Spike/Beth.              NC17
 
 

INTERESTING TIMES!
 

CHAPTER ONE.
 

"It's bloody well raining again!"  she grumbled, peeping out of the
window as the daylight slowly dwindled away.

Spike grinned at her.  "I used to make my best kills in weather like
this."  he smirked.  "People don't expect anything to be stupid enough
to lurk about gettin' soaked!"

Beth laughed and he realised what he had said.  "I don't mean I'M
stupid!" he corrected himself.

"'Course not." she grinned.  "You just like getting wet!"

He scowled at her.  "Don't take the piss, Beth." he growled.

She turned and put her arms around his waist.  "Somebody got up on the
wrong side of the bed then!" she smiled, and he kissed her gently.

"Sorry, pet.  I've just got a feelin' something's brewing! Haven't been
able to shake it for days."  He hugged her then looked out of the window
himself.  He stared out into the dark street, trying to push back the
thoughts of impending evil he had sensed ever since the unseasonable
weather had started last week.  He had felt this once before, and then
all hell had broken loose.  Part of him welcomed the feeling, as he
remembered how much 'fun' he had last time, but the part of him that was
William, the part that Beth had awakened, was filled with dread.

His mind told him he was just being silly, but the demon inside goaded
him unmercifully.  'Shame about the chip...Just think of all those
succulent, pathetic mortals just lining up to be sucked dry!  Come on,
Spike, think of it!' the demon coaxed.  'All that lovely blood!"

"No!" he said aloud.  Beth stared at him.  He suddenly realised he had
vamped out and she was watching him quizzically.  She moved closer and
touched his face tenderly, soothing her fingers along the heavy ridges
of his brow.

"What is it?" she whispered.  "You sense something. don't you?"

He cast his eyes along the line of her neck and watched her pulse;
hearing her blood pumping through her body and the demon sang loudly in
his head.  'Shut the fuck up!' he told it silently as it tried to get
him to feed on her.  He managed to quell the raging temptation, but only
just!  It took all his willpower not to grab her and sink his fangs into
the soft flesh, and to force his human face back into place.

"It's nothing." he lied, unconvincingly.  He put his hand over hers and
tried to smile reassuringly, but the look of concern on her face told
him he couldn't fool her.

She moved her hand away and brushed her hair back from her neck, tilting
her head back to expose her throat, moving closer to him.  He felt her
breath on his cheek and her heart beating swiftly as she pressed gently
against him.  He lowered his lips to graze them softly against her neck
and felt his game face snap into place again.

She was offering him the blood he craved and he ached to drink from
her.  It wasn't like he hadn't done it before; he had taken from her
lots of times.  But this was different!  In the heat of passion, taking
no more than a few drops, was one thing, but the way he felt now even
with the chip in his brain to control him he knew once he started he
would find it almost impossible to stop.  He moved his head away from
the tempting, pulsating artery and hugged her tightly.

"No, luv.  Thanks for the offer, but you don't need to!"  he growled,
his voice shaky.  "What I need is a bloody good fight!  A spot of
violence, a nice little kill, an' I'll be as right as rain!  Lets go
find something to kick the crap out of!"
 

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

Anya paced up and down nervously.  "It's not good."  she mumbled as
Xander turned off the T.V.  "In fact, it's bad....It's really bad!"  she
continued.

Xander stopped her in mid-pace, gripping her arms.  "What's bad?"

Anya flung her arms around his neck and started kissing him urgently.
"I think we should have sex......now!  Before it happens, or we might
not get another chance!" she breathed.

Xander chuckled softly.  "That's subtle for you!  Since when have you
started making up reasons to get into my pants?"

She stepped back and pouted at him.  "I'm not making it up." she
whispered.  "Something is happening, I can feel it."  She hugged herself
and started to cry.

Xander pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair.  "Ssshhh, love.  I
don't think I've ever see you cry before.  Tell me what is going to
happen?"

Anya sniffed back the tears and clung to him for a few moments before
composing herself enough to speak.  "I don't know exactly.  It's just
something I seem to have felt before!  I just know everything is going
to go wrong!"
 

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

Giles put down the telephone and took off his glasses, rubbing the
bridge of his nose thoughtfully with his index finger.  Buffy watched
him impatiently, knowing the call had not been good news, judging by the
way her ex-watcher was obviously searching for a way to broach the
subject.

"So who was it?  What did they say?" she snapped.

Giles sat down in the armchair and put his glasses on again.  "That was
Wesley.  He said we're in for interesting times.  As in the Chinese
curse, I mean!"  He paused, expecting Buffy to jump in with a hundred
and one questions, but she just curled up on the sofa and waited for him
to continue.  He licked his lips nervously.

"Angel thinks the Benhed Coven are up to their old tricks again!" he
continued.

Buffy uncurled her legs from under her and tried to look like she knew
who he was talking about.  "Oh,  the Benhed Coven, as in witches?" she
stated.  "More Willow and Tara's area than mine, I think."

Giles stood up and went over to the overladen bookshelves, picking out a
large red leather bound volume.  He flicked through the pages until he
came to the chapter he was looking for.  "Technically speaking....." he
mumbled.  "You're right.  But unfortunately this particular juicy piece
of magick is a little more, um...complicated! ....Ah, here it is!"  he
exclaimed as he read swiftly through the pages.

Buffy got up and stood behind him trying to read over his shoulder.
"How complicated?" she asked as he about-faced and nearly bumped into
her.

"Um, I don't have all the details yet, but I think you'll find every
Vampire and demon in Sunnydale will suddenly develop an over-whelmingly
bad disposition..." he replied, side-stepping her.

"So, I just hit 'em harder! Since when have they ever been meek, mild
and pleasant anyway?" she grinned.

Giles sat at the table and began to read again.  "To some degree, even
the human inhabitants will be starting to get a little bad-tempered, so
watch your back!"

Buffy slipped on her coat and grabbed her weapons bag.  "You can tell me
more when I get back, Giles.  I'd better patrol early!"
 

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

Tara sat humming to a tune on the radio.  "I love this song." she smiled
at her partner.  "Come and sit down, Willow.  All that pacing is making
me dizzy!"

The red-head scowled at her partner and sat heavily on the sofa next to
her.  The music was getting on her nerves and she felt like throwing the
radio out of the window.  "Can't you just turn it off?" she complained.
"It's giving me a headache!"

Tara frowned but reached for the off button.  Willow had been in a bad
mood all evening, and worried her.  "Is it something I've done?" the shy
blonde asked tentatively.  "If it is, you will tell me won't you,
love?"  She watched her lover nervously.  She didn't like arguments as
they alway brought on one of those annoying panic attacks she had
suffered from since she had reached her teens.

Willow took her hand and squeezed it gently.  "No, it's nothing you've
done.  It must be this aweful weather or something.  Maybe we've been
going at the Spell Book too hard, and I'm just tired."  She grew annoyed
with herself.  She couldn't think why she should be in such a temper.
Normally she was very placid and took things in her stride!

Tara stood up.  "I know, I'll get us a nice big piece of that chocolate
cake and a cup of herbal tea.  That should cheer you up!"  She went into
the kitchenette, pausing only to take a small bottle of pills from her
purse.  She popped the cap off the bottle and took one.

"Camomile ok?" she called through the hatch, and Willow grunted in
apathy.

"Whatever!" she answered back and began to scowl angrily at a magazine
that had been disgarded carelessly on the floor.  She picked it up and
threw it across the room, cursing under her breath.
 

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

The Slayer had bearly passed through the cemetary gates when she heard
the shouting.  She ran swiftly towards the voices echoing out from
behind the Crypts.  The rain had stopped, but the chill wind whistled
around her.

"It's dead! Enough, Spike!"  Beth tried to pull him away from the
demon's body, or at least what was left of it. He shoved her roughly
away sending her flying backwards.

He raised the axe and swung down on the dismembered demon lying in front
of him.  Thick black blood splattered the ground around him and he swung
again and again, his game face contorted into a manical grin.

"Thought you could take me, did you?" Whack, the axe fell.  "Found out
bloody better, didn't you, you wanker!"  Whack!

Beth was on her feet again and running at him.  "Stop it!....Stop!" she
yelled.  Before she reached him Buffy had tackled the vampire round the
waist, sending them both hard against the Crypt wall.  The impact made
Spike lose his grip on the axe and it bounced to the ground.

"Slayer!"  he yelled, his yellow eyes gleaming.  "What the bloody
hell.."  A fist connected with his jaw before he could finish his
sentence; not the Slayer's fist.  He pushed Buffy off him, more angry
than hurt, and turned to face Beth.  He took a step towards her and
clenched his fists, when a flash of rationality hit him.

