense of smell would be good about now" then she remembered how strong the smell of human waste had been " Or, maybe not"
She studied the tunnels and tried to remember which one they had used before "Door number three then " she walked towards the tunnel she had dubbed three and disappeared into the darkness.


Spike had fled.
His thoughts and emotions were overwhelmed now that he was back inside his own body.
The one that surprised him was his demon.
It was mourning the loss of the girl it considered it's mate.
Spike was horrified
She was the bloody Slayer! The one in all the world he should truly hate and fear, not respect and have any kind of emotional bond with.
He got back to his crypt and had managed to avoid getting badly burnt. He slumped onto his bed and tried to shut out the demons rage and wants.
Maybe he just needed a bloody good kill, that should calm the beast within , he thought.


Buffy walked through the cemetery and saw Clem's door opening, the demon stepped out and waved.
"Spike"
"No, it's back to good ol' Buffy again"
"Oh, good , so is Spike in his crypt, I was just going to check on it, make sure no other demon makes a move while it's empty"
"That's sweet of you, mind if I walk with you, I was just on my way there" she kinda liked him.
Clem was cheerful and so long as you weren't a kitty fanatic then he was a good guy, err, demon, she thought.
The walk was nice, Clem was a good conversationalist and he had invited her to his crypt for a poker night. He agreed to make it a non kitty kitty for her and said she should bring a bucket of hot wings instead.
Worked for her.
She was looking forward to it.


Spike was asleep, finally .
He had stripped out of his clothes and laid under the sheet , naked. He had to put the clothes up in the sarcophagus as they had her scent on them and it was just driving him mad.
He became aware of Clem first, then the demon purred , she was with him.
"Bollocks! Can't the annoying chit just leave me alone" he yelled

Upstairs Clem and Buffy saw the clothing thrown around and no sign of Spike. Good news was, he wasn't dust.
They heard his voice and then the "Bollocks, why can't the annoying chit leave me alone " ,stopping their conversation dead, and causing Buffy to blush and rapidly make an exit.
Clem stood waiting for Spike to come upstairs, then he was going to tell the rude vamp exactly what he thought of his behaviour.

Buffy ran home. She burst through the front door and was glad that her Mum was still at work. She ran up to her room and stripped off her clothes and got into a hot shower.
Her mind raced.
How had she become so at peace with a vampires demon? What did that say about her ?
Was she a failure as a Slayer?

Spike rose and poked his head up, saw Clem and knew that she had gone. 'Good' he thought, 'been spending far too much time with her n her bloody lot'
"What'sup Clem?" he came up and sat in his chair and lit up a fag."Can have one now the bloody Slayer got her body back"
"Did you have to be so rude to her? She came here cos she was worried about you Spike"
"Hmmph , worried bout her pet demon more like, got the soddin thing pining for her, "
"Is that so bad, you told me yourself you got feelings for the girl"

Spike stood up and pulled out a bag of blood and sank his fangs into it, not heating it to punish the demon.


"Look we all know what she is, what she does, and that she was Angelus' bit before , so I got a thing for the bint, I'm not havin' his bloody seconds any more"
"Your a fool"
"Better than bein' loves bitch mate, had enough of that with Dru"
"She's a nice girl, shame your an idiot, you won't like it when she gets a new guy, I saw that uni guy , big blonde and all muscle, looking at her the other night"
"Who?" Spike said rather harshly
"Dunno his name but she seemed to know him, he hangs out near the Bronze a lot"
"Sound familiar, you doin' much later mate?" Spikes curiosity had gotten the better of him and his demon had come over all possessive, looks like he was scoping out this guy tonight.
"No, could come with you, you know, just like old times eh?"
"Hmmm" Spike was off in his own world.

Clem left him stood in the middle of his crypt, empty blood bag in hand , staring off into space.


LATER THAT NIGHT


Buffy decided a patrol and a few good smack downs was in order. She started in Restfield, then onto Wakefield, then Sunny Rest and then to the Bronze.
"Damn it" she cussed as she saw Riley. Too late the great lummox had seen her. She tucked the stake into her jacket pocket and sighed.
"Hi ya Buffy, you going in, the bands pretty good"
"Nah, I'm just passing on my way to... to... meet Willow, to meet Willow"
"She's in there, she must have beat you to it, I'll walk you in if you like"
"Actually I'm meeting....." she was cut off by
"Hello cutie, been waiting long?"
"Spike"
"Her dates 'ere now so toddle pip an' all that" he slung his arm over her shoulders for effect.
"Sorry, see you in class then Buffy, good night"

Riley left and frowned, he knew the guy from somewhere and not in a good way. He took out his radio and called in for his team.


