Title: Afterglow32/57 NOT a work in progress

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

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 32 Dark Power

I spend so much time believing all the lies to keep the dream alive now, it makes me sad, it makes me sad, it makes me mad at the truth for loving what was you. Billy Idol

 ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Willow was baking in the kitchen. Xander could smell it and resented it very much.

"She's doing it on purpose."

"Why, just to upset you? Please," Mia snuggled against Xander's chest.

"Mia, I know another side of Willow you don't. She wants to make me get out of bed. This is a plot against my staying in bed."

"Oh I see. Willow's just trying to force you from bed. It is past noon: we could afford to get up."

"No, you said we could stay in bed all day. I wanted you naked all day today."

"Oh, I see. I could go out there naked."

Xander just stared down at her.

"No?" smiled Mia.

"She's gay, Mia. She might like that."

Mia gave a short laugh, "So."

"How is it that you were in this house for weeks and I never noticed your lack of modesty?"

Mia grinned. "Were you looking?"

"Excuse me, hell yes, I was looking."

"It smells like chocolate chips.

"You're going to get up, aren't you?"

"I can't take your whining any more, sweetie. Let's go get a cookie."

Mia was first into the kitchen as Xander made a stop along the way, and Willow smiled.

"I wondered when you guys would make it in here."

"It was apart of your big get-us-out-of-bed- scheme, right?" Mia grinned.

Willow cocked her head.

"Xander's theory, but if it was, it's a very sound one. It smells wonderful.

Willow gave a short giggle. "I have felt a little lonely since you got back, but I had no agenda in mind, just chocolaty goodness."

Mia went to the refrigerator and got some blood to warm. "I'd better have breakfast first but then, chocolate chip here I come."

"Me, I'm going for a cookie monster breakfast," said Xander as he entered the kitchen.

Willow put several cookies on a plate for him.

"I thought you guys were never going to get up."

"Well that was the idea," Xander bit into a cookie, "Until someone decided to bake cookies just down the hall."

"I guess my evil plan worked."

"See, Mia, I knew it."

Both Mia and Willow giggled. Mia's cell phone rang and she went to her room to get it. When she got back, she wasn't smiling.

She looked at Willow and Xander. "It's Giles: he needs us in his office."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Entering Giles office, they saw that Buffy and Spike were already there.

There were three comfy chairs across from Giles desk. Willow took one chair, Buffy was already sitting on Spike's lap in one and Xander sat in the other chair with Mia on the arm, leaning against his shoulder.

"I'll get right to it. There is another report of a decapitation and a missing woman, but this time in Paris. Mia, I want you to go."

"Wait a minute ..." started Xander, until Mia brushed the back of her fingers lightly across his face and then rested her hand on the back of his neck. It was Spike who spoke up. "You can't send her. She just recovered from a major injury."

Willow watched Mia's jaw clench so tight she thought it might break.

"It's not really your decision, Spike. Both she and the doctor agree that she is back to full strength. Besides, I am sending you with her."

"What?" came from Buffy.

"We are not sure that the things Mia ran into are related to these killings and abductions, but Mia was badly injured so if they are, it would be too high a risk to send a Slayer. Spike is the strongest and best to accompany her on this mission. Besides I heard stories from Wesley of you two and how you fought together in L.A, he says you are quite a team. If it involves those same creatures I want you to undertake recognizance only: if it is a vampire you should take it out.

"When, Giles?" asked Mia.

"Today I'm afraid. I need you there sometime tonight."

"Alright, but if you book me in a closet of a hotel again I swear that when I get back you will see how very much back to strength I am."

Giles chuckled, "No, the Council has a two-bedroom flat in Paris; it is small, but much larger than a closet. You'll have to drive and take the Chunnel so I suggest you get going right now."

"This isn't fair," said Xander, as he stood up and looked at Mia. "I wanted to be the one to take you to Paris."

