For disclaimer and general summary, please see chapter 1.
A/N: Thanks to dancngurl153, Doni, Naeara and rkm for their reviews, you guys are great, as usual :D
Chapter 25
Buffy jogged down the stairs, already feeling much better than she had hours earlier. She had noticed sunlight outside her bedroom window and wondered how long she'd been sleeping.
She reached the living room and saw that the heavy curtains had been closed and Spike was lying on the sofa, Dawn at his feet. They hadn't noticed her and were still talking.
"You know she didn't mean it, Spike. It was the funny poison, making her all confused"
Spike sighed. He hadn't had the nerve to tell Dawn that she hadn't been in her sister's hallucinations, but had told her about their parents being together.
"I guess it was how things would be if she was normal. She always thought our parents split up because of the trouble she got into as the Slayer"
"Yeah, Nibblet. Maybe that's it" But then why take Dawn out of the picture? Her parents were together so it's not like she would have been her responsibility.
"Hey, guys. Could I, uh, talk to Spike for a minute please, Dawnie?"
Dawn frowned and look to her best friend. Spike just nodded to her and sat up so she took it to mean he was okay with it and smiled at Buffy before heading to the kitchen.
"Look, what happened before – "
"I said it was okay" he interrupted.
"But it's not" she practically shouted at him in her desperation to get him to listen. He wouldn't look at her, but she took a deep breath and stepped towards him. "The answer is, yes, sometimes I do wish you were human. But only when I think about the future. I mean, we can't ever have a noon picnic in the park, or have kids, or grow old together" Spike still wouldn't meet her gaze so Buffy stepped even closer and ducked her head to catch his eyes. "But that doesn't matter cos I'm not gonna live long enough for either of the last two things anyway. You make me happy. And I love you. You. Demon and man"
Spike sighed and pulled her towards him gently. She went willingly and wrapped her arms around him as his did the same.
"Is this gonna keep happening?" Buffy joked, looking up so he could see she was only teasing. "Because I know I live with my foot in my mouth and I only have a limited number of speeches. I think I only have one left"
He chuckled against her hair and shook his head. "No, I think I've got the message"
"Good, cos I know you have the right to be doubtful of this relationship but... even if you don't trust me, trust how I feel?"
"I do trust you, Buffy. And I believe you. I do" Buffy beamed at him. He trusts me! She did a victory dance in her head before becoming serious. A little bit anyway.
"So no more Mr. Insecure Vampire?"
Spike grinned and shook his head. "And no more Bitchy Buffy?" he asked.
Buffy shook her head smiled at him. "Well, maybe only sometimes, but I think at that time, I have an excuse" She grinned and rested her head on his chest again.
Spike chuckled and nodded. "So why do you think the Nibblet wasn't there?" Spike asked after a moment.
"Probably just because of the pressure I guess. I mean, I have to take care of myself, of the bills and of a teenager who has the same identity issues as all teenagers have. I want to spend more time with Dawnie but if I'm not out slaying then I'm working. And I'm only 21. I think sometimes people forget that" Buffy sighed and leaned heavily against Spike.
Spike rubbed soothing circles on her back and felt her relax against him. She really did carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"I could help with some of that, if you let me" he offered quietly.
"Is this the same offer of 'I can get money' as before?" she asked dubiously.
Spike mock glared at her. "Yeah. Don' suppose you'd be interested in actually hearin' me out?"
Buffy smiled disarmingly at him instead of rising to the bait. "I'm all ears"
Spike was a little disappointed. He had been kind of looking forward to fighting a bit with her. Mentally shrugging, he explained. "'Ve got a bank account, 'n' it's been open since before I died"
Buffy's eyes widened. "But then... a century ago... how?"
"'Ve got contacts" he said secretively with a grin. "But yeah, it's been buildin' for near 130 years. 'Ve got a tidy sum, more than enough to pay off any bills you 'ave 'n' still 'ave a lot left" He decided that mentioning that some of it was from when he pawned a lot of the jewellery he found in the Tomb of Amara was probably not the best idea just then.
Buffy blinked. "Spike... that's amazing but, I couldn't accept it. You've already given me so much" she said, her hand automatically going to the necklace around her throat.
Spike smirked at her. "You got me there. But think about it, what am I goin' to do with it?"
"You're serious" she stated but it sounded more like a question.
