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A/N - April ones again ensured this chapter was more punctuaty then my version. Thats her word not mine, prehaps she's not the best choice for proof reading, she's just making up words as she goes along.
Joking only! April is not only the grammer queen she also saved me from including a great deal of very uncharateristic swearing from Buffy.


................................

“So what you say you and I do a little recon?” Faith asked after giving the blonde slayer and the scoobies a comprehensive description of Caleb’s location and the force he had mustered there. “Maybe take Sabrina with us just in case we need some mojo.”

“No.” Buffy shook her head, her expression determined. “You’ve already got everything recon would get us. We’ll go in in force, the whole gang. The potentials need to be battle tested. We’ll take all but Kathrin, Stacy, and that tall blonde girl with the lisp - what’s her name?”

“Becca,” Faith supplied. “But we should keep all the potentials away from this. Caleb’s wicked strong; they’re not ready.”

“They’ll never be ready if they don’t fight,” Buffy countered. “Willow, will you be able to give us anything magic wise?”

“Maybe a little.” The redhead looked unsure. “A confusion spell or something. Not combat magic, though. It’s too dark.” She glanced around apprehensively. “I want to, but it’s violent and I’m not sure I could control it.”

“That’s ok, Wills,” Buffy assured her, stamping down on the exasperation she felt rising in her at the witch’s continued reluctance to make use of her awesome power. Why was she the only one making any sacrifices in this war? Why was she expected to coddle all of them: the potentials, Willow, the scoobies? Even after her “get it done” speech, still none of them took the initiative, none of them was willing to go the extra mile, make the hard choices, take the God damn risks. She closed her eyes, setting her jaw against the desire to lay into them again. God, if it weren’t for Spike, she’d have no one she could put her faith in. Crap, she swore mentally. Where the hell did that thought come from? She couldn’t put her faith in Spike. Not anymore.

She glanced at the Scythe lying proudly on the dining room table. Even from across the room, she could feel the power of it humming in her senses. He’d gotten that for her, risked everything, sacrificed more than she could know to get it for her. She shook her head in frustration and turned back to the room.

“I’m done waiting,” she told them decisively. “I’m done sitting around just waiting to be attacked, waiting for another girl to die.” She paused, scanning the room. “We go in tonight and we finish this.”
……………………………

“Buffy.” Giles’ voice stopped her on her way up the stairs. She looked back at him over her shoulder, her impatience written clearly on her face.

“Buffy,” he continued, once he had her attention. “I was wondering how your patrol went last night. Did you find Spike?”

She sighed, not relishing having this conversation. “Look, Giles, can we do this another time? I’ve got a whole heap of things to get ready and I want to head out at sunset.”

“It’ll only take a moment,” he assured her, gesturing toward the dining room with his hand. She followed him reluctantly and stood just inside the door with her arms folded. Willow and Xander were sitting at the table looking expectantly at her. She frowned, a sense of having been ambushed making her feel irritated and edgy.

“Patrol was a bust, okay?” she lied easily. “I didn’t see Spike.” They looked unconvinced, so she continued casually. “We’ll take care of Caleb tonight, then I’ll deal with Spike, okay?” She straightened, ready to leave, anxious to escape the weight of their questioning—or was that accusing?—gazes.

“Buffy.” Giles’ voice was low and calm, but the tone of disappointment and reprimand was unmistakable. “You were seen talking with Spike in the back yard last night.” He slipped on the glasses he had been absently polishing while he’d made his accusation and fixed her with a challenging look.

Her eyes widened, guiltily for a moment, before her shock turned to outrage. “Are you spying on me?”

“Not spying.” Xander rose, holding out his hands in a calming gesture. “More just keeping an eye out for you.” She moved to speak but he cut her off. “Can you blame us, Buff?” he asked, a tinge of betrayal seeping into his voice. “I mean, we thought you’d have learnt your lesson with Angel, but…” He shook his head, trying to look sympathetic. “I know it’s gotta hurt, but I think it’s clear what you have to do.”

“Xander is right.” Giles interrupted her gaping at Xander and she turned her head slowly to look at him, feeling dazed by their attack. “Your duty is clear, and you seem to once again be having trouble in executing it. Perhaps…”

“Duty!” Buffy sputtered indignantly. “There is nothing I don’t know about duty. I died for it, and I’ll die again for it sooner rather than later. So don’t you dare lecture me about duty.”

“Buffy, please.” Willow’s voice was soft, almost pleading, but the Slayer could see the accusation in her eyes, hidden beneath a thin veil of concern. “We don’t want to fight. We’re just concerned and a little scared. Spike’s not exactly predictable, you know, and…”

“Spike won’t do anything.” The moment the words where out of her mouth, she knew it was a mistake. It sounded too much like a defence, too much like she trusted the vampire. She quickly tried to cover her mistake. “Look, I said I’d deal with Spike,” she insisted, “and I will.”

