Thank you to all the folks who keep reading, especially everyone who writes to me. I respond when I can but I;m afraid that's not very often.

Again all characters and the Buffyverse belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

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To keep from plagiarizing the wonderful writing of the crew of the show, please insert the scenes from the episode "Faith, Hope and Trick" where Faith has dinner at the Summers' house and Buffy and Faith go on patrol together.

Chapter 17 A Late Call

"Hold on, she just came in." Buffy heard her mom say from the livingroom as she closed the front door. That's strange, she thought, it's really too late for a phone call.

"Hey Mom, who is it?" She asked as her mom held the phone out to her with the mouthpiece covered.

"Your vampire friend, Spike." She turned back to her desk as Buffy took the phone and missed her daughter's quickly concealed panicked expression. "Honey, I know he keeps different hours, but unless it's an emergency, can you ask him not to call after 10?"

"I will. He didn't wake you did he?"

"No, bills." Joyce said sounding annoyed as she shifted the papers. She kissed Buffy on the cheek as she walked by. "Don't stay up too late. School tomorrow."

"I won't." she promised, "Goodnight."

"Night honey."

Working to keep her voice flat since her mom was still in earshot, Buffy finally spoke into the phone. "Spike, why are you calling?"

"That's not a very friendly greeting." he replied, amusement in his voice. "Is your mum still there?"

"She's heading up to her room." she said quietly.

"Too bad."

"Why is that too bad?"

"I was hoping she was still around so when I talked dirty to you I could drive you crazy and you would have to try to look normal."

"You are driving me crazy, just not that way at the moment."

"Evil." he offered as his go-to excuse.

"Hold on a second." She put the phone down and walked to the foot of the stairs. Listening closely she could hear the water running in her mom's bathroom. She came back and picked up the phone. "You're not only evil, you're insidious." she accused.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently

"You know exactly what I mean. Your "every room" plan. Yesterday I just thought it was some macho keeping score thing, but it wasn't was it?" she continued without giving him a chance to answer. "You just wanted me to think about you in every room."

"Do you?" he asked, not bothering to deny the allegation.

"Argh! I walk into a room and all I can think about is what we did there, and if Mom is around I get all twitchy, because while I know it's impossible I can't help but think that somehow she knows. And she's going to know about us if you call when she's going to answer."

"You were going to tell her."

"I will, I'm just working up to it. And you were right about Willow." she sighed.

"She go power mad already?"

"No, that's never going to happen. About her not going to be able to keep the secret for long. She came to the school this morning when I was going to introduce Faith to Giles and she could barely make a coherent sentence."

"How is the new girl?"

"I'm not sure, Giles was okay with her. She came over for dinner and met Mom. Mom's all excited that maybe Faith can take over the slaying. Especially when she found out I died once. Then we went on patrol. She fought all right." Adding mentally to herself, if a little too enthusiastically.

"But..." he prompted.

"But what?"

"I can hear it in your voice. Something about her is worrying you."

"Not really." she lied, then continued. "It's just that we were fighting these vamps and she got a little crazed and kept waling on one who was down while his friends ganged up on me." she sighed, "It's probably because she's used to fighting alone."

"Anymore on why she's here?"

"No, just that her Watcher's out of town. Why?"

"So tell me," he began, "have you come across a big guy with pig hands?"

"Pig hands? What are you talking about?"

"I think your new gal pal has brought a whole lot of trouble to SunnyD." He said with a disgusted sigh.

"So Mr. Pig Feet, what is he, a demon?"

"No, a very old vampire, so old his hands and feet have gone all cloven, an old rival of the Master's. I ran into him tonight down in the warehouse district while I was looking for a new place." he quickly explained, then paused briefly before adding. "He was sporting a nasty Slayer's mark."

"So you think he followed her?"

"Yeah, not a happy piggy. He's here hell-bent on revenge, asked about any slayers in town. I warned him off you. Told him you did in the Master and Angelus. But I also told him you might be out of town as no one had seen you all summer."