"It's not like Spike is taking me to Paris on vacation. We are going there to work. You and me, we'll go and have romantic fun there some other time."

"We'll take my car," announced Spike.

"The hell we will: that thing will stand out. We'll take mine."

"Bollocks. As if a Masarati won't stand out."

"You two will take a Council vehicle that will blend in with its surroundings."

"I'm driving," said Spike.

"Good, I'll sleep." Mia turned; looped her arm through Xander's and walked out. Over her shoulder she said, "Give me fifteen minutes to get home, twenty or so to pack and then I'll be ready."

"Fine. I'll see you in forty-five minutes."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia stood with Xander in the foyer by the front door of their house, waiting for Spike.

"We don't even have time to, you know."

"As often as we do it, you can say it, Xander."

"Have sex. And who knows how long you'll be gone and how long before we'll get to again."

"Xander, please baby, make my having to go on assignment, oh so much easier. That's sarcasm in case you didn't catch it."

"Sorry, bit selfish huh?"

"Teensy bit. My plan is to find the thing, kill it, and then come home to you and resume as normal a life as a vampire is able to when she's in love and having sex with a human as often as she can."

"I like that plan," he said, kissing her and putting his forehead next to hers. "Please be careful: no getting hurt again."

"Don't worry, Spike will have my back and you can..."

"I know, I can count on him to watch it. If any one can keep you safe, it'll be Spike."

"Xander?" Mia's brow knit together at his tone.

"I'm saying that I'm glad it's him with you. There is no-one I'd rather have there to protect you, Mia."

There was a honk out side.

He kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too." Mia kissed him deeply.

She then threw her bag over her shoulder, her coat over her arm, put her umbrella up and ran to the car. She turned and waved to Xander in the doorway.

"Harris looked a little worse for wear. What did you do to him?"

"Shut up, Spike."

"Not enough time then?" Spike's eyebrow lifted. "I thought for sure that with forty five minutes, I'd given you enough time: besides I was certain Xander would get the job done right quick."

Mia rolled her eyes and sighed. "You know, some of us don't just wear all black all of the time; some of us actually have to pack."

"Unhappy all around was it then?"

"About me not wearing any black? No, because we both like me in colors. Was Buffy upset?"

"There was a little discord."

"Because you were going, or because you were going with me?"

He glanced at her. "A little of both."

"Xander was glad you'll have my back."

Mia lowered her seat back and wrapped her coat over herself. "Wake me when we get there."

Spike put a CD in the stereo and turned up his 'London Calling' album full blast. Mia didn't even stir.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was dark when they parked on the street below the apartment. Mia sat up and stretched dramatically. She planned on breaking the three CD's Spike had listened to on the way here before they went back. They hadn't talked at all, which was fine with her she wasn't really up to sparring verbally with him right now. Besides she was missing Xander already and that made her feel weak. Spike would pick up on that and tease her unmercifully about it: she knew him.

Mia grabbed her stuff and followed Spike up the stairs to the third floor. The apartment was small, but it was better than her hotel room in Amsterdam. She chose one of the rooms and threw her stuff on the bed. Her phone rang and she answered it.

~ ~

"Hi." Came Xander's voice.

"Hey, honey."

"Are you there?"

"Just got here."

"And?"

"It's ok, it'll work. I've got to get ready though, we have to go out."

"How was the drive?"

Mia gave a short laugh. "I ignored him the whole way, had to listen to the Ramones ,Sex Pistols and The Clash, but no talking."

"Interesting."

"Yeah, I thought we ought to start out on the right foot." She laughed slightly.

Xander chuckled, "Did I tell you I love you? Do you know I do?"

"Yes and I love you too. Ciao, baby."

~ ~

Spike stood in her doorway, leaning in the door jamb. "Ciao, baby?"

"Don't start. In fact, let's get this straight now. My relationship with Xander is off limits."

"Right," said Spike his eyebrow coming up. "Off limits." He gave a small snort.

