AU from Primeval, the story so far: As Buffy faces off with Adam, the spell is performed but the demons break through. Buffy gets distracted and tries to save her friends, but fails. Spike gets her out and they escape, parting ways. Years later they meet again, and travel together on their way to fight Adam in Washington and end the worldwide tyranny of the cyborgs. They meet a young couple who aide them in the fight and have an Oz travelling with them too. They're about halfway now, and emotions are stirring, this chapter is definitely an M...

DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss, I'm just borrowing them. Couple of OC's in there that are mine.

'So just out of curiosity...where the hell are we?' Buffy asked, staring at the map and frowning. She wasn't very good at directions, a fact Spike was trying very hard not to mock her for. He smiled and gently took the paper from her, avoiding eye contact with her, just in case her mood took a wrong turn. Thankfully, she returned the smile and let him take the map without issue, knowing that he'd had much more experience with long travel than her.

They'd been on the move from Philadelphia for a day and were definitely close to somewhere in Delaware. They'd emerged from the sewers an hour ago, as the sun had gone down. This part of the country was empty and devoid of life – they'd had no run ins with cyborgs for a good thirty miles or so. They'd taken the opportunity to forage for food and rest, which had helped the partly human of the group. Unfortunately for Spike, the surrounding area had a distinct lack of animals, and he was getting slightly peckish with all the walking. But he hadn't complained.

He studied the map intently, as Ryan and Oz took an opportunity to sit down for five minutes. Buffy joined them and Tiree scaled a nearby dead tree to the top to look over the area around them. It was mostly decaying houses, some still standing but dirty and abandoned, overgrown with bushes and plants. She called down to Spike after a few minutes.

'There's what looks like a country park a few miles that way, North-west I think.' She pointed in front of her, and Spike looked up, looking back down to the map. 'And there's a lot of water to the East. Not the sea I don't think though..."

Spike nodded to himself and looked up and down the road they were on. It was as overgrown with weeds as the houses, and cars were abandoned on the side. He had no hope there was any petrol left to get them going, or that any of the rusted engines would actually work.

A rumble of thunder made them all jump and it didn't take long for Spike to sniff the air and deduct that they didn't have long to find shelter before it started raining. He folded the map up and turned to Buffy, just as Tiree landed next to them on the ground. Ryan and Oz both got up as Spike extended his hand to Buffy. She took it and looked at him questioningly.

'We're on the Philadelphia Pike, as far as I can deduct. About hundred and twenty miles left. If the park she saw is Bellevue State Park, then we're nearly in the centre of Wilmington. But there's a storm coming, probably a good idea if we take shelter for now. We don't have time to see if there are any colonies hiding out round here, so I suggest we jump into one of these house. Might be some running water, or tins of food.' He looked around. 'I'm gonna let you guys pick. I'm just here to sniff out the danger.

Another flash of lightening filled the suddenly black sky and thunder followed not far after. The group looked at each other and headed for the nearest street lined with houses. Buffy raced into the first house, just as the heavens opened and rain tipped down onto the street. Tiree shrieked and followed the Slayer, leaving the boys following after, laughing at the girls. With all the apocalypse around them, a little rain was nothing.

Spike lingered outside a little longer than the other, letting his senses extend over the surrounding areas. The rain was good, it was washing away their scent. And he couldn't feel anything for as far as he could sense. They were alone in this abandoned town. No animals either. That worried him. He wanted them to stop here for a while and gather their strength, as he knew they needed all the rest they could get before the big fight. And stopping for a while left him with no food. Something to solve at some point.

He turned and went into the house, discarding his wet coat and shoes where the others had left theirs. He found the two teens on a sofa in the living room; Oz was rifling through the cupboards in the kitchen. Buffy wasn't with either of them. Spike frowned and followed his nose, locating her in the master bedroom. She'd found the closet, half full of clothes. She was picking through them, a look of glee on her face.

