"I know the territory, I've been around
It'll all turn to dust and we'll all fall down
And sooner or later, you'll be screwing around"
-Meatloaf
Buffy was in the park feeding from a homeless man. She let go of him and placed a hundred dollar bill in his hand. "Sorry, she whispered. She walked away only to be attacked by a group of men and women. She fought them off to the best of her ability without actually hurting them.
"Buffy?" a man's voice asked. "Stop! Everyone stop!" They all backed off. "Buffy, God it is you." She stared at the man for a second before launching herself into his arms.
"Giles!" she cried lying her head on the man's shoulder.
"Rupert," a man said. "What are you doing?"
"This is Buffy Summers, the slayer," Giles said. "She was turned into a vampire but she I believe retains her soul."
"How can you tell?" the man demanded.
"She saved our lives from Angelus for starters," Giles said. "And she's been corresponding with Willow ever since she left."
"Probably to see where the girl was," a woman said.
"Actually she was rather strict about Willow not writing back," Giles told them.
"We still can't be sure," the man said.
"Was a slayer ever turned before?" Giles asked.
"No," the man said.
"Then how can you be sure of what would happen?" Giles asked.
"But she killed that man," the woman cried.
"He's dead?" Buffy asked her eyes wide. She rushed to the man's side and checked his pulse. "He's not dead! Don't scare me like that!"
"He's not?" the woman inquired. She also checked his pulse. "He isn't."
"Told ya," Buffy said.
"But you fed from a human?" Giles asked obviously upset.
"I had to," Buffy said. "I can't get a hold of any bottled blood and there aren't any real forests or anything around here. Just rats and I don't like rats."
"A vampire afraid of mice," Giles said sounding amused.
"I gave him money," she said. "I know it's not much and after a while Angel will start to miss it but it will help him and the blood I took won't hurt him too much."
"You're still traveling with Angelus?" Giles asked.
"Yeah," she admitted looking down. "I don't know why really, but he protects me."
"Since when do you need protection?" Giles asked her.
"It's different now, I don't think I could survive by myself in the vampire world," she said still not looking at him.
"Rupert," another man said.
"Yes Quincy," Giles said.
"I just wanted to be sure that you have no problem with me killing this vampire," Quincy said.
"Isn't that Spike?" Giles asked.
"Yes!" Buffy yelled. "There will be no killing Spike."
"You're protecting him?" Giles asked.
"Ask Willow to tell you the things that he did for me sometime," Buffy said quietly. Spike approached.
"You okay slayer?" Spike asked.
"Yep," Buffy said. "Long story."
"You two should go," Giles said studying his comrades.
"Okay," Buffy said. She hugged him tightly.
"I still need to breath," Giles said. She let go of him and looked up at her former watcher. She felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"Goodbye Giles," she said in a voice full of tears. "It was good seeing you."
"Yes, well, likewise," she had a feeling that the usually stoic librarian was close to tears.
"Come on," Spike said. She followed him away. After they were out of site she began to cry. "Slayer." He took her in his arms. "It's okay luv." She buried her head in his shoulder.
"Spike," she said pulling away to look up at him. He leaned down and kissed her gently. She was shocked but found that this tenderness and sweetness were what she had been missing. She finally made herself pull away from him. "We shouldn't be doing this."
"No we shouldn't," Spike said stepping away from her. "Well let's go home." He led her to the hotel. "Go clean yourself up. Your mascara is all over your face." She went into the bathroom in the room she shared with Angel and cleaned the make-up off of herself. She looked at the mirror seeing only the door behind her in it.
"God I can't do this," she muttered. She heard the door open. Angel and Spike walked in arguing. This wasn't new but the subject of their argument was.
"She left?" Angel demanded. "Why?"
"Two guesses," Spike said. "Let me read the letter again. 'My Dear Angel, I cannot stand to be the second woman in your life, the one you come to in the mornings. I want to be the only not the other.' Then it goes on to talk about stars and pomegranates. In short mate. This. Is. All. Your. Fault."
"How so?" Angel demanded.
"You led her on just like you are leading the slayer on," Spike said. "You sleep with both of them giving them false promises."
"You're stepping over a line here William," Angel growled.
"What else is new?" Spike asked.
"Just back off," Angel said.
"No!" Spike yelled. "I already let you do this too long."
"Do what?" Buffy asked walking out. Angel cursed under his nonexistent breath.
"Nothing," he tried to say.
"Oh whatever," Buffy said. "Honestly, I'm not an idiot. Although, I obviously have to be since I actually thought that I could trust you. How stupid I must have been."
"Come on baby-" Angel started stepping towards her.
"I swear that if you touch me I will castrate you," she warned. He stepped back. "How long?"
"Buffy-" he started.
"How long?!" she demanded. "Was it the year after, the month after, the week after, or the day after?"
"Buffy please just listen to me," he said.
"What so you can fool me into believing you again?" she demanded. "Not happening." She went to the closet and threw the door open she took out her things and threw them into a bag. "I'm not staying here tonight. Honestly I can't even look at you."
"I was doing it before," he said.
"Now see there's a tiny difference," she told him. "Before you hadn't promised me that you would stop."
"Where will you go?" he demanded. "It's dawn."
"Spike?" she asked. "Can I spend the night in your room?"
"Sure," Spike said easily.
"Goodbye Angel," she said.
"You can't do this to me," Angel growled.
