Title: Of Frogs and True Love

Rated: PG-13

Author: Etoile

Email- Buffy/Spike. During As You Were. Buffy breaks up with Spike before Riley and Sam leave. The actual "doctor" was the Troika. They strike back at the Scoobies after Buffy blew up the eggs. Please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sunnydale or anyone that lives there. They all belong to Joss Whedon.

A/N: I think this was originally going to be five chapters, but it got away from me a bit. It should be wrapped up with one more chapter though, or maybe two...

Chapter Five

Buffy was lying down on the floor of the training room. She was no longer naked, but dressed in some of the spare work out clothes she kept in the room. Her head was swimming. She couldn't make sense of most of the thoughts going through her head but they all had to do with one person: Spike. She could still sense him near her so she knew he hadn't gone far. Buffy supposed she should be angry with him. She had told him she wanted to be alone. But instead, his proximity comforted her above all else.

She wouldn't tell him that of course. She didn't know what part of her brain decided that he could be let in on her big secret; that she could love him. So, no, she wouldn't tell him that she felt better when he was around. He'd probably get a bigger head than he had now. Although, Buffy would admit, he hadn't looked quite as cocky as she'd expected after he kissed her. He'd looked as astonished as she felt. Astonished that he was her… No, she wasn't going to go down that road. That road led to disturbing thoughts. The thoughts that she'd been repressing successfully until today.

"Hey! I think I found something!" She heard Willow's voice exclaim from the main room.

A few seconds later she heard a dejected, "Never mind."

She knew Willow hadn't been sleeping a lot lately. Anya had been working all morning. Dawn probably hadn't even started on her homework yet. Buffy couldn't remember anyone eating dinner. There were a lot of good reasons why she should go into that room and stop them from their unnecessary research. But there was one reason why she couldn't: she didn't know how to explain her new state. Buffy could just imagine their reactions to the truth.

Buffy frowned. She was being unfair. She ignored the voice that pointed out her friends hadn't always been fair to her. Buffy stood up and moved closer to the door. She could and would discuss this like the adult she was. She opened the door to face her friends.

Dawn turned around first. "Hey Buffy," she mumbled sleepily and turned back to the giant book in front of her. She swiftly turned again, fully awake now. "Buffy! You're not a frog!"

Everyone else turned from their research to look in amazement at Buffy.

"Hi guys," she waved weakly.

They rushed her and began bombarding her with questions. Buffy opened and closed her mouth. She really should have practiced something before she came out. "One at a time," she said. "I don't know what you're asking."

Xander spoke, "We're probably all asking the obvious here: how'd you change back?"

Buffy began stumbling on explanation, while clearly avoiding the question. She could tell that her circuitous response was beginning to appear very suspicious by the looks in her friends' eyes. Xander looked like he was about to call her on it. Buffy didn't think she could have been more relieved to hear the bell above the Magic Box ding.

She quickly turned toward the door to welcome the customer. The greeting never reached fruition when she saw that it wasn't a customer, but Angel.

"Damn, I thought I locked that," Anya said, clearly displeased to see the vampire.

Buffy truthfully couldn't say she was any more pleased either. She really should have practiced a believable lie.

Before she could say anything though, Angel was speaking. "I'm so sorry for earlier." He looked around the room, stopping on Dawn. "I had to come back to apologize for my behavior. I couldn't leave things the way they were. I, I shouldn't have lashed out like that." He shook his head. "I've just been so stressed lately. And it's not an excuse. I just feel like—" He stopped suddenly and looked at Buffy. "You're human." He declared as if she didn't know.

"Yeah, about that…"

Angel's face lit up. "So it worked then. That's a relief! I wonder why it took so long, though."

"Well…Angel, can we talk outside? I don't think that…um, I mean… Maybe we should stay here. I need to tell everyone too." As Buffy fumbled her word, a look of perception began appearing on Angel's face.

"It wasn't me, was it?"

Buffy paused and looked around at the rest of her friends. She gazed back at Angel and shook her head. "No, it wasn't." She said.

Angel looked composed but his voice was hard when he asked, "Who was it?"

