Disclaimer: I do not own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or any of its characters. They all belong to Joss Whedon. I wish I owned Spike, but there are laws about that sort of thing. I do own Maia, cos I made her up. Oh, and I used some lyrics to SClub7 songs: "Natural" and "I'll be there". Those belong to Sclub7. I'm just borrowing.

Distribution: Ask and you shall receive.

Note: This is my first BVS fanfic, so I would really appreciate reviews.

All in Love is Fair
by August



The Bronze was almost full by the time the Scooby Gang showed up. Buffy was out patrolling with Riley, but Xander, Willow, Tara, and Spike were all there. Surveying the loud gathering of humans and various types of human-looking demons, Spike muttered several verbal invectives. 'I don't know why I come to this bloody place' he thought to himself. His outlook on life changed rapidly when his eyes settled on a girl on the opposite side of the room. The rest of the group could hear a sound of surprise coming from the vampire, and all looked to where he looked.
The focus of Spike's visual attention was a girl who looked about 19 years old. Her head was covered in chocolate brown ringlets, and even from across the room, her emerald green eyes were sparklingly obvious. She was carrying on a conversation with the tall, dark, and handsome man beside her at the bar.
"Still going for that type I see" Spike said with a chuckle. Both the comment and the chuckle confused the rest of the group, but only Willow decided to investigate.
"You know her?" She questioned him from the position she took beside him.
Spike had a dreamy gaze that Willow didn't know what to make of. After floundering for a moment with what to say, Spike answered with an equally dreamy quality to his voice.
"You could say that. Several times."
"So...She's a vampire? A demon?" Xander stepped up to the plate with his questions.
"No, she's human." Spike answered, throwing them all off once again.
The loud music stopped suddenly, and a short man with spiked blue hair stepped up to the microphone.
"Tonight at the Bronze, we have the pleasure of introducing one of my new favorite bands, BloodRoot!" A short barrage of clapping sent the blue haired man off the stage, and several people, Spike's acquaintance included, stepped up on the stage. All seven of them took their places behind each well-placed microphone, the brown haired girl taking the one in the front and speaking:
"Hello, Sunnydale. My name is Maia, and this is BloodRoot!" She spoke with a British accent much like Spikes. At the end of her very short introduction, one of the men in the back struck a chord on his guitar and the whole group began their first song:

Lovin' you is not just luck or illusion
it's in the makeup of our DNA
It's not by chance we make the perfect solution
Don't fight it baby
You know that it's just destiny's way

Baby lovin' you
Comes easily to me
It's what I'm living for
It's all in the chemistry
Baby loving you is how it's meant to be
It's something that is oh so natural to me
Natural

Maia and the group sang the rest of the song, her whispery voice accenting the song perfectly. Throughout the song, she would look up and see Spike and smile. He would try to smile back, but always ended up with a peculiar look on his face that was half smile, half grimace.
After finishing their first song, the guitarist began strumming the first few chords of the next song. Mai licked her lips and looked straight at Spike, speaking into the microphone, "This next song is dedicated to an old mate of mine. Will, this is for you."

Looking in my memory, what did I see
All the good things you gave to me
Evenings in the park, way after dark
Listenin' to the radio in my car

It's times like these you see the wood for the trees
You come to my aid when I'm on my knees
Next time you feel alone, just pick up the phone

Reach out and touch
Whisper my name
I will deliver again and again
Straight from the heart, honest and true
I'll promise you this, I will be there for you
I'll be there for you

The rest of the song was just as much candy to Spike's ears as the first part. He listened patiently throughout, but his heart jumped when the song was finished and the group stepped off the stage. She was coming right at him, and he didn't have a clue what to say to her! It had been some 100 odd years since he had seen her, after all. A lot had happened to him since then. Unfortunately for him, she hadn't changed a bit physically. She was just as gorgeous as she had been when he met her in that inn so long ago...

