History Always Repeats Itself

            By Kimbyann

Author's Notes:  Once again, thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!  You guys have been so nice and supportive.  I hope you enjoy!  As always, feedback is appreciated!

As they trudged down the sidewalk, Willow shot a glance at the anxious blonde walking with her.  She looked positively nervous.  Stifling a yawn, Willow asked, "So, am I gonna get an explanation to why we're breaking and entering at 1:00 in the morning?"

            Buffy shot her a look; "It's not breaking and entering if you have a key."

            "Oh, how foolish of me."

            "I just need to look through some of his Watcher journals, is all.  No biggie."

            Willow grew concerned, "There's not another apocalypse I should know about, is there?"

            "No!  Why are you so suspicious?"

            "You're acting suspicious!"

            Buffy stopped walking, "I'm not acting suspicious!  What are you talking about? Who's suspicious?"

            Willow smirked, "Oh yeah, you're 'Joe Cool' alright."  Willow frowned at the expression on Buffy's face.  "This doesn't have something to do with Anya does it?  Did she upset you?  I didn't even think about sending you there after what happened!  Good job Willow, I practically threw it in your face that she slept with Spike!  What's wrong with me?  I'm surprised you don't hate me, I'd hate me, how can you even-"

            "Willow, breathe."  Buffy smiled at her friend's red face, "It has nothing to do with that. 

            Willow frowned, "Then what?"  Noticing the reluctant look on her friends face, Willow shot her a look of her own, "Resolve face Buffy.  I'm not going any further until you tell me what's going on."

Buffy sighed before speaking, "Anya said something about Slayers."

            Confused lines crossed Willow's forehead, "Slayers?"

            Buffy squirmed under her friend's gaze, "Slayers and vampires."

            "Um, that is sort of a package deal, yes."

            Buffy shook her head, "No, I mean, yes they are, but no that's not what I meant!  She said that there had been Slayers and vampires…together, before."

            Willow's frown grew deeper, "Together?  What do you mea—oh…together, together."

            "Yeah."

            Willow let out a breath, "Yeah…So this is about you and Spike then.  I mean, I thought you two were over…that's what you keep saying."

            "We are!  We're almost under, we've gone so far over…but think about it Willow.  Everything I've been taught, everything I know about Slayers and vampires…I have to know."

            Taking in the conflict apparent on her friend's face, Willow made a decision, "Well, what are we standing around here for? There are important books and journals waiting for us!  Come on!  Let's go!"

            Buffy's face lit up in a smile and she grabbed her friend in a huge hug, "Thank you!"

            "I do need to breathe you know!"

*** 

            Buffy groaned in frustration as she slammed another book on the table.  "Nothing!  Absolutely nothing!  Three hours of nothing!"

            Willow closed her book with a sigh, "Well, Giles did take a lot of his books back with him.  Maybe we should call-"

            "No!"

            Willow looked taken aback, "Or not."

            "Sorry, it's just…asking him about this would mean telling him about…"

            Willow was silent a moment, observing her friend, "Maybe you should tell him about-"

            "No!"  Buffy sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I can't.  I couldn't tell him—I mean how could I tell him?  I've barely talked to him since he's gone back to England.  He made it pretty clear that he didn't want to be a part of my life anymore."

            "Buffy no!  That's not why he left.  He will always be your Watcher.  He loves you, it's just…With everything that's happened…I know it was our fault-" Buffy opened her mouth to object but Willow stopped her, "No, it was.  It was irresponsible, and foolish, and selfish.  But you have to understand…this has been hard on us too!  I mean this year?  Pretty much sucks.  And Giles…You died, and then you were back, but you were still kind of dead.  And maybe him leaving wasn't the best thing, but it's what he thought was best at the time."

            Buffy's voice was small, "But what if I tell him I need help and he won't.  He wants me to stand on my own…to take charge of my life."

            "He loves you Buffy.  And he will always be there if you need him."

            Buffy's face remained tense.  "I should patrol."

            Willow frowned, "The sun is up in a few hours."

            "Which means the vamps still have a few hours to be out.  I'll walk you home."

            "Buffy-"

            "Come on.  Maybe we can look later this afternoon."

            Willow sighed, getting her things together, "Alright."

***   

            Buffy dropped Willow off at the house, and started walking towards the cemetery.  She barely paid any heed to the few fledglings she staked on the way, her mind to full and jumbled.  Soon, she found herself in a particular cemetery, in front of a particular crypt.  Opening the door softly, she walked in.  She gazed around the upper level, seeing no sign of him.  "Spike," she called out softly.  "Are you here?" Her words echoed through the crypt, but no response came.  With a muttered curse, she sat down in his chair, deciding to wait.  The late our, and heaviness of the day started to set in, however, and soon, she was fast asleep.  

***

            An hour later, a slightly tipsy and rowdy Spike strode into his crypt, but stopped abruptly as he smelled a familiar scent.  There, sleeping peacefully in his very chair was the Slayer.  With a cocky smirk, he swaggered over to her.  Bending down next to her, he moved his hand over her cheek, but never making contact with her skin.  As though sensing his presence above her, she moaned in her sleep, and leaned her face into his touch.  Spike's smirk grew wider, and he leaned in close to her ear.  "Slayer," he murmured, more breath than voice, "Time for all good little girl's to be in bed." 

