Summary: The Council finally offers Torchwood an alliance of sorts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the computer I type on.

Author’s note: Thanks to Bloodytearsoflife and Snowturlegirl for the beta.

_______________________________________________

Part 2

It had been a month since Buffy had last seen Willow in Cardiff and though the Slayer was tempted to confront Giles with the whole sitch other things just kept cropping up that took her mind off of Torchwood and Willow’s assignment there.

It had also been a month since she’d started having really raunchy dreams. At first she had been surprised that the faceless man who bound and fucked her wasn’t immediately Jack, or even eventually.

He might have worn Jack’s coat, had brown hair but as usual it was Spike. It was always Spike.

No matter what she tried, it was always Spike.

And if she had to sit through another nerd fest marathon with Xander she was going to go insane.

With a sense of purpose, Buffy barged into Giles’ office, ignoring the overly dramatic lighting that covered the walls. It was kinda like a horror flick in there, but Buffy wasted no time on it.

“Giles, explain to me this Torchwood thing.”

“Perhaps it is time to put an end to Willow’s residence in Cardiff,” Giles noted, and Buffy had the suspicious feeling that maybe he wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying.

“How would you like to offer them an alliance of sorts?” Giles continued. “ You have been our diplomatic relations person before.”

“If you consider what I did with the Initiative diplomatic relations, you know before Maggie tried to kill me.”

“Maybe Torchwood will try to kill you?” Giles asked, his tone indicating he hadn’t quite been listening.

“Giles!”

________________________________________

Two days later, dressed like she was going to a business meeting and sporting her newest boot acquisition, which were decidedly not slaying friendly, Buffy made her way into the ratty information office. Cardiff was looking decidedly unchanged in the last month. The briefcase she carried looked like she’d always carried it; it was very much a part of her hand. Like a stake, it looked familiar. Her stiletto heels clicked on the pavement with each step.

She felt like she’d suddenly grown up. Maybe it was more than just the outfit, she’d been growing up all the time, but this was the first time in years that she’d really, really, realised that she was growing up.

Walking through the door to the information office Buffy turned to the desk, expecting Ianto to be there, and waiting for her. Not that she’d called ahead. But it wasn’t Ianto at the desk. It was Willow. With a girlish wave, Willow smiled at her friend.

“They finally let you in on it did they?” Buffy said, with a hint of sarcasm.

Willow blushed and ducked her head, perhaps trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. “Really incredible after all, they told me about you too! You kill vampires for a living? Is that what you did in high school when you were getting into trouble?”

“Yeah, it was,” Buffy said with a laugh, feeling a little ridiculous that Willow was carrying on this charade so far.

Willow nodded. “They’ll be expecting you now. Gwen’s been tracking you on the CCT since you left your hotel.”

“Stalkerish.”

“You are a person of interest, Buffy,” Willow responded, as she pressed a button, opening up the wall that led down to the hub.

Buffy nodded at her friend and smiled confidently. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing Jack again. Really, she wasn’t. She even tried to repeat that to herself as she walked down the hall towards the elevator. Jack was bad news. But no matter what she tried to convince herself, she couldn’t get the imagined scenario from last night’s dream from taking center stage.

There had been a whip and chains involved, and a certain Torchwood Captain who just miraculously turned into a certain blond vampire at the right moment.

It was a good thing that Jack wasn’t a vampire, or he was going to know just how turned on she was at the moment.

Her heels clicked against the cement floor as she walked into the hub, lights flashing, announcing her entrance.

“Buffy,” Oz greeted from his desk, giving her a nod before he turned back to his monitors. Same old Oz, though his hair was a different colour, again.

“She’s here, again,” said Gwen from behind a mess of wires and cords. “Couldn’t leave us alone, eh?”

“I was irresistibly drawn here,” Buffy joked.

Ianto dropped down beside her as she stood beside the warp core -ish thing that dominated the room. Yep, technical terms in her overly sci fi-ed mind, a result of spending too much time with Xander, she looked up at the man in the suit and grinned.

“Ianto,” she greeted. “How’s it hanging?”

He didn’t answer her, just gave her a deeper frown. Apparently a month away didn’t help the whole not liking thing they had going on. Without spending more time on Ianto, Buffy strode into Jack’s office and put her briefcase on the various piles of papers he had there.

“Straight to business then?” he asked. “Most folks say hello before messing up someone’s organisation system.”

