Emotionally exhausted, Buffy went to the refrigerator and got a drink. She
stood, staring out the window. She didn't know how she felt about Spike
about the potential ramifications of his being back. It was all so draining
and exhausting. He had changed, she could feel it. He seemed less desperate
about her.
Buffy fished out a cold piece of chicken and headed out for her routine patrol. She also needed to find Spike, get his information. She walked along Revello Drive, taking in the neatly manicured lawns, the beautiful shady trees, the bright, twinkling stars, and sliver of moon. There was a bit of a chill to the air tonight. 'It's amazing how beautiful Sunnydale can be, and still have an infestation of vampires and other creepy-crawlies.' She twirled her stake and sang softly to herself.
What could I say to you, except 'I love you.'
And 'I'd give my life for yours'
I know we are, we are the lucky ones
I know we are, we are the lucky ones
Busy looking for demons, she didn't think of the meaning of the song or realize that she was thinking of Spike. There was a rustle behind her, and a snide voice sounded. "Not so lucky right now, Slayer."
Buffy spun, and saw two ugly vampires – one doughy looking and the other like a beanpole – and smiled. "Step on up, you things. Thrashings for all." The doughy vamp dove low, to take her out at the knees. Buffy jumped up and onto his back. He bucked and she tumbled, executing a roll back to her feet. She leaped up, aiming a front kick at his face and, seeing the other sneaking up, grabbed and shoved him at the other. They tumbled to the ground together, Buffy on top. She saw Spike materialize practically from nowhere as she plunged the stake quickly into each chest in turn.
"Spike..." She stopped when she heard clapping. Slowly turning, Buffy saw a tall, slender woman standing on a headstone. She was bedecked in flashing jewels. Red, blue, silver, green, and pink flashed everywhere. 'She's like a rainbow,' Buffy thought. Her eyes were the green of rain-washed grass. She was wearing and old-fashioned green dress, adorned with silver sparkly beads along the tiny waist and down. The top was low-cut, and her full white breasts were pushed up for maximum exposure. She wore matching shoes – kind of slipper like. A nearly sheer, long, silver-hooded cape was draped over the dress. The stranger's face was delicate and quite pretty with a small nose, full lips, and flawless, alabaster skin. Her pure white hair hung nearly to her waist, like a silk waterfall.
Entranced, Spike and Buffy stared at her.
'Galadriel?'
Buffy shook her head to clear the fuzzy thoughts. The woman leapt lightly onto the ground. "So this is the girl I've been hearing so much about. Buffy Summers." Even her voice was entrancing, clear and light and sweet.
Buffy frowned deeply. Spike leaned over slowly and whispered into her ear, "This is what I needed to talk to you about."
"Thanks ever so for the advance warning," Buffy answered, giving him a dry look. He shrugged sheepishly. The woman was watching her. Buffy raised her eyebrows. "And who would you be?"
The woman grinned, delighted. "My name is Celestial." She turned to the vampire. "And you're Spike The Slayer's pet vampire lover." Both Spike and Buffy stiffened at that.
Spike stared coolly at her. "Well, it's all nice to meet you, pet, but I think its bloody well time for you to leave." Her eyes flashed emerald sparks and, by force of will, mentally pulled Spike to her. One slender hand grabbed his throat, and he started gagging under the crushing grip. Her eyes gleaming with unnatural light, she released Spike with a light flick of her wrist, and sent him crashing into a headstone.
"Spike!" When Buffy saw him move, she went back to concentrating on Celestial.
"It's sweet of you to be concerned for your undead lover. Heartwarming, it is." Celestial flashed a wide smile at Buffy.
Buffy snarled and leapt at her. "Time for you to say goodnight, Galadriel wannabe." Celestial laughed and easily deflected all the punches and kicks Buffy threw at her. She picked Buffy up and threw her at Spike, who had gotten up. He tried to catch her and stop their fall, but ended up inelegantly sprawled on the ground, Buffy on top of him.
"It's not time. Until we meet again, lovers." With a snap of her fingers, she was gone, leaving a faint, green misty cloud.
"Okay, what the hell was that?" Buffy groaned, dazed, still on top of Spike. She finally noticed where she was, and she and Spike gazed at each other, faces close together. Feeling the sudden urge to kiss him, she rolled off and got to her feet, flustered.
"I believe that is 'Master,' and she's sending all kinds of demons, working together, after you. Probably me now, too." He winced, still lying on the ground. He felt along his ribcage. Concerned, Buffy knelt again and lifted his shirt to feel for herself. "Definitely a broken rib."
"Not surprising, the way I hit that headstone." He grumbled, but was inwardly shivering at her light touch on his bare skin. He got to his feet with Buffy's help, and felt a warm, comforting tingle at the concern in her eyes. "Don't worry, luv. It'll heal fast enough. I've been through worse."
"I'm going to make one more sweep, then head home. You go to your crypt now, and heal." She gave him a stern look. He saluted mockingly. "Tomorrow, we'll talk to Rupes about what happened?" At her nod, he said, "Goodnight then, and ta for the fun evening, Slayer." She rolled her eyes as he strolled away.
***It was about 11:00 when Buffy got home. She'd just changed into her yummy sushi pajamas when there was a soft knock on her bedroom door.
Dawn came in apparently ready to go back on speaking terms, but still looking angry. "I thought we'd gotten closer, Buffy. I thought you trusted me enough to tell me things. We can't be keeping important things from each other. You're the only family I've got."
Buffy felt her eyes fill at Dawn's words. "Oh Dawn. I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't have kept this from you."
