Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns all.

Chapter 13- Chance meetings

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(Serendipity-Summers home)

"Are you telling me that you somehow fucked with the balance of the world? What else is new?" Xander asked, somewhat joking- yet with an unmistakable hint of anger and concern in his words.

Willow sat uncomfortably in her seat, knowing that the ice she was treading was of the thin kind. And since when does Alexander Harris use the "F" word?

"Xander, please." Giles begged, "Please Willow…do you have any sort of information to offer as to what kind of shift in power we are talking about here?"

"I'm not sure. What we did…well…it was never done before. It was so involved…we'd have to figure out what it was exactly that caused the alter.

"What do you mean what part?" Dawn asked.

Well…there was the whole, activating the slayer part…and there was…

"Spike!" Dawn yelled.

"Well, yeah…there was Spike and the…"

"No," Dawn said, growing more animated as she began to speak faster and faster. "This definitely has something to do with Spike. Buffy's been…dreaming."

"What do you mean…dreaming?" Xander asked, a little bit lost as to where this conversation was heading.

"I think she's been having slayer visions."

"Did she tell you this? Why wouldn't she say something to me?" Giles asked, now curious as to what the girl knew.

"Well, she didn't even tell me exactly. I've heard her…talking in her sleep about 'what's coming' … 'what lies ahead'…then I heard her calling for Spike the other night and she was all wigged out. I mean, I've heard her call for Spike in her dreams before, but then she seemed to stop, but the other night was different. She was definitely more freaked then usual. That was when she decided she had to go to LA."

Giles' look of concern only grew stronger as he looked towards Willow who seemed to be considering what he'd just heard.

"Willow," Dawn continued, "what exactly was it that made you come here? You said that you realized that you had made an alter. What did you see?

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(LA-Catering Hall)

William? Buffy thought, as she walked towards the ladies restroom. British, hottie…William? Buffy thought she was crazy to even consider what was going through her mind. Coincidence, it must be…

"Excuse me," he said, nearly knocking her over. "Sorry Miss, seems like I bloody near killed you." He reached over from behind to help her keep her balance.

Her back was turned and she couldn't see his face, but the voice…HIS voice. The air caught in Buffy's throat and she couldn't speak. She was afraid to turn around because her heart was beating so quickly she knew that whether it was him or not she might pass out. A chill traveled up her spine causing her body to quiver, even though the hands that were holding her up were incredibly hot. That was when she knew she was wrong, because Spike was always cold…as in, I'm a dead vampire…cold. She was becoming lost in her thoughts when she heard him again.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Spike felt the woman before him when she started to shake. He was a bit nervous because he hadn't been watching where he was going. He'd been trying to lose Wesley who'd been tailing after him since he left the table. Now he was really concerned because she wasn't responding.

"Please," he said-his voice hardly a whisper, "did I hurt you? I didn't mean…" As he turned her around to face him he thought he was going to hit the floor. It was her. Her eyes were closed, but he knew if she opened them they'd be emerald green. He stared at her a long moment and then reached his hand up to touch her face. When she opened her eyes a single tear fell down her cheek which he was quick to wipe away. She was trying to speak, but it took him a while before what she said registered in his brain.

"…a dream." She said, "this must be a dream."

"No…it's real, you're here."

"Oh my God Spike…How? How are you here?"

It was then that he realized that Wesley had been following him. He wanted to disappear with her-he didn't care if he never knew what had happened to him, as long as he was with her. She was a goddess, and he knew in some way that she was his. So he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the back exit, scanning the room quickly, hoping he hadn't been seen.

"It's not important right now, love. We've got to get out of here quick." She nodded in understanding and followed behind. They ran out of the party and into the street and just kept on running for what seemed like hours.

They never stopped to talk, and never glanced at each other once, afraid that someone might find them and…and what? Take this moment away, make it not be real?

Before long Buffy was leading the way, and he held her hand tight…ignoring his own shortness of breath. Even when they reached the hotel they still ran, all the way up to her room.

Only once they were inside, and the door was locked shut behind them did they stop to look at each other. For Buffy it was unbelievable…impossible really. How could he come back? She wondered, still aware that she might wake up at any moment.

For Spike it was a dream come true. This woman…he'd known she was real, but deep down his heart just wouldn't believe it.

She walked over to where he stood, and caressed his cheek with her fingers. She wanted to feel him, she needed to know he was real. Her thumbs caressed his eyelids and she smiled as his lashes fluttered a bit, tickling the inside of her palm. She touched his lips and sighed.

Spike reached over and took her hand in his, raising it back up to the lips she'd been exploring. He kissed each finger and then her palm, then kissed the outside of her hand as well.

Buffy raised her free hand to the to top of head, releasing the mess of curls that his hair gel was trying to hold on to. She smiled at that. I've never seen you're hair not bleached.

He laughed a bit. "Is that right? I was going to do it tonight, but Wes told me I didn't have enough time. Was planning on fixing it tomorrow."

"You don't remember?" She asked, pulling back a little to look into his eyes.

"I remember you, don't really care about the rest."

"Her look of concern changed quickly to one of lust, and Spike could feel the pulse in her wrist quicken as he pulled her closer to him."

"I know you," he said as he pulled his arm around her waist to hold her near. "I…you're name?"

"Buffy"

"Buffy…" He placed his other arm behind her head, looking over her features and drinking her in, his grin growing wider the longer he stared, "…beautiful."

And then he kissed her.

TBC

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