Mayor Wilkins III looked at the couple standing before him. There was his
slayer who he looked at as his daughter. Then he looked at the vampire she
was leaning into letting his arms drape loosely around her waist.
"Finally we meet, Spike. I loved the shanigans you caused last year. They were just so much fun. Faith has been telling me a lot about you. Honestly we were expecting you last week." Wilkins said smiling at the couple.
Spike shrugged. "I got caught up in Brazil."
Faith snuggled further into his embrace. "Isn't he wonderful, Sugar Daddy?" She asked Wilkins.
Spike raised an eyebrow at the mayor who shook his head. "Faith. How many times have I asked you not to call me that, I'm a family man." He turned his attention to Spike. "You better not hurt, my Faith here." He looked down at his schedule. "Now, what do you say about running an errand for me?" He asked.
Faith smiled. "What kind of errand?"
*****
Buffy paced the length of the library. "Buffy, stop that. You're making me dizzy." Giles took off his glasses and polished them. "Sorry." She stopped. "I just have a really bad feeling that something bad is going to happen."
Just then Xander and Willow ran into the library dragging an unconscious Cordelia with them. "I really have to learn to not say that." Buffy rushed to their side and helped move Cordelia into a chair. "What happened?" Wesley asked rushing out of Giles' office.
"I don't know. We found her at her car. She was beat up like this when we got there." Xander explained frantically. "She's going to be okay, right?"
"What's this?" Giles asked curiously as he removed the piece of paper that was clenched into Cordelia's hand.
Buffy grabbed it out of Giles' hand and opened it. Her eyes traveled over the elegant writing. It read:
'Slayer. The time has come. The end is near. Friends will betray you. Enemies too. Don't fight now. You won't have a chance. The only reason you survived before was your family and friends.'
Buffy dropped the note. "Buffy, what did it say?" Giles asked concerned.
"Who was it from?" Willow asked curiously.
"Spike." She said simply, still trying to figure out the letter. Suddenly it dawned on her. "Mom!" She cried running out of the library.
*****
Faith entered her apartment. "Spike?" she called stepping in. The door slammed behind her. "Spike." She smiled turning around to face him. Spike side stepped her and gently pushed her into the wall. "Hello, luv. Have fun?" He asked as he began to plant kisses along Faith's neckline.
"Yeah." She moaned as she felt his tongue graze her skin. "And you didn't? I didn't get to kill any one." She pouted trying to concentrate on t he conversation, but Spike was making it hard.
"Sure, pet, but then I had to wait. And you know how much I hate waiting."
Faith grabbed Spike's hair and pulled his face to meet hers. "And you know how much I hate it when you tease me." She said crushing her lips to his. Spike started to pull away. "If you say 'just one night.' Or 'just this once' I am so gonna stake you, Spike."
"Is that so, luv?" Spike pulled away from Faith and trapped her against the wall. "You get so angry when I say that 'cause you don't want just one night. You want eternity, luv. But you're too afraid ta say anythin'." Faith pushed Spike away.
"You think you're so smart, Fang Boy?"
Spike smirked. "Do you think last night was the first night I was here? No. I've been watchin' you fer over a week, pet. And you know what I saw? Someone trying ta be someone they aren't. That girl you introduced ta Slutty and her friends, that's not the real you, Faith."
Faith stared at Spike. "Damn. How do you do that?"
"Do what? See what the others can't see? It's a gift." Spike shrugged. "You don't have ta pretend ta be that girl with me, Faith. I already know the real you."
Faith smiled. "Is that so?" She wrapped her arms around Spike's neck. "Show me what you see."
"As you wish, luv."
*****
Buffy raced up her porch and into her house. "Mom! Mom!" She called. "Mom are you home?"
"Buffy, what's going on?" Joyce asked as she stepped out of the kitchen.
"Nothing. I just had a bad feeling." Buffy lied as she followed her mother back into the kitchen.
"You had a visitor today while you were at school."
"Who?" Buffy asked as panic washed over her.
"That nice boy, Spike."
"Spike was here?"
Joyce nodded. "He left this for you." She handed Buffy a folded piece of paper.
'Failed test number one, slayer. Lesson the first; never fall for the same trick twice. That's what Angelus used to say.'
Buffy dropped the note. "I gotta go to the library, mom. I'll be back for dinner."
"Okay, honey, have fun." Joyce called after her daughter who grabbed the note and ran out of the kitchen.
Buffy tore down the street. Suddenly she slowed to a stop. "Why would Spike take all that time to come here during the day just to tell me he was going to attack the library?" Buffy began to run back to her house. Just as she got there, the house exploded sending Buffy flying back into a parked car.
"Mom!" She cried sobbing. "Mom. I'm so sorry."