Dawn sat next to her on the bed. "Dawn, you know how hard it was for me last year, how I only felt comfortable talking to Spike. I came to care for him, then he did that to me, and when I saw him back in Sunnydale, I could barely understand what I felt. I still don't know. I was confused and kept it to myself to sort out. I shouldn't have. I promise not to do this to you anymore."
Feeling the sincerity of her sister's words, Dawn leaned over and hugged Buffy. They both lay back on the bed, knowing they wanted to stay together through the night. Buffy pulled the covers up. Dawn turned her head to face her sister's. Buffy smiled. "Don't be hogging the covers, Dawnie."
Dawn snorted. "As if. Don't snore."
"Another word, Dawnie, and Mr. Gordo will be unleashing piggy hell." Both girls snickered, and comfortably drifted off to sleep.
Morning dawned gray and cool. Buffy woke up early and on time for once. She looked over at Dawn, her long brown hair spread over the pillow, her mouth open, snoring softly. Buffy smiled and got out of bed. She dressed in tight tan pants and a silky brown tank top. Dawn stirred, and opened her eyes. "Morning." Buffy smiled. "Morning. We better get moving."
Buffy absently made pancakes, which the two of them ate in silence. Buffy was distracted by having Spike on the brain. She had felt the stirrings of attraction when she'd been on top of him last night. It brought back all the memories of her chaining him to his bed and making him plead for release. Or when he had his way with her up against a wall. Or when... 'okay, stop.' She was starting to trust him again, and things weren't entirely awkward when they talked. It almost felt like they were becoming friends. If she was feeling all hot and bothered being near him, she was afraid it'd be a repeat of last year. Buffy's thoughts came to a stop when Willow came down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"We saved you some pancakes. Buffy tried to eat them." Dawn grinned innocently. Buffy gave her sister a poke and said, "You're such a liar." Willow chuckled and ate her pancakes.
"So, Will, what are your plans for today?" Buffy tried to wipe the maple syrup off her fingers. 'Damn, sticky syrup.' She gave up and went to the sink. Dawn started loading the dishwasher.
"I'm headed to UC Sunnydale to talk to my advisor. I want to get back into school mode."
"I think that's a good idea." Buffy smiled at her, but felt a little pang of jealousy. She missed being in school. Oddly enough. She had to stay at Sunnydale High; she needed the money. She didn't know how she'd manage the commute to school, slaying, and her job. 'Life sucks.'
Buffy and Dawn caught a ride with Xander to the school, while Willow hurried to catch the bus to UC Sunnydale.
Spike sat in front of the telly, propped upright in his worn armchair, trying to not move too quickly, so as not to aggravate his rib. He figured he'd head over to Buffy's in the early evening hours. Spike wished he could sleep some more. He got enough, really, but his rib was aggravating him. He stared at the TV, bored. As he stared at the television, his mind wandered to Buffy. It felt so good to have her pressed to him last night, even thought it was the result of them being knocked to the ground by that bloody bitch. But he felt grateful to her for that little bit of touch from Buffy, her soft little hands inspecting his ribs. She could be so gentle when she wanted to, his fierce little warrior.
Spike's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his crypt door. "It's open!"
The door opened with a bang and Spike saw Dawn standing there. "Dawn!" He was surprised. She stood there, unnaturally quiet and watching him almost blankly. Then he noticed her fists were clenched, and her mouth was trembling. 'Uh-oh,' was the first thought that popped into mind.
"How could you, Spike? You claim to love her so much, then you scare her by trying to hurt her, then you leave. Why Spike?"
He felt at loss for words. "Niblet. It's complicated. I never had any intention of hurting her... that night. I lost control. I was horrified at what I'd done. Leaving was hard, but necessary. It was even harder coming back."
Tears were gathering in Dawn's eyes. "You left her. You left ME. I trusted you, needed you, hell I loved you... and you left."
Shocked, Spike realized that was her main reason for coming here. She was concerned for her sister, but mainly she needed to understand why he'd abandoned them... her. He walked over to her. "Dawn, luv, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to Buffy, and for leaving you. I never stopped caring for you. You mean everything to me."
She cried then. She beat on his chest for a bit, making his rib twinge, but he let her. Then he wrapped his arms around her. "You're a jerk," she sniffled, "And I love you." She rested her cheek against his chest. He smiled down at her, his little Niblet, a mini version of Buffy except she was a little bit taller.
"You do know that if you upset Buffy in any way, I will come after you." Her eyes flashed again. He nodded in understanding. Together they sat on the sofa, Dawn resting her head on his shoulder. She fell asleep, and he dozed on and off, as well. A bit later, he stirred and woke Dawn up. "Come on, pet. Look alive. You better get home."
Just then the crypt door opened. "Spike! Dawn is..." Buffy trailed off when she saw Dawn curled up on the sofa. She raised her eyebrows at her sister. 'I wish I could curl up on the couch with Spike. Ok, no I don't. Yes I do. Oh shut up.'
Dawn look chagrined. "Sorry Buffy. I should've told you where I was, but it was on the way and I needed to talk to Spike."
"I was just about to send her home, luv. Fell asleep, we did, an' lost track of time." He gave her a sweet smile. Buffy rolled her eyes. "You might as well come with. Giles and everyone are waiting to hear about last night. Lets go."
As Spike closed the door behind him, he heard the sisters bickering. "You're so bossy, Buffy." Dawn's voice was plaintive.
"Yeah, well, I'm allowed to be. I'm the oldest." Spike grinned. Those were his girls. He wouldn't change a damn thing about them.
*** Buffy opened the front door, and they all went into the living room. Willow smiled in greeting, Giles looked at Spike rather blankly, and Xander looked a tad hostile, but said nothing. Dawn had a hold on Spike's arm and pulled him down onto the sofa with her. Buffy noticed Spike's wary attitude and, to make him feel more comfortable, sat down on his other side.