'Clothes!' She smiled at him, pulling a warm jumper to her chest. Spike grinned back. 'I haven't had clothes without holes in them for so long!' She pointed at the other closet. 'I think a family lived here. There's two teen looking rooms down the hall and this was the Mom and Dad's I think. He was about your size, find something! I'm sure you'll find some black.'

Spike rolled his eyes but moved to the other closet anyway, indulging her. Truth was he could use some clean stuff. He'd been wearing the same shirt for a while. He'd have to make sure the others got what they needed too.

A cough from the hallway interrupted his thoughts. Tiree stood, her arms folded as she surveyed the room. Buffy shrugged at him and went back to scavenging. Spike grinned again and the followed Tiree out of the room and into the hall.

'We could all use a decent meal and a shower, Spike.' He nodded and waited for her to continue. 'The electric will still work but...if we turn it on, the cyborgs will notice and come running. I've done a location spell, the nearest cluster of demons are twenty miles away.'

'So we can't use any of the appliances.'

'We can. But I'll have to do a spell to mask us. They won't notice that this house is using power, but if a patrol comes by, they might sniff us out.'

'I don't think they come through here very often, Tiree. I couldn't smell anything anywhere round here.' He sighed. 'Do the spell. This storm may last a while and I'm not keen to travel in it. We'll do what we can here.' Tiree nodded.

'I'll let you know when we're good to go.'

-I-E-H-

Buffy had been languishing under the hot spray for about forty-five minutes now. She was in heaven. Or the closest since the world had gone to pot. She had found some toiletries in the bathroom cupboard and silently thanked the family that had lived here for abandoning all of the stuff they had. Tiree's spell had cloaked them so they could use the electric and it didn't hurt there was a generator out the back to run emergency power.

Her hair was clean, her fingernails were free of dirt for the first time in what felt like forever. She had spent ages scrubbing all the memories and pain from her skin, feeling them burn away with the hot water. Oz was currently cooking a meal in the kitchen and the delicious smells were making her stomach bubble in anticipation, it had been so long.

Spike had folded up some clean clothes for her and placed them on the side, waiting for her when she emerged from the shower. He'd told the others that she got the master bedroom tonight, with it big soft mattress and thick duvet cover. Tiree and Ryan were having one of the kids rooms, while Oz had the other, and Spike had opted for staying up on watch all night. The others had argued but Spike had put his foot down, citing his advanced constitution. Buffy had found she didn't have the energy to fight with him about it, only too grateful for the rest.

She finished rinsing her hair out and towelled herself down with the massive fluffy towel Spike had located her. She had been the last to use the shower, except Spike, who had said he would do it while they ate. He had no use for human food now, and she knew he was hungry himself but keeping quiet about it. The once impatient and selfish vampire she knew was gone, replaced with a self-sacrificing...champion, she supposed. No other word for it. She'd heard about more of his exploits than he knew she did. But she also knew he liked to hold onto the shell of his old persona, it was the only shield he had.

Once dressed, she headed for the kitchen, where the teen couple were digging into the massive pasta dish that Oz had prepared. The cupboards had revealed a mass of tinned food, not quite out of date yet and the feast he had made was making her mouth water.

A plate was pushed in front of the hungry slayer and she devoured it, not noticing Spike slip from the room. She looked up as Oz passed her a second plate and all four stopped briefly as they head the shower start again. Tiree sighed and Ryan took her hand, squeezing it tightly.

'He seems pretty tightly wound at the moment.' Oz commented, looking at Buffy. She nodded.

'He's hungry. But I daren't mention it. There's no animals round here, so he might be without for a while. It's all well and good us getting rest, food and clean clothes but...he's the best fighter I know. If we get to Washington and he has nothing to go on, he'll drop like a stone.' She pushed at her spaghetti with her fork.

'Why don't you...' Tiree started and then trailed off, shaking her head. 'Never mind. It's too dangerous.'

'I already thought about it. I don't think he'd take it.' Buffy said quietly. 'No matter how much he wanted it in the past, I don't think he'd risk it now. Somewhere down the line, Spike went and got all honourable.'

