Chapter One – Is Venice a Menace?
A Buffy/Angel/Charmed Crossover Story

This story is taken place before Wyatt and Chris were born. After Cole was vanquished in the other world.

Buffy's story begins after Season 7, but Spike stays corporeal and does not die.

Buffy, Dawn, Spike, Xander, Willow, and Kennedy settle in Italy to live and take time away from fighting.

Note: I do not own any of Charmed, Angel, or Buffy credits. I am doing this all in good fun!

Venice, Italy (at Buffy's new place)

The semi-detached house was small, but welcoming with bright fragrant yellow and orange flowers by every window. The street was narrow compared to the Sunnydale streets and it gave off a friendly, positive aura with Italian parents freely letting their kids roam the streets and play, shadowed by two dark burly looking men. Taking heavy steps the men heaved a new looking purple flowered sofa from a nearby moving truck as their breath puffed out and sweat peeled from their foreheads from the humid thick air like bulls in a ring.

Change is good, Buffy thought and sighed as she watched the dark Italian men move slowly and carefully towards her new door.

It seemed like ages since she and her friends took on the First. Now she was finally going to figure out what a normal life would be like. Buffy laughed quietly to herself. What is normal? I have moved to Italy after a massacre of events almost caused the end of the world against the First Evil and I have actually survived to tell the tale. Not to mention that I have died twice and have been brought back by my best friends. Circumstances could not be any stranger while living with a very powerful Wicca, a Junior Slayer, and a sister who used to be a ball of energy. Moreover, there are two brave men who have inspired me and were willing to risk their lives for my sake in the battle against the First Evil. Xander, the 'heart' of the Scooby gang and Spike, a vampire who has gone beyond the limits to gain his soul back as well as coming close to sacrificing himself in the battle against the First. What a change Spike has made Buffy thought, shaking her head as she spotted him under his security blanket.

"Bloody hell! Watch where you are bloody going with that thing," Spike yelled as he walked straight smack into the sofa. Oh yeah, we will be one hell of a family like the Brady Bunch, Buffy thought sarcastically, rolling her eyes and laughing at Spike.

"Laugh all you want Summers! Enjoying the bloody show?" Spike asked, trying to find his way through the men and the scorching brightness of the sun.

"Sorry Spike, I couldn't help it!" Buffy said as she tried to catch her breath from laughing.

"You know you should watch where you are going, Captain Peroxide. You could actually get hurt!" Xander replied with a laugh as he shoved Spike aside a couple paces into the daylight, while helping the movers carry a chair that matched the flower-patterned sofa.

"Spike your leg is on fire," Buffy whispered to the distracted, fuming Spike.

"Bloody hell," Spike gasped, swatting the fire out as he dragged himself quickly to the side of the narrow building where there was a maximum of a few inches of shade to protect him.

"That's it! Captain Hook saw his last patch of light. He's going to pay for that," Spike threatened quietly as he staggered forcefully to the door.

The battle against the First with the special jewel made Spike more vulnerable to the light even with his soul still intact.

"Spike, chill. Okay? Lets get you into the basement and get you checked out," Buffy said, offering a distraction to break the tension between Xander and Spike by grabbing Spike's hand. His scowling blue eyes softened into a glowing look of wonder.

"Anything you want, luv. Lead the way," Spike said taking his blanket off in the protection of the shade while wiggling his eyebrows and squeezing her hand flirtatiously. Buffy felt a flush creep up her neck. Spike grinned slyly at Buffy's sudden temperature change. Buffy still wasn't sure of him or their relationship or whatever it was. Guiding him into the basement she let go of his hand and turned to start for the stairs.

"Hey Slayer, that's not fair. Are you just going to leave me in here all by myself?" he said, grabbing her arm in a firm grip.

"That was the plan, Stan," Buffy said looking down uncomfortably shuffling her feet from side to side. She never felt this nervous or confused before in her life. It frustrated her just looking into his loving blue eyes.

"What about my leg? It still hurts!" he said, tilting his head and giving her a dimpled smirk as he brought her to the ground to sit with him.

The unfinished basement was cold with gray walls, no windows, or carpet and had not one single piece of furniture in it. It had a cellar for wine and storage as the only separate room. Ironically enough the house used to be a home of two twin potential slayers named Lora and Nora Lopez who were killed by the Bringers. When the parents found the girls, they were manipulated by the First to hang themselves in their home. Buffy didn't know whether buying the home was a good or bad omen, but decided against superstition. This was Venice, Italy not Sunnydale, California and this home was the only place they could find and afford to live in at the moment.

Spike startled Buffy out of her thoughts by playing with her silky blonde hair and winding it around his fingers. She jerked back.

"You're fine William. I really need to go help the others with bringing in the rest of the boxes and furniture," she said as she finished dabbing ointment on his reddened leg with leftover supplies from her slayer bag.

"Ah, we're getting formal now!" He said, nuzzling her neck and pulling her close into his lap.

"Stop it Spike! If you're going to press me against your leg than you are not seriously injured," she said as she scooted out of Spike's lap and arms and raced up the creaky steps.

"There she goes off like a bloomin' Cinderella to her mice. I wouldn't want you to forget your bag of goodies pet," Spike said as he tossed Buffy her slayer bag.

Buffy rushed upstairs and bumped into Willow inside the narrow crème colored hallway almost sending the startled Wicca stumbling backwards.

"Buffy, I don't think this arrangement is going to work," Willow said breathlessly as she balanced the two boxes of pictures and family heirlooms she was holding.

"Yeah, especially with Spike and Xander sleeping in the same room. I'm expecting WWIII or worse yet another apocalypse in there," Dawn said as she grabbed a box from Willow to lighten her load. Both girls looked intense.

"Everything's going to be dandy. They will live if they don't kill each other. For the first time I'm confident that it won't be the end of the world," Buffy said, grabbing more boxes from Dawn and tucking them under her arms as if they were feather weights.

"If you say so Buffy, but I really don't want all hell to break loose on us again," Kennedy replied grudgingly, lifting two heavy boxes of clothing from the van with finesse.

"Guys, really they have different sleeping schedules and as long as they don't get into each other's faces then I think we're as safe as houses," Buffy replied as she cheerfully strolled along picking up other boxes with ease. She whistled to herself as she watched Xander help the Italian movers maneuver the furniture into the small house.

Yep, nothing can stand in her way from enjoying her so called normal life away from fighting the evil of the world.