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. Having taken much needed rest and shelter in an abandoned house in Wilmington, and shared an experience that gave Buffy an almost normal sense of life again, she finds herself taking happiness in both hands for a change….

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

I-E-H

Spike was watching her sleep.

Wasn't the first time since he had found her again that he had done it.

Certainly wouldn't be the last if he had any say in it.

He knew deep down that she didn't love him yet. But he also knew it wouldn't take her long to get there. He'd thought about her so much since he'd ditched her at the Hellmouth and so much of him had been consumed with guilt. Spending time with Joyce had alleviated that guilt. Talking to Tara had helped. Funny how it took an apocalypse for him to finally realise what he wanted and get some real friends in the process. But he remembered the pain and trials it had taken to get to where he was now, and he knew there were more to come. Made him all the more grateful for the blonde currently resting up against him.

Last night had meant so much to him.

He hoped to high hell that it had meant the same to her.

'I can't believe we're here.' She whispered, sliding her hands down his chest and kissing his forehead.

'Can't believe it because it's me?' He asked, looking up at her with all the fragility of a small child.

'Can't believe I feel happy.' She smiled, kissing away his shock.

So much pain had befallen both of them. She'd been right. They should grab whatever happiness they could with both hands. The world was so dark and harsh. Even he couldn't stand it. He didn't think he'd have made it much further without something….someone….to fight for. Now he had her.

He wasn't bloody letting go that was for sure.

I-E-H

Oz looked up as the front door opened onto the porch. The rain had stopped at some point during the night, and the sky had cleared, leaving the stars to twinkle down on the deserted earth. Spike sat down heavily on the porch, a look of contentment on his face as he lit up a cigarette. The former werewolf smiled, raising an eyebrow at his comrade. The vampire glared back.

'What?'

'Absolutely nothing.' Oz replied with his usual even tone, looking back up to the stars. For a while they sat in silence, both relaxed but alert for any danger. Spike noticed that the shotgun rested against Oz's chair, ready and cocked for any intruders. But there wouldn't be any. The town was dead, no patrols had any reason to come here.

'So how did you end up where you are?' Spike asked, exhaling cigarette smoke as he spoke. Oz didn't break his gaze from the sky, taking everything in.

'I was in New York, doing some open mic sessions when I saw what was happening. Government had no explanation, media were coming up with their own ideas. By the time I realised it was a demon thing, and related to the jerks that kidnapped me, it had spread most of the way across America. I went into hiding in upstate New York but that got overrun pretty quick. So I travelled from camp to camp, wound up at Trenton, found myself a cosy spot there. Was there for about six months before we heard that it had taken over pretty much everywhere else. I wasn't sure where to go from there.' He looked over at Spike. 'I'm glad you guys came along. Gave me something to focus on again.'

'I'm sorry we couldn't give you more.' Spike said quietly, stubbing his smoke out under his foot. Both men knew who he was referring to. Oz didn't say anything, just shrugged slightly.

Silence consumed the porch. Spike didn't know what else to say and Oz was not a talkative spirit by nature.

But right now, silence was perfect.

I-E-H

'We should move on.' Buffy announced in the morning over breakfast. The rest of the group, with the exception of Spike, who was still in bed, looked up from their food and nodded.

'I guess as nice as it is here, we can't stay forever.' Tiree agreed, putting her fork down on her empty plate. 'It won't be safe forever.'

Buffy nodded, standing with her plate and taking it to the sink. 'I'd suggest that we leave at nightfall. Everything is ready to go. Just gotta figure out the best route from here. Spike's probably the person to do that.' She looked out of the window, biting her lip. 'There's a big fight ahead of us. We've all rested and rejuvenated here, now it's time to face the fireworks I guess.'

'It'll probably take another three days to get there, two without resting.' Ryan said, pulling the map out from where it had been laying on the kitchen side. He spread it over the table and examined it. 'We could go straight down the Delaware turnpike. Might be quicker.'