"What was that for?" he growled, puzzled that the two women were
standing ready to fight him.  "We kill demons!"  He pointed to the badly
mutilated body.  "So I killed a bloody demon!"

Buffy and Beth looked again at the bloody remains, then back at him.
"Sliced and diced, more like!" scoffed Buffy.  "He really must have got
to you!"

"Yeah, well!  He...um...hurt Beth!"  he answered, pointing to the gash
on Beth's arm, clearly visible through her torn jacket sleeve.

"No he didn't!" she whispered.  He stared at her, with eyes till glowing
yellow at the sight of blood.  He grabbed her arm and inspected the
wound, trying to ignore the blood-lust bubbling up in him.  She spoke
again.  "You did!  When you pushed me!  I got caught on the railings
around that grave!"

"When did I push you?  I didn't bloody well push..." he growled.

Buffy interrupted him.  "I saw you!...  You were busy hacking up your
dead friend there!"

Spike turned on her.  "You keep your soddin' nose out of this!  This is
between me an' her!".

Buffy snorted.  "Make me!  See how far you get!"

"Stop it, the pair of you!" shouted Beth.  She eyed Buffy warily.  The
woman was younger than her, stronger, and prettier.  She pointed a
finger at her.  "And you, keep your hands off him!  I've seen you making
eyes at him..."

"What?!..Beth, you're crazy.  Me and Spike?  No way! Yuk!"

Spike was getting angry again.  "An' what's wrong with me?  Mind you,
you're not my type anyway.  All airs and graces and......."

Within seconds all three of them were casting insults and yelling at one
another.  They were so engrossed with hurling abuse they didn't notice
the group of vampires moving in on them until they were almost within
striking distance.

"You're damn lucky I love you, you big-headed pratt, or I'd stake..."
Beth's sentence was cut short as Spike pushed the two women aside and
planted a jumping front kick into one of the attackers stomach.

Buffy ducked before another could grab her and she spun round and
plunged the stake into it's heart, sending a plume of dust into the damp
air.  Beth lunged at another, slamming both fists into it's face.  Her
torn arm stung like crazy and the pain made her angrier.  She swiped the
attacker's kick away before it made contact and managed to stoop and
retrieve Spike's fallen axe, swinging at the monster's legs.

Buffy pummelled her opponent to the ground then axe kicked him in the
groin before staking him too.  She turned to see Spike finishing his
opponent off by impaling him onto the railings before plunging his own
stake into the now helpless vampire's heart.

The remaining member of the group put an arm lock around Buffy's neck
and she backed him hard into the Crypt wall to loosen his grip.  She
back-fisted him in the face and released herself, turning with lightning
speed to side kick him the the stomach.  As the vampire doubled over,
she plunged her stake into his back, piercing his heart.

As the dust settled she saw Beth slice off the final opponent's head
with the axe.

The three glared at each other.

"That was your bloody fault!"  accused Spike, pointing at the women.
"If you two can't keep your soddin' minds on the job you shouldn't be.."

Beth raised her fist and went to hit out at him, but he grabbed her
injured arm, causing her to grunt in pain.

Buffy felt the urge to beat the bleached blonde into the ground when she
realised what they were doing.  "Hold it!  Why are we arguing?" she
yelled over the raised voices.  The pair stopped for a moment then Beth
pulled her arm away.

"'Cos he started it!"  she yelled.

"No, I bloody didn.t.......Hang on, you got a point Slayer!" Spike
scowled.

Beth was about to argue the point when the bizarre situation struck her
too.

"Giles said this was going to be interesting."  mumbled Buffy.  "It
think we'd better see what he's found out!"
 

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

Walking back through the streets of Sunnydale proved to be a trial in
itself.  People bickering and arguing seemed to surround them and the
threesome barely spoke at all as they each felt the urge to continue the
name-calling that had started in the cemetary.

Spike could smell the blood that caked Beth's forearm and coat sleeve
and he could feel his demon trying to claw it's way to the surface.  He
strode ahead of the women concentrating on the sound of his boots
splashing along the wet sidewalk and so wanted to just vamp out and
destroy the men and women milling past him.  The blood-lust was so close
to the surface he could taste it!  He focused his eyes on the pavement
and tried to blot everything else out.

He was jostled back to reality as a fat man pushed roughly past him.
"Watch it, weirdo!" the man growled at the bleached blonde, pushing him
out of the way.  "Watch where you're damn well going!"

Spike gripped the fat man by the throat and lifted him off his feet.  A
nagging ache spread across his skull as he did so, and his game face
dropped into place.  He managed a smirk despite the pain and he growled
in delight as the fat man began to claw at the vampire's fingers, trying
to loosen them so that he could breathe.

Spike's smirk widened into a grin as the man's eyes bulged in terror at
the sight of the vampire's deep ridged face, glowing yellow eyes, and
savage fangs.  He tightened his grip and gasped as the chip sent a
seering electrical discharge around his brain.  As his hold on the fat
man began to waver he also felt something sharp pressing into his back.

"Let him go, fang boy!"  Buffy ordered, digging the stake into his rib
cage.

He dropped the fat man to the floor, more from the agonising pain
pounding in his head than from the threat from the Slayer.  The fat man
scrambled to his feet, face contorted with fear as he backed slowly
away, rubbing his throat.

Spike hissed at him and the man broke into a run, disappearing into the
argumentative crowd.

"What are you doing, Spike?"  Beth murmured, her voice strained as she
fought back the urge to lash out at him.  "People can see what you are!
Buffy, put down that damn stake!"

Buffy reluctantly backed away from the blonde vampire, resisting the
urge to plunge the sharp point home.  "She's right.  Try to stay calm or
you'll cause a panic!"

Spike turned to face them, still in game face.  It crossed his mind to
hit the Slayer clean across to the other side of the street, but she
still held the stake dangerously close to him.  "Are we goin' to stand
here chit-chattin' all night?"  he grumbled.  "Or are we goin' to find
out what the soddin. hell is going on, and kick some serious arse?"  He
willed his human appearance back again and started walking.  The women
glared at each other and strode after him.  He could still smell Beth's
blood and it was driving him crazy!

"That arm needs treating!" he sighed at her.  He stopped dead in his
tracks and turned to face her.  "Let me look at it!"

She hesitantly raised her arm and he grabbed it more roughly than he had
intended, making her wince.  He pulled back her sleeve to reveal the now
congealed wound and his eyes flashed yellow at the sight of it.  He
subconsciously licked his lips and she went to pull away from him.

"It's ok, pet." he soothed, realising he had startled her.  He looked
into her eyes and his mood softened a little.  "I'm trying to stay
sensible....but both of you can feel it too!  It's bloody near
impossible to ignore!"

Beth stared back into his eyes and watched as they changed back to
brilliant blue-grey, and managed to smile.  "It's ok.  Lets get to
Rupert's before we all completely lose it!"
 

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

Cordelia sniffled into her tissue cursing her bad luck at getting  a
summer cold.  Her nose was red and sore from wiping it and her throat
felt like sand paper.  She stared blankly at the computer screen.  She
had given up on reading the information that it showed about five
minutes ago.  What she really wanted to do was to take the infernal
machine and drop it from the roof of a tall building!

Wesley slammed his book shut and swiped it off the table.  "Angel should
be back by now!  How long does it take to beat information out of a
cowardly, double-crossing snitch, anyway?"  he growled.  "And if your
data bank is so marvellous, " he glowered at the dark haired beauty.
"Why haven't you found anything?"

Cordelia picked up the tissue box and flung it at him.  "I'm doing my
best!  If you can do better, feel free!  And stop picking on me!"  She
yelled back, bringing on the hacking cough that had decided to take a
free ride on the back of her cold.

The two friends eyed each other angrily.  Their moods had been getting
steadily worse all day and they were finding it more and more difficult
to stop themselves from tearing into each other.

Cordelia lowered her gaze first and bit her lip.  "I'm trying to find
out where they are, Wesley."  she croaked huskily.  "  But I keep
wanting to just smash everything into little pieces!  I'm sorry."

Wesley moved close to her and put his hand on hers, squeezing it
gently.  "No, I'm sorry.  This spell is making all of us completely
crazy."  he said remorsefully.  "I'm sure Angel will find an answer."

The sound of a door crashing open startled them.  Angel burst into the
hotel foyer and kicked at the leather armchair, sending it skidding
across the marble floor.  He morphed in and out of his game face as he
struggled to calm himself.  The sound of police sirens screamed past the
building.

"It's getting worse out there!"  he mumbled, finally getting his human
appearance to stay in place.  "Wesley, ring Giles!  Let him know we're
on our way to Pacific Grove!"

Wesley scowled.  "And tell him what?  Are they to meet us there, or are
we just going on bloody vacation?" he snapped.  "Sorry... I just feel so
angry!"

Angel nodded understandingly.  "To meet us!"  he confirmed.  He strode
towards the staircase, then stopped.  "And, Wesley,  tell them....warn
them that this spell affects demons more than humans, so keep an eye on
Spike.  The last time this happened he had a field day!"

"But the chip!"  interrupted Cordelia, and was stunned as Angel turned
to her, his eyes blazing brilliant yellow as he tried to hold his
temper.

"What about it?!" he hissed.  "I've got a soul, a conscience;  but I
could cheerfully rip your throat out right now!  Just tell them!"  With
that he stormed up the stairs to his room.

Wesley picked up the telephone and began to dial.  "Cordelia, I think
it's better if you stay here and man the office.  You're not too well.
Angel and I are going to have to hurry if we want to get there before
daybreak!"
 
 
 
 
 

CHAPTER TWO.
 

Spike paced the floor impatiently.  He paused to light a cigarette and
his gaze fell onto Beth's wounded arm again.  Giles was swabbing it with
antiseptic and the gauze he was using was stained bright red.  The
vampire found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything else
as he imagined his fangs sinking deep into the tender flesh and drinking
the sickly sweet fluid until it was all gone.

"You really should have a couple of stitches in this."  Giles murmured
as he began to wind the bandage round the wound.  He glared at the
blonde vampire.  "I ought to beat the bloody crap out of you for this,
you pratt!"  he growled.

Spike curled his lip back into a sneer and stubbed his cigarette out on
the carpet.
"Come and try it!  I've been itching for a chance to knock your teeth
down your smug....."

"Stop it!"  Buffy yelled, standing between the vampire and her
ex-watcher.  "If we're going to fight anything, it's going to be whoever
is casting this spell!  Now the rest of the gang will be here any minute
and we have to tryto get along!"

The sound of the telephone ringing interrupted them and Giles tied the
bandage onto Beth's arm then went into the study to answer it.  Buffy
went to answer the knock at the door.

Beth stood up and went to stand by Spike, who put his arm around her
shoulder.

"Are you alright?"  she whispered softly.  "You seem to be having more
trouble holding your temper than the rest of us; and we're struggling!"

He hugged her and kissed her forehead.  "You should be very wary, luv.
I'm even gettin' the urge to hurt you!  I don't want to...."

She put her arms around him and lifted her face  to his.   "I know!
Just kiss me."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her behind the partition wall
separating the kitchen from the dining room.  He pressed her against the
wall and kissed her hungrily,  holding her so tight she could hardly
breathe.

They could hear voices coming from the dining room but they seemed so
faint, so insignificant, as their minds became fixated on the longing
that was sweeping over them in waves.

She kissed him back, eagerly and passionately.  He felt self-control
slowly seeping away from him and the rage he had been filled with for
the last few hours morphed into an irresistible need to take her there
and then.

Beth was losing all sense of reason as her primal instincts crept over
her.  She pressed herself to him and ran her hand down to the small of
his back.  She felt dizzy and intoxicated as his tongue darted into her
mouth.  He trailed his lips down along her throat, kissing and nipping
at her flesh and she groaned huskily.  His hands were all over her and
she could think of nothing else....

Then Spike was pulled away from her, quickly, violently, and he slammed
into the refrigerator.  He snarled at Giles and lunged towards him only
to find himself flat on his face as Buffy put out her foot to trip him.
She sat on top of him and pulled his head back, holding a carving knife
to his throat.

"One move, I'll cut your head off!"  she threatened.

Beth lashed out at her brother who managed to dodge as Xander grabbed
her, pinning her arms down by her side.

"It's the spell!"  Willow shouted.  "They couldn't help themselves.
It's the spell!"

Beth stopped struggling and Xander released her.  She knelt on the
floor, and pleaded with Buffy to let her lover go.  Spike was still
vamped out and she ran her hand along his cheek.  Her gentle touch
placated him somewhat and his game face slowly melted away.

"Get off me!"  he grumbled.  "I'm not goin' to do anything!  I'm ok
now!"

Buffy slowly moved the blade away and got to her feet.  Spike stood up
and brushed himself off, taking the hand Beth was offering.

"What do you mean, it's the spell?" Giles asked.

Willow and Tara looked at each other and Tara blushed as she began to
speak.  "Preyal, the demon the Benheds worship, feeds off very strong
emotions!"  she paused and looked at Willow again.  The red head took
over, seeing her partner was feeling a little embarrassed.

"You know, things like anger, hate, aggression and..um...well, lust and
passion are very strong emotions too!"  She glanced shyly at the vampire
and Giles' sister.  "And we all know you two can be pretty..er...to be
blunt, you're always dragging each other into the sack!  You're worse
than Xander and Anya!"

Giles cleared his throat. "Thank you, Willow, for that graphic image now
planted firmly and permanently in my mind!  You, you blood-sucking
tosser,"  he pointed to Spike.  "I don't want to know what the pair of
you get up to in private, and I certainly don't want it in my
kitchen!...And especially not in front of an audience!"
He took a deep breath.

"Now all of you get your things together.  We have to get to Pacific
Grove!"
 

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

The sign read "WELCOME TO PACIFIC GROVE" as the two cars sped along the sea front.

"I don't see why I couldn't drive down with Spike." Beth grumbled to her brother from the back seat of the little sports car.  Willow shuffled round to look at her from the front seat.

"It's better if Buffy takes your place, Beth.  Spike may get a little unpredictable and she'll be able to handle him!"

Beth glanced at Tara sitting next to her and wondered briefly why she still had not been affected by the spell.  She was as calm and composed as she always was.

"Right!  You don't want a repeat of what happened at Rupert's.  Don't you think that Buffy..."  she stopped and mentally kicked herself.

Tara smiled.  "You're jealous of Buffy?  Since when?" she asked.  "Buffy doesn't even like Spike!"

Beth shuffled uncomfortably.  "I know that.  It's just that, well...damn it!  That must be something to do with the spell too!"  She craned her neck to look through the back window to see the black Desoto right behind them.  "Has anyone given a thought to Xander and Anya?  They're not exactly convent material you know!"

Giles tutted impatiently.  "Has anyone ever told you you're developing one of Spike's annoying habits?  You haven't stopped griping since we left Sunnydale.  Of course we thought about them!  Xander's up front and Anya's in the back with Buffy."  His knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel, feeling more than a little irate.  "Now shut up!"  he snapped.

They pulled up at a small hotel and piled out of the cars.  There was a faint ribbon of light peeping over the horizon and Spike pushed past the rest of them to get into the hotel before dawn broke properly.

"Out of the way!" he growled.  "Dead man walkin'!"  He smirked at his own joke and was disappointed when no-one else thought it funny.  'No sense of bloody humour.' he thought to himself.

He recognised the two men waiting in the lobby and his fleeting good mood evaporated instantly.

"Bloody great!  Soul boy and his sidekick!  Didn't expect to see you pair again so soon."  he cursed.

The others came in behind him and Buffy smiled at Angel.  He attempted to smile back but he was still struggling to keep an even temper.  Buffy nodded her head slightly to let him know she understood how he was feeling.

"Angel,"  Giles spoke.  "What have you got for us?"  He moved to one side along with Buffy to find out, instructing the rest of the group to check in at the desk.

Wesley went to shake Beth's hand but she chose instead to give him a quick hug anda kiss on the cheek.  Spike growled and pulled her away.

"What's your problem, Spike?"  Wesley sighed.  "You think if she gets too friendly with a LIVE man she won't want you anymore?"

Spike went to grab the englishman but Beth got between them and threw her arms around the vampire's neck.

"Get a grip, baby."  she whispered in his ear.  "Please.  You know he's talking bullshit!"  She felt his muscles grow less tense and she let him go and turned to Wesley.

"You're right, of course." muttered Wesley.  "I just feel the need to infuriate someone and fight!"

Spike snorted.  "You're bloody well breathin' aren't you?  That infuriates the hell out of me!  Come on," He grabbed Beth's arm and went towards the desk.  "let's get our key and then we can find out what the poof knows about this bloody mind-fuck we're all gettin'!"

As they got to the desk Xander was arguing with the clerk.  "Thats extortion!  $1000 deposit?  I don't have that kind of cash..."

"You'll get it back when you check out.  If you leave the room in good order!" the clerk snapped back.  "This last few days we've had nothing but breakages.  One woman even threw the courtesy bar through the window because it didn't contain her favourite drink!  Now either you pay, or you leave!"

Beth took her credit card from her wallet.  "Take this!"  she handed it to the irate man behind the desk.  "All our rooms.  And If you take any for no reason, I'll make sure you'll be out of business before you can spend a cent of it!"

The receptionist calmed down immediately and handed the room keys over the counter as soon as he got the card authorised.

