A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, I do it all for the fans! (and my own selfish impulses but, shh! Tell no one!)

Rated R.

17

Chaos reigned downstairs, girls ran everywhere, Buffy spotted Faith and Robin working as a team to defend the group out on the front lawn from the demon who had stolen Xander's identity. Buffy twirled the scythe then jumped down to the floor and pushed her way out of the doorway into the front law where a battleground was taking place. Buffy looked around but could not see Evil Buffy or Evil Spike anywhere it seemed only Evil Giles and Evil Xander had been sent, probably because they knew their counterparts were at hospital.

"Hey, Slayer, cool" Evil Xander swatted Faith away and walked over to Buffy, they met in the middle of the lawn "Been meaning to talk to you again. So, how's your boyfriend then? Life as a deformed vamp must be hard" He smirked.

Buffy smiled bittersweet "You'd know all about being deformed, Clone Boy"

"Ooh, that just cut to the bone" He laughed "You know, sweetheart, once this is over I'm thinking about asking you on a date. What do you say?"

She made like she was thinking about it "Um...I'd rather die"

"That can be arranged" Evil Xander charged at her.

Buffy sidestepped and the demon careened past her before whirling back around and running back to her. Avoidance was the key so when the demon swung his fists at her almost faster then she could see but she dodged every hit with a series of moves that kept her out of harm's reach.

The Xander demon withdrew a step, panting "Come on, Slayer. Come and get me"

"Yeah, because I'm gonna fall for that" She rolled her eyes "So, where's my twin anyway? Seems kind of shy, or is she...it afraid?"

He chuckled "Maybe she's waiting for the big finish"

"You don't know?"

"I'm not about to share it with you that's for sure" He replied "You shouldn't have stolen those bodies from us"

Buffy's jaw hardened "They were people, not bodies. Asshole"

With that the demon ran at her again and Buffy went with evasive tactics again, she could keep it up for a while. However the demon was fast and managed to grab her in a bear hug around the waist, he lifted her off the ground and squeezed until her ribs felt like they would turn to powder.

Something struck the demon's force field and he let go of her and turned to see Faith holding the scythe Buffy had dropped somewhere along the line. Evil Xander grinned and grabbed the scythe trying to pull it right out of her hands. Buffy drew his attention back to herself but Evil Xander still managed to strike Faith on the side of the head knocking her unconscious.

"So, why are you doing this?" Buffy asked, distracting "What exactly do you gain from taking our identities?"

"Power, status and well, it's really a secret" Demon Xander motioned her to come to him.

She started to approach when a gas canister suddenly erupted onto the yard and then another, Buffy was far enough away it didn't affect her but soon everyone else was scrambling for air and coughing then falling unconscious. The wind cleared the gas and Buffy saw with shock that everyone - Robin, the girls, everyone had fallen unconscious and it looked disturbingly like a pile of bodies.

"Looks like it's just us then" Evil Xander whispered to the side of her.

"Don't forget me" Evil Giles stepped up to the other side of her.

Buffy tried to run a fraction too late and each demon grabbed hold of one of her wrists, wrenched her backwards and threw her into a tree. Her spine felt like sparks were flying up and down it and she yelled out before she had time to think they were on her again. A punch from Xander, a kick from Giles, her head smashed into the tree, a knee to her gut, a roundhouse kick to her head. Buffy sunk to her knees and then someone was grabbing her up and she was flying through the air tumbling to the ground headfirst. Her chin skidding along the grass, grazed now and bleeding, her teeth chattered in her head and one dislodged. She groaned as things turned black for a moment then she spat the tooth out followed by a dribble of blood. Buffy got up slowly to her hands and knees and was knocked back down by a hard kick to her back.

A hand grabbed her around the back of her neck and lifted her off the floor. She dangled there by her neck; feeling like her head was going to explode. Then Evil Xander tossed her to Evil Giles and he threw her back like they were playing a bizarre game of catch. Evil Xander threw her to the ground and then put his foot underneath her and kicked her up high into the air. She twirled in mid-air and hit the ground crashing.

"Ohh..." She was done, she couldn't fight back, and she was out of luck "...crap..."

Evil Xander and Evil Giles knelt down on either side of her and Evil Giles pulled out a blade. With a flick of the wrist he slit the back of her shirt open. Xander pressed his palm against the back of her head and shoved her face down into the ground. Buffy was bruised and battered and she couldn't move as Evil Giles began to cut deep striations into her flesh.

Buffy screamed and then Evil Giles slumped to the side. The Slayer moved her eyes up to see Giles, the real Giles, standing above them with a broadsword in his hand. He swung it down and plunged it into the demon's back. Then, bam, he was dead.

