Sorry this took so long to upload. I've been having quite the hectic life. This is kinda a, intro to things to come chapter. The plot gets really going in the next so stick with it if you like and review!

"I'm sorry," Joyce's voice was soft as she spoke up, causing everyone else in the room to immediately fall silent. "I'm not sure I understand." She looked pointedly at Giles as she continued, "I thought Vampires were evil."

"They are…" Giles began but she interrupted.

"So then, Buffy's…she's evil now?"

Giles shook his head. "She apparently still has her soul."

"So she's good Buffy, right?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Yea, but good vampire Buffy likes not so good vampire Spike." Xander added, sitting down beside his girlfriend.

"Oh." Willow whispered and ducked her head.

"Now look," Giles said, "Buffy and Spike are on their way here. Try to remember what she's been through."

"But what if she tries to kill us?" Willow whispered.

"And what about the other, evil, undead?" Xander demanded.

"We'll just have to take precautions. I've already given you some. That will help for now. We'll just have to rely on what we've learned from Buffy for the rest."

Unbeknownst to all of them, Buffy had already arrived. With tears in her eyes she sat outside the door to Giles' apartment, listening to their every word. Well, they were wrong! She wasn't evil. She didn't need to be guarded against! And they didn't need to worry about Spike. He hadn't come with her. He hadn't even acknowledged her when she'd woken up that morning to find him upstairs sipping blood in his armchair. So she'd left without him. Only to come to this.

Well, she'd show them! She knew it was going to be difficult but then again, she was the Slayer! When had anything ever been easy? She could do this! She could prove that she was a good vampire, that she was still the Slayer, at least until Faith woke up. And then…she'd worry about that when it happened. If it happened.

Squaring her shoulders she rose, stepped to the door, and knocked hard on it twice. Everyone inside fell silent and Buffy could almost see their eyes staring at the door. Then, the door swung open and Giles appeared, looking down on her with an unreadable expression, and a cross about his neck. She fought back the sob that clawed at her throat and instead nodded at her Watcher. "Giles," she whispered. He looked around and she shook her head. "Just me," she answered his unasked question.

"Right," he stated, smiling and relaxing some. "Come in, Buffy."

She felt tingles run up her spine as she crossed the threshold and entered Giles' living room, where everyone else was staring at her. Both Willow and Xander wore crosses and identical looks of mixed emotions, fear battling with heartache and loss and desperation. Anya simply looked from person to person, but Buffy was almost shocked to see she wore no cross, and it was somewhat comforting.

"Buffy?" Her mother was standing now, facing her daughter and tears fell down her face when she realized her mother wasn't wearing a cross either. Before she realized what was happening she was pulled into her mother's arms, and sobbing into her shoulder, holding on for dear life.

"Oh my poor baby," Joyce whispered, patting her daughter's back. "Shh, Mommy's hear." Buffy could only nod into her mother's shirt before finally backing away and rubbing the tears from her eyes.

"I'm fine," she promised and nodded at her mom before turning to the rest of the group.

"So?" she whispered, eyeing each of her friends in turn, "Are you going to give me the chance to prove that I'm good?"

"Of course," Willow answered immediately. "You said it yourself. You're still Buffy. And Angel has a soul, and he's all good."

"Which brings up my research," Giles interrupted. "I have been unable to find any information on any other Slayer being turned. However, I have found a spell that will enable us to check your soul…see if it's permanent or not."

"Okay," Buffy said nodding. "The sooner the better. Don't want to lose the only thing keeping me from acting like…"

"Spike?" Xander butt in and she turned to glare at him.

"An animal," she snarled back in response. "And on that note, stay away from Spike. I'm working on it."

"I'm sorry?" Giles asked, frowning. "What do you mean, working on it?"

She sighed. "Spike thinks our demons have kinda…got a thing for each other. Which, considering how mine acts around his, I think I agree with it. But I won't be hanging around someone evil. I will stake him if I have to. I just, don't want to anymore. So I'm working on it. But until I can figure out what to do, he's off limits. Got it?"

She leveled her glare on Xander who looked away as the others nodded.

"Isn't Spike evil?" Joyce whispered and everyone but Buffy nodded.

"Working on it," she repeated for the third time.

