***********

Friday, at 6:52 PM, the surprise invasion began. Their leader, Spike’s beloved who he was expecting, brought four soldiers in tow who were definitely not expected. When all the troops and their gear were either standing or laying in his entry hall, the sleeping quarters were sorted out. Spike rolled his eyes and fervently wished he hadn’t been so foolhardy as to stop smoking after the victory at the Hellmouth. And in the last several months, he never thought, never ever thought that he would ever regret Beth loving him or vice versa, but he was close the very first few minutes when he had opened the door to Beth’s two pairs of soldiers: Willow with Tara and Xander with Anya. The only silver lining was seeing Tara alive again. This new reality included Tara, just as it did Joyce. A big, huge, colossal bonus. Now as Buffy was with her mum, the two wiccan lovebirds were reunited. Wiccans? Yes, both were witches just as in the old reality. A little bridge from old times to new, such as Giles owning a magic shop.

General Beth sent Private Willow and Private Tara to bunk in the entertainment room while Private Xander and Private Anya to the study. ‘The study?’ Spike inwardly groaned. ‘Just what I need. Xander and his bird sleeping in the same room as my blood supply.’ However, since the blood was stored in a refrigerator hidden behind a fake panel of books, Spike felt pretty safe that Xander and Anya where the last two of the soldiers who would crack open a book over the weekend.

And then he saw the air mattresses…mattresses equaled terror for the former Big Bad. Air mattresses in the two rooms smacked too much of permanence, like the unwanted parents that never leave. If the invading army didn’t leave in a couple of days, he would make sure that the invading army found leaks in each of their mattresses.

As much as he grumbled, if he was forced to admit it, Spike wasn’t really surprised by how much he enjoyed this invasion of his Normandy and by the thought of being include in the close knit circle friend for another weekend. In fact, he felt flattered that they even wanted to stay at his flat, not that he would admit that either. No, no. Grrhhh.

And let the festivities begin. After everyone settled in their respective rooms, the group piled into Xander’s and Spike’s two cars and went to dinner at a boisterous, Greek restaurant. After a little…ok, a lot of alcohol under their belts, they were singing and dancing at on the dance floor with other patrons and staff. They had so much fun that they were eventually asked to leave so that the staff could close up for the night. The next day after sleeping in, the girls spent the day shopping in a mall. Xander and Spike tagged along but spent the day in the mall’s movie theatre and then got a couple of beers in one of the restaurant’s bar. When everyone was finally reunited, they traveled back to the flat to eat take out and change for the night’s activity.

*******

Earlier in the evening the women, equipped with numerous shopping bags, commandeered Normandy’s best latrine, a.k.a. Spike’s bathroom. The last two soldiers were left with the small bathroom tucked behind the kitchen. Captain Spike was forced to ask for a clean set of clothes through his own bedroom door. In said bedroom and bath, there were showers for each, and all the girls helped each other with their hair and make-up, not to mention the clothes swapping and the great, globally important debates on what clothes looked best on who.

Beth had promised Spike an outfit so sexy it would make him drool. Not metaphorically drool but actually drool. Spike thought this a hard feat indeed since he always thought Beth looked sexy as hell.

The two witches came out first, giggling, eyes only for each other, and for good reason. Willow wore a sapphire blue top with varying patches of silk and velvet and below she wore a knee length, snug, black skirt. Tara wore a low cut, burgundy dress with a soft, beige sweater. Spike thought that respectively, in their own unique ways, they both looked beautiful and told them just that. Willow already liked Spike from her last visit and because how happy he made her friend, but when he complimented Tara with an obviously sincere compliment of her beauty, Willow watched her shy lover glow with pride, and that alone made her opinion go from like to adore for the blonde man. Tara was quickly joining Willow in her opinion. She had only known William for twenty-four hours, but liked what she had seen so far. The compliment didn’t hurt either, she thought with a smile.

Anya came out next in tight, emerald green pants and a lighter green, cropped top. Both men told her how fantastic she looked. ‘She did shine,’ Spike thought, ‘and her perky personality was always her best accessory.’ Xander was up on his feet and met her half way across the room. Judging by their open mouthed kiss, Xander thought Anya looked more than fantastic.

Then Beth came out. She wore an incredibly short, black, leather skirt, a low cut red shirt, and black knee high boots. Spike’s mouth opened, closed, opened…closed before, without a word, picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and carried her back into the bedroom. Through the door, Buffy could hear Tara, Willow and Xander laughing, and Anya complaining, “What? I don’t look good enough to be carried away?”

“What do you want me to do? Pick you up, carry you into someone else’s study and do you up against the books?”

Anya’s face was taken up by a big, toughtful eyes and a wide smile. “Yes. Now, please!”

“Ahn!”

Willow and Tara had been watching the pair, laughing as quietly as they could. Willow finally lost the battle and laughed out right, and it was Tara that spoke up. “You asked for that one, Xander. As for all of us, we might as well go into the entertainment room and get comfortable because this could be a while.” Willow finished for her, “and turn the TV up LOUD.”

Xander just shook his head. “I give them ten minutes, and then I’m banging on the door.”

“Banging…?” Willow and Tara dissolved in laughter again.

*****

‘Bloody hell, the bird hadn’t been kidding about prissing up,’ Spike thought for the millionth time. Only five minutes in the car, and Spike wanted to find parking lot to ravish the chit; after all, the last parking lot had worked well before, but he guessed the others would put up a fuss. Especially since the two witches were in the car with them. It was tough, but he persevered all the way to the club, he thought with a smile, but there was always later.

The club was a mass of bodies dancing, drinking, talking, and flirting. The three couples spent some of the time together, but they also took off and did their own things. They also made sure to touch base from time to time.

After an hour at the club, everyone met up at the bar and shared a good laugh while listening to Spike’s and Xander’s banter. The live band’s current, faster song was ending and a slow one starting, so Beth and Spike excused themselves. Holding her hand, while Beth licked her lips in anticipation, he led her out onto the dance floor. She loved to dance with William during slow songs. His idea of dancing was more like foreplay, sex with their clothes on. So it was no surprise that after a couple of such dances, they left the dance floor in search of the closest, darkest corner in the club, a must if they wanted to conduct a little foreplay in earnest.

