A/N: For those of you who DON'T hate me for taking so long to update *looks nervously around at the small group* I would just like to say thanks for actually taking the time to read this, and thanks for the great reviews I've been getting. I'm really sorry that there's always a long wait until updates, but RL is always getting to me. Anyway, thanks again. Oh by the way, those who have noticed my mix ups in this story, you notice that I am editing this myself. So, now knowing that I'm not very good at this anymore, (lol) I'm looking for a beta, anyone who's interested can you please email me at lynsey_pooh@hotmail.com, I would really appreciate it! Thanks, on to chapter 8!

Chapter 8

Spike stood in the shower, letting the warm spray wash over his body. He was debating on what to do, turn the slayer into his employer get his cash and forget her. But he knew better, this girl had dug a place in his un-beating heart and settled in, and wasn't going anywhere soon. Second choice, flee. Take the slayer and her family and run. He knew sooner or later they would be caught, but until then he could keep them safe. He didn't know what possessed him to think so protectively of Buffy, Joyce and the Nibblet, but he did and there was no changing it. For her, he would protect them to the end of the world. That's how he was.

With a sigh, he turned off the spray and stepped out of the shower wrapping a towel around his waist and made his way back into the bed room. He told himself over and over, not to look at the bed. But as usual his body didn't obey his commands.

Buffy was lying so her head was facing him, he'd never seen anything more beautiful yet deadly at the same time. He momentarily turned away and slipped into a pair of black jeans before making his way over to the bed. He gingerly sat down, disturbing the mattress only slightly. He reached over and gently brushed hair away from her face. How peaceful she looked. He noticed that her hands were still unbound from the cuff, from when he let her free during their make-out session. He reached over to cuff her again, but hesitated, something didn't feel right. Shrugging it off he picked up Buffy's left wrist and clicked it back into the cuff, he was reaching out for her right when it shot out and caught him around the neck.

Buffy's eyes fluttered open, showing the anger, and betrayal she felt. Using her slayer strength she threw Spike across the room and into the wall, making a fairly big dent. Spike sat dazed for awhile, and in the back of his mind he saw the slayer peel off the cuff holding her left wrist and stride confidently over him, bending down so they were eye level.

"You really didn't think you were going to get away with this do you?" She smiled. "If you actually knew me you'd know that I had trained my body to work against sleeping potions, and they only work on me for about 20 minutes."

Spike felt himself getting sleepier and looked down and saw that while she was distracting him, she had opened a needle and was injecting something into his arm.

"Buffy, what are you do…" He trailed off, falling into a deep sleep.

Buffy removed the needle, which contained a special sleeping potion she got from Willow a couple months before she left when she was going after a Velrox demon who liked to have body guards, from his arm, and set it on a nearby table. She stood up gazing at the sleeping beauty before her. Sighing, she knelt down again and scooped him up in her arms, lying him gently back onto the bed.

"Serves you right," she quietly mumbled to him, "I knew I should have never have trusted you." She stood up to leave, but hesitated and watched him sleep. *Remember Buffy, he's the enemy.* She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath and headed towards the door, but she stopped before she was fully through. She turned around to look at Spike again. She did a mental eye roll, quickly walked back over to him, and placed a hard kiss on his lips.

"I'll be back, but I'm just making sure you'll be here when I do." And with that she picked up the discarded cuffs, and hooked him into them. Then without a backwards glance she left the room closing the door softly behind her.

Once outside the room, her mind clicked back into predator mode. While Spike was in the shower, she heard him mumbling something about an employer, her, and money. So she could only guess that someone hired him to take her out, and she was going to find out whom, and kill him. Sounded like a good plan, so she started looking around Spikes apartment for anything, a name, number, address… anything.

After searching through most of the rooms, not including the bedroom, she turned to the last door which she hadn't gone through. She tried the handle, only to find it locked. She stepped back and kicked it in. Nothing was going to stop her; this guy was pissing her off. When she entered the room she saw a desk in the middle, and a bookshelf behind it. The desk had some papers and a very expensive looking laptop on top. She leafed through the papers on the desk, nothing. Went through all the drawers, nothing. She stood up and put her hands on her hips, now this was pissing her off. She had half a mind to go up and wake Spike up and beat it out of him, when something caught her eye.

The bookshelf itself looked to be about 6 feet high, and 4 feet wide and it was stocked full of ancient looking books. *Geez, Giles would have a field day with these.* But the one book that caught her eye, was a huge volume, with the word 'Slayer' written in big gold lettering on the spine. She pulled it out and sat at his desk flipping through it when something fell out.

Buffy bent down and picked it up opening the paper gingerly. On it had the name of the hotel and a room number, also an estimate of a large amount of money was on there along with a date, two days from that very day. But the name of the hotel bothered her; something was nagging at her about it. Then it hit her. That was the name of her hotel! And the room number was on their floor.

"Omigod, Mom, Dawn!" And with that she flew from the apartment, only partly slowing to grab Spikes keys from the table beside the door. She dashed into the underground parking lot, it took her awhile to find the old Desoto, but as soon as she did she was off like a light. Speeding towards the hotel, she prayed to god that her family was alright.

When she reached the hotel, she screeched in front of the lobby and jumped out of the car not even bothering to turn it off, with lightning speed she ran up to her floor, and pulled out her key card opening her hotel room.

"Mom! Dawn! Are you guys here?" Buffy shouted as she opened the door, but when she got inside no one was in there. The beds were unmade, clothes scattered everywhere, and a couple lamps were over turned. "Oh no." Buffy said surveying the room with wide eyes, "What have I let happen?" She slid numbly to the floor, and just sat there staring at the mess before her.

A/N: I hope that's enough to hold you over for a little while, I'll try my hardest to update sooner than usual okay! Thanks everyone, and please let me know what you think!