AN* Sorry for the delay in updates, I was on vacation. But now Im back and have another chapter to post shortly. Thanks to my betas Enigmaticblues and Brooke.





Buffy punched the vampire, sending him sprawling head first into the tombstone. She knew she should just stake him, but the past couple days had frustrated her beyond the point of rational thought. Ever since the discovery that she was from the past, she couldn’t help but feel as if everyone was studying her every move. As if they were judging to see if she was behaving like ‘their Buffy’ would.

So tonight, when Willow had questioned her about her choice of soda, Buffy had snapped, storming out of her own house.

She needed to patrol anyway. She had been back for four days and had yet to stake a vamp. Walking over to the snarling vampire Buffy narrowed her eyes, plunging Mr. Pointy deep in his chest. She coughed as dust filled her lungs.

“You’re supposed to keep your mouth shut when you do that, pet,” she heard a voice behind her comment.

Buffy whirled around and saw Spike smirking. Buffy narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, well you can add that to the list of things that I’ve done wrong lately.”

Spike held up his hands. “Whoa, luv, no need to get your knickers in a twist.”

“My who in a what?” Buffy asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Spike couldn’t help but burst onto laughter. Buffy let out a frustrated grunt and turned to walk away.

Spike ran after her, grabbing her arm. “Hey wha’s the matter?”

Buffy sighed, turning around. Spike saw the unshed tears in her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you…it’s my friends.”

Spike cocked his head to the side. He was stunned that the slayer was actually apologizing to him. “Wanna talk about it?”

Buffy looked up at the blond vamp. There was such caring and understanding in his eyes. “Am I…that much different than the ‘other Buffy’?”

Spike snorted shaking his head, “luv, there is only one Buffy. You may not have the same memories or experiences, but you’re still you.”

“But the spell went wrong. I‘m not the same.” Buffy’s voice cracked as she explained.

“Bloody magic always has consequences. Just give ‘em some time to adjust. They’ll suss it out…you’ll see.” Spike smiled reassuringly.

Buffy couldn’t help but feel comforted by his words. “You want to patrol with me?”

Spike raised an eyebrow, “you want me to patrol with you?”

“Well…yeah, didn’t you use to patrol with me? Dawn said…”

Spike chuckled, “Nibblet is rewriting history a bit, luv.”

“Oh.” Buffy’s face fell. “If you don’t want to…”

“Never said that…let’s go.” Spike turned and started walking.

“Go where?” Buffy called after him.

“Patrol…isn’t that what we were just talking ‘bout?”

“Yeah right…patrol.” Buffy blushed, running after the vampire.


********************


Buffy found patrolling with Spike a very different experience than it had been with Angel. Where Angel seemed to like playing the hero, showing off his brawn, Spike simply sat back and let Buffy take control. Occasionally they would encounter a group of vampires, but even then, he would simply be at her side following her lead.

Buffy had been both hurt and shocked to find out about Angel. As much as it hurt her to hear about him turning evil and the cruelty that followed, knowing that he had left her after everything they had been through had been the most difficult thing to accept. The two most important men in her life were no longer in her life: her father and the man she’d thought she was in love with.


Being here now with Spike, Buffy had to admit she felt more at ease than she ever had with Angel. In this time of turmoil, he had been the only one she truly felt she could talk to. It was almost as if he had the ability to know exactly what to say to her to make her feel better. Was it possible that this soulless vampire was the one who really knew her best?

“Well, that was the last cemetery,” Spike said, breaking her from her thoughts.

“Oh…well, thanks for going with me,” Buffy smiled.

“When the watcher comes back you might want to do some training with him,” Spike commented.

“Training? Oh, let me guess, I don’t fight as good as…”

“Buffy, it’s not like that. You have four more years of practice is all,” Spike reassured her.

“Well…why don’t you train me?” Buffy asked hopefully.

“Can’t. I’ve got this chip, remember? I don’t fancy a one-sided fight even if it is just training. Come on, I‘ll walk you home.”