A short time later, Xander and Anya found the pair. William had one hand on Beth’s ass, and he was nibbling on her neck. The fingers of one of Beth’s hand were threaded through his hair, and Xander didn’t even want to speculate where her other hand was currently residing. “Hey, guys. We weren’t sure, but were you dancing or humping out on the dance floor?”

Spike raised his scared eyebrow over suspiciously innocent looking eyes. “We *can* shag out there?”

“Only if you want to get arrested but warn us first so we can run far, far away. And no bail money from here, bleach blonde. Meanwhile, just wanted to let you know that Ahn and I are headed over to the pool tables, and Willow and Tara are dancing. Ya know, real dancing.”

Watching them leave, Spike leaned down so that his lips were next to Beth’s ear. He ran his tongue along the shell before whispering, “Kitten, I think I can see an available table over by the edge of the dance floor that looks to be empty. Do you want to take that sexy arse of yours over there and claim it while I go to the bar and snag us a couple of beers and something to munch on?” Beth nodded and stood up on tiptoe to kiss him before walking off toward the table. The gentleman in him walked her to the table before heading to the bar, which gave Beth a great opportunity to ogle his own sexy “arse” as he walked away.

Buffy sat at the table soaking in the lights and loud sounds of the club. Her attention was suddenly drawn away as when an overly optimistic drunk sat down at the table. If she looked to the left of the idiot, Beth could still see William, but that also made it so she was just about looking the drunk square in the face.

“It must have hurt.”

Beth noticed that his slurring was more than she had anticipated. “What?”

“It must have hurt when you fell from heaven.” The guy actually gave a lopsided smile at his own so-called wittiness. “What’s your name?”

“Cheezy much? And none of your business.”

“That’s a really long name. How about I just call you sexy?” The drunk made two tries to lean his head on his hand but failed both times.

For a moment, Beth just stared at the Homer Simpson. “How about you haul yourself off before my boyfriend gets back? I have to warn you that he is really possessive in a violent sorta way. Better yet, before he even sees you.” Buffy enjoyed the visual image of William holding this guy against the wall with his feet dangling as she had seen him do that time in the alley behind the movie theatre.

Dense Man used another lame pickup line, but without saying a word, she replied with just a glare. Then she looked in another direction, obviously dismissing him.

Her eyes focused on a couple at the far end of the bar, opposite where Spike was waiting for their order a few minutes before. A dark haired hulk was leaning down into the face a red headed girl. She was unsuccessfully trying to pull her arm free from his grasp. Bruto looked pissed, and she looked terrified. Terrified like a small bunny frozen to the spot, looking into the drooling jaws of a wolf.

When the girl started shaking her head in an obvious negative answer, the guy forced her up against a wall behind her. Without second thought, Beth was out of her seat, making a straight line towards the pair.

Just moments before when Beth was still at the table, Spike with drinks in hand turned from the bar and start towards the table. What he saw made his eyes squint, jaws clench and temper shoot up, all anticipating a little violence to go with the evening. Beth’s drink splashed and the beer fizzed out of the bottle when he slammed the drinks down. Spike’s eyes locked with the bugger, daring the ignorant tosser to make with the moves on Beth. He took a slow step towards the interloper and then another. “I think you will enjoy what I am going to do with you. It will be quite liberating.” Spike took another step closer and growled. “Let me tell you how I am going to twist your head off. As I turn it, you will hear a…”

The wanker scrambled to leave, and laughing, Spike looked back at the table. Beth was gone, but he spotted her quickly. He could tell from her body language that she had a very specific destination in mind. Following her line of sight, more like a glare of site toward the far end of the bar, he knew exactly where his little spitfire was headed, and Spike was more than happy to redirect his anger to the dickless git who was manhandling a red head. He could see the bleedin’ bastard’s meaty mitt on the bird’s tit. Spike swiftly followed Beth. Problem was that she was moving fast, and he was held up behind some frat brothers catching up on their drinking.

When Beth reached the couple, she slapped an enormous smile on her face. “Hey, I know you, right?” She asked the girl.

At first the red head couldn’t speak, but after a couple of tries, in a breathy, confused voice she spoke. “What?”

Spike couldn’t hear the words, but he could see the bottom feeder lowered the girl’s arm, still not letting go, and turned to glare maliciously at Beth. Two mistakes now. He already wasn’t giving Beth the proper respect, and secondly, Bruto wasn’t treating the girl well in proper fashion. Beth had him to protect her, but this girl didn’t have anyone as far as he could tell. So now bint had Beth and him.

Without looking, Beth could tell that William was now behind her. The biggest clue was his growls, which were easily heard over the music. When she felt him starting to brush around her, she stopped him with a raised hand. That motion left him standing slightly behind her left side and also let him know to follow her lead.

Ignoring Mr. Meaty altogether, Beth continued to smile at the girl. She could see that the girl was beyond frightened but was now looking at her with eyes pleading for help. “Yeah, you are. We met at that mega reunion at Knotsberry Farm down in L.A. Remember? People were everywhere, pretending to know each other, and gosh, all that jelly everywhere. I’m sorry that I don’t remember, but could you tell me your name again?”

“C…Cindy.”

By this time Spike got a good look at the marks on the girl’s arm. He started growling again, but Buffy glanced over at him, again signaling for him to wait. But when she looked back at Cindy, Beth also got a good look at the marks forming on the girl’s arms. She was done making with the nice.

Then opportunity knocked. Some stranger walked by close enough so that Beth could pretend to be accidentally bumped. With some good acting and maneuvering, she jabbed an elbow into the guy’s right kidney. When the bully doubled over in pain, lighting fast, Beth raised her knee up into his Neanderthal face. He had let go of the girl’s arm, which was of the good, and of course, his scream gave her great satisfaction.

“Bitch! I’m bleeding. You broke my fucking nose, you cunt.” She obviously didn’t hit his mouth hard enough, Beth thought.

