Written as a Long Stand Alone (Was written so it can be read with out reading the first story).

Sequel to Dream Once More (Archived at the Sand lot)

Author: T. Claybourne  (t.claybourne@yahoo.com)

AU And Crossover

Rating: Rated R most chapters for violence and Language, some are NC-17 for sexual content

A/N I'd like to thank my Beta Reader Hawera and muses Michelle Branch, Robbie Williams and Evanescence

Afterglow Chapter 18 Sometimes It Hits Back

Spike stood at the back of the Watchers' class, next to Dawn. Mia had forgotten to mention that Dawn had started taking her class. The teen had only joined the group that Monday. She had been excited to see Spike and didn't mention the make up, so Spike knew it was unnoticeable. Truth was, Dawn would be the first to notice something like that and if she had she would have been certain to mention it. She had however commented on the sweat pants that Mia had forcefully suggested he should borrow from Harris to make sure that he blended in.

He had quickly taken Dawn into his confidence about helping Mia out. Dawn had told him she thought Miss Taylor was a good teacher, and it was just that the guys in the class were idiots. Spike was starting to agree as he watched and followed along. There were five students who seemed to do well, two of whom were women, including Dawn. Of the three others who were doing alright, one was Andrew, who had also been brought in on the secret that Spike was assisting. Spike was actually amazed at how well the boy was performing.

Mia started the class with a series of defensive moves that she had devised. They were simple moves designed to help the students to get away from an attacking vampire. From the start she had required all the students go through these defensive routines at the beginning of each class. The students should have known them by now but Mia had to keep demonstrating them, repositioning the students and explaining each move. It took the entire first half of the class to go through something that should have taken about 20 minutes.

Spike marveled at her patience and perseverance because he wanted to throw some of them across the room. The positions were simple and direct. The majority of the class were holding back the five who had learned them. One student irritated Spike so much that he was on the verge of letting his demon out, and he had to check himself several times. He could see that the student was touching Mia and was also making sexist cracks, which always brought about a general titter of laughter, but Mia seemed to ignore it all. Spike brought his eyebrows together purposely and felt the pain from his nose injury. He wondered if the kid knew how very lucky he was that Mia was showing the patience of Job during class. After an hour, which seemed like an eternity to Spike, she asked everyone to sit down on the bleachers.

"I am so frustrated with you guys that I don't know what to do. We are only working on simple defensive moves right now and yet only a few of you can remember them. You have to know them; even these could save you and in consequence save your Slayer's life also. If your Slayer has to worry about you, she won't be able to concentrate on fighting whatever is coming at her. If you can't learn these simplest of moves, how do you to expect to be able to learn harder ones and eventually to take over your Slayer's training? The Slayers I'm working with right now know so much more than you that I wouldn't even let you near them. I need you to commit to this, or you won't progress. Do you understand?"

"Maybe if you didn't wear such tight, sexy clothes to teach in we could concentrate easier."

There were a few snickers.

Spike narrowed his eyes. Dawn put her hand on his knee. "Vince is an idiot, we all know that. Just ignore him. She always does."

Mia wore a form-fitting racer-back tank top and yoga pants, suitable clothes for a training class. She was not showing any skin except her muscular shoulders.

"Alright, let's go over the moves one last time in a slightly different way. Tomorrow we have twenty minutes for them, then we will move on to physical training and weapons study. If you don't get these things after today, you will have to go over them on your own with someone that does."

"Dawn and William." She pointed to Spike and Dawn. They came down to the padded floor.

"William I know today was your first day, but you seemed to do well. Do you think you would feel comfortable simulating a vampire, while Dawn goes through the defensive techniques?"

Spike cocked an eyebrow and smiled at her. "Simulate a vampire? Sure, I'll try my best."

"Dawn, you think you'll be alright working with William?"

"I think so," beamed the girl.

Dawn stood in front of the class and Spike came up behind her. She instinctively elbowed him in the solar plexus, then used her shoulder and all her might to push him back. She pivoted and acted as if she was about to run.

They continued through each defensive move until the final one, when Dawn actually knocked Spike to the mat flat on his butt.

He looked up at her and cocked his head, eyes wide.

As he stood up he asked. "Mia taught you to do that? In this class?"

"Yes, in only three days."

"Not bad."

Mia signaled to them to go back to their seats.

