Author's note: some of this exchange actually belongs to Joss. the rest is mine... hope you like it.

okay, i just read though it... and Ohmygod i made SO MANY MISTAKES! I'm so sosrry guys. But bear with me because i have no BETA...

Chapter VI – Regarding Birthdays

"So why'd you try and end the world?"

They had fought for about an hour and neither had gotten the upper hand; they both knew that neither was going to kill the other today. This was a token fight. They dropped their stance almost simultaneously.

"So why did you try and end the world?" Buffy repeated. she trying to make conversation.

It didn't strike either of them how strange their situation was. Both of them standing across each other in the middle of a cemetery in the middle of the night just talking to each other.

Spike arched an eyebrow and lit a cigarette.

"Didn't try to end it." He said after a puff. "Tried to destroy it. There's a difference."

Buffy shook her head and pocketed her stake.

"Okay, specific-boy," sheasked decideing to humour him. "why did you try to destroy it?"

Spike considered this carefully, smoking his cigarette.

"It's what evil baddies do." Spike said.

Buffy rolled her eyes. He noticed this and tucked his tongue behind his teeth in amusement. Buffy smacked him playfully. he so was not getting the poit of what she was asking him.

"But why?" she asked in a more whiny tone of voice dsigned just to annoy him.

He was on to her. He knew she was trying to get on his nerve. So, of course, he refrained from answering her question.

"Stubborn bint aren't you?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and he laughed inwardly at her obvious frustration.

"You," she said pointing at him. "Are being avoid-y guy. What gives?"

At this, Spike took a deep breath and smoked the rest of his cigarette. Taking his time just to piss her off.

"You are being annoying girl."

Buffy crossed her arms.

"Answer the question."

"You know," he said, his voice sounded conversational but uncertain."I don't rightly know."

"You don't rightly know?" Demanded Buffy, "You don't rightly know?" she began gesturing wildly. Spike had to step back to avoid getting hit by her frantic hands. "Oh, its not like it's of any importance its just the WHOLE FREAKING WORLD we're talking about here."

"Well, for what purpose would you rather I tried to destroy the world, slayer?" he asked her flicking open his lighter and setting fire the tip of the next cigarette.

"Well, I'm not so sure." She said. "I just thought that you would say something like 'so that I could get back at humanity for being tamed and or ignorant, and or pretty'-you know." She shrugged. "whatever gets your apocalypse-y juices flowing."

"Dru wanted it." Spike said cutting off her rant.

"DRU wanted it?" Buffy asked him disbelievingly.

"For your birthday." Spike said with a nod.

"So you just did it?"

Spike laughed humorlessly.

"I may be love's bitch," he said, calling himself a nickname he had devised long ago. It was very apt. "But I am man enough to admit it."

Buffy barked a laugh.

"Boy, I wish my boyfriend spoiled me like that." She said, but then she paused and grimaced, remembering again her situation. "Then again, I think my boyfriend would love to get me a raging world destroying smurf."

Spike snorted.

"He probably would." he agreed. "'E'd be bloody ecstatic."

Buffy shook her head and took a seat on a raised gravestone.

"You do know that-usually, and I don't think I'm alone here-traditionally-you give gift to the person who is actually celebrating the birthday." She said swinging her legs.

Spike flicked away his now finished cigarette and sat next to her on the cold stone.

"Crazy thing, that." He said with a mischeivous grin.

Buffy turned to him. She should have known that Spike was not one for tradition. She was sure that, as far as he was concerned, tradition was there just so that he knew what NOT to do.

"Speaking of birthdays." She said deciding to voice a questionthat had been niggling at her for a while."When's yours?"

Spike looked at her strangely for a long moment.

"November." he said. "November 15, 1796."

"1796?" Buffy repeated. she stopped swinging her legs and thought hard. "Hmmmmm, that would make you…"

Spike looked down and shook his head.

"Wonder of wonders are you doing math?"

Buffy spared him a wry smile.

"Very, very old."

"Atta girl."

Buffy jumped off the raised platform and paced around.

"November 15th, huh?"

"Problem with that?" he asked watching her pace and lighting another cigarette.

"Nope." She said. "I'm just wondering what would have happened if you had said something like April 7th or May 26th, you know?"

"And if I did?"

Buffy laughed. That would be very strange indeed. She had rather expected him to have a weird birthday like October 31st or something. Although, some to think about it, a baddie with a birthday was a strange thing. It made them seem more human. somehow, no date would be appropriately dark enough for Spike. hell it worked even for humans. Hitler's birthday was probably not a very apt day of the year. There was no day dark enough for so terrible a man.

"God forbid." She said, voicing her thoughts.Wow,deep thoughts for Buffy."It'd be like the birds are singing and the flowers blooking and out comes Spike the little bad ass."

Spike chortled.

It struck her just hten that she had just compared Spike to man. A person, who supposedly had a soul. And yet, in six years killed more people than Spike could ever hope to in his 202 years of existence. Did Hitler have a soul? And if so what good would it do?

"Well, It's not as if you have the same problem." He said. "Your birthday is September 20th."

Buffy nodded, she was still a little lost in her thoughts. hhis last words, however managed to peirce through the fog of her brain.

"You're right." she said eyeing him suspiciously."How'd you know?"

Spike looked solemn.

"Know thine enemy." He said.

Buffy laughed. She promptly forgot about all the serious thoughts she had been having. She was beginning to realize (well, not at this moment, but when she reflected on her times with Spike) that he managed to make her either forget about everything or make her ask questions that forced her too look into things she did not want to.

"That is so disturbing." She said light-heartedly."You sound so much like the Tweed-man."

"I suppose you mean that Watcher of yours."

Buffy nodded.

"I live to disturb, Madame." He said, he bowed and then flicked out the cigarette and ground it out under his heel.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at his cordial and suddenly posh tones.

"Stop it." She said.

"But Madame, why?" he asked with a mischievous grin, he pretended to be aghast. An over exaggerated version of Giles."Have I offended you in some way?"

"Spike, seriously-"

"Really now, Slayer, you know better to jerk a gentleman's chain and not to give proper reason." He smirked and raised a challeging eyebrow. "I must demand you apologize." He paused and even made a huff of indignation that sent Buffy into giggles. "Immediately."

Buffy shook her head.

"Okay, what put you in Giles mode?" she asked.

Spike laughed then put on a persona that quite resembled Giles at his dodderiest.

"Really, Buffy, I must say that I cannot stress enough how integral to your calling discretion is." He said. "It really is the best way to go about it." He smirked off her horrified look. "How am I doing?"

"Do any better and I'll come to you the next time I can't identify a demon." She said.

"Don't." Spike said snapping back to his bad-arse persona."I'll get you killed."

"I thought that was what you wanted?" she asked knowing already the answer.

Spike rolled his eyes.

"You already know this tune, slayer." He said. "You aren't dying unless I'm causing it."

Buffy nodded. She had heard him say that many times before. She realized suddenly that it was probably getting late and she had school the next day. She glanced around the cemetery to see if she had missed any way ward vamps while fighting (verbally and physically) with this one.

"I've gotta motor or else my real watcher'll have my head." She said after deciding that she had not missed any."Not gone try your hand at killing me tonight?"

Spike shook his head and lit yet another cigarette. Buffy nodded and began walking off. She had gotten perhaps fifteen feet away when he answered.

"We'll dance another time, love." He said.

She looked aver her shoulder.

"You think we're dancing?" she asked disbelieveingly.

Spike nodded.

"That's all we've ever done."