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Chapter 2.

“Yeah, it’s gonna change everything and there’s nothing we can do to stop it,” Spike answered with finality.

“What do you mean, ‘change everything’?” Buffy was totally confused.

“Well, the good news is that the people I killed the first time ‘round won’t die this time. Bad news is; Dru’s gonna know. We’re gonna have to decide what to do about her. I can go in and kill the Annoying One again, but Dru’s another story. I dust her and there’s no tellin’ what the Poof’s gonna do,” Spike started to explain before being cut off by Buffy.

“Why would Angel care about the Ho? He’s got his soul,” Buffy stated dismissively.

“Drusilla is Angelus’ favourite childe, we dust her and Soul Boy may not be able to control his demon. Can we take that chance, luv?” Spike asked Buffy earnestly.

“I think you need to tell me everything, starting with- Spike, is it?” Giles intervened. At Spike’s nod, Giles continued. “Then after I have all the facts, we can address the problems we may or may not be facing.”

Over the next couple of hours Giles was given an overview of the events the other two had already experienced. Explaining how William the Bloody had managed to stay undusted, get chipped, and start working with the white hats had the flabbergasted watcher reaching for his glass. Buffy’s second death and resurrection had him reaching for the bottle. The release of Angelus and Jenny’s death devastated him.

“Look, I know there’s a lot we have to look at, problems and whatnot, but the most immediate problem is the Annoying One and his Bloody St. Vigeous Day ritual. I took him out in our time, let me do it again. I can kill some minions as well and then get Dru restrained. If I chose the right minions to look after her, I can order 'em to stick to pigs blood until we’ve come up with some sort of plan of what to do next,” Spike suggested.

“Yes, perhaps that is the best idea,” Giles offered his weary agreement.

“I’m going with,” The Slayer stated, not expecting an argument. Heading to the door, she informed Giles that they would be returning as soon as possible. The Watcher offered them his spare key and said he'd make up their beds while they were gone.

*******

Spike walked into the factory and directly over to Dalton. He knew from his own experiences that the meek little bookworm was loyal to him.

“Go check on Dru. Stay there till I come for you,” Spike ordered the vampire then watched as he scuttled away.

Turning to survey the rest of the room, he noted the position of every vampire there. Knowing Buffy’s tendency to be impatient, Spike wasted no time in making his way over to the Anointed One. Without a word of warning, he grabbed Colin by the neck, snapped it, and threw him into the cage that was suspended by chains from the ceiling in the center of the large room. Setting the evil childe alight with his trusty lighter, Spike turned back to the room’s other inhabitants. “Who chooses to pledge their loyalty to me?” Spike asked the remaining vampires. Two stepped forward immediately, pledging allegiance. Spike sent the two to Dalton. “Well, by my count, that makes fifteen that choose to be dust,” Spike stated calmly, a grin of anticipation starting to form.

“Fifteen of us against one of you. Looks like you’re the one that’s gonna be dust, Spike. You should never have sent your backup away,” crowed one brave minion. It was obvious that he was delighted at the opportunity to take on the infamous Slayer of Slayers. The rest smiled or laughed in agreement as they all started to advance on the Master Vampire.

“Hey, Spike," Buffy’s voice rang out. "Is this a spectator sport, or can I play too?”

“Doesn’t seem fair, luv. There’s only fifteen of them,” Spike answered the disembodied voice, his demeanour serious while his eyes twinkled in amusement.

“You’re evil, Spike,” she reminded him. The minions spun in circles, attempting to discover the source of the voice.

“Oh, yeah! So I am.” Spike grinned, looking up at her. “Then come join the party, luv.”

As the minions watched Buffy’s perfectly executed forward somersault from the catwalk, Spike staked four of them. The remaining eleven didn’t take long to dust. Fluid and synchronized teamwork got the job done quickly.

Buffy waited while Spike had a hysterical Dru chained to her bed. After giving the minions strict instructions for her care and feeding, Spike joined Buffy and the two started on their way back to the watcher’s apartment.

“How come we remember our first meeting differently, Spike?” Buffy’s confusion laced voice broke through the silence of the night.

“Not sure, pet, but I think it’s somethin’ like that movie; you know, the one where the kid goes back in time and because he does somethin’ different it changes how things happened? He changed his own past.

"I think you don’t remember our first meeting 'cause, well…it wasn’t you that made the meeting happen, it was me, and this time I didn’t let you know-I mean the you of this time- that I was there, so if she didn’t meet me then, then you didn’t meet me at that time. She’s you, Slayer. What she lives through, you remember. Me, I’m different, I’ve got the one from this time inside me, and he’s got access to all my memories, so I guess I still know it because he knows it. You know what I’m sayin’?” Spike tried to explain his thoughts.

“So, what? We’re like Michael J. Fox and we have to find a way ‘Back to the Future’ before we change things so much we disappear?” Buffy grinned, making light of the situation.

“Luv, even if we could find a way to get back to our time, unless we can find a way to get Past Me out of my body, I can’t go back.” Spike tried to make Buffy understand the seriousness of their situation.

“There is no way I’m leaving you here alone, Spike. There’s no telling what sort of damage you could do to my life,” Buffy retorted angrily.

The clenching of his jaw and the closed expression on his face were her only indications that her words had affected him. They returned to the apartment in tense silence, their earlier comradery gone. As Buffy made her way to the small office opposite the bathroom where Giles had made up a bed for her, she heard Spike say in a quiet voice filled with sad resignation,

“You really don’t know me at all, do you, Slayer?”





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