Chapter 12:

Spike was lying in bed next to Harmony, who was wearing pink lingerie as she lay unmoving and asleep. Spike had one hand behind his head as he lay there in his bed and one on his bare, pale chest. His usual slicked back hair was slightly curled today. He was staring up at the ceiling, seemingly in deep thought about something. Without warning, the door to the crypt swung open so hard that it hit the wall and made a loud noise that echoed around the room. Sunlight streamed into the room and Spike jumped up in shock and moved out of the direct sunlight in a panic.

"Watch it, is there nowhere I can rest in bloody peace?" He snarled before he saw that it was Saffron that burst into the crypt as he squinted, not accustomed to the light.

"Spike" she stated, her hands crossed over her chest as she made her way over to him, seemingly upset with him for something. Saffron stopped in front of him, looking up at his face as their eyes locked.

"Honeysuckle" He replied, "When will you and the rest of the famous sodding five learn to leave me alone?"

"Missed me then?" She continued, ignoring what he said, "Guess not" referring to Harmony who hadn't woken up despite the noise and conversation going on in the crypt. She stepped forward; inches left between them as she put her hands on her hips. Spike leaned in and closed the space between them. Saffron couldn't remember why she had barged into the crypt so urgently as she was lost in his pale blue eyes. They stayed like that for a while, both lost for words.

Out of nowhere Spike leaned down and caught her lips with his own and Saffron didn't even think twice before she kissed back with matching enthusiasm. It felt so right. They began to kiss with a desperate passion as Saff put her hands through Spike's slightly curled hair to bring him impossibly closer to her. She didn't want to lose the contact with his skin. Their kiss was rough and filled with feeling that had been left unspoken. They continued to kiss with urgency and Spike had moved his hands to hold her hips sometime since they had started their kiss. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him as they continued to share their long-awaited kiss with increasing fervour.

"God, Spike. I want you" she moaned when she stopped briefly for breath and Spike started to kiss her neck, not able to take a break from what they had wanted for so long, "I want you so badly."

Saffron woke up with a start and sat bolt upright in bed, the revelation of her dream shocked her awake.

"Oh, fucking bastarding hell" She groaned and dramatically lay backwards, "Shit" She muttered. She turned and saw Graham sleeping soundly next to her as if nothing had happened. She felt incredibly guilty for dreaming about Spike like that. Her and Graham had made up since the party a few weeks ago, but she didn't feel as if they had much of a connection, at least at the moment. She lay there in bed, not able to go back to sleep as she couldn't help feeling that she missed Spike's touch from her dream. She felt alone in bed despite Graham being there and had to get up to get a drink and read her book to take her mind off what she had just dreamt.

xoxoxo

The Scoobies were at Giles' for a scheduled meeting to discuss any recent events. Buffy was complaining that patrolling had been uneventful recently and Willow explained to Tara that this usually meant something big was coming. Saffron was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, her favourite food that she had discovered since moving to live in California. She knew not much had been going on lately, so she suggested that Adam might have something to do with it. The rest of them nodded in agreement. Giles finally called the meeting to an end, much to Anya's delight. Saffron had started biting into her sandwich as Giles called her over to where he had moved to sit after their fruitless meeting.

"Saffron, can I have a moment?" Giles beckoned her over to his desk and she followed him without complaint. The others stayed around for a while, half listening to Giles' conversation as they chatted amongst themselves.

"What's up, G?" She said between chews.

"I have been looking into your abilities, um, from what you've described you have one of the strongest empathic tendencies in a very long time"

"It's probably the Hellmouth doing something ooky to my brain" Saff shrugged. Her favourite excuse was blaming things on living on a Hellmouth.

"No, um, I do believe that it's you, Saffron. I've been doing some research-"

"You? Researching? Do you ever manage anything else?" She tried to joke her way out of whatever Giles was about to tell her.