Evil Xander reared up screaming and then, bam, an arrow sliced through the side of his head and lodged midway through. Giles rolled her over and she looked up, blinking and saw Xander, a bandage pasted to his head and a bow and arrow in his hands. He smiled at her a little.

"I don't understand" Buffy rasped.

"Andrew and Dawn told us" Giles explained "So we discharged ourselves and came here as soon as we could. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, the cuts aren't that bad" She shrugged.

Giles nodded "And everyone else...?" He looked around.

"Sleeping gas" Buffy groaned as she sat up and winced at the cuts in her back "But Spike...he's gone and I have to find him before he hurts himself"

Her Watcher sighed "Buffy you are in no shape...."

"Giles, you and Xander get back to hospital I'm gonna go find him" She stood slowly and ignored the pain.

Giles nodded and handed her the scythe "If you have to do this at least be armed, incase"

Buffy gave him a reassuring smile and made her way to the open gates that had been busted by the two demons. She walked through and pushed them shut then made her way out into the streets, she had no idea where Spike would go but seen as he was new to the town she wasn't sure Spike knew where he was going either.

She walked through the streets and wished she had a nose like his, able to track anyone. Angel could. The thought flashed through her brain and she was running back to the sanctuary, throwing the gates open and looking for him but she could not see him. Willow came out of the house on her crutches and frowned, hobbling up to Buffy.

"What's wrong, Buffy?" She asked.

"Where's Angel?"

Willow's frown deepened "He left after you. To help find Spike"

"Dammit" Buffy groaned "If Angel finds Spike first...Willow can you do me a locator spell?"

The witch nodded "Sure" She pulled some herb out of her pocket sprinkled it on the floor and spoke a few words of Latin.

The herbs on the floor swirled into a map of the town and one glowed a bright yellow. It was down at the old abandoned railway station. The place was creepy, old forgotten carriages in the train graveyard. Plenty of creatures hung out there. It was the perfect place for a vampire like Spike.

"That easy huh?" Buffy asked.

Willow nodded "That easy"

The Slayer thanked her and then she was running again, running fast and hard ignoring the stares she got from passer-by. If a blond running through the street carrying a scythe was the strangest thing they saw in this town then they were damned lucky. She ran through the town, then turned a back road and swept down that. She guessed she looked like a blond tornado.

By the time she reached the train graveyard it was a lot darker and a sheen of sweat made her clothes cling to her body, her hair plastered to her forehead.

"Spike!" She yelled, "I am not in the mood for playing games. Show yourself"

There was no sound, just a rustle of paper blowing across the rickety lines.

"Coward" Buffy spat, knowing the predictable outcome.

"Me?" Came his voice "I'm a coward. Come now, Slayer, you know better than that"

"I thought I did"

There was a pause; the voice softened "You look hurt"

"That's what you get when you don't have any back-up when the demons come a-calling" She could not pinpoint which direction his voice was coming from so she turned in a circle as she spoke.

"You have a whole bloody army"

"Gas canister. Really could have done with some vampire 'don't need to breathe' help"

He chuckled "What about Angelus?"

Buffy frowned "I...don't know where he was"

"Bloody typical" Spike snorted "When the going gets tough he legs it"

"Looks who's talking"

He sighed "Yeah, well. I'm dealing with a few personal issues right now. Like, the fact that I don't have a left arm!"

"Spike," Her voice was gentle back, get some rest. You don't have to see or speak to anyone but you must be cold"

"I'm a vampire. We don't have body temperature"

"Spike, please"

The crunch of gravel sounded underfoot from behind her and Buffy turned. From behind an old, rusted train carriage stepped Spike. Her eyes swept over him, his hair was shorter now and brown from growing back in his natural colour and his eyes were hollow inside. His face looked drawn and he still had the odd patch of burnt or healing flesh. Spike's arm had healed into a soft stump, which her eyes wouldn't let her see for a moment because with him up and walking and talking he looked...unfinished. Buffy found her eyes gliding over the rest of him, the naked rest, and she turned away blushing.

Spike jumped behind the train again "See, you can't even look at me!"

"No, it has nothing to do with that," She walked up to him "It's just you're...naked"

Buffy peeked around the edge of the carriage and Spike was pressed up against it. She reached out to take his hand but he closed his eyes as if ashamed to let her see him like this. Buffy took his hand anyway and pulled him into her. She closed her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest, not a heartbeat could be found. She wouldn't lie that him being naked wasn't making this slightly more different from a normal hug but she tried as best she could to push it aside. A moment passed and Spike's breath caught, he slid his arm around her and rested his face on top of her head.

"I can't even do this properly now," He said and then she felt him crying against her.

