Thank you all for supporting this fic so far. It was a wonderful journey and I love all the comments left for this story. I appreciate all the support everyone has given me. Before you start I'd like to give a special thanks to Aspasia, for doing Beta for this fic. She's amazing and was able to help me cut out the rough edges of this story.

(O.O)

Slayer, meet me at Restfield. Saturday 9 pm. We'll settle this once and for all.

Buffy read the note again for the hundredth time since she'd received it 4 days ago. She didn't recognize the neat cursive handwriting, but she didn't have to. She already knew who it was from.

It had been 2 weeks since the fateful cookie incident, and a lot had happened to the Slayer and her companions.

For instance, two days ago, there had been an unexpected earthquake that signified another Apocalypse was on their doorstep. Fortunately, the Scoobies were able to stop it that morning by making sure some demons didn't get their chance to sacrifice themselves by jumping down the Hellmouth.

The week before that, they faced a weird demon group who took everyone's voices so they could rip out people's hearts. That was easily taken care of by the Slayer and her friends, as well, and at the end of it, they also gained another witch for their group, who was growing closer to their own redheaded witch.

Then another few days before that, the University had shut down temporarily claiming that there was a gas leak underground and it had caused the explosions around campus.

In truth, that was just a cover-up that the government used to get civilians out of the way so they could remove any remnants of the Initiative. It seems that Giles was able to pull some strings with his old contacts and they were able to use the information they had gotten from Riley and Maggie Walsh's computer to completely shut down the program.

It also helped that they found that Walsh was doing illegal experiments that involved reanimating a corpse that was part human, part demon, and part machine. This new information got higher-ups from the government to reevaluate their decision in creating the program in the first place and had been the final nail in the coffin in completely shutting down the Initiative.

Overall, the Slayer and her friends had been pretty busy, especially Buffy, who also had tons of homework to complete because college teachers seemed to have a flair for punishing students who were given time out of school.

However, despite her tight schedule, the Slayer never forgot about a certain peroxide-haired vampire, who up until 4 days ago had vanished from town. Before she received the note, Buffy thought Spike had really left her, since he never showed himself after the incident.

Buffy kept telling herself that his disappearance hadn't affected her. She told herself that it was for the best since she wouldn't have known what to do in a relationship with a soulless vampire that used to try to kill her. Plus, she wasn't even certain if he still didn't want to kill her because they hadn't even talked about it after the drugs wore off. After all, the stupid vampire had all up and disappeared on her.

All she had to go by was Spike's promise that he wanted to continue the strange awesome relationship she was offering him and that he'd have her back when they returned to their normal selves.

But promises were meant to be broken, she had told herself. So it shouldn't have bothered her that he was gone. She'd begun to plan to move on with her life and continue from there.

However, after receiving the little note in the mail, all thoughts of moving on left her mind.

She had no idea what he meant by "settling things once and for all", but she couldn't help feeling relieved that he wasn't really gone and happy that he wanted to meet her, albeit for ominous reasons.

It was because of the unclear intentions of their meeting though, that she hadn't told her friends about the note and why she declined to join their usual post-apocalypse celebration that evening. She wanted to see Spike and find out what he wanted.

"Whether he wants to be with me or kill me, I'll find out tonight," she said as she continued her walk towards the cemetery.

When she reached Restfield's entrance, she was greeted by a familiar tingling at the back of her neck. She entered the cemetery and tried to pinpoint the exact direction of her wayward vampire. She didn't finish her search though, because he appeared from behind the giant oak a few meters from the entrance.

"Hello, cutie," Spike greeted when she finally reached him. She didn't miss the predatory look he sent her way.

"Spike," she said, glaring at him, "What's this all about?"

"Didn't you read my note? I said we're settling this once and for all."

"I did. I just don't understand what you want to settle." She crossed her arms, she didn't like the look he was sending her way.

Gone were the warm caring eyes he directed her way during the Will be Done spell and the cookie incident, now all she saw was a vampire that looked at her like she was his next meal.

"If it wasn't clear enough, how about this?"

His face shifted and the demon came out.

