Dance With Me

Drusilla arrives in Sunnydale to get Spike back.
****************************************************************************
DANCE WITH ME



The boys staggered out of the Bronze and into the wet street.  The rain
had eased up a little and the moon had started to appear from behind 
the
thick black clouds.

"Did you see the one in that little red dress?..........she definitely
wants my body!" laughed Kyle.  His two friends guffawed at that.  "Only
if its for medical research." jibed one of them.

"No way......she was panting for it!" Kyle replied indignantly, as the
three of them turned into the alley.

"Look who's here!" a distinctly English voice spat out from the 
shadows,
startling them.  A figure emerged from behind a dumpster and they
strained to see his face.  "Oh, it's you!" grinned one of the boys,
recognising the bleached blonde vampire they had helped kick the crap
out of a couple of months ago.  "Come back for some more, have you?" 
the
boy growled.

Spike moved closer, his leather duster lapping round his legs as he
swayed.  "I'm going to teach you a lesson, you little wankers." he
snarled, his game face staring out at them.  They looked at each other
then back to him.  "I see your girlfriend isn't with you to save your
ass this time.." Kyle sneered, picking up a jagged broken mop handle
from the dumpster. "You must like pain.........and this time I won't
miss!"

Spike sucked in his cheeks.  "Might not be so easy with broken arms." 
he
whispered, and moving almost faster than they could see, he rushed
forward to grip the boy's wrists.  With a violent jerk he twisted his
arms.  A sickening crack echoed out and Spike grinned, his yellow eyes
gleaming wildly.  The boy screamed in pain and fell to his knees.  The
other two jumped at Spike and he threw a side kick at one and slammed
his fist into the chest of the other, sending them reeling.  Kyle was
scrambling to his feet wimpering, and Spike grabbed him by the 
shoulders
head-butting him.  He released his hold and the boy fell unconscious to
the ground.  The other two were on their feet now, and the vampire 
faced
them.  They backed off nervously.

"You didn't catch me at my best last time." Spike growled.
"So..........what do you think?"  He moved closer to them, taking in 
the
fear in their faces. He was revelling in it!  He swung a punch at the
nearest one, breaking his nose.  The boy staggered backwards, holding
his face, the blood streaming through his fingers.  Spike could feel 
the
blood-lust rising up in him.  He advanced on the other boy.
"No........please!" he pleaded.  The boy saw an opening and ran.

"Thats it, little boy, run home to mommy!" Spike called after him,
strolling casually towards the blood soaked boy.  He grabbed him by the
hair and pulled his head back, baring the boy's neck.  He curled back
his lips and drew his tongue along his teeth.   "I feel a bit peckish
after all that exercise." he whispered, mesmerised by the pulsating 
vein
just beneath the pale flesh.  He dipped his head and piercing the skin
with his fangs, he began to feed.

He lapped at the warm liquid savouring the taste as it ran over his
tongue and down his throat.  He bit down harder and the boy's 
struggling
began to slow, his knees buckling.

A nagging pain began at the base of Spike's skull and he knew he would
have to stop soon, but he continued to suck in the intoxicating fluid.
The pain grew until he dropped the unconscious boy, holding his head in
his hands in agony, as the chip hit him like a red hot poker searing 
his
brain.  He reeled backwards. He stared down at his 'happy meal' and,
eyes watering with the pain, he managed a smug grin.  "Thanks for the
drink, mate." he croaked, licking the blood from his lips.  "We'll do 
it
again sometime."

He turned back to Kyle who was beginning to come round.  He hauled the
boy to his feet and twisted one of his broken limbs making him cry out.
Spike clamped his hand over Kyle's mouth and put his lips close to the
boy's ear.

"Just a little warning for you and your bloody  friends." he whispered.
"You tell anyone it was me, and I'll be back for the second course!" he
twisted the boy's arm again.  "Is that clear?"  Kyle nodded, the pain
making his eyes fill with tears.

Spike released his grip and the boy fell to his knees sobbing.  "Good
boy!" he sneered and sauntered out of the alley and into the Bronze,
lighting a cigarette.

He saw Beth standing at the bar and strolled over to her placing his 
arm
around her waist.  She turned to him and smiled, then her face changed.
"You've fed........" she gasped.  "God, Spike, if Buffy or the others
find out..........."  Spike put a finger to her lips.  "I only had a
taste, pet.  They'll survive, and we came to an agreement about them
keeping their bloody mouths shut.......Don't worry!"  She rested her
head on his shoulder and bit her lip.

She knew what he had done was wrong, but she had encouraged him to do
it.  She was pleased that he had hurt them.  "Serves them bloody 
right!"
she grinned, reaching for the two bottles of beer on the bar and 
handing
him one.

Spike took a sip from the bottle and watched her as she did the same.
He felt very uncomfortable about this.  She was supposed to be the one
keeping his demon in check, but the more he thought about it, the more
he realised she had manipulated him.  Ever since their return from L.A.
she had exhibited a darker side to her nature and had even encouraged
him to exact a bit of revenge on them for their attack on him. 'You're
turning into me.' he thought ruefully.

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

Spike was dreaming.  His fangs were deeply embedded in someone's neck
and he could hear his victim's heart pounding......bang,bang,bang.
Suddenly the Slayer appeared..........he woke with a start, just as she
plunged the stake into his heart.  "Bloody hell!" he panted feeling his
chest to make sure it wasn't real.  He breathed a sigh of relief, the
realized the bang.bang,bang was still audible.  Beth stirred next to
him.

"Get the door!" she whispered sleepily.  "Huh?.......Oh, the door!" he
realised.  He swung his legs out of bed and grabbed his jeans.  The
pounding continued.  "Bloody well hang on!" he shouted impatiently.  He
strode to the door and opened it, careful to step back before the
daylight caught him.

"Slayer........." he spluttered, his dream coming back to him.  Well at
least she knocked these days.  Beth was up and standing behind him in
her robe.  "It's the middle of the bloody day.........some people are
trying to get some sleep!" he snapped indignantly as she entered.  She
totally ignored Spike and smiled apologetically at Beth.

"Sorry for waking you, but.............you were both at the Bronze last
night, weren't you?"  Beth shot a glance at Spike and forced herself 
not
to appear startled.  "Yes...why?"  Spike stepped around Buffy and put
his arm round Beth's shoulders.  "Why'd you want to know?" he scowled.
Buffy scowled back.  "Did you notice anything unusual?..........Spike,
any of your kind there?" she asked.

Spike shrugged.  "We were too busy, Slayer.  You know, drinking,
dancing...........more drinking......"  Beth cut him short.  "What's
going on?"