"I really mean it: off limits. I believe your little honey has shown some insecurity in the area of well, me. Well there are certain things a girl, as in me, could do to play on these insecurities. Want to try out my theory?" Mia held up her phone.

"Let me see, speed dial for Giles' is number seven. That is where she will be right now, right? Do you think she's busy? How upset would she be if I told her there was a mistake and we will need to share the one double bed they provided? Oh wait, I might get inspired and remind her how you always sleep naked."

Spike just stared at her.

"Oh, and if you were thinking it might work both ways, sorry: Xander doesn't have the same insecurities. He was glad it was you on this assignment with me. Well, I guess you could lie to him but if I told him they were lies he'd believe me. Now, Buffy: would she believe I was lying or would she wonder just how true what I was saying might be?"

Spike's eyes narrowed.

"Funny how, even with the soul, the demon inspires you," Mia grinned.

"Yeah, it's bloody funny that."

"Hey, let's go take out a bad guy so I can go home and get some sooner rather than later."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They were walking along the Seine when Spike turned to her.

"You know, now that you've changed your hair back you look more like her. You walk and talk and laugh just like her, but then you go and say something like you did back at the flat and bam, I get it smack in the face that you're not her."

"Are you trying to hurt my feelings, because it's not working? I know that I'm not her. I knew that from the beginning. I might not have admitted it but I knew. The person I am now is quite a different person than Emma was. I know that, and so do you, or you wouldn't be with Buffy. Yes, the potential for evil and plain old meanness is huge in me. I'm a vampire now, and you should smell it enough never to forget it."

Spike grinned, "Plain old meanness?"

Mia gave a short laugh. "Yeah, and the fact that I enjoy it can be disturbing for me sometimes, but most of the time I just go with it."

"Nobody understands that bit."

"You mean the humans don't. Hey, you smell that?"

Spike took in a breath. "Fear."

Mia started running, Spike following. Mia came around a corner to an alley where she found a vampire backing up a young girl into a corner.

"Spike, lookie what we found."

The vamp turned and growled.

"Is this a Parisian vampire? You promised to show me one."

"I think it might be, pet. Should we ask him?"

Mia cocked her head, one side then the other in a predatory manner, and asked it in French if it was Parisian.

The vampire responded in French that the prey was his and they should leave.

"Spike, he doesn't want to share. Imagine that."

"Imagine."

Mia moved slowly toward the vamp and made sniffing sounds.

"He's not afraid yet. Do you think he would be if he knew who you were?"

"Probably not, pet. It's been a while since I was around these parts."

"I guess I'll have to show him who I am then."

Mia cocked her head again and with a speed the vampire wasn't expecting, she grabbed him and threw him fifty feet out of the alley. She ran and seized him again, holding him above her head.

Spike helped the woman to run away.

Mia pulled the vamp down, and then punched him so hard in the nose that it crushed the nose and all the facial bones around it. The vamp screamed. She threw it into the alley where it scurried backwards as she approached.

She stopped, "Spike, want to have a go?"

"Don't mind if I do."

Spike pulled it up and threw a punch at its jaw.

The other vampire sensed the change in strength and threw a kick at Spike. Spike hit the wall but bounced back with a round house and a series of blows to its face and chest, then he threw it to the ground and pulled a stake.

"Wait!" yelled Mia.

"Wait?" Spike asked, as he held the stake above its heart.

The vampire bucked Spike off and began to run out of the alley. Mia sprang from her standing position and caught it. She threw it against the wall and pushed her fist into its mouth. Her hand came back out bloody. Fangs and teeth fell to the ground. Mia held her hand up to her nose and sniffed it.

"Mostly his blood, only a little of mine."

"Well I guess that's good. Mia, what the hell are you up to?"

"Watch."

Mia took her hand and pulled its jaw until it was free from the top portion of its skull, it hung limp. Then she used both her hands to snap it in two. The vampire was making animal cries during this. Mia hadn't even changed from her human face.