Spike was furious that the pansy ass had called Beth those names, but he also appreciated how she was handling the situation and waited to see what she was going to do next. He could wait a bit more to pound him through the floor.

With her smile still firmly in place, Beth glanced back at the girl. “Was this waste of good hair mousse bothering you?” Still stunned, all the girl could do was nod her head. “Spike, would you take care of him? He’s been a little too rough with Cindy and has a potty mouth.” She picked the guy up by the arm, briefly lifting him up off his feet. She handed him to the platinum blonde, who was now wearing a smirk that boasted of pride in his girl. “Why don’t you show him a little teeth and eye flashies, but no biting and no lumpies.”

“Sure thing, pet. My pleasure. Nice to meet you, Cindy. You’re in good hands now.” With a wink, Spike hauled the garbage off.

Beth reached out and gently touched the girl’s hand. “Are you all right?”

*****

With a more then usual bounce in his step, Spike returned from the alley behind the club, laughing at Buffy’s slick handling of the situation. Her shot with her elbow to the tosser’s kidney, and then her knee to his face were masterful. Buffy was so…Bam! Spike slammed into a thin red headed boy when the realization of what had happened during the last few minutes slammed into him. Luckily, the boy took the accident lightly and accepted Spike’s apology much better than Spike was taking his harsh moment of clarity.

His mind scanned through the events of the last fifteen minutes, events that looked to be different aspects of a picture. Two parts were contributed to the mural by him. The wood frame was when he realized that he was thinking of Beth as Buffy. Literally the name Buffy. In actuality, he had stopped thinking of her by the slayer’s name months ago. The only time he had made a slip was in the aftermath of fighting the pwrhor demons. Otherwise, in his thoughts, she was sweet Beth, innocent Beth, only Beth. Of course, she really was Buffy down deep, no matter how much the slayer had wished it away. So no big there, it could have just been a slip of the tongue, and as before, he now caught himself. Buutttt! Here came the background for the painting. He could feel her from the distance they were currently apart, approximately sixty feet. In fact, when he thought about it, he had felt her while he was coming through the entrance of the club from outside. He could write it off as just exuding power, but with the use of her real name, he realized that the vibes were coming to him as those of a slayer. But now he could feel the vibes fading even though he was walking to her. So he could have just imagined it. After all, the night she saved him from the pwrhor demons, he had detected vibes of power, but not of a slayer. But tonight was different. Tonight he felt Buffy the vampire slayer.

Now, the more he thought about it, there were several more aspects in the composition. The large house, both his and the painting’s focal point, was that she had called him Spike. Again, there could be a simple explanation. She could have heard Angel call him by his moniker and was just remembering that particular instance. A chance, but yeah, ok, a paper thin chance there. But no, no, no. The strong oak tree anchoring the yard was that Beth had lifted the bloke up off the floor, and the rain pouring down on the house was when she told him to show his teeth but no biting and no lumpies. He wasn’t even bothering to come up with a lame ass excuse for that doozy.

Spike shut his eyes, groaned and refused to acknowledge that he was trembling. Beth was giving off slayer vibes, she picked up the tosser, she called him Spike, and she made reference to his changes in his face when his demon made an appearance. The painting may still be somewhat abstract but was discernable to any knowledgeable aficionado.

When he reached her side, the slayer vibes had disappeared, and he hoped all other slayer aspects followed the same path. Tara and Willow must have found Beth after he left; the Scoobie cavalry could still be depended upon. He looked at Beth as she talked. She did have some called slayer attributes of the newly called. Open, adventurous, jumping in and having a go. But most importantly for Buffy the seasoned slay, Beth was without a death wish, not burned out, and not cynical which in its place was an open love for people and life overall.

Beth was currently turning the girl over into Willow’s and Tara’s care. “Now, remember, stay with your friends. That’s what friends are for, watching your back.” She had been explaining the Scoobie philosophy, which had started at the very beginning with the five core members. Friends are there to watch each other’s backs.

As Red and her lover gently lead the girl away, Spike was reminded of how strong Red was and how loving Glenda was. Tara had been sorely missed since the time after her death. But his reminiscing was short lived.

So, the majority of Buffy had receded to the locked storage of her mind, but a tidbit was still tempering Beth. But even though the aspects of the painting were locked away again, they could come back into view. And Spike didn’t fail to notice that with every appearance, more of the slayer was shining through.

What Spike hadn’t realized it was that the painted needed a signature. But he was to be reminded.

She turned to him with a smile on her face. “Hi! How did it go? Your eyes are back to their usual, gorgeous blue. The other color has such a yuk factor.”

‘And the painter just keeps painting.’ He felt his body shudder and hoped she didn’t notice. Before tonight, he would have asked what she meant by the eye color comment, but now, not a chance. He was terrified of what the answer might be. The Big Bad was terrified of words. Terrified that she would say that she thought they would still be yellow. When Beth started to turn around and rejoin her friend, assuming he would follow, Spike grabbed her arm and turned her so that she was facing him again. Leaning down, he grasped her chin and tilted her head up to an angle that they were almost nose to nose. The hold wasn’t gentle as a lover’s but was to keep her head facing up to him. “Beth, I love you. You believe me don’t you? Tell me that you believe how much I love you?” He had to know.

Beth’s brows knitted together. She wanted to tilt her head to the side in confusion, but he was holding on too tightly. “William, what’s wrong?”

“Just tell me. Do you know?” Spike had to stick to his question.

Beth raised her hand and lightly held onto to his holding her face secure. Not to break the hold but just to touch. “Of course I believe you.” When she felt his grip loosen up, she turned her head and kissed his palm.

“Good. I will always love you. Believe that. Remember that. Forever.” He moved both hands to cup her cheeks, caressing her with his thumb. “And do you love me?”

“William,” Beth nuzzled into his hand, “I love you, too. You should know that.”