"Quite. Well I shall proceed to add that to my list of things to research," Giles muttered, rubbing his glasses.

"What?" Buffy asked, not sure what exactly needed to be studied.

"Why your demons seem to be drawn to one another, and furthermore, I've never considered that the demon and the human body it inhabits could be two separate entities working together. If what Spike is suggesting is true, then there are quite a few books from the Council that need updating." On the groups look he added, "Not that I believe he's accurate. What makes you say that your demon craves his?"

Buffy blushed. "Um…" she stalled, attempting to find a PG rated example. Her mother was in the room after all. "Oh! When I thought you were going to shoot me with the crossbow and he jumped in front of me and growled. Mine answered him without me thinking it or wanting to and I moved before I had even realized it."

"Interesting," Giles muttered. "Well. I've got quite a bit of research ahead of me. However, I believe it is safe to say that, for the time being, we will treat you as you have always been treated Buffy. I won't turn my back on your just because you fell victim to a vampire and managed to survive. If you are willing to continue your duties as a Slayer, I see no reason the council will ever have to know about this."

"Welcome to the group, Buffy the vampire."

Almost as soon as Willow was back in her and Buffy'sdorm room she went in search of a spell book. "I can fix this," she whispered, scanning the pages of each of the books in turn. "I can fix all of this." And she could! She was a witch, by-golly! She could do anything, right? With the right spell of course. But it had to be something that wouldn't just fix one probably but all of her problems. Something that could make Buffy's soul stay intact and, since she was doing spells anyway,something that could make her heart whole again. Because between O…Him leaving and now Buffy being a vampire, whose soul may or may not stay in her body very long, she needed a little magic in her life.

"Will be done," she whispered, "Perfect!"

Angel was anything but in the mood when his telephone rang that night. He wanted nothing more than to ignore it, and have a nice evening to himself. But Angel Investigations was all about helping those who needed it, and if his phone was ringing, someone obviously required his assistance. Squaring his shoulders, he picked up the phone with his normal greeting and was surprised at the voice on the other end.

"Angel, it's Giles."

"Yea, I know."

"Listen. There's something I need to tell you."

Angel frowned, immediately wondering why the watcher would call him for anything. Unless it had to do with Buffy. And only then if she was injured…

"Is Buffy okay?"

"I'm afraid not. You see, Buffy's been…turned."

Angel nearly dropped the phone. "What?" he could have sworn, had he had a heart, it would have just stopped beating.

"Yes. We just discovered it yesterday. We ran into her fighting your kind. Well, her kind now."

Wait… "She still has her soul?"

"Yes, quite remarkable isn't it? But we are a little worried about whether or not it is anchored to her body and we were wondering if perhaps, since you had more knowledge with your own soul being unanchored and all…but only if you have any…"

"Giles. You're rambling. And yea, I've been looking into it. But I've not found anything yet."

He heard Giles sigh and could almost hear him taking his glasses off and cleaning them. "Right. Well if you find out anything else, do call, please."

"Yea, I will." And the conversation ended. Only, it was being repeated over and over again in his head. Buffy was a vampire. Buffy was a vampire. She had a demon, like his own. She was a creature of the night, like him. She'd understand now! He wouldn't be corrupting her if he went to her now! Even as these thoughts filtered across his mind he was already up and moving, calling for transportation and heading to pack. Buffy could be with him now. Because they were finally, two of a kind.

Spike knew the instant Buffy returned to the crypt. His demon longed to leap to his feet, rush over to her and take her in his arms, inhale the scent that had been denied to him all night while she was out playing 'white hat.' But that was the part where Spike jumped off the 'embrace Buffy' train. She was playing white hat. And wanting him to play too. And he'd dust before that happened. So he stayed rooted to the spot, glaring at the television screen from his armchair.

She walked past him to the fridge silently, taking a bag out, pouring it into a cup, and drinking it by the fridge. Then she set the cup down, walked past him again, and disappeared down below. She had the air of being completely indifferent. But something was wrong with his girl…with the Slayer. The Slayer you git! Not your girl! Course she wasn't a girl anymore, or even human and she wasn't anyone's to claim as of yet so if he…he shook his head. This was exactly the reason he'd stayed home in the bloody first place! She was getting under his skin! Every second he spent with her he lost more control!