Giles cleared his throat. "Well. What happened last night that we need to know about?"
"I dusted some vamps and I came across Spike. We heard clapping. There was a woman there, one who is in serious need of some fashion sense, and she was all polite at first. Kind of odd, too." Buffy looked over at Spike.
He continued. "I made a not so nice comment, and she used her mind to drag me close." Xander muttered under his breath, which sounded suspiciously like "Hardly surprising." Spike ignored him. "Anyway, it made my chip buzz. She had a slayer-tight grip on my throat. She then tossed me with her mind. Buffy's fighting didn't sway her a bit, and she tossed her, too."
Buffy finished up. "She said her name was Celestial. Spike said she's referred to as Master, and she has non-mixy demons working together to come after me."
Giles frowned. "Well, it sounds like a witch."
Spike picked at the black polish on his nails and said, "I don't think she's a normal witch."
Buffy agreed. "Yeah, Giles, she disappeared in a green, misty kind of way. I think she's something more. I got a different vibe from her than I do from Willow..."Buffy trailed off then. Willow fidgeted. "It's okay, Buffy. You can mention it."She smiled one of her old Willow smiles.
"Well, we'll just do some research and send this witch bitch right to hell." Xander nodded decisively.
"Yes," Giles agreed drily, "We should go to the Magic Box. Its been repaired, and Anya would be working today." Xander suddenly looked uncomfortable, as did Spike and Buffy.
Realizing his blunder, Giles coughed. "Um... if you'd rather not go Xander, that's quite all right."
Xander shook his head. "No, it's... it's okay. I'll go." At the Magic Box, they took in Anya and her happiness. She passed the customer their purchase and gave a wide smile. "Thank you for spending your money and giving it to me. Have a nice day." They all rolled their eyes at that, but had to smile.
Anya glanced at them finally, and her cheeriness faltered. "Oh. It's you. All of you. Here in my store for some unknown reason." At Giles's annoyed look, she added, "To which you, Giles, are most welcome since you are also a partner. A silent, overseas partner, but yet you are here. Why is that?" She looked rather disgruntled.
"I came back with Willow from England, and while I plan to head back, I am here until we resolve an evil matter. We are assembling to do research." They all headed to the new round table and got comfortable.
Anya continued to look disgruntled, and annoyed that Xander was there. She busied herself behind the counter, ignoring them, her blonde curls twitching in annoyance.
They all busied themselves reading, except Xander, who took their orders for soda and 2 large pizzas.
Buffy noticed Spike giving her a weird look. She fidgeted. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"DIET soda?" he said skeptically, "You eat like crazy, and now a nice greasy pizza, and you get diet soda? I'll never understand women." He looked at her like she was some weird creature.
The only other sound to be heard was Giles's surprising snicker at Spike's comment.
*** Buffy glanced at the clock after staring at the same page in the book for nearly 20 minutes. 'Wow, it's nearly 9:30. I've been reading for three and a half hours. That must be a record.' She yawned hugely. 'Ew, I have onion breath. Hope Spike didn't get a whiff of that. He'd keel over dead if he wasn't already... well, dead.'
Buffy gazed around at everyone. Dawn was staring blankly at her book, looking as if she were immersed in a vivid daydream. Willow was reading intently. 'She always was good at research.' Her tongue was poking out a little in concentration. Giles was also engrossed, taking sips of tea every now and then. Xander was alternating between what looked like skimming, and casting covert eyes toward Anya. Anya was doing the books, working silently. 'Reciting totals, if the gleam in her eye is any indication.' Buffy snickered at the thought. Spike wasn't even reading anymore. He looked bored as hell.
"AHA!" Willow cried out triumphantly in the unusually quite room, making everyone nearly fall out of their chairs.
Anya shot Willow a dirty look. 'Willow MUST have interrupted her fun counting of money,' Buffy thought evilly. She still had sore feelings toward Anya for sleeping with Spike, even though it wasn't necessarily her fault. It was more Spikes, but she tended to blame Anya a bit anyway, because the two of them were never really close.
"What did you find?" Giles looked relieved and anxious as he cleaned his glasses.
"Celestial is known for banding demons together, as we know, to do her bidding. It alludes her to her magic's... wait..." Suddenly Willow looked a bit pale.
"Willow, what is it?" Xander looked concerned.
"Well, she's no ordinary witch. Buffy and Spike were right. She's... well, she's a sorceress. An extremely powerful one. She rules her own dimension. It says there is no known way to defeat her."
Everyone looked crestfallen.
"I've seen her in action in her dimension. She's pretty amazing," Anya said noncommittally, sliding wrapped cash into bags to be locked up. Buffy nibbled on a nail. "What did she do, Anya?"
"She was in the dimension that would become hers. It had been ruled by someone else at the time. Persius, a fiery Goddess, I believe. She shot fire from her eyes and fingertips. Celestial used serious mental power to turn her subjects against her. They had her quite weakened when Celestial went in and took Persius' power for herself. They battled, and of course Celestial won. She burned her, turned her into a human fireball. She was quite ingenious, really." Anya smiled at the thought.
"So basically, one can assume she's here to take over our dimension." Giles frowned, and started flipping through another book.
"Naturally. She's targeting Buffy because she's the Warrior of the People. Her killing beasties ruins Celestial's plans to get them on her side and take over. When it comes to the big battle, she'll try to weaken Buffy enough to take her slaying power. She'll be like Faith to the 10th power."
"Will, isn't there some kind of spell you could do? You're super witch, you nearly destroyed the world." Everyone winced at Dawn and her non-existent tact.