Buffy reached over the desk and grabbed his shirt, and pulled him up off his chair. He started to make some protest but was silenced as she pressed her lips to his. With a thump she let him down onto his chair once more. It didn’t feel like Spike. It might even help her to stop thinking about him.

“Now that that is over with, it’s time for business.”

With a click, Buffy opened the briefcase and pulled out a folder. She ignored the smirk on Jack’s face and held out the file to him as he sat back in his chair. He took it reluctantly, opening in it and reading it as she spoke.

“You once suggested that you’d want me as part of your team,” she started. “I think it’s time to discuss what that could look like. I’m here to propose an alliance, a friendship, if you will, between The Council and Torchwood 3. If we agree, it would mean that we would <I>lend</I> you a slayer, on a semi permanent basis. She would follow your orders, but would be a liaison between both The Council and you.”

“You’d lend me a slayer?” Jack asked leaning forward in his chair.

“I’ve got lots.” Buffy responded, then she leaned closer to the brunette in the chair. “I’ll even lend you one that’s all trained up,” she whispered.

“Generous of you,” Jack answered leaning back again in his chair, dropping the file on his desk.

“I thought so,” Buffy noted, with her arms newly crossed.

“You’d have a spy in here, with us. Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.”

“What if you had your own inside person with us then?” Buffy asked, feeling out possibilities.

“Oh yeah, and have them disappear into the Scottish highlands, never to be seen or heard from again. I don’t have anyone to spare. Go bother Torchwood 2.”

“That creepy old guy that never leaves his loch? Ooh watch me run after that one. We only work with successful, non evil organisations, thank you very much. And you wouldn’t have to spare anyone. We don’t really have any room in our castle anyway, too many slayers. That’s why I’m loading one off on you. Look, I thought this was a good idea. You do good work here, saving the world. I just thought, you know we could work together on the major stuff. And tell me that having a slayer here wouldn’t rock your world.”

Jack got up from his desk and walked around to where Buffy was standing. “It’s not quite rocking my world yet,” he said with a grin.

He was too close. Buffy could feel his breath on her cheek now. But this wasn’t a dream and he wasn’t going to instantly turn into Spike.

“I’m not the one who’s going to be rocking your world, Jack,” Buffy whispered.

“But you’re dying to find out aren’t you?” he hissed. “Been imagining it since you left.”

“I’ve died enough, thank you. Twice is my limit,” she breathed back.

“Wish twice had been mine,” he responded, drawing her mouth to his lips.

He might not have felt like Spike, but there was something that felt good as he kissed her. She knew that he was trying to manipulate her. But then, wasn’t she trying to manipulate him? Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“Someday,” she muttered between kisses, “if you’re good, I’ll tell you about heaven.”

He pulled back at her comment and stared her in the eyes. There was something there, like he didn’t believe her that heaven existed.

Oh yeah, she could fall in love with this one if she wasn’t careful.

*Really Buffy? Him?* Willow’s voice came popping into her head.

Buffy mentally rolled her eyes at her friend as she kissed Jack once more. *Out out!*

Willow giggled. *Hey I’m bored up here.*

*Go make some coffee!*

Jack pulled away from the kiss and smirked. “You sure we can’t have you?” he asked.

“Well maybe once,” Buffy said suggestively, stepping back from Jack for a moment.

Someone cleared their throat from the door way and Buffy turned her head to see Ianto’s furrowed brow staring at her and Jack. It was only then that she heard the sound of an alarm going off.

“It’s the rift, it’s opened,” Ianto stated, glaring at Buffy.

“Wanna see how we operate?” Jack asked her, grabbing her hand and leading her back past Ianto.

“Do I have a choice?” Buffy asked, conscious that Jack was still holding her hand.

And Jack didn’t let go of her hand as they walked through the hub and up to the garage, Ianto and Gwen following close behind. This was not going to make her popular at all and it was a very good thing that she wasn’t staying. Ianto’s eyes made her feel guilty.

She shouldn’t be here messing up what Jack and he had.

Ianto and Gwen got in first, leaving Jack and Buffy outside the SUV for a moment.

“We’ll have to discuss the particulars of our arrangement later,” he said suggestively, pressing her body up against his.

She could feel just how much of the arrangement he wanted to discuss alright.

