Chapter Two

"What's so fascinating over there?" Joey followed her fiancé's gaze across the dining room. A petite blond woman wrapped her arms around a bleach-haired guy. They seemed to slip into another universe, closing their eyes, clinging to each other as if nothing else mattered.

Pacey smiled, his eyes remaining on the couple. "He listened to my advice."

Joey arched a brow. "Advice? You gave that guy advice? And what advice would that be, pray tell?"

Pacey turned toward her again. "How to be happy with the woman you love."

"And what makes you such an expert, Pace?"

"Well," he said, gently taking her by the hips, drawing her closer to him. "I got you."

"Really?" Joey smiled slightly, getting pulled in by his raspy voice and the familiar warmth of his body. Her arms enveloped his midsection. "You know, Pacey, it's not a done deal until we say those pesky 'I dos'. Anything can happen," Joey said. After over a decade, she had finally moved beyond youthful fears, missteps, and close calls with Pacey. Their relationship was solid and she wasn't ready to bolt. And they could joke about ancient history.

He grinned, brushing his lips against hers lightly. "You're right. Thank God, the wedding's this weekend before that wretched apocalypse, huh?"

Joey rolled her eyes and then she laughed, glancing back at the other couple. The man caressed the woman's hair, but the woman's eyes darted away from him.

What was their story?

…

"So, it's past tense, then?"

Buffy had wanted to remain indifferent. Cool and collected was the only way to meet your ex-lover who had kept his resurrection a secret after all, right? That plan had turned into a big fail, however, as soon as her eyes met Spike's. Her legs had become wobbly and her reserve had dissolved completely as his arms came around her like a cozy blanket.

Now as Spike caressed her hair, Buffy had to find her bearings and she stepped back. "Past tense, what?"

"You said you loved me."

Her eyes darted away from Spike. Cool and collected Buffy was back when she met his eyes again. "Seriously? You're worried about my tense use?"

"Well," he replied, "yeah."

Buffy shook her head. God, he was still very much a guy. "No, 'I made a mistake, Buffy.' No, 'I was wrong, Buffy.'"

"I thought what I'd done was right, "Spike stated. "I made a mistake, but did you mean it, Slayer."

How did she end up here? Buffy thought. How did love—loved come out of her mouth? Emotion gave you nothing but trouble. Emotion was one enemy that couldn't ever be defeated. "I—I got caught up in the moment."

"You didn't mean it, then?"

"No."

"You meant it?"

"Yes."

"All right," Spike said seemingly satisfied before shaking his head. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"I don't know," Buffy admitted. "I don't know, Spike. I'm happy you're here, but I still want to stake you in the heart, just a little. I did miss you, though," she smiled slightly.

"I get it," he sighed. "I don't have a bloody right demanding anything from you."

"Well, that may be a tiny bit extreme," Buffy countered staring deeply into his regretful blue gaze. Damn it, she was too easy. Her heart would be gooey putty in his hands if she wasn't careful. "You did sacrifice your life to save the world after all, and I know how your mind can be all scrambly when you return."

"What can I do to make it right?" Spike asked earnestly.

Buffy sighed, her heart turning into goo in no time. "Spike, I—" Her Hate That I Love You ring tone jingled. Her eyes widened. Perfect, just perfect. She made a mental note to strangle Dawn for changing her ring tone.

His brow arched up.

"Coincidence," Buffy quickly said as she took out her cell from her coat pocket. "It—It's Willow. I've been expecting her call," she lied, turning and stepping off to the side. "Hey Will," she answered.

"Hey"

"What's up?"

"I may have stumbled across something major," Willow replied, "about our new Entertainer buddy and the portal."

"He wants me dead major, or apocalyptic major?" Her mind concentrated on the call even while sensing Spike's searing gaze on her back. She needed this distraction, even the-pop-culturally-obsessed-demon variety. Finding and stopping The Entertainer seemed easy compared to her convoluted feelings for Spike.

"I'm not sure," Willow said. "But it's 'I just landed at JFK and should be at Dawnie's in a jiffy' major."

"You're in New York now?

"In a cab as we speak."

Buffy put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "Will, what did you find exactly?"

"Well, on a hunch, I did the tirer la couverture spell," Willow replied cautiously. "And something super-strange happened, Buffy. It was very freaky."

Buffy hadn't thought about the spell in forever. She remembered her hazy trance and Dawn flickering in and out of existence. Dawn being the key and the diva hell-god Glory had been all stored in the box marked Past. Now, Dawn was just her baby sister, plain and simple.

"How freaky, Will? Did you locate the portal, or The Entertainer?"

"No, but it was out of your body freaky, Buffy."

"How so?"

