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Chapter 4

The next night Katerina and Spike were again at the magic shop training but Spike could quickly tell Katerina’s concentration was off. After the third time, he had seen her fail at an attempted jump kick he decided to comment. "Alright, Katie. What’s going on in that head of yours?"

Katerina growled in frustration at her own failure. "I don’t know Spike…I guess I’m just tired."

Spike moved over to sit beside her. "We’ve been doin’ this for days…you study all day…you practice all night. Maybe we should just take a break, pet. You keep goin’ tonight and you’ll end up hurting yourself."

Katerina sighed, she didn’t want to admit it…but it was true. She was not going to get anything done tonight.

"Why don’t we go out or something? Anything that doesn’t have to do with being a Slayer. Buffy goes out all the time. You gotta give yourself…and me…a break."

"Give me a half-hour break, then we will try again. If I’m still a klutz, then we’ll take off…alright?"

Spike smiled at her determination. Katerina hated to quit.

Katerina took her break, wandering around the magic shop. Glancing through the books, she found one that caught her eye. Walking proudly back into the training room, she presented it to Spike with smirk. "I think I found a distraction."

Spike stared at her in confusion. Her eyes smiled back at him, her eyebrow raised in a challenge. Spike recognized the look that had enticed him in what seemed like so long ago. He glanced down at the book and immediately understood the challenge.

It was a volume of Riverside Shakespeare – the complete works. Spike sighed and nodded his agreement. * Why do I feel like I am going to regret this * he thought to himself. Katerina had found her energy again and was sitting on the floor searching for the page. Spike joined her and tried to remember the last time he had done this. Maybe sixty years ago? Maybe a hundred? Dru had loved for him to read to her and Shakespeare spoke to Dru for some reason. Angelus would try to read to her, but she would not have him. Only her Spike could make the words come alive, she would say. Spike smiled to himself at the talent that he used to possess. Maybe still possessed…he would soon find out.

Act IV scene v Taming of the Shrew

Pertuchio (Spike): Come on a’ God’s name, once more toward our father’s.

Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon!

Kate (Katerina): The moon! The sun – it is not moonlight now.

Pet.: I say it is the moon that shines so bright.

Kate: I know it is the sun that shines so bright.

Pet.: Now by my mother’s son, and that’s myself

It shall be moon, or star, or what I shall list,

Or ere I journey to your father’s house –

Go on, and fetch our horses back again. –

Evermore cross’d and cross’d, nothing but cross’d!

Kate: Forward pray, since we have come so far,

And be it the moon, or sun, or what you please;

And if you please to call it a rush-candle,

Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me.

Pet: I say it is the moon

Kate: I know it is the moon

Pet: Nay then you lie; it is the blessed sun

Kate: Then God be blest, it is the blessed sun,

But sun it is not, when you say it is not;

And the moon changes even as your mind.

What you will have it nam’d, even that it is,

And so it shall be so for Katherine.

Once their scene was done, Katerina looked up at Spike in amazement. It was not a difficult passage, but he delivered his lines with a style and grace that she had no idea he possessed. His voice was clear and strong, adding the proper inflection of sarcasm for the silly lines. She was speechless.

Spike looked at the sexy brunette whose jaw had just dropped. He rewarded her with a cocky smile and placed a kiss on her forehead. "So, pet, we gonna continue with the shrew or do you want to move onto something with violence and angst?"

After hours and many scenes shared together, Katerina let Spike take over. He read her soliloquies of his favorite plays until she finally fell asleep in his arms.

Spike watched her sleep and allowed a smile to cross his face. He remembered the way she looked at him when he first began to read. He knew she was well educated and loved the arts. She must have seen dozens of presentations and adaptations of these plays, but when she looked at him, it was like she was hearing the words for the first time. It was intoxicating. Spike adored the power he held over his small audience. She was definitely not Buffy. She was something else entirely. Nothing he had ever experienced before. Buffy was very much like him: wild and impatient, violent and dominating, insecure and cocky. Katerina was all of those things, but at the same time, none of them. She was just different. Completely opposite from him in so many ways. She had class, confidence, patience…a style all her own that changed with each situation. She didn’t make him crazy…only happy. Yes, definitely happy. He smiled to himself and hugged the brunette into his body as he drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Giles had decided to ask for Spike’s help that night at the magic shop. Katerina had been visiting him daily to update him on her progress. To avoid questions, they would meet for an early afternoon tea at his house. His afternoon absences were never noticed since he had always left at the same time, as he always had to do any business. Katerina would go into detail about Spike’s attempts at lesson plans and organization. She had been making great progress. Preparing herself both physically and mentally for what was to come. Giles still had not been able to figure out what her plan was…and she hadn’t volunteered even a hint. He figured it would come out eventually.

Her description of Spike’s help and attitude had proven quite surprising. His devotion to training her and the patience and gentleness that he showed were a credit to him. Giles knew that Spike had nothing to gain from the French girl, except companionship. His motives had to be considered selfless. How a soulless vampire had managed to have so much character was still a mystery to Giles but he had finally accepted it.

He quietly walked into the shop, not wanting to disturb their training. He made his way to the back room and opened the training room door. He found Spike sitting on the couch and Katerina with her head curled onto his lap half-asleep. Neither the vampire nor his trainee had noticed him enter. Spike was concentrating on the text he was reading and Katerina smiled intently as she listened with her eyes closed.

Act I, Scene I, The Tragedy of Richard the Third

Gloucester [Spike]: Now is the winter of our discontent

Made glorious summer by this son York;

And all the clouds that low’r’d upon our house

In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

Giles could not believe the scene before him. Spike, the master vampire, had mesmerized him with the poetry of his voice. His choice of Richard the third was particularly ironic. Richard complaining of everyone referring to him as a monster struck a cord with Giles. How deeply Spike was misunderstood, and yet Richard was a monster in the end…* but only time can complete the irony of this. * he thought to himself.

He watched Spike staring at Katerina who had fallen asleep during the soliloquy and understood the appreciation in his eyes. He too found Katerina an impressive, complex woman. She reminded him constantly of the wonderful man that her father had been.

Giles hated to disturb the blond from whatever peaceful thoughts he might be having, but it was important that they talked and better if Katerina was not part of it.

He silently walked over to the couple and crouched down beside Spike. "Spike…" he whispered.

Spike was jolted from his thoughts and panicked "What’s wrong? Is it Buffy?"

Giles was taken aback by the fear and love in Spike’s eyes as he asked about the well being of the younger Slayer. Giles had assumed that Spike’s infatuation with Buffy had dissipated once his relationship with Katerina had begun. It was obvious from one look that that was not the case.

"What? Oh…um…no…nothing is wrong with Buffy. I just need to speak with you. Alone."

Spike nodded and carefully got off the couch without disturbing Katerina.

"She was so tired." Spike commented as he joined Giles in the main part of the Magic Box. "She just keeps training and training like her life depends on it."

"Some day it might." Giles reflected on Katerina being ready to start moving into the real battlefield.

Reading his mind, Spike shook his head. "She’s not ready yet. There is only so much I can teach her, especially with the chip. She is not nearly as strong as Buffy yet."

"You will have to let her go some time." Giles said quietly, finding it ironic that he sympathized with the vampire.

"Which?" Spike questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Which what?"

"Which were you referring to, Watcher? Who do I have to let go of?"

"Oh…well both I assume…" He commented almost under his breath. Spike frowned and opted not to respond.

"So what do you want, Rupert? Needed someone to share a cup of tea with at one in the morning" Spike pulled out a cigarette and lit it, waiting for the Watcher to get to the point.

"Spike, I…we need your help."

******

There was a knock at the door, Euan Rice looked up and sighed. "Come in" he said in a frustrated tone.

"Master Euan," a vampire said respectfully as he walked into the office. "We are ready to leave for the hunt. Are there special instructions?"

Euan thought for a moment and nodded. "I believe it is time for us to smoke out the rabbit."

The vampire looked at him confused, hoping he would explain his instructions more simply.

"It is time to get our prize out of hiding." he explained as he shook his head at the vampire’s stupidity. "We are going to leave a trail for Hanzel and Gretel because they are having a hard time finding the house."

"Who?"

Euan practically growled at the fledgling. "Look you stupid, undead dimwit. You don’t need to understand why. All you need to do is drop this by one of our victims tonight. When she comes looking for me…I’ll be waiting for her."