"Dawnie, it's not that simple. My power was all willy-nilly, and I just barely learned to control it in England. I don't know what it would do to me, or if it could hurt any one of you. Anyway, I'm not even sure I could stop her. Her power doesn't tap out like mine, plus she's a sorceress. That's just more difficult."
Spike finally interjected. "Well, it's late. Lets sleep on it an' decide what about it tomorrow."
Buffy nodded. "Good idea. Spike, can you walk Willow and Dawn..." Spike interrupted. "Buffy, you're lookin' mighty pale an' tired. Go gets some rest. I'll do a sweep or two. I'm in the mood for a bit 'o violence myself."
Grateful, Buffy graced him with a sleepy smile that shot straight to his gut.
The three girls made it to the house and immediately went to bed. Buffy lay in bed, her thoughts worried and chaotic. She was having bad Glory thoughts. It was different, but it had been said both Celestial and Glory were/are indestructible. Though Glory had been stopped, she had still accomplished part of her goal by bleeding dimensions together. The end result being Buffy sacrificing herself to save the world. She felt nervous twitters in her stomach. She knew nothing about sorceresses. She had no magic capabilities. She had no idea how to defeat Celestial. Even Willow, an extremely powerful witch, wasn't sure she could take her.
'I don't want to die again to save the world, if it comes to that. I will because I'd have to, but I'm scared. I've finally started to enjoy life again.'
Restlessly, Buffy flipped over in bed. The moon shone bright and full through the window, and the cool breeze rustled her curtains. Sighing, Buffy got up, changed into loose denim jeans, a red tank top, and a denim jacket. She left a note on her pillow for Dawn, to let her know she was out patrolling, in case she came in.
***Spike trolled the cemetery, looking for any baddies lurkin' about. He lit a cigarette and hefted the axe over his shoulder. Nice weapon, it was.
'They make me feel all manly.'
He grinned at the unbidden memory. He fought Buffy tooth and nail that night, then Joyce bashed an axe over his head. Bloody courageous woman. He missed Buffy's mum that was for sure. Mighty fine woman.
He heard a noise in front of him and stopped. He tensed up and waited silently. A warm, soft hand touched his arm. Spike spun around so fast he nearly knocked Buffy over. He stared at her, blue eyes wide, mouth agape. She started laughing.
"Wow, I didn't realize it was possible to startle a vampire." She was grinning in that evil way of hers. "You can close your mouth now, Spike." Her hazel eyes twinkled teasingly at him. He chose to ignore the startling comment, in an attempt to save a little dignity.
"What are you doing out here, Slayer? I told you I'd patrol, and I was just about to go back to the crypt." They fell in step together. Walking next to her, he smelled fear, worry, and uneasiness all over her. He really smelled the fear. He frowned, wondering what was going on.
"I needed to get out. Clear my noggin." She wouldn't meet his eye. She followed him into the crypt. Spike dropped the axe and rounded on her. "Buffy, what is it, pet? You're lookin' right upset about somethin'." Much to both of their surprise, the words came tumbling out of her in a torrent.
"Both Celestial and Glory were and are said to be indestructible. Glory managed to do part of what she planned. Something that cost me my life. While she ended up gone... God knows how... I can't help but imagine what Celestial will do. Willow doesn't know what she could do to stop her. I have no magical capabilities, so I'm no match for her. She kicked both of our asses, just like Glory did, and didn't even break a sweat. What if I have to die again? I don't know how that'd stop her or her plan, but rational doesn't fit into a rant, so whatever. I don't want to have to die again. I'm finally happy again, and I want to live." She paced all around the crypt, restless.
Spike stared at her in surprise, and finally interrupted. "Take half a 'mo there, pet. Catch your breath 'fore you pass out. Now listen. It's too early in the game to tell what's goin' to happen, so stop torturing yourself. I am not goin' to lose you again. There will be no dyin' of any sort. Got it?"
"You can't be sure of that." Buffy frowned and twiddled her foot anxiously.
"Just as you can't be sure of dyin' again."
"I guess I am kind of gun jumpy, but I just have those bad slayer feelings. I can't help feeling that me and death have a close relationship. It's definitely a mixy thing there." To her horror, tears started filling her eyes.
Spike saw the glistening tears. 'Oh God, Buffy cryin'. No, can't have that.' He'd rather he die than his fierce little slayer. Before he had time to think of the consequences, knowing that approaching her in a moment of weakness was as safe as approaching a hungry tiger, he went to her, and tentatively put his arms around her. To his surprise, after a moment of stiffness, she relaxed against him.
'He feels and looks smaller without his duster,' Buffy thought. 'This is so not a good idea, leaning on him like this, but it feels comforting.' She didn't pull away. She eventually regained some control and leaned back. His ice blue eyes were fixed on her. He wanted to keep on holding her. Her hazel eyes, more green now from the tears, were fixed on his mouth. If he had a heart that beat, it'd leap out of his chest and flop around on the ground like a fish out of water.
Before he could ponder anymore, Buffy quickly pressed her mouth against his.
'Oh God, her mouth.'
Nearly as quick, she started to pull away. 'No way, pet.' He rested a hand on the back of her neck, holding her gently, to keep her lips in place. He nibbled at those sweet lips, till they parted. He explored her teeth with his tongue, his hand stroking her back. When she made a small noise, he explored further past her teeth. With exquisite gentleness, he drew her tongue into a slow mating dance.
A minute passed, then two, then three.
He continued to gently stroke and tease her mouth with his own. Finally, reality sank back in, and Buffy pulled away before she jumped on him. That would be of the bad. Spike stared at her, the only thing he was capable of at that point. His mouth was tingling in a good way, his skin felt stretched tight, and he had to repress the urge to let his demon overcome his face. He felt her heated blush, and heard the hammering of her heart. She backed away, her face battling with wariness and contentment. He could tell she didn't know what to think.
