ImitorVitaProAmor15 Disclaimer: All characters and places, etc... belong to Joss and all those lovely people involved with making our fav tv show.
We only chose to borrow these characters for a bit to do what we enjoy doing. All that we own is our lovely plot! No
copyright infrigment is intended in any way shape or form.

With that out of the way...

Title: Imitor Vita Pro Amor (Imitating Life For Love)

Authors: Peroxide Pest and Nocturne Wytche, AKA Celeste and Debbie

Spoilers: All Seasons

Dedications: Well, I'd like to say thanks to all those wonderful S/B writers out there that have inspired me and my sister to come

outta our shells and see what y'all think of our lil fics. We'd probably like to thank each other for putting up with each other and

the sort, and of course for being so good at writing together, you can barely tell where one of us begins and one ends. Also, to
our sister, Keren, who still loves Angel, we forgive you :P Lea, thanks for all the help and support, blessed be sister.

Summary: A few unsuspected visitors come back to good ol' SunnyD and cause some more havoc in our favorite slayer's life.
She must also decide where her feelings for Spike lay. A run in with a demon changes things for Spike. S/B

Rated: R just to be safe

Note: songs come into a lot of play in the next few chapters, just to let you all know. Sorry if it becomes a nuisance, but hey
its the music of our character's hearts :P Or something to that affect... Plus, it leads to plenty of s/b romantic tension, which we
all love! Also, no copyright infringement intended on these beautiful songs, that are the backgrounds to the soul of this story :)

P.S.: We've also come to notice that Spike purring...is a GREAT thing :P *EG*
P.S.S Due to 2 mentions we've fixed the format so its easier for you all to read and enjoy, and we're such sticklers to please
our fans; its fixed :P enjoy!

Without further blabbings:

Imitor Vita Pro Amor

Part 15

Spike walked into the magic shop, quietly, closing the door behind him. His mind was muddled with tens of thousands of different ways to explain his situation to the girls and guys of the Scoobies, and he had yet to decide on one. He'd hoped the walk to the store from near Buffy's would have taken a bit longer so he could decide, but it had gone by far too quickly. He hadn't been this nervous around humans since he had been alive. It was disquieting, and he wondered if the stake in his pocket was a good idea.

The gang looked up from their books at the rustling noise he made when he walked, all expecting to see Buffy with a very chastened Dawn in tow. They were surprised to see the vampire. Not surprised in the abhorrent sense, Spike noticed. They actually smiled at him, seeing him back in Sunnydale. The whole thing made for weird feelings in the pit of his stomach. He thought it might be fondness, but the concept was almost so foreign to him that it was implausible.

"Spike! I thought Buffy said you'd high-tailed it!" Xander greeted, glad for a respite from the constant research.

"Um, yeah. For a bit. But I got bored," Spike shrugged.

"So, where'd you go?" Willow asked cheerfully, in a much better mood after Dawn had called to tell them she was safe at home.

"LA," the vampire responded. "Wasn't any fun. Guess we all know why Angel moved there."

Xander snorted. "Hear, hear!" He loved Angel dissing of any type, after all. "Welcome back man. I thought I'd have to have my weekly pool game from Dawn from here on out."

"Did you see Angel?" Giles asked conversationally, though he had turned back to his book.

"No, wasn't in the mood to see the Poof himself. Um, but, I got a bit of news…"

"We know already," Anya interrupted, pretending to research, though she really had a bridal magazine hidden in the depths of her volume. "We're very happy."

Spike staggered backwards. "You do? You are?"

"Yes, we heard about it yesterday. From a customer. Congratulations."

"A customer?" Spike repeated, waiting for a stake to come from anywhere. "How the hell did a customer know?"

"They said they met someone who knew the girl that you saved…or something like that," Xander waved. "Now you going to sit down with us or what, Spike-o?"

Spike growled internally. That girl he'd saved had chattered that he could hurt people again? How did she even know? He was confused now. "So… you're all okay, with this?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Willow responded. "I mean, it's not like you did anything bad."

"How the hell did you know that? You haven't been poking in my mind again have you, Red?"

She looked up. "No, why?"

He sighed. "I think I should be relieved. But I'm not. You're all treating this like a very small thing. I don't happen to think it's a small thing at all."

"What do you want, a congratulatory celebration? Or perhaps a pastry?" Anya asked, slightly annoyed that he was cutting into her reading time now.

"That's cookie, Ahn. But I agree. We're all very proud of you, Spike. Look, I give you a pat on the back." Xander made a patting motion with his hand. "Now pretend that the air under my hand was your back."

"Are you all very stoned?" Spike questioned. "Do ANY of you realize what this means?"

