Buffy was about ready to pack it up and call it a night when she felt her Slayer-sense tingle, as it were. She just suddenly became hyper aware that something was following her, stalking her. She stopped walking.
"Hello?" she called out to the air. "Is someone there?"
No answer.
"Look, I know you're there. You'd better quit following me. You might make me angry and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
No response save Buffy's beating heart.
"I'm not playing your stupid game. If you want to fight, bring it. Otherwise, I'm going home and watching Conan. I think Freddie Prinze Jr. is on and I don't want to miss it because some lame-o vampire or demon or whatever decided to play follow the Slayer."
It happened to quick for Buffy to react. Just as her brain registered that footsteps were coming up behind her, strong arms suddenly enveloped her, pining her arms to her sides, the stake dropping uselessly to the ground.
"Slayer…" the vampire hissed in her ear. "You're mine."
"That's what you think," Buffy tried to struggle, but the vampire held her tight.
"That's right, put up a fight," the vampire growled in her ear, fangs dragging across her neck. "I like it rough." He started to drag her towards a small crypt behind them. "First, a little fun and then a little dinner."
"Buffy? Buffy is that you?" Dawn's voice rang out into the night.
The vampire relaxed against Buffy's body. "Oh bloody hell!" he swore softly. "I was just getting into it."
Buffy laughed softly. "You actually scared me when you grabbed me from behind like that."
Dawn and a tall boy appeared from around a tall tombstone. "Buffy is that…what were you two doing?"
"Dawn, what are you doing out so late at night in the cemetery of all places?" Buffy's face turned red.
"I could ask you the same thing," Dawn crossed her arms. "James, this is my sister Buffy and her boyfriend William. Only everyone calls him Spike. Guys, this is James."
"Hi," Buffy smiled at him.
"Hello," Spike said coolly, giving him the once over. "And how do you know Dawn?"
"We go to school together. I'm a senior," James said. "I offered to walk Dawn home from the Bronze. It's dangerous to be out walking alone at night."
"That's nice," Buffy gave Dawn a look. "I thought you and Janice were going to get a ride home from the Bronze."
"It was a nice night. I thought I'd walk," Dawn looked pointedly at Buffy and then at James.
"We were going to stop at the Espresso Pump on the way," James offered. "Would you like to join us?"
Buffy smiled at him. Manners, how rare. "Thanks, but we really need to be getting home. Dawn, be home by 11:30?"
"I'll have her home by 11," James promised. "It was very nice to meet you Buffy."
Buffy smiled again at him and Spike rolled his eyes. "Likewise."
Dawn took his hand and Buffy heard her say something about how weird her sister was as they walked away. She turned to Spike.
"God, I hate him," Spike said, lighting up a cigarette. "He's so phony. He reminds me of all those wankers I hated from when I was alive."
Buffy gave him a half-smile. "He has manners."
"I had manners."
"What happened to them?"
He gave her a piercing look. "You don't like manners. Anyway, I never sucked up to girls' parents like that."
"He was not sucking up. Besides, I seem to remember someone having tea with my mom, laughing at her jokes, having a merry old time," Buffy took his arm as they walked home.
"I liked your mother," Spike said seriously. "That was not sucking up. She was a genuinely nice lady. She always treated me kindly even though she knew what I was. Excepting the time she knocked me on the head with an axe, but I was trying to kill you at the time, so can't say that I blame her there."
"Why is it I didn't kill you then?"
"Same reason I never killed you in the million chances I had. We lacked the killing instinct with each other."
"What million chances? There was never a time that you came close to killing me. Usually I beat the crap out of you and you ran off before I could finish it."
Spike smiled. "Oh really? What about Halloween when everyone turned into monsters and you were a delicate Victorian age girl?"
"I beat the crap out of you and you ran away."
"My teeth were at your throat."
"Just not quick enough, I guess."
"I was plenty quick. The one day when I had the gem of Amara and got to go about in the sunlight I almost had you."
"I ripped the ring off your finger, you ran away."
"I was on fire, of course I ran away!" Spike was indignant. "Well, what about the night when I was going to shoot you?"
Buffy looked at him, eyes wide. "What do you mean? When were you going to shoot me?"
"That night when I came to your house and you were sitting on the porch crying. I had a gun. I cocked it. What did you think I was going to do with it?"
"I don't know. I wasn't really that concerned about you at the moment. And you weren't pointing it at me, so for all I knew, you were going to take potshots at demons or something. But I guess you could've had me there, considering I didn't even realize you were trying to kill me. But you still didn't do it. You realized that the chip would have burned your brain and that I would have then beat the crap out of you and you would've ran away."
"I didn't do it because any resolve I had to do away with you melted away when I saw you crying. I realized then how much I loved you. Even now when you're insulting me, I love you."
