Chapter Five

The Invasion of Buffyverse





Buffy stared, wide eyed out of the car window. She sat with Spike in the middle and Dawn at her far side, Harry beside her. Harry had explained that even though the cars looked normal, they had been magically enhanced to fit their amount. Snape sat in the front, watching the scene approaching as Buffy was. Buffy knew he was trying his hardest not to listen to Xander and Anya's conversation. She could hardly blame him. She had caught little bits and pieces like "I hope you never get impotent" and "Anya! That's enough!", to top it off with "Well I want my sex nice and good, the way I have it now.".

She sighed as she saw the approaching castle, with the deep green lake and towering cliff making it look all too appealing. She nudged Spike, and he glanced out the window with her. The sun had just started to rise, he was still hidden by her shadow.

He just smiled, then covered his head with the hood, and Buffy looked behind her to see Tara asleep on the wide eyed Willow's shoulder.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Willow whispered, taking in the scenery.

"Yeah. It really is." Buffy smiled.

It was sort of like being in heaven again. No worries.



Buffy nearly tripped as she got out the car, unable to tear her eyes away from the mysterious looking castle that lay before her eyes.

She heard her sister say something to Harry in a hushed tone, and he shrugged.

Before Buffy could say anything, the front door opened to reveal an aged man and a tall woman.

The man had long, silvery hair with half moon glasses that made his twinkling blue eyes look even brighter. The woman had a pointed face with her hair pulled up in a tight bun. They were both looking extremely relieved.

"Mr Potter! Miss Granger! At last, you've returned to us." smiled the man, then turned to Snape, "Thank you, Severus. You do not have to stay if you don't wish."

"Thank you, headmaster," said Snape oilily, then swept past them into the castle.

After the enormous door banged shut, the man looked over everybody, until his eyes rested on Giles.

"Rupert Giles....I have heard about you. Many a prophet told me you would be returning to England."

Giles raised his eyebrows, "Really? I"m sorry, I don't believe we've met..."

Harry spoke up, "Oh! Professor Dumbledore, these are the people that I was sent to, and the people that befriended our Hermione over here," he glanced at Hermione, who was turning pink, "This is Dawn, Buffy, Spike, Anya, Xander, Willow, Tara and, well, you know Giles I suppose."

Dumbledore nodded, "My pleasure to meet you all. You of course, will be staying with us in the castle?"

Buffy looked at Giles, who shrugged, "If we are welcome..."

"Certainly," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Buffy, "Please, do come in."

They walked slowly inside the castle, taking in everything, the echoing walls, the tiled floors, the moving pictures....

They came to an opening where stood a gargoyle in a suit. It bowed out of the way when it saw Professor Dumbledore, and they followed him into what Buffy supposed was his office.

"Now," he said, once he had conjured chairs for them all, "How long do you plan on staying in England?"

"As long as you'd like us to," suggested Giles, and the rest nodded.

"I see. Well, I can well assume you are all knowledgeable in the topic of magic?"

Willow nodded fervently, "Well, yes! I mean, do you want us to do some, uh, background intros? That would probably help a lot more."

Dumbledore smiled at her, "Of course. And we can start with you."

Willow smiled nervously, "Well, I'm Willow Rosenburg, and I'm a witch. I mean, I've just recently been getting better but, yeah, I'm a pretty good witch. I mean, I didn't go anywhere like this or anything, it's mostly been self directed learning. I'm good at that."

"I'm Tara, and I'm a witch too. Willow's way more powerful than me, though, and I haven't had any training in it either."

Dawn shifted in her chair, "I'm Dawn Summers, and I used to be the Key to another dimension. But, uh, Buffy sort of filled in for me and shut it, so I don't know any more. Long story."

"I'm Anya, and I'm a one thousand year old ex-demon. I -half- own a magic shop back in California."

"I'm Xander, Anya's fiancee and I'm just....totally against evil. I don't really have any powers or background info except I've been chasing around monsters with this crowd for about five or six years." Xander looked proud of himself as Spike gave him a piercing glance.

