Disclaimer: Joss owns the characters of BTVS. I am not making any money off of this fic. Please don't sue me.

Challenge details at the end.

by Jackofspikes

Chapter 15.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy opened the front door. Standing in front of her was a fuming vampire, arms crossed, scowling in displeasure while angrily tapping his foot. On noting Buffy's appearance, Angel straightened up and adjusted his expression to one which attempted to gently reprimand the tiny warrior; "You had me disinvited. I only came here to help, Buffy." He soulfully reproached her, his large brown puppy dog eyes, sad; "I thought you were dead. Why didn't you let me know you were back? Why did you ask my team not to tell me? You have to realise you wouldn't behave this way normally, Buffy. You love me. Now, let me in and I'll get it all straightened out."

Buffy ignored the snickering laughter behind her, as she answered the brooding vampire. "Angel, the barrier was put in place primarily to keep my sister safe and my home protected. It was not directed at you specifically." She calmly explained. "I don't need your help, Angel. I called the people I needed."

"Buffy," he spoke slowly as if to a small child; "How can you say you don't need my help? You're mated to a vicious animal. He doesn't have a soul, Buffy. He's not like me. He's done something to you to make you want this. But, don't worry, I can fix it, I'm challenging the claim and then we can dust him together."

"Don't patronise me, Angel." Buffy snapped. "You need to get a few things straight. There are forces at work here you don't understand. You don't have all the facts and, quite frankly, most of them are none of your business. As to Spike doing something to me, the mating was my idea, my suggestion and I got it approved by higher beings before I was returned to this plane. I know he's not like you, Angel. I'm glad he's not like you. He doesn't need a soul. I wanted this, I love him. I chose Spike, Angel. Not the other way around. And as to me loving you...not so much. Seriously got over that when I found out about your claim, your part in the murders of the lawyers from Wolfram and Hart and the day you took back." She raised an eyebrow, waiting for his reaction.

"But, how..." Angel's voice trailed off, his shock and confusion evident.

"The Powers." Buffy answered his unasked question. "Failing to tell me about the claim, but still using it to control me; showed me that I really didn't know who you were. You certainly weren't who I thought you were. The part you played in the death of those lawyers, just confirmed to me that I never really knew you. But the day you took back; well that just showed me that you never really loved me either."

"That's not true. I do love you. I did it for you, Buffy. I gave up being human for you." Angel pleaded with her.

"How, Angel? How was that for me?" Buffy scoffed in disbelief.

"It's true. The Oracles told me. They told me that you could die and that I could help stop that if I was still a warrior. So I gave up being human to save you." Angel explained, earnestly.

"Yadda, yadda...and then stayed in L.A. while I came home to Sunnydale...and died!" she responded sarcastically. "Oh Yeah...you were a big help...what with the all the, not being here and stuff."

"HEY! That's not fair. I've got my own life in L.A. and I was needed there." Angel fired back, not at all happy, with the way the conversation was going.

"Then acknowledge that and quit trying to say you gave up being human for me. You gave it up for you, Angel; so that you could continue playing hero. Delusional is not a good look on you." Buffy stated dismissively.

Angel just stared at her, momentarily unable to form clear thoughts, let alone voice them. Anger started to build. He knew that his Buffy was inside the woman in front of him. He just didn't know how to reach her. This woman was tainted. By Spike. Spike. Spike did this. Spike had touched what was his. Spike must pay. "Spike." He growled, his demon coming forward, his rage complete.

"You growled, Oh Great Poof?" Spike smirked as he exited the door and glided gracefully down the steps, towards the angry master vampire; totally ignoring the laughing comments that followed in his wake.

"OH. MY. GOD" Dawn screamed in laughter.

"Oh he's not..." Tara joined Dawn on the floor, tears streaming down both their faces.

"Well, he certainly wears it well." Anya commented, appreciatively.

"You ain't kiddin'...whoa mama, talk about salty goodness." Cordelia agreed whole heartedly.

"Tara cover Dawn's eyes, please. Spike likes to go commando." Buffy shook her head at her mate's antics.

"Well, that certainly explains the skirt." Giles mused aloud.

Angel pulled back his big meaty paw, throwing all his considerable weight behind it; he was determined to throw the hardest punch of his unlife. On connecting with Spikes jaw, Angel felt every bone in his hand crush, his wrist snap, his radius cracking and finally his ulna breaking under the pressure. Screaming in pain, he collapsed to the ground.

"Well, that was disappointing." Spike grumbled. "Hey luv, can I dust him?" He looked up at Buffy, his expression childishly hopeful and totally ignoring the now sobbing vampire at his feet.

*******

"I'm sorry guys, I know you wanted to dust him, but he has to be there to deal with Darla. The Baby is more important than Angel dustage...for now." She offered a crumb to Giles and Spike.

"Well then, perhaps you'd care to share with us, how it is that Spike is apparently unsusceptible to violence levelled against him?" The Watcher let go of his anger and disappointment and asked in interest.

"That was sooo cool." Dawn added her opinion.

"It is, isn't it; and it's not just Spike. Both of us are...um...what did Mom call it Spike?" Buffy turned to him in question,

"Ah, she said we were impervious to attack and it was true immortality." Spike supplied.

"That's just a polite way of saying that you're both trapped on this plane of existence for eternity." Anya stated with her usual ability to cut straight to the bone.

"Not really. When we get this dimension straightened out and fairly safe. We get to travel, for short periods of time, trying to help keep the balance in other dimensions and technically we're both dead so, it's like...this is where we get to spend our eternity and bonus...we get to do it together." Buffy concluded happily, leaning back and resting against her mate's chest.

"But we've got bloody rules though. Things we can and can't do. Not allowed to interfere in the lives of the humans. Gotta make sure they still have free will and all that rot. Only allowed to affect the supernatural world. Bloody criminal if you ask me, takes all the soddin' fun out of it." The disgruntled guardian grumbled.

"What happens to me when you go dimension travelling?" Dawn asked in a small voice, scared at facing more instability.

"You go with us, Dawnie. Family sticks together." Buffy stated with certainty.

"But Buffy, surely you must take into account that Dawn is a growing girl who will one day want a family of her own. She won't be able to travel with you her entire life." Giles pointed out.

"Dawnie's the Key, Giles. She's immortal too." Buffy countered.

"WHAT?!" Dawn gasped

"It's okay, Pumpkin belly. We'll work it out."

"Mommy?"