When Buffy's soul is hunted by the greatest evil in creation only Angel can save her, but will he be in time?.
This is a BTVS/Ats crossover.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them, I don't want them, they make me cry too much. Joss and his people do the owning thing
SPOILERS: Everything up to TYF and then the story splits off into my own little world.
TIMELINE: A year after TYF
FEEDBACK: Please.
RATING: R or 15 for the UK
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a B/A story but does include B/R for a while. Sorry, but Riley is necessary to the story. Just keep in mind that I'm die hard B/A and have faith.
DEDICATION: Rosi, Deirdre, Leisa and Sunnyshine.

Winner of Best Buffy Remembers in the Forgotten Day Fan Fiction Awards, May 24, 2001

Prologue.

Angel swept Buffy up in to his strong muscular arms. The heavy smell of vanilla combined with Buffy's hot breath on his neck was sending shock waves of lust straight to his groin. He groaned in near ecstasy as Buffy's scalding mouth hungrily attacked his lips in a desperate attempt to gain entry.

Everything had happened so quickly, then on reflection, when it came to Buffy that was the only way it could be. First came the yelling, then the fighting and ultimately the fire.

The intense rush of desire that passed between the two soul mates startled Angel, causing his lips to part in a tormented gasp. Buffy took full advantage of the situation and slipped her warm tongue deep inside, an intense sigh reached right down to her toes as she rediscovered heaven. Buffy then proceeded to ravish every part of the vampire's cool mouth.

On reaching the master bedroom Angel was frustrated to find the door closed, too impatient to try the handle or break their kiss he kicked out at the obstruction using slightly more force then was necessary. The door exploded off its hinges and shattered in to a dozen assorted pieces.

Not bothering to inspect the damage Angel staggered over the wreckage, both he and Buffy giggling like naughty children

He proceeded straight towards his large bed in the corner of the room; Angel then lowered Buffy gently into the dark blue silky sheets. The contrast of light against dark was breathtaking even for a vampire that needed no breath. For a moment Buffy couldn't move, breathing deeply, her senses were totally engulfed by the unique masculine scent that was only ever Angel, she just gazed lovingly at the wonderful man in front of her.

Angel had never seen Buffy look more beautiful, a feeling of utter contentment stole over his soul as he tenderly smiled back at the woman he loved more than life itself.

Their eyes locked, both lost in a hundred different memories. The past the present and the future all blended together.

Buffy's overwhelming desire to touch him again became too great, unable to wait another second she reached up and ran her hands over the muscular contours of his perfectly formed chest. Her hands gliding smoothly over the expensive black silk shirt Angel was wearing. On reaching the tiny dark buttons her fingers trembled with anticipation.

Angel licked his suddenly very dry lips and watched as Buffy's hands started to caress his body. It was so incredible to feel her touch again, **How could he have denied himself this long**

After fumbling to undo the second button Buffy's attitude changed. She grabbed hold of the shirt and with a flick of the wrist she ripped it to shreds. Patience had never been her strong point and Buffy decided she had waited long enough, nothing was going to stop her from getting to Angels delicious body tonight.

Angel chuckled as the remnants of his favourite shirt fell to the ground.

" Sorry" Buffy purred almost, her wonderful lust filled eyes sparkling up at him.

With the annoying garment now out of the way Buffy continued her quest to reach his perfect skin. She shivered as her fingers skimmed lightly across the cool, pale flesh. Overcome with a serious need for intimate contact Buffy raised her mouth to Angel's chest and circled her tongue around the first coppery nipple she found, caressing it lovingly into a small tight bud.

Angel threw his head back and growled almost in pain. Buffy then moved her mouth to his neglected nipple and softly pulled it
between her teeth.

The pleasure that simple act brought Angel was indescribable. In that one-second the long years of loneliness and heartache were forgotten.

" Buffy" he sighed deeply and ran his hands through the silky tresses of her long golden hair, winding the soft strands around his fingers Angel gentle pulled her mouth away from his chest and tilted her face back towards his.

I love you" Buffy whispered her eyes brimming with tears.

" I love you" Angel opened his heart and the million emotions he'd carefully locked away over the years spilled forth.

"I love you, I love you so much" he kissed her eyes, her nose moving to her earlobe and the soft flesh just below he slowly
reacquainted his mouth with every part of her delectable face he could find

Buffy moaned and quivered as his cool lips pulled tenderly at her skin. Angel gradually worked his way back to her mouth and lost himself in the burning heat of her touch.

" I've waited for you, I've waited so long" he gazed deeply into sparkling hazel pools that he feared he would never see again.

Buffys eyes were like fire, burning with deep adoration and that adoration was directed straight at him, only for him.

" I want you, I need you" Buffy moaned softly as Angel caressed her cheek. Her tiny hand reached out to unbuckle his belt. Angel made no attempt to stop her as her fingers slowly lowered the zip on his black trousers.

" I need you too I always have" Angel's confession slipped quietly over his lips, it was painfully true, he needed her more than he needed blood. He had tried so hard to let her go, he had fought such an internal battle but his lonely soul continuously call out for her and today her soul had called right back.

Buffy reached up behind her neck and untied the straps on her tiny lace top; it rippled seductively down her slender arms . Angel watched mesmerised as the flimsy piece of material revealed more of her tantalising flesh. In his eyes, Buffy's body was the most beautiful sight in the entire world. Her radiant skin was the colour of golden honey and he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life lost inside her.

On that thought Angel wrapped his arms possessively around her and pulled her semi naked body into his chest. Her flesh felt so hot it almost burnt his skin, it was the most welcome feeling Angel had ever known. It felt like after years of being lost in the wilderness he was finally coming home.

Passion ignited in both of them as the need to share their bodies became too strong to resist. Their first lovemaking after so many wasted years turned into a desperate frenzy of lust; they had been apart far too long for any other way. This joining was all about need, longing, and passion. Tenderness and love would come, but that would be later.

Angel lay his dark head back into the softness of the pillows totally sated He pulled Buffy's sleeping body deeper into his arms and snuggled closer feeling completely at peace. He turned his head slightly and smiled, Angel adored watching Buffy sleep. He just loved the way she sighed, whimpered and moved her body against his unconsciously seeking contact. He loved the way her long dark eyelashes swept over her eyes and flickered as she dreamt. But more than anything he loved watching her breathe; the simple rise and fall of her small chest mixed with the soft breath she exhaled onto his body filled Angel with pure joy.

He resisted the urge to grab his sketchpad and capture the look of utter bliss that had formed over Buffy's delicate features, Angel couldn't bear the thought of moving away from his lover's arms even for a second. So, storing the blissful statement deep into his memory he pressed a soft kiss to her hair instead. Buffy murmured, reached out her arm and snuggled closer to Angel's chest.

Angel felt the first stirrings of desire build as her body wiggled enticingly against his. He leaned over and softly pressed his mouth to Buffy's, nibbling gently at her lips. Buffy sighed and sucked Angels tongue deep inside her mouth, after a long satisfying kiss she pulled away smiling.

" That was nice"

Angel traced her features with his long fingers; he gently stroked the soft skin revelling in the warmth beneath his touch.

" I love you" he sighed truthfully. He had longed to say those words so many times in the past but had always been forced to hide them away. Now they were together again he wanted the whole world to know how much he loved Buffy Summers

Buffy smiled and slowly extracted herself from Angel's arms; she then slid towards the side of the bed. Angel immediately missed the warmth of her body. He leaned over and tried to persuade her to stay.

" Don't go" Angels voice filled with longing as he dropped tiny butterfly kisses along her bare shoulder blade.

" I have to, sorry." Buffy apologised without turning back; she reached over for her discarded clothes and started to dress.

Angel sat up and watched in disappointment as her glorious body was once again hidden in clothing.

" When will I see you again.Tonight?" He reached out to catch her hand, Buffy didn't move.

Angel left the bed and walked up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her back into his naked body. Closing his eyes he pressed his face into her hair and inhaled her scent. A fresh wave of lust caused him to growl as Buffy wiggled against his growing erection.