He nodded and grinned as she squealed and jumped into his arms. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me, and to Dawnie"
"Think I do, kitten" he replied quietly, hugging her to him. He slowly released her and she sprinted off to the kitchen to tell Dawn the news.
They both went running back into the living room and the three of them decided to go out to the Bronze later tonight to celebrate. Until then, Dawn had to go to school. Willow and Tara had already left to go to the college so Buffy asked if she wanted to walk with her. She didn't have a job then, so this was part of her 'spend more time with Dawn' scheme. They both felt a lot lighter now that a lot of their money worries had been lifted and they joked about as they left the house.
Dawn was telling her about the latest assignment set at by her teachers when on the way up the path, something caught Buffy's attention. It was a garden gnome sitting near a tree outside.
"What the hell is that ugly thing doing in my yard?" Buffy asked, interrupting Dawn and walking over to it.
"Dawn, did you do some redecorating when I was dead? Cos if I'd have known, I'd have come back sooner"
Dawn frowned and stared at the gnome. She had never noticed it before and had definitely not been the one to put it there.
"I swear, I've never seen that thing before" she said, holding up her hands.
Buffy picked up the gnome and looked it over. She wrinkled her nose and tossed it over her shoulder, wincing slightly when she heard it smash.
"Oops"
"Uh, Buffy?" she heard Dawn say. She looked around and saw Dawn was crouched over the broken pieces of the gnome and holding something small in her hand. "I think it's a camera" she said, turning the object over in her hands.
"What?" asked Buffy, moving closer.
"I said, I think it's a camera"
"Yeah, I know, just... why?"
"Let's see, who was watching you, obsessed with you and testing you to try to find all your weaknesses?" Dawn asked.
"The Trio" Buffy sighed and took the camera from Dawn. "Do you think you can get yourself off to school?"
Dawn nodded and stood with Buffy. She pecked her sister on the cheek and turned away. Buffy stared at the camera for a second before going back to the house.
The phone woke Andrew from his place on the floor next to Jonathon's bed. He groaned and reached up to shake Jonathon. Then he pulled the covers over his head, fully intending to go back to sleep. When Jonathon didn't get up and the phone kept ringing he stood and went out into the hallway to answer it.
"Levinson residence, Andrew speaking. How may I help you?" he stifled a yawn and squeaked quietly when he heard Buffy's voice on the other end.
"What, exactly, do you know about the camera in my front yard?"
"There's a camera in your yard?" he tried to fake innocence, but ended up sounding as nervous as he felt.
"I know it was you and your two friends, Andrew. So tell me, right now, are there others and are they still working?"
"There might be one or two more, but I have no idea if they're still transmitting. The stuff was in the van"
He heard Buffy sigh over the phone. "Will they stop if I smash them?"
"No, you can't! They're very expensive pieces of equipment"
"Andrew" she said in warning.
"Okay, fine. Yes, they will"
"Good. Now just tell me where the others are"
"Umm... they're at the Magic Box, Xander's construction site, uh, one outside his apartment, a few around the college and one in the cemetery just outside Spike's crypt"
Buffy was shocked. How had they managed to get surveillance in all those places without any of them noticing? "Is that all of them?"
"Yeah, I think so"
"Okay" she sighed. "Thanks"
"No problem, Buffy. I'm glad I could help"
"Yeah, whatever. Bye Andrew"
"Bye"
They both hung up. In the Summers' house, Buffy turned to Spike and relayed the conversation and they left to locate the other cameras. Andrew, however, went back to Jonathon's room and fell asleep once more.
Willow arrived back at the house at 10 o'clock and was surprised to find no one home. She walked through to the dining room where she saw a small object and a note pinned underneath written in Buffy's hand writing.
Willow
I found this in the yard this morning and Andrew admitted that it was one of their cameras. Me and Spike are trying to find the others but we're not going to move them yet. We thought maybe you could trace them back to Warren or something? He might still be using them so maybe you could find him?
Just phone the Magic Box when you know if you can do it or not.
Thanks, Wills. You've always been my big gun, even before the magic.
Buffy
Willow smiled at the note, and picked up the camera, studying it contemplatively. She got an idea and pulled open her laptop from its case. Placing it in front of her and linking up the camera, she began to trace the faint signal that was still running to the camera.
By lunchtime, just as Buffy and Spike found the last camera at the Magic Box, Willow had pinpointed a location. She picked up the phone and dialled the shop's number, listening to it ring.
