Title: The Soulmatchers

Author: Sunglow999

Pairing: Spike/Buffy

Rating: R (Just to be on the safe side)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy, except Cassie and Orion – they belong to me.

Spoilers:- Up to Dead Things, things are different from there on in. Crossover with Angel later on. This is my first ever fanfiction so reviews would be helpful, email me at sunglow999@hotmail.com

The Soulmatchers

Chapter 10. Old Rivals & New Loves

With a flick of her wrist Cassie threw up a barrier between the couple on the stairs and the raging vampire. Angel reached it and pounded on it, snarling at Spike, who wasn't making the situation any better by stroking Buffy's hair back from her shoulders, exposing his mark quite clearly. Buffy knew what he was doing and threw a warning look at him over her shoulder and he sheepishly removed his hand. She rewarded him with a small smile and then turned to Cassie for help with Angel. Everyone in the room had moved away from Angel and they all held their breath as Cassie approached him. He sensed her coming and swung round, automatically lashing out with his fists. Cassie was quick with her reactions and ducked, driving a fist into his gut as she stood up again. He bent double and she followed up with a double handed blow to the back of his neck causing him to collapse, dazed, on the floor.

"Wow, she packs a punch." Xander whistled admiringly.

Cassie bent down and grasped a handful of his hair, forcing him to look into her glowing yellow eyes.

"Now you listen to me and you listen good. Buffy is no longer yours, she belongs with Spike. You had your chance and you walked away. I've matched them and they're going to stay matched. Get over it." She waited until he nodded agreement before she let him go and grimaced when she noticed her hand smeared with hair gel. Dawn smiled and pulled a tissue out of her pocket handing it to Cassie.

"Okay, will someone tell me what the hell that was all about?" Xander asked.

"Buffy's had sex with Spike and Angel can smell him on her." Anya supplied brightly.

"And Buffy would do this, why?"

"Buffy and Spike are soulmates, I've matched them." Cassie said, removing the barrier at last.

It wasn't only the sensitive ears of the vampires in the room who were assaulted by the squeal that came from Dawn; everyone else winced as well.

"Oh, oh this is so cool." Dawn flew up the stairs and hugged Buffy and then Spike. "We get to be a real family again."

"You don't mind?" Buffy asked.

"Hey, I thought he was cool way before you did." She hugged them both together. "Does this mean Spike gets to move in?"

"Yes, he gets to move in." Buffy relaxed as she hugged Dawn back.

"Where are we going to put the coffins?" Dawn wanted to know.

"Ew, no! We are not bringing any dead bodies into the house." Buffy was firm.

"Just mine, eh, pet?"

"Just yours." She squeezed his hand.

"I think I'm going to barf." Xander said when he saw this display of affection.

"Toilet's that way, whelp."

"Xander is not going to barf." Anya insisted. "He is going to shake your hand and congratulate you both, or he will not be getting any orgasms from me."

"An!" Xander motioned to Dawn. "Age appropriateness."

"Oh, come on, you guys, I'm nearly sixteen, I do know the facts of life." Dawn rolled her eyes.

It was at this point that Xander stormed off into the kitchen and out the back door, furious with everyone just accepting the situation with Buffy and Spike. He couldn't care less if Cassie had matched them, she was a demon as well so as far as he was concerned they could all go to hell.

They were interrupted suddenly by banging on the door. Willow went to answer it and was confronted by a green demon with horns and red eyes wearing a well cut but very bright yellow suit.

"Have I got the right house, Sweetie?" He asked. "Buffy Summers?" He looked her over. "Love that top."

"Really? It's new. You don't think the ruffles are too much?" Willow fingered the cuffs on her long sleeved blouse.

"No, just darling, it suits you."

Angel came to the door before the discussion got too far into fashion and pulled the demon inside.

"Lorne, did you get everything?"

"And hello to you too, sweetcheeks. Yes, I got everything and you owe me a cleaning bill for this suit. Look at the grease marks." He spread out the left front of his suit to show a tiny mark.

"Fine, send me the bill. Is the stuff in the car?"

"In the trunk." Lorne handed him the keys. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Wesley, do the honours." Angel swept out to the car.

