Title: Fire of Azrael

Author: Gillian Silverlight

Distribution: my site @ www.homestead.com/gilliansspikelair/ , those that have previous permission to post my fiction, others please ask. (If you post my fiction, please do not split or rearrange sentence groupings. To do so can make the story hard to follow. Thanks)

Disclaimer: The characters of BtVS belong to Joss and the WB, UPN and just about everyone except me. Many of the other characters belong to Laurell K. Hamilton, the rest belong to me.

Summary: Sequel to ‘Interview With A Vampire’

Buffy and Spike go to St. Louis to pick up a mystical artifact and see friends.

Unfortunately, nothing is ever quite that simple.

Rating: NC-17 for violence

Fire Of Azrael

“Ah, Buffy. Good, I had wanted to talk to you.” Giles told the blonde Slayer as she entered the Magick Shop.

“What’s up, Giles?”

“I’ve had a letter from a colleague of mine, a Mr. Karl Yamamoto. He’s in St. Louis and has an artifact that he felt might be most useful to us. He said its something called ‘The Fire of Azrael’. It’s a mystical gem that, in the right hands, can act as a window to the future.”

“Wow! That’s pretty wiggy, Giles. Sounds like it might be kinda… dangerous. Both to use and to have.”

“Quite so. That’s why Karl wants to get it to us… to you. I think Willow and Tara may be able to use it. I know we have defeated Glory, but there is still the fact that Dawn is an energy being trapped in a human body. I think it would be best if we knew what Dawn was supposed to do. This might answer some of the questions we have regarding Anya, Spike and Angel as well.”

Buffy’s forehead wrinkled as she frowned, thinking about everything she and Giles had discussed about this. Not to mention the conversations she and Spike had had about it.

“Okay, Giles. I guess you want me to go get it?”

“Yes, Karl is not in a position where he can leave now. There’s something he’s not saying, but I felt it best not to press him on the matter.

Then too, you do have contacts in St. Louis with Ms. Blake and Jean-Claude. Perhaps they might help you since it is their area and they may know the situations much better.”

“Yeah, it’d be nice to see them again. We’ve talked a lot over the last few months since they were here, but seeing them would be good.” Buffy sounded a bit distracted, as if she was almost thinking out loud.

“Yeah, it would be good. So when do you want me and Spike to leave?”

“You would be taking Spike with you?”

“Giles, I’m not going somewhere like that without some kind of backup. Spike and I work well together and since we came to our… understanding, I’d really rather not go without him. I can trust him at my back. Besides, I know he’d enjoy seeing Jean-Claude.”

“Very well. I’ll call the airport and see if I can get you a flight out tonight after dark and still get you there before sunrise in St. Louis.”

“Ok, I’ll go home and pack. Then we have to call Anita and Jean-Claude to let them know we are coming.”

“Is that wise? Others may find out as well.”

“Maybe it’s not wise in that respect. But since Jean-Claude is the Master of the City there and Spike is the Master of the City here, the boys have to play nice and call each other. All that arcane vampire protocol, you know.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll ring you as soon as I have your flight numbers. You’ll need to stop back by here for a letter of introduction to Karl.

“ ‘K. Let me go tell Spike and get those phone lines burning.” Buffy left the store and headed straight to Spike’s house. He might even be awake.

She let herself in with the key he had given her. He’d presented it to her after they had finally taken a new step in their relationship. Buffy had to smile. It WAS a relationship and she DID enjoy it. They might not have all the answers, but it was a good relationship. She never felt the guilt or angst that had always been present in her relationship with Angel.

Angel… That was a place she didn’t want to go. Yes, she still loved him and always would. But it wasn’t something either of them could do. They’d hurt each other so much that even if he were to be human tomorrow, there would be no going back, even if Spike had not been in her life. Spike made her laugh, they had fun together. He understood her, sometimes better than she understood herself. He was honest with her, even if she didn’t always like it. Shaking her head to clear it a bit, she looked at the room around her.

She really liked the house that Jean-Claude had convinced Spike to buy. It was a small but well designed stone faced house toward the edge of town. It had a secure basement that Spike had reinforced at Jean-Claude suggestion. It made a safe base of operations for the new Master of Sunnydale.

The two vampires had done wonders with the decorations in the house. Jean-Claude had superb taste in furnishings as well as clothes, Buffy had noticed.

The Slayer knew that it had taken the visiting vampire a bit of reasoning to finally talk Spike into some splurge-y use of color thorough-out the house.

The living room had been done in shades of a deep green and burgundy. The plush oriental carpets on the glossy hardwood floor were a burgundy and cream. The couch that sat diagonally across one of the large rugs was a buttery soft, over stuffed leather in a matching cream color. Spike had covered it with a variety of green and burgundy pillows.

Buffy smiled to herself as she remembered how often those same pillows wound up on the floor either from their lovemaking on the couch or from pillow fights.

As she glanced around the living room that was becoming like a second home to her, the small blonde Slayer thought about what a difference Anita and Jean-Claude had made in their lives.

Spike was out of his dank, dingy crypt and had this beautiful house. The blonde master vampire had shouldered the responsibility of the Master of the City here in Sunnydale and the Hellmouth was under better control because of the power of the Master of the City.

Spike had learned more about himself in the last few months than in the previous 120 plus years. He even dressed better, and had more confidence in himself.

It had been a very good thing.

Buffy’d learned more about herself as well. They had a good, if odd relationship.

* Any relationship between a vampire and a slayer or executioner HAD to be odd. *

The Slayer headed to Spike’s bedroom to wake her lover.

****************************************

Buffy stepped through the door of the bedroom that Spike insisted on using. Jean-Claude had cautioned the younger vampire to sleep in the more secure basement, but Spike refused any such suggestions.

The room was done in deep shades of the same green, a lush dark purple and a soft black. The mix might have sounded really ‘ewwww’, but the effect was beautiful and restful.

The petite blonde Slayer gazed at the blonde vampire asleep on the queen-sized bed covered in black silk sheets. His pale skin stood out in stark contrast like glistening marble against the dark background.

A flush of warmth oozed from her toes to her face as she admired his lean muscular body, remembering it against her own tanned skin…

She took a deep breath to settle herself.

“Spike. Spike, wake up, babe.” Buffy shook his shoulder slightly. That earned her a groan as she was pulled into the arms of the vampire she had come to love.

Spike pulled her down on the bed beside him.

“Wha’s up, Slayer?” His voice was still groggy with sleep.

“We have to go to St. Louis, Spike. You’ll need to call Jean-Claude and I need to call Anita. Giles is getting us plane tickets for tonight after sunset.”

Spike rolled over, laying his head on her shoulder, snuggling into her side. “Why do we need to go to St. Louis, luv? Problem?”

“Giles needs us to go get some mystical artifact from a colleague of his.” Buffy told the drowsy vampire about the previous conversation as he tried to burrow back under the covers, dragging her with him.

“Ummm. ‘K. Can I sleep a bit longer, luv?”

“Sorry Spike, we need to get up and get ready. We’ve got phone calls to handle.”

“I’ve got you ‘ere in my arms, I’m already in bed, ‘ow ‘bout we ’andle’ that?”

He looked up at her with that wicked little smile he’d always had, but had learned to use so much better.

* He learned a LOT from Jean-Claude.* Buffy thought to herself as Spike launched a diligent assault on her senses. * Oooo! There’s… yes! And … Oh!*

Buffy gasped as Spike’s voice rippled down her spine, warm and tingling. She felt that familiar heat start low in her abdomen, tightening her skin and making her breathe faster.

The Slayer gave in to the demands of her body and the inevitable, as she slid all the way down in the bed, beside the blonde vampire, and captured his lips with hers.

He kissed her like he wanted to drink her, like a good wine. His hands were running over her back, lightly, barely touching her skin beneath her shirt, yet setting her on fire with the need for him.

The blonde Slayer finally broke the kiss to catch her breath and started removing her clothing. Spike’s hands were no less busy as he helped her undress.

As Buffy slid back under the heavy black silk sheets next to Spike, he kissed her again, pressing her to him close enough to try and climb right through her.

The phone calls could wait for a while. And did.

*****************************************

They lay with Spike wrapped around her back, as close as he could get to her. He never got enough of this woman he loved. That she had finally admitted to loving him in return was more of a miracle than he could ever have hoped for, he marveled to himself, as he lay snuggled next to her, like a cat basking in front of a fire.

Buffy was limp with satisfaction. He was the best lover she could ever imagine. Just as he knew her mind so well, he knew her body even better. The right places to touch, the right way to touch them.

Her mind turned back to the subject she’d often thought about for the last few weeks.

Anita had made sure that Buffy knew the risks as well as the advantages of what the Slayer wanted.

Buffy wanted to be a part of this man behind her. She’d never live as long as he would. She was mortal, she was the Slayer. She was on borrowed time already. But she had so much to do, and she’d just finally found him and didn’t want to give that up at all.

Buffy turned over to face Spike. She raised her hand to trail her fingers down his cheek to touch his beautiful expressive lips.

“Spike, I have a favor to ask you. Hear me out all the way through, ok?”

He frowned slightly. It sounded like this was going to be something he might not like, but he’d listen to what she had to say… “ Okay, luv. What is it?”

She drew in a deep breath to brace her for this. “I’ve been talking to Anita a lot and I’ve thought about this and I’m serious. While we’re in St. Louis, I want you to get Jean-Claude to show you how to make me your human servant. I know all the risks. Anita has made sure of that. I also know the advantages. I don’t want to go all four marks, just three like she has.”

“Buffy, I don’t want to do that to you. Why would you ask me to…”

Buffy shook her head as she interrupted him, trying to make Spike understand how important this was to her.

“Spike, we both know I’m on borrowed time. I have just found you and I don’t want to lose you. I’ve got so much to do still. If you’ll do this, I’ll have enhanced strength, be immune to poisons, be much harder to kill and heal faster. I think there are some other things that Anita hasn’t told me, but I’m not sure what they are.”

“Jean-Claude told me about it. Said you’d been asking Anita. We’d be able to talk without words, pull on each other’s power. Makes me harder to kill as well as you… But Buffy, you know it also means that if one of us dies, the other one just might bloody well go with them. Be ‘urt badly at the least.”

Buffy shook her head at him again in disagreement.

“It doesn’t change anything. This way, being who I am… Well, Anita said that most likely we’ll be more like equals rather than master and servant. I don’t want to ever be Turned, Spike. You know that. But this will let me live longer, do more of what I need to do like save more people and the world…” She ducked her head as she told him softly, “… and stay with you longer.”

“Are you sure, luv? You have to be sure. We bloody well can’t undo it once it’s done!”

“Yeah, Spike, I’m sure. Please? Just talk to Jean-Claude about it.”

“I’ll think about it. But maybe all four of us should discuss it, okay, luv? They do know more about it.”

“Okay. We'll all talk about it.” Buffy kissed his cheek. “ Now, get out of bed, lazy vampire. We’ve gotta get to work.” She moved out of reach quickly before things got out of hand again. Or back into hands, as the case may be. Buffy hugged the feeling to herself with a smile.

Both Slayer and vampire headed to the bathroom to shower. Spike kept her favorite body wash here for her, as well as a closet full of clothes he’d surprised her with for their six-month anniversary. But then, he had his own closet full at her house as well.

It wasn’t what they wanted, but now that he had the house, he couldn’t just move in with her. She couldn’t just move out and in with him until Dawn was older. So they went back and forth between houses.

They dressed and packed a couple of bags. Buffy would have to go home and pick up those few things a gal often needed to have, as well as get Dawn to Giles’, or vice versa. Giles also had a room at her house he used when Buffy had to be away or out all night.

Each of them made their phone calls to St. Louis. Buffy called Anita first. The invitation was extended to stay at her home, since she did have the room and it was vampire-proofed, so to speak.

Spiked picked the phone back up to call Jean-Claude.

“Hello” It was a very cultured voice with a slight French accent, although Spike didn’t recognize the voice.

“Is Jean-Claude available? This is Spike, the Master of the City of Sunnydale.

* Will that ever NOT sound so strange? *

“Certainly, Spike. Jean-Claude has mentioned you to me. I am Asher, his second in command. Allow me to call Jean-Claude to the phone.”

Spike waited for a minute, hearing noises in the background, bits of conversation. Then Jean-Claude was on the other end of the line.

“Spike, how are you?”

“Fine, Jean-Claude. Buffy and I have to come to St. Louis. So I’m doing that courtesy thing. She has to pick up some artifact for her Watcher from a friend of his there.”

“Very well. It will be good to see the two of you again. Have you a place to stay already?”

“Yeah. Buffy called Anita first and she invited us to stay there. Said she has the room and it’s already vampire proof.” Spike chuckled a bit at the phrasing.

“Good, but you two will accept my hospitality at least one evening while you are here, will you not? I’d like for you to meet some of my people as well.”

“Sure. We all need to talk anyway. Buffy brought up something kinda serious and I need information on ‘ow, as well as should.”

“I understand. Since Anita made me aware of Buffy’s desire to be your human servant and her reasons for it. I have thought that perhaps we might discuss the matter. Most certainly a discussion is warranted. So when will you be in St. Louis?”

“Our plane leaves just after sunset so we should be there about 10pm or so.”

“Either Anita will meet you at the airport or I’ll have Asher there.”

“Thanks, Jean-Claude. Lookin’ forward to seeing you again.”

The two vampire Masters broke the phone connection; then Spike and Buffy grabbed their bags and headed to the car after a hurried call to Giles to arrange care for Dawn.

Buffy had had her mom’s car, now hers, redone to make it a bit safer for Spike. The windows had been tinted as dark as allowed in the front, and as dark as possible in the backseat. Then she’d added several of those roll down tint shades as well for more protection. Spike could ride in safety in the backseat any time, and if the day was overcast, he was safe in the front. It had made life a lot simpler for them.

They drove over to her house so she could pick up the other items she needed

***************************************

After hanging up the phone, Jean-Claude told Asher about the anticipated visit from Spike and Buffy that evening.

“If ma petite is busy, I’ll need you to pick them up at the airport, please Asher.”

“Certainly. Jason can drive. You are not worried about this other Master being here and seeing so much of your holdings? You said he was very powerful.”

“He is certainly powerful. A Master that strong after little more than a century? Then too, his mate wants to be his human servant. The strength of the Slayer would add to him as ma petit has added to my own. But no, I do not worry about his power. He does not want anything that I have. Power is not what drives him. It is his love for the Slayer that drives him in all things.”

“Some of your people may be uncomfortable. They have the Executioner here frequently, but now to include the Vampire Slayer?”

“It will be alright, Asher. We are friends.” Jean-Claude chuckled himself. Only he… no, only he and Spike could wind up with an executioner and a Slayer as their mates. It was so ironic.

*******************************************

“Giles, we’re ready to go. Did you want to stay here with Dawn while we’re gone, or did you want her to stay with you?” Buffy asked her Watcher over the phone.

“I’ll come over there, at least for tonight. Then Dawn and I can decide what we wish to do later.

Your flight leaves at 7pm, so you need to be at the airport by 6pm. You have a slight layover on the way, so you’ll get into St. Louis about 9:30.”

“Good that works. It gives us time to pick up our bags, and then Jean-Claude will have someone pick us up at 10. We’ll be staying at Anita’s. You have the number, right?”

“Um, yes. They both gave me their phone numbers when they were here.”

“Okay, we’ll be there shortly to pick up the letter and stuff from you. Dawn’s at Willow and Tara’s right now and they’ll drop her off with you then. Just let them know when you’re ready to leave the shop.”

“Quite. I’ll see you when you arrive,”

Buffy hung up the phone and picked up a notepad. She left several notes for Dawn and Giles, and then checked back though the bills on the desk before she left.

Jean-Claude had given Spike very good advice and information on how to increase his income and finances. Spike had not only used that information for himself but for her and Giles as well. They both knew that if anything happened to her, Giles would be the one to take care of Dawn. He was more of a father to both of them than her father had ever been.

Spike’s financial advise and help had made it easier to take care of supporting herself and Dawn, as well as finish her college, and slay; without having to fit in a job on top of it all.