He had been visiting the old inn en route to his real destination: London. He was only stopping to get some odd essentials, and, of course, to feed on some pretty little maidens.
After only a minute of resting in the battered old chair adjacent to the bar, Spike was quickly served some hot cider by a plain looking young girl. He downed it easily enough, although he no longer needed or wanted it. Best to look human was his theory. Humans pick up the pretty girls, and that was what he wanted. He was beginning to think of himself as a connoisseur of sorts when it came to blood. And it was his firm belief that the best blood came from the most beautiful girls.
Finally, to Spike's enjoyment, the plain looking girl was called to another part of the bar to wipe down the floor. He traced his finger along the wooden creases of the bar, marveling at the thought that, right under his finger, was one of the only things that could actually kill him. His cider cup got filled up while he mused, and he looked up to see that the person who filled his cup was also one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen with his supernatural eyes.
"Do you need anything else, sir?" Her voice had a pleasing lilt that conveyed both her English and Irish heritage.
"As a matter of fact I do. What are you doing later tonight?" Spike said seductively. Seduction wasn't on his mind, just simple animal blood lust. She didn't have to know that of course, Spike thought smugly.
"Working. Working. Then, as a big finale, more working." She replied, nearly deflating his entire ego. Then, as quickly as his smile had disappeared, it resurfaced, along with a plan.
"Well, pretty lady, I'm off to talk to the owner of this establishment. You," he said, pointing at her," are about to have a wonderfully fun night."
He returned later on to grab his coat and the girl. Off they went, for a night on the town (more a night in the forest, as the town was quite boring). He and Maia had had quite the night indeed.
As the sun rose in the cloudy sky, Spike (or William, as he was referred to back then) snuck away from his nocturnal conquest in the forest, off to his daylight hiding spot (the local mortuary).
Maia had wandered aimlessly that day, wondering if what had happened that night was real or just a figment of her overworked brain. If it was, she thought, then she was seriously in need of some relaxation.
That night, and for several nights afterwards, Spike came to her and stayed with her until the morning broke; when they would part like tortured lovers.
Their happy union was not meant to be though, and Spike's blood lust won over. He laid her down on the floor of the forest one last time; wiping the remaining blood from his lips with a dismissive gesture and running into the night, his supernatural face tear-stained and his heart permanently bruised.

"Hello William," she said, enveloping Spike in an endearing hug," still bloody, I assume?"
Spike chuckled. Long ago, he had been acquired the moniker of William the Bloody, because of his vampire nature and taste for particularly bloody murders. Later, he was called Spike, after his signature killing method: a quick stab through the mortal heart with a railroad spike.
"Well, actually, I tend to go by Spike now, pet." He responded, brushing the stray hair out of her face. He truly missed the feeling of her soft tresses in his fingers.
"Keep a whole cluster of humans now I see." Mai said as she looked past Spike to the Scooby Gang. Spike wasn't sure exactly how to explain anything; Maia to the Scooby Gang or the Scooby Gang to Maia. Lucky for him, he didn't have to. Xander stepped up first, extending his hand to the pretty girl.
"While we are a posse, we aren't his. We belong to the Slayer. He sort of does-Ooof!" A short blow to his ribs by Spike interrupted Xander.
"You? Groupie to the Slayer? My little Spikey has certainly changed." Maia said, the nickname surprising the group and sending Tara into controlled giggles.
"Pet, could you not call me that? I got a reputation, you know." Spike whispered in Maia's ear.
"Oh, of course, William the Bloody. Say, where are we staying tonight? I'd like to know where to have my bags sent."
"Well, I've got a nice little mortu-"
"No, no, no! I am NOT staying in another Mortuary!!" Maia exclaimed loudly, perhaps a little loudly as the Bronze quieted to listen. They waited until the crowd got loud again before continuing the conversation.
"Fine, we can always stay at some bloody hotel." Spike muttered. She never did like his houses anyway.
"Oh thank you sweets. You won't regret it!" Maia said happily. Spike knew far to well that she was right. He would give anything for the nights they spent together. And, as he thought about it, these nights wouldn't have to end with her death. For once, he was happy for the chip in his head. His train of thought was instantly derailed as she laid a soft kiss on his cheek and pulled him in the direction of the exit door.
The Scooby Gang was left to be mystified.

~So, what did you think? It's my first chapter, so, review please! I may be tempted to write more! ^_^~