“You mean since I’m so defenseless?” Buffy teased. She turned to see his reaction just in time for him to shove her hard into a nearby mausoleum. She must have passed out for a brief second, because when she opened her eyes, Spike was fighting a huge brown creature with a long tusk on his forehead. Buffy brought her hand up to her throbbing head and realized it was covered with blood. She watched half-dazed as Spike fought the demon in full game face. His moves were fluid and graceful, and despite his smaller size, he quickly overpowered the demon. He let out a ferocious snarl and ripped the throat of the beast open, then twisted its head completely off.

When the creature fell lifeless to the ground, he quickly turned his attention to Buffy. “Bloody hell,” he cursed, rushing over to her. Pulling her hand away from her head, he carefully inspected her wound.

“I…I’m okay,” Buffy assured him.

“I didn’t mean to push you so hard, but he was charging, and his tusk is filled with poison.” Spike told her as his features shifted back to human guise.


Buffy’s eyes widened, “but he cut you,” she said grabbing his arm.

Spike chuckled, “it doesn’t effect me, luv, I’m a vampire remember?”

Spike’s face suddenly went completely serious as he scrambled back away from her. Buffy could see the fear in his eyes.

“Spike…what is it?”

“I…I hurt you,” Spike stammered as his eyes focused on the blood on her hands.

“Is it the blood? Does it bother you? I’m really not hurt, I just…” Buffy tried to explain.

“No!” Spike interrupted, “I hurt you and the chip…it didn’t fire.”

“Oh, well you didn’t mean to hurt me,” Buffy shrugged.

Spike stood up and started pacing back and forth. “You don’t get it, it still should have fired. I pushed you…hard.”

Buffy struggled to get up still dizzy from her head wound. Spike was immediately at her side helping her to stand.

“Maybe it doesn’t work on me, you know, since I’m from the past and all,” Buffy giggled.

“This isn’t funny, Buffy. I could hurt you and the chip wouldn’t fire,” Spike explained.

“You mean you could try,” Buffy smirked.

“This isn’t a game, Buffy. Are you even listening to what I‘m saying!” Spike yelled.

Buffy stepped forward, taking Spike’s hands. Looking up at him she asked, “do you want to hurt me?”

Spike was once again lost in her eyes. Her small, warm hands holding his, she looked so innocent, so untouched by all the pain she had endured.

“No,” he whispered. “Never.”

Buffy leaned in, placing a chaste kiss on his lips, “See? Then it’s no big deal. Besides, I trust you,” she smiled.

********************


Willow snapped the large book shut as her lover entered the room.

“What are you doing?” Tara smiled, joining her on the bed.

“Just some research,” Willow answered, snuggling against her.

“About Buffy?” Tara asked hesitantly.

Willow sighed. “I can’t help but feel that we let her down. She could still be trapped, Tara.”

Tara sat up, “Willow, we don’t even know that she’s still there. When the spell went wrong… Who knows? The spell could have freed our Buffy, too,” the blond offered sympathetically.
.

“No,” Willow argued, sitting up to face her lover. “But we still have the Urn, I could try the spell again, using the right words.”

Tara snorted, “two Buffy’s would be a bit…too weird, Willow.”

“There wouldn’t be two,” Willow whispered, looking towards the door. “I found a reversal spell.”

Tara’s eyes widened. “Willow you wouldn’t do that…would you? I mean, how would it even work?”

“Tara, she isn’t our Buffy. She isn’t even supposed to be here,” Willow argued.

“But she’s a human being, Willow, and she is our Buffy, just from when she was younger. You can’t just go around playing God, it isn’t right.” Tara strained to keep her voice low.

Willow sighed, “Your right, Tara. I should just forget about it.”

Tara smiled as they lay back down in bed. Willow waited until she knew her girlfriend was asleep then climbed out of bed pulling the large text from under the bed. I’ll find a way, Buffy, just hold on.