Buffy had even been able to hire someone to manage the Gallery. It had a museum section now, and she’d renamed everything. The museum was the ‘Joyce Summers Memorial Museum’, and the Gallery was now the Summers Gallery. The manager would consult with Giles when necessary, as well as Angel about certain items. Angel’s input was usually done by phone or email. It kept him from having to drive up from the agency. It also meant he didn’t often have to see Buffy with Spike. The two blondes knew their relationship caused pain for Angel.

All in all, though, it had turned out well.

Spike and Buffy still made the trip to the cemetery once a week to ‘talk’ to Mom. It made them both feel better. She didn’t know if the rest of the Scoobies knew or not. If they did, they never mentioned it.

Since Spike became Master of Sunnydale, the Hellmouth had quieted. Oh, they still had more than their share of demons and vamps and nasties, but there hadn’t been any world-endage threatened in a while.

“Spike, can we stop and talk to mom real quick before we leave?”

“Yeah, luv. She’d like that.”

They swung by the cemetery for a few minutes to fill her in. It didn’t matter that Joyce couldn’t hear them. Everybody handled loss differently. This was their way. It was almost like she wasn’t gone, to be able to talk to her, even if there was no reply in return. Neither of them had ever even considered asking Anita to let them actually talk with Joyce. The dark haired woman was a Necromancer and raised zombies for a living in St. Louis, but to do that to Joyce… It would be too cruel for all of them.

*******************************************

The plane touched down right on time.

Buffy and Spike made their way to the baggage area and found their luggage. As soon as they walked outside the terminal, they looked for Anita or someone, anyone that might be from Jean-Claude. Buffy saw a blonde man just about her height who seemed to be waiting and scanning each person as they walked by. She nudged Spike, and they walked over to the young man. He looked to be about the same age as Buffy.

“Hi, sorry to bother you, but were you waiting on someone from California?” Buffy asked the man. She rubbed her arms as she felt a wave of hot prickling energy roll off of him.

“Are you Buffy and Spike?” The short blonde man asked them.

“Yeah. Who sent you?” Spike asked, making sure of the man’s identity.

“Jean-Claude sent me. I’m Jason. Asher’s waiting in the car.”

“Right. ‘S’what I needed to know. Where’s the car?” Spike grinned at the short blonde man as he reached down to pick up his and Buffy’s luggage.

“I’ll get that for you.” Jason grinned as he picked up all four bags as if they weighted nothing.

“Show off!” Buffy teased Jason slightly.

Jason looked over his shoulder at the small blonde Slayer.

“Hey, I’m stronger than I look.”

“Yeah, I felt the vibes. What are you, if I can ask?” Buffy was curious, the energy hadn’t felt like a vampires or like Anita’s or anything she had felt before.

“Lycanthrope. Wolf, to be exact.”

“So that’s what you guys feel like? That warm prickly kind of energy?” Buffy really wanted to learn more.

“Some of us do. Some are better at passing for human. But the closer to the full moon it gets, the more energy. Also the more upset a lycanthrope is, the more energy.” Jason explained.

“Okay. We had a friend that was a lycanthrope, but I never felt anything like that from him. He finally moved away looking for someone to teach him how to control his wolf. We’ve not seen him since then and kinda miss him, ya know?”

“What’s his name? Maybe I can get a line on him for you.”

“Oz or to be more correct, Daniel Osborn. He’s a bit taller than me, reddish hair if he’s not colored it something else, played bass in a alternative kinda band.”

“I’ll see what I can find out for you, if you’d like.”

“I’d really appreciate that, Jason. Like I said, we miss him. Thanks for the offer to try and find him.”

Jason simply nodded and smiled as they reached the car. The back door opened and a man about Spike’s height got out. He had beautiful shoulder length golden blonde hair and the most gorgeous face either of Buffy or Spike had ever seen on a man. His eyes were a pale icy blue.

Then he turned.

The other side of his face looked like melted wax. Neither Buffy nor Spike could imagine what could have caused such damage, but they knew it had hurt horribly just from the look of it.

As the couple approached, the man stepped forward and Buffy realized, ‘vampire’. He extended his hand to them.

“I am Asher. You must be Buffy, the Slayer and Spike, Master of the City of Sunnydale.”

“Yes, we are. Nice to meet you Asher.” Buffy wanted to ask what had happened, but didn’t want to upset him.

“Good to meet you, Asher. We spoke on the phone when I called Jean-Claude earlier.”

“Yes, nice to meet you as well. Shall we go?”

Jason got back behind the wheel and started the car moving into traffic. The silence was as thick as fog on a cold river during a hot day as it wrapped around each of them.

Buffy decided to break the barrier surrounding them.

“Not to upset you, Asher. But would you tell me what happened?”

He did not pretend to not know what she meant.

“It was about 200 years ago. Some men of the church thought they could exorcise the devil out of me with holy water. It was a horrible experience that I do not like to speak of…” Asher seemed to drift into a separate world as he spoke. “I lost someone I loved dearly… and almost threw away a second person as well as a second chance.” Buffy watched the vampire visibly pull the layers of himself back together and wall the memory away. “I understand from Jean-Claude that holy objects have a different effect on those of your line, Spike. For us, the damage never heals.”

Buffy put her hand on his arm. “Sorry you had to go through that, Asher. It’s a horrible thing for someone to do to you.”

“Please do not feel pity for me.” The golden haired vampire’s voice sounded stiff and unyielding.

“No, Asher, not pity. But I can sympathize and be sorry that anyone hurt you that way.”

Asher looked into Buffy’s hazel eyes. He saw honesty there but no pity. He reached down and took Buffy’s hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “Thank you then for your concern.” He kissed the back of her hand and released it.

“Jason is taking us to Anita’s. I understand from Jean-Claude that you will stay with her while you are here.”

“Yeah, she offered first and we didn’t want to impose on Jean-Claude, but we did tell him we’d come over while we’re here. It’ll be good to see him again.”

Asher noticed that the white blonde vampire had his arm around the Slayer the entire time. He understood Jean-Claude’s comment that Spike’s driving motivation was Buffy. It was obvious the vampire was very much in love with the woman.

“If you are able to do so, perhaps you can visit tomorrow night? I was told to mention this to you.”

“Don’t know, Asher. Buffy’s gotta get in touch with her Watcher’s friend first. We’ll do that soon as we can, or once the sun sets. Don’t want her going alone to get this thing.”

“A wise move, Spike. Would you like Jean-Claude to send Jason with the car to take you to your destination?”

“Thanks, but Buffy’ll get a rental car in the morning, then we can drive wherever we need to without bothering you guys.”

“What if she is unavailable to drive you somewhere?”

“Guess I’ll bloody well drive myself then.”

“You drive?”

“Well, that’s what Spike calls it.” Buffy grinned at her mate.

”Watch it, Slayer! I remember teaching you how to drive, you know. Scared the bloody stop signs off the sidewalks, you did.”

“At least I never took down the town sign.”

“Did that on bleedin’ purpose! Hated that damned thing.”

Asher watched the exchange between the couple. Spike was a very different vampire than any Asher had been used to before. Spike was plainly very much in love with the Slayer and she with him. In fact, the visiting Master seemed to be a bundle of openly expressed emotions.

*How odd.*

*********************************************

Once Jason had pulled up at Anita’s house, he grabbed their bags out of the trunk while Asher unlocked the door for them.

“Jean-Claude said that Anita had left a key for the two of you upstairs in the room she prepared for you. So when you need to leave to handle your errands, you will be able to lock the door. Jean-Claude loaned me this one to let you in and I must return it to him tonight.” Asher offered a folded piece of paper to Spike.

“Jean-Claude asked me to give you this map as well. It will help you find your way around the city and has directions to find the Circus.”

“ Yeah… Knowing Jean-Claude and Anita, he’d not want to be locked out of her house.” Buffy turned slightly to glance at Spike. The look spoke volumes about their own history. Looking again at Jason and Asher, Buffy queried, “Circus?”

* Why would we want to go to a circus? * The small blonde wondered to herself.

“It’s the nightclub Jean-Claude owns, ‘The Circus of the Damned’.” Jason told them as he came back into the living room.

“Oh. That where Jean-Claude wants us to meet him tomorrow?” Spike asked Asher.

“Yes. It is where we all live. There are rooms below the entertainment area.”

“Makes it easy, I guess. You never have to go out unless you want to…” Buffy mused out loud.

“It can be safer sometimes. There are some groups in the area that do not like vampires or lycanthropes. They are very against human/vampire or shape-shifter relationships as well. They have killed on occasion.”

“Not good! I was hoping to relax a bit while we were here, but we’ll keep an eye out for them. Thanks for the warning.” Buffy told the other vampire.

“Is there a local butcher shop where I can pick up some blood?” Spike questioned.

“We can loan you a shape-shifter while you are here, for food, if you’d like.”

“Whoa! Loan Spike a shape-shifter? Like to munch on? You mean one of the lycanthropes? Your offer is appreciated, but… That’s really tempting Spike’s demon a bit too much.” Buffy knew Spike had learned that he didn’t have to drain someone to live, even though the demon in him seemed to think otherwise.

“I had heard about the demonic portion of his line of vampires, yet I have never met one before.” Asher was clearly puzzled.

Jason looked curious as well.

“It’s like this.” Spike shifted into his game-face, then morphed back to his human face again.

“Yeah whoa! Uh, I donate blood all the time to Jean-Claude or Asher or some of the other vamps, but I gotta tell you, that was a bit scary and I’ve seen some REALLY scary stuff!” Jason looked more than a bit nervous about Spike’s alter ego. Buffy felt the roiling energy more strongly than before as it poured off the werewolf in waves like a hot wind passing over her skin, nipping as it crawled along.

“ I have to agree, that was most unusual to see.” Asher commented.

“So feeding from a live donor can cause the demon to be stronger?”

“Yeah. And trust me, mate. We bloody well don’t want that happenin’. Be happy to tell you all about it while we’re here.”

“I would like the information, Spike; if you do not mind.”

Spike nodded his consent as Buffy spoke to Jason.

“Jason, if you can get a line on Oz while we’re here, I’d really appreciate it a lot.” Buffy mentioned, reminding the blonde wolf of his earlier offer.

* Too many blondes around. Me, Spike, Asher, Jason… Wow! *

“I’ll check with our pack leader and see what I can find out for you. We’ve gotta run now though. You can get blood at the butcher shop about two blocks over from here, though. Let me show you on the map before we go.”

Buffy and Asher chatted for a minute while Jason showed Spike where the shop was on the map.

They all said goodnight then the wolf and the vampire left.

“Spike, did you feel the energy from Jason? That was way wiggy!”

“Yeah, luv I did. Never felt anything like that from Oz.” Spike grinned that meltdown smile at Buffy. “How about we check out the shop? I’m a bit peckish. Two blocks we can walk with no problem.”

Buffy reached up to kiss him. “Sure thing. Maybe they will even have some munchies for me.”

They went up to the bedroom they would be using and grabbed the key that Anita had left for them, then headed out, map in hand to find the butcher shop. Jason had indicated it was open all night.

Buffy and Spike walked down the street hand in hand, looking at the area around them.

The section of town where Anita had her house was right on the edge of where an older commercial and older residential area met. Some of the houses as you approached the commercial area had been turned into small businesses or offices.

Anita’s house was set back from the street, but an effort had been made to remove the bushes in the front of the home, although it still had deciduous woods some distance behind her house.

They found the shop with no problem and Spike got his supplies as well as some food for Buffy.

They were almost back to Anita’s house when they heard a noise in the shrubs off to their left.

“Spike, we didn’t bring any weapons. Let’s get back a little faster.”

“Good idea, luv. We don’t need any bleedin’ problems as soon as we get here.”

Slayer and vampire both quickened their pace, staying alert for whatever had made the noise.

The rustling came again, closer to them this time, when suddenly a walking corpse charged out of the bushes for them.

The zombie was draped in tattered rags that had once been its clothes. Both eyes were dried and shriveled like small prunes in a socket too large for them. The remains of its flesh were a brownish-grey and looked like old beef-jerky. The bones showed through in places.

Buffy and Spike separated, each going to one side of the zombie. Buffy swung around and kicked it hard in the chest, staggering it. Spike hit it from the other side, but only made a hole in its ribs. It kept coming at them.

The zombie raised an arm, swinging at Buffy’s head. It caught her across the mouth as she tried to duck, splitting her lip slightly.

The shambling corpse stopped and looked at the Slayer with sightless eyes. Ignoring Spike now, it charged at Buffy, reaching for her with both sloughing hands, mouth open as it came toward her.

Spike grabbed the creature from behind by one arm and pulled hard, trying to keep it away from Buffy. All he got was the arm as it pulled away from the zombie.

The monster kept heading for Buffy. She managed to avoid the remaining arm as she caught it in the chest again, staggering it once more. Following up with a sweep, she knocked its legs out from under it. As it hit the ground, Spike caught it sharply under the chin with a vicious kick. The zombie’s head sailed into the bushes, leaving the rest of the corpse lying motionless on the ground in front of Spike and Buffy.

“Slayer, are you okay?”

“Yeah, you?”

“ ‘M okay too.”

They looked at the monster that had attacked them and headed quickly back to Anita’s in case this one had buddies out in the dark somewhere.

Once they were back inside and had locked the door, the unusual pair headed to the kitchen with the initial reason for their trip out. Their meal...

Buffy could tell by looking around that Anita didn’t do much cooking. Spike found a couple of mugs in the cabinet and pouring blood into one of them, stuck it in the microwave on the counter for a minute to warm.

Buffy had gotten a diet coke to go with her snack. She poured it into the other mug and got out her sandwich the butcher shop had made for her. Buffy had been surprised to discover that the shop had a nice little deli counter and had eagerly gotten the man behind the counter to make up a sandwich for her.

They were finally sitting down at the small table having their respective meals when the front door opened and Anita came inside.

“Hi, guys! Been here long?”

Anita was the same 5 foot 3 inches as Buffy. But where Buffy was blonde, Anita had black curling hair down past her shoulders. She took off her jacket, revealing a shoulder holster and gun.

“Long enough to get attacked by a zombie on the way back from the butcher shop Jason told us about.” Buffy told her friend.

“A zombie? But… That’s not good. I got called out last night to where a zombie had attacked someone. Tried to have the guy for a snack. That’s really unusual. Normally a zombie has to have an animator control it. Two uncontrolled zombies in two nights is not a good sign.”

The dark-haired necromancer shook her head. “Are you two alright?”

“Yeah, Buffy got a split lip, but it’ll heal pretty quick. Wasn’t a bleedin’ bit of fun though.”

“How’d you guys stop it?”

“I kicked it a couple of times, staggered it, finally knocked it down and Spike kicked it under the chin like he was going for a field goal with its head.” Buffy looked at her lover with a smile.

“He almost made it too, but no goal posts!” She laughed and Spike glared at her.

“Taking its head off will usually work. You guys want to finish up your meal and show me where it was? I need to check and make sure it’s not going to put itself back together.”

“They can do that?!” Spike asked the dark haired necromancer.

“Well, not normally. But this seems to be pretty not normal.”

“I’m finished for the time being. I’ll save the rest of the sandwich for later.” Buffy wrapped the other half of her sandwich up and put it in the fridge, ignoring the look from Spike. They’d had that argument already about his feeling she didn’t eat enough lately.

He finished off the rest of the blood in his mug, setting it in the sink and filling it with water.

“Spike, if I remember right, you can eat and drink other than blood, so you might want to be sure you have no blood smell about you. If these zombies are uncontrolled and attacking people, they will go straight for the smell of blood.”

“So once Buffy’s lip was split and bleeding, that’s why it went just for her… Right. Let me get friendly with my toothbrush real quick.” Spike turned to head up the stairs.

“Should I go grab a weapon, Anita, or do you think it stayed dead this time?” Buffy asked the slightly older woman.

“You bring your usual?” At Buffy’s nod, Anita reached into the cabinet and pulled out a large sheathed knife about 10 inches long.

“Can you handle one of these?”