"I have been doing some research" Giles repeated for emphasis, "And I have found some extremely interesting prophecies and fortunes about your abilities. I believe you have The True Sight, Saffron"

"Not another bloody prophecy, G" She groaned, "There's more prophecies in Sunnydale than hot days at this point. And boy, does it get hot here"

"Saffron, you would do well to take this seriously. It says the one with The True Sight will-"

"Oz!" This made everyone in the room look up to see the man himself stood in the doorway. Saffron didn't read the room, and she ignored the others' emotions for her own and ran to hug him and greet him before remembering that he broke Willow's heart. He put a hand on her back in an awkward return of her hug before she pulled away. Oz had always been cool with her and his humour had always made her smile in high school. She walked back over to the others, standing next to Tara who she had grown close to since Oz had left, as Xander shook his hand and everyone asked what Oz was doing here. Oz asked to speak to Willow later that night before he left to see if one of his friends had somewhere for him to crash.

xoxoxo

Saffron was wearing black jeans and a pretty, lacy maroon top for their date. Graham had looked at the jeans with scrutiny but hadn't said anything, merely kissed her on the cheek and pulled the chair back for her to sit in. He had already ordered for them and the drinks were on the table already. Two glasses of wine. They were sat outside the restaurant so Saffron could smoke, and she lit up as she was talking to Graham about the events of the Scooby meeting. She left out any detail of her abilities as she had no intention of ever telling him.

"So, Oz returned totally out of the blue and everyone's like super shocked and I just run and hug him like some complete twat"

"That sounds like a normal greeting for someone you haven't seen in a while" Graham replied simply as Saff rolled her eyes and took a drag of her cigarette, making sure to exhale away from Graham's face. Circuits might short. No, stop it. She thought back to her conversation with Spike and quickly shook him from her head.

"Ah, but you're forgetting girl code: rule number one! Don't hug the ex that cheated on your friend and broke her heart" Saffron decided to leave out the part where Oz was a wolf and cheated on willow with a super-hot girl wolf as it might make him a target of the Initiative. She guessed their stance on werewolves was probably the same as their stance on anything non-human. They chatted about general things after that, college and what they should do at the weekend. Saffron was still unsure of what was going on between her and Graham after the party a few weeks ago, but she didn't want to bring it up at a restaurant. Their meal came just as they decided to just go to a party, he had joked that it would be less haunted but Saff couldn't muster much of a smile about what had happened that night. Graham noticed that she seemed distracted as if she wasn't quite there with him.

"God, Spike. I want you" she moaned when she stopped briefly for breath and Spike started to kiss her neck, not able to take a break from what he had wanted for so long, "I want you so badly." She tried to shake the scene out of her head as she stared at Graham blankly, missing whatever polite conversation he had just made with her. She enjoyed her meal and tried to focus on being in the moment with Graham. After a moment she had noticed that Graham was wincing at any small movement that he made, he hissed in pain when he moved closer to the table and started to cut up his steak.

"What's wrong, Gray?" She asked as Graham started to describe how something had attacked him and some of the other guys. It was a rare moment where he was sharing something about his work at the Initiative, but she couldn't stop her mind from wondering back to the dream she had.

Spike leaned down and caught her lips with his own and Saffron didn't even think twice before she kissed back with matching enthusiasm. It felt so right. Saffron blinked hard as she tried to bring her thoughts back to the present and poured herself some more wine for something to do as Graham started to talk about something furry and feral that she had probably helped Buffy defeat before. She smiled and frowned in the right places in the story but certain scenes from her dream kept flashing before her eyes. Graham, as usual, insisted on paying and she let him before it turned into a full-blown argument. They shared a peck on the lips to say goodbye and left to go their separate ways.

xoxoxo

Spike had been stood on the edge of the wooded area outside of Saffron's dorm, looking up and watching the light that was on in the room she shared with a friendly girl he had accidentally bumped into twice since he had walked Saffron to her door and subsequently started hanging around the campus. He hadn't always been as stealthy as he had thought. There was a pile of cigarette ends by his feet as he was stood in his usual spot, waiting to see if she was in and safe. Graham happened to be walking past with a bunch of flowers that he intended to leave outside of Saffron's dorm room as he knew that she was out with one of her friends that night. He hadn't asked who, in case she thought he was checking up on her, though he wish he had asked. He still felt guilty after the haunted house disaster and he had noticed she had been flinching slightly when they were together.

He stopped when he noticed a hostile they had been tracking for quite some time. He walked up to Spike who flicked his cigarette into the night. He didn't look pleased to see Graham and immediately got defensive in case he came to take him back to that awful place to be tested on.

"Bad habit, though I guess it doesn't matter when you're dead" Graham said referring to the cigarette he had flicked away.