"You know, the only possible explanation for me saving you from all the nasties out to get you is that, deep down, I liked you. Maybe even falling in love with you. But the only reason why I never staked you all those years was that you ran too fast," She smiled mischievously. "Like a girl."
"Oh, that's it!" He grabbed her and pulled her against him, kissing her passionately. "Call me a girl, willya," he growled against the side of her neck.
He suddenly pulled away from her and stood stock-still. He looked around them as if he could hear something far off.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, Slayerness in her voice.
"I don't know. Just a feeling I have." He vamped out without realizing he did it. "It's like…" he stopped and devamped. "Come on."
They made it to Buffy's house in record time. Spike seemed agitated the whole way, glancing around and not really listening to her.
"…So Giles should be back in a couple of weeks and I'm just going to stake you here and now, is that O.K.?" Buffy said, staring at Spike.
"Mmhmm," Spike said, looking around them.
"WILLIAM!"
He turned back to her. "Sorry?"
"I just asked if I could stake you. You've haven't been paying attention to me at all. What is up with you? What are you looking for?"
"Nothing. I've got to go. I'll see you later," he started to walk off.
"You're not going to stay?" Buffy asked softly, hurt in her voice.
"I'll be back by morning." He walked up to her and kissed her long and hard. He pulled away slowly and looked into her eyes. "I love you."
"You're freaking me out. What is going on?"
"I've just got some things to check on. Nothing that concerns Slayers." He walked off into the darkness.
Buffy watched him go, feeling a coldness growing in the pit of her stomach. Usually a sign of impending evil. Not good.
He checked the spot where he had felt it earlier, the usual haunts, even the docks. Nothing. He was beginning to wonder if he was going crazy. There was no mistaking that feeling; he knew what it meant. But his search brought up nothing.
He could feel the coming dawn against his back as he made his way to Buffy's house. Ever since that night a couple of months ago when she had told him she loved him, Spike had been living at Buffy's house. While she slept at night, Spike would often watch T.V., listen to CDs or even read (bookwormishness had reared its ugly head when his soul had returned), but usually he began and ended the night in her bed.
The curtains in her room were drawn against the coming sun, but he could still see her clearly. He got in bed next to her, trying not to disturb her.
She stirred as he put his arm around her. "What time is it?"
"Almost dawn." He kissed her softly.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
Spike frowned. "No. It doesn't matter. I didn't exactly want to find it anyway."
Buffy sat with Dawn on the couch, pretending to watch the movie they had rented. Spike had offered to patrol for her so she could spend some quality Dawn time, but Buffy knew secretly he didn't want her around so he could search for his elusive thing. For the last week he had been distant, disappearing every night and coming back just before dawn. He still wouldn't tell her just what he was looking for.
"I guess this movie isn't too scary to you, huh?" Dawn said to Buffy.
"Movie violence kinda tame compared to the real thing." Buffy ate some of the popcorn they had made. "It was sort of neat how the maniac made that guy's eyes pop out when he crushed his skull."
"Or how he beheaded that woman with only a little kitchen knife," Dawn said brightly. "We're really sick, aren't we?"
"Occupational hazard," Buffy smiled at her. "Oh look, he's going to pop out from behind the door."
The music reached a fevered pitch as the maniac grabbed the girl.
"You know who would get a kick out of this? Spike. It's too bad he didn't stick around," Dawn said softly. "Are you guys O.K.?"
Buffy flinched. "I think so Dawnie."
The phone rang and Dawn jumped up. "I hope it's James!"
Buffy smiled, remembering how it felt to be sixteen. "I think I'm going to see if I can catch up with Spike. We'll finish the movie when we get back, O.K.?"
Dawn gave her a thumbs up. "Nothing James, what are you doing?"
Spike walked along the graveyard. He could sense it, his skin felt hot. "I know you're here. Why don't you just come out of hiding now?"
He could hear a soft humming, an ancient melody. He turned and she seemed to slip through the shadows, an ethereal ghostly figure.
So many memories and feelings flooded him, just seeing her there. "Drusilla," he whispered her name softly.
Her big dark eyes swallowed him up. She cocked her head to the side. "You came back. But he's still there, isn't he?" she floated up to him and lifted a hand up to his face like she was caressing his cheek, yet not making actual contact. "Beneath the surface. He's always under there, just wanting to get out." She frowned at him. "Give me my boy back! My knight. You've hidden him and I can't see him anymore!" She lashed out to scratch him, but he caught her hand and twisted it. She gasped in pain, but a huge smile crossed her face. "There you are! Hurt me again!"
He pushed her away. "Why are you here Dru?"
She circled him. "The stars have been whispering me secrets. They're naughty, wicked. Told me dirty things." She gave a soft, mad giggle. "I won't let her hurt you. You're still my boy, my Spike."
