CHAPTER 4

Buffy felt the tears fall down her face as she thought about Angel. They weren't sad or happy, but bittersweet as she thought of her lost love. She was also angry, well not angry so much as she was frustrated. She had promised Angel she'd never forget their day together when he'd become human and she hadn't forgotten it.

As she walked down the street she could sense someone following her and grinned slightly as she realized it was her brothers. Turning to face them she said, "Come on guys, I know you're there." Dean and Sam moved form their hiding places and walked over to join their sister. "Dad sent you to help didn't he?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, he did. He didn't want you taking any chances and told us to watch your back," he admitted.

Buffy chuckled, "Well, if I'm going to blow off some steam, let's see if we can't find some more information on ADAM and any other bads…" she paused, her slayer senses go off as she sensed a certain vampire, "Spike," she practically growled, "get your bleached blonde ass out here, NOW!"

"Calm down slayer," Spike replied coming around the corner, "I was only looking to find you to give you some information," he then shot looks at Sam and Dean, "Who're they?"

Buffy groaned and threw a halfhearted glare at Spike. "Spike, these are my brothers Sam, and Dean. Sam, Dean, this is Spike and before you ask he is a vampire, but the Initiative vamp-napped him and placed a chip in his head which gives him migraines if he hurts a human," she grinned wickedly.

Spike growled. "Only the bloody Scoobies were supposed to know," he then realized something and grinned evilly, "I guess this is why I liked your mum so much, she's not even related to you by blood."

At that comment, Buffy saw red and flew at Spike with her slayer strength, pinning him against the wall of the building. "Spike, just do both of us a favor, tell me what you know about Adam before I stake you," she ordered.

Spike groaned. He hated being or even seeming weak. But as Buffy was his grand-sire's mate, even if she didn't realize the bite mark he left on her was a claim mark, he HAD to listen to her. "Sorry luv. Look, I heard through the grapevine that Adam is planning on destroying the Initiative and begin creating more Frankenstein freaks like himself at the end of the week," Buffy let him go and Spike started walking away, but as he reached the corner, he turned back and looked at Buffy, "Oh, and Slayer?"

"What?" came the irritated reply.

"Peaches doesn't hear a word about this," he said forcefully.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Sure Spike, sure."

As Spike left and soon left hearing range, Dean and Sam looked at Buffy. "Who the hell was that? Why didn't you stake him if he was a vampire?" Dean asked angrily.

"That Dean," Buffy replied just as angry, "was Spike, a.k.a. William the Bloody, one of the most vicious vampires on the earth. And he's been neutered by the government," seeing their perplexed looks she altered her statement, "some army guys vamp-napped him, and placed a chip in his brain that causes him migraines if he tries to hurt humans."

"But why didn't you just stake him then?" Sam wondered, "If he can't hurt you wouldn't that make it an easy slay?"

Buffy nodded and began walking, leading her older and younger brother to the cemetery. "Yeah it'd be easy, but my motto is 'they don't harm humans, then they can live'."

Dean was about to respond to her statement when a demon, at least that's what Sam and Dean thought it was walked over and greeted Buffy.

"Hey Buffy," he said.

Buffy grinned. "Hey Clem. Did you need something?"

The demon smiled but shook his head. "Naw, just saw you patrolling and thought I'd say hi, and warn you that Spike was looking for you," at Buffy's eye roll he went a little sheepish, "I, ah, guess you ran into him then?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we did," she told the gentle demon, "Was there anything else you needed?"

Clem shook his head, "Nah, I just wanted to let you know about Spike. I'll see you later Buffy."

"Bye Clem," Buffy waved as her friend left.

As soon as Clem was out of earshot, her brothers turned to her with curious and shocked gazes. "What was that?" Sam asked, "I thought demons were incorporeal."

"Well, only demons from the actual Hell are incorporeal," Buffy explained as they began walking, "those that are corporeal are from other dimensions."

"Oh," was all the response she got from either brother as she led them to the Bronze.

