Buffy had a plan.
She had finally told Spike that their sexcapades had to stop, that it was wrong, and they could never be together.
She hadn't slammed him up against the nearest wall to fuck his brains out in almost three months. He had stopped trying to change her mind and obviously believed she meant what she had told him.
Which was good.
Not so good was the fact that he was making with the whole Vampire scorned thing and attacking her every time she turned around.
He didn't seem to be actually trying to kill her. She was still alive, after all. But the bumps and the bruising were really starting to add up!
In desperation she had finally come up with a plan, revolving around a wildchild blond named Kiara.
She had met Kiara in a typical Hellmouth moment.
While she was flat on her back beneath a very large and powerful demon who was trying to chew her face off.
The battle axe she'd started out with had been knocked out of her grasp so it was hand to claw combat.
She was at the point of admitting she was seriously in trouble when the tooth gnashing demon suddenly lost his head-literally.
"Ewwww, gross! Yuck, yuck, yuck!"
When Buffy finally managed to boot the dead demon off she saw a tall, stunningly beautiful blond girl dancing around frantically wiping green demon goop off her face.
She was coated head to toe in the noxious slime but with the long waterfall of ash blond hair and the huge emerald eyes, still so lovely that Buffy had a split second Willow moment.
But what Buffy really noticed was that the girl looked merely pissed and disgusted. There wasn't the slightest sign of trauma or surprise considering she'd just faced and beheaded a creature that most people assumed to exist only between the pages of a book.
"It isn't coming off!" The girl snarled.
"Hot water and really strong soap." Buffy informed her. "Yep, been there, done that, wore the remains."
"I can't go home like this! My aunt will freak!"
Since the girl had more then likely just saved her life Buffy figured the least she could do was offer her the use of a shower and some clean clothes.
"Lead the way...and fast! This shit is starting to sting!"
And that, then, was Kiara, wild and crazy and stopped by nothing.
As Giles had said. "She'd make an excellent Slayer."
"Hey cool, can I give her the job?" Buffy held her hands up in mock apology. "Joke, Giles!"
So now Kiara patrolled with Buffy a lot of nights.
She hadn't known anything about Slayers or Watchers, but she had been walking home late one night with a class mate, and ducked into a store to grab a pop.
She'd told the girl to keep going and she'd catch up.
She'd caught up just as the Vampire that had grabbed the girl took the last bit of her blood.
He'd turned to her looking for seconds and suddenly there was a broken branch in her hand, and then it was ramming straight into the creatures chest.
And Kiara realized what few of the inhabitants of Sunnydale ever do seem to figure out.
The Monsters are real.
She admitted that she'd started wandering around late at night with some stakes that she'd whittled from her uncle's pile of fireplace wood.
Once she knew about the bad things, she felt that she had to try and do something about it.
Kiara wasn't the type to try and convince herself that it wasn't her problem. Or that someone else would clean up the situation.
Both Buffy and Giles, along with the rest of the Scoobies had tried to get her to give up the patrolling.
"I mean hey, come on. I'm out there. You know someone is taking care of the problem." Buffy told her.
It was Anya who solved the problem in her usual clinical way.
"So take her with you Buffy. She obviously has some sort of battle skill. After all she did take out the demon that you failed to handle."
Xander yelped. "Anya."
Buffy started insisting she had been just about to really kick some demon butt.
Giles simply begain to clean his glasses.
And the next night Kiara started patrolling with Buffy.
They had seen Spike at a distance a few times, but Buffy had always managed to do a hasty about face and bolt for somewhere, anywhere, that the blond Vamp wasn't.
But Buffy could see the same signs in Kiara's eyes that she had faced in her own mirror too many times during her insane tryst with Spike.
Kiara had the hots for the Big Bad.
So one night after a particularily trying patrol-Spike had pounced on her a record breaking four times-Buffy had limped her way irately to Kiara's aunt's house.
She'd tossed stones at Kiara's window until her friend woke up and poked her head out.
Seing Buffy Kiara climbed out her bedroom window and clambored lithely down the tree that stood next to it.
They sat at the picnick table drinking beer that Kiara had snuck back in for while Buffy explained the whole annoying situation.
Then Buffy unveiled her plan.
Kiara promptly dissolved into a giggle fit and couldn't stop. That did make it a little hard for Buffy to progress but she plowed ahead.
Kiara willingly offered to help in any way she could, a sultry, excited gleam lurking in her jeweled eyes.