If Buffy fully returned, he would most likely lose the mutual love they currently shared. She could easily distrust him for taking advantage of her lack of memory. Very Buffy-like. She could blame him for ruining her wish, which would be partially true. But maybe, just maybe Buffy will remember how Beth felt about him. Just maybe. “Remember that, too, luv. Remember that you felt like that about me.” She stepped into his arms, and he held on tight. Her hug, her words helped soothe his fear.

After a moment, her voice floated up to his ears. “So when will that jackass wake up?”

“Maybe next Tuesday.” Her laughter surrounded and warmed both of them. ‘Enjoy the here and now, mate,’ Spike thought, ‘because the now is better than excellent, better than he had ever imagined.’

As they made their way back to their table, Beth was smiling broadly. She had her arm wrapped around and up his back, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck while Spike periodically stopped their progress to kiss her long and deep. Not only did it feel good but it nicely told the other women in the night club that had ogled Spike all night that he was all hers.

******

That night, when everyone was tucked into their respective beds, Spike made love to Beth. Slow. Gentle. Heartfelt. Making love in the richest sense of the word “love.” Gentle like Buffy would never allow. They both ended up in tears, one from the strong emotions of their coupling and one from worshipping a woman he could loose any day, at any moment. Afterwards as Beth lay half on him fast asleep, Spike thought through all the ramifications of Buffy’s memories and slayer abilities making an appearance at the club. He continued to contemplate all during what was left of the night and then through the morning until Beth woke up. Every moment that they were together was too precious to miss, but the moments were also too fragile and could break at any time. He knew the odds were against him now, and truthfully, the odds had probably always been against him since she had walked up to him in the mall. Spike knew he was running the risk of ruining her second chance at life, but he also knew that he couldn’t bring himself to let go. Beth wanted him just as bad as he wanted her, but he had no idea what she would do if she remembered all. At least, Spike had no doubt that right that moment, she loved him whole heartedly. So how was he supposed to give that up?

Well into the latter hours of the morning, Spike felt Beth begin to stir. As she woke, she burrowed closer into his side, and he heard in a sleepy voice, “I love you, William.” How *was* he suppose to give that up?

Chapter 19: Reminder

A month passed and no sign of Buffy memories or abilities floated up to Beth’s consciousness. Spike let the muscles at the back of his neck relax, but he was still tense and wary. Especially on this day. Today he didn’t want a bleedin’ hitch. Not one miniscule glitch. He wanted to enjoy every single, solitary moment. All revolved around one person, and for once, it wasn’t Beth. Today he was meeting mum for the second first time, at least twice in his memories if not in Joyce’s.

When he and Beth had finalized the plans on the phone the night before, Beth had sounded ecstatic, and if she had been listening close, she would have heard his own excitement.

Many times Beth had invited him to visit Sunnydale, begged in fact, and he had wanted to say yes and drive there as if chased by the hounds of hell, all carrying a blow torches. But the whole memory clause had kept him away. He just wasn’t willing to chance Beth seeing him in those surroundings and trigger the Buffy memories. He had wondered if it wouldn’t be like putting a stake in her hand. A big, sharp, pointy reminder.

Now it was Saturday, and Beth rode in the car up from Sunnydale with her mother. He was meeting them at the hotel, a hotel with, of course, an enclosed parking garage. When Spike had found out that Joyce was coming into town for a buying trip, he had been quick to offer to take Beth and Joyce out to lunch. When plans were solidified, Spike carefully picked out a cheerful, Mexican restaurant, a place where they could sit and talk for as long as they wanted. He was thankful for this incredible chance to be with Beth and to see Joyce alive once more, and he wanted their time together to last as long as possible. They were to have lunch together, and then afterwards Buffy would go with him while Joyce went shopping on her own for artwork to be sold in her gallery.

All plans were made, and it was time for the implementation. Spike was now fidgeting in the lobby like a young school boy waiting for his mum to pick him up from school. Of course, it wasn’t his mum that he was waiting to see, but Beth’s. But that didn’t matter one fig. It had never mattered to him, and if in the past he had read Joyce right, it hadn’t mattered to her.

On Beth’s part, when her mom had mentioned that she needed to go to Sacramento, she had jumped at the chance to have her meet William. Joyce had been happy to agree, looking forward to an opportunity to check out the older man her daughter was so crazy about.

Embarrassingly anxious for a man and especially for a usually blasé vampire, Spike had been so oblivious to the world around him, Spike showed up an half an hour early. Good thing though since Spike hadn’t counted on all the mirrors that were usually hung in hotels’ lobbies. And this hotel had their fair share. After scouting a good location, Spike was now doing his best to pace and still avoid mirrors as much as possible, all the while waiting for the women to come down to meet him.

Spike had just turned to head back to the elevators when someone tapped him from behind on the shoulder, startling him. Before he could turn around, he heard a perky greeting, “hi.” Spike turned sharply around and looked down. “Bloody hell, Nibblet. You nearly scared the piss out of me.”

Dawn tilted her head, and her brows came together, displaying her confusion. “Huh? with a side of eeww.” To add to her confusion she watched him take a step back, mouth drop open, and eyes grow to the size of bowling balls as shock replaced surprise. “Geez, jumpy much? I thought you might be my sister’s boyfriend. Are you William?”

She continued to watch him as he slowly nodded but didn’t make a sound. “Earth to astronaut William, I’m Dawn, Beth’s sister, and what’s with the nibblet thing? I’m not feeling very corn-y today.”

“No, no…huh…yes…yes, William…Yeah, I’m William.” Spike had no idea of what to say or do. This was one hell of a curve ball. More like a comet curving in to knock him to Saturn. He definitely could remember Beth telling him that she didn’t have any brothers or sisters when they ate dinner together for the first time. All Spike could think was that Dawn wasn’t suppose to be alive. She wasn’t supposed to be standing there talking to him in her own adorable way. She hadn’t existed in Beth’s world after Buffy’s wish. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

“I know. I snuck out. I guess you *are* Beth’s boyfriend. Your hair’s kinda a give-away. And gawd, you use more hair dye than Beth does.” Dawn looked him up and down again and then smiled. “Beth was right. You’re a hottie.”