" Buffy, come back to bed" Angels body was already responding to the call of it's mate. He moved her hair to one side and pressed his mouth onto her throat, ignoring the smell of her blood flowing just beneath the surface he slid his cold tongue lovingly over the rough scar tissue of his old bite. He was then filled with a profound sense of male pride. Buffy had been with him first, in every way possible and nothing would ever change that no matter who had followed in his footsteps.

Buffy turned slowly in his arms, she reached up on to tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose.

" Sorry lover, but the sex really wasn't that good " a humourless smile quirked at her lips.

Angel's eyes snapped open as if he'd been slapped; he stared into cold, black empty eyes.

"Oh God Buffy, your soul" he was stunned, he knew Buffy couldn't possibly be a vampire because he could still feel her heart beating, she was still so warm but it was very obvious she no longer possessed her soul.

" Got it in one baby and there was I thinking you were only a pretty face " Buffy pushed away with just enough force to break his grip.

Angel couldn't move, the pain in his chest where his heart used to beat multiplied with every word.

Buffy just laughed at the torment and confusion in the vampire's face she turned on her heels and walked slowly towards the broken door.

After stepping over the debris she stopped abruptly and turned her head back towards Angel. The evil sneer on her once beautiful face shattered his heart.

Blowing him a long seductive kiss her black dead eyes flashed red with fire.

" Bye loser"

Angel gasped and sat up, taking deep unnecessary breaths. If his heart had been beating it would have jumped right out of his chest in fright. His whole body trembled as each vivid detail of his nightmare became clear.

It was just a dream, just a dream" he repeated trying to rationalise his fear. Slinging his long muscular legs over the side of his bed Angel sat with his head cradled in his hands. He still wasn't quite convinced. The dream had felt so real, so much detail.

Angel had often dreamt of Buffy over the years, apart from when he was being haunted by the first evil his dreams of Buffy had always brought him relief. His recent dreams usually involved sunlight, light fluffy situations that Angel knew would always be impossible but still brought comfort to his lonely empty life. But this, this was so very different, this dream had been dark and seriously disturbing. The closest he could remember to this fear was the wedding dream he had experienced just before leaving Sunnydale. That dream had been so bad it had convinced him to leave Sunnydale and Buffy forever, this new dream was a million times worse. He paced around the room trying desperately to shake the haunting images from his mind but they stayed fast.

Angel crossed the room and picked up the phone, he dialled a few numbers but then replaced the receiver. A call wouldn't be enough, this time he had to go in person. He knew now - without a doubt - that this was no ordinary nightmare. This dream was a warning, or worse a prophecy.

Buffy was in serious danger; something out there in the darkness was hunting her very soul.

Part 1

Spike stood beneath a jet of steaming water, scrubbing at his cold pale skin.

" Bloody Slayer" he cursed for the fifth time in as many minutes, the harder he scrubbed the angrier he became.

Snatching a bottle of bright yellow liquid from the bathroom shelf, Spike squeezed a large quantity into the palm of his hand and then worked a rich lather into his bleached blonde hair. As the soap bubbles cascaded down his face the vampire continued to massage them into his blistered skin.

It just wasn't working, no matter how hard Spike scrubbed he could still smell that bloody awful stench on his skin. He shuddered as the memory of the last few hours replayed in his head like a bad B movie.

"SPIKE!... DUCK!" Xander had called out the warning loud enough but, unfortunately, not quite in time. Small glass bottles of holy water had sailed across the room exploding just above Spike's head. The potentially fatal liquid splashed all over the vampire's leather duster, causing him to run screaming from the magic shop in agony.

Buffy, Riley and Xander had discovered him in the alley behind the shop a few minutes later, frantically ripping off his burning clothes. Hardly able to hide their amusement, the three humans walked towards the semi-naked vampire.

Once outside in the cool night air, the only thought on Spike's mind was stopping his skin from melting. Quickly stripping down to his black jeans he was finally free of the vile burning liquid. But the pain in his badly blistered hands was agonising.

" Dammit all to hell " he muttered as he thrust his arms into a convenient barrel of rainwater close by. The vampire's burnt flesh hissed as it was submerged in cold water. Spike rested his head against the dank alley wall and sighed deeply.

Wondering for the millionth time when his life had turned to shit, the sorry looking vampire continued to sulk. Nothing ever went his way these days, Spike truly felt as if the whole world was against him and he knew **as long as he had that blasted chip in his head** there wasn't a sodding thing he could do about it.

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted the vampire's sensitive hearing to the presence of the Slayer and her sidekicks.

That's when his life had turned to dross.

**That bloody bitch and her pathetic boy toy, it was their entire fault. If he could just get this damn chip out of his skull he'd have the whole lot of them for dinner, especially the Slayer**

Spike turned, his face distorted with rage

" If you laugh I'll bleedin'."

Howls of laughter cut off the end of Spike's empty threat

The dejected vampire reached down and picked up what was left of his still smouldering duster. He shook it a couple of times but the damage had already been done.

" It's not funny, just look what that sod's done to my clothes" he muttered through clenched teeth.

Buffy stifled the giggle that was bubbling inside her.

"Sorry, Spike. The owner thought you were a vampire he didn't realise you were there with us. He was trying to protect himself, he's really sorry" Buffy tried to offer an explanation as to why Spike had suddenly become target practice.

The only trouble was, Buffy's condescending tone was the final indignity

" What do you mean he thought I was a vampire.I AM A BLOODY VAMPIRE" Spike exploded as his human face transformed into the demon beneath. He violently kicked out at the nearest trash can, the loose lid flew down the alley crashing loudly, scaring a curious tomcat into the middle of next week.

Buffy bit down hard into her bottom lip as she continued.

" But Spike he thought you were a real vampire, he didn't know you've been. well you know" her eyebrows quirked

" De fanged ?" Riley offered helpfully.

Buffy looked at her boyfriend and the pair burst into renewed laughter, the pathetic look on Spike's face just made the situation funnier.

Spike had never felt so humiliated in all his unlife.

** Well apart from the continuous ass kicking he'd received at the Slayer's hands over the years. Oh, and then there was the time that Drusilla left him for a chaos demon and then.**

"Enough" Spike slammed his wet hands against the shower wall in temper.

"Will this hell ever end?" he moaned in self-pity. Holding his hands up to his nose he shuddered in disgust.

"Ewwwwww"

** The rotten stink clung to his skin like a leech** with that thought the self pity kicked in again ** Even leeches got more warm blood these days then he did** he reflected sadly.

Picking up the soap he continued with his scrubbing.

When Spike was satisfied that all traces of the holy water had left his skin he turned off the water. Grabbing one of Xander's large blue bath towels, he wrapped it around his trim waist.

At least Xander had cared enough about his injuries to offer the use of his shower.

**Saying that, he knew the little twit had offered more out of guilt then anything else**

After all was said and done, Spike had only been at the magic shop that night to help them out.

**Ok, he was being paid for his help but that wasn't the point. The last thing he'd expected was an Acid bath for his troubles. And, if that wasn't bad enough, the Slayer and that GI Joe reject had laughed themselves stupid**

Running a comb through his wet hair Spike watched in fascination as a small glass tumbler on the shelf in front of him started to vibrate. His interest grew as the glass jumped up and down and worked its way slowly to the end of the shelf where it proceeded to smash to the floor

"Neat!" He grinned as the bottles on the above shelf joined in, within a few seconds the whole room was moving.

" Bloody hell it's an earthquake." Spike shouted and grabbed for his trousers. The last thing he needed was to be pulled from the rubble of Xander Harris's basement, naked. He had a reputation to consider and the bloody bitch of a Slayer would never let him hear the end of that one.

**But an earthquake, that would be just great. There hadn't been a really good 'quake for years ** Spike felt his adrenaline kick in at the thought of all those wonderful casualties.