Buffy stared at them.  Beth was a little edgy she noticed, and Spike 
was
his usual annoying un-dead self.  "Just a couple of dead guys in the
alley....." she saw Beth cast a shocked glance at Spike.  "and another
one half a block away!" she continued.  "What killed them, then?"
snapped Spike, frowning.

"Vampire." she answered.  Beth's heart leapt into her throat and she
swallowed hard.

"Oh,...right! I get it!"  growled Spike hoping she wouldn't hear the
hesitation in his voice.  "Someone gets sucked dry and yours truely was
nearby..........so it must be me!........Except you forget," he put his
hand on the back of his neck.  "the witches only made this bloody 
gadget
less sensitive..........not redundant!"

Buffy studied the pair, as Beth put her hand on her lover's arm and
squeezed gently.  She looked pale.

"Don't get all defensive, fang boy!" she said finally.  "I only wanted
to see if you could give me any clues.  If I thought it was you, I
wouldn't be talking, I'd be......" she stopped and raised her arm,
stabbing in Spike's direction with an imaginary stake.  "But if you
don't know anything......."

Beth shook her head.  "Sorry Buff.....can't help you." she stuttered
slightly.

"Ok, well, sorry again for waking you...." Buffy smiled and turned
towards the door.
"No problem." Beth smiled back.  "I was going to get up anyway."

Spike grumbled.  "Well, I bloody wasn't!"

As the door closed, Beth gripped both of Spike's arms.  "You said 
they'd
be......." her voice breathless and panic-stricken.  Spike cupped her
face in his hands.  "When I left, I swear love, one was half way to the
hills and the other two were just banged up!  It wasn't me!"  She 
looked
into his eyes, and knew he was telling her the truth.  What had she got
him into?  "Then we'd better find out who it was." she muttered.  "Cos
if Buffy finds out you were even in the alley......."

"I'm dust." finished Spike.


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


Giles was busy stock taking at the Magic Shop when Buffy arrived.  Anya
looked up expectantly from the box she was unpacking,  then her face
fell.  "Oh.........Buffy, it's just you." she mumbled, then grinned.
"Are you going to buy something?" she said hopefully.  "Hi
Anya.....nope, I've got all the newts eyes I can handle!" Buffy joked
and Anya scowled at her, turning her attention back to the box.

Giles looked up from his stock sheets.  "Any luck?" he asked.  Buffy
shook her head.  "I went to see Spike.  They were there last
night..........Beth seemed a little nervous I think.  But she hasn't
been her normal happy-go-lucky self since that trip to L.A., so its
probably nothing."

Giles was concerned.  His sister had been more subdued and less caring
since they had returned to Sunnydale.  "It was a pretty bad 
experience."
he said.  He felt she was hiding something though, and when he had
questioned Spike, the vampire seemed shifty and defensive.  There must
have been more to it than they were telling.  "Did they see anything?"
he asked finally.

"They said not." she replied.  "But I can't help thinking
there's.............oops, sorry Giles.  It's probably 'cos I don't 
trust
Spike.  I mean, he shouldn't be able to
kill, but what if the spell Willow and Tara did went too far and
actually destroyed the chip?"

Giles put his papers down on the counter.  "Somehow, I think we would
have found a lot more casualties if that were the case." he soothed, 
but
he made a mental note to check that out.  What if Spike had regained 
his
homicidal abilities?  No! If he had, Giles still thought he would have
killed Beth or at least turned her, not to mention sinking his teeth
into as many of the Scooby Gang as he could get his hands on.

Buffy spoke again, snapping him out of his pensive mood.  "I'll keep
looking." she said.


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


The sun was just setting when Beth returned home.  As she struggled
through the door with her shopping a blast of very loud music hit her.
'Not Sex Pistols again.' she smiled to herself as the room vibrated to
"Pretty Vacant".  She used her foot to push the door closed behind her
and laughed out loud as a shirtless, barefoot Spike was jumping all 
over
the furniture playing an imaginary guitar.  He obviously hadn't heard 
he
come in because when he spun round and saw her he stopped dead and
looked very sheepish.  "Em...........hello love." he muttered and 
turned
off the stereo.

"Very apt title.........you'll never grow up will you?" she smiled
again.

"One of the advantages of being un-dead pet.........I'll stay as bloody
good looking as I am now!" he replied.  "You're late."  Beth carried 
the
bags into the kitchen and placed them on the counter.  "Yeah, decided 
to
go window shopping." she lied.  She couldn't tell him that she had run
into an old friend of his when she visited his old Crypt.  She had been
there a lot since they got back from L.A.  It held so many good 
memories
and she would sit in the dark, damp building just remembering, trying 
to
get herself back together.

"Penny for 'em." he asked holding her hand.  She smiled wistfully and
gazed into his eyes.  "Oh, nothing. Just........just.." she stopped as
she felt a lump in her throat.  "Well........." she continued.  "I'm
thinking I'd better make the most of you before I get so old and 
wrinkly
you bugger off with a younger bit of stuff!" she forced herself to
laugh.

He put his arms round her.  "Never happen!" he said and kissed her.  
She
broke the kiss and put her arms around his neck, her face flushed and
her eyes glistening with passion.  He pulled her closer to him, hoping
he wasn't misreading her look.  "I........ we........." she stuttered.
"I've kept you at arms length too long, love.." she stumbled over her
words.  He stroked her hair.  He knew what she was talking about.  She
hadn't wanted him to make love to her.......not since that night when 
he
had allowed his demon to possess him completely, and had almost
destroyed everything they had built up between them.  He wouldn't have
been surprised if she had staked him while he slept.  He would hear her
crying in her sleep sometimes, and pleading with him to stop. For a
creature who supposedly had no conscience he had felt her pain, and
hated himself for that.

"I love you so much, you know." she continued, her voice husky.  "I 
want
you......"
she pulled his face to hers and kissed him with such passion it
overwhelmed him.  As if in slow-motion she pushed him backwards onto 
the
sofa and made love to him.


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


"What are you thinking?" Beth whispered sleepily.  She nestled against
him, her leg draped casually over his, as they lay naked and spent on
the rug.  Spike closed his eyes and sighed.  "Just wondering where that
came from?" he purred contentedly.  She had made love to him like her
life depended on it, desperately, urgently, more passionately than ever
before.  "Not that I'm complaining." he smirked.

She pressed her lips against his chest and hugged him tighter.  Her 
heat
threatened to ignite his cool skin and he gasped.  He had missed this
feeling more than he could have imagined.  Her warm breath wafted over
him and he ran his hand down the contours of her body.

"I needed to show you.......just how much I love you, Spike." she
whispered.  "Life's too short to let things slide, you never
know..........." she faltered.  He leaned up on his elbow and rested 
his
hand on her hips.  "Never know what?" he asked softly.
She lay silent for a moment.   "When the past will come back to haunt
you." she said finally.  Spike was puzzled.