"Watch that guy with the pooch crossing and not me!"

"What? Willow!"

"Buffy, sorry, can't get into the nitty-gritty now. My cabbie's giving me the side-eye and we almost hit some poor puppy. See you in a few."

Buffy sighed before looking back at Spike. "Willow just flew in from London."

He smiled slightly. "Problem with a beastie?"

She nodded. "When isn't there?"

"Need some help?"

Would she like Spike's help? Buffy wondered. Good question. He would be a good asset in tracking down and defeating The Entertainer. Spike had been a couch potato and his TV and movie knowledge could be handy.

But on the other more complicated hand, it would put the two of them in close proximity. Could she handle it? Yeah, she thought, when they'd been in the fight to beat Glory and the First, they'd learned how to remain professional and work as a team. It was when feelings and relationship woes had become involved that things got very messy.

But they could separate the professional from the personal and past from the present.

"What do say, Slayer?" Spike asked when she remained silent.

"Okay, Spike, I could use you." Buffy gave a small smile. "Like old times."

He grinned back, lifting a brow.

Oh God. "You know what I mean, Spike." She rolled her eyes. "We could use your help."

"Yeah." He sobered, "I know. Relax, love."

"I am relaxed," Buffy argued. "I'm just peachy keen. And you were just being you, I know." She sighed, closing her eyes for a sec. "That came off crummy. What I mean is, Spike, seeing you again is far from easy, especially because you still seem like you. Too familiar with the banter and the grin."

"And that's a bad thing, love?" Spike asked, his gaze searching hers. "Because I love that you still seem like you. The bloody high and mightiness and all," he added lightly

Her mouth curved up a little, but she still held back. "Can we just catch this demon and not worry about anything else for now?"

Spike nodded. "If that's what you want."

"We'd better go."

As they were heading toward the restaurant's exit, a guy smiled and waved to Spike. "Come back anytime."

Spike waved back.

"Bartender?"

"Owner, nice bloke."

Buffy glanced back at the man, and the woman next to him. "They look kind of familiar," she said offhandedly, following Spike out the door.

…

When the two of them opened the door to Dawn's campus apartment, they were ambushed by Willow and Dawn's cheery faces.

"Spike, you're alive!" Willow beamed at him.

"It seems so, in an undead sort of way."

"He's been undead walking for a long, long time."

Spike glanced at Buffy. Her easygoing tone didn't disguise her wounded eyes. Buffy welcomed this demon to prolong dealing with his return, Spike knew. He wasn't a complete prat. Maybe that was what she needed right now, to be reminded of old times, to be reminded of what a good team they'd made fighting the big bad.

"I'm just glad that we're able to tell you how super grateful we are for your sacrifice!" Willow put in. "It's not every day that one gets resurrected."

"Just once or twice in a lifetime." Buffy replied wryly.

Spike shrugged. "I just wore a sodding sparkling necklace that Buffy gave me. You ladies did all the work. Will, you did the hard part with your witch magic and all." He smiled and he meant it. Back in the day, he'd been quite all right being on the outskirts of the Scoobies. Even when Spike had fought side-by-side with the gang during Buffy's brief death, he'd never felt included. Then again, if you hadn't been a Summers lady, he couldn't have bloody cared less.

Now all that had changed.

"Aww, that was nothing." Willow blushed.

"It's just awesome that you're here, Spike." Dawn hugged him. "We've missed you," she whispered before stepping back.

"You don't still hate me, Nibblet?" Spike arched a brow. He'd always preferred to be on the youngest Summers' good side. Not that he hadn't deserved her stinging wrath for the inexcusable offence that he'd committed against Buffy.

Dawn shook her head. "I'm just always looking out for my sister and what's best for her."

Buffy scowled at Dawn. "Alrighty, I think Spike's done with the warm fuzzies." She looked at him.

Spike nodded. "Yeah, right. We can have more warm fuzzies later. I want to know more about This Entertainer bloke."

Buffy had only told Spike a bit about the big bad on the cab ride over here. The git intended to bring fictional characters into this reality through a portal. Even a soulful Spike thought it seemed like a bloody good party. He'd love to meet the little fella Timmy from Passions. The doll was such a riot.

But it could cause bleeding catastrophic damage like actors who portrayed characters going poof from existence, beginning an apocalyptic imbalance in the universe.

"Willow, what did you find out?" Buffy turned to the redhead.

"Well, I don't think it's what we first thought. This baddie doesn't just want to bring people from another dimension. I think he wanted something else from us."

A chill rippled through Spike.

"Will, what did you see in the spell?" Buffy asked, her voice tensing with each word.

"Me, I'm the one who flashed in and out of existence."