Disclaimer: Joss owns Buffy and Spike, they are pawns in his plans for plans for world domination. (That was a little over the top wasn’t it?)
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Chapter 25: Soldier Girl

Buffy showed Mrs and Mrs Finn into her house, glad that her immaculate house cleaning was up to June Cleaver’s standards.

Dawn of course was standing in the middle of the living room doorway, not at all pleased.

“Hey,” said Riley apologetically.

“Agent Finn returns....again,” snarked Dawn.

Willow and Xander appeared from the kitchen.

“Hey, there's the man! Life taker, heartbreaker.” Xander shook Riley’s hand. “You know, figuratively speaking.”

“Xander, Sam. Willow...” Riley was handling the introductions.

Sam waved the open front door.

Buffy watched as Willow and Riley hugged. Sending her friend a raised eye brow, Buffy was delighted when Willow pulled away from the hug sharply.

“Uh, we got your call,” said Willow trying not to stammer.

Call? thought Buffy. When did he call????

“We're here to help. Just like old times. Except, with you being all big with the married life,” babbled Xander.

“Hear you're getting hitched yourself. Believe me, you're gonna love it,” said Riley, his wife smiling up at him. “And you too Buffy.”

“Congratulations, really, both of you,” added Willow.

They all moved into the living room. Hanging back from the happy couple Willow turned to whisper in Buffy’s ear.

“Just so you know? I'm prepared to hate this woman any way you want.”

Buffy smiled. “Thanks, but no. I don't wanna seem all petty.”

“Well, that's the beauty! You can't, but I can. Please. Let me carry the hate for the both of us.”

“Go nuts,” grinned an evil looking Buffy.

Buffy and Willow proceeded into the living room, Buffy noting that Dawn was still mad at Riley, and some how Buffy was ok with that.

“So. What brings you back to town after you left suddenly with no word?” asked the teen.

The group sat down on the couch and various other sitting type furniture. Buffy tried to catch Riley’s eye and direct them to the various pictures of her and Spike that were littered around the room. But to no avail.

“Sam and I have been tracking a Suvolte demon through Central America. Killing machine. Nearly mature,” explained Riley.

“Yeah, three months old and growing fast,” added Sam.

“These things start to kill the minute they're hatched. And leave a real clear trail.”

“Yeah. Just follow the villages with nothing in them but body parts.”

Riley suddenly turned to face Dawn. “Uh ... Dawn, are you sure you wanna be around hearing all this?”

“Oh, come on, Finn, she looks all grown-up to me.” Sam turned to Buffy, thinking that maybe she‘d over stepped Buffy‘s authority. “ That is, if it's all right with you.”

“Uh, sure, yeah, it's fine,” said Buffy feeling a little out of it. She knew that this was happening, but for the life of her she couldn't’ remember what was going to happen next.

“So, this demon shredded your guys, and now you're looking for a little payback?” asked Dawn.

Sam shook her head. “No. It came here to the Hellmouth to, to spawn.” Mrs Finn sighed “But we think it already hatched its eggs somewhere.”

“And the plan was to track it. Let the demon take us to its nest.”

“And ... now they're gonna hatch a bunch of ... baby demon things?” asked Dawn, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“Unless we stop it,” added Sam.

“Which means we have to find the nest, and fast, before Sunnydale turns into the Trouble Meat Palace,” said Buffy.

Everyone turned to Buffy.

“I wish I'd said something else,” she admitted. “It sounded funny in my head.”

“Okay, so we track down the demon, find the nest, Mr. and Mrs. Finn here make with the killin', and everyone goes home happy.” Xander sat down on the couch beside Sam. “But seriously, married man. If forced to choose between a photographer and place settings...”

“We can't track the demon. I killed it,” said Buffy, picking a piece of lint off her shirt. “So! Who's hungry? We got, uh...”

“Bloodsicles,” added Dawn.

“Huh?”

“I found them in the freezer, he’s making weird deserts again,” complained Dawn.

“Be thankful you didn’t witness the bloody cheesecake,” added Willow. “Tragic waste of cheesecake if you ask me.”

“Buffy?” interrupted Sam. “It's good that you killed the Suvolte before it killed us.” She turned to Xander. “Disposable cameras.”

“Di - wah?” stammered Xander.

“Yeah, you, you know, little plastic ones, ten bucks a pop. You arrange them like table settings, guests snap photos breaks the ice, and when the wedding's over, you get to take home the pictures,” explained Sam.

Xander grinned. “I like it!”

“So, demon eggs. Any timetable on when they're gonna hatch?” asked Buffy.

“Hatching's not the problem,” said Riley.

“We think they're gonna be sold on the black market. There are some foreign military powers that would love to have their own Suvolte. You could never train it, but drop it on an urban population...”explained Sam.

“And it cleanses the area,” added Riley.

“Is that a nice way of saying it kills people?” gulped Dawn.

“Lots of 'em. Money's been exchanged. There's a dealer in town, calls himself the, The Doctor. Willow, you think you can help with a little locating spell?” asked Sam.

Buffy snapped her fingers, drawing the attention of the rest of the people in the room. “I was having such a senior moment there for a while! K, I know now. God that’s reassuring. It’s like trying to remember an old TV show sometimes.”

“K, I’m confused now...” said Riley, looking between Buffy and Willow, who was nodding along with everything that Buffy said.

“Oh, Riley doesn’t know about the body switch,” said Willow.

“Another body switch?” asked a nervous commando.

“Oh look, now you’ve scared him,” said Dawn.

“Whatever, it’s not important. It doesn’t change the fact that we have things to do and people to see,” said Buffy.

“Two teams. No civilians. I'll, uh ... I'll go out and look for our Doctor. You two find that nest.” Riley handed out assignments to Buffy and Sam.

“Me and Sam together?” asked Buffy. “Great, lets go, Dawn, stay here, you have a test tomorrow, Xander, don’t eat anymore of my chips. Willow....do, whatever you were doing anyway...”

Now that she remembered how this went, she was eager to get it over with.

“I was going to do the locator spell for Sam...”

“I'll check out some bars. Willy's, some, uh, crypts that I know,” said Riley.
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Buffy and Sam walked through Restfield and the Slayer was thinking that really she would have liked to have had her coat with her. The tee was not providing the warmth she needed.

“Thanks for letting me tag along,” said Sam keeping up with Buffy‘s brisk walk

“No problem.”

“Maybe not for you. I gotta tell you, Buffy, I'm a little bit intimidated. I mean, patrolling with the real live Slayer, you're like ... Santa Claus, or Buddha, or something.”

“Fat and jolly?” said Buffy looking down at her hips.

“Legendary. And it's not just slayer status I'm talking about. It's you.”

“Riley talks about me?”

“He didn't say anything for a long time, but I could tell. He was ripped up inside.”

“Good thing he has you.”

“More like miraculous. I went down to Central America with the Peace Corps. One night, my entire infirmary got slaughtered by... I didn't know what they were. I got saved, quit the Corps, joined the squad. My first firefight, I met Riley. We started talking, you know, first about tactics, missions, stuff like that. And then about you.”

“He thinks ... I let him go.”

Sam stopped walking. “Do you wish you hadn't?”

“No, not now, maybe when it first happened. I’m glad he’s over me, I’m glad he’s happy.“

“So your fiancé? What’s he like?“

Suddenly Buffy stopped and faced Mrs Finn. “Sam. You know what? Um, I think we should split up.”

“Oh, I'm slowing you down. I knew I would, this was just selfish of me.”

“Oh, no, not really I’m, well I have a kind of informant. He usually knows what’s what in Sunnydale, demon wise.“

“Is he twitchy? Does he, will he have a problem if I come?”

“He shouldn’t. Actually, I’m sure he’d be delighted to meet you,” said Buffy with a knowing smile, changing her mind instantly.

Spike would be delighted to see Sam. The thought that anyone would marry Riley Finn voluntarily would be an oddity enough for Spike to have some interest.

Sam followed Buffy for a while, encroaching even further into Restfield’s depths. They proceeded to Spike’s old crypt and burst through the door.

“He lives in a cemetery?” asked Sam.

“No, he doesn’t live here, he told me he’d be here tonight.”

Sure enough Spike poked his head up from the bottom level of the crypt.

“What’s this about then?” he asked hoisting himself up from the ladder.

“This is Sam, Riley’s wife,” introduced Buffy sweetly.

Spike smiled. “Captain Cardboard’s got himself hitched has he?”

“Samantha Finn,” said Sam, reaching out her hand to shake.