"I ran into an old friend of yours." she stated.  "She knows who killed
those boys........but she'll only tell you."

"She?" he frowned.  "What are you talking about?"  Beth hugged him
harder and he bent to kiss her.  When he lifted his head he saw tears 
in
her eyes.  She took a deep breath.  "Um...it's......Dru."

Spike shot to his feet.  "Dru!...." he almost shouted.  "Dru's
here?.....Where?"  He reached for his clothes as she sat up and drew 
her
knees to her chest, biting her bottom lip.  "She's been hurt,
Spike.......I.....I found her at the Crypt." She stopped and felt anger
rising in her and she watched him throwing his clothes on.

"The Crypt?....Come on, get dressed!  You should have told me sooner."
he yelled.  "She's alright......I cleaned her up and got her something
to eat.  You don't need me to........." she snapped.  Spike looked at
her and held out his hand.  "Yes I do!" he said pulling her to her 
feet.

"No.  She wants to see you alone!" she answered, her voice trembling
slightly.  "I'm not going with you, love.  You have to do this alone."

Spike finished pulling on his boots and watched her.  "I will be back,
pet." he swore.  "I promise you."

As he left, Beth stifled the urge to follow.


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

"Dru.......Drusilla!" called Spike as he entered the Crypt.  He heard a
soft moan and knew it was her.  He had spent a century with her and 
knew
her every sound.  She was hurt.

"Hello, my William." a voice echoed.  "Miss Edith promised you would
come."  He saw her sitting in the corner, looking more than a little
worse for wear.  He knelt down beside her and hugged her.  "Who did
this, kitten?" he asked.

"Ooh.....you're not my Spike anymore." she exclaimed, breaking away 
from
him.  "Your head's all cloudy and mushy.............."

Spike tutted.  She still had that annoying habit of getting inside his
mind.  He growled.  "Theres nothing bloody mushy about
me.!..........Tell me what happened." he snapped.  Drusilla chuckled.
"Raven doesn't like you, Spike.  He wants the nasty Slayer to kill 
you!"

Spike snarled.  Raven!  It had been several years since he had last run
into him.  It was the night he had 'dusted' the anointed one and tried
to claim Sunnydale as his own private restaurant.  Raven had been the
child vampire's follower,and he also had designs on Dru at the time.  
He
had literally kicked him out of town.

"Did he do this?" he asked touching her bruised cheek.  "Did he kill
those boys?"

Dru laughed.  "My poor little boy." she crooned in her sing-song voice.
"You couldn't finish your dinner! That itsy bitsy piece of plastic.."
she touched the back of his head. "....it ruined your appetite!  He
finished it for you.  He wants the Slayer to think it was you!"

"Why did you come here, pet?" he whispered.  Drusilla moved her hand
from him and sighed, cuddling her doll.  "'Cos she told me
to...........Raven hurt me, Spike." she answered weakly.  "I'm hungry."


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


Willow and Tara sat opposite Giles in the kitchen.  Xander and Anya
stood raiding the fridge.  Buffy was pacing up and down. "Now you're
telling me you;re not 100% sure this spell of yours was safe?" she
snapped.  "Could it have destroyed the chip?"

Xander downed the can of Cola he had found and cursed.  "Damn!  That's
all we need.  The 'big bad' on the lose again!"

Willow swallowed hard.  "I'm not saying that for certain.......but 
we've
never done anything like that before.........."  Tara interrupted.
"We're almost sure we just tweaked it a
bit.........Um.......well.....Spike couldn't kill Mylar could he?"

Buffy stopped pacing.  "He could have been bluffing." she said.  "Look,
a couple of people saw Spike come out of that alley and go back into 
the
Bronze........I'm willing to bet Beth knows........."  The sound of a
door slamming interrupted her.

"Knows what?"  a voice sounded, startling them.  Beth stood in the
doorway.  "What do I know?" she demanded.  Giles sucked in a deep
breath.  "We know Spike was there..........where the bodies were 
found."
he muttered.  "You knew, didn't you?"

Beth laughed nervously.  "Don't be silly......he wasn't......I mean,
Spike didn't......" she rambled.  Buffy grabbed her wrist and Giles
stood ready to intervene.  "Are you completely crazy?" Buffy yelled at
her.  "He was seen! Are you so blind......he's a vampire, Beth.  That's
what he does!"

Beth threw a punch at her, but Buffy caught her arm and pinned it 
behind
her back.
Giles and Xander rushed to part the two women.  Buffy stepped back 
while
Xander held on to Beth who was yelling.  "He didn't kill them!  
He....we
just wanted to teach them a lesson!"  She struggled to free herself but
Xander was strong.  She slammed her head back into his nose, just hard
enough for him to reel back and release his grip.  Giles blocked her
way.  "Calm down, tell us what happened!"

Beth glared at Buffy.  "You touch him and I'll kill you." she spat.
"You may be my friend Buffy, but I won't let you......." Buffy took a
step back, almost sympathising with the other woman.  She would have
done the same for Angel.

Willow coughed apologetically.  "I don't think this is helping, guys.
Xander you ok?"  Anya was fussing over him.  "Yeah, just caught me by
surprise, is all." he answered, rubbing his nose.

Giles motioned his sister to sit down.  Buffy spoke again.  "Tell
me.......what did he do?"  Beth told them how they had planned to find
the men that had nearly 'killed' Spike.  Beth was bitter.  "I talked 
him
into it.........It was them that got us into that mess in L.A.  If they
hadn't attacked him, we would never have gone there.  It was their 
fault
for what he did to......" she stopped.  A look of realisation fell
across her brother's face.

"You're not talking about Mylar, are you!  What did Spike do to
you?......I knew there was something." Giles voice sounded gravelly and
full of rage.  "Nothing............" she lied.  "Spike only roughed
those guys up a bit, Rupert.  His chip wouldn't let him kill, and even
if it did, he promised me......."

Buffy snorted.  "Right! And he's really big on keeping promises!  A 
real
trustworthy un-dead, blood-sucking........" she started sarcastically.
"Shut your mouth!" Beth growled.  "You don't know anything......."
Giles banged his fist down on the table.  "What happened in L.A., 
Beth."
he demanded.  "Spike hurt you, didn't he?..........I'll stake the
bastard myself!"

Beth stared at her brother, her expression alternating between fear and
sadness.  "It was nothing, Rupert...........just a quarrel is all."  
she
whispered.  "Please........I don't want him hurt, ok?" She blinked back
the tears.  "We.......we may have a lead on who did it though." she
sniffled.

"OK, we'll play along with you......for now." grunted Buffy.


