A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in three weeks. I stayed at my mom's a little longer than I expected and I've been busy getting ready for school and I've been having a hard time trying to figure out what I'm going to do next in my story. So anyway, I got my first job today! Yay me! That might prevent me from updating sooner than I usually would. I'm really sorry but I will try and update again by this weekend.

.:Faith:.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not the characters. Although I would really like to own spike. Anyway nothing is mine sadly, The character Eve Dallas and Roarke . . . I don't own, very sadly, they belong to J.D. Robb.

Rating: R mostly for language

Chapter Eight:

Buffy walked to her car, she unlocked the door and got behind the wheel. She laid her head down on the steering wheel and cried her eyes out.

Meanwhile, Tara made a call to Spike to tell him what had happened with Buffy.

"They took her badge." Tara told him

"Oh god." Was all he said

After Buffy had calmed down some, she pulled out of her parking place as a civilian. She hated the idea that she wouldn't be involved with the investigation and that it probably would be handed over to someone like Xander.

As she drove through the streets of LA her mind wandered off to what it would be like if she was never offered her job back and if she was asked to retire. That made her start to cry again as she pulled into the drive of her home.

Her hair was a mess, her face was red and blotchy and her eyes were puffy and filling rapidly with fresh tears. She walked up the steps to the cherry wood door and turned the handle.

Normally stepping in from the coldness and into the heat would've lightened Buffy's mood, but not today. She headed up the stairs and straight to the bedroom to have a blistering hot shower and crawl into her bed.

She stepped out of the shower, not really feeling any better. She pulled on her pajamas slowly. When Spike saw her she looked like she was in some sort of a trance. Her eyes weren't really focused on anything and her body movements were controlled and slow. He walked toward her as she curled herself into a vulnerable ball on the bed and draped a blanket delicately over her form. He rubbed her back a little and kissed her forehead as she slowly drifted off to a disturbed sleep.

When Spike quietly shut the bedroom door behind him he stormed off to his office to make a phone call.

"What the hell do you mean 'you have to do this'?" he yelled into the receiver to Kate Lockely

"We have to take the necessary precautions. If I let Buffy stay in command people will wonder what kind of precinct I'm running here. You don't understand, Buffy is a suspect in murder. Murder, something that she's supposed to be against. There is evidence against her that she physically abused Hargrove. The evidence as of now stands against her. I had to suspend her for the time being." Kate said trying to calm an obviously pissed off Spike

"She was with me the entire night, there is no possible way she could have murdered Hargrove. I'll testify if you need me to."

"Your testimony would be shaky. Many would think that you would just say that to save her ass. There were some diaries in Hargrove's apartment that held some . . . things that said Buffy had climbed up the ladder by giving sexual favors. She then went on to describe that she had only married you for the fame and the money. Anyone who knows Buffy would know that was false but this woman was obviously disturbed and refused to believe anything but was what she thought up in that crazy head of hers."

Spike ran a shaking hand through his hair and placed it on the table next to him.

"Fine," he sighed "I won't do anything for right now, but you can bet your ass you'll be hearing from my lawyers."

As he hung the phone up he picked up the whiskey he had poured earlier and downed it. He stared into the glass for a few seconds and for lack of anything better to do, and to release some aggression, he through it against the wall.

It had been a day since she had been kicked out of her own office and Buffy wasn't feeling any better. She woke alone which put her into an even deeper state of sadness because she was hoping to hang on to Spike for the rest of ever.

She tossed the blanket that Spike had put over her the night before and proceeded to the shower. She ran her fingers through her tousled bed hair and stopped as she saw Spike standing between her and a blissful shower.

"What?" she asked her voice still groggy from waking

"You need to eat something. You don't look well." He told her taking all of her in

"No shit. I don't feel that great either. Can you move please?"

"No. Are you going to stop feeling sorry for yourself today or are you going to lie in bed again and think about what you had?" he asked her in a terse tone

Taken aback at what he had just said to her, she blinked a few times before it actually registered with her.

"They kicked me out. I have nothing to stand for anymore. Nothing matters anymore." She said quietly

"They're just symbols. They have no significant meaning."