"Just sweet Saffron's lungs you need to be worryin' about then" Spike said as he lit up another cigarette straight away. Graham's jaw tensed when he said her name like that, he didn't want him to even think about her let alone mention her name so casually as if they could ever be friends. He looked down then and noticed the cigarette butts on the floor before looking behind him over at the dorm room that Saffron lived in. He understood why Spike was there, he was watching her. He wanted her. This angered Graham more than it had at the party.

"Do you really think you have a shot with her, hostile?" Graham asked incredulously. Spike watched him, unsure what response would get him less killed. He hated Graham and he knew that the man stood in front of him had the upper hand. Graham could quite easily zap him with something and take him back to be experimented on. In fact, he was surprised the conversation had gone on this long with Saffron not around to step in between them.

"No" he answered honestly, "But a fella's gotta have hope, ain't he?"

"Not with this he doesn't" Graham replied firmly, rounding on Spike. Spike didn't seem intimidated despite the height difference and his inability to beat the commando up. "Give it up, vampire"

"You can't stop her from talking to me, soldier boy"

"You'll never be friends with her. And besides, being the boyfriend, I probably can"

"Was that before or after you used her as a punching bag, mate?" Spike sneered at him. That was when Graham punched him hard in the jaw. Spike went to punch him back, but just gave himself a horrible headache that added to his own injuries as he clutched at his head.

"Stay away, Spike" He muttered angrily, almost spitting the name the hostile called himself out of his mouth as a warning, then he stepped around him to go up to Saffron's dorm room to drop off the orchids that he had bought her.

At the same time as Graham and Spike's chat, Saffron was sat with Tara in her room. The girls got on well since their first meeting and Saffron felt guilty for greeting Oz the way she had. Neither had mentioned what had happened the first time they properly met, but it was always in the back of Saffron's mind. She knew Tara was a good person and she didn't want to upset her, so she left it for now. Saff loved Tara's room and felt instantly at home as Tara made them both some peppermint tea in cute mugs.

"Um, you know you don't have to stay here with me. If you have somewhere else to be…"

"Babe, we're friends. You don't understand how much I need a brew and a chat right now. If you don't mind me staying, that is" Saffron smiled at Tara as she shook her head, indicating she didn't mind her staying and she handed her a mug. She blew on it and sipped it cautiously as she sat on the grey beanbag chair opposite Tara's seat.

"I had a… a dream. About someone that isn't Graham. What do you reckon it means?"

"Was is a fun dream?" Tara asked, with a knowing smile on her lips.

"If you mean was it a sex dream, not really. There was kissing, very passionate kissing. The kind where the music swells and the credits roll, and everything is right with the world" Saffron found herself gushing to Tara. She tinged pink at her explanation as Tara watched her wide-eyed.

"Was this guy- or, girl someone you could see yourself with?" Tara asked diplomatically.

"He's- well, it's- I'm not sure" She tripped over her words as she tried to describe her feeling towards Spike. "Anyway, uh, how are things with you at the moment?" She diverted the attention from herself quickly.

"Willow and Oz really had something. I can tell by the way she spoke about him. You ran to hug him when you saw him" Tara said, looking down at her mug as Saffron cringed that Tara had thought she preferred Oz.

"He still hurt her though which is unforgivable, and I really do think that you and Willow are meant for each other. It's the way you are around each other. It's special, you don't give that up for some flea-bitten dog" Saffron joked at the end, she genuinely liked Oz but she had more faith in Willow and Tara's relationship. She could feel the anxiety Tara was feeling about what was going to happen next between her and Willow. Saffron wished she could make her feel less worried, she had a feeling Willow would choose Tara if it came down to it. She reached out to put a comforting hand on her arm and something strange happened. She could feel the anxiety lifting off Tara as she absorbed it herself and she could feel a calming influence that Tara relaxed into. Saffron tried to hide her shock that she was the reason for the slight change in emotions and simply smiled at Tara as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Will you read my tea leaves, T?" Saff asked as she drained her cup and passed it to her friend.

xoxoxo

The gang had descended on Giles' house as soon as they all heard about Oz being taken by the Initiative. The news had travelled fast and they had all got there in record time. She could feel worry in the room and most of it was from Willow. Saff was twisting the rings on her fingers, thinking of a possible way to get into the Initiative and get Oz back.