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


Willow and Tara drove Beth home.  As they pulled up at the apartment
building Willow turned to her.  "You know if you need to talk to
someone......" she whispered kindly.  "About anything...."  Beth smiled
at her.  "Thankyou, Willow........um........maybe I'll do that."  She
climbed out of the car.  "Thanks for the ride girls. See you tomorrow."

As she turned her key in the lock she sensed something was not quite
right.  She pushed the door wide open and saw the place was in
darkness.  She managed to fumble for the lightswitch.  As she turned it
on her eyes widened in horror and disbelief.  'Oh no.........' her
muddled brain was telling her. 'Don't just stand there.........'   
Spike
was prone on the sofa, with a sleeping Dru draped across him.  She
turned and ran out of the building.

Spike leapt to his feet, causing Drusilla to land in a heap in front of
him, tripping him up.  "Beth, hold on!  It's not what it looks
like........." he scrambled back to his feet and raced into the street.
She was nowhere to be seen.  "Beth........Beth!" he shouted but 
received
no answer.

Drusilla came up behind him.  "The little bird's all upset, you've been
a naughty boy, my Spike........." she almost sang.  Spike turned to 
face
her.  "I didn't bloody well do anything!" he snapped.

"Not now, dearheart, but I saw it in her head.........and yours.  
You've
been a very bad boy." she drawled.  A moment of sanity overtook her.
"Why did she help me William?  No......don't answer that.  I
know.......she loves you more than anything, Spike, but she's hurting 
in
here!" Dru put her hand to her heart.  "She saved me for
you.............she doesn't know I'm not inside your head anymore."  
She
took his arm and led him back inside.  Her moment of clarity passed.
"Miss Edith thinks we should wait here for her."


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


Spike paced the floor anxiously.  He glanced at his ex-lover, the woman
he had spent a century with and saw she was sleeping again.  Her
injuries were beginning to heal and he noted how beautiful she was - as
she always had been.  But he didn't feel any of the desire and passion
he had once had for her.  A part of him still felt affection for her,
but that was it.  He grew angry at the thought of Raven beating her, 
not
to mention the fact that he was being set up by him.  He should have
'dusted' him along with the anointed one!  His mind only briefly 
touched
on the memory of him kicking his arse and persuading him to get the 
hell
out of town.

He stopped pacing. 'Where are you,love?' his thoughts turned to Beth.
Why did she have to run out on him before he could explain?  He had
brought Dru back here so she could recover.  The Crypt was no place to
leave her.  Dru had been in pain and it had been an automatic reaction
to put his arm round her to comfort her, nothing more.  But she had lay
across his lap and fell asleep.  It must have looked like they were up
to something he realised, but Beth should have trusted him.  'Why 
should
she trust you?' he told himself accusingly. 'You betrayed her
before.........you raped her.'  Everything they had built up before 
that
moment had almost been destroyed, but he had hoped they were rebuilding
it again, especially after what they had done earlier....He knew they
were. 'Now you have to go and do something like this!' he cursed to
himself.  Not that he had actually 'done' anything!

He grabbed his duster and went to look for her.


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


Beth had run away from him as fast as she could.  She should have known
that saving Dru would take him away from her.  She should have known
that their love affair couldn't compete with all the years he had spent
loving the raven haired vampiress.  She put her hand to her throat and
felt for the talisman he had given her.  As her fingers ran over the
delicate piece of jewellery she could almost taste the moment they had
danced and kissed,  the inevitable conclusion it had drawn them to when
he had made love to her for the first time. And all those times since.
She came to a standstill and leaned against a garden wall.  The hot
tears burned her cheeks and she relived all of those  times, until her
memories threw at her the one thing she thought she had erased.
-'Spike.......you're hurting me........' His weight on her, the hard
floor beneath her, as he ground into her......-"

"No!" she breathed.  She tried with every fibre of her being to make it
go away.  Earlier tonight, when she had made love to him, she thought
she had overcome that memory, that betrayal.  Now with one more 
betrayal
landing on her, it was painfully fresh again.

'Snap out of it, you moody cow!' she scolded herself.  'You knew it
would happen.  Just remember the last time.'  The last time.  Was it
only hours ago?  She had loved him as well as she knew how, given him
everything, but it wasn't enough.  She took a deep breath, wiped the
tears from her eyes, and forced herself to walk on.

A voice in the darkness made her jump.  "You ok, miss?"  A shadowy
figure came slowly towards her.  Beth coughed.  "Yes - yes I'm fine,
thanks." she replied.  The figure moved closer, into the glare of a
street lamp.  He was tall and slim with dark hair and deep brown eyes.
Another time Beth would have said he had striking good looks.  He spoke
again, smiling.  "You look a little upset........and it's not safe for 
a
woman to be walking the streets at this time of night."

"I can take care of myself, but thanks for your
concern..........um...I'd better be going." she said, suddenly feeling 
a
little uncomfortable.

The stranger laughed.  "I don't think so.........Beth."  He made a grab
at her but she managed to dodge.   "Who are you?" she gasped.  The
stranger's face morphed and Beth backed up.

"An old friend of your boyfriend." the vampire grinned.  "I've been
itching to meet you!"  Beth put her guard up and waited for him to make
the first move.  "Really?....Well I have just the thing to scratch that
itch for you." she snarled, pulling a stake from her pocket, thankful
that she had been expecting to help patrol with Buffy tonight.  The
vampire seemed amused.

"I'm Raven." he grinned.  "Maybe Spike mentioned me?"

"Nope.... you obviously didn't make much of an impression on him!" she
spat back.  Raven growled.  "Too bad! Because I intend to make a very
big impression on you!" he snarled, baring his fangs.  Beth held the
stake tighter and stood her ground.  "You goin' to talk me to death
then?"

Raven lunged at her so quickly she barely moved out of the way in time.
She swung a fist into his face and he blocked it.  She managed a front
kick to his stomach and ducked as he attempted a turning kick to her
head.  She stayed low and spun round, a sweeping kick knocking the
vampire's legs from under him.  She leapt on top of him and plunged the
stake towards his chest.  Suddenly she was on her back, Raven turning
the tables on her with frightening speed.  He swiped the stake from her
hand and pinned her down.  She struggled under him but he was too
strong.

Raven chuckled softly.  He was straddled across her hips and his hands
were holding her wrists to the ground above her head.   "Now I know 
what
Spike sees in you......." he snarled, putting his face close to hers 
and
gyrating his hips against her.  She spat in his face.

He curled back his lips and went for her throat.  Before he could bite,
some unseen force sent him flying backwards, slamming him into a parked
car, stunning him.  Beth leapt to her feet, confused at first.  The she
touched her throat.  It worked!  Spike's gift, the talisman had saved
her.  She hurriedly picked up the stake and dashed at the fallen
monster.  Raven saw her coming but was too dazed to move.