"Yes, we do realize what it means, Spike. Good job and everything. It shows that you're really on our side. What more do you want?" Giles asked, also growing slightly vexed. "And since you're here, why don't you help with some research?"

"Can't," Spike responded, still slightly disbelieving. Did they really think he was such a ponce that he couldn't hurt them? Even if it WAS true, it sort of hurt his big bad pride that they hadn't even seemed slightly shocked at his predicament. He reminded himself that he should be happy.

"Why not?" Tara asked softly. She motioned to the chair beside her, incase he did want to join.

"Got to help Dawn with Great Expectations," he muttered.

"I never liked that book," Giles admitted, absently.

"This is bloody ridiculous," Spike reiterated. "I can't believe that after the big revelation you're all talking like I'd just figured out how to open a can of soup with my fangs."

"Can you really do that?" Xander asked, finally showing some great interest in the vampire.

Spike rolled his eyes. "You're a bloody weird lot, has anyone ever told you that?"

"On a regular basis," Willow beamed. "Anyway, tell Dawn to have fun with Dickens. I loved that book."

"You would," Spike responded automatically. Well, he supposed, it was good that things hadn't really changed. "Um…so…I'm going now. Not to kill anything, mind you. Just to go help with…English homework."

"Yes. Very well then." Giles smiled. "Oh, and good work, once again Spike, for saving that girl in the cemetery."

"Yeah, well…" Spike trailed off. "Wait a minute. Don't you mean, 'good work on not killing anyone'?"

"Well, we realized that you might not have been able to kill the demon on your own, but we're glad you saved the girl, in any case."

"The demon? Saved the girl? Has anyone ever told you people that your priorities are very screwed up?"

"Well, we've saved the world even when Passions was on, Chip." Xander drawled, watching Spike head slowly back up the stairs. "Where else would you like our priorities to be?"

The vamp stopped half step and nearly tumbled from loss of balance. "Chip?"

"It's a new nickname I came up with for you. I figure since you call me Whelp and Boy all the time, I could think of something better than Evil Dead Junior. So I decided to use our favorite government toy. What do you think?"

Spike shook his head. "I think… what we have here, is a failure to communicate."

"What do you mean?"

"I fought an electricity demon," Spike replied. He took the stake out from his duster pocket and tossed it to Willow, who 'eeped' and caught it, looking rather perplexed.

"Um…thanks?" she asked, studying the stake to see if it was special or something.

"It electrocuted me," Spike continued, slowly. He didn't want to confuse the lot again, after all. Stepping back down to the main floor of the store, in front of Willow.

She looked back up at him, nonplussed. "Well, you look all healed."

"Yes, vampire healing power. Yippee. Still missing Spike's point," Xander added to Willow's unimpressed response.

Spike sighed and took Willow's hand, standing her up in front of him. He led her hand so that the tip of the steak he had tossed her was at his heart, directly.

"Um, and it made you suicidal?" Tara asked, worriedly.

"That's not a mystical property I've ever associated with an electricity demon," Giles murmured, adjusting his glasses.

Spike groaned. "The chip doesn't work anymore, people. The electricity short-circuited the bloody wiring. I could kill you all right now."

The vampire thought he heard several jaws hit the floor, and he closed his eyes, waiting for sweet oblivion. He'd promised himself he'd give them all the option to kill him if they were that afraid of him that they felt it needed to be done. "Is this a very bad joke?" Anya asked, finally closing her bloody wedding magazine.

So much for drama. Spike opened his eyes then stepped away from the stake and shoved Willow, who fell back into her chair with a thunk. "Ouch."

"Does it look like a joke?"

Everyone who wasn't standing already, with the exception of Willow, stood up. Spike smirked and sighed simultaneously inside. This was more like it. He picked up the stake Willow had dropped and tossed it to Xander. "What do you think, then, mate?"

Xander stared wide-eyed at the peroxide blonde as he unconsciously caught the proffered weapon. The grip on his stake was loose and his hand shook slightly. Dear God... "Um, well, I guess, Chip won't work for a name anymore..."

Spike shook his head with a smile. "No, I guess not."

"So..." Willow finally stood. "Are...are..."

"Spike isn't here to kill us are you, Spike?" Tara crossed her arms with a smile. She might have be one of the newest Scoobies but then, so was Spike. She took the time to study the vamp and she was pretty sure he wasn't here looking to kill, but looking for approval. Spike was silent, wanting to hear what his friends had to say. He stared at Harris. His hand was shaking, his grip loose on the stake. He wondered what was going through the kid's mind.

"Let me get this straight..." Xander lagged behind.

"Are you all that daft?" Spike sighed. "I'm chip-less. I can kill, I can kill you all."

"But...you…won't...right?" Willow giggled nervously, with a smile.