They went to join Giles, Angel and Buffy while Xander stood complaining to Anya.
"Can you believe the nerve of that guy!  A thousand bucks!"

Giles put his arm around his sister.  "The spell appears to be in a lull at the moment, but I don't expect it to last.  We should all get a little rest and meet up in three hours.  I'm in room..."  he glanced at the key fob Beth had handed him.  "um, room 305!  One more thing.  Spike, you share with Angel tonight!"

Beth pulled away from him and took Spike's hand as she saw the angry look cross the vampire's face.

"I'm not sharing with him!" snapped Spike.  "I'd rather walk out of those doors and burst into soddin' flames!"

"He stays with me!" added Beth.

Angel growled. "You can't be trusted, Spike!  Remember what happened last time?  You damn near ate everyone in the whole village!  You're putting her in danger.....again!"

Beth burst out laughing.  "My whole bloody life's a lottery and now you're telling me I can't choose who to spend my time with?  You've been telling us that ever since we first met!  'Look out, the big bad's going to get you' and 'you can't trust him'!"  She paused for a moment and her statement became earnest. "There's no way him and Angel are going to spend three whole hours alone together.  They'll end up killing each other!"

With that, Spike headed for the elevators, pulling her along with him.

Anya linked her arm through Xander's and took the key from him.  "Oh, we're next door to you, Giles."  she grinned.  "Well, we won't be late then!  Come on Xander, we only have three hours!"  Xander smiled apologetically and followed after her.

"Hold the elevator!" he called as Spike and Beth stepped in, but Spike extended his middle finger at him and smirked as the doors closed.  Willow and Tara waited with them for the next car.

"We'll have to go through our reversal spell and make sure we have all the ingredients." whispered Willow.  "Once we find the coven we won't have time to play around."

The second car arrived and they all piled in.  Buffy was feeling tired, but she was reluctant to leave the three men who were left in the foyer.

"How are you coping?" she asked, seeing that Angel was clenching his fists.  "Don't let Spike get to you;  you know he's always like that.  Spell or no spell!"

Angel scowled at her.  "I know, but I still don't trust him.  I'm not too sure about her either.  She's got his blood in her and..."

"What are you talking about?" interrupted Giles.  "His blood?"

Wesley cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets.  "Don't be naive, Rupert.  You know as well as I do that vampires bite their mates when they...um..."

"She's not a vampire, you pratt!" snapped Giles.

Angel looked at his feet, thinking of how he should word his sentence.  He plumped for the direct approach.  "Doesn't matter!  Spike's got one hell of a hickey on his neck, so unless he's two-timing her, she's biting!"

"That explains why she's getting more wiggy than the rest of us."  whispered Buffy.  "I just thought she was picking up bad habits from Spike.  Does that mean she's turning into..."

"No."  replied Angel.  "He would have to drain her first.  But it does mean their senses are very tuned to each other.  She may be very susceptible to his moods!"
 

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

Spike sat on the bed and pulled off his boots.  "What have I done now?" he grumbled.  "An' don't say nothing!  I can read you like a bloody book.  Something's pissing you off!"

Beth carefully folded up her jeans and placed them on the chair.  "It's not you, it's me." she whispered.  "Spike, do you think Buffy's pretty?"  She kept her back to him, unwilling to meet his gaze.  "She's younger than me, and..."

Spike looked in the air and sighed.  He pulled her backwards onto the bed and rolled on top of her.  She closed her eyes.

"Look at me, pet." he coaxed.  "Yes, I think she's pretty, and yes, I know she's younger than you..."  he paused and kissed her on the lips.  "And no,  I'm not thinkin' about shagging her!"  He kissed her again, more passionately this time, sinking into her arms and smelling her arousal.  He leapt to his feet and stripped off his clothes, tossing them into a heap on the floor.

Her eyes traced slowly over his slim body and she smiled seductively.  "Good!  'Cos when I've finished with you, you'll be lucky if you have the strength to raise a smile!" she chuckled as he lay back down and began to unhook her bra.

He cupped her breasts in his hands and began to knead them gently.   "Big talk, lady!"  he smirked.  "At least I'll be able to walk!"  He moved a hand down to her panties and pulled them off, tearing the material.  "Oops!" he grinned.  "Hope you brought a spare pair!"

They fell into each other's arms giggling, until their lips met.
 
 
 
 

CHAPTER THREE.

Beth snuggled closer to Spike's cool, bare chest and sighed heavily.  He hugged her tightly to him and kissed her hair.

"We have to get up." she whispered.  "We're due to meet Rupert in 20 minutes. Ohhh, I don't want to move!"

Spike merely grunted.  He was starting to feel uneasy.   "Bloody hell!" he sat up quickly and stared around the room.  Beth leapt up and grabbed his clothes and threw them to him.

"It's starting again!"  she gasped, struggling into her jeans.  "We've got to get with the others before we start beating on each other!"  Her heart was pounding and her stomach was doing flip-flops.  She felt her temper rising and watched Spike warily as he dressed.  If she was feeling ready to lash out, he must be almost at breaking point.  His eyes were alternating in colour between his usual blue-grey and the vivid yellow as he struggled to stop his game face materialising.

He bent to pick up his boots and caught his elbow on the bedside table.  "Bugger it!" he cursed and picked up the table and threw it at the wall.  "Stupid bloody place to put it!"  He saw Beth studying him.  "What?!"  He grabbed his boots and pulled them on.

She took both his hands in hers and squeezed gently.  "Take it easy, luv.  Try to stay focused."  she whispered.

He squeezed her hands back and she winced as he tightened his grip.  He lost the battle of hiding his game face and it dropped fully into place.  His one hand travelled up her bandaged arm and she gasped in agony as he squeezed the wound, causing fresh blood to well up and seep through the gauze.

"Oww!  You're hurting me!"  she cried, trying to hold her temper in check.  "Let go, Spike, or I swear I'll..."

He yanked her wounded arm towards him, ripping off the bandage, and bit deep into the flesh.  Her warm blood filled his mouth, encouraging him to drink deeper.

Suddenly, her knee jerked violently up between his legs and she tpulled her arms free.  He lunged at her and they both landed heavily on the floor.  She managed to land on top of him and she reached for a piece of the shattered bedside table, bringing it's jagged point sharply down against his chest.  She stopped just shy of plunging it into his heart, the splintered wood just piercing his t-shirt and drawing blood.

"Enough, you bastard!"  she yelled at him, fighting the rage inside her that was telling her to ram the make-shift weapon home.

Spike wrestled his angry demon back deep inside him and with every ounce of will-power managed to stem the stream of violence flowing through every nerve and sinew he possessed.

Beth felt him relax under her and she moved the make-shift stake away from the vampire's chest and stood up.

Spike got to his feet and watched in silence as she rushed into the bathroom to wrap a towel around her arm to stop the blood dripping onto the carpet.  He ripped a sheet from the bed and began to tear it into strips.  He followed her into the bathroom and gently took her arm, removing the towel.

Neither of them spoke as he turned on the fawcett and pushed her arm under the icy cold water to wash away the blood, then drying it off with another towel, he began to wind the torn strips of bedding tightly round it.

Beth bit her lip to prevent her from crying out in pain and her eyes filled with angry tears.  She watched her lover as he tied off the material and could sense he was struggling to quell his natural instinct to drink from her again. His game face was still on and his eyes glowed golden yellow as he finally finished his first-aid and made eye contact with her.   She extended her hand to him and he hesitantly took it in his.

"Let's get going." he whispered.  "Before we cause any more bloody damage!"

Beth glanced around at the wreckage as they headed for the door.  "Well,I guess that's $1000 I don't have any more!"  she groaned, trying to sound light-hearted, but really wanting to break something.
 

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

Giles' door was open when they got there and the sound of raised voices echoed out into the hallway.

"Don't you dare tell me how I should feel!"  yelled Buffy.  "I'm the one who's got no life!  I'm the one who.."

Giles was growing increasingly agitated by the blonde.  He dearly wanted to slap her but he fought back his own aggressive mood by picturing the quiet tranquility of his old library.

Spike and Beth stood in the doorway, both looking dishevelled, their clothes spotted here and there with blood.  Spike rubbed his chest and growled at the small hole in his t-shirt made by Beth when she had threatened to stake him. 'Gotta love 'er!' he thought.  He had managed to calm himself down enough to hide his game face but he was finding it difficult to stay that way.

He was suddenly propelled forward into the room when a hand pushed him in the back.

"Out of the way!" Angel shoved his grand-childe roughly through the doorway and stormed in.

Spike spun round and took a swing at him, but Beth grabbed his arm.  She wasn't strong enough to stop him if he wanted to fight, but luckily her touch was enough to make Spike hesitate long enough to bring him back to his senses.