**At last he might get a decent meal for a change and if he was really quick some of the dead might still be warm** Spike felt his poor empty stomach growl and licked his lips in anticipation.

Sadly, Spike's happiness was cut short when the bathroom floor began to swirl in front of him and totally ruined his earthquake theory. He was forced to hold onto the walls for support as the room shook more violently, his eyes then widened in surprise as a vortex appeared in the middle of the floor.

When the shaking eventually subsided Spike walked towards the swirling hole and curiously peered over the edge. He jerked back as a small dwarf like demon ascended.

" Wow! Now that's a really neat entrance" Spike laughed, he relaxed when he noticed the small demon seemed no obvious threat.

** Maybe dinner had arrived after all **

" You have been summoned, Vampire. *He* wants to see you at once"

Spike looked into the face of the small repulsive demon, apart from being **an ugly little sod** there was something very sinister about it. He looked closer and felt the intense heat it radiated Spike was then drawn to the creature's face, in place of eyes there were just slits of burning fire.

This was a demon of the purest form, an infestation from hell itself.

" And does this *He* have a name" Spike didn't like the feel of this situation one little bit. He knew, only too well, that pure demons rarely left the nether world.

" Stop acting like an imbecile vampire. Stupidity will not be tolerated, so move yourself"

" Sorry shorty, but I'm a bit busy at the moment" Spike sneered at the dwarf like creature.

** Who the hell did he think he was talking to? Spike was his own man, he didn't take orders from other demons especially when they were only four feet high**

" Then maybe I can help you change your mind" the demon raised an ugly claw and a bolt of fire shot straight at Spike. The nimble vampire threw himself across the bathroom straight into the wall to escape being fried for the second time that day.

" Okay, Okay, I get the picture" he reluctantly moved towards the edge of the vortex, the heat pouring through was amazing.

Turning around one last time to consider if escape was feasible Spike's eyes met the evil stare of the dwarf.

Spike knew he had two choices, Jump or be incinerated. He didn't fancy either.

Talking one last step he looked down at the swirling floor.

" Goodbye Piccadilly, farewell Leicester Bloody Square" He muttered and jumped in, followed closely by the demon.

Immediately the vortex closed.

Part 2

Spike landed with a heavy, extremely painful thud.

"So much for soft landings" the vampire complained bitterly noticing that the** short arse demon** had made a perfect entry. Climbing to his feet he brushed the dirt off his hands and let his eyes slowly adjust to the darkness.

Spike didn't need a welcome sign to tell him where he was; the unbelievable heat combined with the sickening smell of sulphur and brimstone lead him to only one conclusion

** Welcome to hell, Spikey boy**

"Forward" the demon guard pushed roughly at the back of Spike's legs, propelling him forward. Growling slightly the vampire's hands formed into tight fists with fury, the temptation to smash the annoying little bastard was growing by the second. Only the realisation that there was no way out of this hole stopped him from doing just that.

Spike was then confronted with a maze of dark twisting tunnels, each leading to a different level of hell. As he was moved forward towards the lowest level, he felt the heat continue to grow until it totally engulfed his whole body leaving his skin prickling. He wondered not for the first time if spontaneous combustion was going to be a slight problem.

The tunnels continued for what seemed like miles. Spike slowly stumbled and cursed his way along with increasing difficulty; even his sensitive vampire sight struggled with the blackness that surrounded them. But, as his feet continued to squelch through the deepening quagmire, he became slightly grateful that he couldn't see what was beneath him. The stench was so bad, Spike was sure the sight would be enough to turn even his hardened stomach.

As the tunnel narrowed, the eerie silence was continuously broken by the piercing screams of the dammed. The journey finally came to an end outside a small stone entranceway. There was just enough light for Spike to see the most hideous stone gargoyles standing guard.

" Now what?" the vampire asked turning around only to find himself completely alone.

Shrugging his shoulders, Spike made his way past the gargoyles and into an enormous flame filled cavern.

" William" the smooth rich voice came out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

All of Spike's senses came alive as he prepared for attack.

** One good thing about being in hell was that it was full of demons, Spike could still kill demons with ease.

" Or do you prefer Spike these days?" A deep red mist materialised from the ground. It swirled around the whole cavern and then transformed into human form.

Despite the intense heat, Spike shivered.

"Wow! I didn't know George Michael was a demon" he joked nervously studying the transformation.

A low, evil, chuckle came from the being in front of him. Spike took a step closer but quickly stepped back, the heat this creature generated was intolerable even for a vampire.

The human form was dressed from head to foot in black satin. Its appearance was completed with a shock of jet-black hair, black sunglasses and a trim goatee beard.

" I thought my human form would be far less intimidating" Again the low voice seemed to fill the cavern

" Personally, I always found George Michael pretty intimidating, something about the eyes" Spike continued in awe.

The creature reached up and slowly removed the black glasses to reveal eyes of flaming fire. This creature's eyes were not in the same league as the demon who had opened the vortex; these eyes held an eternity of cruelty, evil and damnation. This was evil personified.

"Holy shit" Spike stuttered in recognition

" I'd prefer you not to use such offensive language in my presence, if you don't mind" the voice was spoken with a menacing threat

Spike stood rooted to the spot

**Oh sure he'd heard the rumours** but coming face to face with the man himself blew Spike away.

" So are you really the."

" The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, Anti Christ, Beelzebub? Yes. All those and a few million more. I have many names and many faces" at that point he transformed again, this time the image offered was of the typical red devil complete with two horns and a tail.

" I like this one the best" Its evil mouth twisted into a sickly smile.

" You can call me Lucifer, I think it fits the red image perfectly"

Spike knew it didn't matter what you called it, whatever this creature was, delusions of grandeur aside, it was incredibly powerful and extremely dangerous.

"So, what do you want from me?" Spike regretted the question as soon as it left his mouth

" I need your help"

"Me? I'm only a lowly vampire and a redundant one at that" Spike tapped the side of his head with a finger pointing out his Achilles heal. Then taking advantage of the situation he continued.

" Hey! Talking of redundant any chance of removing thi.." The look in the devil's eyes stopped him cold. Spike knew this was not the time or the place to be asking favours from the most evil creature in creation.

" The Slayer. I understand you're quite friendly with the annoying little bitch" The fire in the devil's eyes intensified and flashed with anger. Spike physically flinched.

" Would hardly call it friendly, although I do agree with the annoying bitch part. No, I think you have me mistaken with another vampire. Big brooding fellow goes by the name of."

"Angelus" the tone in the devil's voice was beyond frightening even for a hard ass like spike.

" Yep, that's the vamp, he happens to be an old Sire of mine, bloody big poof if you ask me. But, hey! he and sluttie the slayer are like that" Spike held up crossed fingers to prove his point.

" You're lying Spike.A wonderful little curse put an end to that relationship........ Angel" he rolled the name around on his tongue and then spat in disgust.

"I'll deal with that traitor in my own good time. The End of Days is almost upon us, my minions will rise up from every level of hell and smite out the curse of humanity once and for all.I want the slayer Spike. I know you can get close to her.I want her soul" the devil growled

"One question" Spike raised his hand impersonating a small schoolboy.

"Why not take this chip out of my head and I'll kill her for you?"

The devil's throaty laughter shook the cavern walls sending jets of steam hissed all around them.

" I don't want her dead you fool, a dead slayer equals a new slayer. No I want her soul, once I get it down here I'll trap it for all eternity. No new slayer to stand in my way I'll leave an empty shell to walk the earth, or maybe let a demon set up home inside"

" Hate to rain on your parade mate, but there's already another slayer, that dark haired bitch with far too much attitude for her own good. But if you deprogram me I could kill the other one for you" Spike offered optimistically. To get that bloody chip out of his head he was more then willing to make a deal.

" You're too late Spike, my agents got to her already. It was just so easy, once she killed that human her fate was sealed. We stole her soul. She was a tricky little minx, caused me no end of trouble when she escaped and made her way back, just in time to confess her sins and save that Judas vampire's neck. But no matter, Faith will be incarcerated for the rest of her natural life, the judge is a very old friend of mine" Once again the hideous laughter caused the temperature in the cavern to rise.