"It would be great if we knew two lovely gals dating men on the inside. Hey, wait!" Xander said in his usual way.

"I already called Graham; he won't tell me anything. It's all "classified" information" Saffron did air quotes when she said classified, she was over Graham's inflated sense of importance that he placed on the Initiative.

"And Riley isn't picking up, I left a message" Buffy added, after just getting off the phone. They all discussed what the best way to get into the Initiative was without Riley being part of the plan. Willow insisted on going to the Initiative with them and Saffron decided it was about time she stormed the place too. She knew, if anything, she got in the way when they did stuff like this, but she still felt she should go for the numbers. Plus, she enjoyed dressing up.

Spike appeared in the door and Saffron had mixed feelings as she saw him standing there. She couldn't help thinking about the dream she had about him. She was excited he was there but at the same time she felt incredibly guilty. She was watching his lips as he was talking, not paying any attention to what he was saying. She enjoyed watching his lips curl in the corners as he smirked the way he did. The others seemed to accept whatever he had proposed and all Saff could remember was being glad she could stare at him for longer. The others finalised the plan and started to dig into a chest in Giles' living room that contained costumes that they could use to infiltrate the Initiative. While the others looked for their costumes, Saff stayed stood where she had been when Spike came in and watched as he walked over to her.

"Don't come, love" He said in a low voice, so only she could hear him. She dared to look up into his eyes, and saw only genuine concern there.

"I need to. Oz is trapped in there and they're doing God knows what to him" Saffron insisted, she was worried about Oz.

"And you're what? Gonna intimidate the soldier boys by running away?" He continued, trying to put her off entering the military base.

"Yeah because you're such an asset, you can't even pretend to hit anyone" She reminded him, unhelpfully.

"Saffron, don't come" He paused, before adding softly, "Please, pet?" He had his hands on either side of her arms, she had never seen him like this and she shivered at his touch. He seemed genuinely concerned for her welfare which she appreciated, but she still wasn't having anyone telling her not to come. Oz was her friend and she needed to make sure he got out of there.

"I'm coming and that's that" Saff moved out of his grip and walked off to get changed into her uniform. Giles squinted at Spike as he had been watching the interaction closely and was concerned about how familiar Spike had been with her. Saffron was oblivious to this as she had put her old glasses that she had barely worn since she had moved to Sunnydale, so she looked like a stereotypical researcher and paired it with a pair of sensible heels and a lab coat. Her hair was harshly parted down the middle and slung into a low ponytail. She removed her nose stud and her usual silver hoops were out of her ears and replaced with studs as well as her makeup changed to look as natural as possible.

After Spike led them to the Initiative and let them in the back way, Saffron was shocked at the size of the military base she found herself walking around. She stumbled as they walked through the halls, as a horrible feeling hit her. She couldn't shake it. Fear and pain. It was slowing her down as she followed the others.

"Saff? What's up?" Buffy asked as she looked behind her while trying to navigate through the maze of the Initiative but got distracted as she saw her cousin's face white as a sheet. Saffron was leaning against one of the walls of the corridor, trying to collect herself.

"They're all in so much pain and the fear is almost as bad" She sniffed, dabbing the stray tears with the sleeve of her lab coat. Feeling the way that they felt upset her, she hated to think anyone could make any being feel like this and not see the harm in it. Spike looked at her in awe, she cared so much. Even for demons, their emotions made her feel for them. She was so different from him in that way, but he loved her because of the way she cared. The way she wanted to do everything she could to help anyone, no matter if they were demon or not. He fought the urge to go and comfort her himself and watched as Buffy comforted her slightly younger cousin instead.

They continued through the Initiative, on Saffron's insistence, and Buffy threatened the main Initiative man while Saffron helped keep watch. Saffron enjoyed being undercover, she had loved acting from a young age and kept thinking that she was missing a clipboard that would finish off the look. They managed to reach Oz and Riley but got surrounded by soldiers. She noticed that Graham was nowhere to be seen and she felt relieved she didn't have to face him in a situation like this. They walked into the elevator together in silence, Buffy still had a weapon pointed at the old guy Saffron didn't recognise but knew he must be important. They all agreed to split up as they left and Saffron followed Giles to his house, on his insistence, where they stayed and shared a whiskey, unable to sleep in case the Initiative came after them both.