"Now, if William had been a real vampire Dawn's life would have been in real jeopardy, and her adrenaline would have kicked in. That would probably add to her strength. If she knows these techniques by heart, she won't have to worry about her brain freezing: her reactions will be instinctive. That's how we want our Slayers to be too when they are fighting. We want them to rely on instinct and the moves will just be there. Your role as Watchers is to ensure that the Slayers are trained so well that they survive. One of the best Watchers ever is Mr. Giles. He has one of the oldest living Slayers, because he trained her so well and then counted on her instincts to protect her. If you ever have the privilege of meeting Mr. Giles and Buffy Summers you will be standing in the presence of the quintessential Slayer-Watcher team."

A hand went up. Mia called on the student.

"I heard Mr. Giles got fired for caring for his Slayer too much."

"That was by the old Council which was blown up by the First. What was it that my friend Spike used to call them, the Wankers' Council. This new Council encourages Watchers to connect and form friendships with their Slayers. You are a team. They need your knowledge; you need their strength and instincts."

Another hand went up. "When you say Spike, was that the one who saved the world?"

"Yes, the very one." Mia forced herself not to look at Spike.

"You were friends with him?"

Mia finally looked up at Spike, and finding his eyes she slowly smiled. Then she looked back at the questioner.

"A lifetime ago it was more than that. Spike trained me. OK, enough for today, come ready for tomorrow, let's kick some butt."

"You can kick my butt any time, Miss Taylor," said Vince.

Spike couldn't resist it. He slyly stuck his foot out and Vince tripped, falling two rows of benches down the bleachers.

Vince simply righted himself and walked out.

Dawn turned to Spike. "William, if you had been a genuine vampire I might have feared for my life."

"Lil' Bit, if you knew what a day I've had, you would not start with me."

She cocked her head. "What?"

"I was inside all day with Mia because of sun."

"She seemed fine just now, said nice things about you."

"She's trying to make up for earlier."

"Are you saying she was... mean... to you?"

"I'm saying that when she says I trained her, she means in more than fighting."

"Oh, ha!"

"Ha?"

"A little of your own medicine. What do you know?"

Spike shook his head. He patted her on her back. "See you tomorrow, Dawn. I have a conference with the teacher."

Dawn left with a small laugh, looking back a couple of times as she went.

Spike came down to the mats where Mia was standing. She saw him and sat down cross-legged, then laid back.

"I'm exhausted."

"It's the bloody effort of keeping your patience. That one, Vince, has a problem and you need to see to it."

"Vincent is just a young boy"

"And you at eighteen are so old. I think it's more than that. Think on it, pet"

"I feel older than eighteen. So, besides Vincent, what am I doing wrong?"

"Uh, not draining the lot of them."

Mia laughed and he smiled.

"I might have considered it, but I think Giles might set the Slayer class on me if I actually did."

Spike wiped some of his make up off his nose and cheeks revealing the dark bruise beneath. "Might be able to drain the lot of them too."

"Nope. I train them and they're good.

Spike stood. "Where's the bathroom, got to get out of costume."

"Give me a hand up and I'll help." Spike pulled her up.

Once she had removed the make up for him, they headed to her office. She offered him a beer out of a small fridge on the floor and opened one for herself.

Spike sat across from her. "Get their records out, let's see if they reveal anything. Pull Andrew's, Dawn's, the other girl's and the other two boys who seem to be doing fine."

Spike opened the first one. "This record, Keith Church's, says he witnessed his father, also a Watcher, killed by Bringers."

"Donald Dobbins' sister was killed by a vampire and he was being bitten, when the Slayer just before Buffy, dusted it. He was two. I guess no matter how young you are, you never forget something like that," added Mia.

"This one was supposed to be a potential but turned out not to be," read Spike

"And Dawn and Andrew are from Sunnydale. Both were attacked by vampires; Andrew had one break through a wall to get to him," said Mia.

"How do you bleeding remember things like that? I tried to forget about that time."

"I listened to you. I remember."

"You were the only one, that's why...Oh bloody hell.... never mind."

"The thing is, Spike, about you, people never realize..."

"OK, Pet what is this? After earlier, now you are being nice. This, this nice thing you're doing, it's bloody disturbing me."

"It was that question, you know, was I really friends with Spike, champion, savior of the world. I just realized I wanted to be able to say yes. The other part, adding how it had been more, that was just bragging to impress them, like telling them you trained me. They make me feel so useless, I needed something."

"Balls! Useless, you ? Did you see Dawn put me on my ass?"

"You let her."

"Hardly."

Mia cocked her head. "Are you saying that you didn't just let her do that?"

"When the bloody hell have I ever let any one throw me to my ass?"

Mia smiled and clapped her hands.

