Email me at natterbard@yahoo.co.uk

Disclaimer: Josh Wheldon is God. I own nothing, I want nothing, and most likely I'll get nothing. So I have two words for all Fox Entertainment-y types. SOD OFF!

Summary: This is a short 'Buffy and Willow love each other but don't realise it yet' story and is my first attempt at BTVS fan fiction. It stars Giles aka Mr. Footnotes, DeadBoyII aka Spike and those two girls that we all know and love, (if you don't know who I am talking about, please refer somewhere else until you do). There may be a sequel sometime in the near future.

Rating: This is a light and fluffy story about love. So definantly a PG rating. Or possibly even lower than that.

Spoilers: This takes place after the episode 'Wild at Heart'. There is one tiny little spoiler, but you have to really strain your eyes to see it.

Distribution: If you want this story, then email me in BIG CAPITAL letters with pretty picture attachments...(I can at least ask can't I?).

Author's Notes: Thoughts are in < >. Also feedback nice. Means my writing English good, and that you understand much what I is write.

"It's not like I need him anyway."

"That's what I wanna hear."

"Cause I'm a bad ass wicca type of girl...aren't I?"

"Sure you are Willow. No-one's badder"

In Sunnydales infamous graveyard, Buffy paced up and down, anxious for some action as she tossed 'Mr Pointy' from hand to hand. Willow sat with her back up against a gravestone watching Buffy.

The slayer and the hacker had just spent the last hour discussing everything about nothing. Well...Willow was mostly discusing Oz. Willow still hurt over Oz's decision to leave, but with the love and support of her friends, especially her best bud Buffy, she was beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel that was her relationship with Daniel Osbourne. <I don't need him. I've got Buffy...>, Willow thought, <...as a 'freind need' I mean, not as a 'snuggles need' type>. Willow became a bit confused as to what she really did mean by that exactly. Buffy saw the look of confusion flash across Willows face.

"Willow?...Willow?..." Willow looked up into Buffys clear green eyes that were looking back into her own with concern. Visibly, she shook herself out of her thoughts.

"You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just thinking about...you know...stuff."

"Uh huh..."

"Just tellling myself that I don't need Oz really. I mean, it's one thing to say it out loud, but I still need to keep reminding myself about it."

"Mmm..."

"It's just that sometimes I feel unsure about whe...Um, Buffy?..." Willow looked at Buffys face recognising the emotion that she saw there as Buffys 'Slayer Sensing Something' face. "...are you okay?"

"Well I will be as soon as those two fanged goons decide to step out of the shadows."

"What two fanged goo...?"

At that moment, two male vamps, both dressed up in office suits, jumped out from behind the bushes to the side of Willow. One of them looked middle aged and the other could have been in their twentys. When they weren't part of the undead anyway. Both vampires had their 'feeding time' faces on.

Buffy grabbed Willow and moved her out of harms way. Then, letting her Slayer instincts fully kick into top gear, Buffy faced the two newly risen vamps.

"It was about time you guys woke up. I was starting to become concerned" Buffy taunted them.

As to be expected, this got to the older vamp, who growled deeply as threw himself at Buffy. <Always seems to get to the proud older types> Buffy thought <Ah well, Pride cometh before a fall, or in this case, a major dust fest>.

Buffy fell onto her back, and using the vampires momentum, flipped him over her head, slamming him into the gravestone that Willow had just previously been sitting upon. As he tried to gain his senses, Buffy took that moment to allow 'Mr.Pointy' to get closely aquainted with the vampires non-beating heart. A few moments later, all that was left of him was a pile of dust.

The younger vampire had warily watched the fighting that had gone on in front of him, not becoming involved. Buffy turned to face him.

"I've always wanted to see if a vampire could fit into a snuff box."

The younger vamp growled as her prepared to lunge at Buffy, but to Buffys surprise, he merely exploded in a puff of dust particles.

As the dust cleared, Buffy saw Willow in front of her holding a stake in her hands, grinning happily.

"I guess all that clerical work he did when he was alive kind of dulled his undead senses, huh?" Buffy said as both she and Willow continued on their graveyard round.