Buffy fished out a cold piece of chicken and headed out for her routine patrol. She also needed to find Spike, get his information. She walked along Revello Drive, taking in the neatly manicured lawns, the beautiful shady trees, the bright, twinkling stars, and sliver of moon. There was a bit of a chill to the air tonight. 'It's amazing how beautiful Sunnydale can be, and still have an infestation of vampires and other creepy-crawlies.' She twirled her stake and sang softly to herself.
What could I say to you, except 'I love you.'
And 'I'd give my life for yours'
I know we are, we are the lucky ones
I know we are, we are the lucky ones
Busy looking for demons, she didn't think of the meaning of the song or realize that she was thinking of Spike. There was a rustle behind her, and a snide voice sounded. "Not so lucky right now, Slayer."
Buffy spun, and saw two ugly vampires – one doughy looking and the other like a beanpole – and smiled. "Step on up, you things. Thrashings for all." The doughy vamp dove low, to take her out at the knees. Buffy jumped up and onto his back. He bucked and she tumbled, executing a roll back to her feet. She leaped up, aiming a front kick at his face and, seeing the other sneaking up, grabbed and shoved him at the other. They tumbled to the ground together, Buffy on top. She saw Spike materialize practically from nowhere as she plunged the stake quickly into each chest in turn.
"Spike..." She stopped when she heard clapping. Slowly turning, Buffy saw a tall, slender woman standing on a headstone. She was bedecked in flashing jewels. Red, blue, silver, green, and pink flashed everywhere. 'She's like a rainbow,' Buffy thought. Her eyes were the green of rain-washed grass. She was wearing and old-fashioned green dress, adorned with silver sparkly beads along the tiny waist and down. The top was low-cut, and her full white breasts were pushed up for maximum exposure. She wore matching shoes – kind of slipper like. A nearly sheer, long, silver-hooded cape was draped over the dress. The stranger's face was delicate and quite pretty with a small nose, full lips, and flawless, alabaster skin. Her pure white hair hung nearly to her waist, like a silk waterfall.
Entranced, Spike and Buffy stared at her.
'Galadriel?'
Buffy shook her head to clear the fuzzy thoughts. The woman leapt lightly onto the ground. "So this is the girl I've been hearing so much about. Buffy Summers." Even her voice was entrancing, clear and light and sweet.
Buffy frowned deeply. Spike leaned over slowly and whispered into her ear, "This is what I needed to talk to you about."
"Thanks ever so for the advance warning," Buffy answered, giving him a dry look. He shrugged sheepishly. The woman was watching her. Buffy raised her eyebrows. "And who would you be?"
The woman grinned, delighted. "My name is Celestial." She turned to the vampire. "And you're Spike The Slayer's pet vampire lover." Both Spike and Buffy stiffened at that.
Spike stared coolly at her. "Well, it's all nice to meet you, pet, but I think its bloody well time for you to leave." Her eyes flashed emerald sparks and, by force of will, mentally pulled Spike to her. One slender hand grabbed his throat, and he started gagging under the crushing grip. Her eyes gleaming with unnatural light, she released Spike with a light flick of her wrist, and sent him crashing into a headstone.
"Spike!" When Buffy saw him move, she went back to concentrating on Celestial.
"It's sweet of you to be concerned for your undead lover. Heartwarming, it is." Celestial flashed a wide smile at Buffy.
Buffy snarled and leapt at her. "Time for you to say goodnight, Galadriel wannabe." Celestial laughed and easily deflected all the punches and kicks Buffy threw at her. She picked Buffy up and threw her at Spike, who had gotten up. He tried to catch her and stop their fall, but ended up inelegantly sprawled on the ground, Buffy on top of him.
"It's not time. Until we meet again, lovers." With a snap of her fingers, she was gone, leaving a faint, green misty cloud.
"Okay, what the hell was that?" Buffy groaned, dazed, still on top of Spike. She finally noticed where she was, and she and Spike gazed at each other, faces close together. Feeling the sudden urge to kiss him, she rolled off and got to her feet, flustered.
"I believe that is 'Master,' and she's sending all kinds of demons, working together, after you. Probably me now, too." He winced, still lying on the ground. He felt along his ribcage. Concerned, Buffy knelt again and lifted his shirt to feel for herself. "Definitely a broken rib."
"Not surprising, the way I hit that headstone." He grumbled, but was inwardly shivering at her light touch on his bare skin. He got to his feet with Buffy's help, and felt a warm, comforting tingle at the concern in her eyes. "Don't worry, luv. It'll heal fast enough. I've been through worse."
"I'm going to make one more sweep, then head home. You go to your crypt now, and heal." She gave him a stern look. He saluted mockingly. "Tomorrow, we'll talk to Rupes about what happened?" At her nod, he said, "Goodnight then, and ta for the fun evening, Slayer." She rolled her eyes as he strolled away.
***It was about 11:00 when Buffy got home. She'd just changed into her yummy sushi pajamas when there was a soft knock on her bedroom door.
Dawn came in apparently ready to go back on speaking terms, but still looking angry. "I thought we'd gotten closer, Buffy. I thought you trusted me enough to tell me things. We can't be keeping important things from each other. You're the only family I've got."
Buffy felt her eyes fill at Dawn's words. "Oh Dawn. I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't have kept this from you."
Dawn sat next to her on the bed. "Dawn, you know how hard it was for me last year, how I only felt comfortable talking to Spike. I came to care for him, then he did that to me, and when I saw him back in Sunnydale, I could barely understand what I felt. I still don't know. I was confused and kept it to myself to sort out. I shouldn't have. I promise not to do this to you anymore."
