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CHAPTER 13 - Discovery

The door to the crypt burst open and Spike ran through the opening, slamming it behind him to shut out the sun's early morning rays. Hastily removing his duster, he flung it to the ground and stamped out the small flames that were still burning after his unplanned walk in the sun.

After assuring himself that there was minimal damage to the coat, he draped it over the chair and headed towards the lower part of the crypt. Dropping gracefully through the hole in the floor to the ground below, he quickly stripped off his T-shirt and headed for the bed. Sitting on the edge, he held up his hands for inspection and saw that, for all the stinging, the burn marks were already starting to heal. 'Perfect end to a bloody perfect night,' he thought to himself sullenly.

He'd searched for Fen all night long but to no avail. It was only when the first prickling of dawn approached that he decided to give up the hunt and head back to his crypt but he'd misjudged the timing somewhat, hence the crispy fried fingers. Still, at least one thing had become clear in his mind as he'd rushed back to the dark safety of his abode…

He wasn't quite ready to die just yet.

Hell, if he were honest with himself, he knew he’d come to that conclusion mere seconds after catching wind of Fen the night before. Although the ragged remains of the poet he once was rejoiced loudly at the romantic notion of dying for love, the demon within him baulked. He was a survivor, plain and simple. No matter how much a certain Slayer's overheard admissions of love to the Great Ponce had sliced into him and dissected his undead into hundreds of tiny pieces. He'd gotten through worse…although he was having a hard time remembering when at the moment…and at the end of the day, nothing had actually changed. Buffy still loved Peaches and Spike still loved Buffy. More than ever. Even now, when there was absolutely no hope of her ever returning the feeling, he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. And he didn’t.

Her pity was another thing altogether though. He neither wanted nor needed it and he knew the only way to stop her acting as she had the night before would be to snap out of his depression…or at least outwardly appear to. He shook his head and lay back down on the bed, bringing his feet up as he rested on top of the covers.

Appearances were all well and good but deep down he knew that what he needed was a way to ease the guilt. After a lot of deliberation, he still thought that the only way of attempting some kind of restitution, within himself at least, if not others, was to find and defeat Fen.

Eyes falling shut in preparation for sleep brought the usual, immediate replay of past events. Commonly, they involved Dawn and the Tower but today they were generously interspersed with pictures of Buffy and her bleeding arm. His last coherent thought before drifting off into a fitful sleep, was that acting fine would be a whole lot easier said than done.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Buffy awoke to the sound of her telephone ringing. Groggily, she reached over and felt around on her bedside table before locating the receiver and putting to her ear. "Hello?" she greeted, her voice still husky from sleep. "Hello?" she repeated, then tutted when the handset suddenly rang in her ear once more. "Stupid phone," she muttered before blearily looking at the receiver and pressing the button that would allow her to actually take the call. "Hello!"

"Hey, not interrupting anything, am I?" came Willow's perky and definitely suggestive voice down the line.

Buffy grimaced slightly. "The answer to that would be a big fat resounding no, Will," she grumbled unhappily. "With a capital ‘n’ and a double capital ‘o’. The plan didn't work. We had a fight instead."

"A fight?" the witch repeated in surprise. "But…but, what about?" There was a gasp. "You told him that you know, didn't you?" she queried, her tone slightly accusing.

"I couldn’t help it!" Buffy exclaimed, immediately on the defensive. "Every time we got close, he’d back off again. I just…snapped and it all came babbling out."

"Buffy…"

"I know, I know, Will," the Slayer cut in, the exasperation evident in her voice. "I messed up. Big time. Trust me, I do not feel good about how last went at all. I totally blew it."

There was a slight pause then the witch's sympathetic tones came over the line. "Oh, come on now, I don't think it'd be totally. Look on the positive side, you said you got close? Gotta be a good thing, right? I mean, was there any kissage?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Not even so much as a peck on the cheek," the Slayer sighed despondently.

"Oh, Buffy, I’m sorry, I really thought it’d work," the witch said unhappily.