" And what's to stop Buffy from escaping in the same way?" Spike asked.

" Me. There will be no mistakes this time" he spat. A large strike of fire flew across the cavern exploding against the wall. Burning rubble fell crashing towards Spike. The blonde vampire jumped and rolled just in time to prevent him self being buried in molten rock. Climbing back to his feet, he made a mental note not to piss off the devil with stupid questions - it could seriously damage his health.

" I'll be sending an assassin, one of my very best. When it arrives you will assist it in anyway it demands. Is that clear?

"Crystal" Spike nodded his eyes were then drawn to bright light above his head as a swirling vortex opened again. This time an energy force swept down wrapping the vampire in its pull and propelled him up into the world above.

Back in Xander's bathroom the disorientated vampire slumped onto the tiled floor taking deep unnecessary breaths. The smell of brimstone and sulphur hung heavily in the air. After a few moments reflection, Spike reached up to the shower and turned the hot water back on, feeling an urgent need to scrub again. This time it wasn't the smell of holy water he needed to rid himself of, this time it was the stench of hell.

So lost in thought, Spike failed to notice when the hot water ran cold. His mind was on far more important issues.

"Well Slayer you've really done it this time" she was finally going to be brought down, literally. Spike then thought of something even better.

** And with a little luck he might take Angel as well**.

Part 3

Riley Finn, a tall good-looking boy with sandy blonde hair, moved cautiously around the room, his bright eyes fully alert deciding whether to attack or defend. After careful consideration he moved quickly and struck the first blow.

Buffy's lightning reflexes blocked the strike with ease.

"Come on honey you can do better than that" she laughed, dancing lightly on her feet.

Riley smiled, lunged forward and threw a left handed punch. Buffy caught his fist, twisted his arm and threw him straight over her shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Riley jumped back onto his feet and moved forward again. This time he tried to grab her neck but she automatically blocked his arm, whirled around and sent him slamming into the floor again. Once more Riley pulled himself to his feet

" Are we bronzing tonight? " Buffy continued to weave around him never once losing concentration

" Sure, if I live that long" Riley's breathing was growing heavier with each fall. The workout was sadly becoming very one-sided.

" What's the matter? You're not afraid of little me, are ya? Buffy teased, her beautiful hazel eyes twinkling but as soon as the words left her mouth she had the strangest feeling of da ja vu. Slightly distracted, Riley's next attack almost caught her off guard.

As he moved swiftly to the right Buffy sprung, somersaulted twice and kicked Riley flat on his back. This time he hit the floor with a loud thud and groaned as all the air left his body.

Knowing that he was completely out of his depth, and to avoid any further humiliation, Riley made the decision to stay still.

" I surrender" he joked and held up his arms.

Buffy walked slowly towards her boyfriend and held out her hands

" You know you really should try and block more" she laughed at Riley's dazed statement. He accepted her hands and pushed himself up from the floor.

" Buffy, as much as I love training with you, let's call it a day honey" he asked raising his eyes hopefully. Suddenly his whole body ached and if he was honest with himself, there was only so much humiliation a normal guy could take.

Buffy nodded her agreement and smiled affectionately. She knew how difficult it was for Riley these days, she could tell he was exhausted and yet she had hardly broken into a sweat. Buffy hated to admit it, but training with Riley was a complete waste of time. Her mind reluctantly drifted to a different time and a more fulfilling training session.

**Angel had always left her sweating ** her thoughts turned to firelight battles, which lead to heavy kissing and.

**Bad visuals** Buffy silently cursed and shut the images out of her head. Angel was gone, their life together was a thing of the past and that's where thoughts of Angel had to stay. She then forced her attention back to her current boyfriend

** Her nice, normal, safe, boring.stop that** Buffy corrected her slip and remembered Riley was still waiting for a reply.

" Yeah, come on lets call it a day, besides I can always go and annoy Spike into some action, he's always good for some ass kicking" Buffy grinned.

Riley seemed much happier now the workout was over, he slipped his arms around her tiny waist and turned her towards him, leaning down he gently kissed her head.

" I have to say I like the sound of that, it's not really Spike's week. Did you see what that holy water did to his clothes? They were totally ruined and the look on his face, it was just priceless" Riley chuckled, the thought of hostile 17's most recent humiliation would keep him smiling for weeks and help him forget his own inadequacies

As a new image entered his head, Riley continued to insult the unfortunate vampire.

" Come on let's grab a cappuchino and remember the loser pays". Buffy teased, nudging him lightly in the ribs as a sign of affection. Then she untangled herself from his embrace and walked across the room to collect her bag and jacket.

While her back was turned she failed to notice the sad statement that passed over Riley's sombre face. Without meaning to Buffy had managed to damage his fragile masculine pride once again. It seemed the stronger Buffy grew the harder it became for Riley to accept their differences. He longed desperately for their relationship to work, he had never loved anybody the way he loved Buffy and he couldn't imagine his life without her. It was just this whole Slayer issue that was constantly causing the gap between them to widen.

Riley wished with all his heart that Buffy could be just a normal girl, but his wish went unanswered. He dreamed of the day when they could put all the vampires and demons behind them and settle down to normality. Although deep in his subconscious he doubted that Buffy really shared these dreams, or the intense feelings he held for her.

Riley's darkest fear was that a certain brooding vampire still held her heart captive, even though he had no solid grounds for these feelings. Buffy no longer spoke of her ex , she had closed that subject long ago, yet Riley still felt insecure, maybe it was her reluctance to say the three little words that that would reassure him once and for all.

He thought back to her last comment ** and remember the loser pays**

The word loser felt like a kick in the guts. Sadly, where Buffy was concerned, he was always going to come second in this relationship.

His final hope was that he was only the runner up when it came to training and not when it came to her heart.

After kissing Riley goodnight, Buffy decided to carry out one last sweep of the cemetery before heading off to bed.

The poor workout with Riley had left her feeling wired and frustrated. She knew she'd never be able to rest like that. Buffy just hoped a good slaying would rid her of all her excess energy and let her sleep.

Demon activity had been really slow the last few nights, so the odds were that something big was brewing.

There had been a couple of suspicious deaths earlier in the week; Buffy always watched the fresh graves for any sign of a newly risen vampire. The way she was feeling tonight even a newbie would be something to dust, anything to break the boredom.

Buffy stopped at her room first and picked up a package she also needed to deliver.

** Might as well kill two birds with one stone** she thought as she slipped Mr. pointy into the waistband of her leggings and headed back into town.

The two freshly dug graves were both no shows, much to Buffy's disappointment. She perched on top of a neighbouring headstone for about an hour aimlessly twirling her stake. It was so peaceful you could almost hear the worms munch in the soft earth below.

" Come out, come out where ever you are " Buffy sang quietly into the lonely night. But the dead stayed dead.

Feeling thoroughly disappointed Buffy climbed down from the cold head stone and stared at the two new graves.

" Alright, be like that" she pouted her lip in mock annoyance. This lack of activity was driving her nuts, then she remembered one last option.

Scanning the cemetery Buffy saw one small flicker of light coming from the mausoleum were Spike had set up his home. She bent down, picked up her bag and headed in that direction.

** If she was really lucky she might get to kick a vamp's ass after all, well any action was better then nothing** her smile grew as she made her way across the graveyard.

" What do you want, or have you just come to take the piss again?" Spike demanded, bitterly resenting the intrusion.

" Can I come in?" Buffy didn't wait for an answer she pushed passed the vampire and strolled into the crypt.

" What does anything I say matter, its only my bloody home"

Buffy completely ignored his protest.

When she turned around Spike was standing with his arms crossed over his chest looking annoyed and impatient

"Well I haven't got all night you know, I was just about to take my pathetic begging bowl down to the local butcher shop before I fade away completely.

" You know what your trouble is, you have no sense of humour" Buffy grinned.