"I'm Spike~"

"Otherwise known as William the Bloody." Dumbledore filled in as he surveyed Spike, "You got a chip in your head two years ago and you're head over heels in love with~ oops. That's not neccessary to go that far into your head. Forgive me. Carry on, Rupert."

After a very surprised look at Spike, Giles wiped his glasses, "I am a Watcher. I have had experience of magic my entire life. This group with me alone has gone through-and stopped- six apocalypses."

"And finally, Buffy. I sense a very special talent around you." Dumbledore glanced at her swiftly, and she squirmed in her seat.

"Yeah....I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer. I...slay vampires. I have been for about....wait....five? Six years?"

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, "Interesting. Would any of you consider visiting classes? Talking to them about your experiences specific to their subjects?"

"Ooh. Um, I do'nt think I want to, sir." spoke up Dawn, and Buffy gave her a surprised look, "It's...it's just that every time something super weird has happened to me it's been when something really bad has happened. Like, bad equals death."

"I see." Dumbledore nodded, "Well, that is fine. I was thinking more along the lines of Buffy and Spike."

The glanced quickly at each other,

"You would probably be perfect together," he began, eyes twinkling, "in a Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom."

"Oh, yeah!" Dawn piped up, "Then they could demonstrate how a real fight happens, and how to kill the vamps, and all that! That would be awesome!"

"What do you think?" Giles asked the twosome.

They glanced at one another, laughter in their eyes and agreed.

"Sure." they said in unison.



After all of the other arrangements were made (they were all set for at least one DADA class, and Willow and Tara were doing some divination and potions also. Giles would work in the library with Madame Pince) they headed off to their bedrooms.

Buffy and Spike went for a walk around the castle once the sun set.

As they approached the lake, Buffy sighed.

"Isn't this place gorgeous?"she murmured.

"Yeah, but it always was. Can't you believe that I was originated from here?"

Buffy laughed and hugged herself, "Weird. Spike?"

He turned to her, "Yeah, Buff?"

"Um....you know...we never did talk about anything that happened....before. Like, when we kissed out the back of the Bronze? Or, when we kissed in the Bronze....or when we~"

"Buffy," he grabbed her on the shoulders, "I know what you're going to say. I know you're going to talk about how you were in pain, and that that kind of relationship is unhealthy and that you only had wild, raging sex with me because you were caught up in the moment but I just want you to know...I don't expect anything. I've gotten way more than I've deserved when it comes to the department of "you". I don't expect anything from you, I know that you're having a hard time, being back from Heaven and all, so just...forget it ever happened, ok?"

"Spike....I can't. That's the thing. I mean, when we were in the airport and I was holding your hand just to guide you....I felt sparks. I mean, something, well, dead can't be a very good conductor of electricity so that had to mean something different was happening there. I'm the kind of girl who, yes, get's caught up in the moment a lot. But the thing is, I've been doing that so many times. And you know, I wasn't really thinking about Giles, or heaven or any of my problems with you. I just...let go. And felt free......and that's how I want to feel. I can't tell if I'm in love with you right now, it's too hard to even see who I am anymore, but I do know that I do love you. And that...if something happened to you, I would cry. And you make me feel so good that I don't know how anything that we do could be wrong. I just don't see it. I mean, I denied and denied and denied it.....but, God, Spike, I just can't do that any more. I can't live that lie, I don't need another burden to carry around with me, you know? I just wanted to say....I mean...even after this entire speech, I meant to say that I want to be......us. I want to be together. I don't care whether it has to be in secret or anything, but I don't want to have to fight my feelings any longer. How can a relationship develop unless you let it? So.....Spike...I give in. I give in."

Spike was staring at her, and, his hands still on her shoulders, she could feel him shaking.

She put her hands on his and chuckled, "Did I scare you?"

"No," he said slowly, "But you did freak me out a bit. I didn't just imagine that speech...did I?"

"Nope."

"Hmm.....I should have kissed you by now, right?"

"Yup."

"Okay, just making sure."

It was then that Buffy received the most exciting, heart pounding kiss she'd ever gotten.