“I’m not staying Jack,” she warned him. “And I’m not here to make anyone jealous,” realising that she was running hot and cold. Any normal guy would probably be damn confused right now. Jack on the other hand probably thought it was foreplay. Buffy paused for a moment, her eyes flitting to Ianto in the car before she continued. His eyes were riveted on her and Jack, frowning as ever. “If either one of us were free, well…I’d leave that to your imagination,” she said pulling away from him and opening the back driver side door of the SUV. Gwen glared at her as she got in. Buffy ignored the brunette and stared ahead of her. What she’d told Jack was true. She wasn’t free. Well, at least her heart wasn’t. And as for Jack, it might be casual between him and Ianto, but from the way that Ianto was looking at his boss, it wasn’t casual for Ianto.

They had a cool car, that much she would give them. She sat calmly beside Gwen in the back of the SUV as they raced to wherever it was they were going. Oz stayed behind to monitor the rift, or whatever and Willow, well she was probably making coffee. Slightly jealous that she couldn’t have a cool car, one reason being that she still couldn’t drive for shit, much less on the other side of the road, she consoled herself by deciding that it was much cooler that she had a helicopter.

When the car skidded to a halt, and the Torchwood team exited the vehicle, Buffy cursed herself for wearing a skirt, and stupid shoes. Luckily she still had a stake. She slid out of the car and reached up under her skirt for the stake she had strapped to the side of her thigh, earning a look from the team.

“What?” she shrugged holding her stake at the ready.

“You’re going to poke them with a stick?” Gwen snarked, pointing a device in front of her as she walked. “Fat load of good that will do with an alien.”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

“Are you two done posturing?” Jack asked. “ It’s turning me on and I can’t concentrate.”

“Gwen, what came through the rift?” Ianto interjected.

“I donno, the rift was open, and something came through…”

“Something did come through,” Buffy said calmly, “I can feel it. Definitely a demon, err…” She looked at the Torchwood team and cringed. “Fine, you know what, I’m just going to call them as I see them, I deal with demons, and this thing that you’re tracking, it’s got demon-y vibes.”

“Dan do you have a location?” Ianto called through his com system.

“Follow me,” Buffy said waving her hand for them to follow.

“Maybe having a slayer around will be good after all,” Jack noted, his gun raised as he followed Buffy down a dark alley way.

“You won’t be getting anyone as good as me in the tracking department. This takes experience, and lots of Midol,” Buffy explained.

“What?” Gwen asked.

“It’s a slayer thing.”

“Bloody helpful that is.” Gwen responded.

Buffy stopped short and raised her stake. She cocked her head at Jack and made a motion that told him the demon or alien was around the corner. Jack looked at the rest of his team, giving them silent instructions and then jumped around the corner looking at the person that stood there, his gun still raised.

“Oh it’s you,” Jack noted, his gun never lowering. “Why don’t you go bother someone else once in a while.”

Buffy stepped out from behind the corner of the wall and gasped. The rest of the team followed her but didn’t have the same reaction.

“Bloody hell!” Gwen moaned.

Buffy barely heard anything else. Her eyes were glued to the man in the alley and though he looked different, older, and wearing completely the wrong colours, she was absolutely certain of who he was.

“I see you’ve finally gotten a blond on the team,” he said, not as confident as Buffy expected him to be, as if he’d forgotten her. He sounded tired.

It was a voice she’d never forget and as she stared at him it was as if she was daring him to be who she thought he was.

What if he had forgotten her? No, she thought, he’d never forget her. He couldn’t. The Powers that Be wouldn’t let that happen. Not after everything they’d been through.

If she’d been aware of what was going on around her, Buffy would have found it amusing that the Torchwood team was completely baffled why neither Buffy or Captain John Hart were talking, or why Buffy suddenly put down her stake and started walking towards him.

Gwen grabbed at her shoulder to pull her back, but it was as if Gwen’s hand was water. The action didn‘t even slow the Slayer down.

Buffy didn’t know anything around her except Spike. Her feet moved her forward, her heart was beating so fast and she knew her hands were shaking. They met face to face, millimetres apart, and she stopped, confused that she felt his breath on her face. Eyes darted around his features. He breathed, he only did that when he spoke or when he was smoking. His heart beat, which would mean…

“Buffy walk back slowly,” Jack’s voice called out to her, but she ignored him.

“Spike?” she breathed, confused.

He looked at her with confusion, and for a few seconds Buffy thought that maybe this wasn’t actually Spike. All of her senses couldn’t lie to her like that though. He smelled like Spike, he looked like Spike, she got that familiar vampire demony tingly thing from him that she remembered so well. Finally the fog lifted from his expression and recognition passed over his face, and relief.