" And do you know what your trouble is Slayer? You breathe" Spike shot back.

Buffy held out her package

" I thought you might need this"

" What's this a years supply of garlic and holy water?" Spike approached the bag carefully. He wouldn't put anything passed the slayer.

" Open it"

Spike took the offered bag and cautiously peered in

" It won't bite " Buffy giggled this time. ** It was so funny, the big bad vamp was such a coward **

" Oh!" he slowly pulled out a brand new black T-shirt. Searching deeper into the bag he was amazed to find a new leather duster.

" I don't understand.Are these for me.WHY?" he asked suspiciously.

" Your clothes suffered a lot of damage and you really do look stupid in Xander's clothes, come to think of it Xander looks stupid in Xander's clothes" she grinned again and then continued.

" I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know in your own twisted way you were trying to help us. I feel a little guilty so I brought these.kind of replacements"

Spike continued to look suspiciously, he didn't trust the Slayer one little bit, hell he didn't trust anybody.

Buffy turned to leave.

" Spike, as much as I hate to admit it you have forced your way into the scoobie gang and scoobies look after each other."

"Bloody hell, I don't think so" Spike didn't want to be associated as a bleeding *white hat* in any shape or form. He still had a reputation to consider as a bad ass vamp. The chip thing was bad enough to live with, but a pathetic *scoobie*

"Give me a break" he snarled.

Buffy just nodded

" Have it your own way, but keep the clothes" she then quirked her eyebrows.

" Oh, Spike. This doesn't mean that I've changed my mind about you, I still don't trust you and I certainly don't like you."

Spike watched her carefully

" Oh, it's mutual Slayer, believe me"

Nothing more was said but both slayer and vampire knew it wasn't quite true.

When the Slayer was gone Spike pulled on the new duster, it fitted him perfectly.

**I'm going to steal the Slayer's soul**

**Scoobies look after each other**

** I'll be sending an assassin, one of my very best**

**you were trying to help us**

" I wasn't trying to help... I'm a vampire... I'm a evil bastard...I'm not a bloody white knight. DAMMIT"

Spike found himself outside Rupert Giles apartment; he walked up to the door but turned sharply away

** I'm out of my head ** he didn't owe the slayer a thing, she had been the thorn in his side for .Well for as long as he could remember. What did he care if the bitch lost her soul, an eternity of torture and suffering was just what she deserved.

Fighting against every evil bone in his body he turned back towards the door.

" I'm going to regret this, I just know I'm going to regret this for the rest of my very *SHORT* unlife" he moaned as he rapped loudly on the door.

Part 4

" Spike! What ever it is you want you will just have to come back later, I'm extremely busy " Rupert Giles started to close the door.

" Well that's bloody charming, I come all the way over here to save her pathetic life and it's *Piss off Spike* " the peeved Vampire slammed the palm of his hand against the doorframe in frustration. He'd finally tried to do a good deed only to have it thrown right back in his face, literally.

The extent of Spike's outburst caught Giles by surprise

" Save a life... you? That's a good one. Now run along and scare an old lady or something just as pointless" Giles sounded distracted and nervous as he continued to close the door in the vampire's face.

" Well sod you then, what do I care if he takes her bleedin' soul" Spike turned on his heel and marched off into the night, mumbling something about Giles being an ungrateful git.

" WAIT"

The urgency in the other man's voice caused Spike to turn back, this time he was confronted by a very different statement on the ex watcher's face

" What did you just say?"

Spike followed Rupert Giles into his living room ignoring the rumbling noises that were coming up from his stomach. He silently cursed not having the sense to visit the butcher shop on his way over, but he also knew that if he'd stopped for even one more second his evil side, which was usually his only side would have won over

On entering the main living room, he was surprised to see it already filled with familiar faces.

On one side of the room were members of the extremely annoying scoobie gang. Xander, Anya, Tara and Willow all sat quietly drinking mugs of hot chocolate.

** Ok, maybe that wasn't such as surprise after all ** Spike thought, but then he turned his head and was confronted with the really unexpected guests.

Angel, Cordelia and a new side kick.

" Bloody hell it's like one of those high school reunion thingies, not that I actually went to high school or any kind of school for that matter" he grinned and then continued.

" All we need now is Blondie and we'll have a full set" Spike looked straight at his old sire and waited for some sort of reaction. Angel's stoic face just glared.

Spike was on a roll, he couldn't pass up the chance to annoy these people, seeing as he had so little fun in his life these days. He took his pleasure where he could and watching people squirm still gave him a happy.

Shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his new duster, the vampires face became alive with mischief.

" So, Angel. What's up? LA ran out of that Nancy boy hair gel you love so much or have you found a cure for that pesky curse" he smirked, not bothering to wait for a reply he turned his attention to Cordelia.

" Cordy, have you put on weight? Such a shame about your hips? " Spike feigned a sympathetic look.

"Never mind. Someone must be agreeing with you" he leered the last part and moistened his lips with his tongue.

Cordelia's eyes darkened in fury as she opened her mouth to attack right back. She was only calmed when Angel placed his hand gently on her shoulder in reassurance. He had heard what had passed between his childe and Giles and knew that Spike had information they desperately needed.

Angel would let Spike have his fun for now, but later..

Spike then walked slowly across the room stopping in front of Wesley.

" I don't believe we've met, you must be Wesley *screams like a woman* Wynden Price. You're the dickhead that gives us Brit's a bad name" Spike looked towards Giles and grinned.

Cordelia decided that this was one insult too many, she stood up and got right into the blonde vampire's face.

" Hey! Spike. How about I do all humanity a favour and stake your sorry ass myself, before your stupid little games bore us all to death" she smirked, pulling a small stake from her jacket pocket and ran it slowly down the side of his cheek.

Xander's eyes shot open in surprise at the change in his ex girlfriend.

" Wow! Go Cordy, go." he cheered her on but the stern look he received from Anya stopped him cold.

Ignoring the stake, Spike looked deep into the dark haired beauty's eyes.

" Ooh ... A Buffy wannabe" he grinned and leaned forward, the wooden stake indenting in his skin.

Cordelia didn't move and showed no sign of being intimidated.

" Oh, please....I'm twice the woman cry Buffy ever was, I don't see the point of keeping useless pet vampires around even if they have been fixed, I'd dust you in the blink of an eye"

The whole room sensed the tension that was passing between the two, each secretly making side bets on who would be the first to break.

" Pet vampire, that's rich considering you work for the Slayer's ex lapdog over there, You're bluffing and you know it. You see, if you stake me then you'll never know who wants the Slayer's soul" Spike knew he had the trump card and played it with glee.

" Cordelia slowly moved her mouth and placed it right next to the blonde vampire's ear, she whispered so quietly that only Spike could hear.

" It might just be worth it"

" ENOUGH" Angel's rich voice separated the two and broke the tension.

" Hey Giles where's the fire?" Buffy breezed into the room closely followed by Riley. She had only been in bed for an hour when Giles's confusing phone call had summoned her here; she'd met up with a just as confused Riley on the way.

The moment Buffy entered the room she was stopped in her tracks by a tingling sensation she hadn't felt in a long time. Angel was close, very close.

Riley's eyes swept around the room, he recognised most of the faces except for a pretty dark haired girl and her companion. He then saw a face he prayed he'd never have to see again. His hated rival was staring straight at Buffy and Riley swore he felt his girlfriend tremble.

Buffy couldn't breath and she certainly couldn't form a sentence as her eyes drank in the sight of her ex lover. It had been so long, far too long and her heart involuntarily flipped.

Finally, finding her sanity, she turned her head away and her eyes sought out Giles.

"What's going on?" Buffy fought to keep her voice as calm as possible, her Slayer senses were already working on overtime screaming at her that something was very wrong. Riley quickly moved to stand by her side again.

" That's what we're just about to find out. Spike, the floor is all yours"

" Where do I start?.It's not as if any of you are even going to believe me."

" Just get on with it man" Giles interrupted impatiently.