"Well! What's got up his nose? Or should I say who?" Lorne's eyes rested on Spike and Buffy. Spike had gone back to nuzzling Buffys neck, having lost interest in the conversation at the point of Willows blouse issues.

"Hi Lorne." Cordelia came forward and kissed his cheek.

"And how's my favourite seer today?"

"Great, let me introduce you. This is Willow, Tara, Anya, Dawn, Buffy and Spike. Everyone, this is Krevlorneswath of the Deathwok clan, but you can call him Lorne." She looked round. "Where's Cassie?"

"Upstairs." Dawn supplied.

"You have to meet her, she works for the PTB's too."

"I'll go get 'er." Spike looked at Buffy, who nodded.

He bounded back up the stairs and found Cassie in Buffys mothers room, pacing.

"What's up Grandma?"

"It's him!"

"What's him?"

"Him! That demon!"

"You've lost me, come on, give us a clue."

"My soulmate! It's that demon!"

"Bloody hell! Nothing's simple in this family." Spike raked a hand through his hair. "What? You think 'e's ugly?"

"No! Not at all! He's gorgeous, don't you think so?"

"Green's not really my colour, specially not as a skin colour."

"I'm not prepared for this! I was supposed to go to LA to him, not have him come here. How am I supposed to concentrate on him while I'm worrying about Orion?" For the first time since they'd met, Spike was seeing Cassie unsettled. She had always come across as supremely confident and powerful and seeing her like this made him like her all the more.

"Luv, if 'e's your soulmate 'e won't mind you being a little bit distracted."

"What if he doesn't like me?"

" 'E's a demon, Cassie, o' course 'e'll love you."

"Does my hair look okay?"

"It looks great, now come down an' meet 'im."

"I wish Orion was here."

"What would 'e say?"

She didn't have to think for long. "Get your skinny undead arse down those stairs and knock his socks off."

"It's not that skinny." Spike couldn't resist a look at said undead arse and she swatted his arm on the way out of the bedroom.

Exhuding confidence Cassie glided down the stairs and was able to get through being introduced to her soulmate without giving anything away although she noticed a spark of interest in his eyes as he looked her over appreciatively.

Buffy quirked an eyebrow at Spike as he sauntered down the stairs after Cassie, suspecting that something was going on but unable to put her finger on it. He gave her one of his trademark leers, complete with tongue against his teeth. She countered by slowly running her tongue over her lips and flicked him a look from under her lashes. She watched with glee as a glazed look came into his eyes and he stopped on the stairs. The glazed look became a gleam of lust as she absently toyed with a lock of hair, her fingers brushing the marks he'd left on her throat. He swallowed then bounded down the stairs, rushing to her side.

"Miss me, pet?" He purred in her ear.

"You've only been gone a few minutes, not long enough for me to miss you."

"I've missed you." He kissed his marks and she had to suppress a moan when the action raised both her temperature and pulse rate.

"God, will you two get a room?" Dawn interrupted them.

"No!" Willow hurried to stop them as Spike took Buffy's hand and turned to the stairs. "No rooms!"

"That reminds me, we need to sort out where everyone's sleeping tonight." Buffy said, pulling Spike over to a chair and pushing him into it before sitting on the arm. "I guess Cordy and Connor can have Mom's room if Willow doesn't mind sharing with Dawn."

"Fred can sleep with me as well." Cordelia said and Angel glared at Spike who had muttered that he didn't think she swung that way. Spike smirked back at Angel, who audibly ground his teeth.

Buffy could see that this would only encourage Spike in his game of Angel-baiting and decided to nip this in the bud right at the start. She stroked the back of Spikes neck as she sat beside him and, predictably, he gave that contented little rumble in the back of his throat. He leaned into her caress and she smiled down at him. He winked back at her, knowing exactly what she was trying to do and acknowledging it. Not wanting to lose her touch, he subsided and was rewarded with a little scratch of her fingers in the indentation at the base of his skull; one of his erogenous zones she had found in earlier dealings with him.

"Angel, probably the best place for you is the basement, it's already got blankets at the window and a cot set up." Buffy said.