The vampire still looked confused but took the item held out to him. He glanced at the photo and mumbled, "Nice tits." as he walked out the door.

******

Spike felt bad about making up an excuse to get out of the training session planned for this evening. He really hated to lie to Katerina, especially when he knew she saw right through him. He couldn’t risk telling her the truth. She would want to join him on this little reconnaissance mission for Giles. She just wasn’t ready yet, he kept telling himself, but it didn’t make him feel any better for lying. He lit another cigarette and noted he was almost done with his new pack.

He had completed two sweeps of every cemetery and still had not come across a single demon. Not only was he bored, but also he was starting to get the creeps. Sunnydale was never this quiet unless there was something major about to happen, or something terrorizing the demons. Either way, it gave him the creeps.

About two hours before dawn, he had just about given up hope of meeting something evil, when he tripped over something. His fall was broken by something soft and warm…and wet. He crawled off of it and immediately smelt the blood that covered him. It was the body of a young girl, with he head completely ripped off. Spike was surprised when he began to gag. He had seen and done worse murder scenes but none of them had ever made such an impact. He sat on the grass beside the body and stared at it. After a moment he noticed that there was something in the girl’s hand that appeared to be placed there after her death.

Spike reached out and removed the folder paper and discovered it was a photo. The familiar eyes that smiled back at him made him gag for the second time that evening. She was definitely younger in the photo, but it was clearly her…his Kate. Without looking back, he walked out of the cemetery and straight towards the one person he felt might have some answers.

Spike stood nervously at the front door to Giles’s house as he ran the doorbell for the third time. It was still more then an hour until daybreak, but he didn’t want to take any chances. Finally, Spike heard movement inside the house and the latch to the door being removed. Giles cautiously opened the door and gasped at the vampire that stood before him covered in blood. The blonde’s face was paler then usual.

"Dear Lord! What happened?" Giles choked as he motioned for the vampire to enter. "Were you attacked?"

Spike looked down at himself and realized just how bad he must have appeared. "The blood’s not mine. I didn’t find any packs but they left a present for me." Spike began to remove the blood stained T-shirt that was completely disgusting him. As he stripped he explained how he had found a mutilated body, clutching a photo.

He handed the photo to Giles and waited for the reaction. Giles said nothing as he walked over to the couch and sat down. He removed his glasses and began rubbing his eyes. With a sigh he mumbled, "This is all about her, isn’t it?" And he dropped the blood stained picture on the carpet as if it hurt him to continue holding it.

"‘Fraid so, mate," Spike shook his head in disbelief. "They wanted me to find it. Ain’t no way that this isn’t a setup."

A change went across the Watcher’s face. He suddenly appeared determined. He spoke harshly. "We need her to get here. Do you have enough time to fetch her before dawn?" Spike looked outside and nodded.

"Good. Call her so she’s ready. Tell her to pack for a few days. She’s moving in here. This is not up for discussion. I will make some calls. Prepare the gang and we’ll meet back here. Tell her we need to know everything." Spike nodded and picked up the phone; this was going to be a bad day.

Giles had left within minutes of Spike confirming Katerina’s agreement. When Spike arrived at Katerina’s apartment she was packed and ready to go. She had obviously taken a quick shower since her hair was still damp. Spike noted that her wet hair smelled lightly of a strawberry shampoo. Spike had regrettably returned to his bloody shirt. If Katerina had noticed the dried blood, she had not commented.

They greeted each other with a simple nod and walked quickly to Giles’ without a word. The sun rose not five minutes after they arrived at the house. Katerina quickly covered all windows that might allow sunlight to spill in, while Spike went upstairs to shower.

******

"Well?" Euan asked as the scared vampire entered his office.

"Master Euan, the photo is in the hands of the vampire Spike. He was seen leaving the cemetery with it in hand." The scared vampire pronounced timidly. He knew that the photo was intended for the Slayer or the girl.

"Spike? Hmmm…William the Bloody…" The old man ran his fingers over his gray mustache pensively. "Well, it is as good as in the hands of the Slayer. My sources tell me that they have been working together for quite some time."

The vampire relaxed a moment, realizing that his trip had been a success.

"And our headquarters? Is it prepared for the trap?"

The vampire nodded. "Yes, master. As per your instructions"

"They will come tonight…after sun down. This group is far too predictable." Euan smiled. "You may go…but check with me every hour. There will be need for a ceremony in a few hours."

******

Chapter 5

Giles had gone to the Magic Box to make a number of phone calls. He had woken Buffy and asked her to gather the gang at her place and that, yes; he knew it was five thirty in the morning.

When Giles arrived at Buffy’s, Anya, Xander, Willow, and Tara were already there, gathered in the living room. Everyone turned to him expectantly.

Giles let out a sigh and shook his head. "There is something…something that I need to tell you about before we go any further."

"Are you gay?" Anya offered up.

"What? Oh…no…I’m not gay, Anya." Giles let out another sigh and sat on the couch "It has to do with a visitor that came by a few weeks ago."

The Scoobies looked amongst themselves and, with a shrug, gathered around Giles. If it was not for the grim look on the Watcher’s face, it would have mirrored a scene of children gathering around for him to read a bedtime story.

"When I was in my late teens, approximately 19, I met a young man not much older than I, named St. Just, Jean St. Just. He had just come over from France to pursue the study of magic. St. Just and I had a number of common friends and began to practice magic together. I found him to be a fine man with strong moral discernment and an understanding of the supernatural. Over time we discussed my involvement with the Watcher’s Council and it’s purpose. His interest was piqued and he took the necessary steps to become involved. The foundation immediately recognized his potential. He was asked to study the role of a watcher. St. Just was a quick study and extremely well trusted and liked. He was given the honour of being the youngest Watcher ever to be asked to teach a Slayer. The Council will never repeat that mistake."

Giles removed his glasses and began to clean them. He sighed and looked around the group before he continued. They were all looking at him with interest, except for Buffy who appeared to be very impatient for the watcher to get to the point.

"St. Just was appointed an Italian Slayer named Bianca. The tales of Bianca’s wit and beauty are likely still whispered in the halls of the Council building today. The story of Bianca and St. Just was entirely removed from the Council archives and their names were never to be spoken. The Council feared the impact of just this one incident on the entire Watcher process."

"So what happened?" Willow asked anxiously.

"St. Just and Bianca fell in love."

"That’s it? They fell in love?" Xander questioned. "Is there laws against that?"

"Well…yes…there are Council laws. As a Watcher you take a pledge. If you are a Watcher and you fall in love with your Slayer, it totally compromises our role…and…"

"Ok…so against the rules, fine…but doesn’t it sound like to Council went overboard. Removing it from the archives, yikes!" Willow gasped.

"You have to understand, the romantic story of the beautiful Bianca and her handsome young watcher working side by side for years and then falling in love... well let’s just say the myth could easily be as seductive to a Watcher as some say Bianca was. The Council feared that just the tale itself was worse then the action. If this was part of their history, who knows how many Watchers would be tainted by the romance of a Watcher/Slayer relationship."

Giles looked at Buffy giving her a nervous look. Buffy looked at nothing but the carpet, suddenly she felt really weird hearing this story.

"So what happened? Did the council kill them?" Anya exclaimed, overly excited at the thought.

Giles made a small smile at what should have been a ridiculous statement. "Fortunately, we will never know what the council would have done. They ordered St. Just to return from Italy, but he refused and both Slayer and Watcher fled and were never heard of since…"

"How did the council find out about them? I’m sure they didn’t volunteer the information." Tara asked shyly.

"St. Just had made the mistake of trusting his secret to a friend in a letter. There is no such thing as a personal letter to the Council and his was intercepted and read." Giles waited, but knew he did not need to name the friend that had involuntarily betrayed him. "As much as I defended him, I could not restore his place in the Council. I had communicated with him once or twice after he fled. I wanted to get a message to him that the Council was still not ready to accept him back, although I’m sure he did not want or need their forgiveness. The last message I received from him was that a short note, simply one line that Bianca had died in a fight with a vampire. That was only three years after they had fled."

"Oh…that is such a sad story." Willow sighed and hugged Tara close.

Xander pulled Anya into a hug when he noticed her eyes were threatening to spill over.