"You pratt!" he spat at the dark haired vampire.  "You don't know how close you are to bein' soddin' dust!"

The two vampires faced each other, vamped out and growling, but the sound of laughter echoing down the hall distracted them.

Willow, Tara and Wesley almost waltzed into the room, much to the bemusement of the rest of them.

"What's so funny?" grumbled Buffy.  "How come you aren't at each others throats like the rest of us?"

Tara smiled shyly.  "We..um, took a pill!  I get panic attacks and...well, that's why I haven't been like the rest of you!"

Wesley interjected.  "Sedamol, a wonderful discovery!  It represses our negative emotions and has a marvellously calming effect.  I recommend them to all of you!"

Willow handed them a pill bottle.  "There are only about 30 here, so they won't last long between the ten of us.  We'd better prepare the spell and find the coven!"

Giles opened the bottle and began to dole them out.  "You first, Buffy."

Each of them took one until he reached Angel and Spike.  Giles hesitated.

"I don't know how effective they'll be on the pair of you.  I know you can be affected by drugs, but I also know they don't tend to work for as long on vampires.  We'll have to play it by ear!"  He handed them each one and swallowed his own.
"Will somebody please get Xander and Anya?"

"We're here!"  Xander poked his head sheepishly round the door as Anya breezed past him.  He was sporting a nasty black eye and both looked like they had been dragged through a hedge backwards.

Anya took a pill from Giles and threw it at Xander.  "You'd better take this.  It might make you a little nicer to me!"  she pouted.  "I ask you to do one little thing..."

Xander hit the door jamb with his fist, grazing his knuckles.  "Oww!  Now look what you made me do!  It's bad enough you blacked my eye....I told you that guy on the movie was a contortionist!  There's no way I can get in that..."  he stopped and noticed everyone was staring at him.

"What movie?"  asked Spike.

"We were watching the Playboy Channel; you know, the one where.." scowled Anya.

Xander cut her off quickly.  "I don't think they want to hear.."

"No, you carry on, luv.  Which one?  Maybe I've seen it!" urged Spike.

Xander glared at him and popped the pill into his mouth.  "Anya, remember.  We don't discuss our personal life with other people.  Now take a pill!"

She took one from Giles and looked at her feet.  "Sorry, I forgot!"  she whispered.

Buffy pulled Beth to one side.  "I have to ask you something...personal!"  she whispered.

Beth glared at her, but the Sedamol was beginning to take effect, so she relaxed.  Buffy continued.

"Have you....do you bite?" she blushed slightly.  "You know, when..."

Beth smirked.  "What's that got to do with you?"  That smirk told Buffy everything she needed to know.  She began to frown.

"So, you draw blood?  Do you realise what that does to you?"

"It's something Spike taught me.  It makes us closer."  Beth whispered.  "We can sense each other's feelings, and just know what the other needs."  She paused for a moment and looked across at Spike.  "I can feel him in my head, even when he's not in the same room.  He can do the same with me!  It's a wonderfully comforting feeling, Buffy, especially doing the work we do.  As long as I can feel him, I know he's safe!"

Buffy smiled a little at the tender looks being exchanged by her friend and the bleached blonde.

"I'm sure it is, Beth.  But that makes you a hell of a lot more unstable when it comes to this spell!"  she warned.  "Spike and Angel are by far more affected, being vampires, but you've got Spike's blood in you, so that means it'll be worse for you than the rest of us once the Benheds bring their magick up to full power!"

Beth nodded gravely.  "I'll bear that in mind!"
 

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

Willow and Tara busied themselves blending together the ingredients they had collected for the reversal spell.

"Right.  That's the Tannis root." murmured Tara, tying off the burlap bag containing the concoction.  "We can't do any more until we can get hold the Benhed's Ninjara Orb."

Willow put her arm around her and hugged her.  "I'm sure Buffy and the others will find out where they're hiding.  After all, this isn't the biggest town in the World!"

Spike and Angel paced up and down, occasionally glaring at each other, then studying the witches.  Their mortal companions had gone to scout the seaside town and the vampires could do nothing to help until the sun went down.

"I told you you'd put her in danger."  Angel growled softly, making Spike stop dead in his tracks.

"What are you talkin' about?  She was doin' this line of 'work' before I met her!" he snapped.

Angel scowled.  "I don't mean the patrols and such.  I'm talking about you sharing your blood with her.  Do you realise the sedatives are going to be less effective for her than the rest of them?"

"I never thought of.." began Spike, starting to get worried.  Angel cut him off.

"You never think!  That's your problem!  We've taken two pills to their one and there aren't many left.  It's bad enough we may well be at everybody's throats when they do run out, but if she starts too, she's more likely to get hurt!  She's mortal, Spike."

Spike sat down cursing.  "I'll keep an eye on her."

Angel snorted at him.  "Great!  And who'll be keeping an eye on you?"  Spike was about to reply when suddenly the door was smashed open.

The vampires leapt towards the invader as he made a beeline for the witches.

Willow and Tara screamed when they saw the demon advancing towards them.  Angel leapt at him, kicking him in the chest.  He may as well have hit him with a feather for all the good it did.  The demon merely grabbed his leg and sent him crashing into the far wall.

Spike followed the attack through by double-punching the enemy hard on the back of the head.  It didn't even make the creature break step.  The demon turned casually and lifted the bleached blonde off his feet, slamming him face first to the floor.  He managed to get back to his feet as Angel reached his side.

Tara and Willow were trapped in the corner as the monster began to move in on them again.

Angel nodded to Spike and they both leapt at the creature simultaneously, kicking, punching and gouging.  The demon swayed slightly but treated the attack as a minor annoyance.

The witches crouched down and held hands, chanting softly.

Spike yelled loudly as he was propelled across the room.  He was pleasantly surprised to find a soft landing across the bed.  Within an instant, however, his luck ran out as Angel was sent flying directly at him.  The second vampire landed heavily on top of the first and the already damaged bed collapsed completely.

Willow stood to face the demon, still praying to the Goddess.  She raised her hands and, WHAM!  A brilliant flash hit the demon full on.  It screamed and contorted for several seconds, before exploding into countless bloody pieces, showering the room with blood and gore.

Willow helped Tara to her feet and chuckled at the sight of the two vampires entangled in the broken remains of the bed.

"Oh, if only I had a camera!  Definitely a Kodak moment!  I could blackmail the two of you forever!" she joked.

Spike shoved Angel off him and groaned.  "Stupid wanker!" he moaned.  "Watch where you're bein' thrown next time!"

Angel dusted himself off.  "It think they know we're looking for them." he said.

"No shit, Sherlock!" growled Spike sarcastically, taking his battered cigarettes from his pocket and lighting one.
 
 
 
 

CHAPTER FOUR.

Xander and Wesley waded through the shallow pool of sea water that had accumulated in the cave at high tide.  The walls were coated in a fine green film of slime and the air reeked of damp and seaweed.

"There must be hundreds of these damn caves!  They all look the same!"  Xander grumbled, almost losing his footing when the floor suddenly sloped down.  "It's gonna take forever to search them all!"

Wesly shone the flashlight ahead of him, and the beam reflected back from the solid rock.  "You may be right.  This one appears to be another dead end.....Wait a minute!"  The light caught a crack in the rocks and he moved closer to it.

The crack was wide enough for him to step through easily and he emerged into a labyrinth of tunnels.  Xander followed.

The two men edged cautiously towards the maze until Wesley's flashlight picked up signs of heavy traffic, leaving numerous footprints in the mud at the entrance to one of the tunnels.  He turned off the flashlight and a faint glow eminated from the opening.  They crept along the narrow path until they heard voices.

".......to get the witches!  He hasn't returned so we must assume that they are still a danger to us."  the voice echoed through the tunnels.

Xander tapped Wesley on the shoulder and motioned for him to back up.  He hesitated for a moment wanting to hear more, then turned to follow the younger man back towards the cave entrance.

They emerged onto the beach and squinted as the brilliant sunshine hit them in sharp contrast to the darkness of the cave.  Wesley took several rocks and placed them on top of one another to mark out the entrance so they would recognise it again.
Their eyes adjusted quickly to the daylight and they broke into a run.

"We'd better find the girls and let them know!" yelled Wesley breathlessly, barely keeping up with the younger man.

They finally came across the women further up the beach.  Beth and Buffy were supporting Anya between them as she limped painfully along.

"You did it on purpose!" Anya accused Beth.  "If you hadn't snapped at me I wouldn't have slipped.  So it's your fault!"

Beth swiped Anya away leaving Buffy to support the girl on her own.  "Fine!  Ok!  I did it on purpose!  I wanted you to break your bloody neck, but you couldn't even do that right!"  With that, she stomped towards the water's edge.

Xander whisked Anya into his arms.  "What did she do?"