"Watch me," she said. She walked out with Spike following her.
Buffy was in the park feeding from a homeless man. She let go of him and placed a hundred dollar bill in his hand. "Sorry, she whispered. She walked away only to be attacked by a group of men and women. She fought them off to the best of her ability without actually hurting them.
"Buffy?" a man's voice asked. "Stop! Everyone stop!" They all backed off. "Buffy, God it is you." She stared at the man for a second before launching herself into his arms.
"Giles!" she cried lying her head on the man's shoulder.
"Rupert," a man said. "What are you doing?"
"This is Buffy Summers, the slayer," Giles said. "She was turned into a vampire but she I believe retains her soul."
"How can you tell?" the man demanded.
"She saved our lives from Angelus for starters," Giles said. "And she's been corresponding with Willow ever since she left."
"Probably to see where the girl was," a woman said.
"Actually she was rather strict about Willow not writing back," Giles told them.
"We still can't be sure," the man said.
"Was a slayer ever turned before?" Giles asked.
"No," the man said.
"Then how can you be sure of what would happen?" Giles asked.
"But she killed that man," the woman cried.
"He's dead?" Buffy asked her eyes wide. She rushed to the man's side and checked his pulse. "He's not dead! Don't scare me like that!"
"He's not?" the woman inquired. She also checked his pulse. "He isn't."
"Told ya," Buffy said.
"But you fed from a human?" Giles asked obviously upset.
"I had to," Buffy said. "I can't get a hold of any bottled blood and there aren't any real forests or anything around here. Just rats and I don't like rats."
"A vampire afraid of mice," Giles said sounding amused.
"I gave him money," she said. "I know it's not much and after a while Angel will start to miss it but it will help him and the blood I took won't hurt him too much."
"You're still traveling with Angelus?" Giles asked.
"Yeah," she admitted looking down. "I don't know why really, but he protects me."
"Since when do you need protection?" Giles asked her.
"It's different now, I don't think I could survive by myself in the vampire world," she said still not looking at him.
"Rupert," another man said.
"Yes Quincy," Giles said.
"I just wanted to be sure that you have no problem with me killing this vampire," Quincy said.
"Isn't that Spike?" Giles asked.
"Yes!" Buffy yelled. "There will be no killing Spike."
"You're protecting him?" Giles asked.
"Ask Willow to tell you the things that he did for me sometime," Buffy said quietly. Spike approached.
"You okay slayer?" Spike asked.
"Yep," Buffy said. "Long story."
"You two should go," Giles said studying his comrades.
"Okay," Buffy said. She hugged him tightly.
"I still need to breath," Giles said. She let go of him and looked up at her former watcher. She felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"Goodbye Giles," she said in a voice full of tears. "It was good seeing you."
"Yes, well, likewise," she had a feeling that the usually stoic librarian was close to tears.
"Come on," Spike said. She followed him away. After they were out of site she began to cry. "Slayer." He took her in his arms. "It's okay luv." She buried her head in his shoulder.
"Spike," she said pulling away to look up at him. He leaned down and kissed her gently. She was shocked but found that this tenderness and sweetness were what she had been missing. She finally made herself pull away from him. "We shouldn't be doing this."
"No we shouldn't," Spike said stepping away from her. "Well let's go home." He led her to the hotel. "Go clean yourself up. Your mascara is all over your face." She went into the bathroom in the room she shared with Angel and cleaned the make-up off of herself. She looked at the mirror seeing only the door behind her in it.
"God I can't do this," she muttered. She heard the door open. Angel and Spike walked in arguing. This wasn't new but the subject of their argument was.
"She left?" Angel demanded. "Why?"
"Two guesses," Spike said. "Let me read the letter again. 'My Dear Angel, I cannot stand to be the second woman in your life, the one you come to in the mornings. I want to be the only not the other.' Then it goes on to talk about stars and pomegranates. In short mate. This. Is. All. Your. Fault."
"How so?" Angel demanded.
"You led her on just like you are leading the slayer on," Spike said. "You sleep with both of them giving them false promises."
"You're stepping over a line here William," Angel growled.
"What else is new?" Spike asked.
"Just back off," Angel said.
"No!" Spike yelled. "I already let you do this too long."
"Do what?" Buffy asked walking out. Angel cursed under his nonexistent breath.
"Nothing," he tried to say.
"Oh whatever," Buffy said. "Honestly, I'm not an idiot. Although, I obviously have to be since I actually thought that I could trust you. How stupid I must have been."
"Come on baby-" Angel started stepping towards her.
"I swear that if you touch me I will castrate you," she warned. He stepped back. "How long?"
"Buffy-" he started.
"How long?!" she demanded. "Was it the year after, the month after, the week after, or the day after?"
"Buffy please just listen to me," he said.
"What so you can fool me into believing you again?" she demanded. "Not happening." She went to the closet and threw the door open she took out her things and threw them into a bag. "I'm not staying here tonight. Honestly I can't even look at you."
"I was doing it before," he said.
"Now see there's a tiny difference," she told him. "Before you hadn't promised me that you would stop."
"Where will you go?" he demanded. "It's dawn."
"Spike?" she asked. "Can I spend the night in your room?"
"Sure," Spike said easily.
"Goodbye Angel," she said.
"You can't do this to me," Angel growled.
"Watch me," she said. She walked out with Spike following her.