"Wait........." he pleaded. "Drusilla........."  Beth plunged the stake
down, just enough to draw blood from the vampire's chest.  She held it
there.  "What about her?" she growled.

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


Spike was unsure which way to go.  She could have gone anywhere.  "The
Crypt." he thought.  Maybe she had gone there.  He headed for the
cemetary.

He picked his way swiftly through the headstones.  His senses alert, he
felt someone or something was stalking him.  He stopped and scanned the
bushes.  "Alright!" he called.  "I know you're here, Slayer!  I can
smell you!"

Buffy came out of hiding.  "What are you doing here, Spike?" she asked
accusingly.  "You won't find anyone to eat here!"  she spat.  Spike's
eyes flashed yellow and he made a conscious effort to stay calm.  "Ha,
bloody Ha!" he growled.  "Slow night then?  You couldn't find any
action, so you feel like kicking my arse?..............I haven't got
time for this!"

Buffy moved closer to him, her eyes narrowed and she scowled.  He
fumbled in his pockets for his cigarettes.  He lit one and blew the
smoke at her.  "I'm looking for Beth....." he said, and Buffy heard the
urgency in his voice.

"And you think she'd be hanging around here?" she said sarcastically.
He took another drag on the cigarette and scowled back at her.  Buffy
swung at him and knocked the cigarette from his hand.  "You were seen,
Spike..........I think you DID kill those boys."  She punched him in 
the
face.

Spike's anger flared up.  "And you're always right, are you?" he
snapped, his game face dropping into place. He launched a kick at her,
which she blocked, but his right hook made contact with her jaw sending
her reeling backwards.

"You're a bit bloody slow tonight!" he quipped. "You should've seen 
that
coming a bloody mile off!"  She flipped onto her feet, kicking him hard
in the shin and punched him in the stomach.  "So should you!" she
breathed.  As he doubled over she brought both fists down on the back 
of
his head, flooring him.  "Bloody hell!" he cursed.  "You nearly broke 
my
sodding neck!"

She pulled a stake from her belt and prepared to plunge it into him.
Spike rolled out of the way just in time and scrambled to his feet.
"Enough!" he yelled at her.  "I've got to find Beth!  She could be in
trouble!"  Buffy hesitated.  Spike's human face was back again and he
looked strained and even more pale than usual.

"Look.....Buffy," he said her name instead of Slayer.  "I admit, I
roughed those little bastards up a bit, but I didn't kill
them.............but I know who did."

"Why should I believe you?  You may be able to get round Beth
but......." she said warily.  Spikes shoulders sagged.
"Fine..........either take my word for it or just bloody stake me!
Either way, we're wasting time!"

Buffy lowered her arm and chewed her bottom lip.  "Ok..........I'll 
help
you look." she whispered.

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

It was after midnight when the pair arrived at Giles' house.  Their
search had been fruitless.  "Looks like everyone is up late." whispered
Buffy seeing the lights were all on as they entered.

They heard Giles talking to someone.  "...........wheres this Raven
now?"

"I dusted him." came the reply.  Beth.  Spike pushed past Buffy and
rushed to her.  As he went to put his arms around her she backed away.
He stopped dead in his tracks, her rejection feeling like a knife being
twisted in his gut.  "Luv, its not........" he began.  Beth looked away
from him.  "Not now!" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Giles intervened.  "We have a problem!" he stated.  "Buffy, it appears
we were wrong about Spike........." he glared at the blonde vampire.

"Darla is in town!"


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

Beth went through the whole story again.  Raven had been very
forthcoming in his information when he knew she had the upper hand.
"They want Spike back.......... a family reunion so to speak, so they
can get rid of Angel, or at least his soul.." she said.  "Darla slapped
Dru around a bit to make her story look more convincing.  Raven was 
just
the scapegoat. " she looked at Spike, her breath catching in her
throat.  She fought the urge to go to him and saw the pain in his eyes.

Giles took over from her.  "It seems they thought that if they could
incriminate Spike with the deaths of those boys, he would have no 
choice
but to leave Sunnydale - and who better to go with than Drusilla back 
to
L.A."

Beth didn't tell them about Drusilla being in their apartment, saying
she didn't know where the vampiress had gone after leaving the crypt.
She looked at Spike again.  'If you want her, I won't stop you." she
thought bitterly.

"Buffy, I'm sorry." she said.  Buffy was puzzled.  "For what?"  Beth
looked at her feet.  "For threatening you.........I  hope we're still
friends."  Buffy hugged her.  "Of course we are!  I would've done the
same thing in your position."

Giles spoke.  "It's too late to do anything now, so I suggest we all 
get
some rest and make a fresh start in the morning."

Spike glanced at Beth.  "Coming home, luv?" he asked cautiously.  Beth
shook her head.  "Um.....Buffy, if your mom's still out of town, do you
mind if I crash at yours?"

Buffy and Giles were stunned.  They stared at Spike who looked
mortified.  Beth's face was emotionless.  "Yeah......sure." replied
Buffy.  Spike turned on his heels and stomped out of the door.  "Suit
yourself! I'm off!" he snarled, slamming the door behind him.
Beth closed her eyes and swallowed hard, trying to remove the lump that
had jumped into her throat.  Giles watched his sister but made no 
effort
to question her.  Now was not the time.

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

His hands were around her throat and she couldn't breathe.  He was so
heavy she felt her body being crushed into the hard floor.  Then he was
inside her, painfully, and viciously........."You're hurting
me........." she screamed.   She woke with a start to find Buffy
standing over her.  She began to sob uncontrollably, her whole body
shaking.  Buffy sat beside her and hugged her.

""It's ok......" she soothed.  "It's just a dream, see?"  Beth buried
her head into her friend's shoulder and cried harder.  Buffy stroked 
her
hair and tried to comfort her.  It was more than just a dream, she 
could
see that.  She had heard Beth screaming and crying in her sleep, 
begging
someone to stop.

Giles had told her there was something she was hiding from them, and 
the
angry confrontation at his house early that evening pointed to Spike.
What had Giles said?  "Spike hurt you.........didn't he?" she echoed 
his
words aloud.

Beth pulled away from her, stifling the sobs.  Her voice was strained
and broken when she answered.   "No............yes............He...he
didn't mean to!"  she stuttered.  "I thought I could get over
it.........I.......I need to tell someone, but..." she faltered.   
Buffy
wiped the tears from her cheek gently.  "You can talk to
me.........it'll be our secret." she whispered.

Beth took in a deep breath and tried to control her shaking.  "I love
him, Buff........and he's done everything he knows how to try and wipe
out what happened...........you don't know how much pain he went
through.........." she stopped again.  'Tell her.' her mind instructed.
'It can't go on like this.'  She cleared her throat.  "He.......he 
raped
me." she said almost inaudibly.