Oz smiled. 'Maybe he was before, just not in a way that benefited anyone but himself.'

Buffy looked at the wolf for a second and then smiled. 'Guess you're right, Oz. He's always been a funny kind of vampire.' She started eating again and looked towards the doorway as a low noise started vibrating through the house. The other three followed her gaze as she started to giggle.

'For one, most vampires don't sing in the shower.'

-I-E-H-

The storm had only gotten worse, and Spike watched the lightening play across the sky as he stood on the porch of their temporary home. He hadn't scented or smelt anything out of the ordinary so far, and was letting his mind wander a little.

Had things changed so much? He barely recognised the person he had become. He fought for the side of good, one of the last of his kind. He was travelling with the Slayer of all people...but god how he had missed her. Her light, her strength, her sarcastic quips...Drusilla would be laughing at him right now. If she wasn't burning in hell.

He didn't know what was to become of them, this small group of people in this abandoned house with it's overgrown yard. Right now, the four in the house slept soundly, probably for the first time in years. Spike could undeniably say he liked Oz. He was a funny and stoic bloke, who often knew exactly what was going on but didn't say anything. Ryan had a hint of the whelp Buffy used to hang about with, which he knew upset her sometimes. Tiree was a strange girl, she was liked aged innocence, but with attitude. Reminded him of the first time he fought Buffy, when she was still wet behind the ears.

Before she lost everything.

He tried to stop thinking for a minute. It hurt to try and make sense of all his feelings now. It confused him. He knew he didn't hate the Slayer anymore, and contrary to what he had said to Oz a few days previous, he did not want her dead. He worried about her, was concerned for her.

He'd spent two years thinking about her and worrying about her every move.

God it was so wrong.

A sound from inside the house had his thoughts stop midflow. He moved inside the front door as quick as the lightening he had been observing, and stood, listening. Oz was snoring softly, the two teens breathing lightly as they slept...Buffy was tossing and turning and...

Whimpering.

Whimpers turned into a scream.

It was mere seconds before he was at her side, scooping her up and holding her as she thrashed against a nightmare, shouting and screaming, pounding her fists against his chest. His hearing let him know the other occupants were awake now, Oz appearing in his line of sight a few moment later, then disappearing again when he saw they were not under attack. He shut the door behind him, giving the vampire and Slayer some privacy as he roused her from her nightmare.

'Spike?' She gasped out, fisting his t-shirt in her hand, tears soaking the fabric. 'I thought you were...' She stopped, shaking her head. He sighed, running his hand through her hair, kissing her head and holding her tighter.

They remained like that for what seemed like hours, her breathing and occasional sniff the only noise in the room.

When she pulled away, she looked up at him, wiping her face with the sleeve of the t-shirt she had worn to bed.

'I'm sorry.' She whispered.

'What for, pet?' He asked, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. 'You had a nightmare.'

'I got your clean shirt all wet.' She glanced at the closet. 'Now you'll have to raid the closet again, and there might not be another black one.' He chuckled at her observation and rubbed her arm with his hand.

'I'm sure I can live with another colour, Buffy.' He stood up, looking towards the door. 'Why don't you get some more sleep. It's still raining out, storm isn't passing any time soon. We'll be here another day or so I reckon.'

She was silent, staring at him, and he cocked his head to the side.

'Buffy?'

The Slayer looked at him and then to the bed, dropping her hands into her lap as she fiddled with the ring she still wore on her left hand. She didn't even remember where she got it from – it would probably hurt too much to try.

'Will...will you stay here with me please?' She asked quietly. He paused, frowning at her slightly before relaxing and nodding. Buffy moved over and pulled the duvet back so he could climb in, he removed his shoes and t-shirt, leaving the jeans on, before slipping in and gathering her up in his embrace, holding her tight. He warmed quickly under the duvet and she sighed, snuggling down into his embrace.

A few moments passed and a knock on the door had Spike shifting against her. Oz's voice filtered through. Buffy couldn't make out the words but Spike replied with a brief 'no worries, mate' and returned to his original position. Buffy shifted her head in question.