"They're everything I've worked for and now they're gone."

"Well you can always work for me. I'm sure we can find you a nice job in Security. With your experience it shouldn't be a problem." He crossed to a small desk pulled out a cigarette, lit it and inhaled deeply. If she wasn't going to pull herself out of this stupor then he sure as hell was going to do it himself. He thought.

"Excuse me?" Buffy said in a disgusted tone

"Work for me. You'll probably be asked to retire after it's all said and done, and you would sure get paid a hell of a lot more than a Homicide Lieutenant."

"I am not coming to work for you." She said, the anger building up inside of her

"That you could stay at home and take care of the children." Spike said taking another drag

"Whoa, whoa, what?" taken by surprise she stepped back a little

"I do want to have children with you Buffy. Maybe not at this moment, but some time in the future."

"You know what; I need to think about some things." Buffy said pushing Spike out of the way and moving down to the work out room.

When she got down the stairs and into the Exercise room she pulled grey sweat pants and a spaghetti strap top. She pulled out the dummy and started to pummel away on it. Imagining that it was Spike of course.

From a safe distance back up in his office, Spike watched her on the security monitor. He watched her destroy his dummy.

"That's right love; kick the shit out of me." He said as he pulled out another cigarette, lit it and took a drag from it.

He watched as she kicked, what would have been his balls, and winced.

"Well, I guess I deserve that."

Buffy walked back up the stairs, straight into the bedroom and made a beeline for the shower while stripping. She turned the water to blistering hot and stepped into the hot steamy paradise.

After she had turned the water off, she grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped herself in its warm fluffiness.

She walked into the bedroom to find Spike sitting on the bed. She walked over to him, pushed him down so that he was lying down. She straddled him and leaned her head down into an earth shattering kiss.

"Well, uh . . . looks like you're feeling better." Spike said, his mind spinning the breath taken out of him

"No, I'm still pissed as hell at you. But I also want to thank you. If you wouldn't have pissed me off, I would have stayed depressed for a long time. So thank you." She said as she got off of him and went to go find clothes

"Well, you're welcome."

"I have a meeting with the Lieutenant from New York today. I gave her our address so I don't know when she's going to show up. It should be some time this afternoon."

"Alright that's fine. Just tell me when they arrive. You know I stand by what I said earlier love. They're just symbols. They can't take away who you really are."

"I know. And I have an idea . . ."

There was a knock on the door and when Buffy opened it she saw the last person she was expecting to see.

Xander Harris.

"Xander what the hell are you doing here?" Buffy asked

"I'm, uh, here to question you regarding the Hargrove murder." Xander said with his head down

Understanding that it was uncomfortable for both of them, Buffy nodded and moved aside for Xander to step into the house.

"Jesus Christ Summers. This place is huge!" he exclaimed.

"Just follow me." She said walking up the stairs

Buffy opened the door to her office and walked inside taking a seat behind the desk. Spike had seen them walk in and she assumed they would hear from him momentarily.

"Alright uh, just sit down and I'll uh, start the questioning." Xander said

As he was turning on the recorder and reciting the necessary information, Spike stormed into the room.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded

"Harris here is questioning me in regards to the murder." Buffy said calmly

"And you didn't think to tell me about it?" Spike said appalled

"I thought I could handle this on my own, but apparently I was wrong."

"I'm just going to ask her a few simple questions." Xander said, trying to help the situation

"Stay out of this," Spike shot angrily "You are getting yourself a lawyer and you aren't saying anything until you get the proper representation."

"I know how the drill works, Spike. And I have nothing to hide so you don't have to waste your money on any of your fancy lawyers." Buffy said in a low dangerous tone

"Fine, then I'll stay here."

"That's fine, let me uh, let me just get started then." Xander said fidgeting and fumbling around

"It's ok Xander; they haven't charged me with anything." Buffy said soothingly

"I know that Buff, but they found a nice hefty load of bullshit in Hargrove's apartment. Said all sorts of things like how you climbed the ladder through sex and how you're only in it for the glory and the fame. Anyone can tell that she was completely jealous of you and what you had made yourself to be."