"Thanks, does porkie have a name?"

"Yeah, Kakistos."

"One of the vamps we were fighting tonight said he lives for Kakistos, we'll die for Kakistos. It looks like the fun has already started."

"Buffy be careful, he's powerful and sadistic. Makes me look like a pussycat." She could hear the worry in his voice and it freaked her out a little. Spike knew tough and wasn't easily spooked, if he was, she should take it seriously.

"I will, promise. I'll tell Giles about Kakistos and confront Faith about him when I see her tomorrow." Her voice softened, "Any luck finding a new place?"

"There's a warehouse, might be homey, but not until you kill the neighbors." he chuckled. "It would be easier if I didn't have to worry about dodging your friend. How long is she staying in town?"

"I don't know, I'll find out how long the Watcher retreat is. I wish you had found a place."

"Missing me?"

"Yeah." she said wistfully.

"Then come to your back door."

"You're here?" she felt a mixture of panic and anticipation.

"With...open arms."

She hung up the phone and headed into the kitchen. She quietly flipped the dead bolt, opened the door and slipped outside. She turned to close the door but before she had a chance she found herself wrapped in leather clad arms and his mouth had descended on her neck. Instinct took over and she elbowed him hard in the gut, twisted out of his grip, swept his legs out from under him, and pulling the stake from her back pocket brought it down towards his heart.

"Bloody hell!" he yelled as he grabbed her hand with barely an inch to spare. "Did I really piss you off or is this foreplay?" he asked scathingly.

She turned her wrist and dropped the stake so it fell harmlessly to his chest, her other hand covered her mouth. "It was just a reflex. I barely realized I was doing it." she said hoarsely.

His face softened, "Foreplay then." he said with a lusty smile. He gave a hard tug on her wrist and she fell across him. His other hand covered the back of her head and brought her lips to his.

At first she melted into the kiss, her hands flattening on his chest, but then she stiffened and pushed away. "No we can't, not here."

He held her, "Why not?" he asked, one hand going down to cover her butt.

"Mom, might have heard that, for all we know she's on her way down right now." she whispered urgently.

"You worry too much Slayer." he scoffed then cocked his head like he heard something. "Bollocks." he said flatly, his head falling back on the planks of the porch. He let her go and she scrambled to her feet, smoothing her hair and her clothes. He was standing by the time the kitchen light came on.

"Buffy?" her mom called softly, worry evident in her voice.

Buffy made a shooing gesture at Spike before opening the door just enough to slide through. "I'm here Mom." she said.

"I thought I heard something..." she began then focussed behind Buffy. "Oh, hello Spike. I didn't realize you were coming over." she said conversationally. Turning to look at Buffy she added, "Don't keep your friend out on the porch. Come in Spike."

"Thank you, Joyce, innit?" He said with a broad smile.

Buffy's head was reeling, this couldn't be happening.

"Yes, nice of you to remember. Can I get you...I'm sorry, do you um eat? I mean other than blood?" she had gone into full hostess mode.

"Yeah, but I don't want to be a bother." he responded.

"Nonsense, would you like some tea? Hot chocolate?"

"Do you have any with the little marshmallows?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Let me check." She picked up the teakettle and brought it to the sink to fill it up.

Buffy glared at Spike and mouthed "What are you doing?"

He just grinned at her, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

Setting the kettle on the stove Joyce opened a cupboard. "You're in luck I do." Spike and Buffy quickly returned to their previous expressions before she turned around. "Buffy would you like some?"

"No thanks Mom." She was so anxious she couldn't contemplate anything on her stomach right now.

As she prepared two cups Joyce asked. "What brings you by Spike?"

"I had something to give the Slayer." Nodding his head towards Buffy.

"You weren't waiting outside when you called were you?"

"No, I was driving nearby, headed over when I found out she was home." Buffy wondered if that were true.

"Well good, I was going to say you should have just knocked." Joyce sounded relieved. "Next time, do."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"Are you two working together again?" Joyce asked, looking from one to the other.

