A/N: Wow I'm really sorry it's taken me a week to update, but I've been real busy with work and school and all that and I've been so tired when I come home I don't really feel like writing. I'm making this a good long chapter as a sort of . . . make up for the waiting, I'll try and update when I can. Thanks for the reviews and keep em coming : )

.:Faith:.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not the characters. Although I would really like to own spike. Anyway nothing is mine sadly and none of the lines from any of the scripts are mine. The title and the plot are loosely based on the In Death books by J.D. Robb. I don't own it either

Rating: R, just for good measure

Chapter 4

"Record on McClay." Buffy said crouching down to see the remains of Warren Meers

"I – I don't know if I can Summers," Tara said backing up, "This is worse than his sister."

Buffy got up and looked Tara straight in the eye.

"If you can't handle this than I suggest that you leave and I'll get someone in here who can handle it." She said in a low rumbling tone

Tara swallowed and her eyes where taken over by anger.

"Doesn't this even bother you at all? Someone that you used to know is lying in front of you dead in the most horrible way, and you're just sitting there like it's nothing. You comforted him when his sister died and all you can do now is stand over him and say 'too bad one less fucker to take care of'." She broke off with tears in her eyes but her voice was steady and furious as ever, "How can you sit there and act like it's not a big deal?"

Buffy stared at her for a moment, taken aback from what her partner had just said to her.

"I care" Buffy finally said in a low voice

"Well you might want to try showing it because you could've fooled all of us." Tara stated looking around at the crime scene that had stopped what they were doing to watch the two 'square off'

Buffy's hands shot out and grabbed Tara's arms holding her in a death grip.

"You have no idea what I'm feeling. And for you to insinuate that I don't give a shit makes me want to hurt you real bad right now. Warren might not have been the most upstanding citizen LA has to offer, but he shouldn't have died like this. No one deserves to die like this. He's mine now and that means I will do everything in my power to make sure that whoever killed him gets stopped." She finished in a low voice shoving a surprised Tara back a little, "Now, if you have a problem with me or the way I do things I suggest putting in for a different partner and getting the hell out of my sight now."

"No sir. I'll stay." She said turning her recorder on

..

As Buffy walked into her office at the Station she felt a little faint but passed it off as dizziness from the crime scene.

She walked to her coffee maker and programmed a pot hoping that the strong black coffee would get rid of the uneasiness in her stomach. She sat in her chair and stared out her grimy window looking at the busy street below.

Her office phone rang snapping her out of her catatonic state.

"Summers," she answered

"Hey love." Came Spike's voice

"Hi, listen, I can't really talk right now. I just caught a case, and McClay's pissed at me."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. Your voice sounds scratchy, are you alright?" he asked concerned

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, go—I dunno – buy a country or something." She said hoping she would have time to hang the phone up before he could reply

"Just promise me," came his voice, "that you will eat something other than a candy bar."

"Nag, nag, nag"

"I love you too pet" he said hanging the phone up

..

A/N: I'm so sorry I have to end it here but I am having really bad writer's block and I know what I want to do, I just don't know how to put it in words and how to get there. I promise I'll try and update again this weekend. Thanks for the patience.

.:Faith:.