Spike watched as she stepped back and began speaking in very good French.

"I am Mia. I used to be a Slayer before I became a vampire so I am a little particular how things are done in any city I'm in. No one eats, kills or maims without me knowing first. Well, except Spike here, William The Bloody: he gets to do whatever or whoever he wants. You think you might remember that? What's my name, sweetie?

The vampire tried to say her name, but it came out. "Eea"

Mia slapped its cheek making it flinch. "Very good, better tell your friends because I know your scent now and if they screw up, I'll let Spike use his stake on you. Good bye, we're off to see the city."

Mia turned and grabbed Spike's arm and pulled him with her out of the alley. Both their coats were flapping as they went.

Once they had gone a couple of blocks Spike stopped her. "What the bloody hell was that? You left him alive and..."

"He couldn't feed, and now any vamps out there who think they are the deadliest or in charge of the city will be after us. I cut to the chase, so to speak."

Spike stared at her a moment. "You are bloody brilliant. You know, without your soul we would all be in a fix. Angel thought he was a good master vampire, I was great, but between your brains and power you could..."

"Hey, you forgot beauty."

Spike laughed, "Oh that's right: you could always use your beauty to subdue the ones that don't succumb to your power."

"Hey, it worked on you when..."

Spike gave her a shove and Mia laughed. They were both laughing when Mia stopped suddenly.

"We are both laughing when I just ripped the jaw off a vampire: how brutal. Shouldn't I feel bad? Isn't it cruel, I mean, wouldn't those guys back home say...?"

"The things kids get up to these days," smiled Spike.

"They wouldn't say that. I'm trying to feel bad because that's what Buffy would want. Would she give me points for effort?"

"Balls! How did this end up with Buffy."

"You know, she used to like me when I was human. Do you think it's a slayer/ vamp thing, or have I changed so much it's just...?"

Spike turned and pushed Mia up against the retaining wall of the Seine and held her there.

"We aren't talking about this."

"I'm not saying anything bad about your girl."

"I can't talk about her with you, Mia."

"But I bet you can the other way around."

"Bloody buggering hell." He let her go and threw up his hands.

"It's fucking important to me, Spike. Xander, Willow, Giles, even Dawn: how can I be in their lives and not worry how someone as important as Buffy is to them feels about me. Thursday set me off thinking. I thought some of it was about you, but then, well... I never expected to be best buddies with Buffy, shopping, having coffee, tra la la, but I want.... Fuck it. If it takes changing things, maybe even between us then that's what'll have to happen."

"Mia, I have a theory about Buffy which if you mention it to her I will deny ever having said a bleeding word. Buffy was the one and only for so long, and now she is only one of many. She was it, top dog, the most powerful, the world's secret weapon; walking in the dark, carrying the burden of her destiny and the darkness of her power for all those years. Now she's not any more. Now she's just normal. Along you come and you are everything she was times twenty: you're a souled vampire and your dark power is something she can never begin to comprehend. Her power is the essence from a demon passed through generations of Slayers, and yours is that same power along with a real demon. You are struggling with that power and being the one, the only one of your kind to carry it, just like she did. Buffy can't help but see herself in you, and it's a hard pill to swallow." "And here I thought Buffy was supposed to be the Psychology Major. How can I fix it?"

"You can't, you have to live with it. You can talk it over with Xander maybe, but you can't do anything."

"Right, because I'm not going to change from being uber-strong and a souled vampire anytime soon." Mia shrugged.

Spike smiled. "Not unless that vamp back there brings a stake, and one of those things from Amsterdam with him to put it in you."

"So how upset were you about the sword?"

"What sword?"

Mia chuckled, "She was upset though."

Spike rolled his eyes and turned to start walking.

"That part piss you off, her being jealous that Angel gave it to me?"

"Are you trying to make me pull your bleeding jaw off?"

"Answer is yes then."

