Chapter 2

Buffy briefly forgot about her sudden houseguests as she headed to the bathroom in the middle of the night, not expecting to find it occupied. She gasped, averting her eyes from the huge naked man currently bathing in her tub.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Eric flashed her a grin. “I would think that was obvious. It’s still a few more hours until sunrise and I was feeling a bit…dirty. I hope you don’t mind. Of course, you may feel free to join me if you like.”

She glared at him. “Let’s just get one thing straight, okay? If you’re going to be staying here, you need to quit it with the flirting. It’s making my…Spike uncomfortable, not to mention me. One perverted vampire is all I can stand, thank you very much.”

“I thought he was not yours,” Eric responded with amusement.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, dropping them back to her side a second later. “It’s complicated; just don’t let me catch you in here again. I have a fourteen-year-old in the house; you could at least lock the door.”

Eric nodded in agreement. “I will keep that in mind. By the way, your attire is quite fetching.”

She glanced down to see that her robe came undone, her yummy sushi pajamas now in plain sight. Buffy closed her robe with a blush, hurrying out of the bathroom as if the devil himself was after her.


* * * * *


Buffy headed to the Magic Box the next day, while her guests were sound asleep, Dawn having already left for school. She wasn’t surprised to see Spike there; unlike other certain vampires, he got around in the day just fine. It didn’t take her long to get right to the point as she explained the situation to her friends.

“I don’t like this, Buff. What do you really know about these guys? They could be trying to trick you.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, figuring that Xander would be the first one to voice his opinion. “Don’t you think I’ve thought about that? There’s just something different about him. Them, I mean, they don’t really seem like they’re here to hurt anyone. They just want this Sookie person back; I think they both have the hots for her.”

Spike raised his eyebrows, catching her little mistake, but deciding not to say anything about it.

“They’ll be here as soon as the sun sets, and I don’t want you guys to make them uncomfortable. You just have to trust that I know what I’m doing.”

They all agreed, some reluctantly, but there was no point in arguing about it.


* * * * *


Anya squealed when a large blond man entered the shop, giving him a hug once she reached his side.

“Eric Northman, it is so good to see you! God, it must have been over two hundred years.”

He peeled the woman off of his body. “Anyanka, I see you are well.”

She waved her hand in the air. “Been better, I’m human now. Lost my powers a while ago.”

“Pity,” was all he said, moving away from someone he never wanted to see again, and she seemed to have gotten even louder since the last time they were together.

Xander’s jaw nearly dropped. “You actually know this guy? Don’t tell me you slept with him?”

A bright smile lit up her features. “Oh, yes, many times. I told you about vampire stamina, Xander. Did you think I was just saying it for my health?”

Buffy clapped her hands together. “Okay, enough about that, let’s just get right to it.” She made the introductions, then focused on her two new companions. “So, this guy who took your friend, what’s his deal?”

“His name is Logan Danworth, we go back many years. Feuding over women, money, he has been trying to take over my business for months now.”

“You have a business?” Willow wondered.

Eric nodded. “I own a bar called Fangtasia.”

Buffy couldn’t help it as she burst into laughter. “Are you serious? That is the most ridiculous name I’ve ever heard.” She stopped when she realized that he didn’t find it funny, clearing her throat in embarrassment. “Sorry, go on.”

“Sookie is special, a telepath. She has been helping me with a few assignments lately, which Logan has become aware of. He wants to use her for his own personal gain, put her gift to use in unpleasant ways. I guarantee he will not be as generous as I have been.”

“Generous? I don’t think nearly getting her killed is generous. Sookie has been at risk ever since she met you.”

“And whose fault is that, Compton?” Eric growled. “I think the same could be said of you. You brought her to Fangtasia. You knew the consequences; I have sworn to protect her. Logan has made no such promise. He wants vengeance against me, so he won’t kill her. Not until I am there to witness it, but we won’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.”

Buffy noticed something that she never considered before. Eric was more than just a self-centered vampire; he cared a lot for this girl. She got the impression that it wasn’t something he showed often. “We’ll help any way that we can. I’ve taken out lots of vampires; one more shouldn’t be too hard.”

Eric gave her a look. “Logan is not your average vampire. He was a powerful sorcerer before he was turned; the magic has only grown stronger over the years.”

Willow took Tara’s hand in hers. “I guess that’s where we come in. Yeah, we’re not as powerful, but I like to think we can hold our own. I’ve been working on this ball of sunshine, if I get it just right, we can use that against him. Sunlight would pretty much kill any vampire, won’t it? We’ll get started on that locator spell first. Do you happen to have anything of his on you? It might make us find him faster.”

Eric pulled a cloth out of his back pocket, handing it over to the red headed witch. “This was left outside of my bar; I believe it was used to drug Sookie.”

Willow took it from him, giving him a small smile. “This should work.”

Eric smiled in return, glancing at the Slayer. “I wanted to apologize for last night, Miss Summers. I should not have been in your tub without permission.”

Buffy’s eyes widened, noticing the startled expressions around her, including the angry face of Spike. “Oh, yeah, don’t mention it. Ever again,” she told him, heading to the back room to blow off some steam. It wasn’t long before he followed after her.

“What was that about? You saw him taking a bath?”

Buffy turned to her own blond pest. “I accidentally walked in on him; it’s not a big deal. I didn’t really see anything.”

Spike shook his head. “I don’t like this, Buffy. What if Dawn was the one who walked in on him?”

“Oh, come off it, you can’t keep using her as an excuse. Why are you getting so upset about this? There’s nothing going on between us. He’s obviously in love with that Sookie girl, even though he’d probably never admit it.”

He clenched his jaw, trying to keep his temper in check. “I know I have no claim over you, that you said you just wanted to be friends, but I can’t take much more of this. I said I would give you space, let you decide what you wanted, but I love you. I love you so bloody much that it chokes me. I don’t think I can just be your friend anymore.”

Buffy felt her eyes tear up, but tried to hold them back. “What are you saying?”

Instead of answering, he grabbed her around the waist, planting a hard kiss on her lips.

She responded with just as much vigor, moaning into his mouth.

Spike sucked on her bottom lip, letting it go once she was good and breathless. “I’m saying that it’s time you made a choice. I might not be around forever,” and with that said, he made his way back to the front of the store, leaving Buffy to stare after him in shock.