“When?” Xander demanded angrily. He advanced on her so he was standing only an arm’s length away. “Who has to die this time before you’ll do anything? Who’s dying right now because you won’t finish off your boy toy?” They had meant to keep the discussion calm and reasoned, but he couldn’t control his rising anger. Buffy was betraying all of them all over again because of that demon. God, how he hated Spike. He saw Anya in his mind’s eye, sprawled across the Magic Box table, her head thrown back, eyes closed in pleasure as she let that thing fuck her. He cocked his head and gave the slayer a disgusted look. “Is he really that good a lay?”

Buffy’s hand moved of its own volition, delivering a sharp stinking slap across his face, turning his expression from angry to startled. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched his cheek redden. “Oh, God, Xander, I’m so sorry.”

He gave her one last betrayed look and pushed past her out of the dining room.

…………………………

“Pst! Kiddo.” Faith caught Dawn’s attention from the half-open door, signalling with her hand for the younger girl to join her in the basement.

“What’s up?” Dawn asked nervously, unsettled by Faith’s cloak and dagger demeanour.

The slayer glanced at the now closed door. “Can you get to Spike before dusk?” she asked seriously, her dark eyes fixed on Dawn’s bright blue ones.

“Yeah, sure,” Dawn answered with a frown, wondering where the one time rogue was going with this.

“Great. I need you to go. Now. I’ll cover for you with Buffy.” She set her jaw. “Go get Spike. Get him to the vineyard as soon after sunset as he can make it.”

“Spike can’t go to the vineyard,” she protested. “Buffy’ll kill him.”

“Listen, Dawn. If Spike’s info’s good, then this mission’s suicide, man.” She sighed deeply and shook her head. “I fought Caleb. I know I’m a bit rusty and all, but hell, this guy’s strong. The girls aren’t ready. Fuck, B and me ain’t even ready. Get Spike, Dawn. I gotta feelin’ we’re gonna need him.”

…………………

Buffy walked in silence next to Xander, glancing awkwardly at her friend as they approached the vineyard. He was a good friend, really he was. And despite everything, despite his harsh words earlier, he still believed in her, would still follow her, unquestioning, into battle.

She couldn’t describe how touched she’d been catching the end of his speech to the mutinous potentials. He’d told them not to doubt her, to trust her judgment and her strength as he did. She owed it to him—to all her friends, but to him most of all—to be the friend and the slayer he thought her to be.

“I will deal with it, Xander,” she told him softly. “It’s just hard, you know?”

He gave her a wan smile, seeing the conflict, the pain in her eyes. He wanted Spike dead as much as the next sane person, but he didn’t want her so hurt, so desolate because of it. “Sure you will, Buff.” His tone was light but his eyes were serious. “It’s what you do, right?”

She gave a tight smile. Yep, that was her. That was what she did, got the people closest to her killed. ‘Spike’s not people,’ she reminded herself, but somehow it rang hollow in her mind. Spike was Spike and God how she didn’t want to have to kill him.

……………………………….

Buffy heard Rona’s arm break with a sickeningly loud crack. She saw Faith, dazed but recovering against the far wall. Xander was running down the steps followed by his band of reinforcements, but there were so many bringers swarming in the basement she doubted it would do much good.

Across the room she saw Caleb snap the dark haired potential’s neck—God, she should really know their names—like a dry twig and launched herself again at the cleric, only to be swatted aside with an easy swing of his arm.

She didn’t need to hear his feral growl to know he was there, fighting for her, just like he’d promised. He filled her senses, powerful and savage, and she felt her own strength return. Climbing to her feet she saw him position himself between the minister and a terrified Molly.

He was powerful, yes, but still no match for Caleb. The exchange of blows lasted a woefully short time and ended in the vampire’s thrown body shattering a huge oak barrel, spilling rich red wine across the floor like blood. She called the retreat. “Xander, get them out of here. Do it.”

She tried to fight her way toward Caleb as he advanced on Molly with an evil grin, but, God, there were just too many bringers. She arrived just as he withdrew his knife from the girl’s side and his glib comment enraged her. This time, her attack was enough and she managed to send him flying backwards as Xander and Spike ushered the potentials to safety.

She was just ahead of Spike and moving up the stairs when she heard Caleb’s Southern drawl, followed by Xander’s anguished scream. Turning, she saw Spike barrel into the pair, knocking them apart like skittles. She rushed to Xander’s side, ignoring the bloody mess that had been his left eye, and helped Spike support the young man’s weight as they fled up the stairs.

.......................

A/N TheBear might throw a little tantrum more often. I chucked all my toys out off the pram in the last chapter because I didn't get any reviews for the previous one, and voila. 5 lovely reviews appeared.

Thanks to the people that pandered to TheBear's pouting.

ilpopi - I'm glad you like, the Spuffy is not far off now, I'm tagging the seventh season so we're moving towards "empty places" and "touched"

Welcome Caz, definately like Spike unsouled, you're right ME could have really used him to address our concepts of good and evil but with Joss it's all about the soul. Blah!

Eloquently put Chymera, I noticed you got back to Balance, loved that story ages ago I'm running off now to read the updates

Cheers Rana, some very bigoted anti spike feeling in this story, perhaps Xander'll have to rethink his position now.

Thanks Miz_thang, I certainly shall.





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