Buffy gasped.  Anger flashed in her eyes, and she felt like a traitor
for not staking the bastard while she had the chance.  She hugged her
again.

"He raped me, and I just can't get it out of my head!.........I love
him, I love him...I tried to show him how much, and that no matter
what.....happened, that won't change!  He couldn't help himself." she
sucked in another breath and told her everything that happened in L.A.,
much more than she had told Rupert.

"He warned me to keep away, he knew he couldn't control his dark side,
not after what happened when he was with Angel..........I know he's a
monster, but you don't see how gentle and loving he can 
be!..........Now
he's gone off with Dru, and I want him to hold me and make all of
this.......this pain go away........."

"Shush.........its ok.  If it had been me I'd have killed him!"  Buffy
suddenly gasped.
"What do you mean, gone with Dru?  I thought she'd
disappeared.........."

Beth cursed under her breath.  Then she told her what had happened.
"She was lying all over him.  I didn't stop to ask what they ...." she
snifled.  Buffy couldn't believe it when she heard herself jumping to
Spike's defence, of all people.  "He loves you, not Drusilla!  If he 
was
going to go with her I don't think he would have been running all over
town looking for you." she exclaimed.  "I mean, maybe you just read the
situation wrong.  Beth, when I ran into him at the cemetary he was
frantic with worry.  Come on, get dressed and we'll go to your place."

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

They arrived at the apartment to find the door wide open and most of 
the
furniture trashed.  Beth went to rush in but Buffy pulled her back.
"They might still be in there." she whispered.  "Be careful.......Are
you armed?"  Beth nodded and pulled the stake from her coat.  "Always!"
she whispered back.

They edged into the sitting room and cautiously made their way through
to the kitchen.  Everything was coated with a fine layer of dust.
"Don't jump to conclusions." Buffy warned.  "Spike can take care of
himself."

Beth moved towards the bedroom and slowly pushed the door open.  Apart
from the bed being unmade nothing seemed to be out of place.  Beth
glanced at the squashed up pillow and remembering him hugging it in his
sleep.  She could still see the impressions his arms had made.

Buffy came up behind her, startling her.  "Nobody in the shower
either........sorry, didn't mean to make you jump!  How'd they get in?
Surely Spike didn't invite..........oh, the invite thing doesn't count.
It's Spike's home too!" she corrected herself.

Beth went back into the sitting room and stared at the mess.  "I
wouldn't know would I?  All this dust, more than one vampire.  How 
would
I know if he were one of them?" she looked at Buffy hopelessly.
"No....I can still feel him.......in here." she put her hand to her
heart.  Buffy smiled ruefully.  "Lets go." she said and strode out into
the street.

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

"Come on, kitten." cooed Spike.  "I've already agreed to come with you,
so untie me!"  He held up his shackled wrists.

Drusilla was straightening Miss Edith's dress while Darla gave out
orders to the small group of vampires that were left after Spike had
finished with them.  At least they wanted him alive, so to speak,
because he only managed to take out five or six of them before they had
overpowered him.  They had been waiting for him when he arrived home.
If he had not been so distracted about Beth his senses would have 
warned
him that they were there.

Darla came over to him and touched his wrists.  "I suppose we can
release you.  After all, we do have a deal."  she said, unlocking the
the padlock.  The shackles fell to the floor and Spike forced himself
not to strike out at her.  "Yeah..........but anything happens to Beth,
and I'll cut your fucking head off!"  he growled.

Darla laughed and brought her hand up to tousle his hair.  "You used to
be so ruthless, William, just like me!  The Watcher's sister has
neutered you hasn't she?"  She grabbed his crotch causing him to grunt
in pain.  "Hmm......maybe not!" she laughed and let go.

Drusilla confronted him now.  "You were a bad boy, my Spike.......and
you gave her the lucky charm."  "Come on, Dru." said Darla, clearly
impatient.  "Leave William alone,........what are you talking about?"

Spike searched his pockets for his cigarettes and cursed when he didn't
find them.  "Anyone got a fag?" he asked hopefully.  No one was
forthcoming.  He surveyed his surroundings.  The place was a lot more
run down than when he was last here.  The condemned factory was damp 
and
reeked of sewerage.  He wrinkled his nose in disgust.  "I'd say you
ladies have really fallen on bad times." he grinned.  "Not exactly the
Ritz is it?"

Darla snarled.  "It's just temporary.  Once we deal with Angel we'll
have our run of L.A...........best rooms and an all you can eat
buffet."  She turned back to Dru, who was rambling again.

"It;s so pretty, all shiney and sparkly..." she began to dance slowly
round the room then grabbed Spike's hand.  "Dance with me." she
whispered, but Spike pulled his hand away.  "Sorry, ducks........not in
the mood right now."  he muttered.  Drusilla looked a little hurt, then
carried on swaying.  "She likes dancin' she does." her eyes sparkled
wickedly.  "She likes lots of other things too!" she sang suggestively.

Darla was getting impatient again.  "You gave her the pendant then?" 
she
growled.  "Thats very touching.........Dru's right.  You have gone soft
and mushy, Spike." She moved close to him and ran her hand along his
chest.  "We'll have to toughen you up again.  It's too late to move 
now,
the sun's coming up soon.  We'll leave tonight."  Her game face 
appeared
and she leaned closer to him.  "You'll feel much better once we find
someone to take away that nasty chip." she growled, running her fingers
along the base of his skull.

Spike's eyes glowed yellow and he brushed her hand away.  "Already
bloody tried that!" he grumbled.

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

Xander was almost at a loss for words.  "You.....we......Buff, I am
hearing this right?" he spluttered.  Anya looked in the air.  "We're
going to get Spike back?" she grinned.  "That's great..........I like
Spike, he's a pretty cool guy,...um, I mean, demon."  She stopped when
she saw Xander glaring at her.  "Well he is!" she protested.

Giles rubbed his forehead.  "Are you sure he didn't go willingly?  
After
all, he and Drusilla have a long history, not to mention Darla!"  Buffy
and Beth glanced at each other.  Buffy spoke first.  "If willingly 
means
trashing the place and dusting an army of vamps, sure!" she snapped
sarcastically.  "Sorry Giles, but you should have seen the place.  A
dustbuster just isn't going to cut it!"

A car pulled up outside and Giles rose to open the door.  "Good!
Reinforcements have arrived." he muttered.  A figure strode up the
path.  Buffy stood rooted to the spot.  Her brain was telling her legs
to move but she felt paralysed, her mouth open in shock.  Willow stood
by her friend.  "Oh, catching flies Buff.  You should'nt hold your
breath for too long, you'll get all dizzy!"  she whispered.  Buffy
gasped and cleared her throat nervously.  "Angel." she breathed.  "How
did you........."