"What do you mean Dru? Who's going to hurt me?"
"She'll bring it. That dark nasty thing that wants to spoil all of our fun. It will ruin us all Spike. Don't worry. Mummy will take care of the Slayer," she nipped at his earlobe. "And then I'll send nasty William away," she whispered into his ear.
He turned to face her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Leave Sunnydale Dru. You know as well as I do that I love Buffy. I won't let you hurt her."
Drusilla suddenly vamped out and looked beyond him. "Shh…bad William! The Harbinger comes."
Buffy appeared from around a tree. She stopped as she saw them standing there together.
"Buffy, it's not what it looks like!" Spike said and Drusilla giggled.
"My boyfriend's vampy ex isn't trying to put the make on him? Because that's exactly what it looks like," Buffy frowned. "Is she what you've been sensing, been searching for?"
"I didn't want to get you involved Buffy. I just wanted to find her, get her out of town."
"I'm putting an end to this once and for all," Buffy said and pulled out a stake. "Hey, Queen of the Damned, wanna dance?"
"You took my boy away!" Drusilla hissed. "You won't bring the dark judge! I won't let you!"
They started towards each other and Spike moved to stop them, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I can't believe you dumped me for the Slayer!" Harmony said and punched him.
Spike stared at her as he started to get up. "Harm?"
"I only agreed to help Druzilla kill the Slayer so I could get even with you. Jerk!" Harmony kicked him in the ribs.
Buffy and Drusilla exchanged blows. Drusilla grabbed Buffy by the hair and yanked her head back. "You had Angelus, why did you want my Spike?" she hissed and started to bring her fangs down on Buffy's neck.
Buffy head butted her. "You've got a problem hanging on to men lady."
Drusilla stumbled back. "Wicked girl! The darkness calls out to you. Harbinger of the Judge it screams. Can't you hear it?"
"All I can hear is you yapping!" Buffy held up the stake. "But not for long!"
Spike punched Harmony. "You must be desperate if you're hooking up Drusilla. I know how much you hated her."
"Eww! I don't think so! I'm not into girls!" Harmony kicked Spike. "This is revenge on you, through and through."
Spike blocked her punch and grabbed her by the wrists. "But baby, I was only using the Slayer so I could get comfortable around town. Since I'm not chipped anymore, I don't need her. I can get back to having fun…with you."
Harmony softened. "Really?"
He grinned. "Really. I missed you Buttercup."
"I missed you Blondie Bear!" Harmony threw her arms around him. She gasped as the stake plunged through her back and her heart. "You suck!" She burst into dust.
Spike dropped the stake. "I broke up with you because you got on my bloody nerves you annoying twit!" He ran over to where Buffy and Drusilla were fighting.
Buffy was on top of Drusilla, ready to stake her when Spike grabbed her and pulled her away.
"No! Don't."
Buffy faced him and glared at him. "Telling me to not stake your girlfriend only makes me want to do it more."
"She's not my girlfriend, not anymore. I offered to kill her once for you, remember? I don't care about her anymore." He looked back at Drusilla, who was slowly getting to her feet. "She helped me a long time ago, when I needed someone. I was nothing when I met her and she made me something. For that, I owe her."
"She made you an evil soulless creature Spike!"
"If not for her, I wouldn't be here Buffy." His gray eyes burned into hers. "I would have continued worshipping Cecily from afar, probably ended up settling for some spinster at 40, had a few kids and died shortly after. If not for Drusilla, I never would have met you."
Buffy relaxed slightly. "So what do you propose we do?"
Spike turned to Drusilla. "Leave now Dru. Don't ever come back here. Go back to Prague, you always loved it there. I owe you a second chance, but if you don't heed my advice, I will let Buffy send you to your eternal rest. Or damnation as the case may be."
Drusilla made that familiar moaning sound that always signified a vision had her. "Not my Spike. Bad William. You'll see. The One will come to judge the world and she will find it severely lacking. They'll be no more tea and cakes for us." She pouted. "We could stop her Spike. Teach her our games."
"Just leave Dru. I don't care where you go, so long as we never see you again."
Drusilla frowned at Buffy. "Harbinger. You'll bring death to us all." She suddenly stopped and smiled. "Or will you? The wind tells me it's still undecided." She giggled and walked away from them, humming softly.
Buffy looked at Spike. "You should have told me it was her."
"I knew how you'd react. Like I would if you told me you could sense Angel was near."
Buffy frowned. "I am not jealous."
"Mmm, green is not a good color for you." He took her hand.
"Did you understand what she was talking about?" Buffy asked as they walked towards home.
Spike shook his head. "It was a vision. But a vision of what, I don't know. But I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough."