A/N: I left you on a bit of cliffhanger last time. Which, I do so love to do. Thanks for all of the feedback.

Buffy was taken unaware by the punch and she fell backwards into the bars of the cage that held the Kraal at bay. Her hand fluttered up to her chin where he had punched her. She recovered from the surprise and let her hand fall back to her side. Spike looked at her, cautious as to her next move. Buffy stood up straight, clenched and unclenched her fist, loosening the muscles, readying herself.

"Nice to know some things haven't changed" She said calmly.

Spike took half a step towards her then stopped, tilted his head, "Oh, yeah? How's that?"

"You, me," Buffy began to circle him "Fighting our issues out like mature adults"

"When it comes to each other we're not all that mature, Buffy"

"I'd noticed"

He turned around, watching her as she circled, arched an eyebrow "We could always sit down, half a cup of tea and a crumpet"

"Or, we could stop talking," Buffy lifted her hands up into a defensive stance "And I could start kicking your ass"

A spontaneous smile broke out on his face and he motioned her to come and try to do just that. She narrowed her eyes.

In a flash she punched out at him. Spike blocked it triumphantly. He was so happy about the block he failed to notice her foot coming up and kicking him hard in the abdomen. Spike literally went flying backwards, hitting the wall hard and sliding to his ass on the floor. He shook his head, dazed, as pain ran up his back.

Buffy strolled up to him and kicked out at his face. He grabbed her foot at the very last second and pushed hard on it, making her overbalance. She felt to the floor. Spike got into a crouch and leapt at her.

Buffy rolled out of the way and Spike landed face first on the floor. She flipped herself back up into a standing position, looked down at him.

"That all you got, Spikey?"

"You know better than that, Slayer" Spike stood, slowly, grinning "I've got a lot to offer"

She lifted her feet "Funny, 'cos all I'm seeing is a vampire who's all talk and no action"

Spike laughed and took the challenge in a heartbeat. He punched out at her. She blocked it. He punched again. She blocked it again.

Spike leapt up high in the air and aimed a killer roundhouse kick at her head. Buffy ducked then grabbed his leg as it flew over her head. She ran forward, holding his leg and Spike hopped backwards like a bunny.

He growled and threw himself to the floor, used his foot that she held captive, to launched over him and into the wall behind.

Buffy struck the wall with her back, upside down. Her head hit the floor first then she fell flat on her back on the floor, the wind knocked out of her, and stars spinning around her head.

"How's that for action, love?" Spike asked, picking himself up.

Buffy lifted her head, painfully "Room for improvement, Spike"

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Gunn walked into Angel's office, saw the vampire sitting watching a monitor.

"What's so interesting?"

He walked around to the side of the desk to look over his shoulder. There on the monitor were the Slayer and Spike duking it out big time. They seemed to be pretty evenly matched but Gunn knew, from what he had heard about her, that the Slayer could take out Spike and Angel. That made her worthy of some respect, and fear, from his point of view.

Gunn saw Spike take a particularly vicious snap kick to the jaw and winced.

"Shouldn't we call in a security team to break this up?" He asked, looking at Angel.

Angel did not take his eyes of the screen "From what Dawn and Giles tell me, this is how they work out their issues"

"By beating the crap out of each other?"

"Yep"

"Besides, it's refreshing to watch her beating the crap out of Spike," Angel smiled "I missed this"

Gunn arched an eyebrow "To each his own, I guess"

---------------------------

Spike's face snapped left as Buffy punched him. He chuckled and then caught her fist the next time she tried to hit him.

"This it just like old times, isn't it?" He reveled in it, grabbing hold of her other arm and swinging her around into the bars of the cells.

"Sure," Buffy kneed him in the balls "Me, beating you up. You losing hopelessly. Just like the old days"

She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and swung him around, slamming his back even harder into the bars of the cell. Spike was still recovering from the hit to the groin. She pinned him where he was and moved in close.

"You wanted me to let people get closer to me, so here I am, entertain me" Buffy glared at him, eyes narrowed, body thrumming with the energy of a good fight.

Spike reached up and stroked his hand down her face "I missed you"

Buffy blinked, glanced down at his hand then back up into his blue eyes. Her face was a picture of confusion. The Slayer suddenly became aware of how close she was standing to him. Their chests pressed together she could even feel Spike's heart not beating. The cold of his skin seeped through his T-shirt and into her. Cold as death.

She tried to think of something cutting to say, something appropriate to what she was feeling.

So, she said the only thing she could.

"I missed you too"

At that moment a swat team broke through the door and surrounded them.

"By order of the boss, back away from each other!" One of the men shouted.

A/N: Good ol' Angel, always there to ruin a moment! Review, because you know I love it when you do! (I even rhymed for ya)