Buffy had been trying to fight off the emotions the story had being surfacing. The injustice of the Council. The injustice of the life of the Slayer. Love found and lost too quickly. These were the stories of her life and she did not want to relive them. Coolly, she put on a stone face and turned to her watcher. "Giles, what does this have to do us? And at 6 o’clock in the morning? The sappy story is over and I don’t seem to be any farther ahead in the knowledge department."

The gang looked at her in shock. They were still emotional from the story and Buffy’s words sounded much harsher than she had intended.

Giles just sighed at Buffy. He knew she was in Slayer mode for some reason, so down to business. "Ah, yes…the point. Some of you may remember Katerina who came to see me at the Magic Box?"

"Totally hot chick with the curves in all the right places?" Xander suggested.

Giles sighed again "Yes, Katerina is very, um, provocative…" The group exchanged looks and Giles sighed again. "Back to the point…Katerina is the daughter of Jean St. Just and Bianca Puzzo."

Buffy’s eyes widened. "What?"

"Katerina came to me looking for help. She had only found out about her mother since her father died not two years ago. She wanted help developing her skills as a Slayer…if she has any. There are no records of Slayers bearing children so we do not know if it is hereditary."

"Well she has some…" Buffy mumbled under her breath.

Again, the group looked at Buffy in confusion. Buffy sighed and reluctantly explained what she had witnessed at the magic shop.

"So, why Spike? If she’s looking for a Watcher…"

"I told her I could not." Giles glanced up at Buffy and gave a half smile.

Buffy smiled back at him and got up to give him a hug.

The Scoobies all went "aww" and broke the moment.

Giles cleared his throat and re-focused. "We need to get to my house. Spike and Katerina are waiting there. There is more to this story than what I know."

Spike had showered and Kate threw his disgusting clothes into the washer. Since they were still in the dryer, Spike had opted for a robe that he found in Giles’s closet. Despite Katerina’s assurances that he should just stay in a towel, Spike had decided to look like "punk kid in his dad’s robe" as Katerina put in.

She was still teasing him mercilessly when the gang arrived. He had decided to retaliate and had her pinned on the floor with her arm twisted around back, and was screaming, "Stop laughing. Stop your bloody laughing or I’ll break it." Regardless of the slight pain he was inflicting, Katerina continued to giggle. Spike’s chip began a warning tingle.

"Spike! What the hell are you doing?" Giles hollered.

The two looked up to find an audience to their little display of silliness. Spike released Katerina and straightened his robe and sat on the couch behind him in a pout.

"Ha, Ha…you got caught…" She turned to laugh at him, rubbing her arm. She sat beside him and gently punched him in the side. "Stop your pouting…you look like more of a poofter in the robe when you let your lower lip stick out like that."

Spike growled at her. He looked up at the gang that had walked in. They were trying their best to hide their chuckles. Spike looked back at Katerina, who gave him an innocent smile. Spike rolled his eye and left the room, mumbling something about checking on his clothes.

"Is that my robe?" Giles questioned as Spike walked into the laundry room.

"Yes! He looks pathetic in it, doesn’t he…well in a cute way. I told him to stay in a towel, but he didn’t think that Buffy could handle seeing his sexy abs."

"WHAT?"

Katerina smiled. "Oh relax, hon, I’m just trying to get your attention." Katerina looked around the room and then back at Giles. "Rupert…I don’t think I’ve been properly introduced to everyone."

"Ah yes…I suppose you haven’t. This is Willow and Tara."

"Willow, Tara? Nice to meet you." Katerina smiled sincerely at the couple.

Willow and Tara gave her a sad smile that she didn’t understand.

"And you’ve met Anya and Xander." Giles motioned to the ex-demon and her boyfriend.

"Yes. At the Magic shop, right?" Katerina nodded to the two.

"I’m sorry about your parents." Anya blurted out. The gang stared at her.

"I’m sorry…what? About my parents? I don’t understand." Katerina looked at Anya in confusion.

"You’ll have to excuse Anya. She hasn’t figured out some of the finer points of introductions." Xander offered up.

Katerina frowned and looked at Giles. Giles let out a sigh "Katerina, I had to explain to them who your parents were. After what Spike found this morning I think we need everything out in the open."

"What Spike found this morning? What did Spike find this morning?" Katerina allowed panic to creep through her voice and her last words caught in her throat.

As she was speaking, Spike returned to the room dressed in his typical tight black t-shirt and black jeans. "What I found this morning, pet, is a picture of you clutched in the hand of a headless body." Spike moved over to Giles’s desk and pulled out the photo and handed it to Katerina.

The room was silent as the blood-covered picture was passed from person to person. Katerina felt nauseous. Spike recognized her sign of panic and moved toward her. Standing behind her, he placed one hand on her hip and intertwined the other with her hand. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "How you dealing there, Kat?" and gently squeezed her hand.

Kate smiled at his sentiment and shifted her weight slightly to lean against his strong chest. She whispered back "I’ll be alright…but Spike, don’t go too far."

Buffy was the only one close enough to the couple to hear the exchange. She looked at Katerina and Spike and saw the trust that they shared. She felt a pang of loneliness come across her. The scenes that she had observed between the two demonstrated such a wide range of levels to their relationship. They were clearly passionate toward each other, they had fun together, they worked together and they obviously comforted each other. Buffy was surprised at the ache she had in her heart as she watched them. She couldn’t be jealous. Spike had nothing to offer her in terms of a relationship, she was sure of it. * So why did he have something to offer another human, another Slayer? * Buffy thought. With a sigh she pushed the regret that she was feeling away. * There will be time to worry about this later. *

The gang gathered into the living room and got comfortable. They all knew that there was more to the story that needed to be told. Spike sat on a comfortable chair, with Katerina sitting on the floor at his feet. Buffy, Xander and Anya shared the couch. Tara and Willow sat on the small step, leading to the front door and Giles sat in his chair beside his desk. The Scoobies chatted about the weather and the Bronze until Giles finally interrupted.

"Perhaps," Giles cleared his throat to get the room’s attention. "Perhaps we should begin with Katerina sharing what she knows about why someone might be after her."

Katerina sighed and Spike instinctively tightened his grip around her shoulders. Buffy unexpected winced seeing the intimate sign of support.

"I really don’t want you to be dragged into this," She glanced around the room and received some supportive smiles. She stopped at Giles, "Rupert, this threat…this fight…it’s between me and him. I don’t think we should drag anyone else into this…it’s not fair."

Buffy responded. "If this Big Bad is killing people in my town to get to you, then he just picked a fight with me."

"With all of us." Willow piped in.

Buffy nodded and added, "Tell us the story and we will decide how much we should be involved."

Katerina was not convinced and turned to give Spike a frown, wanting support for her argument.

Spike shook his head "Don’t look at me, luv. That’s what these people do. It’s what they’ve always done…don’t ask me why they give a shit. I never understood it."

Katerina shrugged her shoulders and decided to start from the beginning. "Three years ago, my father died. I was left alone for the first time in my life. I had no idea about my mother, until I found my father’s notes from when he was her Watcher. Foolishly, I tried to contact the Council. I had no idea that he had been in hiding. My father would have told me eventually to prepare me…but he had died suddenly. I received nothing back from the Council, no acknowledgment of my letter to them at all. I proceeded with my life…working, living…as normal as I could be."

The Scoobies all tried to avoid looking at Buffy. They new Katerina had no idea the irony of a Slayer trying to live a normal life.

"All that changed one day, about five months ago. I received an anonymous note. All it said was: ‘You are being watched. Prepare yourself.’ I was concerned but didn’t change my pattern of life. I had things to do. I had to support myself and couldn’t worry about a note that could easily be an empty threat. Then they got sloppy. I started noticing the same people in the different restaurants I would eat at. Those same people in my office building. Once I spotted them, it became obvious. That picture…I remember when that was taken…I was being taken out for lunch after completing a project. I can’t believe how much of my life was on display…it was disgusting."

Spike felt a pang of guilt for the times he had followed her and watched her every move, first at the Bronze then in the cemetery. It must have brought back nasty memories.

"One day I lost my temper…half French, half Italian…let’s just say patience isn’t my strong suit. So I fought back. I followed the guy who I knew was following me. I found him and I confronted him. All cool and full of myself, I walked up to him and started demanding answers." Katerina shook her head at her own stupidity and rubbed her hands over her face.

"What happened?" Tara asked softly.

Katerina let out a sarcastic laugh. "I surprised him, said my piece and waited for him to respond. At first he was taken aback, but once he realized that I had no plan other than yelling at him, he jumped me. Beat the crap out of me and walked away. He was obviously instructed not to kill me or he would have. Great plan eh? Ever done anything that stupid?"