The Slayer held on to him tighter and she breathed in him, his scent, so relieved that he was all right if not intact completely. His hand traveled up to delve under her hair stroked the back of her head and his touch was ice cool it made her shiver.

"Does that feel like death?" Spike whispered "Like death's hand touching you"

"I've felt death before but I don't remember the actual dying part" Buffy replied.

Spike pulled back and cupped her face in his hand "This is death"

He leaned down and caught her bottom lip between his, pulled on it then released. Buffy looked into his sad eyes, he had a soul now but she couldn't see it. He had been damaged in that fight not just physically but something in his soul had given up or at least was about to give up.

Spike kissed her again but this time it was deeper and it felt desperate, if he needed to draw strength from her then Buffy wouldn't stop him. Her hands twined around his neck and she opened her mouth for him.

"How can you," Spike jerked back from her so abruptly she nearly fell "How can you let me do that? When I look like this"

Buffy picked up the scythe she had dropped before and made her way to the rusty carriage door purposefully "Because it doesn't matter" She swung the scythe and sliced the old padlock off of it easily.

"It doesn't matter" He muttered scornfully then frowned "What are you doin'?"

"Seeing if there's any clothes in here for you to wear. Flower Meadows townspeople must have had a weird day; naked vampire running through the streets and girl with a scythe" Buffy murmured as she climbed up into the carriage and it was so dark but she had expected that.

Spike climbed in after her "Dark, musty. Could be my next home. If I'm around that long"

"You will be" Then she noticed something "Oh, hey, look they have some pretty nice stuff in here. Satin drapes...there's even a long tablecloth type thing of heavy velvet. They traveled in style"

"Uh, hello? Lost an arm over here" He still stood by the door, sullen.

"Sorry. Clothes, clothes" She began searching, she reached up high to search for old suitcases but found none then bent down low all the while aware Spike was watching with hawk eyes.

Buffy walked further down the carriage it was dusty and smelt of mold but she would bet with a few candles and pillows Spike could work wonders, if he was serious that was. She found a trunk at the end of the carriage and hit the scythe handle against the lock breaking it off. On top of the trunk was an oil lantern and she dug a match out of her pocket and lit the thing, creating a dim yellowish light she was grateful for. Buffy lifted up the lantern and the trunk lid and dust plumes flew at her, making her cough incessantly. Finally she waved the dust away and saw that inside lay clothes, old-fashioned, dusty clothes but at least they were clothes.

"Hey, Spike," Buffy turned "I found some –"

The carriage door slammed shut and she jumped at the heavy and reverberating sound. The Slayer was in complete darkness save for the lantern she still carried with her.

"Spike?" She whispered.

Suddenly a cold hand arm wrapped around her waist from behind her, freezing her bare skin. Buffy took in a sharp intake of breath. The Slayer turned toward him and the garish light from the lantern hollowed his features, his skin looked molded to the bones in his face. Spike reached out and took the lantern from her placing it back on top of the trunk lid. Now she couldn't see him again but she could sense him and Buffy got it, he didn't want her to see him.

Lips landed on hers and before she had time to respond they were gone and had moved down to the line of her jaw, he nudged her chin to the side with his lips and then kissed the dent in her neck underneath her jawbone. The butterfly kisses reached her collarbone and Buffy still got it, Spike needed some sort of familiarity because his life had been changed so much recently. She caught his face in her hands though she could not see it and planted her lips on his forehead, his lips, and his chin.

Spike's hand reached up to the collar of her jacket and he tried to push it off but couldn't so Buffy shrugged it off and let it fall to the floor before running her hands down his chest and kissing the hollow of his neck, his chest. Spike grabbed a handful of her hair and breathed her in before kissing her long and slow on the lips.

Buffy got onto her knees and kissed his belly button, letting her tongue flick into it, his body shuddering. She kissed her way down his abdomen and ran her hands up his legs around to his back.

Spike groaned and sunk down onto his knees in front of her his arm wrapping around her and pulling her down on top of him as he lay down on the carriage floor.

"Buffy," The vampire gasped into the darkness "God, I wanted this. I wanted it to be right, though, perfect..."

Buffy wrenched her top up over her head and threw it to the side then unbuckled her jeans and pulled them off, resumed her position on top of him, straddling his waist "There's no such thing as perfect"

"There is. You"

She laughed a little, sadly "I'm not perfect and neither is this"

Spike groaned as she moved above him his hand trailing up her arm then down her back making her writhe "Then what is this?"

Buffy grabbed up the velvet tablecloth and pulled it down on top of them, enveloping their bodies as she pressed herself against him. The lantern light flicked over their moving bodies. In between kisses she whispered,

"This is death"

A/N: Spuffy! Spuffy! Spuffy! :)