"Hello, Magic Box"
"Hey Buffy. It's me"
"Hey Wills, do you have any news?"
"I'm fine, thanks. You?" she asked jokily.
"I'm sorry, Wills. I'm just..."
"Preoccupied?"
"Exactly"
"No worries. Just thought I'd let you know that I found him"
"You did? You found Warren?" she asked excitedly and Spike looked up from his position near the skull they had thought to be the last camera.
"Yep, I traced the camera's signal to the van and located the house it was parked outside using the hidden GPS installed in it. I wish I'd known about that when I was trying to find it before" she sighed but soon returned to her happy mood. "I can even give you the address now if you want"
"Yes, please. The sooner I can get this over with the better"
"I agree. You got a piece of paper and a pen?"
Buffy grabbed the items from behind the counter and scribbled down the address Willow gave her.
"You really are the best, Willow, thank you. So see? Big gun" Buffy said with a grin.
"Couldn't I be more of a pointy stick?" Willow asked, making them both laugh.
"Ah, but a pointy stick can be lethal in the hands of a Slayer" Buffy said. They both smiled but fell silent at the implications Buffy's statement could have.
Willow decided to change the subject back to the reason of her call. "So, you deal with Warren and I'll help find the cameras"
"Actually, we found them all already, but do you think you could destroy a few for me?"
"Yeah, sure. Just tell me where they are"
"Okay, well there's one next to the cabin at Xander's site, and a few around the college. There's one in the hallway that leads to Tara's art class, one near Sociology and I'm pretty certain there's one near the central fountain. If you could get those, it'd be a big help"
"Sure, I can do that. Should I meet up with Spike at the Magic Box or something?"
"Nah, it's okay. He's going to get rid of the other cameras we found and go back to the house"
"Okay then. Just, be careful, Buffy"
"You too, Wills"
Both Buffy and Willow replaced the phones they were using and set about their tasks.
"Willow really came through. I've got Warren's address" Buffy told Spike, walking towards him.
He nodded. "So I heard. 'M not gonna be much help seein' as it's still daylight 'n' all"
"You're gonna be plenty helpful" she said, smiling at him. "Think you could smash all the cameras you can get to?"
Spike frowned. "This one, the one at home and the one outside Harris' apartment" he counted off. "And I can get Clem to get the one outside my crypt" he said.
Buffy smiled at him. "Please and thank you"
"Okay. Jus' be careful. This Warren guy means serious business"
Buffy nodded and leaned forward to kiss him softly. "I'll see you back at the house?"
Spike nodded in reply and watched as she smiled before turning and walking towards the sewer entrance they had used to gain entry to the shop. He sighed and grabbed the skull. Tossing it from hand to hand stared it in the eye and smirked. He could see the lens in the right eye of the skull. He gave it a two fingered salute and dropped it on the floor, crushing it under his boot.
Grinning at the pile of dust and wires that was left of one of the Trio's cameras, Spike made his way after his Slayer, moving the large slab of concrete that counted as the 'lock' for the entrance back into place. Next stop: Harris'.
Buffy found the house that Willow had given her the address for easily enough. It appeared to be the exact same as all the houses on the street with the perfect green lawn and smart white picket fence. The only difference was the one that had a large vehicle in the drive with a sheet thrown over it.
Guess that's the one I need. Buffy walked up the path and paused at the front door. Shrugging, she lifted a hand and knocked sharply on the door. She didn't expect to see who opened the door.
"Yes?" asked the small old lady, pulling her shawl tighter around herself.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was looking for my friend, Warren, but I think I might have the wrong house" Buffy smiled at the woman and began to turn away.
"No, my dear. This is the right house. Warren's my grandson" Buffy was stunned but smiled again.
"He's upstairs, if you'd like to go up to see him"
"Yes, please. Thank you very much Mrs. Mears" replied Buffy politely. She guessed at the woman being Mrs. Mears and hoped she wasn't Warren's grandmother on his mother's side. Luckily, her guess was correct.
"Please, call me Judy. It makes me feel younger" the kind lady told her with a dry laugh.
"Thank you, Judy. So, umm, can I go see Warren?" Buffy asked.
"Of course, dear, just go right up" she said, indicating the stairs with a smile before shuffling into another room.