Katerina was shocked at the amount of nods she got from everyone around the living room. Either they were humoring her or this group was a bunch of suicidal evil fighters.

Deciding not to ask, she opted to continue. "So, when I got myself out of the hospital, I decided to have a plan next time. I reread my father’s notes and everything I could find about my parents and the Watcher’s Council. I found nothing that could help explain why anyone would be following me. The only thing that I did find out was that my father really only had one person he trusted in the council and that was Rupert Giles. I tracked him down and found out that he was still helping the current Slayer, even though he had been removed from the Council. I set off to Sunnydale to find some answers."

"When I found Rupert and we talked, it became clear that there was much more to my family’s story then what my father had told me. Suddenly it made sense that I had unknown enemies. Rupert provided my with books to research who it might be."

"So you didn’t come here to see if you had Slayer powers?" Spike asked surprised and a little hurt that this was the first he had heard all of this.

Katerina gave him a shy, guilty smile. "No, I didn’t…but Rupert mentioned to me about testing my Slayer ability…and I began to realize that I may need to defend myself someday. So I asked him to help me and he declined…that’s when I asked you."

Buffy gave Giles a smile of thanks for giving her priority.

"You should have told me the whole story. We could have helped," Giles said. "Well, I guess that leads us to today and the item the Spike found. You are clearly the target of someone who is manipulating vampires. I don’t believe that a Master vampire would be after you…it doesn’t make sense. But it is vampires who have been causing the attacks around here…"

"What attacks?" Katerina asked, concerned that her presence was jeopardizing people’s safety. Buffy jumped in and explained about the weird vampire attacks that were happening.

"We believe they are being manipulated by magic." Willow commented once Buffy had finished. The group turned towards Willow as she held up the photo of Katerina. The picture now had a golden dusty glow sprinkled over the surface.

"Will and I have been thinking that maybe the master was human…and maybe he was controlling them by magic." Tara added nervously.

Willow smiled at her lover and added, "Well it was Tara really that thought of the idea…so just now we did a enchanted trace spell. It would make anything that had been effected by magic appear to glow."

"Excellent thinking ladies! Yes, the influence of magic would seem to make sense…particularly if this is being orchestrated by a human."

Everyone was intently staring at the photo, when the phone rang.

******

Euan Rice stood in the center of the room, eyes closed and arms clasped in front of his chest. He was dressed in a long purple cape, with a simple black shirt and slacks underneath. He slowly opened his eyes and began to gaze at the vampires that were currently encircling him. He turned gracefully around to room looking each vampire in the eye as he turned. Some winced at his stare that seemed to burn through them. His penetrating look made them feel naked and weak.

The room began to fill with a scent and light smoke of incense burning. Euan opened his mouth and began to chant in Latin. The scarred vampire took a step forward and began translating for the group. "Powerful Eaden, son of Hades, keeper of the darkness. We beseech you to enter our minds. Let us act as one to defeat our enemy. Lead us to our victory tonight. Serve us our vengeance."

Wind whipped through the room, dowsing the light from the candle-lit room.

Their Master let out a loud cry, throwing his arms in the air. "We will be victorious!" He screamed to the bloodthirsty audience.

******

"Yes? Yes, I see. Yes…I understand…not a word…completely understood…Well, yes…thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Good night." Giles set the phone back on the receiver.

All eyes turned to him expectantly. "That was Quentin Travers. I phoned him this morning for some more information about who might be looking for Katerina." Katerina’s eyes went wide. "Oh…no…don’t worry. I didn’t come out and ask him for what I was looking for. I would trust him as far as I could throw him. You see, there is a very short list of key Council members that are still alive that would have been angered by your father’s betra…um…departure from the Council. I simply made up a story about why I needed to contact them…they are specialists in their fields. Back to the point…there were three men that controlled the Council at the time. They were referred to as the Triumvirate. The three were all rather upset about the disruption of the Council. They each blamed each other for what had occurred. Their bickering and accusations wore away at the Council’s power and threatened its very existence. Eventually the rest of the Council placed a vote of no confidence in the three. They stayed on as advisors to the Council, but from then on only one Watcher was ever placed in control, to avoid a repeat of the Triumvirate."

"All because a Slayer and a Watcher fell in love?" Xander questioned.

"Heavens, no! They had plenty of other things to argue about, but the St. Just story was always their "ace in the pocket", so to speak, to bring out as a sore spot to any of them. They would use it to manipulate each other."

Katerina cringed at how her history was a strange twist of fate that had affected so many lives. "So what did Travers tell you?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"It appears that a certain Euan Rice, a member of the Triumvirate, has not been an active member of the Council for some time. Travers is not entirely sure of his whereabouts. The other two are dead."

"Well I guess that narrows it down. Where do we find this Rice guy?" Spike asked. He continued the pacing that he had started when he lost patience with this drawn out story.

"I don’t believe finding him will be an issue. He wants Katerina to find him. He left the picture to get her attention, he must want her to walk into a trap." Giles removed his glasses and began to clean them.

"Fine. I’m in. He doesn’t know that I have any Slayer strength…I can take him by surprise." Katerina jumped out of her chair and began to walk towards the door.

"Kate! You get your ass back over here! You are not ready for this." Spike demanded as he jumped across the room and grabbed for her arm. Katerina swung her arm out of reach and glared at him. "We need a plan, luv. Or your just gonna get yourself killed."

Katerina stopped and looked around the room. * This is so frustrating * "Fine! A plan…any ideas?" She commented sarcastically.

There was a significant pause, before Willow finally spoke up. "Tara and I could use this picture to do a locator spell. If this guy is close enough we should be about to find out where he is."

"Anya and I can do some background work on this guy…we might be able to find out something about how dangerous he is." Xander offered with a smile.

"That’s a good idea Xander," Giles nodded "I can help you with the research. I believe I have copies of some of the Council’s archives that might show us personality, tendencies…we might be able to find his Achilles Heel."

Spike looked around the room and nodded "Good. Buffy and I will start to plan our attack. If we are ready, we will go tonight."

Katerina looked at Spike in confusion. "What? You’re not including me in your plan?" She turned to him so that they were nose to nose and only a few inches apart.

Spike saw her temper flaring and decided to speak slowly and softly, "Kat…you’re not ready…Buffy and me can handle this."

"You and Buffy?" Katerina choked. She realized too late the venomous jealousy that dripped from her tone. Spike caught it first and if his face could flush it would have, he looked to the floor to avoid eye contact. * When had this situation gotten so confusing? * he thought to himself.

From across the room there was a very different sentiment. Buffy tried desperately to hide the smile that had spread across her face and the blush that had instantly risen to her cheeks. Her reaction was instant and sincere. She was honoured, but couldn’t explain why.

Giles desperately observed the entire interaction and the reaction of the three. * When had this situation gotten so complicated? * he thought to himself. Trying to rescue all three, he interjected. "Katerina, the only experience you’ve had was with Spike during training. Spike can’t even fight you properly with the chip. It really would be too dangerous to give you your first test with Euan Rice."

" Then test me now." Katerina shrugged her shoulders and handed out her palms offering to cooperate.

Spike and Giles exchanged looks, and as if reading each other’s minds they nodded. Giles stood and walked over to Buffy. "Buffy, I think we will need your help for this…"

Minutes later the gang had dispersed. Tara and Willow were off to gather ingredients from the Magic Box. Anya and Xander joined them to retrieve the books that Giles had listed. Spike was standing inside the house pacing, even though he was supposed to be getting some rest. Buffy, Katerina and Giles were in his backyard preparing to "test".

I can’t believe they decided to do this outside…in the bleeding sunlight. * Spike growled in frustration at not being able to see Buffy battle his student. Spike began to search for a sheer drape that he could look through without committing suicide.

Katerina and Buffy circled each other. Buffy had been reluctant to agree, but in the end it seemed the only way to convince Katerina that she should not participate on the raid. Katerina was anxious, edgy to prove herself. She knew she was ready, she just needed to prove it.

Katerina lunged first, showing her impatience. Buffy dodged Katerina, but caught her arm on the way past. Holding her arm tight, she used the brunette’s own momentum to flip her over flat on her back.

"Patience! For god sake wait for your moment!" The girls heard a shout from inside the house. They turned to see Spike standing at a bay window behind a white see-through curtain, obviously just thick enough to make the sunlight indirect.