"What do you think, Red?" Spike raised his brows.

"I think you're testing us," Giles spoke up. "Very clever."

The stake hit the floor with an echoing clack, like a pencil hitting the floor. Xander sunk in his chair. "This is why we don't be friendly with vampires. They're all nice and then WHAM! Demon's ready to kill. We didn't learn the first time?! Here was Angel all good and nice, Buffy boinks him and then the bad, bad EVIL vampire. Then he's good again... Well, that's not a good example cuz you were bad than you were good..." Xander rambled on trying to rationalize.

"Xander! Shut up!" Anya groaned. "You're giving me a headache," she sighed. "Spike, you can't kill us." She paused. "Well, you can, but you can't, cuz then Buffy will be mad."

"If he didn't already kill Buffy," Xander thumped his head on the desk.
"I'm not making nice with anymore males. Males, vampires...bad... Riley bad....Angel, bad...Spike, bad..."

Spike was quite disappointed. "Are you implying I'm going to kill you, Harris?"

Xander groaned, lifting his head from the desk. "Aren't you?"

"Spike's our friend!!" Willow pouted at Xander. "Shame on you..."

"Yes...shame on you," Anya agreed, wanting to just go back to her magazine.

"If he was evil would he be going to help Dawn with a book?! C'mon..."

Spike watched the Scoobies babble on and argue. He laughed. He laughed hard. "Alright will someone give me a light of the stuff you're all on, cuz this is better than TV."

"Wait a minute Blondie!!!" Xander pointed a finger at Spike, silencing him. He eyed the scoobs. "Ok...Spike's a friend now, yes? He coulda came in here and killed us all already, no? And he hasn't? Plus, he still seems the same to me..." he studied the vamp's whimsical expression. "Has it occurred to any of you all!!!!" Xander shouted, pausing. "That he may be here looking for our approval!!!! Shame on you all for not trusting in him!! He's not Angel!!" He looked back at the Scoobies with indignation. He picked up his stake and darted over to Spike.

The Scoobies rolled their eyes at the man. He sure was quite slow and inarticulate sometimes. But they'd let him take the credit. In the end, they all knew Spike would know they all believed in him. Spike eyed him with care.

"The only wood 'll be wielding around you Spike, is my pool stick when you beat me shamelessly at the Bronze tomorrow night," Xander lifted Spike's cool hand and placed the stake in his palm. "Welcome home."

Spike raised his scarred brow. "Good show, mate." He smiled brightly at Xander's humor. The boy sure was slower than the rest of them, but he was a good person. Spike groaned. He was turning into such a Poofter. A bloody nancy boy... Lord help him... "Right then..."

Willow clapped happily like a little child getting a pony ride. "Oh goody!! This means we don't have to stake you!"

"And we don't have to die, and I can finish my reading..." Anya grinned.

"Since when was research so interesting to you Anya?" Giles stared at her with a suspicious expression.

"Uh..." she slipped the bridal magazine from the big magick book. "Well, electric
Demons are quite interesting you know..." she babbled lamely, knowing she was caught, but putting up a fight of it anyway.

"Well, love to help and all gang, but I have two very lovely ladies waiting for good 'ol Spike. Catch you all tomorrow. Har..." Spike turned to Xander and actually smiled. "Xander... catch you at the Bronze."

Xander nearly fell into his chair. "Later Blondie..." he grinned, unable to be as serious as the vampire.


A few short hours later, and with a proficient amount of Buffy's urging, Dawn was off to bed around nearly midnight. She felt she still wasn't ready for the test, but it was way past her bedtime now and she needed her sleep as much as Spike's tutorials.

"You'll do fine, Nibblet. An' big sis is right, you need your sleep," Spike patted her shoulder affectionately.

Dawn tried to hide a yawn, but couldn't, groaning stubbornly. "Fine, fine. Goodnight again, you two. Don't kill each other, please..." she shuffled up the stairs wearily.

"See you in the mornin'," Buffy called. She then turned to Spike, and suddenly she didn't know what to say. She laughed inside. That had to be a first.

"Well..." Spike gave a half smile, not knowing what to say either. "Guess its been one helluva night..."

"Yeah," Buffy nodded, feeling at peace even after all that happened tonight. "So are you sure the gang took your chiplessness ok?"

"I'm not a pile of dust, am I?" Spike chuckled.

She smiled. "No, gratefully...you're not."

"Why Slayer...are you going soft on me?" Spike teased.

"Never, William..." She grinned playfully.

Spike chuckled darkly, and cocked his head.

Buffy nearly fainted in the knees. She found it so attractive when he cocked his
head to the side. It was so cute. *CUTE!!!?!! Argh!!!*

Spike watched some reactions cross her face. "All right, luv?"