"Hey, that’s okay, Will, really. It wasn’t your plan that mucked up, it was Impatient Buffy. She just pushed too hard," the blonde replied as she turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Me and romance? Very un-mixy, you know that…especially after all these years of witnessing my dire attempts at relationships. I should carry a warning or something." Deepening the tone of her voice, she joked, "Do not touch, major angst potential."

Willow gave a half-hearted chuckle, knowing that her friend was hurting and trying to put on a brave face. Goddess, men could be so infuriating at times. "You're not going to give up, are you?" the redhead asked, already knowing the answer but still wanting to hear her friend say it just to be sure.

"Heck no!" came the blonde's immediate response. "I thought I'd give it a couple of days and then go see him. Now he knows that I know about his little guilt-fest, I figured I'd just lay it all on the line. Tell him how I feel and see what happens. I'm thinking that if I push hard and long enough, he'll have to start pushing back eventually and then this whole thing will be sorted out once and for all."

Willow sighed. "Yeah, probably the best thing to do, now," she agreed then glanced at her watch and gasped. "Buffy, I'm sorry but I have to go. Tara and I think we saw that ugly demon last night when we went to get Spike. We're gonna go to the Magic Shop and do some research." She paused. "Why don't you come along too and we can talk and even maybe figure out another plan of action to get Spike?" the redhead proposed hopefully.

"Actually, Angel gave me a great tip last night…" Buffy began only to be interrupted by a loud yelp of surprise.

"Angel?" Willow queried, shocked. "You spoke to Angel last night?"

Buffy nodded and then realising that Willow couldn't see her, she hastily went on to tell her about the rather unusual conversation she'd with the soulled vampire.

"So, how do you feel?" the witch asked softly when Buffy finished.

"Fine, actually," the Slayer replied honestly.

"Not even the tiniest spot of jealousy?" the redhead pressed.

Buffy paused and searched her feelings one last time before saying, "No, not even a twinge. Surprising really, I thought it'd hurt but it doesn't. I'm just pleased for him."

"That's good, because…" Willow paused and then couldn’t help but start laughing. "I’m sorry, Buffy…Angel and Cordelia?" she choked out, unable to stem her giggles. "I just don't believe it."

"Yeah, Angel said the same about me and Spike," the blonde revealed, her own laughter suddenly starting to surface. "Only with a few insults at Spike thrown in, but don’t worry, I had a few of my own to throw back at him."

"I'll bet," Willow commented, her mirth subsiding as she checked her watch once more. "Okay, I'm officially going to be late. I'd better go. We'll see you in about an hour, right?"

"Should do. I just want to swing by the Sherman crypt and pick up my bag and the other stuff first," the Slayer told her with a long-suffering sigh. "I'll be along after that and, if I'm lucky, the mind numblingly boring research might even hold my interest for more five seconds today."

Willow laughed again, then rang off and Buffy got up. She had a quick shower, dried her hair then dressed quickly and plodded down the stairs to the kitchen. After a quick bowl of cereal, she left a note for Dawn saying where she was going and asked that she come along later. Leaving it on the kitchen counter, she left her house and headed for Rosewood cemetery.

Buffy entered the crypt and looked around feeling the regret of what might have been wash over her. Some of the candles she'd lit were still alight and she blew them out one by one before gathering her belongings and heading to the door. With one last wistful look around the tomb, she walked out the door and into the graveyard.

Before taking a slow walk to the Magic Shop, she had a quick look around the area she and Spike had fought the Monu demons the night before in the remote hope that she might find her earring. As she'd undressed the previous night, she'd realised that she no longer had the piece of jewellery on her person and had decided to check for it when she got the rest of her stuff. Unfortunately, it looked at though the earring had been lost sometime during the fight and it was with a resigned sigh that she left the cemetery.

The rest of the gang were already at the store when she arrived and from their understanding smiles, she knew that Willow had told them about her and Spike's unsuccessful date. Sitting down at the table next to Xander however, she soon learned that the redhead had only mentioned that the evening hadn't gone to plan which meant she had to relate the finer details herself.

Tara was sympathetic and full assurances that things would be fine. Giles attempted to be supportive but ended up looking more relieved than anything. Xander gave her a commiserating pat on the back while Anya seemed to be the most upset of all.