Before Buffy could answer, Spike chuckled, remembering the sword fight Buffy had had with Angelus several years before. He was only a couple of steps up the staircase as he told Anita.. “Oh, yeah. The Slayer can handle that.”

Buffy gave him a look that told him he was in trouble later. “Yeah, Anita. I can handle most weapons. Except maybe a gun, but only because I’ve never used one”

“If we have a chance, I can help solve that problem. We can go over to the firing range and get you used to one.”

“What exactly are guns good for in my line of work?” Buffy asked, quite curious as to where Anita was going with this line of thought.

“Normal lead bullets are good for people and fairies. Silver for lycanthropes and vamps. But if the vamp is a master or old, silver might only hurt them. I’m not sure how they’d work on the type of vamp you usually get. They might be handy for some of the demons you handle though.”

“It’s an idea. Yeah, if we can hit the range, I’d like that. Then Giles and I can talk about it being a useful weapon or not, when I get home.”

“After we go through the firing range, if you are as good with guns as you are with other weapons, I can loan you one while you’re here. If you decide after you get back home that you want one, let me know. I have some good contacts.” Anita thought about Edward and knew that he’d be able to help her find a handgun small enough for Buffy, if she wanted one. The tiny blonde Slayer had hands even smaller than Anita’s own hands.

“Yeah, that’d be good if I decide to get one. Thanks, Anita.”

Spike came back downstairs and walked over to stand next to Buffy, as he looked at Anita.

“Okay, then. Let’s go.” Anita handed the knife to Buffy, who tucked it through her belt as they headed out the front door.

*******************************************

The three of them walked back to the area of the zombie attack. Laying in the edge of the shrubs and grass was the body of the zombie, minus its head and one arm.

They searched around and found the other parts.

“Well, I don’t know if I can get it to talk or not. You guys did a good job of taking it apart. But I can try and if not, I can at least get it back underground.” Anita told them.

Buffy and Spike were interested in seeing how Anita functioned. She had told them she was an animator and a necromancer, but they had no idea how that would work.

The blonde couple stood back and watched.

Anita took out a small knife and cut the heel of her palm then sprinkled drops of blood in a circle around herself and the zombie. The last few drops went onto the zombie itself.

Buffy felt a sudden flare of energy spring up around the petite dark haired woman. She listened to the rolling words of power that were spoken to the zombie remnants as old decayed flesh started to twitch and pull together. Finally the zombie stood up!

“Why did you come here? Why did you attack people? “ Anita spoke to the standing corpse, now quite docile in front of her.

Its speech was slurred somewhat due to its condition, but it could be understood.

“I waasss sssent to hunt.”

“Were you told who to hunt?”

“Yeessssss! The Ssslayer of vampires and the vampire withhhh heerrrr.”

“Who sent you?”

“Mannnn. No name.”

Anita frowned. That didn’t tell them who to look for at all. * Oh well… win some, lose some..*

“You may go back to your rest now. You will hunt no longer. Do you understand? Go back to your rest.”

The zombie made no move to leave the area, instead lying down where it had stood as the ground heaved and boiled over it. The zombie sank into the ground, completely gone from view. The ground looked as undisturbed as if nothing had ever happened.

Anita broke the wards of the power circle she had built, and turned back to the pair watching her.

“Well, all we know is someone knows you are here and are hunting you. We also know that zombie was someone buried in unconsecrated ground. It didn’t care where it was re-buried. Who knew you were coming?”

“We called you and we called Jean-Claude. Giles spoke with his colleague here, so that’s the only other possible source.” Buffy was puzzled.

“Let’s get back to the house and see if we can figure out any answers or ideas to aim for here. I’m the one with the most zombie experience, I imagine, but you two have seen your share of ‘nasties’ and do a lot of the ‘research’ stuff from what I saw when I visited you.”

The trio headed back to Anita’s and trooped into the kitchen. Buffy headed for the table, laying the large knife down. Spike got a second mug of blood and heated it up in the microwave, while Anita ran coffee beans from the freezer through a small electric grinder and started a pot of coffee brewing.

She then walked out of the kitchen only to return a minute later with another straight-backed chair that she sat down in front of the table.

“Okay, let’s look at this problem. I knew you were coming, Jean-Claude knew you were coming….”

Spike broke into her list. “Asher and Jason also knew. Jean-Claude said he’d have them pick us up if you couldn’t.”

“Yaeh. And your Watcher’s friend knew. What’s his name?”

“He’s a Mr. Karl Yamamoto. Giles said he teaches a course on ancient and mystical artifacts and legends at the local university. He called Giles yesterday sometime about this thing he wants us to pick up. It’s something called the ‘Fire of Azrael’. I think it’s a jewel or stone of some kind. It’s suppose to allow the user to foresee future events in the right hands.”

Buffy explained what Giles had told her about the situation.

“I can see where someone might want to get their hands on that item. And the first zombie showed up last night.” Anita worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she thought about the situation.

“Well, when we get up in the morning, I’ll take you to pick up your rental car, Buffy. Then we can go to the firing range while Spike sleeps.”

“Actually, Anita, I don’t need to sleep all day. Just keep out of direct sunlight. I’d like to go to the firing range as well.” Spike told her.

“A vampire using a gun?”

Buffy laughed. “I thought you knew by now that Spike is nothing like any vampire you’ve ever met before. Hell, he’s nothing like any vampire *I’ve* ever met before.”

“ ‘aven’t ‘eard any complaints from you, luv.” The blonde vampire teased his lover.

“And you won’t either. But you know it’s true.” Buffy had leaned closer to him, laying her hand on his arm.

“It’s good to see you two have finally gotten things straight between you.” Anita remarked a bit sarcastically to the couple.

Both the slayer and the vampire started laughing at the memory from earlier in the day that their friend’s words had conjured up.

Buffy, blushing and wiping a tear from her eye from the laughter, looked at her friend.

“Yeah, and I imagine you and Jean-Claude had to get the same thing, ah, straight in your relationship too.” Buffy laughed again as Spike just grinned at her.

“Jeeze, here I get a couple of comedians in my house for quests. Let’s go get some sleep so we can do all this stuff tomorrow which is actually later today.” Anita got up and glared at her friends. She was actually glad they had worked out the obstacles that were keeping them apart before. They both looked pretty happy.

“What time later?”

“If you get up before I do, Buffy, just help yourself to whatever you can find down here. I’m not much into cooking, as I’m sure you could tell, but I do have coffee. If you start a fresh pot, the smell will wake me pretty quick.”

Buffy leaned over on impulse and hugged Anita. “Goodnight. See you later then.”

She turned and took Spike’s hand as they headed up the steps.

Anita was still as she thought about what had just happened. She wasn’t into much casual touching. Buffy was not as touchy-feely as the lycanthropes, but was comfortable with casual touching.

* Well, I needed to work on that anyway. She’s at least someone I won’t see as a threat. *

With that thought, Anita headed to her own room. It was already 3am. She wanted to sleep.

Once she was in bed, she became aware of small sounds from the overhead room. She groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over her head.

* We’ve created a monster of a different kind now! *

*******************************************

Spike was actually the first one to get up later that day. It was a little after 12 noon. His ‘hyperactivity’ would get him out of bed when others would still be snoozing away. He almost laughed before when Anita had told Buffy about making coffee. The small blonde Slayer did occasionally, but Spike had had to teach her how to make good coffee. He loved Buffy completely, but she was not the most domestic person in the kitchen. Anita seemed to be the same. Maybe it was the jobs they did that just didn’t leave much time for things like cooking.

Spike started the coffee brewing, then put his own mug of blood in the microwave to heat.

He was relaxing at the table, sipping his breakfast when Buffy came down stairs. She’d put on a robe and her hair was still tousled. She walked over to him and plopped in his lap.

“Umm. Morning, babe.”

Spike leaned over to kiss her neck. ”Good morning, luv. Feeling better?”

“Felt better after we made love last night. Now I’m just still sleepy. A shower in a few minutes will wake me up after some of that lovely caffeine I smell.”

“Sit here, luv. I’ll make you a cup.” Spike moved her from his lap into the chair and went to make Buffy a cup of coffee. He knew how she liked it and often did this for her in the mornings. She was beautiful, and strong and he loved her. But she was often grumpy as hell in the morning before that first cup of coffee. She’d told him in no uncertain terms one morning when he’d tried to get her up early, that the only excuse for morning was to keep night from bumping into afternoon.

He was a bit more tolerant of her morning grumps after that. Especially since her comments had been accompanied by a barrage of shoes, stakes and anything else she could find under her bed to throw at him.

Spike handed Buffy the cup of coffee as he took the chair next to her.

He grinned at the contented sounds she made while she hid her face behind the cup, getting that first sip of coffee.

Behind them, they heard Anita’s door open as she emerged from her room as well. She was dressed, but looked to be in the same caffeine deprived stupor as Buffy had been. She got her own cup of coffee and took the third chair.

“You two don’t believe in being quiet, do you?” Anita asked the couple next to her, with an irritated growl.

“Sorry, pet. I thought we were quiet. I just made coffee and Buffy’s only been down for a few minutes.”

“I didn’t mean this morning. I meant last night!”

Spike would have blushed if he could have, however Buffy blushed enough for both of them.

“Oh…. Sorry. We were quiet… for us.”

“Jeeze, I’m glad I’m not in an apartment any longer. We’d have had the police called.”

Anita was determined to give them a hard time, just to tease them. She had finally gone to sleep with the pillow over her head.

“So Anita, are you telling us that you and Jean-Claude never make a sound?” Buffy asked her friend. It was Anita’s turn to blush.

Buffy looked at Spike and laughed. Spike arched one eyebrow at Anita as he teased her in return.

“So, the truth comes out. The Master of the City and the Executioner are as noisy as the Master of the City and the Slayer. You’re just giving us a bloody hard time, pet.”

“Well, a gal’s gotta have a few hobbies.”

All three friends laughed.

Anita told them that as soon as they got ready, they’d go pick up the rental car, drop it back at the house, then head to the firing range.

“I need to call Mr. Yamamoto to see when he wants us to meet him too.” Buffy explained

“Of course, Jean-Claude is expecting us tonight at the Circus. He wants to go from there and have dinner. Which means I have to eat for him.”

“That’s a soddin’ shame he can’t eat for himself, you know.” Even though the blonde vampire didn’t get his nourishment from normal food, he still enjoyed eating it on occasion.

“It’s odd. Some things about you two are almost identical, and then some things are so very different I almost forget them.” Anita was really curious. She wished they’d covered this in her college classes.

“I’m gonna get dressed and call Mr. Yamamoto. Be back in a few.” Buffy kissed Spike and then bounced up the stairs.

*She’s awake now…* Spike mused, as he watched her retreating form.

“You know, your face gives you away every time you look at her.” Anita told the blonde vampire.

“Jean-Claude rarely shows expression unless we are alone, and then he finds it hard to do. He says 400 years of keeping his face schooled to blankness is hard to get past most of the time.”

“It’s a shame tha’ bloke had to do that, Anita.” Spike looked back at the stairs where Buffy had disappeared.

“What does my face give away when I look at her?”

“It shows how much you love her. I could just about be jealous because Jean-Claude can’t look at me like that.”

“Anita, the bloke does love you.” Spike shrugged. “It’s easier for us to see the clues with each other. ‘e says ‘e loves you in a ‘undred small ways. Another vampire sees them.”

“Thank you, Spike. Knowing that means a lot, even if I can’t see them.”

“Welcome, pet. Glad to help.”

Anita glared at the blonde vampire.

“You know, Spike. You and Jean-Claude are the only ones that are brave enough to call me by something other than my name.”

Much to Anita’s surprise, Spike quickly kissed her on the cheek. “You know you find us irresistible, pet.” He grinned at her.

“Conceited vampires…” Anita grumbled at him, but she smiled to show she was teasing him.

“Okay, question. I saw you just eat; yet your lips were cool on my skin. Are you always cool? Even if you drink from a living person? “

“Yeah. Those like me are. Doesn’t matter what we eat from.”

Anita reached toward Spike’s hand, as she looked the question at him. He nodded in agreement. She picked up his hand, feeling the coolness of it. Then released his hand again.

“Does your heart ever beat?”

A sad expression flashed across his face and was gone in an instant. “No.”

“Just ‘no’? You have the most expressive face, Spike. You wish for Buffy’s sake that your heart did beat.” Anita felt a bit sad for both of them.

“You see too much.” Spike told her, his voice harsh with emotion.

“Sorry. She does love you, you know. She talks to me on the phone about you. She does love you.”

“Yeah, I know. But even a vampire can have dreams.” With that final comment, Spike got up, taking his mug to the sink to rinse it out like he did last night.

As he turned around, Buffy was coming down the steps.

Spike walked over to her and took her into his arms to just hug her, kissing her on the forehead. She looked up at him, curious as to the reason.

* He and Anita must have discussed something that upset him. *

Buffy let it go, knowing he’d tell her about it later. She stood up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, “Whatever it is, you know I love you.”

He hugged her tighter before turning her loose. That was all he had needed, as he looked into her face with that melt-down smile. “Yeah. Ditto.”

Buffy had to grin back at him. That had been a running joke between them ever since she’d made him watch that movie with her.

“I called Mr. Yamamoto. He said he could meet us about 6pm. Will that work for everybody?” Buffy didn’t want to interfere with any plans, but needed to pick up the artifact.

“It’s a little after one now. We can go get the car, drop it off, go to the firing range, and come back here to let you two get your car and met your Watcher’s friend. I’ve got an errand to do as well while you guys do that. After you pick up that item, we can meet back here about 7pm? That will give us time to change if we hurry, so we can meet Jean-Claude at 8pm.”

“Works for me. “ Buffy agreed.

“Yeah. That’s good.” Spike just agreed with the two women. The last time Buffy and Anita had gotten together, he’d quickly discovered how hard it could be to convince them to change plans. Buffy could be stubborn enough herself, but Buffy and Anita together could be like an immovable object.

They all headed out the door into the garage. Spike had a blanket with him for safety since Anita’s car hadn’t been vamp-proofed like his and Buffy’s cars.

*****************************************

As they drove along, Anita pointed out some of the sights to them while they all chatted about the last few months, what everyone had been doing and the plans for the evening.

At the rental car office, Buffy and Spike went in and got the car while Anita waited for them. They followed her back to her house and put the car in the garage.

Once back in Anita’s car, they headed out to the firing range.

“It’s nice that you can drive, Spike. I wish Jean-Claude could. It would save me a lot of time and effort occasionally.”

“Do none of his people drive?” Spike asked her, with a plan wiggling in the back of his head.

“Maybe one or two of the newest vamps. But that’s about it other than Jason or the other shape-shifters.”

Further conversation on that subject was curtailed by their arrival at the firing range Anita preferred. She got them inside and introduced them to the gang at the range. She’d brought a couple of spare handguns with her so that Buffy and Spike could use them. Spike bought the ammunition that Anita had suggested for he and Buffy to practice with...

Once they were in the lanes, Anita showed first Spike and then Buffy how to hold the gun, load it, aim and fire it.

As Anita was giving the same info and help to Buffy, she noticed that Spike was doing very well indeed on his target.

Each of them spent a few minutes practicing and then Anita checked on how they were doing.

Spike had been right. Buffy was a natural. After the first few shots, she could hit her target dead on or almost, every time. Spike wasn’t doing bad either. They were both good enough that if they didn’t hesitate to shoot, Anita would have no problem with them backing her up.

They’d planned on a couple of hours at the range, but with Spike and Buffy’s natural ability, they only spent an hour before they headed back to retrieve the rental car.

“You guys are good! Buffy, are you like that with every kind of weapon you use?”

“Yeah, Giles said its just part of the whole Slayer package. Guess with so many hazards to the ‘job’, it had to have a few perks.”

“You do martial arts too, I noticed when we visited you. Do both of you? Maybe we could get a workout in tomorrow. I haven’t been able to spar against anyone for a while now.”

Spike just looked at Buffy. He knew what she was thinking.

“It might better if you watched Spike and I work out for a few minutes and then spar with him. You’re my friend, Anita, and I would feel really badly if I hurt you.”