'He said he's going to take watch, the kids have gone back to sleep.' He murmured into her hair, tightening his hold on her briefly.

She nodded and for a while they were silent, her breathing uneven so he knew she wasn't asleep. It didn't take long for her to turn over. They stared at each other, blue eyes clashing with hazel, and her hand travelled up to touch his face. He closed his eyes against her touch, and didn't open them again, even when she leaned forward and kissed him, tentatively, on the lips. He didn't open his eyes when she deepened the kiss and her arms snaked round his neck, pulling him closer. He still didn't open them when she stopped kissing him on the lips and her mouth moved to his neck.

He only opened them when she bit down softly, his demon face flying to the fore and he stiffened. She stopped and frowned, pulling back and watching him struggle for control. 'You're hungry.' She whispered. He nodded, his two faces fighting for dominance as he gulped. Buffy kissed him again, feeling his fangs explode through his gums. He growled a little and then tried to pull away from her, but she held him still. He was near starved, the expired blood from a few nights ago had not lasted him long at all, so his strength was no match for hers.

'You won't last much longer without blood, Spike.'

'I can make do.' He whispered.

'No you can't. And my blood is stronger, you'll only need a bit.'

'Not risking it.' He tried to pull away again.

'Don't pull the macho bullshit on me, mister.' Buffy stopped his struggles. 'I know you won't hurt me. I trust you, Spike.'

Those words hit something in him. A part of him rebelled at the fact the Slayer trusted him, but the world had changed so much it didn't matter. The majority of him couldn't be happier at her declaration. But she was asking too much of him. He didn't know if he could hold back enough not to hurt her.

'Spike.' She whispered, pulling him closer, kissing him again, 'You need to feed.' She didn't know quite what she was doing, or where this was going. But in all the angst of the past years, they both needed a little comfort.

She peppered his face with kisses and then moved down to his neck again, feeling his considerable arousal against her stomach. She left it a few seconds and then bit down softly on his neck, waiting for a response. He went rigid again, so she bit harder.

Like a flash, he had her underneath him. He kissed her hard, his hands somehow everywhere on her. She groaned and tried to get him to feed again but he wasn't having any of it. He snarled at her and pinned her wrists.

'I will not hurt you, Buffy.' He said, quietly but firmly. She went to protest and he shushed her, kissing her hard. 'We do this my way, or not at all.' He smirked at her and she felt hot all of a sudden, nodding her consent as he moved down her body, kissing her all the way. She'd only gone to be with a t-shirt and panties on, and the panties didn't stand up to an assault from a vampire. She was fairly certain she'd be raiding the other closet again too.

Spike settled between her legs, his fingers trailing patterns over her skin and making her ache and shudder with every touch. He smirked as he trailed his tongue down her pelvic bone, feeling her arc into his mouth as he touched the tip of her womanhood. Slayer strength killed the bedsheets as she twisted her hands in the fabric, tearing it. His tongue was working some kind of magic over her body as she tossed and turned, gasps and groans music to his ears.

It didn't take long for her to reach her peak and she arched almost completely off the bed, Spike's touch driving her insane, her brain whiting out at the sensations she was feeling. So lost in bliss was she, that she didn't even feel his fangs penetrate her leg, and the bloodloss only caused her to float for ages on her orgasm.

As she lay there in a raptured state, Spike crawled up the bed to lay beside her, his skin hot from her blood and the contact between them. She could barely think straight. Well, she could only think one thing.

She was definitely going to sleep well now.

A/N: I'm not sure how this went. I don't want them to go too fast, but Spike's pretty much a sexual person and he's been without for so long, it might be hard for him to hold back lol and Buffy could certainly use a bit of the ol' how's your father. Guess we'll have to see how this pans out for me. Please don't be too disappointed if I can't post a chapter every week, I am trying to get these done, but in between looking after a three-month-old and trying to lose weight, whilst running a house...well, RL is pretty busy!