Fifteen minutes Buffy sat there, desperately trying to cut in on Xander's unhappy fiancée as she spelled out in the most graphic terms imaginable just what she’d missed out on having not yet slept with a vampire. A proper vampire that is, because as far as Anya was concerned, Angel couldn't be classed as a 'pedigree' seeing as he had the whole soul thing going on. Then she told her just how sorry she was for the Slayer at not being able to benefit from any orgasms the previous night. Or, come to that matter, for the last few months. Unless she handled it herself, of course. It was at that point that Xander stood up and placed his hand over her mouth in order to physically stop the flow of words.

"Oh, dear Lord, thank you Xander, I thought she’d never stop," a blushing Giles commented in a relieved tone when the ex-demon was finally silenced. Excusing himself he headed to the back of the shop and began sorting out the necessary research books.

"Ahn, honey, if I remove my hand, will you promise to talk about something else?" Xander asked with a pointed look.

She nodded, shooting him an angry glare as he slowly withdrew his hand. "I was just being a concerned friend," she announced resentfully as she got to her feet abruptly. "But since my pity is not wanted, I shall return to the running of the shop and not bother to offer my understanding assurances any more."

She flounced off and Xander sighed deeply before resuming his seat. "Guess that means there’ll be no playing of doctor and sexy nurse for me tonight," he moaned dejectedly.

"Xander!" came the chorus of admonishment from the remaining girls around the table and he looked up at them, puzzled.

"What?" he asked, looking at each female in turn. When he realised what he’d said, a horrified look appeared on his face, swiftly followed by a sheepish one. "Sorry, I guess Anya’s rubbing off on me."

"Just a little bit," Buffy said wryly as she gave her friend a light slap on the arm. Leaning closer, an impish smile graced her features as she quietly added, "Bet I know something that could take your mind off the fact you won't be getting any tonight, though."

Xander’s eyebrows rose. "Do tell," he encouraged, his interest captured.

Buffy grinned and proceeded to tell him all about Angel and Cordelia. Xander’s jaw dropped as he listened and for a moment, after the Slayer finished speaking, he sat there in stunned silence. "So, what you’re saying is that my ex and Dead Boy Senior are an item?" he clarified, his eyes wide.

"Uh-huh," Buffy confirmed, unable to stop her grin.

The carpenter looked from Buffy’s smiling face to Willow’s almost identical grin and suddenly gave collapsed into peals of laughter. "That's priceless!" he gasped, trying to catch his breath. "The spoilt Prom Queen and Mr. Broody? Gotta be a lot of laughs in that relationship! He would've been safe from getting happy's even without the spell, old prim found. I'll bet he's so henpecked." He adopted a high pitched voice as he continued, "Angel, do you have to drink blood all the time? It's like, so not the in thing. Get your feet off the table. Take me shopping. Don't give me that bumpy look!"

Buffy and Willow laughed along with him while Tara stared at all three of them in bemusement. "Who is this Cordelia?" she asked everyone in general.

"Xander's ex-girlfriend from high school," Buffy supplied with a giggle. "She was very…how can I put it…high maintenance."

"Yeah, in a 'I'm popular and you're all dirt beneath my feet' kind of way," Willow added with a slight grimace.

"Will and Cordy never really got on," Buffy told the wide-eyed blonde dryly.

"That's an understatement," Xander put in, then suddenly started to laugh once more. "Really, Cordy and Angel?"

The other two joined in and Tara just shook her head mystified. "One of these days I'm going to have to actually meet these people. Even if it's only to find out why this is so funny."

Giles chose that moment to return to the table and drop a large pile of thick tomes onto it. "Right, here's the first lot for you all to be getting on with," he began and then looked at the widely grinning faces of Xander, Buffy and Willow and Tara's still somewhat puzzled one. "Did I miss something?" he queried with a frown.

"Angel and Cordelia are dating," Tara explained.