Buffy shook her head disbelievingly and laughed softly. How can a murderer like Warren have such a nice Granny? She wondered as she made her way slowly up the stairs.
She heard Warren speaking quietly and hurriedly to someone in one of the rooms and pushed the door open slightly to reveal him talking on the phone, asking about buying a ticket out of town.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to" she said, pushing the door open fully and placing her hands on her hips. Yeah, I still know how to make an entrance she thought, grinning internally.
Warren quickly hung up the phone and stood. "Slayer" he said, trying to sound menacing. His eyes glanced around as he assessed his situation, trying to find an escape route.
"Give it up, Warren. You've got nowhere to go" Buffy told him as she approached him. He retreated rapidly and before she could say or do anything he had thrown the window open and jumped out of it onto the roof of the garage outside.
"Catch me if you can, Slayer" he called behind him in challenge.
"Don't worry, Warren. I will" she jumped out after him and gave chase.
Warren's feet hit the floor and he took off running. Buffy finally caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. I don't remember him being that fast thought Buffy as she stood.
Warren pulled himself up and turned to face Buffy. They were in the middle of a crowded street outside a few shops.
"Police! Everyone get out of here. This is a very dangerous man" Buffy yelled, thinking on her feet and never taking her eyes off Warren. People scattered in all directions and soon the street was empty.
"So, it's just me and you, baby" Warren taunted her.
"Guess so" she replied.
They slowly circled each other, moving closer and closer. Suddenly, Warren lashed out and landed a punch to her chin, sending her to the floor.
Buffy's eyes widened as she gently touched her tender chin. Warren's gone Mighty Mouse?
She stood and kicked at him, but he blocked it, as he did with her next few jabs. He punched her again, the heavy hit drawing blood and knocking her down again. She stood and glared at him, reassessing her position.
"Having a bad day, Slayer?"
"It's getting better" she shrugged.
Just means there's no reason to hold back she thought, striding up to him and punching him in the nose. It didn't seem to faze him though, and he went on the offensive. Buffy managed to duck and dodge the punches he sent at her and caught the kick aimed for her midsection. She pulled his foot upwards to try and send him off balance but he flipped. She kicked at him again, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying into a brick arch.
"That almost hurt" he goaded, before he heard a cracking sound. He looked up just as the arch collapsed and sent a tonne of bricks onto him. Buffy sighed and brushed some dirt from her coat. She froze when she heard the brick shifting.
Warren stood, pushing the brick off himself and facing the Slayer once more. Buffy was bewildered. That would be enough to kill even me. So, what is he?
"What's the matter, baby? Never faced a real man before?"
He stalked towards her and landed another punch, causing Buffy to lose her balance. He kicked her legs from under her before kicking her in the ribs so hard she flew backwards into a bench, breaking it.
Buffy tried to catch her breath, her entire body aching. She looked up to see Warren stood over her, fist held back for the final blow.
"Say goodnight, bitch" he spat viciously.
She glanced down, not wanting to watch her demise in the form of the nerd she had never taken seriously. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the pouch attached to his belt.
I know that... Suddenly, the memories from when she was under the influence of the cerebral dampener resurfaced. It was the pouch he had placed the Orbs of Nezla Khan in.
Strength and invincibility. That must be it! Buffy's hand shot out and she grabbed the pouch, ripping from his belt. She smashed them against the concrete with her full strength, breaking them into shards.
Warren faltered as he felt the power leave him. He looked down and saw what Buffy had done. His eyes widened and he lowered his fist, backing away from her as she stood with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Goodnight, bitch" Buffy spun and kicked him in the chest. Warren flew backwards and landed on the floor ten feet away. He groaned and rolled over, pulling himself to his feet as quickly as he could.
He pulled a small ball out of his pocket and threw it at the floor, covering his own mouth and nose. A large yellow cloud filled the air and a rancid stench reached Buffy's nose, making her choke. Her eyes watered, blurring her vision even more as she stumbled blindly forward trying to find clean air.
She finally made it out of the yellow cloud that had emerged from the device Warren had used. She waved her hand in front of her face and coughed, taking in great gulps of fresh air. Eventually, her lungs cleared, as did her vision and wiped her face clean.
She looked around but didn't see Warren. She sighed and turned at the sound of sirens. Not wanting to be around when the police showed up, she sprinted off in the direction of Revello.