'It'd be safer to cut through Newark.' Spike said, appearing in the doorway and startling Ryan from his intense staring at the map. 'Go down that way and there's more parks, back roads. Main roads will be more dangerous. I'm not expecting anything, but we can make Newark in four hours. We keep going and we can stop in Baltimore by tomorrow night, rest there and carry on to Washington. That'll be another twelve hour stretch. It's gonna push us but hopefully we'll have time to recover and plan before the big strike. Way I see it, they can't do anything with the information Tiree has anyway.' He looked at Buffy. 'But we all need to agree.'

Buffy watched him for a second, feeling a blush come to her cheeks. Then she nodded. 'He's right. We're a team. If we're all agreed, we'll set out in ten hours. Give us enough time to get everything together, have a good meal and stuff.' She looked around the room, seeing nods from the other three.

Spike moved to leave the room again, and Buffy followed, hearing the young couple start chatting together. She caught up with the vampire as he headed back into the bedroom and caught his arm.

'You had enough sleep?' She asked, looking up at him. He smiled, rubbing his thumb over her hand whilst pulling it away from his arm.

'I don't need much. Just a quick recharge. Gonna go grab a shower.' He said, nodding in the direction of the bathroom.

'That's a good plan.' She said, smiling back at him. His eyes darkened and he gripped her hand a bit tighter.

'There's not much water left.' He purred, making her feel hot and clammy in a second. 'Maybe we should share.'

Buffy stumbled for words, eventually finding none, and blushing furiously, she pushed him into the bedroom.

All the occupants of the kitchen heard was the shutting of a door and the shower turning on.

I-E-H

Ryan adjusted his backpack as he waited on the front lawn for the others. Tiree was halfway up a tree, scoping out the road ahead. It wasn't particularly necessary but he knew she loved being up so high. If her tattered wings weren't broken, he knew it'd be hard to keep her on the ground. As it was, he was kinda glad she was down on earth with him.

He'd found himself incredibly grateful for someone to fight with, and be with during the whole apocalypse issue. He understood why Buffy and Spike had connected so quickly. It was hard to be alone in this world. He knew even Oz was probably feeling it. What he had heard from the Slayer and her partner had made him feel for the small werewolf, that the only girl he had loved was one of the first casualties of war. If it had been Tiree, if he'd never had the chance to be with her, it would have broken him.

In some way, he thought maybe this war was a good thing. Buffy had seemed tense and miserable the first few days, looking like she was on a knife edge from giving up. Now she had something; something to fight for, to hold on to, maybe she would be better off for it. He hoped so. Otherwise they were all doomed.

Tiree landed next to him with a thud, then kissed him and stood beside him, taking his hand in hers. Her pack was lighter than his, mainly because he was still of the opinion that girls shouldn't carry much. Call him All-American, it was just the way he was raised.

The front door opened and Spike practically skipped out, jumping down the steps with his backpack in hand. Ryan looked him over with a half smile, watching as the vampire hefted the pack onto his back and looked at the young man. He shrugged. 'What?'

Ryan's half smile became a full smile. 'You're not limping anymore.' He said, pointing at Spike's previously injured leg.

Spike glared at him. 'Yeah, it's amazing what a bit of rest will do, innit?' His tone indicated that the conversation was over. Ryan took the hint and shut up. It was probably a wise thing to do.

Buffy and Oz quickly joined them, the Slayer slipping her hand into Spike's almost instinctively, and she looked around at their assembled group. It was an hour after nightfall, and they had to cover a lot of ground before they could rest again. By the other side of Newark, they would have to go underground, and Spike said it could take a while to find a sewer system good enough for travelling through. Not to mention, they had no idea what camps or enemies they could come across in the meantime.

'There's a storm coming from behind us.' Spike said, sniffing the air. 'We'd best get a move on. Got a couple of hours on it, but we don't want to be wet as well as tired. Best to get underground before it hits.' He looked to Buffy, who started walking, and he followed, the rest of their party close behind. They fell into a rhythm quickly, and started off up the main road.

It was going to be a long road to battle.

