Summary: Buffy made a wish that changed some things about Spike: he's now human, his crypt was redecorated, he dresses normally, doesn't listen to punk music, drink, smoke, lie, cheat, steal, or swear, and his hair has reverted to its original color. He also doesn't love Buffy anymore, but she doesn't know this. Everyone loves the new Spike: Xander has a guy friend he can talk to, Anya has a former demon she can relate to, Willow and Tara have found someone to help them with spells, and Spike has helped Giles with research. Since he still has his vampire abilities, the gang also is willing to rely on Spike for protection. Buffy is jealous of the attention being paid to Spike, but (for once) she doesn't blame him. When we last saw Buffy, she was leaving The Bronze with Spike to find things to kill...

A/N: See, I told you that you wouldn't have to wait as long! Yay!

A/N 2: Sorry about the lack of dialogue in this chapter and the last one. There should be more in the next chapter. Thanks for your patience and kind reviews!

Chapter 8:

Buffy was getting more and more frustrated with each step. So far they had been to the alley behind The Bronze, the park, and one cemetery, and they hadn't seen a single vamp. Halfway through the second cemetery, she stopped Spike by a grave where Sunnydale's newest member of the undead would be waking up soon.

"Since there is absolutely *nothing* out tonight, we can just wait for him to rise. But it won't be much of a challenge," Buffy commented.

With a nod, Spike leaned up against a gravestone across from Mark Wilcox. He hadn't said much all evening, because he was unsure how to act around Buffy anymore. Her friends had been welcoming to him after about a half hour of questioning (after he had proved as well as he could that he didn't want to kill any of them) and Dawn had been thrilled immediately, and at one point had dragged him out into the sun just to see what he looked like in the light. But Buffy hadn't even seemed phased by his change into a human, although she treated him much differently than she did when he was a vampire. He could have understood her if she had just decided to hate him, or even if she had slowly accepted him. But with her sudden change of opinion, he had no idea what to do or say around Buffy anymore (if he ever had).

While Spike was contemplating Buffy's attitude, Buffy was sitting on a stone next to his, studying him. In the dark, in a graveyard, he almost looked like he had before her wish. But he was a different person entirely; one who she didn't know how to act around. As she examined her actions toward Spike over the past day to figure out exactly who he was to her now, she realized that she had actually been flirting with him! With that thought, she stiffened and gasped. Spike looked over in alarm, thinking she had spotted something.

Buffy looked over after a second to see Spike's wary face. Immediately, she blushed and thought quickly, "Uh, it's ok. I was just thinking of something I needed to do at home before my mom tries to do it herself."

"You want to go home and take care of tha' right now? 'll take care of this guy 'f you need me to," Spike was instantly concerned. He liked Buffy's mother, and he had truly been worried about her since she became sick.

"Oh, no. Thanks, though. I can take care of it when I get home. Mom won't be up then," Buffy lied, feeling guilty. Spike couldn't lie now, not even if he wanted to. Thankfully interrupting her somewhat guilty thoughts, Mark Wilcox finally decided to climb his way out of his grave right then, giving her something to focus on. Too bad he was just a fledgling.

While Buffy waited patiently for Mark, her stake still in the waistband of her pants, she heard a noise coming from the trees across the way. With a grin, she saw Mark's vampire "family" had come to get him. Turning to Spike, she quipped, "And they say families don't function any more. You get him, I'll take them."

With another silent nod, Spike turned to wait for Mark to finish digging his way out. Buffy took off at a run across the graveyard. She immediately staked the first vamp, and kicked the second one in the stomach. As the third approached, she grabbed him and sent him flying into the last of the gang, who looked like he was about to run away. As those two went down in a tangle of arms and legs, she quickly staked them through the back and the chest. The second vampire had gotten up and was about to run away when he noticed that he was the last one left.

With an evil little grin, Buffy let loose on the unsuspecting vampire, releasing all her frustrations from the past three days. She didn't notice when the vampire stopped moving. When Spike had dusted the fledgling, he looked around for Buffy. He saw her on the ground, pummeling the vamp. As he watched, she finally stopped, and waited for him to get up before she started hitting him again. Worried slightly for her sanity, Spike ran over and grabbed Buffy around the waist and pulled her away from the collapsing vampire. With a wince of sympathy, he dusted the vamp quickly before turning to Buffy, who was staring at him with a strange expression on her face.

Oh my God, I'm turning into Faith was the thought that was running through Buffy's head. Spike, SPIKE of all people had just stopped her from beating a vampire to his second death. And as she was looking at Spike, she remembered one of the first things Faith had told her and the Scoobies...Slaying made her hungry and horny. Oh, God! This was Spike! She had to get home now before she did something even more stupid. She hadn't realized how dumb her body was (That's right, Buffy, a sarcastic voice inside her head said, blame it on your body. You have nothing to do with it. Riiiiiiight.). She was really lusting after Spike.

"Spike...I-I've got to go. I...I don't know what that was, but I'm going straight home. I think I need sleep. That's it. Lots and lots of sleep. Um, I'll probably see you tomorrow..." Buffy trailed off and whimpered "Oh, God," under her breath before running toward her house at a fully sprint, repeating the phrase "oh, God," over and over in her head.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For several minutes after Buffy left, Spike stood in the pile of vampire dust trying to figure out what he should do about Buffy. She obviously wasn't well if she was beating vampires practically into pulps before staking them. But, he didn't want to just tell Giles without talking to Buffy first. And in her present state, he probably wouldn't get much out of Buffy. Eventually, Spike came up with what he felt was the best course of action. He would speak to Buffy tomorrow, and then he would inform Giles. He should know if his Slayer was acting oddly. And he *knew* Buffy wouldn't tell him on her own. Deep in thought about what he would say to each of them, Spike walked to his crypt to turn in for the evening.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I'm going to give Buffy a little time before she actually jumps Spike...but it's coming, don't worry.

TBC...