" It's the end of the road for your heroine. Blondie's number is well and truly up" Spike started dramatically and turned to face the slayer.

" Spike, would you mind translating that into something we all might understand" Xander asked.

" Short and sweet, Buff's really done it this time, she's finally pissed off the big gun himself"

Xander looked at Willow, who indicated she had no idea what the vampire was talking about either?

"Still needing to work on that translation thing, Spike. What's the big gun?"

Spike looked around the room at the blank faces, his eyes settled on Anya who had already worked out his meaning. Her eyes opened wide in shock.

" I'm so leaving town, there's not enough orgasms in the world to make me stay around this time" the ex demon sounded terrified.

" Oh please, spare us the visuals" Cordelia muttered under her breath.

" Spike" Angel's voice growled dangerously low "What do you know?"

Spike started telling them about his most recent unwanted vacation. He watched as their statements changed from disbelief to sheer horror as one by one they started to believe him. Nobody interrupted him again until he'd finished his story.

"OK, I'll ask the question everyone is this room is thinking. Why are you warning us and why should we believe you?" Xander was the first to break the awkward silence.

" I knew, I just knew it would be a waste of time" Spike's shoulders slumped and he shook his head.

" I believe him, it's what I saw in the dream" Angel spoke quietly from the other side of the room. All eyes then turned towards the other vampire and waited. Angel felt really uncomfortable, the last thing he wanted was to discuss his dream with a room full of people but Spike's story did make a lot of sense.

" I dreamt that Buffy lost her soul"

" Dream?" Buffy's voice was the first one he heard as everybody began to speak at once. The noise in the room grew into a dull roar

"QUIET" Wesley shouted at the top of his voice, bringing the meeting to order before they lost track of the real importance.

"It seems that Angel and Spike have both received similar information regarding a serious threat to Buffy's life. I for one trust Angel completely and know he only has the Slayer's interests at heart, what I don't trust is you." Wesley looked straight at Spike and heard the others in the room quietly agree. Spike's hatred for Buffy over the years was well known by all in that room, suddenly Spike changing sides made no sense.

"I think what we need to know is, why would Spike betray the devil for the Slayer?"

Spike looked around the room and realised not one of them really believed his story.

** Well what do I care** he thought bitterly regretting his decision to help.

" You know what" he raised his hand in a one fingered salute.

"Up yours" Spike turned his back and headed for the door.

Buffy moved with slayer speed and blocked the exit; she then looked straight into his eyes.

" I believe you, Spike. But maybe you should just tell the others your reasons for helping us" Buffy bluffed the vampire, in all honesty she was as much in the dark as the rest of them but the story had frightened her enough to want to know more.

Spike looked around the room, the last thing he wanted to do was admit he owed the slayer anything and yet they would never believe him unless he told the truth.

"You bought me a coat, I saved your soul. No big deal, call it quits." He shrugged his shoulders.

Buffy's eyes widened in surprise. She had considered a few reasons why Spike would offer to help them.

**Money** Spike usually wanted payment for his help, so that was a possibility. Also there was the chip, Spike never stopped trying to get that removed. Both of these reasons made sense but Buffy couldn't image it being anything as simple as a debt of honour, that was so ridiculous she almost laughed.

"Besides, I didn't fancy spending eternity down there, well not yet anyway. That place is really over rated and far too hot for my sensitive skin" Spike turned away, as far as he was concerned the explanation was over.

** And if they still didn't believe him, well tough luck.**

" I still say we can't trust him" Cordelia was the first to speak she hadn't forgotten their last dealings with Spike and as far as she was concerned chip or no chip he couldn't be trusted.

"We have no choice, Angel's information, combined with what Spike has just told us, confirms we have a very serious threat here. We have to take every precaution to protect Buffy's soul" Giles walked across the room and stood next to his Slayer, his very presence offering silent support

" That's why we're here, we all want to help" Wesley joined his fellow ex watcher.

" Then I suggest we get started as soon as possible" Giles nodded

" Wow! Research party. It's just like old times" Willow grinned and walked across the room to where Wesley and Giles had started pulling out volumes of demonology.

" Old times here I come" Xander stood up and joined the fun, closely followed by Anya muttering that although she didn't have any old time's stories to share she wasn't gong to be left out.

Riley found his eyes drawn to the quiet vampire in the corner of the room. Every drop of prejudice he had ever known regarding demons and vampire's made his disgust for Angel grow stronger by the second. It wasn't just jealousy that fuelled the hatred he had for this man, it was cold fear.

Riley knew that Angel was the biggest threat here. Not to Buffy, but to him.

" This assassin. What are we talking about here * Order of Taraka*?" Buffy asked looking across at the study table. She was finding this *devil threat* really hard to take in, especially with Angel being in the room. It felt so strange working this close with him again.

** So close and yet so far** Buffy reflected sadly knowing things could never be the same again.

" What 's the * Order of Taraka*? Riley asked slipping his arm possessively around Buffy's waist for Angel's benefit..

" Believe me buddy you really don't want to know" Xander replied and then on impulse he turned his eyes towards Cordelia. He was not surprised to find her looking straight back. Memories of worm guy filled both their heads and for a moment they took a small trip down memory lane.

When the moment was over Xander smiled and turned his attention back to Buffy.

" They were bad but we can beat these guys" he offered hopefully.

Angel walked slowly across the room, his handsome features deep in thought

" The Order of Taraka will seem like a walk in the park on a Sunday afternoon compared to this. We are dealing with the purest form of evil here, we have no idea how bad it's going to be but believe me it's going to be worse than anything we've ever faced before. Add every dark evil you've ever known together, times them by infinity and you're still be short."

Angel couldn't help but noticed how frightened everybody had suddenly become, but he had to make it perfectly clear what they were up against.

" I don't want to frighten you but we have to prepare ourselves for anything and everything" he finished and allowed himself to look at Buffy. He was so proud to see how strong she was being, then again she was the Slayer and she certainly had grown over the last few years.

" As if the order of T..Arrrrr" Cordelia didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. She reached out for Wesley as the painful visions flashed into her head.

The rest of the scoobies watched on in wonder. When the confusion and pain subsided, Wesley reached into his jacket pocket for a small clear bottle of painkillers and calmly passed then to her. Picking up the nearest glass of orange juice from the table Cordelia swallowed the pills without a word.

When she had finally composed herself she turned towards Angel.

" Are you all right? What did you see?" He asked his voice gentle and full of concern

Buffy watched in awe at how close this little group had become, in her heart she was pleased that Angel had at last found the love and support of a family. But she was also saddened to know that she was no longer part of his life and she never would be again.

Angel helped Cordelia over to a chair and sat her down.

" It's a message from TPTB. Something very dark and yet strangely familiar is coming to Sunnydale and it will take Buffy's soul. You need to do a protection spell, bind Buffy's soul as tight as you can it might just save her."

Riley felt Buffy tremble

" I won't let him get you " he picked up her small hand and held it tightly between his fingers.

" Yeah. Soldier boy to the rescue, anybody got any steroids?" Spike laughed.

" This is no laughing matter" Wesley raised his voice. "Cordelia would not have received a warning from TBTB unless the threat was beyond serious.

" That's what I've been trying to tell you wankers all night. That vortex can open at any second and drag her off. So if you're planning to do some kind of spell or other.....Well you better do it * Now! *." Spike was surprised at the passion in his voice. He then worried that these * bloody fools* were getting to him.

" Right, a binding spell it is then. Willow, Tara. I would very much appreciate your help here " now Giles had something to work on he felt more in control.

Buffy pulled away from Riley and ignoring everybody else she slowly walked across the room to where Angel was standing.

" Can he really steal my soul?" she asked her voice finally giving away how frightened she was. Buffy knew that if anyone in the room could answer that question Angel could.

Angel reached down and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

" I'll never let anything hurt you, I promise." He reassured her from the bottom of his soul. Just the sound of that promise calmed Buffy's fear. In that moment she knew that no matter where the threat came from, Angel would be there to watch her back, as he had a thousand times in the past.