Buffy let out another moan, and turned her body in the chair, muttering in her sleep, "Mmm, Spike."

Spike let out a chuckle, his breath sending shivers through her body as she slowly started to come to consciousness.  Spike let his finger trace the vein in her neck, "Time to wake up luv, come on."

Buffy felt sleep slowly fall away as she slowly opened her eyes to find Spike hovering right above her lips.  Letting out a small screech of surprise, she could not help her automatic reflex as her first shot out and hit him square in the nose. 

Caught off guard, Spike fell backwards onto his butt, letting out a loud, "Bloody hell!" as he clutched at his bleeding nose. 

"What the hell do you think you were doing?"

"Excuse me?"  Spike tried to glare at her, but his position on the floor did little to make the image effective.  "Need I remind you that this is my home."

"That still doesn't give you the right to molest me in my sleep!"

"Hey now," Spike rose to his feet, still finger his the tender flesh of his nose, "I was doing no such thing."  He paused, thoughtfully, "Well, maybe a little bit, but nothing you weren't enjoying!"

Buffy let out an annoyed squawk, "I don't know why I thought I could talk to you about this, chalk it up to exhaustion.  Don't worry, I won't make that mistake again."

She started going for the exit, but Spike quickly intercepted her, grabbing both of her arms, "Hold off a minute, I find you here, asleep, and I'll be damned if I'll let you leave without an explanation!"

Buffy shot him a death glare, "Let go of me."

"Only if you'll tell me why you're here."  Spike pressed his body against hers, "Unless you changed your mind about-" Buffy raised her fist and Spike backed off, "Maybe not." 

"I need you to be serious."

Spike smirked, "I'm always serious baby."  Buffy glared at him, and Spike shook his head.  "Fine, fine.  I'm all ears luv." 

Buffy sighed, and sat down in his chair again.  Spike's eyebrow rose at that, but he made no comment.  "I don't know why I'm asking you.  I mean, it's not like you would know.  This is silly, I don't know what I was thinking, I should just-"

"Buffy," Spike interrupted startling her with the use of her given name, "Just say it.  I'm listening."

Buffy nodded her head forcefully, idling playing with the bottom of her shirt, "Have you ever heard of…vampires, being with Slayers?"

Spike let out an amused snort, "Well, there was one annoying poofter with bad hair that comes to mind."

Buffy shook her head, "No…I mean vampires and other Slayers." 

Spike frowned, "What brought this on?"

"Nothing.  I just…I really need to know."

Spike stalked over to his mini-refrigerator, taking out some blood and pouring it in a mug.  "Well, I heard rumors.  Mumblings about Slayers who had vampires for lovers or even just ones in need of a good-" Spike stopped at the look Buffy was giving him, "But I never heard of any specific Slayer, if that's what you mean.  Present company excluded, of course."

"Why didn't you ever tell me this before?"

"Tell you what?  Tales?  Gossip?  There was nothing to tell."

            Buffy let out a groan and rose, abruptly, pacing the length of the crypt.  "But still, this must have seemed…odd to you."

            Spike shrugged, watching her anxious for with concern, "Not really, no."

            She stopped her pacing, whirling around to face him, "What?"

            "Why are you so upset about this Slayer?"

            "I just—" Buffy took a deep breath, "Anya…said something…about other Slayers and vampires…I wanted to know if it was true."

            Spike started to move in closer to her, "Why?  Why should you care?  What would it matter to you if other Slayers had shacked up with vampires?"

            Buffy squirmed under his intense gaze, "It wouldn't…I mean, it doesn't matter."

            "Really," Spike was close enough to touch her now, but made no move to do so.  "Then why get all upset, why come over to your ex-lover's," he breathed the word out like a caress causing Buffy to shiver, "and grill him for any information.  Why care at all?"  Spike was well within her personal space now, but she had made no move to stop him.

            "It's my past, my history," she tried to stutter out.

            Spike moved his mouth down to hers, hovering an inch above it, "Is that all?"

            Buffy couldn't look into his eyes, knowing if she did, she would be lost, "Yes," she said, so softly, too softly. 

            Spike leaned his head down, so close to the only heaven he would ever know when Buffy abruptly pushed past him.  "I gotta go."  She bolted, not even looking back or waiting to hear his reply, she just ran into the safety of the morning sun. 

            Spike growled in frustration, picked up his mug, and hurled it across the room, watching as it shattered and scattered blood and ceramic all over the floor. 

***

            Buffy ran.  She ran through the cemetery, down the street, even when she got to her house she did not stop, throwing open the door, running past a concerned Willow and Dawn, and ran up to her room, slamming the door.  She sat on the bed for a long time, before reaching out with a trembling hand to pick up the phone.  Shaking, she dialed, listening to the rings cut off as someone answered."

            "Hello?" 

            Buffy couldn't get her mouth open to speak.

            "Hello?  Is someone there?"

            She sat, frozen.

            "I really don't have time for thi-"

            "Giles?"  Buffy's voice was quiet, and nervous.

            "Buffy?  Buffy, is that you?"

            "I need your help Giles."