Feeling the sincerity of her sister's words, Dawn leaned over and hugged Buffy. They both lay back on the bed, knowing they wanted to stay together through the night. Buffy pulled the covers up. Dawn turned her head to face her sister's. Buffy smiled. "Don't be hogging the covers, Dawnie."
Dawn snorted. "As if. Don't snore."
"Another word, Dawnie, and Mr. Gordo will be unleashing piggy hell." Both girls snickered, and comfortably drifted off to sleep.
Morning dawned gray and cool. Buffy woke up early and on time for once. She looked over at Dawn, her long brown hair spread over the pillow, her mouth open, snoring softly. Buffy smiled and got out of bed. She dressed in tight tan pants and a silky brown tank top. Dawn stirred, and opened her eyes. "Morning." Buffy smiled. "Morning. We better get moving."
Buffy absently made pancakes, which the two of them ate in silence. Buffy was distracted by having Spike on the brain. She had felt the stirrings of attraction when she'd been on top of him last night. It brought back all the memories of her chaining him to his bed and making him plead for release. Or when he had his way with her up against a wall. Or when... 'okay, stop.' She was starting to trust him again, and things weren't entirely awkward when they talked. It almost felt like they were becoming friends. If she was feeling all hot and bothered being near him, she was afraid it'd be a repeat of last year. Buffy's thoughts came to a stop when Willow came down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"We saved you some pancakes. Buffy tried to eat them." Dawn grinned innocently. Buffy gave her sister a poke and said, "You're such a liar." Willow chuckled and ate her pancakes.
"So, Will, what are your plans for today?" Buffy tried to wipe the maple syrup off her fingers. 'Damn, sticky syrup.' She gave up and went to the sink. Dawn started loading the dishwasher.
"I'm headed to UC Sunnydale to talk to my advisor. I want to get back into school mode."
"I think that's a good idea." Buffy smiled at her, but felt a little pang of jealousy. She missed being in school. Oddly enough. She had to stay at Sunnydale High; she needed the money. She didn't know how she'd manage the commute to school, slaying, and her job. 'Life sucks.'
Buffy and Dawn caught a ride with Xander to the school, while Willow hurried to catch the bus to UC Sunnydale.
Spike sat in front of the telly, propped upright in his worn armchair, trying to not move too quickly, so as not to aggravate his rib. He figured he'd head over to Buffy's in the early evening hours. Spike wished he could sleep some more. He got enough, really, but his rib was aggravating him. He stared at the TV, bored. As he stared at the television, his mind wandered to Buffy. It felt so good to have her pressed to him last night, even thought it was the result of them being knocked to the ground by that bloody bitch. But he felt grateful to her for that little bit of touch from Buffy, her soft little hands inspecting his ribs. She could be so gentle when she wanted to, his fierce little warrior.
Spike's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his crypt door. "It's open!"
The door opened with a bang and Spike saw Dawn standing there. "Dawn!" He was surprised. She stood there, unnaturally quiet and watching him almost blankly. Then he noticed her fists were clenched, and her mouth was trembling. 'Uh-oh,' was the first thought that popped into mind.
"How could you, Spike? You claim to love her so much, then you scare her by trying to hurt her, then you leave. Why Spike?"
He felt at loss for words. "Niblet. It's complicated. I never had any intention of hurting her... that night. I lost control. I was horrified at what I'd done. Leaving was hard, but necessary. It was even harder coming back."
Tears were gathering in Dawn's eyes. "You left her. You left ME. I trusted you, needed you, hell I loved you... and you left."
Shocked, Spike realized that was her main reason for coming here. She was concerned for her sister, but mainly she needed to understand why he'd abandoned them... her. He walked over to her. "Dawn, luv, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to Buffy, and for leaving you. I never stopped caring for you. You mean everything to me."
She cried then. She beat on his chest for a bit, making his rib twinge, but he let her. Then he wrapped his arms around her. "You're a jerk," she sniffled, "And I love you." She rested her cheek against his chest. He smiled down at her, his little Niblet, a mini version of Buffy except she was a little bit taller.
"You do know that if you upset Buffy in any way, I will come after you." Her eyes flashed again. He nodded in understanding. Together they sat on the sofa, Dawn resting her head on his shoulder. She fell asleep, and he dozed on and off, as well. A bit later, he stirred and woke Dawn up. "Come on, pet. Look alive. You better get home."
Just then the crypt door opened. "Spike! Dawn is..." Buffy trailed off when she saw Dawn curled up on the sofa. She raised her eyebrows at her sister. 'I wish I could curl up on the couch with Spike. Ok, no I don't. Yes I do. Oh shut up.'
Dawn look chagrined. "Sorry Buffy. I should've told you where I was, but it was on the way and I needed to talk to Spike."
"I was just about to send her home, luv. Fell asleep, we did, an' lost track of time." He gave her a sweet smile. Buffy rolled her eyes. "You might as well come with. Giles and everyone are waiting to hear about last night. Lets go."
As Spike closed the door behind him, he heard the sisters bickering. "You're so bossy, Buffy." Dawn's voice was plaintive.
"Yeah, well, I'm allowed to be. I'm the oldest." Spike grinned. Those were his girls. He wouldn't change a damn thing about them.
*** Buffy opened the front door, and they all went into the living room. Willow smiled in greeting, Giles looked at Spike rather blankly, and Xander looked a tad hostile, but said nothing. Dawn had a hold on Spike's arm and pulled him down onto the sofa with her. Buffy noticed Spike's wary attitude and, to make him feel more comfortable, sat down on his other side.
Giles cleared his throat. "Well. What happened last night that we need to know about?"