Her hand went to her pocket, where her trusty stake was. She wasgetting the picture of what he wanted.

"So, you want to fight?" she asked, wanting more clarification.

He laughed. "Isn't it obvious, pet?"

"And the chip?" she asked.

Before she could blink, he had already rushed to her and delivered a powerful kick to her gut that sent her flying a couple of feet away from him.

"That answers your question?" he said, with a proud, fanged grin.

Buffy flipped herself up and internally berated herself for her carelessness. She should've known this was coming. Spike was an evil soulless vampire and whoever or whatever she saw during the cookie thing was a fluke as Giles had been telling her since the incident had ended.

Now, that the chip was out...

How did that even happen?

He was back to the ruthless killer he had always been.

He sent a couple of hard punches her way, but she was quick to block and counter with punches of her own. Spike took a step back when a nasty right hook hit him on the chin. Had he been human, he'd be down by now.

Instead, it merely invigorated him.

"That's what I'm talking about! Keep it coming, Slayer!" he said with a maniacal laugh, before charging her again.

She punched him a couple more times. But he blocked them and delivered three quick jabs to her face.

She ducked to evade the last couple of jabs before she kneed his gut.

He grunted at the impact and his jaw caught the left hook she aimed at him.

He countered it with a right hook of his own, and once again laughed in exhilaration.

He was really enjoying himself.

Buffy, on the other hand, was pissed. She wasn't expecting a fight when she came there that night. Although she should've, unfortunately, the great majority of her thoughts before she arrived there had been her excitement in seeing Spike again. She was stupid and totally unprepared for this.

He was obviously giving his all and wasn't holding back any of his kicks and punches.

She, on the other hand, was still hesitant. Yes, she blocked and countered his attacks with great gusto, but she never initiated any attacks herself. Part of her was still hoping that this was just some sick joke and that the vampire would snap out of it and tell her that he missed her too!

Shit! She thought as she was once again sent flying by the vampire.

Her back hit a gravestone and this time she wasn't as quick to get up as she had earlier.

Taking the opportunity, he straddled her and grabbed her hands.

"Now, isn't this familiar?" he said, smirking.

Buffy struggled and tried a couple of times to get him off her but his hold remained firm.

"Tch, tch, tch. Not getting away that easily, Luv," he told her, his amber eyes gleaming in hunger as he stared at her neck.

"What are you waiting for?" she said challengingly. Her heart was racing, whether it was because she was scared or perhaps turned on by the position, she wasn't certain.

"Don't rush me, pet," he whispered, his lips nearly touching hers.

"Buffy..." he said, sending shivers down her spine, before plunging to her exposed neck.

The Slayer gasped.

She expected pain, but none came.

Instead, she felt him suck her neck, but she was certain that nothing punctured her skin.

A moan escaped her lips.

The hold on her hands eased, allowing her to snake her arm around his neck.

"Spike!" she cried, as he felt him suck another part of her skin near her ear.

I didn't know I was sensitive there! She thought.

The vampire sucked a few more areas in her neck, where she was certain marks were left before he finally pulled back to look down at her with a satisfied smile. His face no longer in its demonic visage.

"Hello again, cutie," he said, his blue eyes shining with mirth were clear to her despite the dimness of the cemetery.

"Spike," was all she could say. She was still unsure what had happened and what this was all about.

One minute he was fighting her to death, the next he was necking her close to orgasm.

What the heck was he after?

The vampire stood up and offered a hand to the blond woman. Buffy took it and she was pulled up to her feet. She dusted herself and assessed the damage to her body.

She was tired, and certain that she was going to be sore and bruised in the morning. But overall, she didn't feel any serious damage to her person.

She turned to face the vampire.

"What the heck, Spike?" she said, anger seeping in her voice, "You disappeared, got the chip out, fight me, and then decided to practically suck my neck off?! If I had a mirror, I'm certain, I have several hickies there!"

"Would you prefer the alternative kind of sucking, one that left punctures on that pretty little neck of yours?" he said, raising his scarred eyebrow.