Giles interrupted.  "I rang Cordelia after you all left earlier and she
told me Angel was already on his way.  He heard Darla was heading for
Sunnydale."  He turned to the dark haired vampire.  "You made it just 
in
time." he said seeing a faint orange glow on the horizon.

Angel gazed at Buffy.  "You look well." he said softly.  Buffy 
hesitated
for just a second then flung her arms round his neck and hugged him.
"You too!" she whispered.  They all waited in silence until the couple
parted.

Angel glanced round at the faces in the room.  "It's good to see you
all.........hello Beth.  Where's lover boy?"

Beth opened her mouth to answer him but she couldn't make the words 
come
out.  Willow came to the rescue.

"They've taken him. Um.........we'd better fill you in.

      **************************        ************************8

Xander rushed in excitedly.  "We've found it!"  he yelled almost making
Giles drop his teacup.  Anya barrelled in after him, nearly knocking 
him
over.

"Giles..........." she panted, clearly out of breath.  "It's the 
factory
where Spike used to hang out.............oh, Xander.  You're all hot 
and
sweaty.  I like that!" she purred.

"Where's Buffy?" asked Giles.  Xander pried Anya's arms from around his
neck.  "She's scouting the place.  We've only three hours before
sun-down." he answered.  "We've got to get a plan together."

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

Angel was restless.  He felt completely useless, but he had no choice
other than to stay put until the sun went down.  Giles had made Beth
stay to keep him company.  She had protested, wanting to search for her
lover, but he convinced her to stay put.

"So.......how have things been between you two." he asked.  Beth
half-smiled.  "Pretty good......til now." she croaked dryly.  He
regarded her, frowning.  It was obvious she would be worried about
Spike's disappearance, but she looked far worse than she should have
done.

"Buffy told me about Drusilla.  I don't think you need to worry about
her." he smiled.  "Spike and I had a very long conversation about you
back in L.A."  Beth looked at him like a startled rabbit.  He sat down
beside her and took her hands in his.

"He told me what happened........he hates himself for that, and he
didn't understand why you could still love him.  I under estimated him,
Beth.  I didn't believe he had it in him to love,...... well not
counting the time he spent with Dru.......I mean to love a human being.
Believe me, I know what that's like."  His voice trailed off.  He was
thinking of Buffy, and Beth squeezed his hands tightly.

"I'm sorry, Angel." she whispered.  "It must be so hard for the two of
you."  Angel nodded.  "We're getting over it." he mumbled.  "I admit I
was jealous of Spike.  He can have it all!  But he wants you, and he
couldn't help what happened.  I know........sometimes the demon just
wants to let rip.  In his case its worse, because of the chip.  The
demon can't be true to it's nature, and Spike was helpless against any
human attacker."

Beth closed her eyes for a moment.  'Helpless.' she thought. 'Helpless
like I was.'
Angel spoke again.  "If you love him you have to understand that.
Things are going to get out of hand sometimes."

She smiled at him.  "The price we pay for loving someone we shouldn't."
she stated quietly.  "I want him back, Angel, if I have to tear out
those bitches hearts!  He's mine, and I'm gonna fight for him!"

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

"There are about a dozen vamps in there, guys, not counting Darla,
Drusilla and Spike." whispered Buffy as they crouched behind an
out-building at the back of the factory.  "As far as I can tell there
are only two entrances not boarded up.  The main one at the front and a
side door.  Now the sun's down it looks like they're planning to skip
town."

Giles loaded a wooden bolt into his crossbow.  "Xander and I will take
the side entrance." he mumbled.  "Buffy, you Beth and Angel take the
front."

Willow looked at Tara.  "What about us?" she asked.  Buffy checked her
weaponry and thought for a moment.  "You two wait outside.  If things 
go
badly...." she paused.  "Torch the place!............Lets go!"  She
stayed low and edged towards the building, the others followed.

They reached the doors and Angel kicked them in.  The three rushed in,
meeting the sentries head-on.  From the commotion coming from the far
side of the building Giles and Xander were doing the same.

Buffy threw a stake at one of their attackers, hitting the target with 
a
whoosh, and a huge pile of dust erupted.  She back-fisted another and
swung round to finish her off.  Angel casually staked his opponent and
Beth sliced the blade she was carrying through the neck of yet another.
Buffy and Angel fought side by side, and Beth sliced and kicked her way
through to join them.

Spike heard the battle and smirked at his captors.  Darla locked the
door, her game face on.  Drusilla twirled around the room and began to
chant.  "Daddy's home, he's come to see us and brought the nasty
Slayer............." she stopped in front of Spike.  "Your little bird
is coming for you........." she whispered.  The smirk fell from his 
face
and he threw Dru out of the way to confront Darla.  His own game face
now on he growled at her.

Darla laughed.  "Looks like all deals are off, William." she chuckled.
With incredible speed she swung her fist into Spike's torso, sending 
him
crashing into the wall.  Before he could scramble to his feet she 
kicked
him in the head almost knocking him unconscious.  He willed himself to
get up, wiping the blood from his eyes that was trickling down his
forehead from the gash Darla had made.

"Right you bitch!" he snarled.  "I'm done playin'!"  He shook off the
dizziness and threw himself at her, his flying side kick sending her
reeling, followed by a reverse turning kick that sent her sailing 
across
the room and crashing through the flimsy partition wall.  She landed
awkwardly and lay still.

Drusilla moved in on Spike, her eyes blazing yellow and fangs gleaming.
"I don't want to hurt you, Dru." he growled. She hissed and began to
circle round him.  "But if you insist!"  He punched her on the jaw,
sending her backwards.  She recovered quickly and flung herself at him,
knocking him flat.  She landed on top of him and started to slam her
fists into his face and chest.  He gripped her wrists.

The door crashed open, courtesy of Buffy's foot, and Beth and Angel
rushed in behind her.

"Spike...." Beth yelled, and then saw red.  She ran at Drusilla and 
drop
kicked her to the floor.  "Keep your hands off my boyfriend, bitch!" 
she
shouted and kicked at Dru again.  Spike was on his feet in seconds.  He
went towards her........and she hit him hard.    "What was that for?" 
he
growled, rubbing his chin.  She just glared at him.

"Where's Darla!" shouted Angel.  Spike went to point at her prone
figure, but she was gone.

Drusilla hissed at them, but made no move to attack.  She was crazy, 
but
not stupid.  There were too many of them.

Buffy raised her stake and went towards her.  Angel and Spike ran
through the jagged gap in the partition wall to search for Darla.