"That may be the case, but that still doesn't change the fact that I'm a suspect so let's get this over with."

Xander had asked her the formal questions and had stumbled with a few. He told her that none of this was easy for him and that the entire squad was pulling for her. He also told her that Tara was worried sick about her and that she needed to give her a call to tell her that she was alright.

As Xander walked out the door, a tall short dark haired female and a very attractive man walked up the pathway and to the front door.

"You Lieutenant Summers?" asked the female

"Used to be," Buffy said, off of the woman's confused and blank expression she then replied, "Long story."

"Ah, ok then. I'm Lieutenant Eve Dallas and this is my husband Roarke." Eve said gesturing toward the tall black haired man

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lieutenant." He said smoothly, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips.

Buffy stared at him as she caught the whiff of Ireland in his voice and raised an eyebrow when he kissed her knuckles.

She smiled when she saw Eve roll her eyes.

"I'm guessing he does that a lot."

"Every chance he gets," Eve said

Eve, Buffy and Roarke made their way into Buffy's office. Buffy offered coffee and was just about to call Spike in when he came waltzing through the door.

"Eve, Roarke, this is my husband Spike."

Spike walked over to where Buffy was standing and extended his hand to Roarke and Eve.

"Pleasure to meet you. Buffy, love, can I use your computer for a second? Mine seems to have decided to die at the moment."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"What kind of computer do you have?" Roarke asked

"It's a Matto version eight. It'll be released in about three months. It's just a prototype and at the moment doesn't like me very much."

"I have a similar version at home, do you mind if I take a look at it?" he asked

"Be my guest, if you can fix it I will be forever in your gratitude." Spike said steering Roarke in the right direction of his office

"Men and their toys, I swear to God I will never understand it." Buffy said watching her husbands retreating form.

"Right there with you. Alright, so what we have are two like crimes. Can you tell me anything about yours?"

"Just that there was a dead guy swinging from the rafters by the end of opening night."

"What a shitty way to die." Eve said looking over her notes

"That's what I said. We also have a person involved in both plays. Bambi Wilson."

"God that girl was such a dumbass. I mean hell, it takes all kinds but seriously, this girl couldn't hurt a fly because it would be 'cruelty to animals' let alone kill a human being."

"We can't rule her out until there is solid evidence that says she didn't do it." Buffy said skimming through notes

"Why don't you call in some people from your precinct and put them on the job." Eve asked

"Well, uh, I can't really do that right now. I got suspended. I'm working rogue right now, and if they found that out I'd be fired for sure."

"Why did you get suspended?"

"I'm a suspect in murder. I didn't do it, I was here when it happened, but there is significant evidence to put me on the short list so . . . here I am." Buffy said holding her arms out

"I went through something like that before. Some dumb bitch wouldn't stop filing threats against me, it escaladed and she killed herself in such a way that some rookie though it was Homicide and they put me on the short list. So believe me, I know what you're going through." She said looking up almost sympathetically

Buffy got up and started to walk toward the mini fridge to get something to eat when she collapsed on the floor and started convulsing.

"Oh my God." Eve said, her eyes getting wide as she ran to go find where Spike and Roarke were. She wasn't familiar with the house so she was running from room to room trying to find where Spike's office was. When she finally found it, she burst through the door panting.

Normally the sight of her husband with his shoulder length black hair tied back, and his sleeves rolled up would have her melting. But she had other things on her mind.

"Eve, darling, what's wrong?" Roarke asked

"It's Summers, something's really wrong."

A/N: Hate to end it like that, but I have to get some sleep. Well when I wrote this it was about a week ago. I'm so sorry it's taking me so long to update. I started school last week and I'm trying to keep up with my studies and all that bullshit. I started my first week of work last Wednesday that was fun. I get paid at the end of the week, woohoo! Haha, I'll try and update as soon as I can, I have school off on Monday so that will be the absolute latest because I got a full weekend. I look forward to your reviews! : )

.:Faith:.

P.S. There's something wrong with the edit thing so sorry this looks so bad