Spike looked at her hand for a few seconds before taking and shaking firmly. Buffy was a little scared that he wasn’t going to shake it at all. Buffy breathed a silent breath of relief.

“Sam, this is Spike, my fiancé,” said Buffy proudly.

“Spike?” asked Sam, “Where have I heard that name before?”

“Probably from Riley,” muttered Buffy.

“Oh right, hostile seventeen, right?” asked Sam.

“I prefer Spike,” he observed.

Here Buffy interrupted. “So Riley and Sam are in town about some sulvote eggs,” said Buffy.

“Oh, is Captain Cardboard starting a nursery school?”

“Spike...” warned Buffy.

“They’re killers, being trafficked by a fellow, calls himself ‘the doctor.’ Do you know him?”

“What if I do?” asked Spike. “I have a few friends in the demon world, won’t be too happy when I start selling them all out to the new initiative.”

“Do you want demons to be sold to foreign countries as weapons?” asked Sam.

“Do you want a mother to come back to her nest and find her spawn missing?” asked Spike. “Under all that GI Jane, there must be some sort of motherly... Forget it, she’s a female Captain Cardboard.”

“Demons don’t care about their children. They can’t love,” said Sam.

Buffy sided up to Spike and planted a kiss on his lips.

“So glad Solider Boy found himself a Soldier Girl,” said Spike, giving his marks on Buffy’s neck a nuzzle.

“You aren’t going to find me very susceptible to insults vampire,” declared Sam.

“Ok, I think it’s time for us to move on,” said Buffy. “Will you be home later? Dawn wanted you to help her on her English paper,” the slayer asked her mate.

“Right Dylan Thomas, bright thing our Bit.”

“That she is. I knew she got something other than her hair colour from you,” beamed Buffy. “Come on Sam.”

“Are we going to leave without searching?” whined the commando.

“I don’t think you understand,” said Buffy, her hands on her hips and standing a little bit away from Spike. “This is my fiancé. I love him, he loves me, I trust him. I don’t need to search.”

“You may trust him, but Riley told me about you, you have a vamp fetish, a vampire slayer who gets off on vampires.”

Buffy snorted.

“Oh right,” said Spike, moving to protect his mate from the verbal onslaught. “How about...”

“Spike, not now, please,” said Buffy cutting him off. “Sam, we can go find Riley.”
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Buffy and Sam were having coffee at Buffy’s house. Xander was upstairs with Dawn, attempting to help with homework. Willow was making Portanus in the kitchen for Anya, with Tara and the bride to be were looking on. Mrs Finn glared menacingly at the Slayer when Riley came storming in.

“It was a bust, the Doctor was tipped off,” shouted Riley.

“Yes, come in to my house, Riley,” said Buffy looking up from her mug and after Riley was already in the living room.

“Oh sorry Buffy. Just all our work is for nothing.” Riley looked at his wife with a pout. “The chopper will pick us up in a few minutes. I’m really sorry that I didn’t get to meet your guy Buffy.”

“You will shortly.”

Buffy could tell from her slayer sense tinglies and from her ability to sense her mate, that Spike was approaching the house.

“You never did tell me his name...” started Riley.

“William,’ said Buffy proudly.

And with that Spike entered the house putting Riley on guard.

“Spike,” spat Riley disdainfully.

“Cardboard,” answered Spike, taking his duster off and finding a place on the coat rack.

“What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d see my girl,” answered Spike, not looking at Riley at all.

“I’m surprised you’re even still around. I can’t believe that Buffy hasn’t staked you yet.”

“Sometimes I wonder that myself.” Spike walked into the kitchen taking a beer out of the fridge and walking back into the living room.

“Do you let him walk around here like he owns the place?” Riley asked Buffy incredulously, missing the glares that his wife was shooting the Slayer and the giggly look the Slayer was sporting.

“I do what I want Soldier Boy, nothing you can do about it.”

“Buffy!” said Riley, expecting his ex to contradict Spike.

“You leave my girl out of this Cardboard.”

“She’s not your girl. She’ll never be your girl.”

Sam snorted.

“Um, Riley...” Buffy tried to interject.

“That’s where you are wrong,” continued Spike.

“What is this a grade school pissing contest. I don’t see your name on her,” continued Riley getting red in the face.