"Look who’s talking!" Both Slayers sarcastically snapped back at him in unison. They turned to each other and laughed at their joint insult. For the first time they connected. Looking at each other they realized that they were not enemies, but kindred spirits.

"Let’s go again." Katerina smiled.

This time she was patient. Let Buffy circle her and form a plan. She allowed herself to appear too casual, misleading the blonde into overconfidence. Buffy saw the slip and attacked with a quick round house. Katerina was waiting for it and grabbed her leg mid-kick. Buffy looked at her in surprise and Katerina smiled back at her and raised one eyebrow. Katerina used Buffy’s leg for balance and gave the younger Slayer and powerful snap-kick to the face. Buffy’s head flew backwards, making a snapping noise. Katerina released her leg allowing Buffy to fall to the ground. The petite blonde rose from the grass, holding her bleeding nose. "Um…ouch…" Buffy looked wide-eyed at Giles. "Perhaps we should use some protection if we want to be able to fight tonight?"

Giles looked at the circles forming under Buffy’s eyes and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I believe that would be wise."

Buffy and Katerina sat on the grass talking, while Giles searched for facemasks and body padding.

Spike stood in the window watching his Slayers talk like friends. It felt weird to see them together, but good at the same time. He was ready to burst with pride when he saw Buffy’s head snap backwards and within seconds he was pained from the blood he saw pouring from her face. All the emotions he was experiencing conflicted each other.

After a few more rounds of fighting, the two girls were lying on the grass in Giles’ backyard, bruised, exhausted and sweaty. They were also laughing hysterically. Buffy truly enjoyed fighting someone full strength and testing her abilities. It was also nice to know that this fight would not end in one of their deaths. "I think you are ready." Buffy stated with finality as she removed her facemask. Katerina smiled with satisfaction as she removed her own.

Chapter 6

When Willow and Tara returned from the Magic Box, it was clear that a decision had been made. Buffy and Katerina were standing in Giles’ living room both dressed for battle. Buffy wore her typical black leather pants and tight white tank top. Katerina had completely changed her appearance. The brunette now had her hair tied back in a loose braid. She wore a tight black T-shirt and black combat shorts that were cut off perhaps a little too short. Her black chunky combat boots rose almost to the knee. Buffy was kneeling at her side helping to tie a stake/knife holster to her bare thigh.

Willow cringed inwardly at the confident stature of Katerina that radiated sexy and dangerous. She understood why Xander found the French woman attractive, but she did not share his opinion. She found Katerina’s confidence too intimidating. The redhead looked nervously at her lover and noticed Tara sinking behind Willow out of Katerina’s line of vision. Willow reached back to grab Tara’s hand to give it a squeeze.

“Oh good, you’re back.” Buffy commented as she looked up to notice the audience.

Willow’s eyes widened at the sight of her best friend. “Buffy! What happened to you?”

Tara took at step closer to examine the black and blue strip running across Buffy’s nose and under each eye.

Buffy scrunched her nose in confusion and felt a sharp pain from the damaged cartilage. “Oh my nose…it’ll heal by tonight.” she commented and reached up to rub the sensitive area.

“So soon?” Katerina interrupted, trying to sound disappointed. She gave a laugh at Buffy’s scowl and a soft punch to Buffy’s shoulder. “Jeepers! I was just kidding…not like you didn’t leave me with a going away present either!” And she turned her face to show off a nasty bruise on the left side of her jaw.

The witches exchanged wide-eyed glances and decided not to ask for details.

"Xander, Anya, and Rupert are in the kitchen comparing notes from their research. Spike is upstairs sleeping, I was just about to wake him," Katerina looked at her watch impatiently. " We only have two hours until sundown to make a plan."

Katerina stood outside Giles bedroom door and knocked softly. “It's open.” she heard in a gruff and sleepy British accent from behind the door. She slowly opened it to find the room in complete darkness. She sighed at her lack of night vision and fumbled her hand along the wall searching for a switch. Hearing her frustration, Spike commanded in a soft voice of someone half asleep, “Two small steps straight ahead and turn to your left and you will be facing the bed”.

Katerina did as instructed and reached her hand out to feel the bed. She smiled as her hand hit a cold bare foot instead. She ran her fingers across the length of the foot and up the ankle to the cuff of a pair of jeans and stopped. "You are not going to stop there are you?" Spike whispered in a now husky voice. Katerina began again, running her index finger along the outer seam of Spike's jeans. Just above the waistband her finger made contact with skin.

Katerina smiled to herself at the image of a shirtless Spike lying on the bed in this dark room. If Spike could have seen the gleam in her eye, he would have recognized that she was going to do something mischievous. Katerina let the nail on her index finger make contact with Spike's cold pale abdomen, just above the hipbone, then dragged her nail slowly across his tight stomach, tracing the top of his jeans. Spike took an unneeded deep breath in. He felt himself quickly harden by the seductive pain of the slow scratch. Katerina felt his ab muscles twitch and knew she was achieving the desired effect. Increasing the pressure slightly, she placed all four fingernails on his abs and started a ridiculously slow path up his chest.

As she reached nearly to his collarbone, she bent down and took his earlobe into her mouth and gave it a small nip. "I need you downstairs in five minutes." she whispered haughtily.

Spike felt her breath in his ear and her teeth take a soft bite of his earlobe and lost control. For weeks they had worked side-by-side, talking and laughing and teasing. He could see the desire in her eyes and smell her arousal each time they fought. Yet they had only shared one kiss. The passion-filled kiss at the Bronze had left him wanting…needing more. Spike growled loudly.

Before she could stop him, Katerina was pinned to Giles' bed with Spike's erection pressing into her groin through their clothes. All she heard from the vampire through his growls was "You are not walking away this time…"

Spike bent his head, crushing her mouth on his. Their tongues battled relentlessly for control until Katerina broke it off, gasping for breath. They stared at each other in the dark room, faces inches apart. "Spike…" she whimpered. " We…we…can't. Everybody is downstairs waiting for us." Spike groaned at her rejection, and began a torturous combination of kissing, licking and nipping at her neck.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you started this little game."

Katerina took a deep breath and close her eyes. Timing had never been her best attribute. "Spiiiike." she pleaded in frustration.

"Slayer." he whispered breathlessly back at her.

Katerina's eyes opened wide. "Slayer! Slayer? You are thinking of fuckin' Buffy right now? I can't believe you." She shoved him off her with as much force as she could manage to gather. Spike hit the wall across the room with a thud. Katerina jumped off the bed to stand nose to nose with the rather shocked peroxide blond.

She waited a minute to gather her thoughts and control her temper. When she began she spoke in a soft and slightly hurt voice. "It is always about her isn't it. It will always be about her…" She didn't know whether she was speaking to herself or to him. He seemed only to be able to stare at her…no attempt at excuses. She sighed a moment and Spike thought he heard her swallow hard as if accepting the inevitable. She turned to leave, but paused at the door. She spoke in an emotionless matter of fact tone. "I need you downstairs in two minutes. We will talk later…but we've got more important things to do right now." She made a movement to walk out but stopped again to turn and face where Spike stood in the darkness. She gently whispered, "I will never be anyone's second choice."

Spike winced at the sound of the door shutting behind her. He could not believe what had happened. He hadn't even been thinking of Buffy, at least not consciously. He had never called Katerina 'Slayer' before, so it made sense that she assumed he had meant Buffy, but somehow he hadn't…or maybe he had? Then again, did it matter? If he did eventually want Buffy to return his love, then it was better that nothing came of this evening’s romp. Right now he didn't have time to sort this out. For now they had one more battle to win before they could carry on with their lives, for a little while at least.

Katerina stopped to look in the mirror to ensure she did not look too flustered, frustrated or rumpled. Her lips were still swollen from Spike's demanding kisses but her lips were naturally full…she doubted anyone would notice the difference. The disappointment in her eyes was much more telling, but only Spike would ever notice that anyway.

Everyone was currently gathered in the living room when she made her appearance. "Spike will be here in a minute." she announced as if daring anyone to challenge the fact.

Xander's mouth dropped as she walked past him to stand beside Buffy. * Who incarnated Lara Croft and put her in Giles' living room? * Xander smiled to himself at the similarities between the battle-ready Katerina and the heroine of his favorite video game.