Buffy answered before Anya could complain again.  "She slipped on the rocks and hurt her ankle.  I don't think it's broken though.  Did you two have any luck?"

"We've found them."  stated Wesley smuggly.  "We need to regroup and plan our attack."

Anya was still complaining into Xander's ear.  "What do you mean, it's Beth's fault?  Did she push you or anything?" he whispered back.  He glanced across the beach at the brunette who was angrily tossing pebbles into the advancing waves.  Anya shook her head.

"I guess not.  But she has one wicked temper!  She'd make a great Vengence Demon!"

Buffy scowled at the remark.  It seemed Angel had been right about Beth not being as susceptible to the sedatives as the rest of them.  'Well, she'll have to have a double dose when we get back to the hotel.' she thought.

Beth stared out across the ocean, throwing rocks as hard as she could in an attempt to get rid of the aggression she was feeling.  She heard Buffy and the others calling her but chose to ignore them until Wesley ran over to her.

"Didn't you hear us?" he asked.  She stared at him coldly and he saw a thin smirk appear on her face.  'A Spikism' he thought.

"I bloody heard you!  The whold bloody town must've heard you!"  She threw another rock and turned to walk back up the beach.  "Come on, then!  Let's go!" she yelled at him.
 

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

Back at the hotel Giles had returned to find the two vampires bagging up pieces of bloody demon while the witches wiped as much of the gore up as they could.

"What, for the love of God, is that?  I only leave you for twenty minutes to get you all something to eat..."  he put the brown bags down, carefully avoiding any body parts that may still be lying on the little dresser.  "..and I come back to a butchers shop!"

He handed a bag to the vampires and they pulled out the plastic containers of blood.  "I had to get some sandwiches from the gas station up the road for the rest of us.  It seems the kitchen staff here are too busy breaking the dishes at the moment!  So what happened?"

Willow grinned and Tara began to fill the ex-watcher in on the latest news.

"A Gamorah demon by the sound of it."  muttered Giles after she had finished.  "The coven obviously know that you two have the knowledge and skill to stop them or they wouldn't have sent it!  Well done, girls!"

Angel and Spike cast a glance at each other and neither looked very pleased with themselves.   "I could've taken it out given a little more time!"  growled Spike.

"Now that I would like to see!" snorted Angel.  "You, in little ragged pieces, littered about the room!"

Buffy and Wesley came in, followed by Xander who was still carrying Anya.  He placed her on a chair that had miraculously escaped damage, or at the very least, escaped from being re-decorated Gamorah style.

Beth strode in behind them.  Her face was flushed and her eyes were filled with rage.  Spike could feel her bad mood and put his arm around her.

"You need anything, pet?" he said softly.  "I'll get one of Tara's bloody 'miracle' pills for you."

She scowled at him.  "Yeah!  Before I bloody well kill somebody!"  She glared at the group assembled in the room and pulled away from him.  She looked at the remains of the Gamorah and tutted.  "Trust me to miss out on a fight!  Looks like you enjoyed yourself!"  she spat.

Buffy beat Spike at getting the sedatives.  She handed them to Beth, who forced herself to take them from her instead of knocking her hand away.

"If we're going to launch an attack we need everyone to stay focused!" she whispered.  "You're no good to us if you're going to be fighting us instead of them......Now, everyone."  her voice got louder.  "It'll be dark soon.  Willow, are you two ready?"

Willow nodded.  "As we'll ever be!"

Buffy smiled.  "Good.  Then let's decide the best way to tackle this!"
 
 

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

"How's your temper?"  Giles whispered to his sister.   They moved quietly along the beach towards the cavern.

Beth smiled at him.  "Just peachy, at the moment.  In fact, I feel great!"  She grinned at Spike and thought how gorgeous he was with the moonlight shining on his face and making his bleached blonde locks shimmer like a halo.  She linked her arm in his and grinned wider.

"You look good enough to eat, baby!" she giggled.  "You ever seen >From Here To Eternity?  Bet we could beat the beach scene, you know, waves breakin...."

Spike scowled at Buffy.  "How many did you give her?  She's gettin' bloody well spaced out!"

"Two.  I gave her two!  I didn't think they'd have such an effect though!  If she gets any worse, we'll have to make her stay behind."  Buffy replied.

Beth tapped Buffy's shoulder.  "I can fight ok, Buff.  I'll take on anyone you like!  You just wait and see!"

Spike stopped and gripped her arms.  "Cut it out!" he threatened.  "Get a grip or I'll tie you to that rock and leave you there!"

Beth struggled to get her serious face on.  "I'll be ok, luv.  Don't worry."  He released her and they carried on walking.  "Just one thing though,...the tying up bit...maybe after we..."  She saw the irate look on her lover's face and sucked in her cheeks and looked at the ground.  "Just kiddin'!"  she smirked.

"This is it!"  whispered Wesley.  "I left a marker so we would'nt get mixed up."  Xander nodded in confirmation.

Tara checked the burlap bag that held their potion and Willow took a deep breath.
"The orb will be easy to spot.  We have to remove it from it's power centre and place it in one of our own for our reversal spell to work though."  She murmured nervously.

Angel pulled Buffy to one side.  "If they have any Gamorahs in there, keep away from them.  Spike and I had trouble fighting one, so leave it to us to try and deal with them!"

Buffy pulled a dagger from her belt.  "Don't need to.  Giles tells me this is blessed or something, so it should kill them.  Don't worry, Angel.  I'm a big girl and I've fought worse enemies!  Now let's get that orb!"
 
 
 

CHAPTER FIVE.
 

The group edged into the cavern, expecting to meet heavy resistance.  Surprisingly, it was quiet.  Wesley led them to the tunnels he and Xander had found earlier.

Buffy, Angel and Spike took the lead and squeezed down the narrow opening.  Giles walked behind his sister, frowning as she almost skipped along the tunnels without a care in the world.

They emerged into a vast cave.  The area was illuminated by candles that cast eerie shadows on the walls.  A group of robed men and women sat in a circle around a small glowing sphere in the centre of the cave.  The orb throbbed and pulsated, sending fingers of red, blue and orange light dancing across the cave, and over the congregation surrounding it.

Spike went to step forward but Angel blocked his way.  "It's too easy!" he whispered.  "Where are their guards?"  He glanced worriedly at Buffy who nodded her agreement.

Spike growled in annoyance.  Where WAS the resistance?  Why were there no demons for him to knock senseless?  He felt his temper rising and snarled as he saw Angel's eyes beginning to morph into vivid yellow.

Buffy managed to get between the two vampires and tried to maintain her composure as she too began to feel very angry.  "Fight it!" she ordered quietly.  "The sedatives are wearing off quicker than before, so we've got to try to stay calm!"

Tara and Willow stood at the rear of their group, feeling the effects of the magick that permeated through the rocky walls surrounding them.

"I don't have any more!" gasped Tara.  "There just weren't enough, damn it!"  Willow frowned at her fellow witch.  This time even Tara was not immune to the rage they all felt building inside them.

Xander pushed Giles out of his way and edged towards the front.  "So what?" he grumbled.  "Let's just fight!"

The coven finally acknowledged the Slayer and her friends and one of them, presumeably the leader, stood up and removed her hood.  Her cropped dark hair reflected the light show going on around her, giving her deceptively innocent features an almost surreal glow.

"Welcome to the party."  the woman spoke softly.  "You're just in time to...what is the word I'm looking for?  Oh yes....Die!"  She brought her fist up to her mouth and opened her fingers, blowing a fine charcoal-like dust into the air.  The walls shimmered and rippled as Buffy and her friends prepared to fight.

In an explosion of dust and shale the walls appeared to come to life as three large Gamorah demons burst forth.

Spike was first to charge forward, his vampire features already in place, and he planted a flying side kick firmly into the leading demon's torso.  He landed heavily as the demon merely stood his ground.  The vampire jumped back to his feet cursing loudly.  "Sod it!"

Angel threw himself into the frey, kicking and punching the second Gamorah.  He would have had better results pounding the walls as the demon barely acknowledged the savage attack.  He caught sight of Buffy dodging the talons of the third demon as it slashed the air where she had been standing only seconds before.

Wesley barrelled into the arena and managed to plant a few punches into the Gamorah attacking Buffy before he was thrown bodily across the cave.  He hit the rocks heavily and slumped unconscious.  Tara managed to drag the 'rogue demon hunter' out of the battlezone and Willow helped to stem the blood coming from the gash on the back of his head.

Xander and Giles advanced towards the coven, making a beeline for the Ninjara orb at their centre.  The witches stood to block their way.  The two men were more than ready to give them a fight and Giles smashed his fist into the face of one of them while Xander punched another full force in the stomach.  Two male witches pounced and Giles was knocked flat on his back.