"A snuff box?" Willow asked with a smirk.

"Okay..." Buffy lifted her hands up in resignation, 'Mr Pointy' firmly held in her right hand. "...so I'm running out of witty one liners. Slay me!"

Buffy and Willow later found themselves at Giles' house, thumbing their way through a couple of Giles many leather-bound dust consumed books. <It's a good job that dust doesn't make me sneeze> Buffy thought <I spend all night making dust out of vampires, and most of my free time blowing it off of books. Maybe us slayers come equipped with non-sneezing genes?> Buffy stopped thumbing through her book and blinked at that. <I am having way too many thoughts>.

"Buffy, it isn't all that bad. As soon as we find out about more about the Stone of The Ebony Reign we can go back to the dorm and spend the rest of our time discussing life, love and chocolate mochas." Willow smiled at Buffy, hoping to bring her out of her 'too research! Somebody help me!' type of mood.

Buffy smiled. <She's always able to read my mind>. "Sure Willow. Anything that doesn't involve dust and other pollutants is fine by me."

"Will you two keep it down, I'm trying to watch the telly!" Spike gave them both an annoyed look look from his seat in Giles sofa, before turning his attention back to the television and to sipping his favourite blood red drink out of Giles' favourites mug (ever to Giles' dismay).

Buffy turned to give Spike one of her hardest stares. The kind of stare that she usually saved for vampires who decided to mess with her at 'that time of the month'.

"Look. All you ever do is watch TV. So either help us research or just get used to it."

Spike, once again, turned his attention towards Buffy. "I watch TV because that is all there is to do in this sodding house. And if you think I am about to help you with your research then your bloody well mistaken."

Buffy was only getting started. "Just remember you are living here on borrowed time. And if it were down to me, your dust ashes would be filling that cup you're drinking from right now."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Just push me enough and I'll..."

"Giles wouldn't let you." Spike turned his head toward the direction of the kitchen, raising his voice "You won't let her will you Giles!"

Giles walked into the living room holding a cup of Earl Grey tea in his right hand and a heavy looking book balanced in the other. With the air of practice, he pointedly ignored the argument between Buffy and Spike and directed his attention towards Willow.

"Had any luck finding anything out?"

"Nope" Willow put on a face of tired exasperation in a way that only Willow can. "There is stuff about Thecket, whatever that is, but no Ebony Reign. Shall I give Xander a call? It seems as if we are going to need all the help we can get."

"Good idea. Um..the phone is..is in the hallway"

As Willow jumped up to make the call, Spikes voice halted her motions.

"Wait a minute. If you call that wanker, his nymphomaniac girlfriend is gonna come round as well." Spike looked a bit put out at the thought of Anya coming around again. It was plainly obvious the he couldn't stand her. Well he couldn't stand any of the Scooby Gang, but Anya really took the biscuit.

Giles, Willow and Buffy all looked at one another for a moment, obviously contemplating what Spike had just said and the uncomfortable prospect that was Anya. Then as soon as the moment came, it went. Willow went off to make the phone call, Giles went back into the kitchen for another Earl Grey refill and Buffy went back to blowing dust off of books.

"No-one bloody ever listens to me." Spike mumbled. And sure enough, no-one did.

Spike turned his attentions towards Buffy now that they were alone in the living room. Willow was on the phone to Xander, Giles was still in the kitchen, (for fear of wandering too far away from his tea-pot), and Buffy sat at the table researching yet another dusty old book. The TV was getting a bit boring and Spike needed to have some fun. and he knew exactly what he would find amusing.

"So...Buffy..."

Buffy resolutely ignored him. She couldn't stand anything about Spike, and if it wasn't for Giles she knew that she would have hated any form of English accent by now.

Spike, seeing Buffy steele herself against his conversation opener, let a grin slowly spread across his face.

"How's Weeping Willow coping without Oz around?"

Buffy slowly let her eyes rise from the book that she was reading and let them rest upon Spike.

"What do you care, Spike?"

