Title: Runaway

Chapter 5: Old Enemies

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Author's notes: Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed this story. It's because of you guys that I've kept on writing this story.

Feedback: Pretty please with a cherry on top?

It had been several months since Buffy had started to slay again, and she had been careful to make sure that it didn't take over her life. It had also stopped her from being constantly consumed by nervous energy. Now the only times that she picked up a stake were when she started to fidget again, or when she saw a vampire attack happening. She still couldn't just let those people die. Even now the dead girl's face haunted her dreams.

In those months she had done a bit of decorating in her appartment as well. The place was still awful but at least it had a little of her own personal style.

Right at that moment Buffy was strolling through the streets, with a stake tucked in the waistband of her pants. Word had quickly spread through the demon community about a brown haired girl who hunted them and they were a little less easy to get rid of now, but as far as she was concerned that was a good thing. It meant she had to find and stake less of them.

She had already been out on the street for several hours and was starting to think that every single vampire in LA was taking a night off. She hadn't even found any bloodless corpses. Over the past few weeks the vampires had been getting stronger, and had been working together. To Buffy that meant only one thing; there was a powerful vampire leading them, maybe even another master. But she wasn't interested in finding that particular creature of the night and staking him. As far as she was concerned vamps were just a useful way of burning of energy.

The entire block was silent except for the occasional passing car. Buffy would have been lying if she said she didn't find it a bit creepy. She was thinking so deeply that she didn't even sense the vampire and his victim until she almost fell over them.

"Bloody hell! Watch where you're going!" Buffy stared at the platinum blond haired vampire in astonishment. He had just dropped the body and was changing back into his human features.

"Spike?!"

"Yeah, what's . . . Slayer!"

Buffy didn't question how he knew it was her, despite the disguise. Unlike the newbie vamps she had been hunting he knew her pretty well.

"What are you doing here, Spike? And where's Drusilla?" She was pretty sure that staking the vampiress who had killed Kendra would make her feel better.

Spike's surprised look turned to one of deep sadness and regret. "Gone," he said glumly, sitting down on top of a dustbin and lighting a cigarette.

"Huh?"

"I said she's gone, ya stupid poof." Part of Buffy (a large part) was telling her to push Mr Pointy through his heart now, but another part of her wanted to know what had happened. Spike had seemed pretty happy, if a little beaten up, last time she had seen him. The vampire continued before she had time to ask, obviously wanting to share this with somebody, even if it was his mortal enemy. "Left me for a chaos demon. Said I wasn't bad enough any more."

"A chaos demon? Wait a minute, aren't those the great, big, ugly ones?"

"Yep. She found out I helped you stop Angelus, stars told her or somethink."

No matter how hard she tried Buffy couldn't help it. She burst into hysterical laughter. She was sure she hadn't laughed this much since her seventeenth birthday.

"Hey! Watch it, Fluffy. Quit it, will ya?" She just kept laughing. When she finally stopped she found him staring at her, with a curious glint in his eye.

"What?" she asked, instantly on her guard.

"Well . . . I just realised something. I seem to remember you liking to make deals, so I got one for ya."

Buffy snorted. "That was the end of the world, Spike. There's no way I'm making another deal with you."

He held up his hands. He would never admit it to anyone, but he was a little afraid of this Slayer. He had killed two himself, but this one was different. Besides she's already killed the Master, the Judge and his grandsire. Who was to say he wouldn't be next on the list. "Just hear me out. The way I see it, we know things about each other that we don't want other people knowing." That was an understatement. If his minions found out that Dru had left him for a Chaos Demon he would be a laughing stock.

He could see understanding hit her almost instantly. "Exactly, Slayer. So here's the deal, you let me out of here unharmed and don't tell anyone about Dru leaving me, and I won't go and tell your noncey friends exactly where you are."

A threat to stake him instead was just forming on her lips when Buffy hesitated. Spike had just fed and even though he was a little drunk she wasn't confident that she would win the fight. She hadn't been eating or sleeping properly and she had only patrolled when she needed to. She was no where near the shape she was in when she had last faced him.

"Alright, Spike. It's a deal. You can go. But if you tell anyone where I am, then I will hunt you down and kill you, after I've made you a laughing stock."

A broad smile spread over his face. He had no intention of mentioning her, or her whereabouts, to a living person, or an unliving one at that. "Perfect. Pleasure doing buisness with you, Fluffy." He took a long draught of his cigarette before throwing it to the floor and stamping on it. Still smiling he sauntered off. Maybe things weren't quite so bad after all. With his new good mood he couldn't quite resist a last line. "The way I see it, Slayer, you still need closure about killing your lover. Moping about in LA obviously ain't helpin' you at all."

As she watched him turn the corner Buffy wondered briefly if she had made the right choice in letting him go, but then she shrugged and turned, intent on finding at least one vampire to stake before she went home. Spike had left her with a lot to think about.

~

okay, i know that spike was a little out of character talking to buffy instead of fighting her

but . . .

anyway, spike will be back later on. probably around the same time angel makes his entrance.