A/N: Computer is still not working right, but managed to write this out on Notepad (evil, satanic program! hiss!). Sorry this has taken SO long and that it's unbeta'd.

Of course, when she wanted to find him he was nowhere to be found. So typical of him. Buffy wandered through the empty streets of Sunnydale and found herself speculating on what the bleach-blonde vampire might be doing. Every option she came up with ended in him committing a slayable offense. She couldn't shake the feeling that because she had let Spike colour her judgment that some innocent was having the life drained out of them as she took a tour of the town.

The grip on her stake tightened almost painfully but she didn't mind. It provided her with some focus.

In the near-distance she heard an unearthly howl and added werewolves to the list of things she should look out for on her nightly patrols. The town was becoming swamped with all sorts of beasts, these days. She was the only guardian of the Hellmouth and it was wearing on her. To shoulder this much responsibility was just too much for one girl to take, super powers or no super powers.

Buffy sighed and kicked a stray pebble across the street. She stopped in surprise when it hit a leather boot. She looked up, expecting it to be him. It wasn't. It was a vampire but not the right one. This guy was tall and sinewy, a mop of black hair atop his head and serious stubble covering his angular chin. His eyes were blue, his nose had been broken at least once. It was odd; usually when vampires faced up against her they were already in game face.

She shrugged to herself and lifted the stake, motioned wearily for the vampire to come and get her. He shook his head slightly, a peculiar smile etched on his face.

Buffy sighed, "Vampires. Aren't you at least going to put up a little fight?"

"Only if you like that kind of thing" He drawled in a Southern accent.

She frowned "What? You do realise I'm the Slayer"

"Right. Guess it makes sense you'd like it rough"

Buffy was still trying to process on whether he was playing some sick joke, simply being suggestive, or was really a dimwit, as he crossed the road towards her. He wore the standard creature of the night costume - leather pants, white wife-beater, leather jacket. He still hadn't changed into vamp face, however. She got into a defensive stance as he came to stand a few feet in front of her.

"Oh, but you're a pretty one, darlin'," he looked her over "don't want to damage you too much."

Buffy rolled her eyes "Can we just get on with this?"

"Feisty, too."

Buffy kicked him in the head. Just to shut him up. Then she whirled around and landed another kick to his gut knocking him to the ground. He flipped up, barely wounded and began to circle her, all the while grinning. Buffy shifted her stake from hand to hand, eyes watching his every move. He moved gracefully, quickly, and with an ease to it all. She estimated he was at least a hundred, possibly slightly more.

"I've heard about them, you know. Your scars." He confided. "And I'm here to tell you, they don't bother me"

She gave him a look. This was some tactic to put her off her game, bringing up the scars, she did her best to ignore it.

"I'm so glad." Buffy replied landing a sold punch to his chin.

The vampire stumbled backwards "Woo! You sure know how to hit, Slayer. I can tell this is going to be fun"

"Yeah," she nodded, slamming another punch into him "my fun!"

He chuckled and instead of moving away out of her reach, as she would have expected, he moved in closer. He drew in the scent of her and moaned in delight. Buffy grimaced and lifted her hand up to stake him. The vampire grabbed her wrists quickly and then did the one thing Buffy really didn't account for. He kissed her.

Instinctively, her foot shot out and connected with his abdomen sending him tumbling to the floor. Buffy reached up and wiped her mouth, spitting several times on the floor at his feet. She raised the stake and looked down at him.

"What the fuck! What the fuck...!"

The vampire sat up "Oh, damn, you're not exclusively his, are you?"

"What are you even talking about!" Buffy yelled, still trying to work out what the hell was going on.

"Spike"

She froze, hand still clutching the stake tightly, eyes on the vampire in front of her. How did he know? Well, that was a stupid question. Spike had obviously made it public knowledge. She shouldn't have expected better from him but she did. She'd actually thought that he might let her keep a little shred of respect. Foolish to think so. He'd probably bragged to half the demon population of Sunnydale by now.

They all knew what she had done. Who she had done.

Buffy took a step back and cleared her throat, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right," He smiled getting up "playing coy? I like that in a girl."

"Well, I'm not a girl. I'm a Slayer. I slay vampires."

"Slay and lay, the way I heard it" He chuckled, working the cricks out of his shoulders.

Buffy felt a blush burn at her cheeks "Well, you won't be hearing anything after I stake you"

"Tough talk." He motioned her closer "Let's have it, then"

She paused a moment, waiting for him to shift into vamp face. He didn't and it disconcerted her. It wasn't like she hadn't staked vampires that looked human before, but she had never held a conversation with them. Buffy clenched her fist and hit him squarely on the nose. He stumbled backwards but was back on form within seconds.