"I dusted some vamps and I came across Spike. We heard clapping. There was a woman there, one who is in serious need of some fashion sense, and she was all polite at first. Kind of odd, too." Buffy looked over at Spike.
He continued. "I made a not so nice comment, and she used her mind to drag me close." Xander muttered under his breath, which sounded suspiciously like "Hardly surprising." Spike ignored him. "Anyway, it made my chip buzz. She had a slayer-tight grip on my throat. She then tossed me with her mind. Buffy's fighting didn't sway her a bit, and she tossed her, too."
Buffy finished up. "She said her name was Celestial. Spike said she's referred to as Master, and she has non-mixy demons working together to come after me."
Giles frowned. "Well, it sounds like a witch."
Spike picked at the black polish on his nails and said, "I don't think she's a normal witch."
Buffy agreed. "Yeah, Giles, she disappeared in a green, misty kind of way. I think she's something more. I got a different vibe from her than I do from Willow..."Buffy trailed off then. Willow fidgeted. "It's okay, Buffy. You can mention it."She smiled one of her old Willow smiles.
"Well, we'll just do some research and send this witch bitch right to hell." Xander nodded decisively.
"Yes," Giles agreed drily, "We should go to the Magic Box. Its been repaired, and Anya would be working today." Xander suddenly looked uncomfortable, as did Spike and Buffy.
Realizing his blunder, Giles coughed. "Um... if you'd rather not go Xander, that's quite all right."
Xander shook his head. "No, it's... it's okay. I'll go." At the Magic Box, they took in Anya and her happiness. She passed the customer their purchase and gave a wide smile. "Thank you for spending your money and giving it to me. Have a nice day." They all rolled their eyes at that, but had to smile.
Anya glanced at them finally, and her cheeriness faltered. "Oh. It's you. All of you. Here in my store for some unknown reason." At Giles's annoyed look, she added, "To which you, Giles, are most welcome since you are also a partner. A silent, overseas partner, but yet you are here. Why is that?" She looked rather disgruntled.
"I came back with Willow from England, and while I plan to head back, I am here until we resolve an evil matter. We are assembling to do research." They all headed to the new round table and got comfortable.
Anya continued to look disgruntled, and annoyed that Xander was there. She busied herself behind the counter, ignoring them, her blonde curls twitching in annoyance.
They all busied themselves reading, except Xander, who took their orders for soda and 2 large pizzas.
Buffy noticed Spike giving her a weird look. She fidgeted. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"DIET soda?" he said skeptically, "You eat like crazy, and now a nice greasy pizza, and you get diet soda? I'll never understand women." He looked at her like she was some weird creature.
The only other sound to be heard was Giles's surprising snicker at Spike's comment.
*** Buffy glanced at the clock after staring at the same page in the book for nearly 20 minutes. 'Wow, it's nearly 9:30. I've been reading for three and a half hours. That must be a record.' She yawned hugely. 'Ew, I have onion breath. Hope Spike didn't get a whiff of that. He'd keel over dead if he wasn't already... well, dead.'
Buffy gazed around at everyone. Dawn was staring blankly at her book, looking as if she were immersed in a vivid daydream. Willow was reading intently. 'She always was good at research.' Her tongue was poking out a little in concentration. Giles was also engrossed, taking sips of tea every now and then. Xander was alternating between what looked like skimming, and casting covert eyes toward Anya. Anya was doing the books, working silently. 'Reciting totals, if the gleam in her eye is any indication.' Buffy snickered at the thought. Spike wasn't even reading anymore. He looked bored as hell.
"AHA!" Willow cried out triumphantly in the unusually quite room, making everyone nearly fall out of their chairs.
Anya shot Willow a dirty look. 'Willow MUST have interrupted her fun counting of money,' Buffy thought evilly. She still had sore feelings toward Anya for sleeping with Spike, even though it wasn't necessarily her fault. It was more Spikes, but she tended to blame Anya a bit anyway, because the two of them were never really close.
"What did you find?" Giles looked relieved and anxious as he cleaned his glasses.
"Celestial is known for banding demons together, as we know, to do her bidding. It alludes her to her magic's... wait..." Suddenly Willow looked a bit pale.
"Willow, what is it?" Xander looked concerned.
"Well, she's no ordinary witch. Buffy and Spike were right. She's... well, she's a sorceress. An extremely powerful one. She rules her own dimension. It says there is no known way to defeat her."
Everyone looked crestfallen.
"I've seen her in action in her dimension. She's pretty amazing," Anya said noncommittally, sliding wrapped cash into bags to be locked up. Buffy nibbled on a nail. "What did she do, Anya?"
"She was in the dimension that would become hers. It had been ruled by someone else at the time. Persius, a fiery Goddess, I believe. She shot fire from her eyes and fingertips. Celestial used serious mental power to turn her subjects against her. They had her quite weakened when Celestial went in and took Persius' power for herself. They battled, and of course Celestial won. She burned her, turned her into a human fireball. She was quite ingenious, really." Anya smiled at the thought.
"So basically, one can assume she's here to take over our dimension." Giles frowned, and started flipping through another book.
"Naturally. She's targeting Buffy because she's the Warrior of the People. Her killing beasties ruins Celestial's plans to get them on her side and take over. When it comes to the big battle, she'll try to weaken Buffy enough to take her slaying power. She'll be like Faith to the 10th power."
"Will, isn't there some kind of spell you could do? You're super witch, you nearly destroyed the world." Everyone winced at Dawn and her non-existent tact.
"Dawnie, it's not that simple. My power was all willy-nilly, and I just barely learned to control it in England. I don't know what it would do to me, or if it could hurt any one of you. Anyway, I'm not even sure I could stop her. Her power doesn't tap out like mine, plus she's a sorceress. That's just more difficult."