"I prefer an explanation, dumbass!" She slapped his shoulder."Where did you go? How did you get the chip out? Why the heck did you attack me? Explain now or I'm finishing the fight and staking your sorry ass!"

"Please, I won that fight! No staking would've happened," the vampire stated.

She slapped him again.

"Explain. Now!" she ordered, glaring at him.

The vampire glared back, not willing to answer her questions. But the angry look she directed at him changed his mind.

He sighed, before shoving his hand in his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He took one and lit it, before putting the pack back.

"I miss my duster. Watcher still has it?" he asked her suddenly.

She nodded. "I was able to convince him not to drop it into the local Goodwill."

"Thanks for that," he said, before putting smoke in her direction.

Buffy crossed her arms and waited for him to answer her questions. He took a couple more drags from his cancer stick before finally responding to her initial inquiries.

"I was sorting some stuff out," he said suddenly.

Buffy stared at him and urged the vampire to continue.

"After I woke up at Rupert's apartment the next day, I immediately remembered everything that happened and left as fast as I could," he told her.

"Why?"

Spike shrugged. "I panicked. I've been living as an evil bastard for so long that it practically tilted my world when I spent those last couple of days as the William version of myself. So I left because I needed time to figure everything out," he said with a neutral tone.

Buffy merely nodded in understanding.

She could see why he needed time. It wouldn't have been easy on him to simply accept what had happened, being under a drug's influence that brought out a side of him that he was hiding. He was forced to behave abnormally. Plus, he had acted like someone that you wouldn't associate with the normally evil, rude, and murderous vampire they knew.

Unlike what had happened between Buffy and her friends, they had had the advantage of already knowing one another, and the drug showing those parts of themselves, while it was hard and embarrassing, wasn't all that bad since they already loved and respected each other. Knowing they all had these other parts of each other, merely added strength to their friendship.

Spike didn't have that with them. He revealed a part of himself to strangers, so he must've panicked and that's why he left.

"Anyway, after I left, I rented a room at a cheap motel a few blocks from the Bronze and there I ended up questioning my entire existence," Spike said, pulling her out from her thoughts.

Buffy sent him a curious look.

The vampire shifted from where he stood and rubbed the back of his neck. He really wasn't comfortable with what he was about to tell her.

"I never told anyone this but I never understood why Dru chose me. Sure, I was happy that she did. I was even honored. But after meeting Angelus and his lot, it made me realize that something was inherently wrong with me."

He turned away from her before lighting another cigarette and took a long drag.

"While I liked the freedom being a vampire gave me, I wasn't really into the whole being evil thing," he said, "In fact, I had to try twice as hard to stomach the evil things Angelus and Darla wanted. I like a good brawl and maybe inciting a mob or two. But Angelus, Darla, even Dru sometimes, they did the most horrible acts known to man and-well, I always had to force myself to participate in them."

Buffy appreciated that he wasn't too forthcoming on the description of the things his family once did. But the Slayer, after meeting all of the members of the Whirlwind, had an idea of what Spike meant by horrible acts that his former companions did.

"I had to try hard to be evil. It's embarrassing really. But I wanted so much to fit into their little group and be with Dru, she changed everything for me. So I doubled my efforts in being the monster they wanted. Later, I found my calling on the kind of evil I wanted to be known for, and that was killing Slayers."

Buffy flinched. She should've expected that. He was the Slayer of Slayers after all.

He turned to face her, and she could see a strange gleam in his eyes as he continued.

"I hunted down your kind, and fought a lot of girls like you and killed two. You were supposed to be my third."

Buffy took a deep breath at this. She knew this already. She knew that aside from finding a cure for his sick Sire, he came to kill her. He said it the first time they'd met and multiple times after that, but for some reason, his admittance at that moment affected her more than it ever did in the past.

Maybe it's because I am really starting to like him that it's making his confession hurt. She thought sadly.

"But I never could do it. I tried so many times but for some reason, I never could take you down," he admitted, looking troubled.

"I'm just that skilled," Buffy added, trying to sound smug to lighten the mood, not wanting to dwell further on his confession that he wanted her dead.

What does that say about me when the guy I like wanted me dead when he first met me?