Buffy turned to her brothers with a smile, "Well, are you ready to patrol with me?" Without waiting for a word in from them, Buffy grabbed their hands and lead them inside the club. "Welcome to the Bronze."

At UC Sunnydale…

Riley had walked into campus thinking about what Buffy had just told him and the Scooby Gang. He shook his head. Buffy was more complicated than he had thought. When he had first met her, he had thought her to be a sweet innocent all-American girl, especially with her looks. But he soon found out different when he discovered she was the Slayer.

Yet, even when they did patrol, he still thought of her as an innocent damsel in distress. He couldn't think of her in any other way. Shit, even after he'd learned she and her friends had averted no less than four apocalypses he still hadn't changed his mind. He needed to be needed by his girlfriend and he needed to be her protector, and as long as Buffy was a slayer, she didn't his protection.

Earlier when Willow, Xander and Giles had mentioned Angelus/Angel, he had seen the both the pain and love in her eyes as she left the store. He then realized that Buffy was still in love with Angel. Why? He wondered, what made him so special? Sinking down to sit on a bench, he stared ahead to think about what he was going to say to Buffy.

At the Magic Shop…

John looked at his daughter's remaining friends and waited for them to explain. Deciding the long silence had been enough, he spoke up.

"What did Buffy mean you didn't meet Angelus when he was soulless?" he asked directly.

Giles looked up at his Slayer's father and sighed, "About three months after being called as the Slayer, and after having killed the master vampire known as Lothos, Buffy and her adoptive mother Joyce moved to Sunnydale, after Joyce and her husband divorced. During her first year here, she had run into Angel, the souled version of Angelus, and he had helped in averted two attempts on starting the apocalypse.

"During her second year here, Buffy and Angel started dating and patrolling regularly. That was when Spike and Drusilla came to town, in order to find a way to heal Drusilla. They did, by kidnapping Angel and using him and ritual that required the blood of Drusilla's sire. A few months later, Spike and Drusilla returned, this time with plans to resurrect the Judge, which they did," here John interrupted Giles.

"Buffy told me about the Judge," he said, "what else happened?"

This time Xander spoke up, "Well, all we know is that when dead-boy was cursed, the gypsies left a clause, if he'd had one moment of pure happiness, then he'd lose his soul. When Buffy turned 17, she and dead-boy," Willow covered Xander's mouth with her hand and threw him a glare that said shut up.

"Mr. Winchester," Willow continued, "all we know is that after Buffy had spent the night with Angel, he had had his one moment of happiness and made it his unsouled unlife's mission to torment Buffy because she made him feel human. When Angelus had opened Acathla, I had already begun working on the spell to restore his soul. Though by then it was too late, and Buffy had to kill Angel. Three months later the Powers that Be returned Angel from Hell and nine months later, after we destroyed the Mayor and Sunnydale High, Angel left for LA to continue working on his redemption."

At the Bronze…

Buffy walked up to the bar and ordered three bottled waters, her brothers following right behind her. She was about to turn to hand them over when her Slayer sense went off.

"Well, well, well," Buffy groaned at the sound of that voice. "Looks like you've moved up in the world hanging out with these hotties Fluffy."

Buffy turned and threw the owner of the voice a death glare. "What do you want Harmony? Done slumming with Spike?"

Harmony growled in anger. "Don't talk about my blondie bear that way Slayer. He's way better than your 'Angel'."

At that Buffy full blown laughed. "Didn't your 'blondie bear' tell you?" she paused, "My 'Angel' is his sire's sire, which makes him your grand-sire."

Harmony suddenly went into game face and threw herself at Buffy and before she knew it, Mr. Pointy had been shoved straight into her undead and unbeating heart. Buffy stepped back to avoid breathing in the dust and shook her head as she grabbed the water and handed two of the bottles to her brothers.

Sam looked shocked, in all his nearly seventeen years he'd never seen anything like that. "What was that?"

Buffy turned and grinned at her brothers. "That was what happens to an Aurliean Vampire when they are sta…" she paused then muttered, "Dammit. What the hell is he doing here? He knows this is my territory." She then swept out of the Bronze, her brothers in tow.