A/N: It's good to see so many new readers coming to the story but it's also a little worrying. If you are reading this before reading Crushed, please don't ask me about anything to do with the plot that is not directly left for you to salivate over in that particular chapter. Hasn't happened yet, but I'd like to avoid that whole issue as I can only refer you to Crushed. Once more, thanks to my betas, Ezekeiel Rage and Ultrawoman, who are always prompt, thorough and honest. I hope.

Disclaimer: Why are you reading this? How dare you read this? I demand you stop this very instant! Stop it! Now! You're sick, you know that? You have a genuine problem and you should seek psychological help if you can't even stop reading an inane, off-topic and pointless disclaimer.

XXX

Everything has to be complicated

Buffy was still in shock. Riley was back. With Sam. His wife. Because he's married. To Sam. Like some big... married guy. Who gets married after four months of joint demon hunting? It's not natural. And what kind of name is Sam, anyway?

"...Spike." Riley's grim voice cut through the haze which Buffy found herself in. Hearing her boyfriend's name, the Slayer's head snapped up.

"Huh?" Everyone turned to look at Buffy, causing her to drop her head a little. "Sorry, what was that last bit? I missed it." A bittersweet smile passed over her former lover's face.

"I sort of figured. I remember that expression," he explained with the same bittersweet smile as his wife's hand entwined with his. "Sam and I were dispatched to Sunnydale chasing after some seriously dangerous demons."

"These things are killers," Sam cut in. "They squirt out a burning venom from... well, I don't really want to say their eyes but that's what it's like. Only..."

"Only when Sam found them, their eyes had been cut out," Riley finished. There was a pause as everyone assimilated this unsettling piece of information.

"Wait," Buffy said, "What does this have to do with Spike?"

"I went to the local demon bar," Sam supplied in a helpful tone. "Asked around. Turns out that the biggest suspect is William the Bloody, a.k.a. Spike."

"How-"

"I beat on Willy," Riley answered before Buffy could even finish her question. "Our preliminary readings show that the eyes have been moved to warehouse near the docks, and it turns out that Spike's been visiting there fairly frequently as of late."

"Why don't you guys help Giles look up these demons and see what their eyes can do?" Buffy suggested. "Outside of their bodies, I mean. I'm going to see if I can hunt down Spike."

A slight pause, then Riley and Sam nodded, and rose to go with Giles, William, Xander, Anya and Tara to the Magic Box. Willow sidled over, like a secret agent from a particularly bad B-movie.

"Just so you know?" Willow said, voice low. "I'm prepared to hate this woman any way you want."

Buffy threw Sam an almost wistful look. "Thanks, but no. I don't wanna seem all petty."

"Well, that's the beauty!" Willow said cheerily. "You can't, but I can." Buffy watched as her friends, her ex, and his wife all milled about on the front lawn, deciding on cars. "Please. Let me carry the hate for the both of us."

Sam's voice could just be heard from outside, "You really have a lovely home, Mrs Summers."

"Go nuts."

XXX

William was feeling a little awkward. This was okay, usually, because it was the natural state for William to be in, it seemed. It stemmed from being British, an amnesiac and something of a time traveler. One would expect to feel out of place for some considerable amount of time.

This, however, was far less pleasant than his usual undercurrent of anxiety, that he was doing something horribly embarrassing without realizing. This awkward seemed to be far more personal. His stomach seemed to be rebelling against him, and he had very little idea why. He did know one thing, though.

It revolved around Riley. William looked across the back seat of the car surreptitiously, sizing up the other man. He seemed a nice sort of chap, very friendly, earnest. Everyone else seemed to like him fine, including Rupert which said a lot. But there was just something about him that made a small ember of hate smoulder in William's chest.

"So..." Riley drawled, presumably to break the uncomfortable silence; if that was his aim, it failed. Eventually, a question that had been worming in the back of William's brain since the beginning of the five minute car trip forced it's way out of him.

"So, you used to go out with..." William trailed off, feeling far too intrusive. An uncomfortable look appeared on the other man's face.

"Yeah. It... didn't end too well."

William just nodded as though he knew what Riley was talking about. If he were in the mood to be honest, he might have mentioned that no-one had told him anything. If he were so inclined, William may have just mentioned that it was his instinctive intuitiveness which divined this piece of knowledge. However, William was not so inclined. In point of fact, after the answer he just received that small ember of hatred suddenly flared into a raging bonfire.

Not that Riley noticed. William was still far too British for the other man to have any clue as to what he was feeling.