"Pretty, pretty necklace...." Dru was rambling.  "Spike was a bad boy 
to
give that to you." she stared at Beth.  Buffy paused and looked at her
friend.  Drusilla seemed oblivious to the fact that Buffy was about to
end her un-life.  She hugged herself and began to sway.  "He wouldn't
dance with me..........He always wanted to dance with me 
before........"
she wailed.  She tapped her finger against her head and her bottom lip
quivered.  "You stink of him!" she accused Beth.

"You can't have him back!" cursed Beth.  "He's mine now."

Dru smiled almost sweetly.  "Sweet William wants his little
bird.........he wants to dance with you." she sang, then stopped.
"Grandmother!" she muttered.

The two women spun round and saw Darla in the doorway.  She was holding
Xander by the throat.  Giles, Angel and Spike stood close by.  "Buffy."
whispered Giles.  "Put the stake down, or she'll kill him."  Buffy
glanced from him to Angel.  "He's right... you have to do it." he told
her.  Buffy hesitated for a moment, then placed the weapon on the 
floor.

Darla squeezed Xander's throat, making him gag.  "Good girl." she
snarled menacingly.  "Now tell your little witches outside to keep out
of my way, and give me Drusilla.........or your friend dies!"  She 
bared
her fangs and ran her tongue along Xander's neck, making him shudder.

"Spike..........tell Willow!" Buffy ordered.  He glared at her.  "Are
you completely off your trolley, Slayer?  You let her go now and we'll
never hear the bloody last of her!" he spat.  Buffy stared at him,
pleading with her eyes.  "Spike....."  The blonde vampire scowled at 
her
then made his way to the exit, mumbling and cursing as he went.  
"Stupid
bint!" he moaned. "As if carpenter boy would be a great bloody loss!"

They waited inside for what seemed an age, but was in fact moments,
until Spike returned.  "It's done!"  he snapped.

Darla edged her way towards the exit, still holding Xander.  Drusilla
breezed past Buffy and stopped in front of Beth.  "You want to dance
too.........don't you?" she chuckled at her, then moved to Darla's
side.  She barely gave Spike a glance as Darla flung the half conscious
boy at them, and they fled the building.

"Xander!" yelled Buffy, as they raced to his side.  She bent down and
stroked his hair.  "You ok?"  He coughed and tried to sit up, Angel and
Giles helping him.  He rubbed his neck where Darla had licked him.
"Eeew! Vampire spit!" he complained.  "I need a shower!"

Spike and Beth stayed back.  He gazed into her eyes from across the 
room
and smiled hesitantly.  "What'd you hit me for?" he grumbled.  She 
moved
closer to him and scowled.  "You even think about seeing her again, 
I'll
kick the crap outa you!" she spat.  He grinned and took her into his
arms.  As he bent to kiss her he whispered.  "One condition, luv.  You
stop getting me into these bloody situations!"  "It's a deal." she
whispered back as their lips met.

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

The time for goodbyes had come.  Xander and Giles shook Angel's hand
then Anya hugged him.  So did Willow.

Angel paused in front of Spike and  smiled.  "You'd better take care of
her, Spike." he mumbled and hugged him.  "As your grand-sire I'm making
that an order!"  Spike was embarrassed.  Since when did Angel actually
start liking him enough to be affectionate?  "Yes Sir!" he growled.

Angel turned to Beth and hugged her too, much to Spike's disgust.
"Remember what I said." he told her.  "He loves you and you're the only
one who can keep him out of trouble."  Beth kissed him on the cheek.
"Thats enough!" growled Spike and took Beth's hand.

Buffy walked Angel to his car.  "You going to be alright?" he asked.
She smiled at him.  "Yeah....I think so."  She put her arms round him
and kissed him.

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

They walked hand in hand into their apartment and surveyed the damage.
Spike squeezed her hand and scowled.  "Got our work cut out, luv." he
muttered.  "First thing we do is get a new stereo!" he grinned.  Beth
grinned back.  "Good idea!  I was told you wanted to dance with me!"  
He
put his hands on her waist and began to sway.  "We don't need music for
that, pet." he crooned.  He whisked her up into his arms and carried 
her
to the bedroom.

He lay her gently on the bed and she pulled him down on to her.  "You 
ok
with this?" he stuttered.  She answered him with a kiss.  He ran his
hands along the contours of her body as she pulled off his t-shirt.  
She
ran her fingers down his cool lean back, then put her palms on his
buttocks, pulling him closer.

He had undone her shirt and bra and was engulfing her breast with his
mouth, teasing her nipple with his tongue and teeth.  She moaned his
name and tugged at his jeans.  She could feel his arousal pressing
urgently against her through the denim and he paused to take them off
along with his boots.

He trailed his tongue down her stomach and removed the rest of her
clothing.  He moved back up and kissed her again, his tongue invading
her mouth. She was burning and his cool skin prickled and heated up at
her touch.

She shifted slightly and managed to roll him onto his back.  She ran 
her
lips along his neck and shoulders and teased his flat nipples with her
tongue.  "God, Beth!" he groaned, surrendering himself completely to
her.  She moved lower and his body spasmed with pleasure as she took 
him
into her warm soft mouth.  He moaned softly as her lips and tongue
engulfed him.  She lifted her head slowly, her blunt teeth gently
brushing along his member, causing him to arch his hips towards her.

"Beth....luv.........come 'ere!" he moaned urgently.  She moved slowly
back up along his body and caught his lips with hers.  "So dance with
me!" she breathed, her voice husky with passion.

He rolled her onto her back and she locked her legs around him, lifting
her hips to meet him as he entered her.  He kissed her again, and she
could feel him filling her completely, her inner muscles tightening
around him.  Her breath came in short gasps as he began to move in and
out, painfully slowly at first.

He trailed his lips along her neck and paused at her pulse.  He nipped
gently at her flesh, careful not to puncture the skin.  She put her 
hand
to his head and ran her fingers through his hair, arching her back to
meet his every thrust.

"You can, luv." she groaned.  "Its ok."  He moved more quickly now,
feeling her contracting, shuddering under him and his fangs distended.
He bit into her neck and tasted her.  Her body almost exploded under
him, her nails digging into his back and buttocks as she came, pulling
him over the abyss with her.  He crushed her to him as she cried out 
his
name over and over, as he spilled into her.

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

They lay locked in each others embrace for a long time.  Spike licked
the droplets of blood from round the tiny punctures on her throat and
she quivered at the sensation.

"Aren't you worried I might drain you?" he whispered.

"You won't do that........Dru told me.  You want your 'little bird' as
she called me." she whispered back, her eyes closed as she breathed him
in.

He nestled his face against hers.  "Bloody clever woman, for an insane
vampire." he mused.  "Always could see inside my head!"  Beth smiled to
herself and he turned to kiss her.

They drifted into sleep, knowing the nightmares would not be waiting 
for
them anymore.




THE END.