"Yeah, but don't mention it to anyone." Spike replied conspiratorially. "Word can't get out that I'm working with the Slayer. We need everyone to react to me like I'm the enemy for our plan to work."

"Of course." she replied seriously with a nod. The kettle started to whistle and she turned to the stove. Buffy took the opportunity to glare at him again. He winked back, quickly returning to his previous expression.

As she set the steaming mug in front of him Joyce asked. "How is your lady vampire friend? The one you were trying to get back before."

Spike stirred his cocoa and shrugged, "Don't know, we went our separate ways. Had a good run though, almost 120 years together, on and off."

Joyce paused with her cup halfway to her lips, and blinked slowly. "How old are you?" she asked with surprise.

"Wait a sec, I always get this wrong." he looked up as if he were doing some calculations. "Let's see, Dru turned me in 1880, it's what 1998 now? So 118 years, add twenty-odd years to that for when I was human. I guess that's around 140, 145 on the outside."

"I had no idea you were so old." Joyce said amazed and then realized what she said. "I'm sorry, that sounded awful."

"I'll take that as a compliment." he said cheerfully.

"Now how old was Angel?" Joyce asked.

After a little more mental arithmetic Spike said, "About 250, he turned Dru, Dru turned me."

"You must have experienced so much, have you traveled?"

"All over." he then beguiled her with an even more laundered version of his existence and travels than what he gave Buffy the other night. She glanced at her mom who was listening in rapt fascination. She didn't seem at all uncomfortable to have a vampire in her kitchen. Of course all she knew about Spike was that although he had tried to kill Buffy once, they had worked together in the past and seemed to be doing so again. Joyce was probably just following her lead in matters supernatural, given the circumstances it wasn't a bad tactic.

After a while she glanced at her watch and realized it was after midnight and Spike was only up to the 1950s. Buffy knew if she wanted any chance to talk to him she had to cut him off before he mentioned Andy Warhol. She yawned widely, something she didn't have to fake. "Oh, excuse me." she apologized.

The interruption was enough for Joyce to shake off her reverie and realize the time. "Oh dear, look at how late it is. I've got to be at the gallery early tomorrow for a shipment." She turned to her guest. "Spike it was fascinating to talk to you. You should stop by again."

"Thank you, I will. And thank you for the cocoa." He stood as Joyce went to leave.

"Sorry to monopolize your friend honey." she said to Buffy. "Don't stay up too much later."

"I won't, night Mom." Buffy gave her a quick hug.

She and Spike waited until they could hear Joyce on the stairs, then turned to face each other.

"I think that went well." he said with a smug smile.

"Yes, you were charming." she said annoyed, "Why?" she looked at him suspiciously.

"Figured it would be easier when you told her about us." He stepped up to her and put his arms around her waist. "Now where were we?" he asked, lowering his mouth to hers.

She turned her head to the side, dodging his kiss. Undeterred he nipped at her neck instead. "Spike, not here. Not with Mom home." she whispered.

"My car's outside. We can go somewhere, park or head to that motel on the edge of town." he murmured in her ear.

She had swayed against him but pulled back. "Faith is staying there." she said shaking her head.

"Good bit of info. I was half afraid she'd be staying here with you." He captured her mouth before she could move away. She resisted at first but gave in and kissed him back. Only when she felt his cold hands sliding up her torso under her shirt did she pull back.

"No." she said, trying to convince herself as well as him. "It's too late."

He put his forehead against hers. "Let's meet tomorrow night, before you head home."

She nodded, "Where?"

"The woods, behind Evergreen Cemetery. There's a clearing about thirty yards..."

"I know it, okay, after patrol." They kissed again briefly and he headed for the door. As he was pulling it shut behind him she called, "Spike."

He paused and looked back. "Yeah Slayer?"

"I'm glad Mom likes you." she said softly.

He gave a quick nod of agreement. "She's a nice lady, your Mum."

He left and Buffy walked up to the door and turned the deadbolt. She shook her head, her life just kept getting stranger.