Chapter 1

 "Time for a rematch, Slayer."  Spike melted out of the shadows.  He smirked at Buffy when she gave him an exasperated glare.  Spike ignored the hardening of his traitorous cock when she put her hands on her hips while she tapped one foot impatiently on the ground.

"Normally, I'd be all with the beating the crap out of you, Spike."  Buffy eyed the bleached blond vampire with suspicion.  "But Xander's found himself a life-sucking Incan Mummy, and I gotta go rescue him."

"No bloody way, Slayer," Spike growled.  "There's no way you're gettin' out of this.  B'sides, if you die another Slayer is called, and she can be the one to rescue the boy."

"Already died once, Spike."  Buffy's foot tapped a little faster.  "Do you see any other Slayer beboping around staking vamps and saving the world?"

"Well, ya look good for a dead bint."  Spike smirked evilly.  He wasn't surprised that this Slayer had already died once and lived to tell about it.  There was something about the sassy little bing that drew him to her. "Then again, I'm pretty good looking and athletic for an undead guy."

"Oh God, Spike.  Could you be any more conceited?"  Buffy swerved away from Spike when she stalked past him.  "Look, I'll be happy to fight you... LATER."

"You're giving me the brush off?" Spike asked incredulously.  "I'm wanna fight, and I wanna fight now."  He hated that his tone almost sounded like a young child's temper tantrum, but he had to do something to rid his mind of the girl.  She was invading his ever waking and unwaking thought, and it had to end.

"What is it about men that make them regress to the age of twelve when they become undead?"  Buffy continued to walk away from the vampire.  Over her shoulder she called back to Spike, "We'll fight later.  It'll be a date and everything."  She stopped in her tracks, and she looked at him.  "You will show up, right?  You're not like other vampires who say they 'might' be there and then never show, right?"

"Peaches been playin' ya lately?"  Spike smirked at the tight lipped grimace he got for his answer.  He put his hand over his unbeating heart.  "I'm a vamp of my word, Slayer."

"Uh huh, and that's why you broke our date Saturday?"  Buffy held her hand up.  "No.  No, don't answer that.  You came by on Thursday.  Cheater." The Slayer muttered without any real heat while she shook her head.  "I gotta go, Spike.  Giles is at the museum putting the dohickey together and the mummy bitch kidnapped Xander and Willow.  I really gotta go."

"You lot are bloody weird, you know that, Slayer?"  Spike watched Buffy march away from him with her cute little arse swaying side to side, tempting a vamp to think thoughts he really had no business thinking.  He shook his head to clear those traitorous thoughts before he convinced himself he was just going to follow her to watch her fight and learn more about her style.

Spike followed the Slayer down several streets before she stopped at the Natural History Museum where low and behold the stuck up little bint broke into the building.  The blond vampire was still chuckling to himself when he slipped into the museum behind her.  He found Buffy in the South American room about to square off with a pretty dark haired girl.

"I'll say one thing for you Incan mummies," Buffy quipped.  "You don't kiss and tell."  She dropped into a fighting stance.

"Looks like you've been keeping secrets from me!"  Ampata shoved Giles into the coffin she had held him over.  "You're not a normal girl."

"And you are?"  Buffy kicked Ampata in the face and side.  When the Slayer went to hit the mummy girl again, Ampata caught Buffy's fist, and she pushed her into the coffin.

"Good work there, Slayer."  Spike clapped as he stepped out of the shadows.  "That's showing her."  He smirked when Ampata turned to glare at him.

"Hmm, fresh meat," Ampata whispered.  "Just one more.  Then Xander and I can be together."  She dropped Buffy to move towards Spike.  She grabbed the surprised vampire and gave him one of her life-sucking kisses.  Then she drew back in astonishment when nothing happened.  "You!  You're a vampire."

"The right term would be undead Englishman," Xander joked groggily from his place on the floor.

"My, my how PC of you, Whelp," Spike sneered.  "Does that mean you call old Angelus undead Irishman?"

"Nah."  Xander got to his feet where he swayed back and forth for a moment.  "I just call him Deadboy.  Now can someone please tell me what the heck is goin' on here?  Why is Will unconscious, Giles in a coffin and my girlfriend kissing Spike?"

"Well, can't really blame her."  Spike preened under the attention.  "Bloody gorgeous, ain't I?"

"We've already touched on the subject of your conceit tonight, Spike," Buffy huffed.  "Now take your hands off my vamp, and get ready for an ass kicking, mummy chick."  She was furious.  What right did that Incan bitch have to steal her best friends and kiss her vampire.  Wait a minute.  Did I just call Spike my vampire?

"Don't think that's a problem, luv."  Spike stepped away from Ampata with a strange look on his face.  "She's startin' to mummify or something."

Ampata lurched towards Xander, and she grabbed him by the neck.  She tried to pull him closer, but the drying out of her body progressed faster than she had anticipated.  Ampata felt a wave of sadness rush over her when she saw the look of fear and disgust on Xander's face.  She was surprised at the strength in his arms, not realizing that she was almost mummified again.

Buffy grabbed the mummy woman away from her friend.  She wrinkled her nose in polite disgust when the body broke off at the arms, leaving Xander holding them.  She tossed the body aside before she grabbed the bones away from the still stunned Xander.  She pulled him over to Willow, and they helped her get to her feet.  Together the three teenagers got Giles out of the coffin where he'd been trapped by Ampata.

"Ya haven't forgotten I'm here, have ya?" Spike asked while he pulled his cigarettes out of his duster pocket.

"Yeah, what's the undead Englishman doin' here anyway?"  Xander looked back and forth from Buffy to Spike.

"Well, I ran into Spike a few blocks over."  Buffy dusted Giles off.  "We're just making a date."

"A date?" Willow squeaked.  Could this night get any weirder.

"To fight," Buffy huffed.  "Sheesh, you guys sure are easy to wig out tonight.  Now, let's get out of here before the guard finds us."  She marched past Spike, swiping the cigarette now dangling from his lips.  "Can't you read?  No smoking allowed."

"Yes, dear," Spike answered sarcastically and rolled his eyes.  He turned to follow the Slayer out of the building.

"Is it just me, or are they acting all coupley like?" Willow whispered to Giles and Xander.  The two males stared into the supernatural duo's wake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, tomorrow night, 10pm in Restfield?" Spike asked.  He was dying for a cigarette, but figured he wouldn't light another one up while standing next to the thief who had taken the last one.  It wasn't like he paid for them, but he didn't feel like nicking into a convenience store at the moment.

"This is a definite thing, right?" Buffy sighed.  "You are different than other vamps?"

"Yes, luv.  I'll be there with bells on."  Spike chuckled.  "Nothing to keep us from fighting to the death, right?"

"Nope, not a darned thing," Buffy chirped.  "You bring your fangs, and I'll bring my stake."

"It's a date."  Spike pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket.  He leaned over quickly, and he pressed his cool lips against Buffy's mouth.  The soft, barely there kiss was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted.  Spike wanted it to last longer, but he could hear the Slayer's friends coming out of the museum behind them.  "See ya, luv."  He swaggered into the shadows as he lit his cigarette.  "Don't be late."

Buffy stared at the vampire's retreating back.  What the hell just happened?  She knew she liked Angel, but his kisses never made her burn.  Not like the brief caress that Spike had just graced her with.  Now she had a date to fight to the death with William the Bloody.  Oh my God, I've got a date with Spike.  What will Giles think?  Worse, what the hell should I wear?