This fic is for my excellent friend Dawn who got me going on the action part of fic writing. Thanx, chicky poo! Without your constant advice I wouldn't know how and what to write! Words cannot describe how much I appreciate you, girl! You're the bestest!
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"Have Faith" Pt 1/?

Buffy saw the fist just in time to duck. Still holding the arm of the first vampire, the slayer swung with her stake arm and the second vamp exploded into dust.

Turning to the vampire in her hand, Buffy sighed. The second expected explosion of dust was carried away by a slight breeze. The hand that had been holding the vampire, emptied it's dusty contents.

"Thanx, Spike. I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I just can't fight ten vampires anymore!"

"Don't thank me---you stake nine of the buggers before I came along! I staked the one you were HOLDING!"

"Yeah, but on any other patrol I could've staked all ten and ran a marathon afterwards."

A smile spread across the remaining vampire's face, "You know, you're pretty cute when you pout."

Buffy couldn't help but smile. "Thanx," she replied. "I hoped you'd like it. I spent hours practicing in front of the mirror this morning."

Her mischievous grin told him this was a lie but he ignored it. "And Red thinks we could never work. If only she knew your--"

"I-I think we should be getting back." Buffy stopped him. "Giles and the girls are waiting and Willow should be home anytime now."

Spike cleared his throat and nodded in understanding. There was a war going on and he had almost led them to a happy place. Happy places were bad right now. The slayer had a job to do and it could not be pushed aside by personal pleasure.

Walking side by side, vampire and slayer left the cemetery and headed for Revello Drive and Slayer Central.

"You know, you really should let yourself have a little fun once in a while. It's not good for the slayer to be so tense right before an Apocalypse." Spike gently pushed even though a voice inside his head told him not to. He had given up on listening to voices in his head as of late. The last voice almost got the Scoobies' only hostage eaten.

"I do have fun! The other night the Potentials let me show them how to kill a vamp in six seconds!"

Spike shook his head and cringed as it cracked in two places. "Yeah. A bloody hoot that was! You never even gave me a chance to steady myself before coming at me like a hell god who can't find her bloody key!" Buffy winced, "Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away with the tumbling."

"A little? You damn near knocked my head off!"

Spike's bruises still hurt but he couldn't help but smile. "Although straddling me like that, to make sure I wouldn't get away, was a brilliant idea."

Buffy smiled and gently placed her hand in Spike's. Ignoring the look of horror and surprise on the vampire's face, the slayer gave a gentle squeeze. He wa right, she did need to have a little fun once in a while--despite an evil gonna destroy-the-world type war brewing.

Reaching the driveway they were searching for on Revello Driver, Buffy suddenly got an idea and stopped.

"Spike?"

The vampire stopped and cautiously glanced at his hand then at the door. "Yeah?"

"I know I've been a bit rough on you lately, what with all the hands on training and such--"

"It's okay, Buffy. I offered to help remember?"

"Yeah. Right. Well, just the same, I was wondering..." Buffy, still holding hands with Spike, started back up the driveway. "...if maybe you...and me could--"

Suddenly the slayer's small hand was wrenched from the vampire's large one. Immediately sensing danger, Spike slipped into vamp face. An instant later, however, he was back in human form and helping Buffy off the cold, dark pavement.

"Are you all right?" Spike asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with some anger and disappointment in her voice. "Just tripped over this suitcase. I guess Willow's home. Now where were we? Oh yeah. I was wondering--"

Before she had a chance to finish, she was shoved aside and a foot met Spike's jaw which sent him reeling backwards. "Wot the bloody hell?" Another kick sent him staggering again. A series of kicks and punches flailed him without a pause.

Buffy tried to help Spike but was pushed aside again and again with each try. By now Spike's nose and lip were bleeding and his right eye had begun to turn a purplish color. He was breathing hard and hardly able to stand.

"Stop it!" Buffy finally cried out in frustration. "You're going to kill him!"

A beautiful face with large brown eyes turned to face the slayer. The attacker's long chestnut colored hair flung around the bounced back into large curls. "Oh, sorry! Didn't know you were working up to the kill! If you wanted to stake him yourself, why didn't you just say so, B?" Smiling she rose from her fighting stance and stepped aside.

Buffy sighed and tried not to roll her eyes. A look of surprise spread across the attacker's face as Buffy ran to Spike and helped him to the door. "Welcome back, Faith."