“We’re both about the same size, and have been training for about the same length of time… why should you have to worry about hurting me?” Anita had the feeling there was more here than she knew about.

“You know how strong a vampire can be right? Well, Buffy used to beat me up on a regular basis before we… ah, well, you know.” Spike tried to explain to the dark-haired woman.

“I don’t understand what you two are getting at.”

“Anita, Slayer strength is more than human. It’s right up there with the vampires I’m suppose to kill. You may be a necromancer, but your body is basically human. I might hurt you without meaning to.” Buffy finally just told her.

“Wow! I gotta see that. Can I invite a friend over for this?” Anita had an idea.

“Who?” Buffy asked her, wondering what was up.

Anita explained briefly about Richard being the local werewolf pack leader and that although they had dated previously, they’d finally worked out a friendship even though she was with Jean-Claude now.

If Buffy could beat Spike, maybe Richard could actually have a good work out for once; and Buffy could get in a bit of practice with someone other than Spike. Anita knew you could get ‘stale’ working with the same sparring partner all the time.

Richard had to be careful, just like Buffy, so he found it hard to find a sparring partner unless it was with the other lycanthropes.

Buffy and Spike agreed. It might actually be fun.

Arriving back at the house, Anita pulled into the garage to give Spike protection from the sun. He and Buffy got in the rental as Anita backed out of the driveway. They weren’t far behind her as they headed over to pick up the artifact from Giles’ friend.

***************************************************

A short time later, Buffy pulled the car into the underground parking area of Mr. Yamamoto’s apartment building. Spike got out from under the blanket in the back of the car. They walked together to the elevator and went up to the 4^th floor.

They found the right apartment and knocked on the door. An older gentleman about Spike’s height opened it after a minute.

The man was obviously part oriental, even if they had not known his name. He was slender and had shoulder length salt and pepper hair. It was very distinguishing on the man. He invited them in, fortunately, so Buffy didn’t have to try and explain about Spike.

Once inside, the older man showed the couple to a sofa and excused himself. He returned quickly with a tray complete with cups teapot and extras. Sitting it on the low table in front of the sofa, he poured tea for all of them.

“The item I wish to give to Mr. Giles is a mystical artifact called the Fire of Azrael. It is named after a fire, which when properly built, was believed to allow a person who gazed upon it to divine, or foresee the future in the fire and the coals of the fire. Such a fire had to be built from the woods of cedar, sandalwood and juniper.

The stone has been fixed into a box constructed of these same woods and banded with silver, gold and copper. These were considered to be the metals of the sun, moon and earth. I have no idea what type of stone it is, as I have never seen another like it. It is reddish orange, with yellow highlights. When the stone catches the light, it looks as if the stone was filled with captured flame.

Under the correct conditions and in the correct hands, one is said to be able to see the future or at least possible outcomes of an event. I had offered the stone to Mr. Giles for your use as the Slayer. I understand you have several magick users that may well be able to make the stone function for you. This would be very beneficial for you.

Of course, in the wrong hands, knowing possible outcomes could alter the very fabric of our world, which makes it quite dangerous as well.”

Mr. Yamamoto explained what he knew about the artifact that had come into his possession

“Have you had any problems since you’ve had the stone? Has anyone tried to take it from you?” Spike asked the older man.

“I’m not sure. I know that the city has had several unheard of incidents of roaming animalistic zombies. It may be nothing at all, or it may be someone seeking to obtain the stone.”

“We ran into one of those just last night.” Buffy told the man as she glanced at Spike.

“When did the zombies start appearing?”

“I heard about the first one two days ago.”

“And when did you call Giles about the stone?” Buffy inquired further.

The older man thought for a moment, then looked up with surprise and anxiety on his face. “It was two days ago. Do you think…?”

“Seems like it’s possible the two might be connected. We’d best not take any chances.

If you are willing to give us the stone now, we should get it into safe-keeping before dark.”

Buffy was anxious to do just that, as well as tell Giles and Anita what they had learned and get their opinions as well. After all her years on the Hellmouth, she no longer believed in coincidence.

Mr. Yamamoto agreed and excused himself as he left the room to get the stone.

Buffy and Spike chatted about the plans they still had to fulfill while on this trip as they waited.

Within a few minutes, Mr. Yamamoto returned with a silk wrapped bundle. He unwrapped the silk from around the box to show it to Buffy and Spike.

The box was about three inches square and crafted from three different colored woods as he had said. It was banded with inlays of gold, silver and copper. The inside was of a very highly polished wood, imbedded within was a large reddish/orange stone with highlights that glinted inside like actual fire. The stone appeared to be held in the box with a bezel woven of all three metals.

Even though Mr. Yamamoto had described the stone, the description didn’t do justice to the actual item. It was beautiful!

“I can see why someone might want it even without knowing about any ‘powers’ it might have.” Buffy told the older man.

“I hate to hurry, but we do have to get the stone to safety and then meet a couple of friends for dinner.”

“That is quite alright. I will feel a bit safer myself once it is away from my home, after what you have told me about the zombies. I will call Mr. Giles and advise him that you have picked the stone up.”

“Thank you very much. If you don’t mind, let Giles know I’ll call him later tonight or in the morning.”

Buffy and Spike stood. Buffy shook hands with Mr. Yamamoto then shot a cautious glance at Spike.

Mr. Yamamoto saw the look. “It is alright. I know your friend is a vampire. I would be honored to shake the hand of the vampire that helps and loves the Slayer” The older man smiled at the couple.

Spike extended his hand to the man. “Thank you. Quite nice of you.”

“How did you know?” Buffy asked very curious.

“The stone foresees… Rarely would it ever work for me, but on this occasion, it showed me the Slayer and her vampire mate who has helped to calm the Hellmouth.” He smiled at them again.

“Well, ah, thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you as well. We appreciate your help.”

Buffy replied, somewhat at a loss for words.

Mr. Yamamoto saw them out and Buffy and Spike headed for the elevator with the wrapped bundle in his duster pocket.

“Well, that was wiggy! He knew who you were and wanted to shake hands with you. You didn’t feel anything weird when he did, did you?” Buffy asked the blonde vampire beside her.

“Nothing unusual, luv. Warm hand, pulse… You know, the usual.” Spike teased her.

“Why me? What did I do to deserve such a smart assed vampire?”

Spike leaned over to whisper in her ear, his voice wrapping around her like warm silky velvet. “You love me.”

“Yeah, I do. And you, fang-face, know exactly what that does to me.” Buffy told him, trying to not just jump him in the elevator.

“ ‘Course I do. That’s why I do it.” Spike chuckled at Buffy.

Had there been anyone in the lobby as the elevator doors opened, they would have seen a very red-faced blonde female with a taller blonde male wearing a rather smug grin on his face.

*******************************************

The Buffy and Spike arrived back at Anita’s house just a few minutes before 7pm. They hurried upstairs to shower and dress for the evening.

Until Anita returned home, they were not sure of the best place to keep the stone, so they just kept it in the room with them.

Anita opened the door to her house and as she entered, closing and locking the door behind her out of habit, she heard the shower upstairs and the laughter of her house quests.

* Jeeze, if they are showering together, we may never get to dinner. *

She shook her head as she went to her room and grabbed her robe and headed for the downstairs bath.

That was the one that she and Jean-Claude usually preferred. The overly large bathtub was the main reason.

Remembering the first time they had been together at his place, and all of the times since then here, Anita smiled to herself and hugged the memory of Jean-Claude’s touch to her.

* Okay, enough of that or they’ll still beat me out of the shower. *

The dark-haired vampire was almost like a drug for her. One she never seemed to get enough of. Okay, so he was dead. She hadn’t found a man yet that was perfect.

She’d almost married the head of the local werewolf pack at one time, until she’d seen him eat the old leader after killing him. A girl had to draw the line somewhere, didn’t she?

Anita finally finished her shower and headed for her room to dress.

Jean-Claude was taking them to one of her favorite restaurants tonight, so she decided to wear one of his favorite dresses.

It was a deep crimson red, almost a wine color. The top was open lace that was lined with black to make it non-see-through. The skirt was the same color in velvet. It had a short bolero jacket that went over it to hide her shoulder holster. She decided on off black hose and black velvety suede heels.

Anita added a bit of blush and eye shadow, as well as a lipstick that matched the dress.

She was finished and went to wait on her houseguests.

Anita had just reached the kitchen when Spike and Buffy came downstairs.

They were a fantastic looking couple.

Buffy was wearing a sleeveless deep peacock blue velvet dress that hugged her curves without being tight. It was about the same length as Anita’s own dress. Buffy had added very pale grey hose and black heels. She also had on minimal makeup, just as Anita was wearing.

Spike was almost as much of a treat to look at as Jean-Claude.

He wore a heavy brushed silk shirt in a deep blue that made his eyes seem bluer than normal. He had some of the most vivid blue eyes Anita had seen.

His slacks were an even heavier slubbed black silk. He had not added a tie or jacket.

His shirt was one of those with the rounded band for a collar. You couldn’t wear a tie with that even if you’d wanted to do so.

He was also wearing black ankle length brushed leather boots.

“You two look really spiffy!” Anita told them.

“You look pretty spiffy yourself there.” Buffy told her friend.

“Good color on you, Anita. Bet Jean-Claude will like it too…” Spike teased as he complimented her.

“Thanks, guys. We ready now?” The dark-haired animator let the comment slide, thinking maybe if she ignore the vampire’s teasing he’d get tired of it.

“We need to put this stone someplace safe and then we are.” Buffy told her friend.

“I’ve got a small safe in my room.” Anita told them heading for her door.

They followed her into her bedroom and after Anita opened the safe, Buffy put the silk wrapped box inside. Anita closed it and looked the same question at the other couple.

Buffy and Spike both murmured an affirmative and all three of them headed to Anita’s car.

**********************************************

Right at 8pm, the three friends walked into the side door of the Circus as Jason had opened the door for them.

“Wow! Don’t you guys look good enough to eat?” Jason teased. He turned and led the way back to the underground area as they all talked.

“Good way to get your teeth removed, Jason. Pick on a vampire, the Executioner and the Slayer? Tsk, Tsk…” Anita teased back. She’d know Jason for several years now and if he wasn’t trying to stir up trouble, something was wrong with him. You could count on that. She told Buffy and Spike as much.

“Ah, Anita… A guy needs to have a little fun.”

“Sounds like your fun might just keep you in hot water, Jason.” Buffy shot back at him.

“Have to be careful there, mate. Tha’ Slayer’s tongue can be as sharp as her stakes.” Spike warned the werewolf in a teasing manner.

“You certainly should know, dear.” Buffy told her lover very sweetly.

“And when she speaks so nicely to you, that’s when you really need to watch out.” Spike remarked right back.

“Sounds like she and Anita make a good team that way.” Jason told Spike.

“Hey wolfy, vampire! Still here, ya know.” Buffy reminded the two men.

Anita laughed at all of them, as Jason opened the inner door to Jean-Claude’s living room.

Jean-Claude stood up with that cat-like boneless grace that was so much a part of him.

Buffy whispered to Spike. “Can you move like that too?”

“Of course, luv. I’ll show you later.” Spike whispered back in that voice like warm water and silk over her skin.

“Ummmmmm.” Was Buffy’s only comment to the promise.

Jean-Claude was wearing a silk shirt that matched Anita’s dress, with very close fitting black linen slacks and a waist length black jacket.

“Oooo! You look very spiffy too.” Anita told the dark haired vampire as she put her arms around his waist and raised her face so he could kiss her. He did so with pleasure.

“You are very lovely tonight, ma petite. As are our guests.”

The graceful dark-haired vampire walked over to Buffy and kissed her forehead gently, then reached out to clasp hands with Spike.

“It is good to see you both again. How have you liked our city so far?”

“Hi, Jean-Claude. It’s very nice, except for the stray zombies.” Buffy told him with a laugh in her voice.

“But they make great kickin’ practice, mate.” Spike chuckled.

“I can see that I must have you fill me in on this. However, as we do have reservations, we must leave.”

“We can tell you about it on the way, Jean-Claude. Want me to drive?” Anita asked her lover.

“Certainly, ma petite.” Jean-Claude looked back at the blonde werewolf who stood watching the women, a slightly envious expression on his face.

“Jason, please tell Asher that we shall be back later this evening. He has Anita’s pager number in case of emergency only.”

Jean-Claude offered his arm to Anita. For once she took it, as Spike and Buffy were standing there holding hands.

The two couples walked back up to the side door, as Jason watched them for a minute before going into the next room to relay the message to Asher.

“You know, the pair of them are just amazing to watch. A blonde couple and a dark-haired couple. The other Master is real unusual besides just the whole face thing. But you can see as well as smell, that he loves that girl” Jason remarked to Asher after relaying the message from Jean-Claude.

“Yes. And she him. One could wish...” Asher turned quickly to attend to business.

*****************************************

They arrived at the restaurant and were seated at the table Jean-Claude and Anita normally chose. He sat next to her to do the ‘ritual of choosing dinner’ as Anita called it.

Buffy and Spike had to laugh at their negotiations for various foods.

She and Spike placed their own orders, and all of them had a glass of wine.

“So you can drink wine then?” Spike asked Jean-Claude.

“Only in small sips and very little at a time.” The older vampire told him.

“Just think of all the trouble you could have stayed out of if that was the case for you…” Buffy told Spike quickly.

“Watch it, Slayer!” Spike growled at her in mock fierceness.

Buffy continued on. “You should have seen the times this man has gotten so incredibly drunk! Then he’ll sing and make up all new notes.” She giggled at Spike.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear. Buffy started to blush as Spike chuckled at her discomfort.

“Alright, you win this one.” She told him.

Anita watched the two of them, puzzled, as Jean-Claude tried to restrain a laugh himself.

“Okay, give. What did he say to her? I know you heard it.” Anita whispered to her mate.

“He simply reminded her of an occasion when she too had had a bit too much to drink and something she did. It was quite personal between them.” Jean-Claude whispered back.

They were all saved from further comments as the waiter arrived with their food.

Anita had gotten a small steak cut in half and each side cooked differently for her and Jean-Claude, as well as some very fatten-ly whipped potatoes, and a salad.

Spike’s steak was so rare; it could almost get off the plate and moo at them. Buffy’s was only a bit more done.

Anita looked at their plates. “Are you going to eat that steak like that, Buffy? I can understand Spike getting one that can still move around, but yours is twitching as well.”

Buffy laughed at her friend. “I used to eat my steak killed like yours, but after mooching from Spike’s plate enough, I kinda got to like it better this way. I promise, I do at least get mine done enough so it can’t get up, even though it can still whimper.”

“Well, at least I can shoot it if it causes a problem.” Anita told the blonde slayer, perfectly deadpan.

All four of them burst out laughing.

They had a very enjoyable dinner together.

********************************************

Afterwards, Anita drove all of them back to the ‘Circus’. Jean-Claude introduced them to several of his people.

Buffy and Spike had already met Jason and Asher. The local werewolf pack leader, Richard was there for the occasion along with a badly dressed vampire named Willie. A longhaired blonde vamp that was built like Angel but named Alex, as well as one with long red hair and green eyes completed the entourage for the evening.

Buffy thought that she’d never seen anyone else with as poor taste in clothes as Xander until she met Willie.

“Anita, what is with all the long hair and the gorgeous hunks? Does Jean-Claude get his folks from ‘We-Be-Studs’? “ Buffy asked her friend.

“Just about. I’ve wondered that myself.”

“Do you want me to let my hair grow, luv?” Spike asked Buffy quietly.

“I bet it would look great on you; but not unless you want to let it grow, babe.” She told him.

Richard came to shake hands with Buffy. “I understand that you’re the one I’m suppose to spar with tomorrow. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Spike chuckled at Richard. “Mate, she can and ‘as beat me to a pulp in the past. Don’t let ‘er looks fool you. That’s what has ‘elped ‘er fool a lot of stupid fledglings of my kind of vampire. A better question is will you be okay after fightin’ ‘er.”

“I’ll just have to take your word for it then.” Richard knew he would be holding back until he was sure he wasn’t going to hurt this tiny blonde tomorrow.