William briefly wondered why everyone had been so accepting of the relationship, but he brushed the speculation off. He, almost clearly, remembered weddings between people younger than Dawn and Riley had been, so he really had no right to judge what relationships were acceptable in this time.

XXX

Spike was rummaging through the sarcophagus where he stashed his most valuable possessions, like his spare bottle of scotch, when he smelled the intoxicating musk of Slayer, of Buffy. His Buffy. The idea still sent shivers down his spine. He'd swear it almost made his heart beat.

"What's this, Slayer?" Spike asked in a jovial tone as he dropped the blanket down, concealing the assortment of items in the sarcophagus. "Couldn't wait?"

The drop-dead-sexy (pun intended) grin on the vampire's face melted away at the troubled expression on Buffy's. He took a few short steps to cross the crypt and ran his fingertips lightly across Buffy's cheek.

"What's wrong, pet?" There was a brief moment where Buffy considered what she would say next.

"Are you planning to do anything... evil?"

Spike smirked. "You'd want to be a mite more specific love. There're a few things I plan to do to you later that are downright evil."

Buffy threw him a withering look. "I mean like bad, Hellmouthy, destroy the world, summon evil demons evil?" All traces of amusement drained off Spike's face when he saw how tense Buffy was. He stepped in even closer, invading her body space, and tilted her chin so she was looking him in the eye.

"Buffy. Love. You're my world. You're the reason I keep on existing. I would never do anything like that, because it would mean losing you and worse still, hurting you."

Buffy made a little happy mewl, before Spike's lips descended onto hers. The kiss was a gentle one, lips barely brushing each other, until Buffy leaned forward a little and her breasts brushed Spike's chest. The vampire groaned in a low voice, before deepening the kiss considerably.

Time seemed to fade into nothingness for Spike. All that existed was the warm Slayer pressed tight into his body, her sweet, soft lips, her short, intoxicating breaths, her moist, dextrous tongue. He dimly registered Buffy sliding his duster off as she pushed him back towards the sarcophagus but he managed to whip his shirt off when Buffy stopped for air.

The undressing halted when Buffy began inching him back to the wall, her warm hands running all over his back. Spike slid a hand under Buffy's shirt and was in the process of unhooking her bra when the door to his crypt burst open. Buffy sprang away from Spike guiltily, revealing a very interesting visitor.

"Well, looky here." Spike drawled, looking directly at Riley. "I don't usually use the word delicious..." his eyes raked over Buffy's dishevelled form, "...but I've gotta wager this little tableau must sting a bit, eh? Me and your former? Must kill. What can I say? Girl just needs a little monster in her man."

Riley winced almost imperceptibly, recalling Spike's words so long ago. "That's not why I'm here ... Spike."

"Oh god," Buffy moaned, before hurrying into a dim corner of the crypt to tidy herself up.

"Here I thought we'd run you out of town, mate," Spike continued, hooking his thumbs behind his belt buckle which, miraculously, hadn't been undone. "Last time I saw you, if memory serves, you were getting the juice sucked out of you by some undead ladies of very questionable reputation. Now, be a good tin soldier and, uh..." Spike made a negligent, shooing motion.

"Where are they Spike?" Riley continued in a wooden tone.

"Where are what, and why do you keep talking like that?" Spike asked in a very puzzled tone. Captain Cardboard here usually got a little more riled than this.

"Glad to be back in Sunnydale," Riley said in a conversational tone. "The locals all speak English, and I know who to beat for information. It's all brought me here."

"Look, Crew Cut," Spike said, rolling his eyes. "She's not your bint any more. And if I can speak frankly, she always had a little thing for me, even when she was shagging you."

"Nice," Riley grimaced in distaste. "That's very distracting. Now tell me, before I get unprofessional... ...where are the eyes, Spike?"

"Eyes?" Spike scoffed. "You're off your nut. It must be those drugs they were keeping you on. I did warn you."

"Okay," Riley said, dropping the façade. "We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the fatal way." Riley punched Spike in the face, sending the vampire stumbling back. "Where are the eyes?"

"Hey!" Buffy snapped. "Look, the eye taking guy? It can't be Spike."

"No need to defend me, love," Spike said, a pleased grin fixed on his face.

"It's just Spike, Riley," she continued, ignoring the vampire.

"Right," Riley agreed. "Deadly ... amoral ... Opportunistic." Spike swelled under the praise. "Or have you forgotten? I'm taking this place apart until I find those eyes."

"Over my dead body," Spike stated, stepping in the way of the larger man. Riley threw a sickened look at Spike's chest.