"Mia, just sodding shut up."

"Make me."

"Yes, I bleeding picked up that she was jealous Angel gave it to you. Satisfied?"

"Were you jealous?"

"Bloody hell! No, I wasn't jealous over her getting jealous."

"I meant, that he gave me the sword, not you."

Spike snorted through his nose then laughed. "Oh yes, green with sodding envy here."

"I'll let him know when I send the thank you. He'll consider that a bonus."

~ ~ ~~ ~ ~

They got in just before sunrise. After some blood for breakfast, Spike went to his room and Mia to hers. She tried to sleep but with no one warm to snuggle against she found it difficult to drift off, so she sat up in bed and called Angel. They talked for quite a while, going over the story of Spike finding out about the sword, and she told him about Buffy suggesting that Angel knew some dark secret about her.

"I think you handled it well. I would have told her almost the same thing."

"Are you upset, Angel? She was obviously jealous you sent me the sword."

"She wasn't upset over the sword but that I was showing you I cared."

"Oh, I mean I knew that was what it was, but I just didn't put it in those words. Sheesh, how stupid of me."

"It's hard for our type to deal with caring. But I do, you know. At first I felt that I owed you, but now it's different."

"If Buffy knew that for sure she'd probably stake me. You and Spike, both her vampires, caring, and me taking her role. She'd feel like I stole everything from her. Don't tell her, Angel, it could be dangerous for me."

"Her role?"

"It's a theory as to why she doesn't like me much anymore. For all those years she was the one and only etc, carried the dark power all alone. Now she's one of many and I'm not, I'm the one and only, mega dark power blah blah blah."

"I don't think she'd actually stake you." He said with the very slightest of chuckles.

"Might as well, if she decides to turn against me. I won't come between her and her friends."

"You think Xander would go for that?"

"I'd feel like I'd have to step away."

"I've done the noble thing, and it's not all it's cracked up to be. She was supposed to have a normal life and now she's with Spike."

"If it happens, we'll piss them all off and I'll come and be with you."

Angel gave a short laugh. "That would cause.... I can just imagine the look on their faces."

Mia giggled, "Me too. Oh god, Spike: he can't stand to think of you with...never mind I've said too much."

Angel chuckled, "It has to do with our past."

"Mostly Dru and the whole Alpha male thing. I picked up on that. We don't have to worry, none of that would matter with us; our type of relationship shouldn't ever warrant that. I mean seriously how Alpha can a male get over a phone friendship? Now, there is a title of a psychology paper just waiting to be written."

With a chuckle Angel replied, "I'll tell Buffy about the paper when she gets back. But you're right, it's not like that with us. Now you go to bed, and get up early. Maybe it'll be cloudy, and then you can go sight-seeing like a regular tourist."

"Yes, Grandpa."

"Mia, please, I've asked you not to call me that."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia woke at ten the next morning. She hadn't really planned it but it just happened. She got up and carefully pulled her curtain back. Grey clouds decorated the sky. It was as if Angel had willed it that way for her. She picked up her phone and called her service to check the weather. No possibility of sun for the next four days.

Mia padded out to the front room in her pajamas and opened the front door. There was a newspaper on the mat. The Council must have paid to have it delivered. And right there on the front page in French it said, "Horrible weather, unprecedented for this time of summer to plague city for over one week, Paris packs up for the coast."

Mia grinned and literally jumped for joy. Someone up there realized they owed her big and this was it. One week of her kind of weather. Mia was going to see Paris like a regular person. She took her shower and got dressed. Then she heated two mugs of blood and went into Spike's room. He lay face down, one foot outside of the covers, his back to his waist fully exposed.

"Spike!"

"Sod off."

"What exactly is that? When you remove the top layer of a lawn?"

"Piss off."

"Is that when a guy misses, and you have to wipe it off the toilet?"

"Get out, Mia"

"Get up, Spike."

"I just bloody went to bed."