The rest of the crowd excused themselves, except Richard, Jason and Asher. They stayed to talked for a while with Buffy, Spike, Anita and Jean-Claude. Mostly Buffy and Spike. They were fascinated about Spike’s variation of vampire as well as Buffy’s abilities as a Slayer.

Finally, Jean-Claude asked Jason to go get a length of pipe left from the bathroom remodel and give it to Buffy.

“Do you mind, Cherie? It will convince them of much of what you say.” Jean-Claude asked the Slayer.

“No problem, Jean-Claude.” Buffy replied as Jason handed her the length of pipe.

She stood up and with one hand on each end of the pipe; bent it into an irregular circle and tossed it back to Jason.

Jason let out a low whistle, “Remind me to never get you mad at me. Anita would just shoot me, you’d just rip off something I might need.”

They all laughed and chatted a bit longer until Anita reminded them that some of them had to get some sleep that night if they were going to function the next morning.

Richard arranged to come over for the work out about noon, then Jean-Claude walked his guests up to the side entrance again.

Buffy and Spike went on to the car to allow Anita to have a few minutes alone with her lover to say good night.

Tired herself, Buffy leaned on Spike’s shoulder as they waited for Anita.

She came out to the car after about five minutes. Spike could tell she looked a bit flushed and mussed and smiled to himself. He’d certainly done the same to Buffy often enough.

By the time they arrived back at Anita’s, Buffy had drifted to sleep in Spike’s arms, her head on his shoulder. He picked her up and carried her into the house.

“She okay?” Anita asked the blonde vampire as he headed for the stairs.

“Yeah, just sleepy. She’ll be fine in the morning, pet.”

“You are incorrigible, you know. Is this a thing with all vampires?” Anita asked him at his use of the endearment again.

“We ‘corriage’ quite easily as you know from your goodnight earlier.” Spike teased her then headed up the steps with Buffy as Anita blushed behind him.

“ G’night, pet.”

Anita threw her shoe at him.

********************************************

The next morning was Saturday and started much as the previous one had done.

Spike was the first one up and started coffee for both Anita and Buffy.

Rummaging through the refrigerator, he managed to find enough items to make an omelet for the three of them.

Buffy staggered down the stairs about the same time Anita emerged from her downstairs bedroom. Both women headed straight for the aroma that meant caffeine.

Anita and Buffy looked at each other, coffee mug in hand as they muttered unintelligent syllables on their way to the table.

Coffee mug in hand, Buffy sat heavily in the chair next to Spike. Grasping her coffee mug in both hands, she raised the mug to her face and breathed in the fragrance before drinking deeply from the dark liquid.

Across the table, Anita was having a similar indulgence.

Spike chuckled at both of them.

With a bleary eye, Buffy looked over at her lover as he watched her. “Laugh it up, fang-face.”

“Just noticing how much both of you enjoy your mornin’ ‘fix’.” He looked at Buffy with feigned innocence across his features.

“Yeah, and I’ll remember that next time we work out too.” Buffy gave him a smile that was anything but sweet.

“Just not in front of spectators, luv.” The blonde vampire smirked at Buffy, knowing she understood all too well exactly what he meant.

“Are you two always like this?” Anita growled from across the table.

“Unless we’re really brassed off at the other… Yeah.”

Anita shook her head at the vampire at the end of her table and rose from her chair. “I’m gonna catch a shower down here and finish waking up before Richard and the gang get here. As soon as you two stop being so disgustingly ‘cute’ you might want to do the same.”

The dark-haired necromancer walked toward the bathroom, coffee cup still in hand, shaking her head.

“She’s right, Spike.” Buffy laid her hand on the vampire’s arm as she too rose from her chair.

Letting her hand slid down the length of Spike’s arm, Buffy took his hand in hers. “Wanna come keep me company…?”

“ ‘S’that even need an answer?” Spike looked at her, his eyes darkening with the emotions he felt for this tiny blonde Slayer that had captured his heart.

“I hope not.” The Slayer headed back up the steps, coffee cup in one hand, Spike’s hand in the other.

*****************************************

Right before noon, the doorbell rang. Anita looked out the edge of the curtain, her hand on a small pistol tucked into the waistband of her jeans. Seeing Richard’s car in the driveway, she relaxed a bit and opened the door.

Buffy and Spike walked into the room toward Anita as she opened the front door to find not only Richard but Jason as well standing there.

“I didn’t expect both of you this afternoon.” Anita told them as she held the door open for the two werewolves to enter.

“Jason wanted to watch the workout after what Buffy showed us last night, bending that pipe like that.”

Richard explained to the three standing in front of him.

“No offense Spike, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to seeing a vampire up and around first thing in the morning like this.”

‘ ‘S’k. Can’t imagine the need to sleep all day like Jean-Claude does either.” The blonde vampire shrugged at the thought.

“So, you boys ready to get all beat up?” Buffy asked the two men, a smile on her face.

Jason and Richard glanced at each other quickly before assuring Buffy that they were both ready. She didn’t miss the look that had passed between the two wolves, and understood that neither of them really believed she could do any damage to them.

*Oh well, they’ll figure it out soon enough.*

Downstairs in the basement, Anita had vampire–proofed the windows. There had been several occasions when Jean-Claude and his people had needed sanctuary and her basement had been it. Then too, occasionally he had stayed longer than planned and had needed to ‘sleep’ for the day in her basement.

*Sleep… no, he dies for the day. All the warmth is gone from that beautiful body… But Spike is always cool to the touch.. How does Buffy do that? Maybe one of these days I’ll figure it out.*

No matter how much she cared about Jean-Claude, it was something Anita hadn’t come to terms with yet.

She snapped out of her thoughts in time to catch the end of the conversation between Buffy and Richard.

“ … so just full out, okay?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to do a bit of warming up first?” The Ulfric asked the small blonde Slayer.

With a sigh, Buffy turned to Spike. “Wanna show them what they are really messing with?”

“Seems we need to, so we can get this over with.” Spike moved back from the others and dropped into a fighting stance as Buffy followed him and did the same as she faced him.

With no warning movement, the two launched themselves at each other. Those watching could tell that this pair had fought frequently.

Watching the series of lightning fast kicks, punches, dodges, twists and turns was like watching a couple that had danced together for years.

The dance of Slayer and vampire was smooth and flawless, like water in motion, but filled with the tinge of danger.

Fascinated by what he was watching, Jason unconsciously inched too close to the action and in one quick movement, as Slayer senses felt the unknown presence of someone behind her suddenly, she whirled and lashed out with a backhand blow that caught Jason in the jaw, throwing him several feet from her and into the basement wall.

The short blonde werewolf slid down the wall, coming up on hands and knees.

Buffy halted, horrified by what she had done accidentally to a friend. As she looked at Jason, he raised his head to look back with eyes gone a startling deep amber while a growl oozed from his throat.

“Jason… I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize it was you...” Buffy started toward the fallen man as Anita grabbed her arm to pull her to one side.

The pistol had materialized in Anita’s hand.

“Jason, stop right there. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you don’t stop.”

“Anita...” Buffy spoke to her friend very firmly. “I’ll handle this with Jason. I did it, I’ll handle it.”

Buffy stepped between the gun and the wolf, facing the wolf. Although she considered Jason a friend, she knew that Anita was and wouldn’t hurt her.

Buffy stood facing Jason and his blazing amber eyes as Spike and Richard moved to stand next to Anita.

“Jason… remember the pipe? You don’t want to be next. You’re a friend, Jason, so let’s not go there.” Buffy stood her ground.

Jason slowly gathered himself, still completely human except for his eyes and the sound issuing from his throat. He sprang at Buffy.

She heard a muffled sound and a bitten off oath from behind her, but ignored them for the man charging her.

Taking a couple of quick steps, Buffy caught Jason in the chest with a flying side kick, knocking him back to the floor, as she regained her feet. Moving quickly before the other blonde could get up, Buffy was on his back.

With both arms pulled behind him and her knees on his elbows, Buffy looped one arm around Jason’s throat, pulling back on his head.

“Jason, if you don’t calm down, I’ll pull and break your neck. Let’s NOT do this, Jason. We’re just here to have a bit of fun, okay?”

Buffy heard the wolf in her grasp make a few sputtering sounds before Spike laughed from across the room.

“Luv, I think he’d talk better if you gave him a bit of air.”

“Oh.” Buffy blushed as she relaxed her grasp on Jason’s neck slightly so he could breath, but she still had enough control to make good on her threat.

“Yeah.”

Buffy relaxed her grip and started to sit back off Jason’s elbows, when he exploded up from the floor, rolling her over and pinning her down as he loomed over her.

“Never relax your grip on a werewolf until you’re sure it won’t go for you. You’re right, we’re friends and I let my temper get out of control. Thanks for not lettin’ Anita shoot me.” Jason leaned toward her face as if he’d bite her or kiss her. At the last second, he turned his head slightly and licked a wet line up Buffy’s cheek, then released her, extending a hand to help her up as he laughed.

“Point taken, furball. That was so… ewwww!” Buffy linked her arm in that of the blonde wolf, noting they were the same height. Looking at the other end of the room, she saw the darkened expression on Anita’s face as Spike and Richard stood on each side of her.

*****************************************

As Buffy launched her self at the charging Jason, Spike and Richard grabbed Anita from each side, preventing her from shooting either the Slayer or the wolf.

Seeing that Buffy was able to handle Jason, Anita did her own snarling at both men.

“Don’t EVER grab me again like that, either of you!”

“Can’t ‘ave you shootin’ tha’ Slayer, Anita. She can ‘andle this.” Spike told the angry dark-haired woman.

“You’ve had your own run-ins with Jason enough to know how he is, Anita. Buffy wouldn’t appreciate you shooting him for her or her, if she got in the way, any more then you appreciated what we just did.”

“I know that, Richard… Spike… But it doesn’t mean I like it one bit more for you to be right.”

She holstered the gun and stood with her arms crossed, glowering at the men as she watched the action between Buffy and Jason.

*****************************************

“Anita, you okay?”

“Yeah. Just the head furball and Mr. Sharp-tooth here trying to get themselves in trouble. I can excuse Spike, cause he doesn’t know me that well, but Richard does.”

“Well, glad they didn’t let ya shoot either of us, ya know?”

“I know. So maybe now you guys know what she’s saying is true. Can we get this workout underway now?” Anita stalked off to get something to drink, leaving Buffy standing with the three men.

“Is she really that upset?” Buffy was concerned about her friend.

“Yeah, but she’ll calm down in a few minutes. There are a few people she’ll protect no matter what. The problem is, all of us are on that list for her, so it creates a problem. Anita doesn’t like problems and it upsets her when we worry her like that.” Richard tried to explain the situation to the blonde slayer.

“Oh. I understand that. I’ve gotten upset with my friends when they’ve worried me sometimes too.”

Buffy looked toward Anita for a few seconds before heading over to her.

*******************************************

After chatting for a minutes, Anita and Buffy had reached an understanding with each other on the previous disagreement and on how they felt about what had happened.

Buffy reached over to hug Anita.

Trying hard not to stiffen in the quick hug, Anita thought once more to herself that this was something she really needed to get over. In an effort to take that step, the dark haired woman linked arms with her blonde counterpart, giving her a grin as they walked back to the waiting assortment of men.

For the next hour or so, their workout progressed without further incident. Although Richard, Jason and Anita all took turns ‘testing’ the resiliency of the walls and floor until Anita finally bowed out of the melee.

“If I want to walk later, I’ve got to go sit now to let the bruises stop before they run into each other and I’m just a nice bluish-purple all over. It’s a good thing you two have each other to spar with…”

Walking carefully, Anita sat on the bottom step of the basement to watch the ‘fun’ from a distance.

When Buffy had tossed Richard into the wall for the fourth time, he finally laughed weakly from his position on the floor.

“Okay. OKAY! I give… I’ll admit that a Slayer and a vampire are more than a match for two werewolves and an Executioner.”

“As long as you guys keep your temper and don’t get all furry on us.” Buffy chortled as she threw a laughing glance at Jason. The last move the blonde werewolf and Spike had made left both of them in a heap on the floor.

“Showers all the way around?” Anita called heading up the stairs as the phone began to shrill for attention.

”Hello?”

“Yeah, got company from out of town, but I can be there in about 30 minutes..”

There was no obligatory ‘goodbye’ before Anita hung up the receiver.

The dark-haired woman turned to look at Buffy standing next to Spike, behind her.

“Another one? Where? We’ll go with you.” Buffy told her.

Frowning, the petite executioner asked, “How’d you know?”

“Heard the man through the phone...” Spike shrugged his shoulders. “That vampire hearing and all, pet.”

Behind Spike, Richard came to a standstill as he heard the endearment used by the visiting vampire. Jason just grinned. He’d heard it all before.

When Anita didn’t take the vampire’s head off for him, literally or figuratively, the tall chestnut haired man wondered what was wrong.

Turning at the sound of Richard’s quickened heartbeat, Spike explained.

“Oh, we ‘ave an agreement. I call ‘er ‘pet’, and she hates it.”

Spike chuckled as Buffy nudged him in the ribs with a very pointed elbow and dragged him toward the stairs and the upper shower.

******************************************

Spike and Buffy rode with Anita to the scene of the most recent zombie attack. Two of the monsters had attacked a couple living close to the University. The man had finally stopped them with a shotgun blast that blew their heads and upper bodies into so much pulp. Anita picked her way through the shards of bone and splatters of meat and thicker things. The E.M.T.s were over in the corner with the man’s wife where she was throwing up in the bushes.

Anita talked with the man for a bit, asking questions that the preternatural police squad hadn’t thought to ask.

When the scene was finally clear, Anita went back to her car which she had left parked in the shade even though the day had turned overcast.

She had added several of the pull down shades that Buffy had suggested and Spike could ride in comfort with a blanket handy for emergencies.

A good hostess just didn’t fry their vampire quests.

****************************************

“So what happened?” Buffy was curious whether or not that incident had any bearing on the information from Mr. Yamamoto and the zombie that had attacked she and Spike the first night.

“The same that the two of you ran into.. Roaming zombies, out to hunt, no one controlling them… I just don’t like this. There has to be an animator or a necromancer that is causing this. But none of the animators I know of can raise a zombie during the daylight.” She shrugged slightly.

“I don‘t have a clue why these things are showing up now unless it’s connected with that stone you put in my safe this morning.” Anita worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she thought about the situation.

“Alright… We can’t do much this afternoon, but Jean-Claude may be up by now and maybe he would have some information on the problem. Being the Master of the City, he gets to hear a lot of rumors too.”

“Let’s go see him then. He’ll have a phone I can use, right? I want to call Giles and see if he can get some research on this stone and anything that might pertain to the zombies.” Buffy hated to ask her Watcher to research long distance, but maybe he could get information from Mr. Yamamoto that she couldn’t…

“Yeah. He has a phone you can use, ‘specially since your Watcher has the number already.”

Anita reached a decision and turned back in her seat, starting the car and heading toward the ‘Circus’.

“Spike, you’ve been quiet about this. What’s up? You usually have a comment about everything.”

Buffy was only half teasing her mate.

“Don’t rightly know, luv. Something about this has me bothered... Something I should be able to put my finger on and can’t.

“Maybe by the time we get to Jean-Claude’s, you’ll have thought of it.” Buffy wished she could help Spike pin down the problem, because her Slayer senses were as much on ‘overtime’ as Anita’s suspicions were right now.

The three of them rode in contemplative silence as they headed toward the ‘Circus’.

***********************************

Anita and Spike told Jean-Claude about the afternoon’s events while Buffy called Giles back in Sunnydale.

The Slayer explained the events to her Watcher and they speculated for several minutes about the possible causes of the recent occurrences. Giles promised to call Mr. Yamamoto and that he and the rest of the Scoobies would try to do some research on the stone as well as the zombie attacks and call her back that evening at Jean-Claude’s number.

Finally having completed her call, Buffy went to tell the other three what Giles had suggested and that he was looking into the matter even as they spoke.

Just before Buffy reached the end of her narrative, Anita’s pager went off again.