"I've seen enough of your dead body for one night, thanks," he said as he pushed the vampire out of the way and dropped downstairs. Spike glared after the departed soldier for some time before a horrible realisation dawned.

"You believed him," Spike accused, looking at a very uncomfortable Buffy. "That's what earlier was all about, wasn't it?" The guilty look on her face was more answer than necessary. "Bugger this," he said as he started to leave.

"Spike, wait!" Buffy cried, gripping his hand.

"Tell me one thing, Slayer," Spike said without turning around. "Did you believe him when he said it was me?"

When Buffy didn't answer Spike pulled his hand from her grip and stalked off into the night.

XXX

"I don't see why we have to do this," Anya complained to Xander as they 'snuck' along behind the others.

"Because these eye things summon big bad demons, An" Xander patiently explained.

"And?"

"They'll kill people if we don't stop them!" There was a slight pause.

"So?"

Xander sighed, frustrated already with his fiancé's inability to grasp even the most basic form of human compassion if she didn't somehow benefit from it.

"Guys!" Riley hissed, sotto voco. "This is it, keep it down."

The soldier put a black device against the door, there was a strange humming noise, before the lock snapped and the door opened. Buffy, Riley and Sam slunk inside noiselessly, followed far less gracefully by Willow, Tara, Giles, William, Xander and Anya, all bearing some form of crossbow, axe or sword.

The hallway was dim, and Buffy, Sam and Riley were almost at the end of it. The assembled Scoobies followed somewhat slower, double checking all the side rooms to make sure there wasn't anything lurking behind them.

As he neared the door where Buffy and the others were waiting, Xander smelt a sickly sweet aroma that caused his stomach to churn. It smelled of incense and death.

Bursting the door open quickly, Buffy ran point, flanked by Riley and Sam, while the rest of the Scoobies slowly edged their way into the room. What they saw sickened even the most hardened of them.

Around thirty corpses lay in a scattered circle around a shallow crater, and weird symbols were carved into their flesh that made Xander's eyes ache unpleasantly. About five of the corpses looked somewhat eaten, and the reason why lifted it's ugly head out of the stomach of an eight or nine year old girl's corpse.

Sharp, blood covered fangs jutted out of a mouth big enough to swallow a man's head whole. It's broad, muscular shoulders were covered in a myriad of sickening pustules and boils, oozing pus and blood slowly down it's sides. It's beady green eyes glowed and swirled in a nauseating fashion, and it's four arm-like legs were tipped with sharp claws.

It began to lumber towards the Scoobies with an awkward gait, and the Scoobies fanned out slowly. Buffy hefted her axe and darted in suddenly, causing the creature to roar and bat her away as though she were a child.

Riley and Sam were next, swinging their tazers wildly in the hope of hitting this thing without getting hit. Giles fired his crossbow, the bolt embedding itself deep in the creatures hide and not even eliciting a grunt. Willow and Tara grasped hands and began to chant in Latin, attempting some sort of spell.

When Riley was hurled away like a rag doll, both William and Xander rushed in, wielding their sword and axe like madmen. Giles fired another crossbow bolt into the things side, doing nothing, then handed the weapon to Anya and charged in with his sword.

Whatever this thing was, it was quick and it was strong. Buffy began to rise about the same time as Xander managed to embed his axe in the creature's leg, the growths on it's body exploding in a flash of bile coloured ichor that covered the carpenter.

Anya screamed and dropped the crossbow and her baseball bat in favour of running to her love, who was rolling around on the floor and scrubbing frantically at his skin where the demon ichor had touched.

Riley rejoined the fight, and William, Giles, Riley, Sam and Buffy all danced around the thing's lethal claws and almost blindingly quick reflexes, unable to attack. The Wicca's chanting reached a climax, and blue light surrounded the beast before it exploded outwards again, seemingly having no effect.

William ducked under a claw and hurled his sword with all his might, embarrassingly missing any target on the thing, but it still earned him a side bump that sent him sliding across the dusty floor. He looked up, saw Willow and Tara begin another chant and noticed how tired Giles was getting, and skittered over the floor to pick up the crossbow.

He cocked it with great difficulty, and waited for an instant that seemed to stretch forever before letting the bolt fly with a twang. The demon roared and its flailing grew more fevered as the crossbow bolt penetrated it's eye, but it kept fighting.

It was blinded enough, though, to allow Giles to score a grazing hit across the same leg where Xander's axe was stuck. More ichor flowed, and as it lumbered towards the Watcher, Buffy slammed her axe in it's neck and danced out of the way of the blood that spurted from the wound.