“Goldilocks,” he responded, pulling her into a kiss.

It could have gone differently, after all she had imagined this moment over and over again for the past five years. But lips locked with Spike in an alley way, being watched by Torchwood didn’t seem so bad. When she did pull back, not exactly thrilled with the fact that he had warm lips, she slugged him one.

“Oy!” he exclaimed. “I didn‘t hit you when you came back from the dead!”

“That’s how it went for our little reunion,” Jack noted, his arms crossed and looking a little more than annoyed.

“How did you expect me to react, Spike?” Buffy yelled, ignoring Jack for the moment. “It’s been five years. If you were alive, you should have come found me! And when did you get a heart beat?”

“It’s been a little longer than five years for me, love,” he said stepping towards her.

“You know him then?” Gwen asked. “I mean, other than the kissing.”

“Isn’t that obvious? Even a blind monkey could have figured that out,” mocked Ianto as Gwen shot him a mild look.

“Where do you know him from?” Jack asked. “And when did he not have a heart beat?”

“He used to be a vampire,” Buffy explained, turning to face Jack.

“Yeah, I used to be a vampire!” Spike laughed. “Long time ago, in a galaxy right here.”

“We lived together for five years and you didn’t once mention that you’d been a vampire…” Jack noted.

“Never came up,” Spike explained. “I have some secrets, like you.”

“We know him as Captain John Hart,” Ianto stated with a glare. “Not a very pleasant sort of person actually. In fact we wish he’d stop dropping by at all.”

“Watch it eye candy,” the man in the red coat responded.

Ianto glared back at the newcomer, a look Buffy had thought was previously only reserved for her.

“John Hart?” Buffy asked, turning her attention back to Spike. “But that’s not even your real name.”

“What? John was my middle name,” Spike explained.

“And the Hart bit?” Buffy asked, her hands on her hips. “And the fact that your heart is beating, like it really shouldn’t be?”

“Whim really. And I shanshued.”

“What does that mean?” Gwen asked. “Shanshued.”

“It means a vampire has saved the world enough times and truly atoned for his crimes,” Buffy explained, stepping back towards the former vampire. “But Angel was the one that was supposed to shanshu.”

“Yeah, wonderful lot the Powers are, shanshued me and took my soul away again. I fought bloody hard for that. And they sent me to the future, which really threw me for a loop. So I became a time agent, hoping I’d make it back here. If only I’d known that I’d already made it back once before. How’s the Bit?” Spike explained.

“They took your soul away?” Buffy asked, her eyes once more pouring into his. She stared at him with a new sadness. This was worse than any other trauma that could have happened to him. The soul he’d gotten for her. *Willow!*

“Gonna start kicking me in the teeth then?” Spike asked. “What’s it bloody take?”

“Did you find the alien?” Oz’s voice came over the com system.

“Yeah, we found him… unfortunately… And he’s going in the vault, if I have anything to say about it,” Ianto explained to Oz as he slowly raised his gun.

“If he doesn’t have a soul, that explains quite a lot actually,” noted Gwen.

“Yep, I’m a bad evil man,” Spike responded.

“Why are you here?” Jack asked. “I thought you’d never come back after the last time.”

“What…what did he do?” Buffy asked in a small voice.

“What didn’t he do, is a better question to ask,” Jack responded moving towards John, his gun still raised.

In a flash, John had his gun trained on Jack and the two men stared each other down.

“You know that won’t kill me,” Jack taunted his former ‘wife’.

“No?” John responded, “But it’ll hurt. But maybe it’ll hurt more if I shoot one of the team.” He changed targets and pointed his gun at Ianto.

“You don’t want to do this Spike,” Buffy pleaded with him. “Don’t make them shoot you. You don’t have that fun Vampire constitution anymore.”

“No, that’s true. Maybe I should look up my sire. Probably still around somewhere. What was her name?” Spike asked.

“The fact that you don’t remember worries me,” Buffy responded.

“Well there’s a lot I’ve had to forget. Man can go crazy knowing that he’s millennia removed from the woman he got a soul for. Put down the gun, Jack and let me go, and I’ll let eye candy live.”

Buffy could see the determination on Ianto’s face, and the loathing. She’d seen that look before, of course, on Xander’s face when they were still in high school. It was usually directed at Angel. If Ianto had been closer to Spike, either the former vampire or Ianto would be lying on the ground dead.

“You really don‘t think I‘ll shoot you first?” Jack answered.