He blocked another punch from her "Name's Jeremiah, by the way"

"You tell me this after you kiss me? Boy, you vamps have really got to learn a thing or two about manners" She replied kicking him in the knee and sending him to the ground.

"Well, figured if you're doing Spike you were pretty much willing to forgo the formalities" Jeremiah grunted as he looked up at the stars.

She climbed onto him, sweeping her arms down to stake him. He blocked the blow and his knee connected painfully with her side, sending her tumbling to the asphalt. The next thing she knew Jeremiah the vampire was on top of her, still in his pretty boy human visage. His hands pinned her shoulders to the ground.

"I've never grappled with a Slayer, before." He noted "I kind of thought you'd be butch. Or, maybe, taller?"

"Size doesn't matter, Jer." Buffy replied bringing her knee up to meet his groin.

He yelped and fell to the ground on his back, clutching his family jewels. Buffy sighed and stood up looking for her stake. She spied it in the middle of the road and moved towards it automatically. It was only when she heard the sound of a car horn that she realised she was about to get hit. And, in that split-second, she didn't fear it. She didn't exactly want it, either, but it felt alright. Not a bad way to go.

Strangely, Jeremiah had other ideas. He slammed into the side of her at blurring speed knocking both of them out of harms way and into a tangle of limbs.

Buffy was still trying to get her head around the concept of a vampire saving her life again when he backhanded her across the face.

"Are you stupid, girl?" He yelled angrily. "Are you tryin' to get yourself killed?"

She pulled her fist back and punched him in the face "Why the hell do you care! You're a vampire, you want me dead!"

Jeremiah actually looked dumbfounded "Now, why would you say such a thing? I'm not hungry and you're definitely not easy pickings. So why would I ever concern myself with killing you?"

"You...what?" Buffy cried "I'm the Slayer. I kill your kind"

"As long as you don't kill me, I don't hold no grudge"

The Slayer stood, shaking her head "God! What is wrong with you vampires? Haven't you read the rules?"

"Don't you see, girl?" Jeremiah dusted himself up as he stood "Not everything is black and white. I pride myself on being a nice grayish hue"

"You kill people"

"To survive, yes"

She shook her head "And you think that makes it okay?"

"Now, you don't go throwing stones in glass houses, missy." He wagged his finger at her "You're sleeping with a vampire who's twice as bad as I could ever want to be"

"I'm...not sleeping with him"

"The scent doesn't lie, Slayer"

So, that was how he had known. Spike hadn't been shouting his mouth of. Buffy found herself feeling relieved. Then that was squashed when she realised that she was covered in Spike's scent and that every demon or supernatural would know. She suddenly felt the need to shower over and over again.

First she had a vampire to deal with.

Buffy scooped up the stake and looked at him standing easily before her, arms folded. He looked so human but every nerve in her body told her otherwise. It was her job to kill vampires and if she was ever going to be able to stake Spike she should at least be able to take out a vampire she barely knew.

Jeremiah locked eyes with her "You got a tough life, Slayer. Killin' demons when all you probably want is a nice white picket fence and a couple of rug-rats. I don't envy you."

"Well, it's better than being a vampire"

"Maybe," he nodded "but then how would you know?"

Buffy sighed "I'm going to stake you, Jeremiah"

"You gonna stake your boyfriend too? It's only fair, after all"

"He's not my boyfriend"

"Really not the point, darlin'"

She knew that he was probably full of crap - that he probably killed innocent people all the time just for fun or out of a sadistic need, but he was really making this hard for her. She had no fangs to focus on, no bumpy forehead, no yellow eyes. Nothing to make him just another villain of the week. She knew his name, he'd saved her life and he called her pet names.

It suddenly became very obvious why she was hesitating. He reminded her of Spike.

"You know what, Jeremiah?" Buffy shrugged, stake loose by her side "I'm gonna let you go. Let's call it Buffy's 'get out of slayage free' card. One time only deal"

He tilted his head to the side. Buffy was starting to think that he was Spike's brother or something. Stranger things had happened.

"That's very gracious of you, Buffy" Jeremiah said her name as if it were a novelty, something to be careful with.

"Better get gone before I change my mind" She warned.

He nodded and turned away, walking slowly down the road he called back "He's up on the roof of the cinema, in case you're wondering"

Buffy watched him go, completely confused. Deciding it was better to just let it go she looked down at the stake in her hand and after a moment started off towards the Sun Cinema.