No, that wasn't true. He wasn't losing control. He was beginning to agree with his demon. When he'd woken the night with his nose buried in her hair and her arms wrapped around him, he could have dusted a happy bloke. She smelled of sunshine and flowers, and fit just perfectly against him. Nothing like his Dark Princess had been. It was while he was contemplating just how beautiful she was, how luscious her lips were, how soft her curves were that he began thinking that maybe he could turn white hat for a girl like her. But as soon as he'd realized what he'd been pondering, he'd leapt from the bed and not moved from the chair he was currently sitting in. Not when she'd gotten up, or showered, or asked if he was coming with her, or left.

But there was something wrong with his girl. Damnit! With the slayer! He sighed, clicked the telly off and sauntered to the hole, dropping down gracefully and scanning the room for her. She was lying on the bed facing away from him on her side, and her shoulders were shaking. It took him all of two seconds to realize that she was silently crying. As soon as he thought it, the scent of salty tears reached his nose and he took a deep breath before sighing.

"What's wrong, pet?"

She stiffened, though he had been sure she'd been able to sense him come downstairs, and then her shoulders relaxed.

"Nothing," she whispered. "I'm fine, Spike."

"Smells like tears, Slayer."

Her shoulders shook again and she mumbled something before burying her face in the pillow. Something that sounded and awful lot like 'go away.'

"Not goin anywhere, luv." He answered back, moving to sit on the bed. Slowly, he pulled her up away from the pillows, and moved her hair out of her face. She stared down at her lap, but she had circles around her eyes where her mascara had run and tears still streaming down her face. "What's wrong, Buffy," he whispered, much gentler this time.

"My friends," she whispered, "were wearing crosses today."

Bloody wankers! Didn't they know she needed their trust right now? Well if they wanted her to become the stereotypical vampire they were on the right path! Just wave a few crosses at her and see if she's not hissing at them by the end of it! Soddin Watcher should have known better! She needed comfort and tenderness and trust. She needed a reason to stay on the good side she…

Was currently moving to sit in his lap, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. He stiffened, and then forced himself to relax as he felt tears slide down his jugular. "S'alright, pet. Imagine they don't know how to act. Never had a friend turn vampire and keep their soul before. You'da done the same, were it one of them."

She shook her head. "I would have trusted them after I saw them killing vampires," she mumbled into his neck.

"You say that. But you don't know. Sides, give em a bit, luv. They'll come around. Have some rousing speech about how good and noble you are and then everything will be back in tip top shape."

She nodded against his neck but didn't move away from him, and Spike, though he wanted desperately to deny it, didn't want her to. She felt right in his arms, and his demon was at war between wanting to pur contently and comfort his ma…vampire friend. He sighed and lowered his head to rest on her golden tresses. Mate. He finally admitted. For whatever sodding reason, his demon wanted hers as its mate. And he'd either continue fighting it, or make the best out of it until it changed its mind.

She stirred in his arms and looked up at him through the eyes he'd only seen glare at him. "Thank you," she whispered through those puckered lips. His eyes were completely drawn to them, and how glossy they seemed even though she'd been crying. How tasty they were. He had a flash back of the cemetery and growled deep in his chest before bending down to capture those lips with his own.

She moaned against him, her arms tightening around him as he deepened the kiss. But then she pulled away, and he thought she was going to smack him but instead she put her head on his chest. "I'm tired," she whispered by way of explanation and he nodded.

"Off to bed, then." And he laid her back down on her side of the bed and was crawling under the covers in the blink of an eye. It was torture lying there with her, smelling her, holding her. He wanted more of her, and not just his demon, but all of him. He wanted to plunge into her while gazing into her eyes….which was very William of him and he immediately decided that, when he took her, it'd be from behind.

Course, it was hard to think that way when she felt so right in his arms. For the first time he realized, he wanted her to be his mate. He wouldn't mind having her by his side for eternity. He'd seen her at her worst, now, and at her best laughing and dancing with her friends, and at her most resolved, when she'd been kicking his ass. But oh what a dance it had been.

Yet, if he wanted her, he'd have to turn white hat for her. And he wasn't sure if she was worth that. At least, not yet. For now, he'd be content to hold her through the night. And whatever crept up tomorrow, he'd deal with tomorrow.

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