As Spike walked into the room the first thing he noticed was Katerina standing beside Buffy. In the boots she was wearing, * Very nice boots. * She clearly towered over the petite blond. Buffy appeared almost childlike next to the tall twenty-six year-old's curvaceous body. The second thing he noticed was geek-boy clearly drooling over her 'even-if-I'm-all-business-doesn't-mean-I-can't-be-sexy’ outfit. Spike instinctively walked past the whelp and growled possessively before standing next to his trainee.

"What are you planning on doing? Getting all the vamps to trip over their own hard-ons in that getup?" Spike whispered to her sarcastically.

"Actually I think that I would need Buffy's help to be successful at that…some gentlemen do prefer blonds." She spoke vindictively under her breath.

"Careful Kat. Your claws are showing…" Spike retorted to her stinging comment.

"Au contraire…I am simply stating a fact of some people’s preferences. If someone appreciates attributes that I do not possess, then so be it. I would not regret something about myself for the sake of a man’s good opinion." Katerina stared at Spike entirely void of emotion.

Although most of the room could hear some of the conversation, the meaning was lost on them…well on most of them any way.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Giles began…

******

Buffy and Katerina crouched behind a large rock in the woods. They silently watched Spike creep deeper into the woods. The witches had been able to locate the warehouse that Euan occupied through a type of locator spell that they explained in detail, but no one really understood. The plan was fairly sound given the limited time that they had to come up with it. They had decided that a two front attack would be best. Spike and the two Slayers would try to gain access to the warehouse by simply fighting with brute force to get there. Clearly the most obvious plan, which is what they were counting on.

Their secret weapon would be the Slayerettes. Giles, Anya, Xander and Tara were currently setting up. They were forming the “disenchanting square” that spanned for a hundred square yards, with the warehouse as its centre. The concept was to have Willow back at the Magic Box controlling the spell and empower the team. The other four would line the perimeter of the square with Athlem dust and each stand at a corner. At the appointed time, ten o’clock, they would begin to chant in unison. The result would be that the entire area encased in the barrier would be a magic-less space and hence the advantage taken away from the Watcher turned Warlock.

“Going in to start attracting some attention. You try size up how many vamps are in these woods. I have a feeling that even with the witch's mojo this place will be a bloody minefield." Both women opened their mouths to object, since Willow would not have started her spell yet. Spike knew better than to wait for an argument and was already ten paces away. Buffy and Katerina sighed to each other, knowing that it would attract too much attention to themselves if they chased after him.

“He’s going to get himself killed for you one day.” Katerina whispered, breaking the silence. Her eyes were still staring off into the spot Spike had vanished into the woods. Buffy tried to read the older woman’s words. * Were they a warning? A threat? Or maybe just jealousy. *

“He’s not here for me…he’s not doing this for me ” Buffy whispered back.

Katerina turned to look at the petite blond and let out a sarcastic ‘humph’. And smiled a sad twisted smile. “You can think whatever makes you feel better, Buffy. You can think he’s evil. You can think he’s not worthy of you… but you can’t ever fool yourself that thoughts of you don't control his every action.”

The intensity in the brown eyes burrowed deep into Buffy’s. She was left breathless.

The woman beside her continued, knowing she had undivided attention. “I’ve seen you together enough to know that you are not as innocent as you try to be. You’ve put a nice little ‘Bitchy-Buffy’ barrier around yourself to try to hide it, but he gets to you…I know he does.” Katerina sighed in frustration and gathered control of thoughts. There was something she wanted to say and she didn’t need to get the girl’s back up before she got it out.

Calmly, softly she continued “Buffy, that feeling you get when he’s around? When he stands too close…or knows you too well? You know I’m right…but you are afraid. He can give you what you need. Fill that emptiness that you try so hard to hide. You don’t have to be a martyr, Buffy. You make your own rules. You shouldn’t let anything you’ve been taught stand in your way or play on your guilt and fear. Don’t let your fear control you. I know that he’s worth it…worth the risk of putting down your guard..”

******

Tara was grateful that the night was well lit with a nearly full moon and a clear sky. She had found her first appointed spot easily, but was still nervous that Willow was not around. She had rarely been sent into battle without her lover. She had enough magic tricks up her sleeve to protect herself in vampire-infested woods, but that fact did not help calm the pounding in her heart .

Xander and Anya also separated and found each their initial spots without much difficulty. The plan involved finding the landmarks that were to act as the corners of the square, and then each Scooby was to walk clockwise towards the next landmark, spreading the Athlem dust on their walk. Once they reached their second landmark, they were to wait until ten o’clock to begin chanting.

Giles had opted for the farthest landmark, which meant a significant walk and passing through the deepest part of the woods to get from the first landmark to his second. He sighed in relief when had found the pond that indicated his starting spot. Knowing the others had likely already begun spreading their Athlem dust, he quickly got to work at tracing his portion of the squares perimeter. After only about 20 yards he knew he was being hunted…the question was only by how many.

******

Buffy sat in silence as the minutes ticked by. She knew Katerina did not expect a response and was glad for it. She knew that she had been given ‘something to think about’ and was also thankful that she did not have time to think about it now.

The stillness of the night was broken by the sounds of a struggle. Sounds of grunts, fists hitting skin, thud of grass being crushed by the weight of a body, rustle of trees and the panting of someone running.

Katerina and Buffy jumped from behind the rock in unison. Without a word, they took off together into the woods.

******

Euan smiled at the news. “So William the Bloody has decided to join our party? I’m honoured,” He commented in a deadpan humour that was lost on the vampire messenger. “No matter. He will die among the rest.”

“It is time to give the night power.” Euan smiled. He walked over to a clay pot on a table in the middle of the room. He lifted a leather sachet and sprinkled a dark powder from it into the bowl. He took a vial and emptied its thick liquid contents on top of the powder.

The mixture began to sizzle and smoke as the ingredients reacted to each other. As the room filled with a dark haze, Euan clapped loudly and shouted, “Cease the reflection of day and let the darkness dominate all things.”

As the cloud dissipated the vampire looked fearfully at Euan. His Master smiled back. “I do not care what happens to the other she is with, but Katerina St. Just is to be brought directly to me – ALIVE.”

The vampire’s eyes went wide with the unspoken threat in the man’s voice. “Yes Master Euan, I will see to it myself.” And he dashed out of the room.

******

Buffy darted through the woods towards the sound of the struggle. She knew Katerina would not be able to keep up with her speed but she couldn’t risk going slower. She froze as she came into a bit of a clearing. Giles was pinned to the ground by a vampire. He was currently using a crossbow to shield his throat against the vampire’s jaws.

Buffy pounced on the attacker, ripping him off the Watcher. Using her momentum, she rolled with the vampire until she ended up on top of the creature and quickly staked it. She dusted herself off and offered Giles a hand up. She sighed at the thankful look he gave her; she was trying not to think that she almost lost him again.

“I’d better get on with the spell,” he stuttered. “It’s almost time.” Giles gave her a weak smile and began again with his task of distributing the sacred dust.

Buffy carefully tried to retrace he steps back the way she had come. She was beginning to get concerned that she had yet to reunite with Katerina. Suddenly she felt a cold chill run through her. The wind picked up and her hair began to dance around her face. Instinctively she looked at the sky in time to see a once bright and friendly moon seem to disappear from the sky. It was black…very black.

******

Katerina had lost track of Buffy at some point during the stronger Slayer’s sprint. She searched the woods uselessly. Things were not working according to plan. They should not be this deep into the woods without Willow’s spell being done. She suddenly felt very alone, but not alone enough. She looked around her frantically as she felt them coming upon her in the distance. They arrived quickly, seven of them, three moving in closer and four forming in a circle on the outskirts – watching and waiting.

Katerina tried to focus and crouched into a fighting stance. She managed to dust the first two that foolishly attacked without thinking. The third learned the lesson and began to circle her, taking his time before making his first move.

The inexperienced Slayer struggled to focus on the vampire circling her without losing sight of the four others only feet away. She inhaled deeply in a gasp as she noticed the air surrounding her become icy cool. Katerina was frozen where she stood as everything around her went completely black. The only thing visible through the night’s curtain was a pair of golden eyes as their owner pounced on her. The last thing she heard was the sound of her own scream.

******

Spike heard a scream and looked around in panic. The sudden darkness had surprised him, but his enhanced night vision enabled him to adjust quickly. Starting to run in the direction of the scream, he heard a rustling in the undergrowth a few meters away and dove for it, tackling the creature.