Spike finally interjected. "Well, it's late. Lets sleep on it an' decide what about it tomorrow."
Buffy nodded. "Good idea. Spike, can you walk Willow and Dawn..." Spike interrupted. "Buffy, you're lookin' mighty pale an' tired. Go gets some rest. I'll do a sweep or two. I'm in the mood for a bit 'o violence myself."
Grateful, Buffy graced him with a sleepy smile that shot straight to his gut.
The three girls made it to the house and immediately went to bed. Buffy lay in bed, her thoughts worried and chaotic. She was having bad Glory thoughts. It was different, but it had been said both Celestial and Glory were/are indestructible. Though Glory had been stopped, she had still accomplished part of her goal by bleeding dimensions together. The end result being Buffy sacrificing herself to save the world. She felt nervous twitters in her stomach. She knew nothing about sorceresses. She had no magic capabilities. She had no idea how to defeat Celestial. Even Willow, an extremely powerful witch, wasn't sure she could take her.
'I don't want to die again to save the world, if it comes to that. I will because I'd have to, but I'm scared. I've finally started to enjoy life again.'
Restlessly, Buffy flipped over in bed. The moon shone bright and full through the window, and the cool breeze rustled her curtains. Sighing, Buffy got up, changed into loose denim jeans, a red tank top, and a denim jacket. She left a note on her pillow for Dawn, to let her know she was out patrolling, in case she came in.
***Spike trolled the cemetery, looking for any baddies lurkin' about. He lit a cigarette and hefted the axe over his shoulder. Nice weapon, it was.
'They make me feel all manly.'
He grinned at the unbidden memory. He fought Buffy tooth and nail that night, then Joyce bashed an axe over his head. Bloody courageous woman. He missed Buffy's mum that was for sure. Mighty fine woman.
He heard a noise in front of him and stopped. He tensed up and waited silently. A warm, soft hand touched his arm. Spike spun around so fast he nearly knocked Buffy over. He stared at her, blue eyes wide, mouth agape. She started laughing.
"Wow, I didn't realize it was possible to startle a vampire." She was grinning in that evil way of hers. "You can close your mouth now, Spike." Her hazel eyes twinkled teasingly at him. He chose to ignore the startling comment, in an attempt to save a little dignity.
"What are you doing out here, Slayer? I told you I'd patrol, and I was just about to go back to the crypt." They fell in step together. Walking next to her, he smelled fear, worry, and uneasiness all over her. He really smelled the fear. He frowned, wondering what was going on.
"I needed to get out. Clear my noggin." She wouldn't meet his eye. She followed him into the crypt. Spike dropped the axe and rounded on her. "Buffy, what is it, pet? You're lookin' right upset about somethin'." Much to both of their surprise, the words came tumbling out of her in a torrent.
"Both Celestial and Glory were and are said to be indestructible. Glory managed to do part of what she planned. Something that cost me my life. While she ended up gone... God knows how... I can't help but imagine what Celestial will do. Willow doesn't know what she could do to stop her. I have no magical capabilities, so I'm no match for her. She kicked both of our asses, just like Glory did, and didn't even break a sweat. What if I have to die again? I don't know how that'd stop her or her plan, but rational doesn't fit into a rant, so whatever. I don't want to have to die again. I'm finally happy again, and I want to live." She paced all around the crypt, restless.
Spike stared at her in surprise, and finally interrupted. "Take half a 'mo there, pet. Catch your breath 'fore you pass out. Now listen. It's too early in the game to tell what's goin' to happen, so stop torturing yourself. I am not goin' to lose you again. There will be no dyin' of any sort. Got it?"
"You can't be sure of that." Buffy frowned and twiddled her foot anxiously.
"Just as you can't be sure of dyin' again."
"I guess I am kind of gun jumpy, but I just have those bad slayer feelings. I can't help feeling that me and death have a close relationship. It's definitely a mixy thing there." To her horror, tears started filling her eyes.
Spike saw the glistening tears. 'Oh God, Buffy cryin'. No, can't have that.' He'd rather he die than his fierce little slayer. Before he had time to think of the consequences, knowing that approaching her in a moment of weakness was as safe as approaching a hungry tiger, he went to her, and tentatively put his arms around her. To his surprise, after a moment of stiffness, she relaxed against him.
'He feels and looks smaller without his duster,' Buffy thought. 'This is so not a good idea, leaning on him like this, but it feels comforting.' She didn't pull away. She eventually regained some control and leaned back. His ice blue eyes were fixed on her. He wanted to keep on holding her. Her hazel eyes, more green now from the tears, were fixed on his mouth. If he had a heart that beat, it'd leap out of his chest and flop around on the ground like a fish out of water.
Before he could ponder anymore, Buffy quickly pressed her mouth against his.
'Oh God, her mouth.'
Nearly as quick, she started to pull away. 'No way, pet.' He rested a hand on the back of her neck, holding her gently, to keep her lips in place. He nibbled at those sweet lips, till they parted. He explored her teeth with his tongue, his hand stroking her back. When she made a small noise, he explored further past her teeth. With exquisite gentleness, he drew her tongue into a slow mating dance.
A minute passed, then two, then three.
He continued to gently stroke and tease her mouth with his own. Finally, reality sank back in, and Buffy pulled away before she jumped on him. That would be of the bad. Spike stared at her, the only thing he was capable of at that point. His mouth was tingling in a good way, his skin felt stretched tight, and he had to repress the urge to let his demon overcome his face. He felt her heated blush, and heard the hammering of her heart. She backed away, her face battling with wariness and contentment. He could tell she didn't know what to think.