"Well, you had the skills alright." Spike chuckled at that.

Buffy merely smiled, proud that her comment had the desired effect on him.

"You're a bloody good fighter, smart and resourceful. I don't doubt that your skills played a part in keeping you alive," he told her.

The seriousness in his voice as he praised her made her blush.

"But at the same time, I never did try hard enough to kill you."

She stared at him in confusion.

What the heck did he mean by that?

"I think that despite what I said back then, somewhere along the line, I subconsciously stopped wanting you dead."

Buffy held her breath. Hope began to bloom in her chest.

"I started to like you and I admired the person you were. I thought you were the best Slayer there ever was and thought that it would be too much of a shame to lose you. It's because of all that that I think I unconsciously didn't want you dead anymore," he admitted.

While she was happy that she somehow changed his opinion of her and made him no longer want her dead. That didn't change the fact that he had attacked her and had had the chip removed so he could do it.

The chip is gone. She just realized the significance of its removal.

Now that it was out, he was no longer a harmless monster. He could hurt her and countless others. Her earlier elation at the admittance of his feelings for her disappeared and fear gripped her heart.

"But, then why did you attack me? Why did you get your chip removed?how did you get it out? I need answers, Spike," she asked, sounding impatient.

She needed to know. Had he killed someone on his way to see her? Was this all some elaborate game? Had she failed again as a Slayer by trusting another monster?

"I was getting there, impatient little twit," he snapped.

She crossed her arms. She still didn't know what twit meant, but she was certain it was an insult.

"As I was saying, I realized that I didn't want you dead because of how I felt for you and thattilted everything I knew about myself," he explained, "I'm Spike. William the Bloody. The Slayer of Slayers. I was supposed to be one of the evilest vampires to walk this world and I ended up liking the Slayer I was meant to kill. Heck, I even started seeing your entire Scooby gang as a group of brave, smart, and reliable humans, despite all of their character flaws that I saw during the cookie incident. Add my previous insecurities about not being evil enough for my family back then, I didn't know what to do with myself."

She shelved the information of what he thought of her friends in the back of her mind for later. She was happy that he also saw something in them, which meant she could trust him not to kill them now that the chip was out.

"So how did this internal crisis lead to you wanting to get the chip out and attacking me?" she asked again. She wasn't going to let this go until he gave her a straight answer.

"Well, the idea actually came to me after I ran out of alcohol and started getting sober. I think it happened around day 4."

She gave him a questioning look and urged him to continue.

"I woke up in the middle of the day, hating myself for the state I was in, then I suddenly remembered the promise I gave you back at the crypt."

He nodded towards the direction of the crypt where he and Buffy had exchanged their first kiss while under the drug's influence.

"I remembered promising you that I'd stay by your side after we turned back, that we'd explore this strange relationship together. That made me realize that it wasn't the end of the bloody world after all."

Buffy smiled at this. She was glad that Spike remembered their promise and at the very least it helped him get over his identity crisis. However, she noticed that he still hadn't answered her questions about why he attacked her and why and how he got the chip out. So she asked again,

"So, how were you able to get the chip removed? I'm pretty sure the Initiative wouldn't have done it?"

"You sure about that, pet?" He gave her a smug look.

"Wait? Really? You got them to remove it for you? How?"

"Well, Red did gather quite a lot of dirt on them by hacking into their system. I simply took the liberty of using what I learned about one of their doctors and threatened to use what I had on him to ruin his reputation in the medical community. Turns out, he was more afraid of the Initiative's effects on his future career in the medical field than losing his life, so it was easy to get him to remove the chip without any problems."

"So you blackmailed one of their doctors? How were you even able to get one of them alone? I'm pretty sure they were too busy gathering their stuff to leave Sunnydale to stop to chat."

"True. Luckily a few stayed at Sunnydale Hospital to use their facilities to help some of the Initiative soldiers who Walsh was pumping full of drugs," he explained.

Her eyes widened. She remembered Giles mentioning to her that aside from Maggie Walsh's attempt at creating her version of Frankenstein's monster, Walsh was also guilty of drugging her soldiers with some sort of super serum that gave them extra strength.