Giles' eyebrows rose in surprise and then his mouth quirked up into a small smile. "I see. Well, that is…odd news." His comment brought forth a few more giggles and he sighed. "Yes, alright, settle down please," he ordered a little sternly and pointed at the books. "We do have some work to do today."

Everyone immediately quietened then grabbed a tome and opened it up, bending their heads to the chore. Giles swept one last look around the table the turned and headed for the ladder up to the second floor.

He'd barely gone two paces when snorts of laughter began again. "Why me?" he muttered as he looked up and shook his head, then continued on his way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dawn let herself into her home and dropped her bag on the floor. She called for her sister as she walked into the kitchen and then saw the note on the table. Needing something to drink, she grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards and then pulled a carton of orange juice from the fridge.

Giving it a slight shake, she realised there wasn't much left and made a mental note to buy more as she emptied the container's contents into the glass. Taking a deep swallow, she turned and opened the waste bin to drop the carton into and found that it was full.

Putting her glass down, she muttered to herself about always being the one left to deal with the stinky jobs and pulled the rubbish bag and its rotting contents out. Dropping the carton on top, she wrinkled her nose up at the smell and tied the bag off. Letting herself out the back, she dumped the bag in the trash can and turned to go back in when the sun glanced off something bright in the grass.

Bending down, Dawn saw it was an earring and picked up. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was slightly twisted but recognised it as one of Buffy's. Slipping it into her pocket, she went back inside and took her bag up to her room. Checking her watch, she decided to have a quick shower then join the rest of the Scoobies at the Magic Shop.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Buffy let out a huff and closed yet another book. Eying the pile stacked in the middle of the table distastefully, she put the tome she’d just finished looking through on the floor and reached over for another.

"Faeries, Fey and Magicfolk?" she dubiously muttered aloud as she read the title. Not thinking that she'd have anymore luck with this book than she'd had with the others she'd read, she absently opened the tome to the centre pages as her mind, once again, began to wander to Spike as it had done repeatedly for the past four hours that she’d sat there. Bored out of her mind a mere twenty minutes into researching, she’d mentally made up little scenarios’ of how she and the reluctant vampire would get together.

Fantasy number three was turning out to be her favourite and she had no problem conjuring up the premise once again. She’s lying naked in her bed at night. Full moon casting just enough light. Window open, soft breeze gently moving the curtains back and forth. Cool air rolling across her skin, soothing her warm body as she slowly drifts off to sleep. But then, suddenly, he’s in the room. Standing as still as a statue. His face unreadable as he stares down at her. Not a word is spoken, probably because she knows that they would end up arguing. She draws the sheet back off her body allowing him to see her nude form. He takes a step. Then another. She holds her arms out in invitation and he sheds his clothes. The moon’s silvery light bathes his pale torso. White hair, chiselled features, hard chest and those oh-so-clearly defined abdominal muscles that just make her fingers itch to touch. The rest of his body is still in the shadows but, after straddling him in the crypt, she has some idea of what is hidden from her eyes. He moves then and covers her body with his. "Buffy," he murmurs softly as he plants soft kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. "Buffy…"

"…do you want jelly or plain?"

What the hell? The Slayer blinked a couple of times, puzzled. That wasn’t part of her fantasy. A couple more blinks and then she focussed on the doughnut box that was shoved under her nose.

Oh. Treats. Yummy.

Lifting her hand, she chose her cake then bit into it with relish as the box continued on its way around the table.

"Well, if the Dawnster’s not careful, she's gonna miss out on all the sugary goodness," Xander proclaimed as he licked some jelly from his fingers.

Buffy frowned and checked the clock on the wall. "I wonder where she is," she mused aloud. "She should’ve been here by now, it’s getting late." She was about to get up when the bell above the door rang and the younger Summers sister strolled in.

"Ooo, just in time for doughnuts," Dawn exclaimed when she got to the table. Leaning over, she reached out to take one of the treats only to give a yelp of surprise as Buffy playfully slapped her hand away.

"Hey, those are for people who have actually put in some research time," the Slayer told her in a mock stern tone.

"Well, since I’m here ready to do research now, I’ll just take one on account," the brunette replied chirpily as she grabbed a cake and darted out of Buffy’s reach. "Hah!"