Spike put on a mock expression of mixed suprise and hurt.

"If I remember correctly, it was I..." Spike placed extra emphasis on the ' I ' part, "...who realised in the first place that Willow was falling apart when Oz left. I guess thats why she didn't take me up on my offer..." Spike let his voice trail off at the end, and turned his head towards the door that Willow had just left through, looking for all the world as though he longed for Willow. Really he just wanted to hide his grin from Buffy, who was now directing a hard stare at Spike.

<Let the games begin!> Spike thought.

"What did you do to Willow?" Buffy didn't even begin to understand the jealous feelings that rose within her over the fact that Spike or anyone else wanted Willow. She had these same feelings when Willow was with Oz, yet she couldn't remember exactly when they had started. At this moment in time though, all she could think of was killing Spike if he had tried to hurt her.

Buffy's voice started to rise. "What the hell did you do to Willow?".

"Keep it down Slayer." Spike mocked Buffy, "We don't want little Willow to hear."

Buffy had enough. Darting across the room at a speed that surprised Spike, Buffy grabbed him by the front of his shirt and picked him up off the sofa so that they were both now face to face. Buffy rasied an eyebrow menacingly. That was all the prompting that Spike needed.

"Okay! Okay!" Spike held his hands up in surrender. <When I get my ability to kill again, I am going to rip you and everyone around you limb from bloody limb...> Spike thought <but for now...>

"I was just talking to Willow the other day about that night, when I went to your dorm room..." Spike squrimed a little but Buffys grip remained firm. He sighed and decided to just get this over with as quick as possible, "...I had given Willow a choice that night. Either I kill her, or I kill her and bring her back to be with me." Both of Buffys eyebrows were now raised. Spike quickly continued. "it was before I realised that I was unable to kill anyone."

Buffy mockingly shook her head at Spike and tossed him back onto the sofa.

"You of all people should have known that Willow wouldn't go anywhere with you. And what a fabulous choice. Death or Death. I can see you presenting Wheel Of Hells Fortune." Buffy started to walk back to the table.

Spike, rubbing his sore neck, wasn't about to give in that easily. "Well yesterday, I asked her why she didn't take me up on my offer on an eternity with me, and she just said that she couldn't even if she could, what with everything going on between her and you."

Buffy stiffened at Spikes words, standing still in the middle of the room. She turned around to face Spike once again.

Spike managed to keep a straight face whilst staring Buffy in the eye. He and Willow did have a talk yesterday. And after very little grilling, Willow had let slip about her infatuation over Buffy. She had tried to deny it afterwards, but Spikes vampire senses had picked up on Willows emotions and saw the truth behind her denials. By telling Buffy about this he hadn't hoped for anything other than to wind Buffy up. He hadn't even expected her to actually believe what he said.

"What 'everything' between us?" Buffy asked.

Spike blanched at this, not expecting to have even gotton this far. "Well...you know...I took it to mean that you two had a thing."

"But we don't." <Do we? Could it be true?> Buffy thought. She shook her head. "Your lying Spike."

"Why would I lie? You would fling me clear across three states and back if you thought I was."

Spike was surprised to see a mixture of relief and...what was that he could faintly pick up?... happiness? Spike couldn't be sure. Whilst the other Slayerettes (or lachies as Spike loved to call them), gave off emotion scents like territorial dogs on heat, slayers proved always much harder to read. They didn't just give off a scent, you had to provoke them into doing so.

Then like a cross country truck running into a soda can, realisation hit Spike. He could only faintly pick it up, but he was sure.

"You love her don't you?"

Buffy was about to start denying this truth when Willow came back into the room. Buffy started a little, but then did an immediate about turn, and made her way back to the book that she was researching. Spike just sat on Giles sofa (with his shirt looking ruffled as though he had been tossed about), as he stared at Buffy, smiling like he was the cat who had just got the cream de la cream.

Willow didn't know what to make of the scene, but she tried to ignore the pang of jealousy that shot through her. <Whatever's just happened, Buffy will tell me when she is ready> Willow thought, and went back to join Buffy with researching.

THE END ?