Once more the darkness didn't seem so black, once more they would stand together and fight as equals.

The whole room felt the intensity in Angel's words. They watched as Buffy took comfort in them and wrapped them around herself like a child with a security blanket.

Spike nudged Riley in the ribs and laughed.

" Sorry mate, looks like you're history "

Part 5

"There's nothing in this book either, it's hopeless" Xander slammed the book closed in frustration and ran his hand over tired eyes. He had been reading for so long now that the words had all started to blur together.

"And if its not too much trouble, could somebody refill on the snacks?" Xander shot an accusing look at his girlfriend who had lost interest in the research party hours before. Anya begrudgingly grabbed the empty chip bowel and headed off in the direction of the kitchen.

Reaching for another book that looked almost identical to the last one Xander sighed and continued his reading.

"I've already read that one, twice" Cordelia sat down in the now vacant seat by his side.

Xander Harris looked up and smiled, the change in his old girlfriend was startling. She had matured into a strong confident woman and he found himself regretting their past history all over again. Forcing his eyes back to his book, Xander realised he had read that one as well.

" I think we've read everything on the table at least twice. If that spell's here I, for one, can't see it" Xander closed the book in defeat.

" I'm afraid none of these books have the kind of spell we need" Tara agreed quietly from the other end of the table.

The small research group sitting around the table all groaned at the wasted effort, after working all night they were now extremely over-tired and no closer to finding a spell

Buffy, Riley and Willow had been checking on the Internet with the same failure.

Earlier, Angel and Spike had agreed to a temporary truce and had left for a while to check out Willies bar, but even that had been fruitless. Well, apart from the bit where Spike beat the crap out of a couple of loud mouth vampires for refusing to help them, so as far as the punk vampire was concerned the night hadn't been a complete loss.

Back at Giles' small house spirits were sinking faster than the Titanic.

"If there ever was a binding spell it's been long forgotten " Anya yawned no longer caring about anything except her beauty sleep.

" Oh, of course. Why didn't I think of that earlier" Giles walked away from the group muttering to himself. He returned a few minutes later and dropped a very old dust covered book on top of all the others.

" I'd almost forgotten about this, it belonged to my grandmother" he said with pride and lovingly brushed the dust off the sleeve.

Wesley looked up. He remembered the woman in question had been a very important watcher in her time. As he slowly turned the fragile pages yellowed with time, his eyes lit up in delight.

" Good lord, Mr. Giles. I thought this was destroyed in a fire in the fifteenth century."

" Well, G man. Don't keep us all in suspense, what's in the family photo album?" Xander joked as he ran his finger through the dust on the table making childish patterns. He stopped when he caught sight of Cordelia watching him and smiled a goofy grin.

Cordelia rolled her eyes and counted her blessings, It seemed Xander had hardly matured at all.

Giles ignored the boy's stupid comment and proceeded to explain to the more sensible members of the party the significance of the book.

" It's the book of Tarrant. It holds all the spirit protection spells ever cast" Giles spoke quietly, he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, relieved that finally they were getting somewhere.

" Oh, oh. Wow! " Willow gasped as the importance of the find sank in.

Tara slowly walked behind Wesley, leaning over his shoulder she quietly read the pages and nodded.

" You're right, this is just what we need. We have most of the ingredients here so the spell should be quite easy"

Willow walked over and joined Tara by the book; she placed her arm around the girl's shoulder for support as she leant in to read the spell. After a few moments she frowned.

"Oh, look." Willow pointed to a section of the book." That's going to be hard"

" Where? Let me see. Oh damn" Wesley cursed after following Willow's lead.

" Hey, guys. Any chance of letting the rest of us in on the fun?" Buffy asked feeling a little left out. After all it was her they were going to cast the spell on

. ** she should at least know if they were going to turn her into a toad or worse**

The small group that had surrounded the book broke away, letting Buffy move closer to the table.

" The protection spell needs blood" Willow replied.

" EWWWWW! Why does it always have to be blood" Cordelia moaned at the thought of adding yet another icky moment to her life.

" Blood, are you sure?" Riley switched off the computer and joined the group by the table.

" She's right. The spell needs a circle of four, two from the living and two who have fallen, all four must agree to sacrifice their blood willingly.

Wesley translated the conditions of the spell out aloud for all to hear.

" Wow! That's going to be fun. How much blood are we talking about here?" Xander was the first to ask the question that had crossed most of their minds.

As Willow deciphered the translation herself she smiled a little with relief.

" No, it's ok, it's only a drop. One drop from each of the circle. Tara and I can be two of the group" Willow looked at Tara and the girl nodded her agreement

" It will work better that way because we will be performing the spell" Willow then looked towards Giles and he too nodded his agreement. Giles knew that Tara was more than capable and Willow was improving in leaps and bounds. The protection spell would not cause then too much trouble.

"So all we need is two from the fallen? What does that mean? Buffy asked still slightly confused.

" It means two from the undead. We need the blood of two demons and the blood has to be offered freely. Demons giving the Slayer blood, that's going to be the major problem" Giles confirmed.

" OH" Buffy's mouth formed the silent sound.

" That's not a problem" Angel's soft voice spoke out into the quiet room, he had been so still for the last few hours that most of the room had forgotten his presence.

" Of course, Deadboy." For once in his life Xander was glad that Angel was there to save the day, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Well that's one" Wesley smiled at his friend. He had already guessed that Angel would be the first choice, his mind was now trying to think of a second.

"And Spike makes two" Angel spoke again before the question of the second demon was raised.

" Hey! I never said I was willing" The blonde vampire started to protest. But the unspoken threat in Angel's eyes stopped him cold.

Pushing his way threw the scoobie gang he walked right up to Buffy and smiled.

" You're gonna owe me big time for this Blondie " Spike quirked his eyebrows.

Buffy heard Angel softly growl out a final warning and resisted a smile.

" OK, I'm willing" he replied begrudgingly. Spike started to walk away but when he thought nobody else was looking he winked.

" So how will this spell work?" Buffy was still a little apprehensive over the whole soul binding process; she still had visions of the pain Angel had suffered when his soul was re-cursed.

" Basically, if this assassin tries to take your soul, you will be able to call upon the support and love of your protectors. The living and the undead's combined strength will act as a shield. It should be impossible to separate the soul from the body" Giles explained the spell as simply as he could with out worrying the already frightened girl.

Buffy seemed to understand and took comfort from the knowledge that Willow, Tara and Angel would be there in some way if she really needed them, and if the worse came to the worse there was always Spike. Buffy still didn't trust the blonde vampire but she was definitely beginning to hate him less.

After all the ingredients were collected, the room was cleared with the exception of Giles and the group involved in the spell. Riley had protested but was quickly persuaded to change his mind.

"There must be no disruptions or the spell will fail" Wesley had told the stubborn boy while almost pushing him from the room.

Xander hugged Buffy for luck and followed Cordelia and Anya outside for some fresh air.

" This has been in my family for generations, it should do the trick" Giles offered Buffy a small antique dagger.

" Remember, you have to have their complete consent" he reminded his Slayer and then hugged her close.

" Don't worry, I'll be fine" Buffy smiled and accepted the dagger in one hand and a small bowl of spell ingredients in the other.

The group of four then formed a small circle around the Slayer and Giles started to read the incantations.

The first person Buffy approached was Tara, she immediately held out her small hand.

" Are you willing " Buffy asked the simple question the spell demanded.

" I give my blood freely with a clear heart" Tara offered with a shy smile

Buffy pricked the girl's finger and the first drop of crimson blood fell into the bowl holding the spell.

Buffy then walked over to Willow and asked the same question.

" Freely given with my love" Willow smiled affectionately at her best friend as her blood mixed with Tara's.

Next, Buffy turned to Angel. Her heart was beating so fast she could hardly bear to look into his eyes. Her voice trembled slightly over the question and her heart broke over the reply.