"Get off me, you wankers!" he yelled, managing to get a foot under one of them, kicking him away.  he managed to roll and pin down the second one, punching him repeatedly in the face.

Spike attacked his creature again.  He pounded into it with fists and feet without any effect.  He managed to avoid the demon's lethal claws, but the creature's forearm hit him hard across the chest sending him flying across the cave.

Buffy wielded the dagger, thrusting it towards her demon opponent.  She would have met her target but she was suddenly sent sprawling sideways as something heavy crashed into her, knocking the knife from her grip.  She lashed out at the weight pinning her down.

"It's me, damn it, Slayer!"   The English accent was all too familiar.

"Spike!"  she yelled breathlessly.  "Move it.....now!"  She summoned up her strength and shoved the blonde vampire roughly away from her.

They both struggled to their feet and saw Angel fighting a losing battle as he was cannoned into a rocky outcrop.

The coven leader saw the fallen dagger and went to retrieve it but Beth saw her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her arm round and up her back.  "I'm really sorry about this!" she grinned.  "But I think my friend needs that!"  She pushed forward and rammed the woman hard into the wall.  As the woman reeled from the impact  Beth brought both fists down hard on the back of her neck, hearing the cracking of bone and two vertebrae shattered.

Beth saw Buffy and the two vampires still struggling to fend off the Gamorahs and she picked up the dagger.  "Buffy."  she yelled.  "Catch!"

The dagger spun and whirled in the air almost in slow motion as the Slayer leapt to retrieve it.  In one fluid movement she grasped the hilt and plunged it into the nearest demon's head.  The creature seemed to be unaffected.

Spike howled in frustration.  "Nice work, Slayer!" he spat sarcastically.  "Bloody thing's not workin'!  Stupid bint!"

Buffy fought the urge to smack him in the mouth and faced the demon again.  The Gamorah suddenly snapped it's head back and let out an ear-splitting scream.  It toppled backwards....

Spike rushed forward and pulled the blade from the now dead creature.  He charged at his opponent and plunged the dagger into his chest.  He flipped back as the creature lashed out at him, just catching his leg as it fell.  Spike yelped in pain as he felt the creature's talons slash through his jeans and slice into his thigh.

"Shit!......Bloody shit!"  he cursed as blood began to seep through the denim.

Buffy saw Angel once again picking himself up off the floor and she grabbed the dagger from Spike and ran to help.

Xander and Giles were still in the midst of the robed Benheds but they seemed to be on the winning side.  Spike limped in to help.  His fist broke the jaw of one of the witches, but a seering pain sent him reeling backwards in agony clutching his head as the chip crackled and spat in his brain.

Buffy and Angel managed to finish off the final Gamorah and were stunned with disbelief as they heard the sound of someone clapping.

"Well done, guys!"  Beth giggled.  She sat on a boulder and applauded, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

Spike was on his knees, and the blinding pain in his skull made it virtually impossible for him to move.  "I told you, you stupid tart!" he thundered at Buffy.  "She's still spaced out!  You doped her up good, you pratt!"

Willow and Tara had stayed out of the battle with the coven, but were struggling to avoid a battle between themselves.  They had managed to draw the chalk symbols beside the burlap bag in readiness for their reversal spell, but found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the work as they tried to avoid bickering with each other.

Willow watched as Xander and Giles were joined by Angel and Buffy.  "We need the orb now!...Buffy, get the orb!"  Her voice was harsh and a thinly veiled frustration echoed in it.

Beth had left her vantage point and was busy helping Spike to his feet.  She had used his torn t-shirt as a tournequet for his thigh and she helped the limping vampire to a little outcrop of rock to sit down.

She placed her hand on his now bare chest and smirked.  "Very sexy, luv."  She pouted.  "Can't wait to get you out of here........so  I can nurse you back to health of course!"  she winked at him.

The vampire was growing more agitated.  His game face was still on and if he had the strength he would have turned her over his knee and smacked her behind for playing 'silly buggers'.  Instead, he merely growled at her.  "Cut it out!  We're not playin' games, you silly cow!"  he spat.

Normally he would have got a distinctly irate response from her for that remark, but she just laughed.  "Ooh, Spike!  I love it when you talk all macho!"

Willow yelled again, this time her voice dripping with anger and sarcasm.  "When you've all finished with the 'oh, I'm the best fighter' bit, maybe you could actually get the orb for us?  Or are you all enjoying yourselves too much?"  She glared at Tara as the shy blonde swore under her breath.

Buffy moved to pick up the orb when it began to glow even brighter, giving off so much heat she couldn't get any nearer than a few feet away.  She tried to extend her hand towards the object when she recoiled in pain.  Angel grabbed her arm roughly and saw the skin on her hand was raw and small blisters were beginning to bubble up along her palm.  He tried to reach in and a bright spark caught him, sending an orange flame across his arm.  He pulled back sharply and managed to put out the fire.

Giles saw Xander dispatch the last aggressor and stepped forward.

"It senses our anger!  It's feeding off it!"  he snapped.

Buffy glared angrily at her companions.  "How the hell are we going to get it, then? None of us are exactly thinking 'sweetness and light' are we?  Who's going to get..." She stopped suddenly as she heard someone giggling again.

She stared at Beth who was sitting beside an obviously ticked off Spike, as she rambled and grinned.

The group looked at each other then back to the brunette.  Spike caught on to what they were thinking and got painfully to his feet, to stand in between his lover and the Slayer, who was walking purposefully towards them.

"No way!  No fuckin' way, Slayer! Look at yerself and soul boy there!  You're not sendin' her up in bloody flames..."  His speech was cut short as Buffy's fist met his jaw.

He counter-attacked with a punch of his own and was surprised when he found the pain in his head was getting easier for him to overcome.  He had not felt this much rage in a long time and the compulsion to keep hitting out at his former worst enemy was too hard to resist.

Angel advanced, his own rage starting to overtake him.  This would be a perfect opportunity to beat the crap out of his grand-childe, and his hissed in anticipation.

Giles moved to block his way.  "She doesn't need your help!" he spat.  His normal dislike for the tall vampire was blossoming into downright hatred.  He pushed the brunette backwards and Angel balled his fists and hit him in the solar plexus.

Xander jumped on the vampire's back and began to punch him in the head, only serving to make Angel even angrier.  He flung the young man over his shoulder just as Giles got back to his feet and lunged at him.

Spike and Buffy attacked and counter-attacked and neither one was gaining the advantage, until Buffy kicked his wounded thigh.  He grimaced in pain and flung his fist at her.

They were so engrossed in battling each other none of them saw Beth rise to her feet, humming a tune to herself.

"Oh, well." she smirked.  "S'pose it's up to me then!"  She ambled across to the orb, dodging round the combatants as one or other of them was sent careering about the cave.

Willow and Tara watched in silence, still fighting their own aggression, as their spaced-out friend headed for the orb.

Beth moved across the floor, dancing to the song she was singing.  "Dancin' with myse..elf...oh..oh,oh...dancin' with myse..e..elf.." she sang, mesmerised by the beautiful colours eminating from the orb.  She stopped, just out of arms reach of the pulsating object, and smiled.

"Ooh, aren't you a pretty thing!"  she whispered and stepped forward....
 
 
 

CHAPTER SIX.
 

Spike saw her at the last moment.  He shoved the Slayer away and raced forward.  "Beth...no!"  he yelled.  He tried to reach into the light and drag her back out but the flesh on his hand and arm began to crackle and burn.  He tried to grab her before the pain overtook him, but the flames became too much for him and he staggered backwards, beating them out.

All fighting ceased as they waited for what seemed forever until Beth finally re-appeared.  She was clutching the brilliant ball in both hands and smiling softly.

"Yes, a really pretty little...."  she shuddered as her light-hearted mood started to slowly ebb away.

"Quick!" yelled Willow.  "Place it over here!"  She pointed to the little chalked pentagram they had drawn on the sandy floor.

Beth moved towards them, feeling like she was wading through treacle.  The wound on her arm was beginning to hurt again and she felt the orb beginning to heat up in her hands.  She managed to reach the two witches and tried to place the orb on the ground.

"I can't let go.....I'm stuck to it!"  she gasped.  "Bugger it!"  she cursed and stepped into the pentagram.  "I'm going to have to hold it!  Just do this quick will you?  It's getting bloody hot!"

Tara and Willow glanced hesitantly at each other, then began to sprinkle toe contents of the burlap bag around Beth's feet.  They began to start the incantations....

Wesley was finally awake and had witnessed the arguing going on around him.  He saw Beth holding the orb, her features strained as the sphere began to glow brighter.

"Hurry up, Willow!  The sedatives are beginning to wear off!"  he urged.  "If that happens, she'll fry!"

"Goddess we beseech you, hear our pleas..."  chorused Willow and Tara.