"Peachy," she nodded. "Something about midnight I guess," she covered lamely

"Tis the witching hour," Spike agreed. "Perhaps that's why you're grateful 'm not a big pile of dust?" he raised his brows.

She slapped his arm lightly. "Stop. I thought we kinda covered this..." she reminded him, before looking away, feeling suddenly fidgety.

"Oh, we did? I musta been bloody sleeping!" Spike snorted.

She glared. Why did he always have to push her to edge, and then right over? Didn't he know when enough was enough?! "I'll tell you what you are, Spike. You're a pain in my ass." She started for the door.

"Well then!" he started, his accent thick. "You're the sunshine in my life pet. Literally, you burn me all over, inside and out." he gripped her arm, after she swung open the front door. He leaned in close to her and could feel the heat of her body, and her breath on his face. "You make me warm, luv. You make me so warm, I kin almost feel the blood flowin' in my veins again, feel my cold heart pumpin' back to life, so warm I might burst from the heat of your flames. You make me feel alive Summers..." he trailed off, seeing she could hear no more.

What was supposed to be a sneer turned into an endearment. In Spike's sick, demented sorta way, of course. Buffy's tawny eyes gazed at his face, trying to be angry that she couldn't think of a come back. She was getting soft. Plus, what he had said had thrown her back. She started to close the front door.

"I'll be off then, luv. It has been a long night. I bet we both could use a decent catnap. An' we've got research tomorrow. Never killed an electric demon before..." he headed for the door. "Dunno whether I should thank him first though..." he turned his deep ocean blue eyes to her. They sparkled like the ocean in the moonlight.

"I always skipped out on physics, or shop… or, well, whatever class they were teaching electric stuff in. Maybe Xander will know how to dismantle it..." Buffy's heartbeat was accelerating rapidly, getting lured in by his eyes. She took a deep breath trying to calm her heart down.

Spike could hear her heart jumping in her chest. He grinned, pleased with himself.

She was almost enthralled, staring into his eyes. In turn, he almost, just almost felt shy under her gaze, but it felt too damn good for her to be watching him so attentively. "Or Red…" he whispered.

"Yeah..." She needed to go now. She was starting to lose control of her breathing. "Well, goodnight, Spike. I guess you'll be going now..." She nearly shoved him into the night.

Spike cocked his head slightly, his tongue darting across his lower lip playfully. "Unless you want me to tuck you in, Slayer..." he leaned in again, a purr escaping his throat before he could hold it back.

Seeing his eyes up close, she could see her reflection clearly. The swirls of blue in his eyes were much like him, a mix of good and evil, light and dark. There was a tinge of gold flecks to the blue. It was as if the vampire in him demanded attention by standing out amongst the humanity of those supposedly soulless eyes.

Buffy had been staring into those very eyes for so long, she almost swore there WAS a soul in there, somewhere. Not like Angel's, but a soul held under cover of darkness, longing for the light to free it. But, the gold flecks amidst the blue background held it firmly in place. She was suddenly reminded of this book she was forced to read in school, but winded up renting the movie for instead, The Outsiders. And something about 'staying gold'??? That settled it, school made no sense, and if Dawn could get outta it, she'd let her. Of course, school was probably easier to understand if you weren't a Slayer. Maybe it was just Spike driving her insane, to think such odd thoughts. It was completely ludicrous. Suddenly, she came back to reality and she realized she hadn't answered Spike's absurd offer. How did she answer him? Oh God...she couldn't think of a come back at all...

He cursed his insides for letting out that blasted purring noise again. He sounded like a swaggering kitten. Spike watched a mix of emotions cross her face, but most prominently were her eyes, just looking straight into his. It felt as if she was searching for something deep within him. It unsettled him, though not in a bad way. Bloody hell! That was it; she was driving him to lunacy. He wanted to just grab her in his arms and kiss her breath away. He took an unneeded breath to control himself. "Well then ducks, 'm off. I'll see you tomorrow night at the Scooby meetin'," he stepped backwards onto the porch and winked at her. "Goodnight, luv..."

"Goodnight, Spike..." she said softly. "Be careful." she whispered to him.

"For you..." He ran his finger across her cheek before he could stop himself, a gesture of the lowly reaching towards heaven. "…always…" He backed away, down the stairs, before disappearing like the shadow he was, into the night. Buffy closed the front door and leaned her back against it, groaning. Why did he have to have such beautiful eyes?! They had such a powerful affect on her; she almost felt hypnotized. It was so powerful, and so frustrating all at once. She took a moment to gather her breath, before heading up the stairs to her bedroom, knowing she was to dream about those eyes all night.

TBC...