*****
Mayor Wilkins III sat at his desk. "Phase one is over." He said into the phone. "It's time for phase two."
*****
"Finally we meet, Spike. I loved the shanigans you caused last year. They were just so much fun. Faith has been telling me a lot about you. Honestly we were expecting you last week." Wilkins said smiling at the couple.
Spike shrugged. "I got caught up in Brazil."
Faith snuggled further into his embrace. "Isn't he wonderful, Sugar Daddy?" She asked Wilkins.
Spike raised an eyebrow at the mayor who shook his head. "Faith. How many times have I asked you not to call me that, I'm a family man." He turned his attention to Spike. "You better not hurt, my Faith here." He looked down at his schedule. "Now, what do you say about running an errand for me?" He asked.
Faith smiled. "What kind of errand?"
*****
Buffy paced the length of the library. "Buffy, stop that. You're making me dizzy." Giles took off his glasses and polished them. "Sorry." She stopped. "I just have a really bad feeling that something bad is going to happen."
Just then Xander and Willow ran into the library dragging an unconscious Cordelia with them. "I really have to learn to not say that." Buffy rushed to their side and helped move Cordelia into a chair. "What happened?" Wesley asked rushing out of Giles' office.
"I don't know. We found her at her car. She was beat up like this when we got there." Xander explained frantically. "She's going to be okay, right?"
"What's this?" Giles asked curiously as he removed the piece of paper that was clenched into Cordelia's hand.
Buffy grabbed it out of Giles' hand and opened it. Her eyes traveled over the elegant writing. It read:
'Slayer. The time has come. The end is near. Friends will betray you. Enemies too. Don't fight now. You won't have a chance. The only reason you survived before was your family and friends.'
Buffy dropped the note. "Buffy, what did it say?" Giles asked concerned.
"Who was it from?" Willow asked curiously.
"Spike." She said simply, still trying to figure out the letter. Suddenly it dawned on her. "Mom!" She cried running out of the library.
*****
Faith entered her apartment. "Spike?" she called stepping in. The door slammed behind her. "Spike." She smiled turning around to face him. Spike side stepped her and gently pushed her into the wall. "Hello, luv. Have fun?" He asked as he began to plant kisses along Faith's neckline.
"Yeah." She moaned as she felt his tongue graze her skin. "And you didn't? I didn't get to kill any one." She pouted trying to concentrate on t he conversation, but Spike was making it hard.
"Sure, pet, but then I had to wait. And you know how much I hate waiting."
Faith grabbed Spike's hair and pulled his face to meet hers. "And you know how much I hate it when you tease me." She said crushing her lips to his. Spike started to pull away. "If you say 'just one night.' Or 'just this once' I am so gonna stake you, Spike."
"Is that so, luv?" Spike pulled away from Faith and trapped her against the wall. "You get so angry when I say that 'cause you don't want just one night. You want eternity, luv. But you're too afraid ta say anythin'." Faith pushed Spike away.
"You think you're so smart, Fang Boy?"
Spike smirked. "Do you think last night was the first night I was here? No. I've been watchin' you fer over a week, pet. And you know what I saw? Someone trying ta be someone they aren't. That girl you introduced ta Slutty and her friends, that's not the real you, Faith."
Faith stared at Spike. "Damn. How do you do that?"
"Do what? See what the others can't see? It's a gift." Spike shrugged. "You don't have ta pretend ta be that girl with me, Faith. I already know the real you."
Faith smiled. "Is that so?" She wrapped her arms around Spike's neck. "Show me what you see."
"As you wish, luv."
*****
Buffy raced up her porch and into her house. "Mom! Mom!" She called. "Mom are you home?"
"Buffy, what's going on?" Joyce asked as she stepped out of the kitchen.
"Nothing. I just had a bad feeling." Buffy lied as she followed her mother back into the kitchen.
"You had a visitor today while you were at school."
"Who?" Buffy asked as panic washed over her.
"That nice boy, Spike."
"Spike was here?"
Joyce nodded. "He left this for you." She handed Buffy a folded piece of paper.
'Failed test number one, slayer. Lesson the first; never fall for the same trick twice. That's what Angelus used to say.'
Buffy dropped the note. "I gotta go to the library, mom. I'll be back for dinner."
"Okay, honey, have fun." Joyce called after her daughter who grabbed the note and ran out of the kitchen.
Buffy tore down the street. Suddenly she slowed to a stop. "Why would Spike take all that time to come here during the day just to tell me he was going to attack the library?" Buffy began to run back to her house. Just as she got there, the house exploded sending Buffy flying back into a parked car.
"Mom!" She cried sobbing. "Mom. I'm so sorry."
*****
Mayor Wilkins III sat at his desk. "Phase one is over." He said into the phone. "It's time for phase two."
*****