******

Buffy found herself thrown to the ground and struggled to free her hand enough to position the stake. Before she could, she heard a surprised “Buffy!” muttered from her attacker and she found herself released.

“Spike?” she questioned as a strong arm lifted her off the grass and back to her feet.

“Yeah, it’s me pet. Heard a scream and got a little jumpy is all.”

“I heard it too.” Buffy commented and she felt Spike tense beside her.

“Kate?”

“We got separated.” Buffy responded with a twinge of guilt.

Spike let out a sigh. “The scream came from this way...” As he started off quickly, he stopped once as he realized that Buffy was not following. He grabbed her hand and explained, “Better stick close, luv. I’m guessin’ you can’t see much.”

Buffy was surprised to find Spike’s hand strong and gentle. It was strangely comforting…but this was not the time to think about it, she reminded herself.

Spike stopped and let go of her hand. Suddenly, he was on all fours, running his fingers through the grass. With a sigh he stood again and announced, “They got her.”

“What? How do you know that? Is the grass talking to you?” Buffy blurted out sounding more defensive then she intended.

“I’m not Dru, I can SMELL her. She was here a few minutes ago,” he paused and added in a pained voice, “and the grass is covered in her blood”

Buffy managed an intelligent “oh” and fell silent.

The uncomfortable moment was interrupted in true Sunnydale style - with a vampire attack.

******

Giles, Anya, Xander, Tara and Willow each looked at their respective watches, took a deep breath and began to chant. “Senza Magika Campla” over and over.

******

Buffy and Spike fought furiously at the waves of vampires that attacked. Buffy stayed close to Spike since it was still entirely black. She fought only on instinct. Anything that wasn’t Spike was dust.

As the time wore on the two began to tire. The vamps were not attacking one at a time but were timing perfectly one immediately after the other in waves, giving the two no time to prepare between attacks.

******

Katerina woke to the feeling of pain. Every muscle in her body ached, every bone felt broken. As she opened her eyes, the only thing she saw was a white-haired and wrinkled man. It seemed funny to her how he appeared so harmless except for his eyes. His eyes were entirely black, giving the appearance of empty holes into his skull. She knew immediately that this man was Euan Rice.

She struggled to move away from those eyes, but found her back was against a wall, her arms chained above her head, and her feet chained together below. For the second time in her life she felt entirely helpless. She scanned the room, trying to assess the situation. It appeared there were three vampires, herself, and Euan in the room.

“Are you trying to think of a plan of escape?” Euan laughed. “Little girl, you are only still alive because I will for it to be so. Your friends outside have fallen into my trap and will soon join you in death.”

Katerina remained silent and squeezed her eyes shut, She was unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Euan stepped forward and grabbed her chin harshly. “You will look at me when I speak to you.” Katerina forced her eyes to meet his dark glare. “For years I have planned for this day and I will savour it. You will pay for your parents’ indiscretion with each scream. I imagine they died never even knowing what their lust cost me. I had one dream in life: the power of controlling the Council of Watchers. It was denied to me forever because of them. Do you have any idea how powerful the Council is? The impact it has on the world? On life as you know it?”

Euan smiled to himself in a way that made Katerina try to bury herself deep into the cold wall behind her.

“To you and that brainless Slayer helping you, the Watcher’s Council is just a bunch of stuffy old men that do research when you need help. As if we were the tools for your use and not the other way around. The Council is so much more than you imagine. It is truly the government of the supernatural world. The power of that government far surpasses any head of state known today. I could have ruled that and my power would have been boundless. But my reputation became tainted and my devoted followers began to place their trust elsewhere.”

Euan stared at Katerina and tightened his grip on her chin until he felt the crack of her jawbone between his fingers. “And you, my pretty thing, are the only thing left to make be feel better.” He released his hold and took a step back. Smiling cruelly, he removed a small knife from his belt and began the first stages of torture.

******

Buffy hit the grass hard, falling on her back. She struggled to get to her feet while she blindly searched the space around her for her next attacker. Before she was able to get her balance, she was knocked down again. Pain shot through her arm and shoulder as a vampire’s hands pinned her to the grass. She could hear Spike still battling a few feet away, but from the sounds of his panting, the fight would not last much longer.

As she struggled to release herself from the grip of the demon, she felt a strong cool breeze run through her. The darkness around her began to dissipate. The yellow eyes and fangs about two feet from her face came into view. The vampire suddenly looked confused and disoriented. Taking advantage of the moment, Buffy threw him off of her and rose to her feet, stake in hand. The clouded sky continued to clear and Buffy noted three vamps surrounding her and four more near Spike. All the vampires were slowly backing away as they felt their advantage slipping.

“The spell is working! They are not being commanded by magic anymore.” Buffy shouted to Spike.

“’Bout damn time too…they look pretty confused, don’t they? Best take advantage of it, luv.”

In unison, Spike and Buffy quickly dusted the remaining vamps while the residual effects of the spell were still disorienting them. Once the last fell, the two wordlessly ran towards the warehouse.

******

Euan grabbed a cloth off the table and wiped the blood from his forehead. “Torture can be such a messy business,” he commented to the vampire beside him. He had really only begun; only a fraction of what he had in store. A few minor, but painful, gashes on various parts of Katerina’s body were dripping blood onto the floor. Enough to place her in constant pain, but not enough to kill her quickly or have her pass out from the intense pain. * There will be plenty of time for that later, * he thought to himself.

Euan was about to check on the branding iron he had been heating when he felt a change in the air pressure of the room. Soon a cool breeze passed through the windowless room. In surprise, he looked at Katerina. It was too bad her head was down, trying to gather strength for the next round of pain, or she would have caught the panic in his eyes. Around the room, the few vampires lost their appearance of focus and began to look at each other in confusion. The sorcerer looked down at his hands as he felt the mystical energy drain from his body. He collapsed to his knees and began chanting in a futile attempt to regain control of the demons around him. He felt the connection with the vampires being lost and turned to his former servants in the room.

As he felt the jaws of one of the vampires clasp around his neck, the weak old man released a final cry of anguish and defeat.

******

The Slayer and vampire flew through the warehouse searching for any sign of Katerina. Following the direction the vampires were mostly fleeing from, they found a door to a back room. Spike quickly broke through the door and burst into the room with Buffy following right behind. Both rescuers stopped suddenly as they took in the site before them.

An older man lay thrown on the floor awkwardly. His eyes wide open and blank, staring into nothing. His throat appeared thoroughly devoured. The pale wrinkled faced old man looked more like your next door neighbour’s grandfather then a merciless killer.

“Euan Rice? Do you think?” Buffy muttered at the disgusting sight.

“Suppose so… guess them vampires weren’t so well trained without the magic. Like releasing an animal that had been tied up too long…” Spike commented with a snort.

“Oh god…“ Spike gasped in horror.

Buffy followed his eyes to a lifeless body chained to the wall at the back of the room. They tentatively stepped forward afraid to confirm the certainty of her condition.

Her body was partly mutilated, obviously from enduring various stages of torture. Pieces of her flesh were displayed where a patch of her leg had been skinned. She was covered in blood from several knife wounds.

“Kate?” Spike whispered as he stepped closer. With a shaking hand, he lifted her head slightly to make eye contact. Her eyes were closed and her body had begun to cool. For the first time, Spike realized that the only heartbeat in the room was Buffy’s. As he tilted her head, he noticed twin puncture wounds on her neck. He winced in pain at what he had lost at the hands of his own kind.

Buffy remained silent behind Spike, until she was overcome by the sight and stench of death. She turned away, bent forward, and vomited. Spike slowly released Katerina’s head and moved over to Buffy.

After she had calmed down, Spike pulled her into his chest and they comforted each other, both lost in their own thoughts of failure.

Chapter 7

Once Giles had updated the Council with the events leading up to Katerina's death, they were immediately taken aback. To know that the Watcher and the Slayer had had a child and the lengths that Euan Rice had gone to seek revenge had made them turn introspective. After a quick meeting of the Council's key members, they placed a call back to Giles. The Council explained that they intended to do whatever was necessary to redeem themselves. Surprisingly, they admitted their guilt in the misguided actions they took towards St. Just.

To ease their collective conscience, the Council requested permission to have the body of Katerina sent to England. Their intention was to have an honourable ceremony and burial of Katerina that her father was deprived of. The Scoobies agreed and even Spike saw justice in the offer. It seemed an appropriate way to pay their respects.