“Slayer won’t let you shoot me,” John sneered. “I’d know that look anywhere.”

Buffy blinked. Even after all this time, he could still read her like a book. “Just don’t shoot him in the head. The rest we can fix,” the Slayer suggested.

Jack smiled and cocked his head to the side for a moment considering.

Then Willow walked up to the group, trying not to startle anyone. “Hey all,” she started. “This looks intense.”

“What are you doing here?” Gwen asked, he voice raised. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Maybe not,” Willow shrugged. “I was out restocking the tourist brochures and I just had this sixth sense that you guys were down this alley. And here you are.”

“Willow,” Jack said in a gruff voice, “go back to the hub.”

“You know, what would be really nice?” Buffy interjected, “It would really be nice if suddenly Spike’s gun didn’t have any bullets.”

“What makes you think there are any bullets in his gun now?” Willow asked with a raised eyebrow at her friend.

Buffy smiled, and winked at Ianto. As if they had some secret code, Ianto stepped forward and head butted John, just before Buffy punched Spike in the face, knocking him out.

“I’ll see you at the hub then,” grinned Willow, turning to walk out of the alley as the team stared at Ianto and Buffy.

“That was really risky,” Gwen stated.

Jack walked forward and took John’s gun from his hand, taking the clip out and examining it. “He didn’t have any bullets.”

“How did Willow know that there weren’t any bullets in the gun?” Gwen asked.

____________________________________

Buffy was tight lipped about Willow in the SUV as the team drove back to Torchwood. Damn Willow and her flare for the dramatic. She could have just diffused the situation without even leaving the grimy old tourist office.

She could get the whole Shanshu thing. She could get the turned into a human with brown hair. But what Buffy was having a hard time with was why Spike/John was giving her vampire tinglies. She spent the entire trip back to Torchwood in silence ignoring the questions and the looks.

Jack looked like she’d punched him in the stomach.

She didn’t know why though. It’s not like she promised him anything.

When the vehicle stopped, Buffy slid out of the back seat and headed despondently towards reception, ignoring the fact that Ianto and Jack were lugging Spike’s body out of the back of the SUV and no doubt carrying him down to where ever it was that they kept dangerous creatures.

Buffy sought out Willow.

“You look like you need a drink,” Willow mentioned straight away and handed Buffy a can of diet coke.

“Thanks,” Buffy said as she jumped up on the counter and grabbed the coke. She stared at it a moment before opening it.

*He’s back,* Willow started for her friend. * And you are conflicted.*

* Is it really even him?* Buffy asked as she sipped her drink.

*From what I could tell, he is. But he’s missing something. He’s not the same person that you lost in the hellmouth Buffy. You should be careful.*

*It’s his soul that he’s missing. You think…* “No, he wouldn’t want that,” she said out loud.

*Soul restoration? Like what I did for Angel? He wouldn’t want that. It would have strings attached. Besides, he only got the soul because he thought you couldn’t love him without it.*

*Which so wasn’t true.*

Willow stared at her friend for a moment before turning to play with her computer.

“There was a moment downstairs, before he appeared, that I actually thought I was ready to move on,” Buffy said out loud. “And he goes and messes that up.”

“Typical,” Willow laughed.

*But what if what he said was true, that he really is Spike, my Spike and he’s been sent to the future and he’s been trying to get back to me?*

Willow looked at her friend like she didn’t know what to say.

*Then I should get my ass back down stairs and get to the questioning.*

“The Willow eyes never lie,” Willow answered out loud. *Also, if he is, then you have a bunch of phone calls to make. Dawn is going to flip.*

“And how.” Buffy jumped off the counter and took another sip of her diet coke.

“Back into the breach?” Willow asked.

Buffy nodded. “Breach me.”

Willow pushed the button under the counter, opening the passage way for Buffy.

*They are going to want to know what we were ‘not’ talking about,* cautioned her friend.

*No, I think they want to know more about why you ‘knew’ that there weren’t any bullets in Spike’s gun.*

____________________________________

“He’s awake,” Oz informed the Slayer as she walked through the round door to the hub.

“And they are questioning him,” Buffy concluded, looking over Oz’s shoulder and at the screen showing the cells.

“Why would you come back here, John?” Gwen’s voice echoed in the cell bay. “Didn’t you cause enough trouble last time?”

“What did he do, last time?” Buffy asked Oz.

“The last time he was here, two team members died. The time before that, he killed someone, and poisoned Gwen.”

“They don’t like him much then,” Buffy commented.