"OK. Enough of your sodding celebrating. I bleeding figured out what's wrong with your class. They aren't afraid. They have no real idea what they are getting into. The ones who do are learning. I bet the ones that work hard carry a stake, the others probably don't."

"I bet you're right. When I first got here I scared Andrew into carrying one. I gave him a hard time for coming to the house without it. He was all... 'but you wouldn't hurt me'. I showed him my demon face and said he should always remember that I was a vampire, and that even with a soul I had a demon. He is never without a stake now."

"That's what we need to do then, flash the fangs, show what a vamp is, how strong we are, our lust for blood and violence. Remember when I showed the girls?"

"I heard all about it that night. By the way, Stephanie is in my Slayer training class. She's grown like 2 inches. You should come by and see her. I have a few of the others too. They are so far ahead of the rest of the class that I have them leading as demonstrators."

"My girls are top of the class, huh."

"Yeah. If you stay, maybe you could take over training them again."

Spike was silent and closed his eyes for a moment. He pushed back his chair and strode out into the gym.

He walked to the punching bag and started throwing some punches at it. It was much easier when she wasn't so nice. All the talk of their old life had been too much. He had to admit that he missed it: it had been good, and now it was gone forever.

Mia sat for a moment. She debated what to do, but she knew Spike and that he needed some time. She called Giles who was still at the office. Mia explained Spike's idea to him and he agreed that maybe it would be a good step to take. He suggested maybe a demonstration of Slayer versus vamp, and Watcher versus vamp too. It seemed that Robin and Faith had been itching to get into one of her classes before they headed back to Cleveland. Mia agreed and they arranged it for Friday because she didn't want the class to get any further behind.

Mia walked out into the gym and watched Spike for a moment. It wasn't hard to grasp why he was upset. The same thing was bothering her. The life they had shared had been special to them both, but now it was a thing of the past. Sometimes it would just hit them how badly it really hurt to look back at that other life, and now was one of those times. She smiled: she knew what to do to make it better.

Mia walked over to the opposite side of the bag, grabbed it, and shoved it at him.

"Oi! "

"Get off the bag, and spar with something that hits back."

Spike smiled and looked down his swollen nose at her. "Is that a challenge, woman?"

"Probably for you: for me it'll just be a walk in the park."

"You think so," he said, following her to the middle of the mats.

"I am not the one that was put on my vampire ass by a 90 pound girl."

"We'll bloody see who ends up on their vampire ass."

They circled, eyeing each other. "Should I be careful of your face, sweetheart?"

"No pet, give it me good."

With that, each of them threw a punch to the other's jaw.

Each took the punch to the jaw, with only a step back. "You held back, Em, it's still intact."

"I need you in one piece for the big demonstration on Friday."

Spike dropped and swung his leg to kick hers from under her, but she jumped and landed a kick to his chest putting him on his butt.

Mia laughed.

Spike chuckled. He jumped up and bounced on his toes and swung. Mia blocked, he swung again Mia blocked, he kept on the offensive swinging and she kept blocking he worked her back across the mat.

Mia reached the edge of the mat, jumped straight up and over Spike, and turned and kicked him in the small of his back. He flew and hit the far wall. He turned and laughed.

"Damn, woman! I was a hundred before I could jump like that."

Spike flew at her; Mia threw him back against the other wall again.

He came slowly toward her, and vamped into demon face.

Mia started to laugh. "Oops, something seems to have slipped there."

He dove at her. She vaulted off his shoulders, but Spike dropped to one knee ,and threw his forearm into her elbow. She fell in mid-air, right onto her butt.

They were both laughing then.

"This isn't that funny," breathed Mia.

Spike sat next to her, changing back to human face. "Yes it is. It was brilliantly funny seeing you end up on your ass. For a while there I thought I had trained you too well."

"You cheated: you had to use your demon."

"So am I an uber-vamp like you? I bloody well am not."

Mia laid back on the mat, and Spike followed.

"That was fun, Spike."

"It was, wasn't it, pet."

He turned his head and looked at her. She was smiling. His demon was begging for more play, it could smell her blood and her demon. Her words, from earlier that day echoed in his mind, the ones about how their demons had been together.

Mia turned and looked at him.

Spike scooted a few inches closer. "Mia, my demon is very feisty right now. Your jugular is singing to me."

She looked to him as if she was contemplating it. "It's just the fight. Spike. No-one was killed, there was no blood, and your demon isn't satisfied."

"You feel it too. You want it too, admit it. Sod it, but you are infuriating when you act all wise"

"You're right, it's excited. So, yes, I feel it, and I'm definitely tempted. It's ......"

From over by the bleachers came a voice. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"