"Expecting us, were you?" Cordelia couldn't resist asking.

"Oh no, it's always set up for Spike in case he gets trapped here during the day." Dawn answered for Buffy. "When Buffy was dead he often stayed here."

"New cot though, because of the flood." Willow put in.

"Right bloody mess there was down there." Spike agreed.

As the others reminisced about the flood and the demon, Buffy got up off the arm of Spikes chair and made her way outside to try to make her peace with Xander.

"Xander? Are you out here?" Buffy closed the door behind her and ventured out onto the porch.

"Over here." Xander was standing by the back gate.

"Do you hate me, Xander?"

"Hate you? Why would I hate you? You're one of my best friends and I love you."
"I love you too, Xander, but I also love Spike."

He winced. "Yeah, that's what I have a problem with. How can you love him? He's a monster!"

"He's also a man, Xander." Buffy sighed. "I know he's crude and irritating and sarcastic and annoying, but he's also loving and loyal and he won't leave me." She laughed sadly. "Believe me when I say I've done my best to drive him away but he just won't go."

"I know. I told him all summer that there was nothing to keep him in Sunnydale but he just looked at me and said he'd promised you that he'd look after Dawn, no matter what." Xander ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I don't think I'll ever like Spike, but for your sake I'll try to tolerate him. But if he hurts you, or Dawn, I'll kill him."

Buffy hugged him and he hugged her back.

"Thanks, Xander." She smiled. "Who knows? You might see a different side to him now we're an item."

"I don't think I'll be looking." He grinned and followed her back inside. Anya looked up worriedly and he sent her a reassuring smile and she smiled happily back at him when he went over to shake Spikes hand. For once, Spike managed to think before he opened his mouth and just responded with a quiet 'Thanks' to Xanders 'Congratulations'.

The others were still discussing where everyone would sleep tonight and it was Buffy who solved the sleeping arrangements.

"Wesley, you and Gunn can stay with Anya and Xander, if that's okay with you/" This was directed to Xander, who nodded resignedly. It was Anya who protested.

"I hate it when we have people to stay, Xander won't have sex with me."

"Give 'em earplugs then." Spike told her. "And blindfolds." He directed his next comments to Gunn and Wesley. "You'll need 'em to block out the sounds and sights o' this pair goin' at it like rabbits."

"No! No rabbits!" This set Anya off into hysterics and while Willow and Xander tried to calm her down Buffy smacked Spike upside the back of his head.

"Now look what you've done!" She scolded but her eyes were twinkling.

"Well 'm sorry luv, but I 'ad to put up with 'em so why shouldn't others suffer the same torture? The sight and sound of the whelp gruntin' an' groanin' gave me nightmares for weeks."

"Eww." Cordelia and Buffy looked ill. Luckily for Spike, Dawn was talking to Lorne and missed the conversation or Buffy would have been forced to banish Spike to the basement that night as well.

Angel had been watching Spikes interaction with the Scoobies and it occurred to him that Spike had achieved something that he never had; he was accepted by Buffy's friends regardless of what he had tried to do in the past. Spikes attempts to kill them had never been very well thought out, unlike Angelus's psychological torture, and they had been able to forgive him. They had never really forgiven Angel for his Angelus stage. Spike had always wanted with an almost childlike desperation to be part of a family and with Buffy and Dawn he again had what he had had with Drusilla, Darla and himself, only this time he was loved back. Angel admitted to himself that he and Darla had only tolerated him for Drusilla's sake who had only turned to Spike when her Daddy didn't want her. Maybe he should do as Cassie said and 'get over it', he had a son now, a son who needed his protection and love and full attention. He looked over to where Cordelia was talking animatedly to Buffy and Spike and allowed his eyes to linger on her. Maybe it was time to open his heart and mind to other possibilities.

TBC

A/N Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out, I've had major problems trying to express Xanders reaction; he probably would be more anti than I have written but I just wanted to get to the end of this chapter. If anyone thinks Lorne is gay, I suggest you watch his scenes in the episodes where they are all in Pylea; when he tells his mother he's a lover not a fighter and when he's in the throne room with his head on the platter watching the slave girl undress on Cordelia's orders.