Muttering under her breath she headed for the phone.

Several minutes later, after carefully replacing the handset on the base of the phone, Anita turned back to the waiting threesome.

“It’s happened again. I’ve got to go meet the police. This zombie is still on the loose and I’ve got to find it and stop it.”

“I have to wait here, Anita. Giles is going to call me back in a bit.” Buffy told her friend. The blonde Slayer was obviously upset that she couldn’t go with Anita to this call, but Buffy didn’t understand why this one was disturbing her so much…

“Buffy, I’ll be alright. I do this by myself all the time. Wait here for your call, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Anita tried to reassure her visiting guest. “Besides, although your help would be really great, it kinda is my job here.”

“Ma petite, I do not feel well about this call for some reason. I would like for you to take Jason with you, please?” Jean-Claude didn’t often say ‘please’ to many people, so when he did, it caught Anita’s attention.

She looked into that beautiful unreadable face and saw worry reflected in his eyes. Worry for her…

“Pet, I gotta agree with him. Take Jason with you. I’d go but the sun’s still up and I’d be worse than useless to you outside.” Spike laid a hand on her shoulder, as Jean-Claude just looked at the blonde Master vampire.

“Spike also senses some wrongness in this...” Jean-Claude started.

“Yeah… Gotta agree with all of you. I’ll take Jason for backup, ok?” Anita felt something disturbing in the area, but she had no idea what it was just yet.

It set off the alarms in her head like fireworks on the fourth.

********************************************

Almost an hour after Anita had gone, the phone rang, shattering the hushed conversation that had settled over the rooms occupants like a miasma enfolding them in its grasp.

Buffy jumped where she sat next to Spike, like a shot had been fired in the room.

“Jean-Claude, the call is for Buffy. The man says his name is Giles.” Asher had answered the phone and now brought the portable to where the two vampires sat with the small blonde woman.

Buffy glanced at her host to see a slight nod of his head before she jumped from her seat and took the phone, walking to the furtherest corner of the room to talk to Giles. She knew the vampires in the room would probably hear her anyway, yet it gave her the illusion of privacy for her conversation.

**********************************************

“So what do you have, guys?” Anita asked the police officer posted on the outside of the crime scene tape.

Jason had waited beside the car. They both knew the police weren’t going to let just any civvies inside the taped area.

“You Blake?” He asked her brusquely. He was a new man she’d not met before.

Peering at his badge for his name, she looked back up at his face as she answered his abrupt question.

“Yeah, Officer Tarkle… I think they’re expecting me?”

“Yeah, said send you on up, Blake.”

“Thanks, Officer Tarkle.” Anita ducked under the tape and started toward building.

“Tell me that again after you been up there. Fourth floor, Blake.” Tarkle called after her.

Anita kept walking. The male cops often liked to pull her chain, see if she ‘could take it’, and truthfully sometimes she’d rather be anywhere than at one of these kinds of homicide scenes.

They were always homicides, but the ‘who’ was usually in question. They never called her in on a simple murder.

Anita Blake, Executioner, always got the calls for the bizarre.

* Guess that’s what I get for being friends or at least on good terms with so many of the monsters. *

Passing several more officers that didn’t question her presence, Anita finally got off the elevator on the fourth floor.

The carnage started just a few feet from the elevator door.

She walked gingerly down the hallway, avoiding the splatters of blood on the carpet. There were also splashes of blood on the nice wallpaper in the hallway.

Anita heard voices around the corner.

As she made the turn around the corner, the dark-haired woman saw the cause of all the blood.

What used to be someone was sprawled in several untidy piles across the floor of the hallway and barely across the threshold of an open apartment doorway.

“Blake, I see you made it.”

“Yeah, Gamenski. Any idea what happened here, other than the obvious?”

“According to the neighbors, he had just gotten off of the elevator when a zombie rushed him from an alcove back there.” The officer pointed back toward the hallway Anita had just walked down.

“He started yelling, folks looked out the door, saw the zombie and the blood and slammed the doors shut.”

“Ain’t that always the way of it?”

“Yeah, nobody saw anything. Found one person who was friends with the man and saw what happened.

Ms. Lee lives in the apartment at the turn in the hallway, so she got to see it all through that little peep window in her door.

Said he ran, with the zombie ripping at him with its hands, and biting him. The man stumbled but managed to get his key in the door and the door open but couldn’t get inside before the thing grabbed him and bit into his neck like it was feedin’. Started really tearing him apart then.”

“This guy have a name before he was torn into hamburger?”

“Yeah. Mailbox and Ms. Lee say it was Yamamoto.”

Anita paled and put out a hand to brace against the wall but stopped. There wasn’t a space on the walls around the body that was big enough to put her hand and not get it in the blood that had run down and

was starting to coagulate.

“What’s wrong, Blake? His name mean something to you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I have a friend that came into town from California about 36 hours ago. Her ‘mentor’ was friends with this guy and had asked her to call on the man…”

“What kinda “mentor”?” Gamenski asked, suspicion growing in his voice.

“She’s a Vampire Executioner in California. He’s her teacher.”

It was the truth as far as it went. They probably had never heard of the Slayer, and Anita wasn’t about to tell the police about Buffy, much less Spike. The local police had enough problems with her dating Jean-Claude even if it wasn’t any of their business.

Buffy being associated with the monsters and a new zombie problem could only look bad to the cops.

None of them were out of the woods yet on this problem.

In fact, Anita suspected the forest had just gotten a lot bigger.

*******************************************

Buffy was in the corner talking to her Watcher when Spike leaned closer to Jean-Claude to speak quietly to the black-haired vampire.

“I think we need to go help Anita, Jean-Claude.”

“Ma petite has Jason with her and I fear our assistance would be unwelcome to her.”

“She can get brassed off if she wants, but I KNOW she is gonna need our help. Something’s happening, Jean-Claude. Been around enough magick, what with Buffy’s Watcher, and the two Wiccans, not to mention we all live on a soddin’ Hellmouth, not to feel something this ‘wrong’.”

Jean-Claude watched the play of emotions across Spike’s face.

“You are truly worried about Anita?”

“What the bloody hell do’ya think I’ve been trying to tell ya?! She’s in danger, Jean-Claude. She’s your mate, and a friend to me and Buffy. ‘Course I’m worried about her. Besides, Buffy’s lost too many people in her life that were important to her. Can’t have that happen with Anita too.” Spike was more terse with his vampire friend than he would normally be, but the sensation of trouble was like ants crawling over his skin.

Making a sudden decision based on the feelings of this strange visiting Master, Jean-Claude got quickly to his feet. “I will get Asher to stay with Buffy, while we go to Anita. You can drive, yes?”

“Of course I bloody well can drive. Just give me directions.” Spike sprang off of the sofa like he’d been propelled. He headed toward Buffy to tell her he and Jean-Claude were leaving her with Asher for protection. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he knew this thing was after Buffy.

The tiny blonde Slayer clicked off the phone just as Spike reached her.

“Spike, Mr. Yamamoto may be in trouble. Giles contacted him at the University and he was on his way home. But Giles couldn’t get an answer from him at his apartment and then right before he called me, the police answered Mr. Yamamoto’s phone. We need to get over there.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, luv…”

Spike was interrupted by the screech of the phone in Buffy’s hand. She snapped it back on, not even thinking about it being Jean-Claude’s phone.

“What!”

“Buffy?” Anita’s voice came through the receiver.

“Anita? Yeah, it’s me… Sorry, I was holding the phone in my hand… What’s wrong, Anita?” Buffy heard the distress in her friend’s voice.

“Your Watcher’s friend, Mr. Yamamoto… A zombie killed him. I think it’s after you Buffy, or that stone.”

“I’m coming over there.”

“NO! Sorry, didn’t mean to yell. No, I think it’s a bad idea for you to come anywhere around here right now. I want you to stay there at the ‘Circus’ where you’ll be safe, but if Spike can bring Jean-Claude, I think I may need some more backup than just Jason.”

“Don’t get him hurt, Anita.”

Anita knew exactly what Buffy meant, she was worried about Jean-Claude coming to help, but Anita knew he was a survivor.

“Never deliberately, Buffy. But Spike may have the ability to help with this. I haven’t run into magick quite like this before. You guys deal with that ‘Hellmouth’ energy all the time. Spike can control that energy to some extent, because of his line having the demon portion. Remember what was explained about the demon being introduced magickally to his line? That’s what lets him control some kinds of magick. I need that help right about now, I think.”

“I know, Anita. I know you’d never deliberately endanger either of them. You be careful as well.”

“It’s one of the things I do best…”

***************************************

Spike and Jean-Claude had spoken with Anita and had gotten directions to meet her. Both vampires had warned her about what they were sensing, the feel of something incredibly wrong, twisted about the energy involved.

Since she was feeling the same wrongness, she promised to wait with Jason until they arrived.

With borrowed car and cell phone in hand, Spike and Jean-Claude headed out to meet Anita and Jason.

**********************************************

Asher sat in the chair across from Buffy as she talked.

Jean-Claude had asked him to keep the Slayer safe and occupied while he and Spike had gone to assist Anita.

Asher was attempting to do so by asking her questions regarding the demonic line of her mate.

The fact that it helped satisfy the golden-haired vampire’s curiosity didn’t hurt either.

“… So Angel sired Druscilla and she sired Spike. But after Angel got his soul back, he eventually killed Darla, who I’d mentioned sired him.”

“I see. It is certainly an involuted line that Spike descends from.” The scarred vampire frowned, the ruined side of his face as mobile as the untouched, beautiful side.

“This ‘Angel’ killed his own sire? Our kind considers that very disturbing. A vampire who would do such a thing may be slain. Does their line not see this as so?”

“Actually, they do. Angel killed her to save me.” Buffy pulled into her self for a few seconds as the memory she had told Asher about, flashed through her mind. Shaking her head, she focused back on her surroundings.

“Asher… Which direction is the bathroom?”

She blushed slightly as she asked.

Asher rose from his chair in that same graceful movement that she had seen Jean-Claude use and that Spike had learned. It was graceful and sinuous…

* When they move like that it’s like they’re boneless… or have too many muscles or something. Looks tasty though. *

Several minutes later when Buffy walked out of the bathroom door back into Jean-Claude’s black and white silk draped bedroom, she sensed someone behind her just as the blow caught her in the back of the head.

She never even felt the fall to the floor.

*************************************

“There is her car. I see Jason standing beside it, but where is Anita?” Jean-Claude said.

“Maybe Jason knows. Don’t panic yet.” Spike tried to reassure the dark-haired vampire sitting in the front seat with him. Spike knew how he’d be feeling if it was Buffy that was in possible danger and was missing.

The blonde vamp was sure that Asher would take care of her.

************************************

Buffy groped her way back up through the layers of fog that swathed her in unconsciousness only to find herself securely bound and in the dark.

Both literally as well as figuratively.

She tried to sit up straight and the movement jarred her head. A slight groan of pain squeezed past her clamped teeth as she tried to swallow the sound. She could tell there was a vampire close to her; her ‘slayer-sense’ was tingling.

Hearing the slight moan as well as the movement and quickened breathing and heart rate, Asher knew the blonde Slayer was finally conscious again.

“Cherie, are you alright?”

“Asher? Where are we? What happened?” Buffy groaned at the new pain from moving her jaw.

“Why do I feel like a truck hit me…?”

“I shall assume that last question was rhetorical, yes?

I have no idea where we are. Someone struck me on the head. When I woke, I was here in the dark. I knew you were here as well, from the sound of your heartbeat and breathing as well as the scent of you.”

“Oh yeah… Forgot about that vampire nose thing. Sorry, Asher… My brain’s not working real well right now. I walked out of the bathroom and someone did the same thing to me. The way my jaw hurts, I’m guessing that I found the floor with my face too.” Buffy wiggled her jaw, trying to loosen the tension in the muscles.

“I just HATE being tied up!”

“You have been tied up before?”

“Yeah, seems to be the bad guys favorite thing to do, I guess. What about you? Are you okay?”

“I too seem to be tied, however; I have almost gotten my bonds apart.”

There was silence for a moment then a ripping sound in the thick dark blackness that wrapped around them like soft velvet.

“I have my hands free now. The ankles will be but a moment… Ah… There!”

Buffy heard the sound of the vampire feeling his way across the floor carefully until a hand touched her leg.

“I am sorry, Buffy. I must feel my way to your bonds.” His hands continued carefully up her body.

Buffy could tell that Asher was trying not to touch places that he shouldn’t, but the darkness was total for both of them. Even a vampire has to a little light to be able to see.

Finding her arms, where they were pulled around behind her back, Asher followed the line of them to her hands and started working on the ropes holding her.

Minutes later, Asher had Buffy untied and was helping her to sit up.

“Thanks, Asher. Can you see anything at all?”

“No. There is no light at all. Even we vampires need a tiny bit of light to see.”

Buffy struggled to her feet with his help, her head spinning from the after-effects of the blow she’d received. Asher wrapped his arm around her waist to help her stand upright.

She clutched at his arm. Trying to force the dizziness away.

 “Let’s try and find the wall and see if we can find a way out of here.”

Together, Slayer and vampire inched through the blackness that had swallowed them, trying to detect stairs or pitfalls before they found them the hard way. However, the room seemed to be no more than a room and they finally touched a wall with outstretched hands.

Buffy reached toward the bottom of the wall while Asher, who was about ten inches taller than her, reached up the wall seeking a window, door, or anything that could help them escape the stygian cocoon they found themselves in…

“Asher! Here! A crack, and this side feels like wood.” Buffy guided his hand to where her other one was on the wall.

Together they scoured the surface seeking a way to open the wall, or door or whatever the material hid.

“I think this is a sheet of wood over a window. I feel a slight movement of air at the edge on this side.”

Moving her hands to find where Asher’s were, Buffy dug fingertips into the slight crack, trying to get enough purchase to pull the wood away from the wall.

“Can you get a finger or anything in between these so we can try and pull this off?”

“Perhaps if we try together, our combined strength can force the material...”

Scrabbling at the edge of the wooden panel, Buffy felt a nail break and several small splinters find her flesh. Still they worked at the panel.

Several minutes, and two more broke nails, Buffy called a break.

“How about one of us stays here so we know where this is, and the other feels the rest of the wall for any other way out?”

“You stay here. I will check. You are still dizzy, ma Cherie.”

He moved away from her in the blackness, although Buffy could hear Asher’s movements as he searched the surface of the walls, walking carefully to avoid unseen dangers on the floor.

Buffy waited while Asher felt for a way out.

“Ummphhhggg.”

“Asher! Asher!”

“Here, Cherie. I may have found something to assist us.”

“What was that noise, are you okay?”

“I am alright. I found a metal bar with my ankle.”

The entire situation was so tense, unknown and completely ridiculous that Buffy started to giggle. Once she started, she was unable to stop due to the sheer stress and the pain in her head and other assorted minor injuries.

She heard the vampire drawing closer to her as she leaned against the wall and giggled.

“That is a most unusual way to guide me back, Cherie.”

Buffy’s giggles changed to full laugher at Asher’s words. His face might be expressionless much of the time, as was Jean-Claude, however his voice was full of emotion. He could do the same things that Spike and Jean-Claude could do with their voice, and his words slid over her skin like the brush of silky fur.

The sound was followed by the touch of his hand on her shoulder.

Buffy slumped against the tall golden haired vampire as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her while her laughter changed into tears.

He held her close while she cried into his shoulder, her tears finally slowing by the sound of her sobs.

“Buffy, Cherie… Are you alright?”

“Yes… My head hurts, my jaw hurts, I’m worried about the others. I want us out of here. But I’m alright.”

Her voice softened. “I think I am…”

Asher kissed the top of her head. “Let us kiss away these hurts of yours.”

Sliding his hands up her arms to find her face and finally cradling her face between his long fingered hands, Asher kissed one side of her face along the jaw line, then gently turned her head to kiss the other side.

 The tension between them was sudden. It made Buffy catch her breath, as she raised her hands to cover Asher’s hands on her face.

She had planned to gently ease his hands from her face, before the tension singing in the air between them sparked a problem.

Buffy wasn’t fast enough.