"Hold on, Beth."  urged Giles.  "Think about something happy!"

The woman grimaced.  The orb was definitely getting hotter and heavier.  "I'm trying to! Somebody give me some ideas....please?"

Spike limped as close to her as he could, still nursing his burns.  He noticed the bandage on her arm was beginning to leak again and he forced himself to look away from the enticing blood.  He glanced at Angel and saw he was doing the same.

"Watch it,...Mate!"  he warned, and Angel made a conscious effort to look at something else; anything else!

"Hi, baby." Beth croaked.  "How you doin'?"

Spike forced a smile but couldn't quite manage to hide his game face.  "Fine.  I thought I'd try and cheer you up a bit, pet."  He took an un-needed breath and tried to think of something happy to tell her, amongst all of his dark and aggressive thoughts.

"Um, how 'bout this?  From Here To Eternity....just us, on the beach, with a full moon shinin' down on us!  The water lapping gently over our bodies...."  he stopped and saw her smile slightly.  He could hear the witches still chanting and praying.

"Not good!" whispered Giles.  "Remember!  Remember what happened at my house!"

Spike cast him a dirty look.  "Trust me, Ripper.  I know what I'm doin'!" He saw the embarrassed looks coming from the group.  'Sod 'em!' he thought.

She joined in.  "We're kissing and then....."

He interrupted.  "I jump us yellin' and prancing about buck-naked tryin' to shake the bloody huge crab that's got hold of my...............big toe!"

Beth laughed.  "Sounds like our kind of luck, pet!"   She began to shake and her voice became serious.  "Something's happening, guys!"  she warned, as the orb began to change colour to a deep green.

"Redress the balance..." chanted Tara.  "Send Preyal back to his dark domain!"

Willow blew the remaining potion from the bag into the pentagram and blue smoke began to billow around Beth and the orb.  it enveloped her completely and the could hear her as she began to panic.

"Oh, shit!....oh, bloody hell!..Oww, it's burning my bloody hands!  Spike!"  She screamed as a flash of lightning shot from the mist and flung her violently from the pentagram.
 

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

Wesley joined Giles at the bar.  The hotel was running almost normally now the spell was broken.  They had crawled back to their rooms just before dawn and had slept for most of the day.

"I telephoned Cordelia." said Wesley.  "She's feeling much better, but she's just a little worried about telling Angel we need a new computer."  He sat on the stool and picked up the beer Giles had ordered for him.

"What's wrong with it?" Angel and Buffy stood behind them.

Wesley jumped at the unexpected arrival and nearly spilled his beer.  "Um...it fell!" he mumbled in reply.  "It sort of fell from....from the window!"

Buffy and Giles laughed, much to the annoyance of the brunette.

Giles thought a change of subject would be a good idea.  "Where are the others?" he asked.

Buffy rubbed her bandaged hand, trying to scratch that irritating itch.  "Oh, Xander and Anya are having a romantic private dinner and Willow and Tara said they;ll join us later. I'm not too sure about Beth..."

Wesley grinned.  "She and Spike said something about re-enacting a movie scene, minus the crab!"
 

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

The moon began to appear from behind the clouds as the pair ambled barefoot along the beach.

"Hows the arm, and the hands?" asked Spike softly.

Beth glanced down at her palms which were red and a little tender.  "Well the arm isn't too bad, but my hands feel a bit rough!  I've had worse though!  I wish I could heal as fast as you."

He raised an eyebrow and pouted.  His arm and leg had already returned to being healthy and he smirked at her.  "Be careful what you wish for..." he whispered.

She looked up at the night sky and tentatively placed her hand on he cheek.  "Oh, I'm being careful.  The wish I'm making right now; I know it' gonna come true."  She kissed him tenderly then put a toe in the water.

"It's warm."  she grinned and pulled her t-shirt over her head and wiggled out of her skirt.  She waded into the ocean and beckoned him to follow.  He grinned and threw off his clothes to join her.

They stood together, waist deep in the salty water and just held each other for a long time.

"It's not a full moon, pet, but the moon's the moon, right?" he whispered in her ear.  She kissed his neck softly and held him tighter.

"Who cares about the moon.  I've got my wish.....I've still got you!"

He ran his hand tenderly over her breasts and smiled.  "Dressing light aren't we?  Not that I mind.  Them bloody bra clasps can be a real pain!"

"Don't get too excited!" she purred.  "You still have to find the combination to my chastity belt!"

He kissed her on the lips then trailed along her jawline with his tongue, moving his hands down to her hips.  He ran his fingers along the flimsy material of her panties and kissed her throat.

"No problem!  I once ate a locksmith!" he joked, tugging at the material until it gave way.  he waved the torn garment above his head and tossed it into the waves.  "Voila!" he exclaimed.  "At this rate, you're goin' to have to bulk buy!"

She grabbed his hand and they waded towards the shore, falling into each others arms at the water's edge, rolling together in the surf.  They came to rest with Beth on her back and Spike on top of her.  He leaned on one elbow and ran his other hand along her slim curves.

"This is where the music starts in the film."  she giggled, trailing her fingers along his lower back.

"I'll sing to you, if you like!"  he purred.  "Regrets, I've 'ad a few, but then agin too few to men shun!" he started, doing his Sid Vicious impersonation.  She slapped his buttocks playfully and he started tickling her.

"To think I killed a cat.....and may I say, not in a gay way...." he continued, getting extremely turned on by the way she was wriggling and laughing under him.  "I did it my y y y... way!"

She was laughing uncontrollably now and gasping for breath as he continued to tickle her.  "Pack it...in!"  she managed to gasp.  "Forget the...music! Not....Sex Pistols!"  Her ribs were aching from the laughter and she swiped his elbow from under him causing him to fall onto her, making the wet sand squelch around her.

She put her arms around his waist and breathed deeply, still shuddering and giggling.  She could feel his erection pressing hard against her groin as he began to kiss her.  She moaned softly into his mouth and kissed him back urgently.  His hand travelled languorously across her stomach and slowly brushed down to her soft curls.

He rested his hand momentarily between her legs and teased two fingers slowly into her.  She groaned and pulled his head closerand began to kiss his neck and ears and nipping at his earlobe.  She moved her hand between their bodies as he slid down to capture her breast with is mouth, sucking her nipple and grazing his teeth along it.

Her hand caressed his stomach and the soft down on his groin and he trembled as she ran her fingers along the length of his shaft.  He slowly withdrew his fingers and she could feel the warm juices pooling between her legs, mingling with the sea water slowly encroaching on them.

Spike leaned up on one elbow again, cupping one of her breasts in his hand and rubbing his thumb across the now hard nipple.  "You are so bloody beautiful!" he groaned, seeing the flush of colour on her cheeks and throat, her body reflecting the brightness of the night sky

A gleam came to his eyes and he smirked.  "You deserve the best, pet.  So....that's what you've got!" he joked.

Beth ran her hands down his back and squeezed his buttocks, laughing softly.  "Big head!" she teased huskily.  "It's you who's getting the best!"

He gripped her hips and slid slowly into her, pausingto feel her inner muscles take hold of him and drag him deep inside.

He covered her body completely with his own and began to move slowly, feeling her heat flooding over him.  Her lips rained kisses along his cheeks, his brow, his throat, and he pushed his arms along the sand beneath her and pulled her even closer.

Her hips moved in rhythm with his and he crushed his lips onto hers, their tongues dancing erotically with each other's.

Beth moaned loudly as she felt herself beginning to melt from the inside out.  She raked her fingernails down his back and had to remind herself to breathe.

Spike began to move faster, feeling her beginning to tense and meet his every thrust with longing and desperation.

She nipped at his neck and shoulder and her breathing became laboured as she began to buck under him.  She dug her fingers into his flesh and felt the burning growing into a raging inferno.   "Yes....oh...S..s..Spike!" she cried out as he felt her slide over the brink.

His game face dropped into place and he lowered his head towards her neck, sinking his fangs deep into her.  She tangled her fingers in his hair and held him, riding the renewed waves of pleasure that were flooding through her.

She felt his body tense and with one final thrust, he exploded into her, lifting his head to howl into the darkness as she bucked wildly under him, taking everything he had to give.

He collapsed back into her arms, both of them trembling and shaking with the aftershocks.

They lay for a long time, just holding on to each other, feeling the waves washing gently over them. Spike lifted his head and kissed the puncture marks on her neck, then turned to capture her lips, kissing her tenderly.

A thought crossed her mind and she grinned.

"What's so funny?" he asked. He saw the mischievous gleam in her eye and just knew he shouldn't have asked.

"You know you said you were going to tie me to a rock and leave me there?" she said.He nodded and waited for the next part.

"Well, you know what I said about later....."

THE END.