I-E-H

Two hours had passed and a light drizzle had begun to fall. The group had kept their formation, Oz toting the shotgun in the middle, and Tiree had been darting off occasionally to scout. She was the fastest, undoubtedly, and she used it to her advantage. They had started seeing signs for lots of parks, and there were a lot of trees around them, which made for good cover just in case. Spike was so on alert that he had dropped Buffy's hand and gone into gameface. She hadn't protested, her own sense at maximum capacity. She didn't want anything getting the drop on them. She couldn't even allow her mind to wander to the past few days and the change in dynamic between her and Spike. Happiness was one thing, allowing it to kill you was another.

Spike stopped suddenly, and Tiree appeared from her scouting, running faster. She skidded to halt and spoke in hushed tones. 'There's a patrol up ahead, coming down Main Street onto the Newport Pike. Only five. What's the plan?'

The vampire sniffed the air and looked to Buffy. 'Five hybrids, pet. If we can find out what class they are then decide. Did you see any clarification? Weapons, parts?' He asked the witch nymph. She nodded, as Ryan came to her side and Oz gathered with them.

'Looked like lower class. Minimal machinery, no special demon parts, just regular. Carrying machine guns, couldn't see what type. I can disable those. They should be susceptible to the shotgun too.'

'No. I don't want gunfire.' Buffy said, shaking her head. 'One patrol means there may be another, or a stationary point round here. Gunfire will draw more of them to us.'

Spike agreed and chewed his lip for a moment. 'Tiree, you take out the guns. Do you need to get close?'

'As long as I can see them I can do it.'

'Right. Good.' Spike pointed at Ryan and Oz. 'No heroics. Don't use the guns. Close range weapons and don't get killed. Try and let me and Buffy handle it, we're the strongest.'

The others all nodded and Spike took point, leading them towards the Newport Pike. They were only a few metres from the edge of the road, in the shelter of a car dealership when he stopped, shushing them. The mechanical demons marched by suddenly, in dull formation, walking exactly in time. Tiree shut her eyes and muttered something, before a strange breeze blew past them and hit the cyborgs. The beasts immediately stopped and turned in their direction, raising their weapons to fire. They paused when they realised they were not working and Spike roared as he charged the first of the group. It didn't take two seconds for the other to follow suit, flying into the fray with pleasure. Buffy tore apart one of the cyborgs and began to help Oz, him being the only non-superbeing there.

Within ten minutes the battle was over and Spike was assessing the damage. Their group was intact, Ryan was the only injured party with a slash to his face. Tiree was fussing over him. Buffy and Oz stood panting, and the vampire smiled victoriously. It had felt good to do some fighting. But they couldn't stop for long. The rain was getting heavier and he had a feeling that the storm was catching up them sooner than he would have liked. They needed to go underground.

'What's the plan?' Buffy asked, wiping her machete on a nearby lamppost before replacing it at her side.

'We need to get underground. There's only one way to do that. I can guarantee that one of these buildings has a basement. I'm betting on that liquor shop over there. So we try that, get underground and carry on.' As he spoke, the heavens opened and the rain drenched them. It didn't take any encouragement for all of them to run to the liquor store and break in. Spike's hunch was correct and they located the basement and a sewer access rather quickly. All five of them piled through and Ryan pushed the door shut behind them. The group turned and immediately found flashlights in their faces as they faced off with ten men, dressed in fatigues and holding guns.

'Stand down.' A voice echoed from around the corner and Buffy almost fainted. Spike baulked and paled even more.

The elder gentlemen stepped into view as the soldiers dropped their guns but not their torches. Illuminated by the lights, the man who had spoken stood in front of them, dressed in fatigues that had seen better days. One sleeve jacket was pinned up underneath his elbow, where he had clearly lost the lower part of his limb. His face was shrouded in shadow but clearly scarred, although through his disfigurement it was obvious who he was. His glasses were cracked at one side of the left lens.

But his smile had not changed.

'Buffy?'

The Slayer faltered, only Spike's grip holding her up as she stared at the face of someone she'd thought dead for two years.

'G….Giles?'

I-E-H

Two chapters in 24 hours, aren't you lucky XD I know this one is quite short too, but I wanted to get their journey on the way and this just sort of flowed. Everything will be explained in the next chapter. No promises on a time limit though. Although, reviews may make me go quicker…..