"Six and a half hours ago."

"I like the traditional eight, get out."

Mia threw open the curtain and threw the paper near his head.

"Look."

She put the mug of blood by his nose. "I heated you some blood. Wakey wakey"

Spike finally opened his eyes. He sat up, took the blood and opened the paper.

"So."

"So, look at it, it's fricking beautiful out there. Let's go play in Paris."

"You go, I'll stay and sleep."

"Please, take me sight-seeing. Look how cute I am. I promise to be good, well mostly."

"That cute thing only works when the ones asking don't know they are."

"Not with you." She smiled, cocked her head a bit and raised her eyebrow just slightly.

Spike rolled his eyes. She knew him too bloody well. "Hand me my pants so I can get a shower.

"Are you naked under there?"

"Mia." He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head.

"Right, I said I'd be good," she threw him his jeans. "At least I packed pajamas out of respect."

"If you respected me you would have left them at home."

"Ha! Good one. Hurry, we still have to work tonight."

~ ~ ~ ~

They started at Notre Dame since the apartment was in St Germaine. They walked in the cathedral's gardens then crossed back over the Seine and stopped at a small café, just across from the church. They had a café au lait and a croissant. Walking down the Seine, they crossed over again so they could walk past the Palace and Louvre. The two vampires continued down the Seine through the Jardins and then across a bridge until they got to the Eiffel Tower.

Spike watched Mia's eyes light up. It was amazing to see her pleasure. She loved history and the city was full of it. Their sight as vampires was good in the dark, but at night one couldn't really appreciate the tourist sights the way you could in this type of light. Spike shook his head at the idea of getting in line to go up the tower. He had never done anything like that. Mia was insistent. They rode part of the way up, then climbed the rest.

At the top they looked out over the city. Mia stood at the rail with Spike next to her. He dug out a cigarette and lit up. He took a drag and looked in her direction: she was watching a boat on the Seine. Mia turned and looked up at him. She reached up and moved a piece of hair from his forehead but pulled back quickly. Her eyes softened a bit.

"The weather's made it a little curly."

"Bugger. I hate that."

Mia smiled and turned away. She moved walking around the observation deck. Spike came up behind her and raised his arm pointing out something. He seemed to surprise her and she jumped. She smiled then suggested they go on down and off to the next destination.

~ ~ ~

They made their way to the Champs Elysees after which they caught a taxi to Montmartre. Spike grabbed Mia's hand to help her in the cab but it seemed to some how catch her off guard and she jerked away. She covered her surprise by carrying on a conversation the whole way there.

"So up here we will see Basilica Sacre Coeur," she said, as they approached Montmartre.

"The bloody big white Church with lots of steps."

"Then let's have a bottle of wine in the Place du Tertre"

"The artist square."

The taxi let them off at the bottom of the hill and the stairs.

"See, lots of bleeding steps."

"I remember reading about Montmartre. Some great artists came here: Johann Jongkind and Camille Pissarro. Did you ever know them?" asked Mia, as they climbed the stairs.

"Would have eaten them if I did: that would have been a kind of career ender for the blokes."

"Are you sure? I mean the Scourge used to go for society types. Maybe you ran into them, maybe Pablo Picasso, Van Gogh, Brissaud, Degas."

"No, I liked his paintings of ballerinas though. There is a strong possibility I ate one of them. Dru was quite partial to the ballet. They say his models were real ballerinas."

"I don't want to know about the models. What about Matisse, Renoir, Utrillo, Derain and Gen Paul."

"Sorry, no famous artists that I recall."

"What good are you then? Didn't know Eiffel, Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, you had no relationship to any historical figures in this city. I was hoping you would make this city come alive for me."

Spike chuckled, "If I'd had a relationship with any of them - and some were before my time, mind you - it would have been to eat them, and that wouldn't have much to do with anything coming alive, pet."

Mia grinned, "Oh yeah, I forgot. Let's get the wine."