Chapter Seven

"Spike?" he asked, shocked at how she said and addressed this unknown name. "I don't…" Spike looked at the opposite page. He started reading the translated text. "What?"

"You're a vampire-"

"We know that," he said, looking worried. He watched Buffy as he answered her but looked straight back at the book, trying to save himself from hearing something hurtful.

"Let me finish," Buffy said, remaining calm. "You're a vampire who has killed two Slayers."

"Two?"

"Yes. One in China and one in New York."

"I've been to China?" he said, changing the subject.

"Spike!" Buffy was becoming aggravated.

"I'm sorry I just don't understand what's wrong?"

"You don't understand what's wrong? You killed two Slayers. I am a Slayer."

"Yes, but I don't want to kill you."

"Maybe just because you lost your memory. I mean, you didn't even remember you were a vampire in the first place."

Spike walked right up to her, dropping the book on the couch. Buffy moved back until she was against the wall. "Or maybe it's because there's something between us."

"Which isn't space," Buffy stated, pointing out how close he was to her. Spike moved in for a kiss. Buffy ducked and moved around him. Spike braced himself with both hands on the wall. He turned his head to her. "I can't." Spike turned his whole body to her. "We can't."

"Nothing has changed except you found out a couple new things about me. I'm still the same guy you were making out with earlier."

"New things?" Buffy said, shocked how carelessly he just threw out these new facts. "You killed two girls."

"I'm a vampire Buffy. I have to kill people in order to live." Spike started walking closer to her.

"Then maybe you need to stop living." Buffy was backing up with everyone of his steps.

Spike stopped. "Jumping the gun aren't we Slayer?"

Buffy's body quivered with that word. She hadn't entirely accepted 'Slayer' into her vocabulary, but something sounded familiar about it when Spike spoke it. "I don't know why I've let you live for this long but I can't allow you to kill people."

"Buffy, for soddin' out loud. I'm not going to bite you or anyone else in here."

"I'm sure it doesn't say 'kill only vampire's who threaten to bite your friends. Otherwise, don't worry about it.'"

"What's 'it'?"

"I don't know wherever these people put all their little rules and quirks."

"Okay," Spike took a step and Buffy backed up. He held up both hands in surrender. "I'm not gonna do anythin' 'cept ask a question." Buffy pursed her lips and waited. "Are you tellin' me that you only want to stake me now, because you found out I killed two other Slayers?"

"Well… yeah," Buffy admitted.

"Buffy, we found out you were the Slayer before we made out, and yet, with the open chance to bite you, I didn't. So why would I bite you now?"

"I… I don't know." Buffy looked like she was about to cry Her face was so sad. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Then why kill me?"

"Because." Buffy started pacing with frustration. "I'm the Slayer and I'm supposed to kill vampires. You're a vampire, but you're not dead. Well, dusted undead. And I can't help but think there's a reason I haven't killed you yet, but maybe it's just because I didn't know you were one."

"Or maybe you did and you didn't kill me because you were attracted to me."

Buffy ceased her pacing and looked at him. "I can't be with a vampire. There has to be a rule about that."

"Well the rules are only enforced if people know." Spike started to walk towards her, but was ready to retreat if she did any sudden movements. Buffy stood there as Spike came towards her and embraced her.

Buffy rested her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This feels right. Yet wrong at the same time.

"Gordona alonsay," Giles read. There was a flash of light and a whirl of papers. Within ten seconds some type of demon was standing in front of them. It growled, making the girls scream. Xander came from behind and stabbed it through the chest. The demon screamed in agony and fell to the floor.

"Oh yeah!" Xander applauded himself. "Let's do it again!" Everyone looked at him like he had three heads. "Or we can just stick with the one."

"This looks like the picture from the book," Willow said. "Now we just have to cut out it's lard and burn it with the Orb of Galadria."

"Which we found!" Anya said, holding it up.

"We know Anya. You only said it eight times when you first found it," Xander interrupted.

"That doesn't mean it's less triumphant." Anya lost grip and the orb fell from her hand. Giles quickly reached for it and caught it inches from the ground. Everyone gasped. Anya let out a little chuckle. "Oops."

"Okay, so let's do this before another 'oops,'" Xander suggested. He cut it open and bent down. "Ugh!" Xander fanned the air in front of him. "It smells awful."

"I'm sure it's only this demon. The others probably smell like flowers," Dawn quipped.

"Are you sure it's the lard from a demon and not a teenage girl?" Xander threatened.

"Previous statement retracted," Dawn said with a smile.

Xander turned back to the demon and removed something from it's stomach. "Is this lard? It's squishy and bumply."

"Looks like it could be lard."

Xander took another look inside of the Fornam demon. "Well it has to be considering there's nothing else in here. Oh wait," he reached in and pulled a bony finger with a silver ring wrapped around it. "Someone lose a ring? Or a finger?"

"Gross," Dawn observed.

"Okay so we have lard and the Orb of Galadria. Sounds like the perfect barbecue." Xander rubbed his hands together.