“Well, I see that you’ve met Dawn.” Beth rolled her eyes at her sister before turning to her side, “and this is my mother, Joyce Summers.”

The next twenty minutes passed in the Mexican restaurant he had picked out, with Spike in a daze, functioning on autopilot, hearing little and saying even less. He was both shocked and euphoric. He was sitting in the restaurant watching Beth, Joyce who was no longer dead but alive, and Dawn, a magical mystical entity who belonged to the past reality, debating what they were going to order. And judging by how many times Beth asked if he was alright, his face must have shown his bewilderment.

Shaking himself out of it, he realized that he was now a very happy man that was not only was met by his mum again but also his little sis. He prayed that he would stay on the good side with the Powers That Be and that their reunion would last.

*****

If a vampire could go to heaven, Spike was undoubtedly within the gates all day. Spike would have done anything to spend more time with Joyce and Dawn. Just as years before, the Nibblet and mum took to him straight off; well, not counting the axe Joyce embedded in his head. During lunch, Spike shocked all three women when he announced that he wanted to go shopping with them, and covering his macho image, he explained that he didn’t want to keep Buffy from the shopping spree. From the looks on their faces, they didn’t look like they would believe him until he entered the first store to give a “man’s opinion.” He’d make believers out of them. He suggested a quaint mall with wood floors, varying levels, and small, unique shops. It also housed a brewery restaurant that would make a good place for dinner.

As the day went on, Spike’s mood took a very slow nose dive. As he figured, he was on borrowed time. In fact, he knew he had to accept that this would be his last weekend with Beth. Before she planned with him to come back for another weekend, he would have to think up some reason to sever their relationship. And sever was the best word. It would feel like he was cutting his heart from his chest, leaving him as a pile of dust on the floor. Spike took Dawn’s appearance as a final warning, “stop or else.” The choice was a no brainer decision for him. He would stop. He would enjoy the day with them and then break it off tomorrow morning. She would hurt, but she would still have her normal life.

The last day with Beth, Joyce and Dawn went well. How could it fail? He was with his three favorite women. Around four o’clock, Spike and Dawn slipped away into a high tech arcade with virtual reality games, some three stories high.

That’s where Spike received a fright such that his white blonde hair turned pure white. Bit Size was cheeky as ever. She had waited until there were stuck in a long line, making sure he was a captive audience. “So like, are you going to marry my sister or what?”

Spike’s head jerked around to look at her face to face. Was this question for real or a joke? Hopefully the latter. “Where the bloody hell did that come from?”

“It came from that you should.” Dawn rolled her eyes as he had seen her do so often in Sunnydale. “Do you love her?”

“Of course.” Same Dawn. Direct as ever.

“And she’s off the scale with love for you. So you get married.” She shrugged with a smug smile.

Being a vampire, he had never considered marriage. Claming and mating, yes, but not a human marriage. Vampires don’t stand in front of some poncy preacher. Nevertheless, not his brain cells but his emotions reached out and wrapped around the idea. “Hi, this is my wife, Beth,” sounded like a verbal delight. But reason kicked emotions out. Beth living with him twenty-four/seven was asking for a bloody train wreck. With those conditions, how could he keep his vampiric nature under wraps? Emotions tip toed in again. Before he dismissed the idea out right, he just wanted to think it over as if it were a possibility. “Well…I…It’s not that easy.”

‘It’s not that easy’ was as good as a maybe to Dawn, making that one of two thumbs up. All she had to do was push the second thumb up. “Also, you should because you two are way perfect for each other. You make such a great couple.”

Spike was saved by the virtual reality game starting up. Hell, he had already been to two realities. Why not a third?

******

On the ride back to his flat, convinced that it would only make things worse, Spike promised himself to not ask any questions concerning any new Buffy details that were now meshed with Beth’s life. If the night in the club when Buffy made such an impressive visit, then this day had been scary. Joyce had been fine. She had been mixed in this reality from the beginning, but not Dawn. Dawn in the current reality scared him all the way down to his Doc Marten shoes. But why are promises so hard to keep in this new reality. The only promise he had made concerning Buffy that he had kept was to not do anything to bring back Buffy’s memories. He had held true, but Beth hadn’t helped. It was like he had his own personal mechanic of life methodically throwing every soddin’ wrench he could find into the works of his life. Spike groaned. ‘To whom it may concern, I’d like to take my car to a different mechanic, who belongs to the Happy Ending Union instead of the Doom and Gloom Union.’

Despite Spike’s wishes for change, he had to dig deeper into this new school bus sized surprise he fondly called Niblett. “Beth, I thought you said you didn’t have a sis.” There it was. He broke a soddin’ promise again. Was it really a shock?

With a dramatically sad look on her face, Beth slowly shook her head. “I may have said I *wish* I didn’t have a sister. I’ve even tried to give her away, but no one will take her. Well, there was this circus, but they gave her back. Mother won’t even apologize for having her.”

Relieved, Spike chuckled. Just typical sister inter-family bickering. More importantly, no slayer or mystical key.

Silence fell over the car as they continued across town to his flat. Beth chewed her lip, twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, and her eyebrow that was visible to him slanted down, causing wrinkles across her forehead. Judging from her profile, Spike assumed that she was sussing out something serious.

“Kitten, penny for your thoughts.” Her serious look fled when she glanced over and flashed him a 500 watt smile. Her eyes were focused on him, but her look was far away and dreamy. That peeked his interest even more. He hoped those thoughts were about him. “Ok, a kiss for your thoughts. A purr-for-me kind of kiss.”

“Deal.” Beth leaned over and hastily pressed her lips to his. “See, I even made it easy for you. You can give me the purr-y one later.” Buffy settled back into her seat. “I was thinking about my annoying, little sister. Dawn thought you were the best, you know.”

It was Spike’s turn to smile with dreamy eyes when he thought about spending the day with Beth’s sister. He nodded as he answered. “The nib…Dawn is pretty wonderful herself.” The Nibblet’s nicknames were hard to suppress.