"So you caught one of the doctors, blackmailed him into taking the chip out then what? Did you start snacking on the population? Or did you just content yourself in murdering the helpless soldiers at the hospital?" she asked, looking both angry and scared as she waited for the vampire's response because as much as she wanted to fulfill that promise they made to each other, she couldn't just ignore that Spike had spent the last few days alone with the chip gone.

She wasn't willing to go further with him if he was going to be another Angelus in her life.

What she didn't expect was for him to look horrified and hurt at her accusations.

"Is that what you think I did?" he questioned her in an angry tone.

She was taken aback by his angry tone, so she responded, "I don't know what to think Spike! I still don't know what you are after. And ever since we stopped fighting, all I've got from you is that you were confused about who you are and that you don't want me dead, and yet you went and got the chip out. How the heck am I supposed to take that?"

She paused to stare at the vampire's reaction to her outburst. She was glad that he didn't look angry anymore. However, he still looked upset about what she had said, so she continued.

"Look, just be straight with me? Do you still plan to fulfill the promise we made to each other or do you want to kill me and the rest of the populace of Sunnydale? I need to know, Spike."

Spike continued to stare at her in disbelief though. He was quite surprised that she had asked him that. He thought that the answer was obvious since he didn't kill her earlier when he had the chance. Unfortunately for him, despite the changes she had undergone in the past couple of weeks since the cookie incident, she still had her hang-ups from her past with Angelus.

Seeing that he needed to be more forward with her, he finally responded.

"Buffy, if I wanted you dead, you would be. I had a chance earlier, remember?" he said softly as he approached her. "And before you start, I hadn't eaten a single living human since I got the chip out. I've been bagging it and you can confirm it if you spoke with Ernie, one of the EMTs at Sunnydale Hospital. He's been selling me expired blood that they normally throw away."

He stood right in front of her and gave her a determined look.

"I don't want to hurt you, pet. Like I said back then, I want to be your friend and possibly more. The reason I got the chip out is that I needed to be my own man again and also because I want to help you. Evil doesn't always come in the demonic variety as the Initiative should've taught you."

"But why did you attack me? What was the point in all that?" she asked, still sounding unsure.

"Okay, that, I did because I just wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't housebroken.I know I will be once we make this friendship official," he explained.

He gave her a serious look before continuing.

"Being your friend means I'm giving up on a lot of things that I've had since I became a vampire, Luv. One of them is the title Slayer of Slayers. But before I did that, I wanted to test myself. Even as your friend, I'm capable of kicking your ass if needed. That I was stronger than you and such. Trust me though, I didn't intend to hurt you, much. I just wanted to settle things once and for all and answer the question I always asked myself, that if I took you seriously, whether I'd come out on top or not."

He smirked at the end of his speech.

The Slayer, on the other hand, didn't look impressed at this revelation.

"So, let me get this straight, you attacked me because you wanted to stroke your ego and prove that your'e stronger than me?" she asked.

Spike smiled proudly and answered, "Yup. Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition between friends, am I right?"

This ticked her off and she responded by punching him in the nose.

"Ow! The bloody hell was that for?" he cried, clutching his poor nose.

"That was for being an idiot! What kind of competition was that? I wasn't even fighting at my best! You cheated, it's unfair to assume that you're stronger than me!" was the young woman's response.

"Wha-"

"If you want to really know who's strongest between us, you fight me fairly and let me know that's what it's for. That way I won't hold back and Ill kick your ass for assuming that you're stronger than me."

"Bloody hell, woman, of course, I'm stronger than you! I'm aMaster Vampire."

"And I'm the Slayer. And, as you once said, I'm also the best one there is. So that means, I can wipe the floor with you on my good days," she said smugly and with a gleam in her eyes.

"I just beat you and it was your good day," the vampire tried to point out.

"Nu-uh, that didn't count. I wasn't ready and so I didn't give it my all," Buffy said.

Spike growled at this, "I gave you a 4 day heads up. That's enough time to be ready."