"Always" Angel's mouth turned up into the smallest smile as he held out his hand, his blood then added to the spell. Forcing her body to move away, Buffy turned to Spike.

" Are you willing"

Spike gave her a wicked grin and received another growl from Angel for his troubles. Holding out his hand he sighed.

" Yeah, whatever. Just do it."

With the final droop of blood added to the spell, Willow and Tara started to chant. As the spell was recited the room suddenly filled with an intense blue light, it swirled all around the outside of the circle and passed lightly through each of the four occupants in turn. It's glow then intensified until it was almost blinding, it moved in to the middle of the circle and shot straight threw Buffy, lifting her slightly off the ground.

" She looks like a real Angel" Willow whispered in amazement as her best friend started to glow all over.

" Not quite" Tara replied without thinking, her answer went unnoticed.

Buffy felt the light move through her, it wrapped her in a strong feeling of security. She closed her eyes and when the light faded she dropped to her knees.

Angel was the first to her side holding her gently in his strong arms.

" How are you feeling?" he asked with concern. Angel realised if this was anything like his curse, Buffy would be feeling a little disorientated for a while.

" Tired, but I feel safer. Thank you" their eyes just held, neither wanting to be the first to break away.

" Hey! What about me?" Spike interrupted loudly and the moment was lost.

Buffy reluctantly turned away from Angel and faced the other vampire who had also helped her, albeit reluctantly..

"Thank you, Spike" she told him sincerely and then smiled.

" Let's see that big headed tosser get your soul now" Spike grinned feeling really pleased with himself.

Buffy relaxed for the first time that night, she knew she wasn't completely safe but it was a start.

" Hey! Buff. Don't forget you owe me big time and I never forget a debt" with that parting shot Spike walked into Giles kitchen and started opening all the food cupboards

"Hey! Where's the weetabix I'm starving "

By the time Giles allowed Riley and the others back into the room, all signs of the binding spell were over. Noticing that Buffy looked a little pale, Riley went straight to his girlfriend's side.

" Are you all right?" Riley gently stroked her cheek. All the time he had waited outside he had allowed his imagination to run wild. The fact that Angel was a part of the circle and not him had hurt more than he wanted to admit. Riley knew that Buffy and Angel still had unresolved issues and the more he dwelt on that thought, the more resentful he grew.

Buffy turned and looked into Riley's concerned eyes.

She knew he wasn't happy about Angel being back in town but it was something they had to deal with together. Buffy was mature enough now to know that Angel was her best chance of surviving this latest threat. She just hoped Riley was mature enough to understand that too.

" I'm fine, just another crazy day in the life of a Slayer" she tried really hard to smile but, in all honesty, she was just too tired. Seeing Riley this worried, Buffy was really pleased he hadn't witnessed the binding spell, that really would have freaked him out.

Wesley walked out of the kitchen with a tray of steaming mugs and passed around the hot chocolate. Now that the spell was completed the occupants of the room started to get restless for their beds. Buffy declined the chocolate and started to pick up her jacket.

" Buffy, I'm sorry but we still have important issues to deal with and they have to be dealt with tonight" Giles said stopping her from leaving. He ignored the disappointed groans coming from the scoobies and carried on

" The binding spell will only provide protection for the soul, Buffy herself will have to be guarded night and day."

" Don't you worry about that, I don't intend to leave her side the rest of the night. Or the morning for that matter" Riley slipped his arm around her shoulders but his eyes searched for Angel, just daring him to contradict.

The vampire didn't make a sound but Cordelia noticed how his jaw tightened. She knew her friend well enough to feel his pain. Angel would never admit it to anybody, not even himself but seeing Buffy with Riley was tearing him in two.

" Ha! As if you could stop him, he'd eat you alive and spit out the pips, little boy." Spike laughed still stuffing his face with red soggy weetabix.

That was one insult too many, Riley turned and grabbed the blonde vampire knocking his bowl all over the carpet.

" I've just about had enough of your mouth" he shouted and punched Spike.

Spike growled and vamped but when he tried to hit back the chip kicked in and filled his head with screaming pain. Riley took advantage of the situation and punched him again.

Seeing that Spike was helpless and totally unable to defend himself Angel crossed the room in a flash, he roughly pulled Riley off the defenceless vampire and threw him across the room. Buffy watched in horror as the two men stared dangerously at each other. Standing between them she quickly made it clear that the fight was over and the next punch thrown would come from her. Even Spike knew not to say a word.

Buffy then turned towards her boyfriend and helped him up.

" Haven't I got enough to worry about without you going all macho on me" she demanded angrily.

" But he.."

Buffy cut off the excuse, she really didn't want to hear it. She was tired and her boyfriend was acting like a provoked child. Turning to face Angel and Spike her eyes silently apologised.

Spike opened his mouth but decided not to push his luck any further that night.

" As much as I hate to agree with Spike" Giles glared at the vampire not to make a sound " He's right. Buffy, you need more protection than Riley can give you."

Buffy sadly agreed, she knew Riley would protect her with his life but that was the problem. He'd likely end up dead.

" May I make a suggestion, Mr. Giles?" Wesley offered. He looked at Cordelia and Angel and they both guessed what he was about to propose.

"Angel's mansion on Crawford Street, we have already decided to spend our time in Sunnydale there, it would be the safest place for Buffy. After all, at the end of the day, Angel is the only one realistically capable of protecting the slayer." Wesley finished, he could see the anger cross Buffy's boyfriends face immediately. " Of course, we will all be staying there" Wesley added quickly.

** Let's see the boyfriend argue with that** he thought smugly.

" Buffy, that's a great idea. It will be just like old times" Cordelia joined in with the conspiracy. She didn't like Riley either.

Riley was dying to protest but knew it would make him look petty and immature, he decided he had to go along with the plan and just bide his time.

" Right, the mansion it is then" Giles took the decision out of Buffy's hands, much to her relief. All Buffy wanted now was a good night's sleep and then she would be able to kick any possible assassin all the way back to hell.

" My car's outside, I think we should leave now, there's only a few minutes to dawn " Angel finally spoke. He knew if he'd suggested the plan Riley would never have agreed, this way Buffy would be protected and close at the same time. Angel couldn't stop the warm feeling that had touched his heart at the thought of them sleeping under the same roof again, even if it was strictly business.

"I'll be out in a second" Buffy watched as Angel, Wesley and Cordelia left for the car.

After agreeing with Giles and the scoobies that they should all meet up at the mansion after a good mornings sleep, she turned to a very worried Riley.

" Maybe I should stay with you too, " he asked hopefully.

Buffy took his hand in hers.

" Not a good idea, you'll only end up fighting again" she replied truthfully.

Riley reluctantly agreed, knowing that her statement was a strong possibility. Buffy wouldn't like it, but a showdown with one or both of the vampires was almost a certainty.

" You have nothing to worry about about, you know that, don't you?." she tried to reassure him.

" I guess your relationship with Angel is a ."

" STOP.Riley, there is no relationship, not any longer. We're not lovers and we were never really friends, so you really have nothing to worry about. The only thing Angel and I share nowadays is our duty to fight in the battle against evil and protect those in need." Buffy felt her boyfriend relax slightly.

Riley kissed his girlfriend goodnight, he then watched her climb into the back of Angel's car and sit next to Cordelia.

Buffy turned in her seat and stared until they were out of sight, she felt slightly better now that Riley believed her.

** Now If only she could convince herself** She thought sadly.

The rest of the journey was made in silence, Buffy found her eyes drawn to the dark spiky head in the front seat and for a split second she longed desperately to run her fingers through his hair. **And loose herself in the smell of his skin.** Quickly cutting off that thought she looked out of the window for a distraction, anything to take her mind off how close Angel was.

Buffy then felt her eyelids flicker and her eyes close as fatigue took it's toll. Her last conscious thought before sleep claimed her was...

** If she wasn't very careful it was more then her soul she was in danger of losing...With Angel this close her poor battered heart was once again on the line**

On to Part Six