"What the hell do you think you're doing Spike?"
"Saving you from a fate worse than boredom I reckon luv"
She huffed "I can take care of myself, need me to prove it?"
"Ooo someone not gettin' any" he smirked at her with his tongue curled "Frustrated and need a good slay?"
She rolled her eyes "I'm leaving, don't fall on anything woodsy and pointy Spike" she waved as she ran into the darkened alley, leaving him stood there.
His demon snarled at him
As she retreated she mentally chastised herself "What is wrong with you? Dont fall on anything woodsy and pointy? Got to be your lamest yet"

Spike stood there for a split second and then took off after her.
She was punching the hell out of a vampire and taking her time about it.The vamps face was bloody and his eyes were swollen and purple. His jaw was loose, broken Spike guessed. She knocked it out cold and then staked it. Oh yeah she definitely had residual angst about something.
"Buffy?" he waited for her to answer, instead she just kept her back to him, but she didn't move away "Can we go somewhere and talk?"
"What would we have to talk about?"
"Earlier, at the Watchers"
"Oh"
"Fancy a tipple at Willy's?" he softened

Buffy didn't answer him but she walked alongside him


Riley and his team watched as they walked towards a bar. His chip registered him as Hostile 17, the escapee.So he was dating Buffy the Slayer.
Deciding that she must be keeping him from feeding they backed off, for now


Willy only ever saw the Slayer if she needed information and to beat on him, she had done ever since he had trapped Angel and given him to Spike...... the guy who she was with "Oh shit"

"Willy, two beers n' not the cheap crap you give out of towners" Spike threw a bill on the bar and grabbed the bottles, motioning to the booth in the dark corner
Buffy looked around and several 'customers' got up and left.
Saved her slaying them later she thought. Buffy was nervous, nervous Buffy drank fast.

Spike sat pulling the label off his bottle, he was nervous.
She had drank her beer down in one and belched , obviously she felt the same way.
He held his hand up and Willy bought two new bottles over "Keep 'em comin' "

What can a vampire talk about , to a Slayer no less, the weather , not a lover of sun and this being California, not a good place to start. Slaying? Okay has potential. Her family? She'd think I was diggin' for info so I can eat them and I'd end up in one of Willys ashtrays. School? Yeah righ' she thinks your a stupid git with no education, so that would get laughed under the table. Right, so, ..... god this is uncomfortable, he thought

Okay so he's got you here and now he plans on ignoring you while he gets you drunk. Right Buffy you used to be one of the popular girls, you talk.... He's got no family and only Clem as a best friend... but he's sweet so there's a good start, oh crap, this sucks, stop being avoidy girl and go for it.

"What happened earlier, with you and your inner fang?"
"Not sure exactly, think it bonded with you while you were walking around wearing my body"

His leg was bouncing again and he was back to picking at the labels on the beer bottles
"How does that make you feel? About it I mean" she asked , unsure if she should have.
He shrugged " S'kay I mean, it's weird, but I'll deal. You had any strange after effects?"
"Wanna pee standing up" she looked up at him and smiled
"Ha bloody ha Slayer"
"Names Buffy"

He rolled his eyes "I know what your name is pet"

Another three beers later

"And the demon asks if he can get a refund cos he didn't fit in the car, so the salesman said that he should have tried to get in it before he paid for it and the demon said but then I'd be trapped in the car in your showroom. The salesman calls me to slay it and then tries to bill me for the valet the car needs and the new windshield" Buffy and Spike were laughing so hard they were crying.

He hadn't had this much fun in a long time.
"Did you pay the bill?"
"No, I sent Anya round, she's great at that sort of thing, anything monetary. I'd trust her with my last dime"
"What about you? You must have some funny stories Spike"

He looked up through his lashes and shook his head "No, I was either tending Dru or getting bullied by Angelus an' Darla"

"I'm sorry" she laid her hand on his , real sympathy in her eyes.
Spike was seeing a different side to her tonight. This was Buffy not the Slayer.

"Lets go to the Bronze, much more funner"

She dragged Spike up and out the door
He was happy to go along, after all, her mates were there and the looks on their faces , would be utterly priceless.

Once inside , Xander, Anya , Willow and Tara saw them and gaped in horror.
Buffy went straight to the dance floor, dragging Spike with her.
Talk about free spirited once she was drunk, he thought as she gyrated around him and threw her head around, totally lost in the music.
His demon was going nuts. He had to have this girl, his mate, his equal.

Her friends watched the show .
So was half the club
Spike grabbed her close to him and gave them something to watch.
It was sex on a dance floor
It should have been x rated.
Then they fled again , leaving the Scoobies in shock and scared.


Walking into your Mums house, drunk and with the vampire that body swapped with you and that you had been vacationing with in a completely different dimension, is not a wise move, as Buffy found out.Especially when said Mum didn't know you had come back.
That was the lecture drunk Buffy and drunk Spike got.
"Ooopsy" Buffy said in a sing song voice
Sniggers from both of them.Much to Joyce's disgust.
Joyce went and put the coffee on and then disappeared upstairs to get some blankets for Spike.
As angry as she was, there was no way she was letting him go back to his crypt tonight, not in this state, he could be staked or fall asleep out in the open and at risk from sun exposure.
She returned to the lounge and found them both curled up around each other, fast asleep and Spike purring away.
"Who knew vampires did that?" she said as she switched lights off and locked the front door.
She'd have words in the morning.