Riley and Sam both took advantage of it's pain and disorientation and slammed their tazers in it's throat, the electricity scorching the things skin. It collapsed to the ground just as Willow and Tara's spell finished and it burst into purple flames.

"Whoops," Willow tittered, embarrassed by the sudden and extraneous magic. William skipped over to help Anya lift Xander, who was already trying to shake his fiancé off, claiming he was fine now, it just tingled a little. As William stepped over it's wounded leg, it roared back to life, throwing William head first into the wall. The creature struggled to rise, before it's wounded leg gave out and it collapsed on the ground, thrashing weakly.

Buffy grasped a large 2x4 and jabbed it into the beast's head, it's skull exploding with the force of the impact. The Slayer looked down at her now ruined outfit.

"Why does this always happen to my favourite shirts?"

XXX

William was feeling the third wheel again. Well, eleventh wheel to be more exact but he was fairly sure the analogy didn't have the same impact when you said it like that. Plus, he was feeling slightly dizzy after the fight, and the cut on his forehead was throbbing in time to his pulse. He'd have to get Rupert to tutor him in weapons or something, considering Anya handled herself better than him.

"Well, the wedding itself was held in a military chopper just before a hairy night drop into hostile territory," Sam was telling Xander and Anya while she and her husband were waiting for for their extraction chopper.

"Huh," Xander murmured, obviously impressed. "And just curious, what's a chopper rental run these days?"

"Oh, well, actually, we commandeered it from a local guerilla squad, so ... Cheap!" Sam joked. There was a moment when both Xander and Anya blinked, before,

"Oh!"

"Yeah," Sam said laughingly, before turning to Willow. "You have my email, you promise you'll keep in touch?"

"You won't get traced?" Willow asked nervously. "I don't wanna lead the bad guys to your location by mistake."

"Our line's secure." Sam said with an indulgent smile.

"Oh, huh, duh, of course it is!" Willow exclaimed cheerfully. "I keep thinking of you like regular people, but no, you're not."

"Oh, right, like demon-hunting is all exotic to a girl from Sunnydale," Sam countered, grinning just as much as Willow was. William noticed that Dawn and Riley were saying goodbye, and suddenly realised how uncomfortable he felt standing here.

"So you gonna say goodbye this time, or just... split all secret-agenty like last time?" William heard Dawn ask, and he felt his hatred for Riley burn brighter. The man just left?

"Depends," Riley said seriously. "I warrant a hug?" He held his arms open and William almost swallowed his tongue when Dawn stepped in and squeezed the big man tight. "Goodbye, Dawn."

"I thought it would suck less this time," Dawn said quietly. "It doesn't."

The helicopter became deafening as it hovered just above the Summers' house, and a thing black cord dropped to the ground a few metres from Riley and Sam.

"It was really nice meeting you all," Sam said with a warm smile before looking at her husband and asking in a mock serious voice, "You ready for Nepal, agent?"

"Fire-fights, bug hunts, big body counts ... yeah, I could use a break."

The married couple both gripped tightly onto the cord and waved with their free hand as they were pulled into the helicopter.

"Bye! Bye Riley! Bye Sam!" Xander yelled over the whir of the propellers.

"Bye!" Willow screamed excitedly, waving like a mad woman. Everyone watched as the helicopter flew off into the distance, and then Willow noticed Buffy and gave a visible start. Her face had an expression of blind panic for a brief moment, looking between the Slayer and the just departed helicopter.

"What a bitch," Willow said, indicating Sam with a grim nod toward the helicopter. Buffy just smiled weakly and everyone began to go back home.

XXX

"I hunger," a deep voice rumbled. Rack started, finding both it's voice and it's energy chilling. He was still unsure what exactly he had summoned, but that was the first thing it had said ever since it was pulled out of the crater.

"What's your problem?" The bleached blond man called out as he entered the dark room.

"I hunger," the thing rumbled again. The leather-clad figure snapped his fingers and one of the cloaked men whipped out it's knife and plunged it into Rack's neck. As the warlock fell to the ground, his eyes only showing surprise, two more of the robed men came up and the three of them hurled the fresh corpse into the pitch-black corner.

"Then eat."

XXX

A/N: A very long chapter there. I'm not sure if many, all or any will be that long in future. It depends on how I want the action to go, really. I'd like you to review, tell me what you think of such a long chapter. Sometimes I cut scenes because I feel they drag it out too long, but if the length doesn't bother you then maybe some of them can stay. Besides, I want more William praise. Isn't he just the cutest? Oh yeah, I... ahem... borrowed a few lines from As You Were. So REVIEW!