Asher tilted her head in his hands, pressing his lips on hers, kissing her softly until she responded, returning his kiss.

She felt the stress from their kidnapping and pure lust mix in the kiss, tightening her skin, heat rising low in her abdomen.

Breaking the kiss finally to breath, Buffy stammered an apology to the gentle vampire still holding her close.

“Asher… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t… I can’t… We can’t…”

He laid a finger across her lips to still her words.

“I know. I should ask your forgiveness, Cherie. This place, tonight… I did not control myself well enough.

Other than Anita, you are the only woman who has not cared about the hideousness of my face for centuries...”

 Buffy heard the deep sorrow in his voice and her heart cried for his pain and loneliness. She raised both of her hands to touch his face. The dreadfully scarred side as well as the smooth beautiful side.

“ ‘Something I owe to the soil that grew

More to the life that fed.

But most to Allah who gave me two

Separate sides to my head.’“

* One of the few things I remember from that literature class last quarter! *

“Kipling… Thank you, Buffy. Your point is well taken. Thank you, Cherie.” Asher gently kissed her forehead.

“The outside of you is as beautiful as the inside, Asher. There is a beautiful person in there.”

She tapped him on the chest to emphasize her point.

 Delighted laughter bubbled out of his throat at her words.

“I see why he loves you. Let us get out of this place.”

Asher picked up the metal pole he had found.

Working together, he and Buffy started to work it beneath the wood, covering what they hoped would be an escape for them.

*************************************************

“She saw the zombie and ordered me to stay here to wait for you while she went after it. She’s only been gone a few minutes.” Jason told the two vampires.

“Oh bloody hell! Hurry! We’ve got to find her now!” Spike was almost yelling at the young werewolf.

Jason took one look at Spike’s face, wheeled and ran toward where he had last seen Anita. Both vampires followed on his heels.

They skimmed over the ground with that preternatural speed that was common to both vampires and lycanthropes.

Enhanced hearing of all three detected the fight long before they saw it.

The ground was dangerously close to being littered with bodies.

Anita was facing two zombies, a blade about a foot long in her hand. She was bloody all down one side of her back.

There were two more headless corpses on the ground amid a spray of bone, blood and much thicker parts.

A few steps away were what appeared to be two humans and a vampire on the ground. The vampire had the top of his head blown away into a pulpy mess.

Spike saw the handle of a knife protruding from the throat of one of the men. The second man was moving feebly on the ground, a knife imbedded in his back over his heart.

Jean-Claude shoved the blade the rest of the way in the man’s back until the tip reached the heart. The unknown assailant gasped a last breath, bloody froth showing on his lips where his face turned to the side on the ground.

Spike grabbed one of the zombies, ripping backwards with a roar, as he pulled the creature’s head off.

The blonde vampire was in full game-face.

Jason had shifted into a golden haired wolf and had the other zombie by the throat as he worried the thing's neck back and forth in his massive jaws, finally ripping through the spine, shearing the head from the last creature.

Anita had collapsed into the arms of the black-haired vampire. She was bleeding from several small cuts and gouges, as well as a long cut down her back.

While Jean-Claude held her, Spike ripped the shirt from the recently deceased man into strips and using part of the shirt for padding, tied the strips around her torso to help hold the pad in place to slow the bleeding.

From a face ridged and be-fanged, Spike growled at the wounded executioner.

“What part of ‘Wait for us.’ did you not understand, pet?”

Anita smiled weakly up at Spike and Jean-Claude, who had already admonished her for her foolhardy actions.

“Wanted to whittle a few of them down for you… Save you the effort.”

“Looks like you are the one who was ‘whittled’, ma petite.” Jean-Claude chided her gently.

“Didn’t wanna get bored waiting…” She grimaced as her next slight movement caused pain .

“Think I’ll have a snack now. Zombie killin’ seems to make me a bit peckish.”

Spike took a few steps and picked up the man the other vampire had finished off and bit into the soft flesh of the man’s neck, helping himself to blood the man would no longer need.

* No sense wasting a good meal.*

Jean-Claude and Anita watched Spike feed, fascinated with the metamorphosis of their friend.

Jason, in wolf form, watched as well, but with a wagging tail as he eagerly waited to clean up when the visiting vampire was finished.

Anita caught the watchful stance of the wolf.

“Jason… No flesh! We have to call the police.”

The wolf dropped his jaw in a wolfish grin before he turned back to see Spike drop the now nearly emptied man.

Jason hurried to lap down the newly spreading pool of blood before it could soak into the ground.

********************************************

Two pair of hands working together finally wrenched the wood from the wall with a splintering of the material and the squeal of the nails as they were pulled from the wall.

Asher dropped the panel on the floor behind them in the darkness of the room while Buffy carefully ran bloody hands over the window.

Using the metal pry bar, she smashed at the window, shattering the painted glass and hitting another panel of wood over the outside of the window.

“Asher, can you hold me up so I can kick this thing out of here?”

“Certainly, Cherie.”

He wrapped both arms around her just above the waist and below her breasts. Buffy swung both booted feet up on the small ledge of the windowsill.

She felt Asher tense his muscles to brace for the kick. Drawing her legs back as close to her body as possible, Buffy kicked the obstruction with both feet in a solid blow.

They hear as well as felt the wood start to give way.

“A little closer and again.”

The vampire took a large step closer and braced himself again as Buffy kicked the wood, shattering it down the middle. A faint light seeped through the break.

 Asher set the petite Slayer back on the floor, reluctantly releasing her as he moved to help her rip the remaining obstruction out of the way.

 Avoiding the glass, Buffy looked out the window to find they were on the second floor of some type of old warehouse. The alleyway appeared to be deserted and Buffy felt no other vampires or anyone else for that matter, other than the one by her side.

“Let’s get the hell out of here, Asher.” She told him as she climbed carefully on the windowsill, balanced and jumped down to the alleyway.

Bending her knees as she landed to take the shock and falling into a roll, Buffy followed through, coming back to her feet in a graceful movement of her own.

She looked up in time to see Asher levitate out of the window to the ground.

“Wow! That could save time… Can all of you do that?”

“Usually only the older vampires. Most of the masters can. Is this not a thing Spike can do?”

“No. Bet he’d like to though.” Buffy shrugged slightly. “Seems like there were some things gained and lost with the separation of the vampire lines.

But enough discussion about that, please? Do you know where we are?”

“I think I do. Let us go this way.”

Asher led the way through the maze of deserted dirty broken buildings.

***************************************

The two vampires finally got Anita into her own car.

The police had arrived and taken over the scene of the attack. One of the officers that knew Anita took her statement, as well as that of Spike and Jean-Claude. Jason, still happily furry, just sat to one side and watched.

Anita refused to go to the hospital or to leave her car there, so Spike would drive her car back to the ‘Circus’.

Jason quickly scrambled into the backseat and after being eased in; Anita lay down as much as possible, pillowing her head on the seemingly contented wolf.

“Don’t get any ideas, Jason. You make a convenient pillow right now.”

The tired, wounded, bloody woman closed her eyes and was asleep in moments. Jason carefully licked her cheek.

Arriving back at the side door of the ‘Circus’, Jean-Claude saw the door was unlocked and cracked slightly.

“There is something wrong, Spike. That door is never left unlocked. Let us use caution.”

Jean-Claude was concerned for the Slayer as well as his own people.

“Jason, contact Richard. We may need your help if this is as I suspect. Hurry, my wolf.”

The vampire opened the door for Jason, who slipped out into the night and the foggy mist, as it swirled around him until he was swallowed from sight.

“What about Anita?” Spike asked quietly, trying not to wake her.

“If you two picked up my guns and knives and will help me up... ‘Anita’ will be right there with you.”

Her voice surprised both vampires, as they thought she was still asleep.

“But as ‘urt as you are…” Spike started, but was interrupted quickly by the dark-haired woman.

“No, this is one of the advantages from being Jean-Claude’s human servant. Help me up. I’m still sore and will be for another day or so, but I can fight, especially if I have my guns.”

Spike opened the back door on the driver’s side of the car, helping her out.

Anita moved stiffly, but she seemed to be better…

Untying the torn shirt from around her, Anita turned her back toward Spike.

“Look at the wound. Tell me what you see.”

Peeling back the blood-soaked edges of the sliced shirt, Spike looked at what had been a vicious wound an hour ago to find only an angry red line down her back.

Bewilderment evident in every line of his face, Spike looked first at Jean-Claude then at Anita as she turned back toward him.

“How? What… How?”

“I think you covered that part of the question already.” Anita couldn’t resist teasing the blonde vampire a bit.

“It’s one of the advantages of being his human servant. Through the marks that join us, I get his healing ability, strength and some other odds and ends.”

Anita turned toward the black–haired vampire as he walked around the end of the car toward her.

“Richard is on his way with part of the pack. He’ll meet Jason about half way. They should be here in about 15 minutes.”

“You contacted him?”

“Yeah, I heard you send Jason.”

“I don’t understand a bleedin’ bit of this? How did she ‘contact’ the wolves?” Spike was completely baffled.

“The three of us are linked. I will explain after we have handled whatever is happening here. Please, Spike.. Patience. It bears on Buffy’s desire to be your human servant, but now we must be certain that she and the rest of my people are safe.” Jean-Claude offered a minimal explanation. He knew they needed to get inside.

With no further words, Anita collected her two handguns, rechecked the clips, making sure they were loaded, re-sheath all three knives, then looked at the two vampires indicating her readiness.

They opened the unlocked door carefully.

It was Spike that spotted the duct tape that had kept the door open, over the locking mechanism.

“Yes, please remove it. The wolves can get in.”

Spike accepted Jean-Claude’s word and ripped the tape off, allowing the door to close and lock behind them.

******************************************

“Agggghhhh! Are we almost there, Asher?” Buffy hadn’t planned to take a hike this evening and her boots were new and one had decided to start chewing on her heel.

“Another block, Cherie. You could remove the boots.”

“No, just as sure as I do, I’ll need to kick the hell out of whoever did this to us. Once we get back, if everything is ok, then I’ll take them off.” Buffy suspected that everything would be far from alright.

As the rounded the corner of the ‘Circus’, Buffy saw Richard and a group of people and wolves that she didn’t know.

“Asher, Buffy, are you two ok? What’s happening? Anita ‘called’ me and Jean-Claude sent Jason to get me.” Richard asked the very bedraggled looking pair.

“We just got back ourselves. Someone hit both of us over the head and we came to in some dark icky building.” Buffy quickly explained to her sparring partner of that morning.

* Was it really just this morning? Seems more like it’s been days! *

Richard took a key ring from his pocket, and selecting the correct one, unlocked the side door.

He, Asher, Buffy and 6 more people and wolves entered the dim corridor as quietly as a Slayer, a vampire and a herd of werewolves could be.

Just outside of the main door to the living quarters, Richard stopped, holding up his hand. He listened for a few moments then turned to the waiting group behind him.

His voice was barely a whisper of sound, as he arranged their ‘attack’.

“Jean-Claude, Anita and Spike are all in there along with a human male whose voice I didn’t know. The man was talking to Alex and it sounded as if Alex was in league with the human. They have the other three confined in the living room.”

Asher interrupted the pack leader. “Where are the rest of our people?”

“I didn’t hear anybody, Asher. Check the coffin room with Jason and see if they’ve been restrained someway.

Andre, you and Katherine go for Alex. Don’t kill him, just hold him.

Jamil, you and Shang-da help Buffy get our three out of there or if you can’t do that, protect them.

Leonard, you help me corner the human, but no killing. That goes for all of you, no killing unless it’s necessary to protect one of ours.

Let’s go.”

Richard took a deep breath and sung the door open as the entire group boiled through the door, breaking off into separate tasks.

Buffy found herself paired with two very tall men, both of them about 6 feet or so,she knew were wolves too. Jamil was a slender built man with skin the color of fresh creamed coffee. Shang-da was more muscular, with the deep blue-black hair so common to Chinese men, which he seemed to be.

They automatically fell to either side of her, flanking her as they ran for Anita, Spike and Jean-Claude.

The two vampires and animator were bound and gagged. If looks could kill, the long blonde haired vampire named Alex and the strange bald man with him would have been dead three times over already.

Richard grabbed Alex, with a hand gone to long wicked looking talons. He knew the strength of the vampire, so he chose to neutralize the vampire, leaving the other man for Leonard.

Leonard was a new transfer from the Dallas pack. He had been a state cop until a werewolf attack had gotten him clawed. The next full moon saw Leonard desperately needing a shave.

The force had retired Leonard with a full pension for injuries and disabilities received in the line of duty, but they didn’t want a wolf on the force. He’d been only marginally bitter but had requested the transfer to St. Louis to start over with a new life and a pack removed from the one in which his attacker had been a part.

Leonard tackled the man as he fumbled trying to pull an object from his pocket. The man fell hard beneath Leonard and the object, a small box, went tumbling across the black carpet and under the edge of the couch.

“Noooooooo!” The man screamed as he and the box fell. Leonard didn’t know if his yell was due to being tackled or because he dropped the box. He didn’t care. This bald man was the kind Leonard had come here to help fight. The kind he’d been used to handling back in Dallas.. a criminal.

*******************************************

Asher and Jason found the door of the coffin room closed and locked. That door could protect the vampires against danger, but in this case, had been used to restrain them during an attack.

Asher unbolted the door and the rest of Jean-Claude’s vampires that lived at the ‘Circus’ scrambled out of the room, every one of them angry at their betrayal at the hands of one of their own.

When the kiss of vampires reached the living room, they found several of the wolves with Alex; the pack leader standing over the baldheaded man that had imprisoned them and their Master, the visiting Master, and the Executioner being untied.

Buffy rushed to Spike as soon as he was untied. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply.

When she finally broke the kiss to catch her breath, the blonde vampire turned his head so that his lips were next to her ear.

“Buffy, luv.. I was worried ta’ soddin’ git ‘ad ‘urt you. Are ok?”

The small blonde pulled back enough to see his face. “I’m ok. Asher was there with me. It took both of us to get out of that place, but other than a few splinters in my fingers, a blister on my heel and some broken nails, I’m fine.”

Buffy pulled out of his arms and turned to glare at Alex, sitting tied on the floor, guarded by several of the wolves. “I do have one thing to take care of though…..”

She stalked toward Alex, a slight limp in her stride.

“I’ve had a bad day thanks to you and your murdering friends. And if any of you vampires EVER tie me up again!” Buffy swung and caught Alex in the jaw with a well-placed fist, knocking him to the floor.

Eyes still blazing, she broke the end from a chair leg that had gotten smashed in the initial attack when Spike, Anita and Jean-Claude had re-entered the building to find the intruders.

Spike saw her movement and rushed toward her, knowing he wouldn’t make it in time.

“Let me show you what we do to vampires like you in MY town!”

Buffy punctuated the end of her words with the stake in Alex’s chest.

He moaned, but didn’t turn to dust. She knew this vampire wouldn’t dust and would heal the wound quickly, but she felt so much better after staking him!

“Cherie, allow me to show you what WE do with vampires such as he..” Jean-Claude told her as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

Asher stepped up to the Master of St. Louis; “I would ask to hold him while you punish him.”

The two master vampires had known each other long enough that even though no expression marred the golden-haired vampire’ ruined face, Jean-Claude saw enough in the depths of his eyes to understand the request of his second-in-command.

“Ah. I see. Then you most assuredly should assist me, old friend.”

Buffy watched the exchange between the two and knew that of all the people in the room, probably only she, Asher and Jean-Claude understood the reason for the request.

Asher pulled Alex to his feet as one of the wolves untied the renegade vampire’s hands.

He pulled the traitor’s arms behind his back, pinning Alex against his own body as they both faced Jean-Claude.

The black-haired master vampire’s eyes had turned a solid deep smoldering blue with his suppressed rage at being betrayed.

Anita, Buffy, all the wolves and the vampires moved closer to watch what was about to happen.

“When you came to me and asked me to accept you into my territory, you swore an oath of loyalty to me, did you not, Alex?”

Alex struggled against the grip on his arms, but only succeeded in getting Asher to tighten his hold.