“Well…umm…uh…Dawn said that she asked you if you were going to marry me.” With her hand hidden beside the car door, she crossed her fingers.

“Yes, she did.” Spike feared where this conversation was headed. Probably off the white cliffs of Dover.

“She is always finding ways to embarrass me.”

“She’s a little sis. That’s her job to embarrass her big sis. She is only living up to her job description, pet.” If he were lucky, they were just going to discuss the Bit, not the marriage issue.

“Well?”

Spike could hear her heart racing. There was that cliff again. Her heart was racing him off the cliff into an abyss. “Well what?” That’s it. Play ignorant and hope the marriage thing goes away. Yeah, ignorance is bliss.

“Are you…This is not a proposal or anything but would you marry? I mean someone like me?” She rushed to cover up her embarrassment and fears. “I don’t mean right this minute, but maybe if you were with that person say a year or two…and then possibly in the future you would do it?” Beth chewed her lower lip, wondering if she had made a huge, King Kong size mistake.

Spike momentarily closed his eyes. Ignorance just got slapped down by knowledge. With the other hand, King Kong just batted him into Nevada. What does a man say to a question that he wanted with every cell of his being to answer yes, but had to say no. Bugger. Bugger. Bugger. Bugger it all to hell; he had to break things off with her tonight to save her new life.

Near his flat, fate took a hand, or maybe it was a fist to his stomach. Tonight, fate was in the form of a figure running through the farthest reaches of his head lights, unseen to a human but not to a vampire.

They had been driving on the side of the cemetery opposite from the funeral home when the man crossed their path. The trouble was that Spike’s senses were tingling. Spike stopped and snapped off the headlights. Luckily the figure was on the driver’s side of the car so that he could turn his head away from Beth and shift from blue to yellow eyes. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to see what he saw.

Having seen nothing, Beth was confused. “What did you stop for? Did you see something?”

“Nothing, luv. Just imagining creepy crawlies.” He turned the car’s lights back on, and since Beth was with him, Spike tried to push what he had seen out of his mind. No such bleedin’ luck. Before he could start the engine again, two more figures dragging a man crossed through the fare reaches of the light. Again, far enough and light so faint that Beth couldn’t see the vampires and their meal.

TBC

Hard Choice

‘Damn it all the way to the hottest of hells!’ Spike mentally cursed up at the Powers That Be. Now he was torn. If he took Beth back to his flat, the male victim would surely be killed. If he went after the vampires, he ran the most serious all risks that something would happen to trigger the rest of Beth’s memories. The inner debate raged until three more crossed to the cemetery, one in front and two dragging a woman between them. He let up on the brake and started moving again, but his mind knew all too well what was going on to the victims in the darkness of the cemetery. ‘I know. I use to live in a bleedin’ graveyard. Hell, I just to do it.’

Inner battle one to zero with saving the innocents’ lives having won. While Beth looked at him, confused by what was going on, he heard Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s voice in his head, ‘Get your dead ass out of the car already and go make some dust.’

“Beth, listen to me. When I leave, you are going to drive my car to the parking lot and wait for me in my flat. I’ll be there before you can put on something naughty.” She started sputtering as he climbed out of the car. Not giving her time to protest, he pleaded. “Beth, please. Get out of here.”

She watched as he turned and ran into the dark cemetery. No way was she staying in the nice, safe, cozy but not-able-to-help-William car. If he was going, she would follow.

Spike caught up with the fang party some ways into the cemetery. The vampires were spread out in an open area designated for visitors of the cemetery to reflect in peace. Peace? Yeah, right. In the center of the clearing was a tall vamp, obviously the leader, giving orders. His second-in-command was standing close to the pair holding the male victim, who was on his knees. Wanting to keep the element of surprise on his side, Spike crept far enough around the perimeter to avoid detection and made his way toward the three vampires with the man. The plan? Get as many as he can while the imbeciles would still be in shock. When the second-in-command leaned in for a taste, Spike took a running start and made a flying leap on the small group.

As Beth was getting close to the clearing, she could see to her right one man in the center of the clearing and two holding a girl. To the left, she watched Spike moving around in position on the opposite side of the clearing where three men were holding a fourth, who was kneeling down. One of the three was standing a few feet away. She didn’t know what they were intending to do but didn’t care. William thought these guys were dangerous to the man and woman, and that was enough for her. When the third man stepped closer to the male hostage, Beth watched Spike leap on all three men holding the young man. Then her instincts kicked in, slayer instincts. Breaking off a branch off a nearby tree while keeping an eye on the other three vampires, she first targeted the man standing by himself. This tall one took a couple of steps toward Spike, who was busy fighting his own three. Add a fourth? Not going to happen, she thought as she ran up behind the party crasher. She could have taken the time to fight him fair, but why take the chance that Lurch would beet her and Spike might get injured. So she quickly staked him in the back, and not waiting for the dust to settle, she was on to the next. The smaller of the two guys holding the woman was proving to be a good fighter.

Moments before, Spike flowed with the momentum of his leap, rolled to his feat, and grabbed the first vamp’s neck before the vampire could do anything other than lay on the ground. Hold. Snap. Dust. The second made it to his feet before Spike attacked. Spin kick, and the vampire was back on the ground and then was staked. The second-in-command had time to recover and made his attack right into the tree branch Spike had just acquired. Three down and three to go. He quickly surveyed the clearing, deciding which vampire posed the greatest threat to the humans. The leader was gone, but instead of being held by the last two vampires, the woman was now huddled with her boyfriend off to the side of the area and both were watching Beth fight the smaller of the last two vampires. The other vamp was making a get away. Spike caught up with him fast, and after taking him out, he raced back to the clearing. Spike told the girl and guy to get the hell out of the area, and then he watched Beth finish off her opponent.

When she was done and turned to him, Spike wondered who he was going to be talking to. Beth or Buffy? If it was Beth, judging her fighting ability and use of the stake in her hand, she was now ninety-five percent Buffy. No matter which, she still scared him witless by joining the fight. At the time, he had no idea how well she could fight.