Buffy shrugged helplessly. "Does it matter?" She asked, hoping against all hope he'd say no and go back to LA.

"Wait, where's Spike? Was it Spike?" Angel laughed. "Sorry, that was completely out there."

He laughed some more but stopped when he realized nobody else were laughing. Everyone was looking at Buffy. And Buffy was silent.

"Oh my God! Spike's your true love?" Dawn squealed in a high pitch.

"WHAT? No he's not." Xander said. He looked imploringly at Buffy. "He's not, right?"

Buffy opened her mouth, ready to lie to her friends. But nothing would come out.

Then came the commotion she had feared. Everyone was asking questions about whether she was sure. How, when did it happen? But surprisingly, she didn't care about any of that. The most important thing that moment was the storm cloud growing on Angel's face. He looked like he was out for blood. He began sniffing the air. "He's still here," Angel barked shortly.

Buffy took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Angel. Whatever it is you're thinking, unthink it now."

Angel shook his gameface on. "I'll teach him to ever touch what's mine again."

Now Buffy was angry. "I'm not yours Angel."

"So you're his?"

"I'm no one's! Okay? Nobody owns me but me. This stupid macho thing? It ends now." Buffy stood in front of him, trying to make an eye connection.

Angel pushed her aside and rushed into the training room. Buffy followed right after him. The Scoobies looked at each other and ran for the door as well. They stayed outside it with the door open and watched the action unfold. Angel had taken Spike by the neck again.

"Angel, put him down!" Buffy said, frustrated at the turn of events.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me Slayer." Spike twisted and managed to get out of the choke-hold.

They circled each other.

"What's this all about, Angelus?" Spike jeered. "Find out the girl's not yours anymore?"

Buffy sighed. "Do I have to go over Buffy-ownership with you too? Can you both stop this oh so very impressive display of machismo?"

"She'll never be yours Spike," taunted Angel, as if Buffy hadn't even spoken.

"What? Are you daft? I think the fact that I broke the spell kinda disproves that mate."

"The spell," Angel scoffed. "You probably put it on them to try to screw with their minds."

Spike looked incredulous. "You really believe that don't you?" He shook his head. "Well, I don't care what you bloody think. I just need you to get out of my town before I kick your ass."

Angel smirked. "It's your town now? I see you've still got those delusions of grandeur boy."

Spike was livid. He hated when Angelus called him a boy, and Angel knew it. He remarkably held his emotions in check and glanced over at Buffy. "Tell Mr. Forehead to leave now before I get—" A fist caught him on his side. He grabbed the right side of his ribs as he fell onto one knee. He snarled and leapt to his feet. "That was a mistake, you bastard. And that was cheap. That's the only one you're getting tonight." With that, Spike unleashed a series of swift punches, most of them landing on Angel's smug face. He felt himself being grabbed from behind by the Slayer.

"Don't Spike." She whispered as she held his arms back.

Angel wiped off the blood coming from the side of his mouth. He glared at the two of them. "Is this how it is?"

"It doesn't have to be," Buffy said. "Can we please talk outside Angel?" She posed again.

He grudgingly accepted and they stepped out into the alley. The door closed resoundingly behind them.

Spike sat down on the bench behind him. They would probably… No. He put his face in his hands and tried to keep his mind off whatever was happening outside.

A soft voice resonated above him. "Let me take care of your hands." He looked up and saw Tara holding a small first aid kit. She took his silence as acquiescence and she began working on them. Spike looked around for the rest of the Slayer's friends. The whelp, with a grimace on his face, was being reluctantly dragged off by the demon-girl. Willow remained in the doorway looking at him with something like bewilderment. Spike lowered his head. Wonder of wonders, he thought, nobody's killing me yet. No one looked really happy of course, but nobody had attacked him. Other than Angel.

Dawn came over and sat down next to him. "So you're really Buffy's true love?"

Spike looked at her. He amended his last thought. Dawn looked really happy. He raised one side of his mouth in a half-hearted smirk and said, "Yeah." He looked toward the back door. "Hope she remembers," he muttered.