"Please, that letter said nothing about you challenging me to a fight. Otherwise, I would've worn my favorite shoes," Buffy said, smiling.

Spike simply stared at her as if she had grown another head.

The audacity of this girl. He couldn't believe that she was stealing his win from him. Of course, he couldn't deny that she did have a point that he never gave her the indication that he planned to challenge her. But that should at least have been implied considering the relationship they used to have. He hadn't made their friendship official and he was, until tonight, her sworn enemy. She should have had some knowledge that this was his intention, right?

Realization hit him hard. She was right. It wasn't a fair fight and thus, it wasn't a real win on his part.

"Dammit!" He groaned and let out a defeated sigh.

Buffy merely laughed at his obvious distress over what happened. She knew for a fact he had finally admitted to himself that he had cheated on their match and so the winner of who's strongest between them was still undecided.

Serves him right, attacking me like that. She thought,

"Alright, stop laughing. I get your point. It wasn't a fair match but you should know this, Slayer, when we do fight, I will come out on top," the vampire declared with a grin.

Smirking back at him, Buffy responded, "Bring it, vampire. Just remember that if I beat you, I get bragging rights all year that I handed your ass."

The two shared a look before bursting into laughter.

This was what she was missing these past two weeks. The easy camaraderie between the two of them. The teasing and exchange of barbs. The morbid jokes about fighting and slaying, and how he challenged her in ways none of her friends were able to. He just got her and she missed this.

She missed him.

Once their laughter dwindled, she finally asked, "So, does this mean you're staying?"

Spike nodded. "Already bought an apartment down at West Street."

"Really?" she asked, pleasantly surprised at this news.

"Yeah. I figured since I was going to be your friend and maybe more in the future, it would be best that we had somewhere to hang out other than your Watcher's place."

Buffy smiled at this endearingly. She was very touched that he purchased a place just so they would have somewhere to hang out.

"It's not much. Just a studio flat with an upper deck and dark tinted windows to protect yours truly from the lovely sun, you day folk seem to love. However, I was already able to purchase a couch, a TV, and a VCR so it's not so bleak and boring. I'm planning on converting the upper part into a training-oof!" he grunted as he suddenly found his middle being hugged by the Slayer.

"Thank you," she said.

Spike smiled softly down at her. She didn't have to thank him. But he knew his girl was most likely not used to people going the extra mile for her. So he hugged her back, before cupping her cheek to get her to look up to him.

"Buffy, I know we're not there yet in terms of being a romantic couple and such, but I want you to know that I'll be doing everything I can to cherish what we have. Red's Spell and the drug thing showed me parts of you that I'd really like to explore and I really do like how you made me feel. So, you need to expect that I'll be doing a lot of things to make you happy," he explained

Buffy smiled back at him.

"I'd like that," she said, "But you should know that I give as good as I get, so expect the same from me, mister. I'll make you the happiest vamp there is!"

If his heart could beat, he knew it would be beating very fast at her declaration. For years, it was always him who gave in the relationship. It was he who made the sacrifices. It was him who made his partner happy. Having someone, who wasn't even in love with him yet, say such words to him made his heart soar.

The changes he made to himself didn't matter anymore because at that moment he knew he would do everything in his power to keep what he had with his Slayer, and what made it even better was because he had a feeling that she would be doing the same thing for him.

And he was okay with that.

END

(O.O)

And that's the end of it. Hurray!

I kept it open-ended for now, but I am not certain if a sequel will ever be written for this. Again, it was wonderful and I love the support everyone gave me. I truly hope I was able to live up to the challenge. For the challenge recap, this was a challenge for Banner no. 78 by Twinkles. Below were the guidelines.

Characters: Spike, Buffy, Willow's cookies Rating: Any Season/Episode: S4, around the end of Something Blue Must have:

1. A batch of Willow's cookies having unintended effects, whether magical or just from the inherent magical powers of baking to bring people together.

Can have:

1. Anything
2. Crack

Can't have:

1. Angel
2. Character bashing, unless in humour

Well, that's all I have to see! Please remember to leave a review and let me know what you think. Until the next story, take care and I wish you all the best!