"This needs more beer." She informed Buffy, and darted back into the house.
After she returned with a fresh six pack the two young women started working out the details.
The plan was simple. They would throw a temptation and a distraction in front of Spike's eyes. Something new for him to focus on so that he'd hopefully let up on the Buffy pummeling.
"Because he's getting really good at it." Buffy grumbled.
"All that practice." Kiara piped up helpfully.
They decided they'd set the plan in motion the next night at the Bronze, since it would be a Friday. Buffy was trying to give Kiara helpful clues and suggestions.
It was a little hard to do because by that point Kiara was flat out drunk. And not in the mood to be serious.
Buffy was also on the far side of sober and thus kept forgetting what she was trying to say and losing track of the end destination.
"Don't go all, oh my god you're such a hottie on him. Spike loves a challenge. So if he comes up to you on the dance floor and asks you to dance you totally blow him."
"I don't know Buf. I mean the Bronze can get pretty wild, but I still think I'll get kicked out if I blow Spike on the dance floor."
Buffy snarled impatiently. "Kiara! I mean blow him off!"
"Well yeah, but..."
"Kiara!"
"Ok, ok, my bad, not funny. I'll be serious, honest!"
And she managed to be. For a few minutes between each fit of uncontrollable giggles.
But they finally hammered out the details, down to what Kiara would wear. Which was to be not much, and sexy as sin.
They said their good nights and Kiara fought her way back up her tree. She only almost fell twice, but got stuck four times, giggling all the while.
Buffy stood and watched the entertainment, then turned and staggered for home.
"So help me Spike if you jump me I'm gonna spike you, wait Slayer you, stalk you...ah fuck me. Stake you!" She yelped, finally victorious. "Ow, my head hurts!"
She made it home, amazingly in one piece, and fell on her bed still cussing out Kiara. Two minutes later she was asleep.
And that was what put them there at the Bronze on a Friday night.
Buffy was sitting with Willow, Xander and Anya. She had told them to pretend that they didn't know Kiara very well when she showed up. The Scoobies had looked a bit puzzled, but shrugged and agreed.
Then Buffy waited, and waited, all too aware of Spike in his usual dim corner glowering at her.
It was nearly 11 before Kiara finally showed up. Buffy almost started yelling until she remembered the plan.
"Settle Buf." Kiara murmured, taking a chair that gave her back to Spike. "I figured a few hours of him staring holes at you would put him in the mood to conquor something."
"That or break my back." Buffy grumbled, but she knew Kiara's idea was good.
"Ok, so now what?" Kiara wondered. "Should we go dance together like good buddies? Would he get off on the idea of banging one of your friends or figure that the loyalty thing would make it a waste of time?"
"Spike loves a challenge. The harder the better."
"And I bet he doesn't lose many of them either." Kiara smirked, getting up so that she faced Spike as she took her coat off.
They dragged Xander, Willow and Anya out to make the dancing a group thing.
Once on the dance floor Buffy let herself get lost in the music for a while. Then she found herself pulling back and mostly just watching Kiara dance.
It wasn't just another of those Willow moments that popped up so easily when one was around Kiara. Buffy noticed that most of the people who were close enough to really see the tall blond weren't doing much more then vaguely swaying in place.
Kiara was wearing a jade green halter dress that covered and clung to her full, firm breasts. From the front, barring the second skin fit, the effect was almost demure. At least until she turned and you saw her naked back.
The skirt came down an inch or two past her knees, but was slit both sides to mid thigh.
It was obvious if you looked more then merely briefly that Kiara wasn't wearing anything but that dress.
Buffy amused herself watching one person after another register that little fact.
Kiara had worn her waist length hair up, so as not to obscure the nakedness of her back. But styled in such a way that you knew when that hair spilled down it would be long.
At first Buffy hadn't really given much notice of Kiara's casual positioning of herself as they'd all moved onto the dance floor.
But Kiara was a master manipulator. She'd told Buffy to let her know if and when Spike noticed her.
Buffy snorted. If? Anyone would notice Kiara, heartbeat having or not. Spike was still a man...and he could still lust.
Buffy sighed. And resolutely pushed the twinge of rueful regret back down where she could ignore it.
She was the Slayer. She couldn't have Spike. Angel had been bad enough. And Angel had a soul, one with a clause of course. Damn clause should have knocked into her head how bad the having of sex with Vampires was.
Buffy and Vampire sex? Oh yeah, it was great. Until it blew up in her face.