“What the bloody hell do you think you were doing? I told you to take the soddin’ car home.”

“You shouldn’t have left me behind. Those six…” Her eyes got large, and she paced a little before stopping several feet away from him. “Those…guys. They were…freaks. Why didn’t I notice that before now?” Her voice was high and her speech fast from adrenaline.

Even though he had not reverted to his game face as the others, Spike winced at her reference of vampires as freaks. Well, they are, but her saying it still pierced his heart.

“And they must have been related because they all had those wrinkly ridgey faces. And when they exploded…” Her voice started to lower in volume and pitch. “…they exploded into a cloud of dust that is now…on my clothes…and…” She looked up at Spike and then down at the ground at the dust of her last victim. “…men don’t do that, do they? They shouldn’t end up as a home for earth worms, should they?”

Spike didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t make the situation worse, dig the hole even deeper. He stayed silent, hoping that the question was rhetorical, and that the subject would drop.

But if that question was bad enough, the next one kept the Indiana Jones sized ball rolling. Beth looked him square in the eyes asked, “Your problem with sunlight isn’t an allergy, is it?”

Definitely not rhetorical this time, but he gave her an indecisive answer. “Sorta.”

She raised an eyebrow and gave him an “I am not putting up with any shit right now” look.

“Well, it sorta is an allergy, but instead of severe sunburns as a result, I…uh…well, I go up in flames like a bloody torch.”

The image of William dying in such a fashion made her sick to her stomach, causing her to take several steadying breaths before she could continue, but continue she did. “Those wrinkly guys we just fought were vampires?”

“Yes.” Spike ran his hand through his hair. Their run as a couple had hit a short final act. The only thing left was to see the drama through.

Beth had so wanted him to have said that she was crazy, that there were no such thing as vampires. The movement of his hand caught her eye. Stepping closer she grasped his hand for several moments before placing her other hand on his chest. “Your hand…You’re cold to the touch. I always believed that it had to do with poor circulation. But it’s not poor circulation; it’s no circulation. Your heart doesn’t beat, does it?”

“No.”

“God, how did I miss that?” Letting go of him, Beth stepped back and looked beseechingly up at the heavens as if asking for help. “No heart beat. That would mean you are dead?” This question was tentative and soft, wanting to get a no for an answer, wanting another explanation. She glanced back at him.

“Yes.”

The pause was long, and her voice even softer than before. “You’re a vampire?”

He didn’t want to answer because he thought that it would open up the flood gates of her memories wide open. Water had already been escaping, but he instinctually knew that the water would be free. Buffy’s memories would be free. Nonetheless, he wouldn’t lie to her. He wouldn’t lie to Beth, and he wouldn’t lie to Buffy. So the only thing left was to confirm her accusation. One word. “Yes”

Beth started pacing, gathering steam with every step. “So you drink blood?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“I store it in a hidden refrigerator in the library.”

She paced some more before stopping, leaving a good distance between them. “Refrigeration. Now I get it. How convenient for a vampire to live above a funeral home, or do you feed, kill, and then drop the bodies off at the funeral home before heading upstairs?”

“Kill? You know this. I haven’t killed a human in four years.” From what she was asking and saying, Spike was surprised that she still didn’t remember everything. She still didn’t remember him. How can that be? She was easily talking about vampires now. Bloody hell, he was a vampire that had even been intimate with her, and she didn’t remember him?

“But you use to kill…eat people. A lot of people.”

He noticed that she was no longer asking. She no longer needed confirmations. So here it was. Now she was solely delving into her own mind for answers to her questions. Now she was remembering a specific vampire, him. “Yes, I killed for over a hundred years.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m one hundred twenty-five. I was turned in 1880.”

Beth paused. Spike could see her eyes darting around unseeing, just thinking, until they focused back on him. “And the name William, you don’t go by William. That’s your 1880 name…You go by…” She tilted her head. “…Spike. And that Angel guy called you Spike, but at the time, I didn’t know what he meant. That night I thought of a spike as a pointy piece of metal, not a name.”

Spike made no comment. He just let her continue, but he did feel a little satisfaction that she still didn’t remember Angel.

“And me. I don’t go by Beth. It’s…Buffy. My nickname for Elizabeth is Buffy.” Slowly shaking her head, she looked at him. “But not you, you usually called me ‘Slayer.’…because…That’s what I was…am. I’m a vampire slayer.”

She wrapped her arms around her body while tears started streaming down her face. “Spike, why didn’t you tell me? I always depended on you for the truth whether I wanted to hear it or not. Why?”

He wanted to hold her, wanted to wrap his arms her and hold her until all was better. To talk until all was right again. But no. No way would Buffy want to be held right now. And yes, Buffy instead of Beth. Spike could tell Beth was gone. “I made a promise to the Powers That Be to do nothing to jeopardize your future.”

“So you let me believe that I didn’t know you? You might as well have lied to me.”

“I had to. I had no choice. The choice was yours. Know that I’m sorry, luv.”

“Love? Love? You took advantage of my memory loss to get close to me.”

Unable to take anymore, she turned, intending to run but stumbled. He caught and steadied her. Not unexpectedly, Buffy violently jerked away. “No, get away from me.”

Her fist connected with his chin as she slung her arm around, dislodging his hand. He took it, and he took the sight of her running away. He took the sounds of her sobs as they grew fainter with distance. Numb to the core of his being, Spike walked to his car. He thought about all the times over the years he had seen her running away as he climbed into the driver’s seat and stared sightlessly out of the window. He consciously chose to sit in his car over driving back to his flat and chancing seeing Buffy drive away, seeing her run away from him a second time in one night.

Spike took an unnecessary breath and slowly blew it out. As far as worst case scenarios go, this definitely was the bleedin’ worst. All Buffy’s memories returned to her. She had lost her wish thanks to him. She blamed him. Any trust from before the fight with the First Evil was gone. The most painful of her words was that he had taken advantage of her, the one thing he had tried hardest not to do.