“You could say that,” Oz responded. “Is that really Spike?”

“That’s what I need to find out.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“Then Torchwood won’t be the only ones with a gripe against Captain John Hart,” the Slayer said, focusing her attention on the screen before her.

“I’d much rather talk to the Slayer actually, she ’likes’ me,” John/Spike complained to his interrogators.

Buffy couldn’t see the expression on Jack’s face but from what Spike had on his face, it wasn’t a good look.

“That it then?” Spike taunted the Torchwood team leader. “Don’t want me talking about your new girl? How long did it take to get in her pants then?”

“He’s just being vulgar,” Buffy commented.

“They want to find out if he’s got something planned, or an escape this time,” Oz mentioned.

“And if he doesn’t?”

“I’d vote for feeding him to the weevils.”

Buffy nodded. There were some points for and against. Buffy would be all for it, if she knew that he’d recover, but Spike had a heart beat now.

“Come on Slayer, let’s humour the team,” Spike cried out into the cell bay, like he knew she was listening in on the conversation. “Did you know they have a name. Torchwood. Not as pop culture friendly as the Scoobies, but it’ll do.”

“It’s surprising what he remembers and what he doesn’t” Buffy commented, leaving Oz’s desk. She made her way down to the cells not exactly sure what she was going to say when she got there. So far she hadn’t made up her mind about him at all.

She drew the attention of the Torchwood team as she walked into the room, Ianto was frowning, nothing new there, Gwen scowled, and Jack, he just looked disappointed.

“There she is, the girl in question,” Spike commented as she came into view.

“You can remember that we called ourselves the Scoobies, but you can’t remember who your sire was?” Buffy asked, leaning up against the brick wall opposite Spike’s cell.

“As in Scooby Doo?” Ianto questioned shaking his head.

Buffy shot Ianto an annoyed look, but softened the glare in an instant. Ianto was growing on her.

“The thing is, Spike or John or William, or whatever it is that you decide to call yourself, the whole forgetting thing is just a tad bit suspicious,” Buffy accused. “You were devoted to your sire for over a hundred years, and yet…”

“And yet I can remember you, rather than that barmy bint? That what you’re getting at?” Spike responded.

“Little bit, yeah,” Buffy conceded.

“Memory lane is closed,” ordered Jack, his patience long worn thin. “Why are you here?” he shouted at John.

“Don’t have to yell, mate, can hear you just fine,” John barked back.

“Can I shoot him Jack?” Gwen asked, staring John down.

“Not until he tells us what he’s doing here. After that…”

“You still won’t be shooting him,” Buffy interrupted. “But you can feel free to beat the crap out of him. Hell, I might even join you.”

“Singing the same song then, luv?” John asked.

Buffy stepped towards the barrier separating them. “Don’t you dare try to make me feel guilty.”

“Just answer the question,” Ianto growled. “Why are you here, making our lives miserable AGAIN.”

“Isn’t that enough? Maybe I wanted to see the love of my bloody life again?” John taunted.

“And which one of us is that supposed to be?” Jack asked.

Buffy snorted. “You fell in love with him?” Buffy asked the man being held in the cell.

“What and you didn’t?” John retorted. “Suspect everyone’s shagged him by now. Come on you lot. Who hasn’t shagged him?”

Buffy and Gwen put up their hands.

“I’m married,” Gwen explained.

“I didn’t have time,” Buffy confessed, much to Ianto’s displeasure. “And neither has Willow. I’m not sure about Oz though.”

“Red’s as scary as I remember,” Spike noted, cringing. “I’m surprised the ‘team’ hasn’t locked her up down here. How about we bring Willow down here and she can suss out my head for you lot. A little mind probe never hurt anyone…”

“Not entirely true that,” Ianto mused as though recalling some incident. “Some aliens have really high blood pressure.”

“I believe it,” Buffy noted, happy that Gwen and Jack hadn’t caught on to what Spike said about Willow.

“Hold on,” Gwen said slowly. “What’s that about Willow and a mind probe?”

Buffy inwardly groaned.

“She hasn’t popped into your head of late then. There were days that I wished she hadn’t learned that particular skill,” John ranted.

“Spike!” Buffy hissed in warning.

Spike looked at his slayer with wide eyes. “Oh was that supposed to be a secret? Knowing you lot and the secrets I should have figured. Bloody witch.”

Jack turned and looked at Buffy, betrayal covering his face.

_________________________________________

Tbc…