Spike was pacing the living room when he heard Buffy approaching. He met her at the door as she opened it and slipped inside. His eyes silently asked her if she was okay and she hugged him and smiled, telling him without words that she was fine.
"Buffy, did you find him?" Willow asked as she and Tara entered the hallway. Buffy nodded and moved to the living room, gingerly sitting down. Her muscles protested at being moved at all but she sighed happily once she had sat. The cushions were soft against her aches and she leaned back.
Spike sat next to her and took her hand, his thumb brushing absently over her palm in a reassuring movement. Willow opposite, watching her in concern whilst Tara vanished into the kitchen.
"Are you okay?" Willow asked.
"Yeah, fine. Warren had just gone all Mighty Mouse, emphasis on the mighty" At everyone's questioning looks she explained. "He had some sort of orbs. I remember him saying something like... Nuzzle Can? It's kinda fuzzy, what with the effects of that dampener thing, but it gave him strength and invincibility. He kicked me around a bit before I managed to get them off him and smash them"
Tara returned carrying a tray of four mugs. She handed Willow, Spike and Buffy a mug of hot chocolate each and placed the tray down, picking up the final mug for herself. "Do you mean, umm, the O-orbs of Nezla Khan?" she asked Buffy, blowing gently across the surface of her drink to cool it.
Buff sipped her drink and nodded. "Yeah, that's it"
Tara nodded. "I read about them once"
"Well, he's not a threat anymore, not in that way anyway"
"What do you mean, luv?"
"He threw like, a smoke bomb or something. It made a big yellow cloud and it blinded me for minute and when I got clear he was gone"
Everyone fell quiet, sipping their drinks. "Well, I'm tired so I'm going to go get a bath then head to bed" said Buffy, placing her empty mug down on the tray. "Thanks for the drink, Tara"
"You're welcome, sweetie" she smiled at the blonde girl as she stood and stretched.
Buffy smiled at the group and walked up the stairs, popping her head into Dawn's room as she passed to say goodnight. She drew a bath and stepped in when it was full. She relaxed into the water and sighed contentedly.
Half an hour later, Buffy stood and dried herself before wrapping a towel around her head and one around her body. She made her way to her room where she towel dried her hair and dressed in her comfortable 'yummy sushi' pyjamas.
She got into bed and smiled when Spike gently pushed her door open and stepped inside. She reached for him and he smiled, closing the door quietly behind him. He quickly shed his clothes and slipped in behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. He kissed her neck and lay back against the pillows.
After a few moments of silence, Spike opened his eyes and chuckled. "'Ve been hangin' around humans for too long. 'M already havin' less problems sleepin' at night 'n' stayin' awake durin' the day"
Buffy smiled and closed her eyes. "Well, I'm not complaining" she said. "Thank you"
"For what?"
Buffy turned over to face him. "You're going completely against your nature, ignoring every instinct... just to be with me"
He leaned forward and gave her an Eskimo kiss and they both grinned. "You're worth it"
Buffy closed her eyes and snuggled against him, and Spike tightened his arm around her, closing his eyes as well.
"Love you, Spike"
"Love you too, kitten"
"Do you think Warren's a th-threat?" Tara asked quietly as she and Willow got ready for bed.
Willow turned down the edge of the covers and climbed in. "No, I don't think so. I mean, yeah, he's trouble, but I don't think it's anything too serious"
"I just d-don't think we should underestimate him" Tara said, walking around the bed to her side.
Willow beckoned her lover to the bed and smiled when she slipped in beside her. The redhead snuggled against the blonde and sighed happily.
"We won't, but for now, he's not even an issue" she smiled up at Tara.
Tara returned the smile, but still had her doubts about Warren. He had already proved that he was more than capable of something more serious than an invisibility gun and making time go wonky. And what about the gun that Andrew and Jonathon said he threatened them with?
Tara sighed, settled against the pillows and closed her eyes. Warren was tomorrow's problem. They'd worry about it then.
A/N: So there's chapter 25 :)
Hopefully that fight at the beginning didn't leave you too disappointed dancngurl153 :) I just wanted them to get together already and stop fighting like always. They've got to be happy eventually, right?? ;)
Also, I had Spike be a little insecure again about helping her, but I figured that would be natural. Just like Riley, he'd always want to help, but not always be able to. But, sorry Riley fans, I still think Spike's better than him :D
I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading. Please review to let me know what you think :)
JayEmTee