“That’s cause I have clothes covering it up,” said Buffy to no one in general, putting down her mug on the table.

That got Riley’s attention.

“Huh?”

Spike smirked and walked over to kiss the top of Buffy’s head.

“Riley, Spike is my fiancé, my mate, my lover.”

“No, you are just trying to make me feel bad for leaving you.”

“Ooooh, big no to that one, wanna try again?” asked Buffy.

“He’s a vampire.”

“Score one for the kid from Iowa,” said Spike with a snicker.

“But you said...” trailed off the commando.

“Riley , I don’t think I should be held accountable for things that I said to you over a hundred years ago,” complained Buffy.

“Huh?”

“I just love it when he does that...Don’t you?” asked Buffy. “So totally another conversation. The one thing I do remember saying to you though... If I wanted to have a boyfriend with super powers I’d be dating Spike. Remember that Riley?” asked Buffy. “Well it is as true now as then. I discovered I need him.”

Buff flipped her hair away from the side of her neck that held Spike’s marks.

Sam took a hard look at the expanse of skin that Buffy was revealing.

“Wait, you are mated?” asked Sam. “He bit you?”

“Yep, on a wonderfully regular basis actually,” smiled Buffy.

“I don’t know what happened to you Buffy. But you seriously need help,” said Riley.

“I don’t think so Riley. After all I’m not the one that’s tracking a demon OB/GYN.”

The movement in the house ground halt and a deafening silence filled the air. Even Willow stopped stirring her pot on the stove. Then it started, with Anya first, then the Wiccas. The laughter permeated the house, as they all got a good snicker in at Riley.
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Buffy followed the angry Riley and his silent wife out into the street. They stood in silence for a long time.

“So, are you and Sam headed back to Central America? Or, is that classified?”

“Nepal,” Riley barked back at Buffy.

“Sounds fun,” said the Slayer sadly.

“I'll send you a postcard.”

“Please don’t be mad, Riley,“ she asked sweetly.

“I’m not supposed to be mad at the fact that you make fun of the work I do, you the high and mighty Vampire Slayer. Throwing it in my face that you are more happy with a vampire than you ever were with me?“

“Huh. Well.... did you wait until your life was absolutely perfect and then send that demon here so you could throw it in my face?”

“Look ... you think this was easy for me?”

“Yeah! I think it was a rollicking adventure, fun for the whole family.”

“I was terrified about seeing you again.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be all pathetic for you this time around. I’m happy with my life.“

“If you are happy with that...You let him bite you Buffy... Are you addicted?”

“I’m not like you Riley, and I have a fabulous man on the other end of those bites. He would never do anything to hurt me.”

“Whatever, clearly I can’t reason with you.”

“You really can’t,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

“This isn't about who's on top. I know how lucky I am right now. I love my work, and I love my wife.”

“I know.”

Buffy and Riley turned to see Xander, Dawn, Willow and Sam emerge from the house.

“So you know she’s a demon and you are still marrying her?“ asked Sam of Xander.

“Yep,” said the groom.

“Ex demon!” corrected Dawn. “I’m a bride’s maid.”

Sam smiled an insincere smile at Dawn.

“Can you get out of it?” asked Sam.

“He doesn’t want to get out of it!” said Willow.

Dawn walked up to Riley and put her hands on her hips.

“So you gonna say goodbye this time, or just ... split all secret-agenty like last time?” said the teen.

The whole group looked up at the approaching helicopter.

“Depends. I warrant a hug?” asked Riley.

Dawn didn’t smile. But she hugged him anyway.

“Goodbye, Dawn.”

“Now, get out of here, I don’t want you mucking up my family anymore,“ said Dawn completely seriously.

Riley smiled, thinking that it was supposed to be a joke.

“Oh Riley?“ asked Buffy, wrapping her arms around her sister. “Funny thing...Dawn’s really a key of mystical energy used to open dimensions. She was created from my blood and Spike’s DNA. So Spike is really her father....Isn’t that neat?“

Riley stared blankly at the two sisters.

“It was really nice meeting you all,” said Sam, tapping Riley on the shoulder and rousing him from his bewildered state. “You ready for Nepal, agent?”

Riley shook his head and headed out into the street. Within minutes the pair was gone.

“What a bitch,” said Willow.

“I completely agree,” said Dawn.
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tbc...