Chapter Four

The evening was done. The patrol completed. Buffy and Spike made their way toward Revello Drive and a well earned rest. As they walked side by side they talked over their evening fun. They had dusted 15 Vampires and 3 Demons.

"Spike is there an automated machine somewhere that keeps pumping out these badies."

Spike laughed. "If that was the case then am sure you would of found it and burnt it bloody well to the ground by now, luv."

"Damn Hell Mouth." Buffy muttered but she had to admit today's fighting with Spike at her side had actually been fun.

"This place is like a vacation spot for us evil kind. You just don't know what you'll bloody well bump into."

"I mean what do these vamps expect." Buffy Complained as she gestured wildly. "That the Hell Mouth has gone into business and set up a booth and serve humans like someone would sell hot dogs.?"

"You know that's not a bad idea,pet. Spike replied then laughed. It was his favorite pastime, trying to get the Slayer's goat.

"Spike-." Came Buffy's warning in a semi serious tone. She knew that he was kidding but still not wanting him to think he could get away with things.

Spike laughed again and nudged her with his shoulder. "Just pulling your stake, sweetheart. Besides, I don't think I would get a license for that."

Buffy snorted. " I bet you could of, if the old snakey mayor was still in office."

Spike gave her a double take. "I heard about that." He grew serious. " Sorry luv for that and not being around to help."

"No big, we manged." She shrugged and crossed her arms. She hated thinking about that time. Many of her class mates had died that night. The only bonus in away was that Snyder had been eaten.

"Seriously luv, If I hadn't been chasing after Dru like some love sick puppy... I wasn't in my right mind. I felt I was losing something that really meant a lot to me, but having been with you; I find myself thinking what an idiot I had really been."

"Well you are.. A Vampire."

"Oi! A little empathy for the Love struck vampire here."

Buffy rolled her eyes and give him a wry smile, not caring to say anything more.

"Oh Bugger me. Always Love's Bitch." He muttered. How could he expect her to understand, you just didn't get rid of your Sire and to top that. The one you thought was going to be your eternal partner. You just didn't forget about the one who made you, not ever.

They had made it to Buffy's place. Together, they sat down on the front stairs and casually looked around them. This was a place that Buffy could think and a place that Spike had spent a time in comforting her. They had spent years fighting. Almost grudgingly they had called a truth.

Spike was feelings where still not clear on the whole thing. Instead of marching into his crypt like she usually did. She had quietly came in and demanded to know where he stood in regrades to love and how Vampires where not to have had feelings.

He had told her the truth. Not all Vampires nor Demon for that matter wanted to love but they did have the capacity. For some reason she finally believed him. He closed his eyes.

No woman could bring these incredible powerful emotion out of him. Always to the extremes. At one time he had thought that he had been in town to kill her. Now thinking about it, he would never of done it. Even back then he had been drawn to her. She had such life in her and he... Well. He was dead. The living dead. But dead never the less. His heart hadn't beat for a century. Yet sure as he knew his name; he loved the Slayer.

When he slept, his dreams where filled with her and at first he had denied them. But grudgingly, he had admitted to himself that he loved her. When he had finally told her, She had informed him that she didn't return his love and that she could never trust him.

Yet here he was sitting with her and she had kissed him. He thought about it. If it was a dream then he never wanted to wake up.

His voice was quiet when he spoke again. He feared the answer, but knew that he had to know what she was thinking.

"Buffy you once told me that you could never trust me. Do you now?"

She looked at him sharply "That was something I said because I refused to admit that you could be anything but be in the nature of a vampire. You, Spike are anything but a normal vampire. At first I just kept thinking that at some point you would betray us. Then when you started to help. I had thought that you wanted to get your rocks off by fighting Vampires and Demons cause that was the only thing that you could hit." She looked off into the distance.

"Then Dawn came along and you got tortured by Glory and my whole outlook about you started to change. There was a voice inside that just wouldn't quit. It kept telling me that I was wrong about you. You earned the right to be trusted by me."

Her voice got even quieter. "Then I died." She felt him stiffen and she quickly continued. "Giles had told me, how you had patrolled with everyone during the summer. How you got Dawn to eat and to get back to school. Mom had said that you had come over every night to make sure that she got her homework done. Mom even told me, you had helped around the house. Cleaning and stuff."

"Well don't you be telling any one that. Yeah? I got a rep to protect. If my fellow Vampires found out that I had turned into a maid or some rot like that; I be right Buggered."

"Don't worry your big Badie reputation is safe with me." Buffy replied and slightly leaned into him.

"Thanks. And by and by, your right Pet. I could never hurt you or any one you run with. Somehow you got into my being and you got a part of me that I had thought I had lost. So very long ago. You bloody well amaze me, that's what you do."

"Thanks Big bad."

"And don't forget it." Spike ribbed back as he returned a light bump back at her. There smiles disappeared as they suddenly realized how close they where. Like magnets they where drawn to each other. There lips meet and everything that they had been thinking about stopped. It was better; getting lost in the mind numbing kiss.

Just then the porch light turned on and like two teenagers caught, they broke apart and jumped up to face whoever it was.

Joyce stood in the doorway with a knowing smile. She had seen what the two had been doing and being a mom she wanted to let them squirm a bit.

"Hello you two how was patrol?" She asked looking between the two blondes.

"Good. Really dusty." Buffy was feeling awkward, and the way Spike was fidgeting she thought that he was pretty well in the same shoes.

Joyce smiled and let the two of the hook. "Giles called and he said that he was coming home right away that there was something very important that had to be discussed."

"OH! Did he say what it was?" Trying to look eager, to keep her Mom from bringing up anything else.

"No. He said he couldn't discuss it over the phone but that he was planning to come straight here."

"Bollocks. I bet it's another evil coming our way. Spike commented. He hadn't heard anything unusual in his usual drinking holes; but then again these days everyone would clam up when he walked into a demon bar. A grin split across his face.

'Well I guess I'll just have to go knock some heads around Willy's place tomorrow."

Buffy couldn't help but let her enthusiasm shine through. "I'll come with."

The two of them grinned wildly at each other.

"Alright you two. Enough shop talk for today it's very early and Spike would you like to stay on the couch tonight. I am sure Dawn would be thrilled to see you tomorrow."

"OH well- if its alright with the Slayer." Buffy nodded. Her grin still fully in place. If someone had told her a couple of years ago that she would let a vampire sleep on her couch. She would of told that person that they where crazy. How life changes.

"Thanks and you too Mum." Muttered Spike. What was it about the Summers' women that they had him wrapped around their fingers?"

"Come in the both of you. Time for some sleep. Buffy could you run upstairs, check on your sister and bring down some sheets for Spike." Buffy nodded and Joyce opened the door wider allowing her daughter and the vampire into her house.