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"No bloody way!" Spikes blatant disobedience, shocked her. Buffy sighed trying hard to remember that the man standing before was not her Spike, not the willing slave he had once professed himself to be.

"I know you don't like the thought of working with us" she explained patiently "but, whether you like it or not we have a common enemy." She paused, he may not know her, but she certainly knew him, time for the big guns. "Unless" she continued her tone convincingly guileless "you're okay with being played"

Bulls-eye, she watched him prickle with the insinuation. "Right then. All back to Slayer central for the big powwow, get the watcher on the case and all"

Willow had taken the front seat on the way back, leaving the sisters crammed in the back with Spike. He could feel the younger girls warmth through their clothing as she pressed up against him, again he marvelled at her willingness to be so close to her would be rapist. He felt a strange comfort in her presence, oddly the stranger was the one thing in this ludicrous situation that made sense in his altered mind.

He glanced at the Slayer in time to see her drop her eyes self-consciously. The looks she had been giving him all night where very disconcerting, unreadable and intense. Bitch must be up to something he concluded bitterly.

……

Giles drove at a steady pace towards the Slayers house, keeping his eyes open for patrol cars, he had just enough whiskey in his blood to land himself in trouble should he be stopped. Ordinarily he would never consider driving, but three long hours of unsuccessfully trying to call Buffy and her friends had driven him to take the risk.

He arrived in time to find Xander locking up his car on Buffy's drive.

"Xander" he called out as he got out of his own, hastily parked car. "What's going on? I couldn't raise a single one of you on the phone"

Xander looked for a moment as if he was about to launch into an explanation, before he seemed to reconsider, giving a slow shake of his head. "You better come in, this has gotta be seen to be believed" with that he was walking purposefully towards the frond door, leaving Giles to scurry after him.

"I can't reach Giles at his room" Giles heard Willows voice as he made his way towards the living room.

"No problem" Xander entered the room ahead of him "I found him right outside your very own front door"
As he entered the room the watcher took a moment to absorb the oddly nostalgic scene. Willow worried and skittish stood to his left as he walked in, hands wringing with nervous tension. Buffy was directly in his line of sight standing arms crossed in front of the mantelpiece, every inch of her proclaiming Slayer in charge. To his right he could see a slightly pale Dawn, looking vulnerable and younger than she had for many years in Xander's oversized coat. Beside her lounged Spike, one arm thrown over the couch behind her, his pose half protective, half sprawling indifference. The scene was so reminiscent of Sunnydale that Giles wondered seriously if he had been transported back… Wait a minute Spike?

Turning slowly to face the vampire, indisputably recognisable despite his altered appearance, Giles was fully aware that he was gaping but completely unable to rectify the situation. "Spike?" from the annoyed roll of the vampires eyes Giles assumed that disbelieving recognition was beginning to wear on Spike notoriously short temper.

He turned to Buffy expression requesting an explanation. Her confused shrug left him massaging the bridge of his nose, ineffectually trying to reduce the pounding he could feel building behind his eyes.
……….

"So" Giles tried again to paraphrase the situation in an attempt to wrap his reluctant mind around the facts. "Marcus raised Spike from the dead and sent him here believing you killed Drusilla and himself during the Dulac ritual"

At the Slayers encouraging nod he pressed on "Spike came here to kill you in order that Marcus reincarnate Drusilla, and kidnapped Dawn, of whom he has no memory of at all, in spite of the fact that in our memories Spike had contact with Dawn during his attack on the school on parent teacher night."

"That's right!" the vampire drawled his tone conveying bored impatience "Didn't see her then, don't remember a thing about her now." He ran a hand through his tawny hair "Picked her up in the park, just a nummy treat and a message for the Slayer, if you know what I mean"

Giles studied him for a moment, despite the chilling inference of his words his body language was familiarly protective as he sat with the girl. "And yet you didn't kill her?"

Spike stiffened visibly and tilted his head back to regard the watcher through narrowed eyes. "No" he drew out the syllable, his tone defensive "Got curious is all, she knew me and I wanted to know how"

Dawn gave him and incredulous frown before turning to the group "He called me Nibblet" she stated as if that in itself was proof of his good intention.

Giles' eyed the vampire curiously, causing him to prickle uncomfortably under the scrutiny. "I thought you didn't remember her"
"I don't!" The vampire shouted exasperated before sighing and relenting, he touched dawns glossy hair "Just seemed to fit is all, that and not wanting to hurt her, not when it came to it. Now this bunch of complete losers have given me their frankly not terribly believable version of events and I'm bored. What say I leave you lot to thrash it out and you can fill me in another time"

Buffy watched him plant a kiss on the top of her sister's head before standing to leave, the gesture should have been incongruous given the circumstances, but the ease with which it was given and receive made it seem the most natural thing in the world. He didn't even glance at her as he made his way to the door and she felt a bitter pang of hurt. He was leaving, what if he didn't come back, and he was pretty pissed off, just like him to do something pigheaded, like disappear without a trace. Panic gripped her, he couldn't leave, he had to stay. She had to make him stay.

"Be back here tomorrow at midnight" she ordered causing him to stop in the doorway, his back to her. He looked at her over his shoulder, unruly curls covering one eye, causing her to fidget under his gaze. "And if I find you've killed anyone, I will hunt you down and stake you" Buffy was amazed at how authoritative she sounded, she was also aware of how comfortably familiar it was to threaten Spike, had she really done it that often. He narrowed his eyes and for a moment she was so certain he would defy her that his nod of ascent left her speechless as he disappeared from the room.

No one spoke till several moments after they heard the door slam shut. Then the damn broke and several voice competed at once for her attention, Willows worried "Are you ok?" virtually drowned out by Xander's exclamation of disbelief and Giles pragmatic demand for further explanation.

It was Dawn who rescued her. "Guys!" she called them to order with graceful authority "I think we should get to this tomorrow evening. Let Buffy get some rest now ok?"

……………..

"Can't sleep?" the question startled Buffy from her musings, where she sat in her pyjamas at the damaged kitchen counter. She gave her sister a tired smile and got up to make another cup of coco for the younger girl.

Dawn watched her in silence while she worked, before joining her on the high stools to drink. "You wanna talk about it?" she questioned gently when the Slayer seemed to be drifting off again into her own world.

"I'm fine" Buffy answered, her well-honed defences rising, like emotional battlements around her. She glanced at her sister's patient yet disbelieving expression and sighed. "It's a lot to take in you know?"

"Tell me about it" Dawn huffed good naturedly "It wasn't you he tried to… umm tried to kill" if the Slayer noticed Dawn's awkward cover she let it slip, mind focusing inward on her own pain.

"He's back," she continued, as if Dawn had never spoken. "He's back and he doesn't know me. He wants me dead, he hates me." She looked to her sister for understanding before continuing in a small voice "He hates me"

"No" Dawn tried to reassure her. "He just doesn't remember is all, we'll fix it, and he'll remember." She gave her sister a small smile of comfort "He just doesn't remember Buffy"

"He remembers you" the Slayer countered quickly, jealousy making her voice harsh.





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