While the burial took place in England, the gang gathered at Giles' apartment. Giles decorated his living room with candles and flowers. Soft music murmured their loss in the background. In the early hours of the morning, the gang gathered to honour a women they barely knew. Spike made a short appearance, said nothing, and left early.

Weeks passed and their lives moved on. Buffy would often stop by the crypt to see if Spike would patrol with her. Their time together after Katerina's death was never awkward, just different. Spike took about a week to be comfortable again, making nasty remarks about Buffy's fighting style or fashion sense. Buffy would deny to anyone how grateful she was that the jibes had started up again.

The Slayer and vampire walked through one of the familiar cemeteries in a comfortable silence. This night was a particularly slow one on the darkness brewing scale. Either of them could easily have called the patrol off an hour before, but neither said a word.

"Spike," Buffy said, disturbing the silence "Can I ask you something?"

Spike cocked his eyebrow in response.

"Um, okay…it's just that…well, Kate…Katerina said some stuff to me…that night." Buffy stumbled over her words. She hadn't really figured out what she was going to say, and the words were not flowing easily.

Spike continued to stare at her in silence, terrified of what might be coming next. Things were going well between them and he wasn't ready to mess that up. A friendship with Buffy was more than he had ever thought possible.

Buffy realized she was not going to get any help from the bleached blonde on this uncomfortable conversation. He was obviously leaving her to pry the words out of her own mouth. With a sigh, she straightened her back and gathered her confidence. "Katerina told me that I was too afraid to see the real you. That I like to lock people into categories of good and evil. That it's too hard for me to accept that you are not evil so I try to be mean to you to protect myself." Buffy stopped and made eye contact with Spike. His blue eyes burned through her like fire, as if he could see her soul or as if he was trying to.

"You got a question in there somewhere, Slayer?" Spike asked in what he hoped was a calm voice.

"Question?" Buffy asked in a confused voice. * This is not going well at all *

"Question. As in 'Spike, can I ask you something?'"

"Oh…um, I guess my question is: do you think she's right? Do you think I live in a world of black and white to protect myself?" Buffy rubbed her head as she spoke. Her thoughts were getting muddled because she couldn't figure out what she was trying to say. * Why did I bring this up in the first place? *

Spike sighed. "Buffy," he began quietly. "The way I see it slayer, you have a soul. And you go out every night and kill things. Kill'n nasties every night... well you gotta be pretty tough. You need to see everything in easy terms like ‘needs saving’, ‘needs killing’ and ‘can be ignored’. You don't have time to think if a demon deserves for you to kill it, or why he is attacking someone. One second of hesitation could kill you."

"But what about when I am not slaying? What about when I'm just being Buffy? Shouldn't I be able to see gray?"

Spike tilted his head slightly and gave her a small smile. "Look pet, I don't want you to get all 'I don't understand my purpose in life anymore'. I think you will naturally start seeing the gray when you really think that you are safe enough to. Then you'll see people you can't place just say are 'good' or 'evil'. I hope that you'll see me in there somewhere…not quite a man but not exactly a monster either." Ice blue eyes never broke the hold they had on the hazel ones as he spoke.

Buffy met his powerful stare and gave a sad smile. "Katerina also said that I need to open my eyes to see you. To see that you are worth letting in."

Spike smiled as he thought of Katerina telling Buffy everything that she would not have wanted to hear. "That's my Kate…" Spike chuckled and then fell silent as the gruesome image of her death flew back to him.

Buffy let the silence continue while they continued their 'patrol'. "You really liked her didn't you?"

Spike contemplated the question. His relationship with Katerina had been multifaceted. She had dangled the carrot before his eyes by suggesting she could get Buffy to see him for what he really was. After Buffy had revoked the invitation to her house, he had lost all hope in her returning his feelings. Kate did much more then return that hope. She gave him something he had been struggling with since he had arrived in Sunnydale so many years ago. His self-confidence. There had been so many failed attempts to kill Buffy, then being in a wheelchair, watching Angelus seduce Drusilla, Dru dumping him, and worse of all, the chip. Time after time, Spike found himself the butt of the joke, but with Katerina it was different.

She treated him with respect. She enjoyed his company and saw his potential. She reminded him of the simple pleasures of life that he had long given up on like sparring, flirting and laughing. She made him passionate about life again, with or without Buffy's love - he was back.

Spike looked over at Buffy and smiled. "Yes. I liked her a lot, pet." Spike answered in a tone that made Buffy's heart sink in her chest. She shifted uncomfortably under the vampire's penetrating glance and broke eye contact.

"Oh." Buffy commented sounding more jealous then she intended.

Spike raised an eyebrow as he sensed Buffy's pulse increase and a blush spread across her cheeks. Touching her gently under her chin, he raised her head to look at him. He saw in her eyes something he'd never seen before, at least not directed at him. He saw desire, want, need. Encouraged by her stare, he moved closer until he could feel her warm breath on his face.

"Buffy, I want you to know…I need you to know that in here," he pointed to him heart. "There is only room for you. It will always be you. Kate knew that. I never hid it from her."

Buffy felt like her heart would pound straight through her chest if Spike got any closer. His words impacted her so much. It was more then she had hoped she would hear from him. After Katerina died, she knew things might never be the same. She felt the guilt and knew that he did as well. She also wondered if he had partly blamed her. Thinking that he had loved Kate and wanted to be with her had made everything worse. It made his loss all the greater. As she felt more and more attracted to him, her guilt got worse. Like she was taking advantage of the death. But to hear that Kate always knew that she could never have Spike somehow made her feel free…free to feel everything that she was currently feeling.

Spike's cool hands began to trace her jaw line. His eyes roamed her face, memorizing every gentle curve and shadow.

Buffy's bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes closed in anticipation. She heard Spike take in a quick breath, gathering his courage to do what she was silently praying for.

His hand made it's way to the back of her neck. She felt herself gingerly pulled closer to him until she felt his cool lips barely touching hers. She leaned forward, needing more contact but the kiss remained chaste and feather light.

Buffy darted her tongue out slightly, tasting his soft bottom lip. She tenderly sucked and nibbled on it, winning a quiet moan from her undead partner.

Spike broke contact first and moved back just enough to look at her face. His eyes went wide in panic as the thought crossed his mind that he may wake up any minute to find himself in bed alone. What he saw in front of him was no dream. It was truly the Slayer with a look of passion on her face that matched his own.

"Oh, God, Buffy," Spike sighed. "I've wanted this for so long." He gently bent his head and placed his forehead on hers. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to assure himself that this was real.

Buffy licked her still tingling lips and let a smile creep across her face. "I love when you do that," She whispered to him. " I love when you are so intense you make me melt inside."

Suddenly it clicked for Spike. Buffy was really there, kissing him, enjoying his company. This was real. Desire overtook him. He squeezed her shoulders, lifting her into the air, and kissed her passionately. Buffy tried to squeal when she felt herself lifted, but was silenced by a pair of cool, needy lips claiming her smile.

The fierce battle of their tongues continued until Buffy pulled away, needing oxygen. "Maybe," Pant. "We should," Pant. "Go someplace," Pant, "Less like a cemetery."

Spike's response was to pick her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Carrying Buffy, he headed to his crypt, stopping only to lean against the occasional head stone to give a ravaging kiss.

The next evening, Quentin Travers walked through the empty parking lot of the Council building in London. It had been a long week. Three of his colleagues had not shown up for work and were currently listed as missing persons. Travers and the rest of the Council had closed operations today until their co-workers could be found, standard procedure when the Council might be under attack.

He placed the key in the lock of his Austin Martin but before he could turn it, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Travers shuttered with fear as he turned, the keys falling from his hand jingling and hitting the cement.

A woman stood before him. She had long brown hair and sharp brown eyes. She had a look of confidence that frightened him. She had beautiful features despite the various scars on her face and neck.

"Quentin Travers?" she smiled and raised an eyebrow to him.

"I am." Travers stuttered back.

Katerina gave him a wicked smile and revealed her new fangs. "I have a message from my parents…" She growled as she grabbed him tight, bent her head, and fiercely ripped out his throat. She let his bloodless body drop to the pavement. "Go to hell."

Bending down, she picked up the keys to her new car and smiled as she thought to herself, * Next stop…Sunnydale. *

THE END (probably)