All was lost, and all he had to do now was wait for his punishment. A crushing punishment he knew he deserved. Until the sentence was carried out, he knew he would again keep his memories of Buffy and now Beth close to his heart, reliving every moment until they will surely be yanked away from his arms when Whistler paid him another call.

*****

Buffy got into her car. Well, what she hoped was her car because she couldn’t see through her tears enough to see the steering wheel, which was only an inch in front of her face.

“Going for a drive?”

Buffy jerked around to see Whistler sitting in her passenger seat, smirking. “Yeah. Anywhere away from here.”

“You seem a little…ah…angry.” Whistler’s smirk grew.

Buffy’s tears stopped, and her voice was as sarcastic as his had been calm. “Ya think?” Buffy rolled her eyes. “It’s Spike. No shock there.”

Sitting quietly, Whistler waited for her to continue. The wait wasn’t long.

“He ruined everything. My whole life. I finally had my normal life. I loved my normal life, and he shot it all to hell.”

“Ok. You loved your life as Beth, right?”

“Duh.” Buffy started up the car and drove to nowhere in particular.

Whistler flinched when she almost hit a mailbox. “Watch it. Geez. Ok, back to the subject. And as a part of this life, Beth loved William, right?”

Buffy frowned over the question. “Uh…yeah.”

“And William was and is Spike?”

“You know he is.” Now her temper was back.

“And you, not the slayer but the woman, are Beth.” He didn’t give her the chance to argue that point. “Did you love him over the last months?”

“As Beth, you know I did.” Buffy gripped the steering wheel so tight that she could hear a warning crack, and she let up so she would still have something to steer with.

Watching her attempt to relax, Whistler knew he had her hooked. Now it was time to start reeling her in. “And you love him today, both earlier and during the last hour?”

The air in the car practically sparked with tension as Beth hesitated. “Beth did, but I…I shouldn’t.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Whistler close his eyes. She began to squirm while waiting for him to open them again. “Buffy, don’t waste my time. I asked an honest question, and I expect an honest answer.”

When her tears began leaking out again, Buffy pulled over and parked on the side of the road. “I did as Beth, and…and I do as Buffy.” For a few minutes, Buffy thought about William and of Spike, the man and vampire together, and as both, he loved her. And she had done the same as Beth and as Buffy. She thought back to Spike. “I’ve really screwed things up.”

‘Ah, the fish is at the boat, and I just need to land it.’ Whistler blew out a breath. “Not beyond repair. Haven’t you figured it out by now? You can’t believe how many people look for their true love unsuccessfully, and you were lucky enough to find him – twice. You did that, and you ran away twice here in Sacramento and dozens of times in Sunnydale.” Taking in her pensive look, he paused to let her think things through. “Since remembering your life as a slayer, do you remember making your wish?”

Buffy brushed aside her tears. “Sure. To have a normal life.”

“Do you know what Spike wished?” Knowing that she had never even thought of this so far, he frowned as she shook her head. “You may not realize this, but your wish meant that all those connected to you had to have their memories changed to fit your new life or memories of you wiped from their minds altogether. In other words, for those people it would be as if you had never met. As for Spike’s wish, his was simple. All he wished for was to keep his memories of you. Even the Powers That Be were surprised. But with his simple wish came a not so simple warning. I warned him not to do anything to remind you of your previous life. The PTB had made that a clear boundary. No contact, not even to see you from afar. And he agreed, satisfied that if you were happy, he would be determined not to do anything that might jeopardize your new life. And you know what, Miss I’m-The-Center-Of-The-Universe and He-Ruined-My-Life? He didn’t. Not one slip up. He moved here and never went close to Sunnydale.” At her look of disbelief, he shook his head. “Don’t even act like you can’t believe he did that. You knew he would do anything for you. He went against his demon’s nature and got a soul for you, didn’t he? Keeping your wish safe was easy for him.”

Sheepishly, Buffy bit her lower lip as she looked over at Whistler. “Wake up and smell the devotion, right?”

“A big cuppa java. You came up to him in the mall, you insisted on coffee, you hunted down his phone number, you called him the first time, you kissed him first, and you seduced him the first time. So, Spike didn’t break the rules. You did. He even tried to stop you, but every time, you insisted on being with him. In fact, after seeing Dawn, he was scared for you and was going to break it off tonight with you to protect your memories.”

Time for his exit, Whistler thought. Always leave them thinking. Whistler knew he had done his job as he watched a tear roll down her face. She wasn’t just feeling just for herself anymore. “Anyway, kid, fate has a way of returning us to the original path but never the exact same path. Good news is that your mom will still live and all you friends will still be alive. And the slayer part? Yes, you are still a slayer, but the Powers That Be are leaving it up to you to decide what you want to do about slaying. But while you are sitting here having your boo hoo, ask yourself if you want to give up the happiness that you had before those vamps crossed your path tonight. So, I will wish you good luck, but I think you have always had it. It is just a matter of recognizing when it is working for you.” Whistler opened the door and stepped out. But before he shut the door, he couldn’t resist and leaned back in. “And by the way, you might want to know what Spike’s punishment will be. He loses his wish of remembering you. Your memory is back through contact with him, so his memory of you is forfeited.”

This hit Buffy like a flying kick. “What? I’m Buffy again, and Buffy and Spike know each other.”

“I told you that fate’s new path will be close to the same but not exact. That’s one of the not exacts. You two will have never met each other. You won’t remember him after this conversation, and Spike will be like he was eight years ago, just with no Sunnydale on his map. Of course, that loony vampiress might pick up on the change in reality, but the Powers That Be are willing to take the chance.” There, that should do it. Whistler tried to hide his smile.

Buffy’s eyes closed to slits. “You mean Drusilla? You are going to give Spike back to that insane ho-bitch?”

Whistler just nodded as he watched her anger soared supersonic.

“Not if I can help it. I need to have a sit down with these Powers That Be. Be, is, was, whatever. I need to see them.” When Whistler didn’t react fast enough for her, she grabbed hold of his coat and dragged him back into the car. Then she used her best slayer voice, pitched low but leaving no doubt that she was lethal. “NOW.”