Finally, the restrained vampire had no choice but to answer. “Yes, I did.”

“You betrayed your oath, the rest of our people, our visitors, and me.”

The Master’s hand shot out almost faster than the eye could see, grabbing Alex by the throat.

“You will not betray us again.”

Jean-Claude closed his fingers into the flesh beneath them, giving a sudden pull as he ripped out the front of Alex’s throat.

Alex struggled weakly in Asher’s grasp, trying to breath through his ruined throat.

With no further words, Jean-Claude dug his fingers into the struggling vampire’s chest, his hand vanishing to the wrist. When he pulled his hand free, he brought the heart with him and held it up for Alex to see, as the traitor died a final and permanent death.

The dead vampire collapsed to the floor in an untidy, bleeding heap as Asher released him. Jean-Claude flung the heart down on top of the body and turned away.

Anita stood behind him with a wet cloth and a dry towel.

“Thank you, ma petite. That was thoughtful of you.”

“I’ve got enough of mine and everybody else’s blood on my clothes already, I didn’t need more.” Her smile took the sting from her words.

He leaned down to brush her lips with his own in a soft kiss, then turned to Richard.

“Could I ask your people to dispose of this for me?” He jerked his head at the body on the floor.

“Yeah. They’ll take care of it for you.. With pleasure.” Richard watched several of his pack walk over and pick up the mess, taking it from the room.

“Jean-Claude, I think we still have one more, ah, item to handle?”

He smiled at Richard’s words. “I do believe you are correct.”

***********************************

The only people remaining in the room with the bald man were Jean-Claude, Richard, Buffy, Spike, Anita and Asher.

The man, who finally said his name was Charles Davis, had been secured to a chair where the others could sit in front of him. Buffy had finally gotten to take those boots off as well.

Anita had started the questioning.

“Now, Charlie why don’t you tell us what you been doing?”

“Why s-should I? You’re gonna kill me anyway.”

In two rapid movements, Richard was on one side of the man with Spike on the other side.

“ ‘Cause if you don’t tell us, mate; I’m sure we can make that death a bloody long and painful one.”

Richard held his hand in front of Charles’ face as the tips of his fingers split, his hand shifting, changing, elongating as long thin claws appeared. “We can even start with this. Maybe that way, if you don’t die, you’ll be really furry this time next month.”

“No.. No.. Not that!” His eyes were wide with fright.

Buffy leaned forward holding the box that had been retrieved from under the couch. It was similar to the one she had gotten from Mr. Yamamoto.

The box itself was made from three different colored woods. They were a deep, almost black wood, a fine-grained white wood and a dark purplish red. The metal banding had a band of a greenish colored metal, one of a dark bluish black, and one of reddish purple, just like the wood.

Inside the box was a stone similar to the ‘Fire’, as Buffy thought of it, but this one was a dull blackish olive color.

“Why don’t you tell us about this and what happened to Mr. Yamamoto before they slice it out of you!”

Her voice rose in anger although she had started in a calm tone. Buffy was upset and furious about what had happened to Giles’ friend. The elderly oriental man had been very nice.

“I-I don’t, don’t want to talk about it.” The man stuttered in his fright.

They could smell the stench of fear and sour sweat exuding from him.

Buffy lunged and grabbed the front of his shirt, pushing her face inches from his. “You’d better talk about all of it before I see if I can do the same trick Jean-Claude did to your ‘buddy’.”

“Shall I hold him for you, Cherie?” Asher asked her very calmly.

“I might just need that, Asher. Thanks.” Buffy answered her previous fellow captive over her shoulder without moving away from Charles.

“Ok. Ok.. I’ll tell you. Just promise not to torture me, please.”

“Good, I knew you’d see reason or else!” Buffy slung her hand out of his shirt, not wanting to be near him.

She sat back down on the couch, Spike returning to sit on one side of her, holding her hand; Asher on the other side.

“I-it’s called the ‘Water of the Abyss’. It’s a companion piece to the ‘Fire of Azrael’. Both stones were found inside of a meteor, according to legend. The boxes were made for the stones about 2000 years ago.

I-I was Karl’s assistant when he found the ‘Fire’. I was a professor by the time I managed to find the ‘Water’. One foretells the future, and this one can wash away events in the past, thus changing the future.

You have to have the ‘Fire’ to get the ‘Water’ to work.”

Anita interrupted him quickly, “Do you have to have this one to get the ‘Fire’ to work?”

“N-no. That one will work by itself, but it has to be in the ‘right hands’.. Someone that can use it. The legend is that the Stone decides, but that’s crazy.”

“Actually, it’s not. So you killed Mr. Yamamoto?” Anita asked him a voice filled with an icy calm. She had seen the body, Buffy had not.

“I-I tried to get Karl to give me the other stone. He refused, I only wanted to find out where it was so I could steal it. I had bugged his apartment, so when I heard that the Slayer was coming to pick it up, I knew I had to find it in a hurry. I bought a spell to raise the zombies and told them to find it. They weren’t supposed to kill anyone!” Charles had started to cry, tears running down his slightly plump, sallow colored cheeks.

“You BOUGHT a spell! Who.. Where did you BUY the spell?!” Anita was livid that someone would sell something so dangerous to a complete idiot, obviously without instructions.

“afhtaitanit.” Charles could barely be heard, much less understood.

Richard curled that taloned hand gently around the man’s cheek turning his head to look directly at the pack leader. He knew his eyes had gone that startling wolf-amber. Very quietly he repeated Anita’s question. “Where?”

“The internet. Off the INTERNET!”

Three voices were raised at once. “The INTERNET?!” “You stupid…!” “The bloody internet! Are you soddin’ daft?!”

Jean-Claude looked as calm as usual when he asked the sniveling man, “Did the spell come with instructions?”

“Y-yes, but I didn’t have time to make all that ointment and get those goats and stuff. I just picked up some animal blood at the butcher shop… What? What’s wrong with that? Animal blood is animal blood, isn’t it? I mean… It had to be a bad spell, right? Something wrong with it?”

Charles looked at the expression on each face. “W-why are you all looking at me like that?”

“How did you convince Alex to assist you and why did you come in here?” Jean-Claude asked his last remaining question.

“ I knew the Slayer would come here, her with a vampire and all. I figured if I captured her, I could search the place in case the ‘Fire’ was here. If it wasn’t I was gonna hold her as a hostage until I got it from who ever has it I had to get in here, so that’s where Alex came in to this. I promised him power. That’s what he wanted. So I promised it to him. I could have figured out how to get the stones to give that to him later when I had both of th.e..m….. What?! Why are all of you LOOKING at me like THAT!”

Richard had gotten up and stalked to the far corner of the room, running his hands through his hair in frustration. Jean-Claude’s eyes were that deep smoky glowing blue again. Buffy had turned her head into Spike’s shoulder while he held her in his arms as she sobbed.

Anita raised her face from her hands and looked at the dark-haired vampire.

“Jean-Claude, will you please get rid of this useless excuse of space before he gets more people killed. He’s too stupid to even live!”

“It shall be my pleasure, ma petite.” He rose gracefully from his kneeling position as Richard came back toward them.

“Oh, let me help, please.”

The people in that room that knew how seldom Richard condoned killing, could tell from that one statement how upset he was at the whole turn of events.

“Count me in too, mate. Soddin’ git prob’ly even tastes bad too.” Spike gently moved Buffy away from him and looked at Asher. “Take care of her while I help them.”

The scarred vampire simply looked into Spike’s eyes as he put his arms around the sobbing Slayer and eased her onto his shoulder to cry.

* He knows. Well, that is better. He is honorable and loves her. I would not choose to lie to him.*

Richard, Spike and Jean-Claude took the sniveling man out of the room. Anita got up and went to the bathroom where she washed her face repeatedly in cool water, trying to stop shaking from anger and the waste…

***********************************************

Once the men came back inside and Anita had returned from the bathroom, she asked Buffy to go with her back to her house to get a change of clothes for all three of them. They were going to stay at the ‘Circus’ for the night. Anita was worried about any left over zombies and just needed to feel Jean-Claude’s arms around her; but she couldn’t just leave her guests alone.

Anita let Buffy drive for about two blocks then traded places behind the wheel. She decided she could bear the pain of driving.

**********************************************

Asher sought Spike out, finding him outside smoking a cigarette.

“I would thank you…”

“No, don’t. I know how it can happen. One minute you’re a happy bloke, not a care in the world, the next she comes along all golden and bouncy. Then she’s inside of you before you know what happened.”

Spike looked up from his cigarette into the pale icy blue eyes of the older vampire.

“But I won’t give her up.”

“I would not ask it of you. I wanted to thank you for understanding and not being angry. I had respect for you when you arrived. Your courtesy has caused more. I would be honored to be considered your friend.”

Asher wasn’t sure how to explain to Spike….

“ ‘S’ok, Asher. You protected her. Kept her safe. Owe you for that.” Spike was having his own problems with the conversation.

“I did kiss her…” Asher saw the answer flit across the blonde vampire’s face. “Of course… I should have realized you knew.”

“Can’t blame you for ‘ow you feel. You didn’t take advantage of her and you’re honest about it.. Don’t have many friends… Be honored to add you to that short list of’em.” Memory flashed through Spike’s head of past events with his un-souled sire…

“So, are those things any good?” Asher asked, changing the subject. The emotion he’d heard in Spike’s voice had been almost overwhelming.

“A good cig? Oh, yeah! Not like they can kill ya or anything…” Spike lit up a second one and handed it to Asher.

*******************************************

In the aftermath of Mr. Yamamoto’s death, the police had asked Buffy to stay in town for a couple of days.

They discovered she was what Anita had said; a vampire executioner from California.

A drained and half eaten corpse had been found with an altered spell for raising zombies in the remains of its pocket. They had even called in another animator, since Anita was a friend of the visiting ‘executioner’.

The animator had assured them that the incomplete and inaccurate ritual would have caused the exact kind of zombie that had killed the elderly man.

The police closed the case, sure that they had found the cause of the recent zombie events

Since Buffy and Spike had to stay in St. Louis a couple of days longer, Spike had taken Jean-Claude out a couple of times in a effort to teach him how to drive.

The body shop said the car would be repaired in about two weeks.

The evening before the pair planned to fly back to Sunnydale, Jean-Claude and Asher came over to Anita’s house to visit and have dinner.

Spike had cooked.

Everyone except Buffy was surprised at the wonderful dinner the blonde vampire had prepared for them.

After dinner they were discussing Buffy’s desire to become Spike’s human servant.

Having seen how rapidly Anita had healed after such a nasty wound, Spike was now more in favor of Buffy’s idea. He’d never tell her, but he worried constantly about her being killed. Oh, he knew Slayers normally had a short life span, but he wanted her to be as different in that area as she was in every other way.

“.. So you see, both of you will have an advantage in such a bonding. You and the Slayer will share strength, she will be immune to poisons, illness, and blood-born diseases. She will have an increased life span as well as giving both of you the ability to communicate telepathically. Her power will be added to yours as well, making you a much stronger Master of the City.” Jean-Claude and Anita had been explaining

the pros and cons for the last hour.

“It’s that simple to do? The two levels of the mental joining first, then the ritual with Spike drinking a small amount of my blood? So what’s the forth mark?”

“You would share his blood as well.” Anita quietly told her friend.

“Like ewwww!” Buffy made a face back at Anita then laughed.

“The down side is that if either of you are killed at the fourth mark, both of you will die. With only three, if one of you is killed, the other one has a chance of living.” The dark-haired woman finished explaining.

“I think three is enough. At least for now.” Buffy looked at Spike. “We can make that kind of decision later if we want.”

There was a knock at the front door, then Anita heard the door open. “It’s Richard. He said he would drop by. Something about a surprise.”

She called out to the local pack leader. “We’re in here, Richard.”

The tall chestnut haired werewolf stood in the doorway, looking at Buffy where she sat on the couch next to Spike.

“Hey, Buffy. Jason told me about your request about your missing friend. I checked with some of the other packs and they also did some checking for us. We.. Well, see for yourself what we found.” He stepped inside the living room, moving out of the door.

Behind where the 6 foot tall man had been standing was Oz!

With a delighted shriek, Buffy exploded out of her chair reaching the short redheaded man in a few steps. She flung her arms around his shoulders as he hugged her in return.

“Oz! It’s you!”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.”

Buffy pulled back from their long missing friend to look at him. “You look good! How have you been? Where have you been?”

Oz looked around Buffy to Spike sitting on the couch, then back at the blonde woman. “ Thanks. Fine. Dallas. I see things have changed.”

With an exasperated sigh, Buffy shook her head. “Still the same Oz.. Afraid words will come out of your mouth?”

“Yeah, well. I only have a few. Don’t wanna waste’em.”

With a laugh and a hug, Buffy pulled Oz over to the couch and indicated he should sit next to her. Spike was on the other side.

*****************************************

It was almost 2am before the other guests left and the two women and one vampire could seek their respective beds.

Richard had explained that the man, Leonard had known Oz in Dallas. When he found out they were looking for the musician, the ex-cop had told Richard where to find him.

As the local pack leader, Richard had called the leader in Dallas, and requested a transfer for Oz to St. Louis and explained why. Once Oz heard who was visiting, he’d had hurried to get to St. Louis before Buffy flew back to Sunnydale.

The two friends had caught everyone up to date on events in their lives and had added quite a bit of laughter to the rest of the evening with their stories of their high school friends and all the world-saveage.

Before Richard and Oz left for the evening, Buffy had thanked Richard profusely, finally pulling the tall man into a hug and kissing him soundly.

To Oz’s surprise, she did the same to him.

They promised to keep in touch as well as visit.

Once the two werewolves were gone for the evening, Jean-Claude and Asher had walked Spike through the first three marks, making Buffy his human servant. Anita had watched nervously, not sure if she should be glad or not.

*It can be wonderful, but sometimes it just .. well, it just sucks. But they’re happy about it, and it will keep her a bit safer.*

Anita hadn’t realized exactly how dangerous Buffy’s life was until tonight.

Buffy and Spike walked with Anita to the door with Jean-Claude and Asher.

While Anita was kissing Jean-Claude goodnight, Spike excused himself for a minute. Buffy wondered what was up, but realized as Asher pulled her into an embrace.

“I shall miss you, ma Cherie.”

“I’ll miss you too, Asher. Just stay my friend, ok?”

“Always.” He tipped her face to kiss her.

Buffy understood that Spike knew and had given Asher a few moments to say goodbye, so Buffy wrapped her arms around Asher’s neck, twining her hands into his long golden hair and kissed him back.

They were both slightly breathless at the end of the kiss.

She reached to touch the ruined side of his face gently. “Next time you worry about this, remember Kipling. ‘K?”

Asher captured her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers.

“Always, ma Cherie. Je reve de toi. It means ‘I dream of you’.”

He looked up to see Spike’s blue eyes on him.

Spike walked over to Asher and grabbed his forearm in that familiar male grasp.

“Take care of yourself, friend.”

“ You as well. We shall talk often, yes?”

“Yeah. Come visit. We’ll go get a pint and shoot some pool.”

A smile crossed Asher’s face as he agreed then stepped out the door.

Spike also thanked Jean-Claude. The two promised to talk soon.

Then Buffy hugged the dark-haired vampire and thanked him for his hospitality and then laughed and said, “Not to mention all the fun stuff you guys do too.. Only one sign knocked down, Jean-Claude?” She giggled.

“You will torment me about this, will you not, Cherie?”

Buffy looked at Anita and grinned. “Yeah. A gal has to have a hobby.”

*********************************************

Buffy and Spike drug themselves up the front walk of his house.

“Let’s stay here tonight, Spike. I’m tired, and I kinda want you to myself for a bit. We can talk to Giles tomorrow. Otherwise he’ll have us talking all night.”

“Right. I had other plans for that beautiful mouth of yours, but they can wait until in the morning.”

“Well..” Buffy looked at him with a sly grin. “Then again, maybe they can’t wait”

They sat their bags on the floor. Buffy pushed the front door closed with her foot as she drew Spike into a deep kiss.

Gillian Silverlight 8/29/01