"Brat," Buffy mumbled good-naturedly.

"So, how did last night go?" Dawn asked her sister as she settled herself down on the chair next to Xander. "Not that I want details, because…gross…but still, did it go okay? You and Spike a hot item now? All sickeningly gushy and lovey dovey?"

The Slayer rolled her eyes and then shook her head. "Nope, just the opposite in fact." She then went on to tell her incredulous sister the events that had unfolded the night before and was treated to a disgusted snort from her sibling when she finished.

"You two are useless," was the brunette's verdict before adding, "Oh, and talking about earrings, I found this in the back garden." Dawn pulled out the bent earring from her jeans pocket and put it down on the table near Buffy. "I think you can save it."

Buffy stared at the innocuous piece of gold and felt her stomach take a sudden nosedive. "You said you found this outside?" she asked, her mind racing at the implications of that fact as her sister nodded. "Where outside? On the porch?"

"No, it was in the grass a couple of feet away," her sister replied then frowned as Buffy's face seemed to drain of colour. "Why, what's up?"

"This was the one I was lost last night," the Slayer revealed as she reached out to pick the earring up.

"So?" Dawn asked with a shrug. "You must have dropped when you got back…"

"No, I didn't," Buffy denied emphatically. "I came in through the front door. The only time I went out the back was when I thought Spike was out there."

"Well, maybe he brought it back…" Dawn began then stopped as Buffy closed her eyes as if in pain. "Buffy? What's wrong?"

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at the concerned face of her sister before letting her gaze sweep around to Willow who's face, she was sure, mirrored Buffy's own stricken look.

"He heard you talking to Angel," the redhead said slowly. "Oh no."

"You spoke to Angel?" Dawn queried in surprise.

The Slayer nodded and recounted the conversation she had with her former boyfriend. This time, however, the story wasn't quite as funny as before. Not now she knew what he'd most certainly heard and likely taken completely out of context. Dammit! Why couldn't he have just knocked on the door instead of snooping?

"I have to go and see him," she announced, getting up from her seat. "I've got to right this somehow. I can't have him out there thinking that I still love Angel. Can you imagine what that's doing to him?"

Willow got up and came over to lay a comforting hand on her friends' shoulder. "It'll be fine Buffy. I'm sure once you've explained everything…"

"I am going to explain everything, Will," Buffy told her determinedly. "No more plans. No more games. I'm going to make him listen to me even if I have to chain him up to do so. It's long past time I told him how I felt and tonight he's going to know without a shadow of doubt that I love him."

With that, she turned on her heel and headed out of the store. Willow stared after her for a moment then glanced down at the book Buffy had been reading. Doing a double take, she gasped and pointed to the picture on the right hand page. "Oh Goddess, that's him!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spike fought against the last remaining dregs of sleep and opened his eyes. Seconds later, he shut them again with a pained groan as the sentence that had haunted his dreams floated through his head once more.

'Love you too, Angel.'

"Oh, give it a bloody rest, will you?" he snarled irately to himself as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Grabbing up the T-shirt he’d discarded the night before, he put it on then climbed the ladder up to the top part of the crypt.

Satisfying his hunger with a couple of bags of blood, he put his duster on and checked that night had begun to fall. Dark enough for him to venture out, Spike opened the door and stood in the doorway as he placed a cigarette to his lips and lit it. Inhaling deeply, he let out a stream of smoke from his mouth and surveyed the rapidly darkening cemetery.

Time to find Fen.

"Good evening, Vampire," a low voice greeted to his left.

Before Spike could stop himself, his head snapped around and his eyes immediately locked with the demon he’d been about to seek out. Belatedly, he felt a chill creep down his spine and mentally sighed. 'Bit late for you to kick in,’ he silently chastised himself as he felt his free will slowly slip way.

Fen smiled and beckoned Spike towards him. The vampire tried ignore the gesture, but to no avail. His lit cigarette, pack and lighter fell from his nerveless fingers to land at his feet as he was compelled to follow Fen off into the night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tara, Dawn and Xander got up to have a look at the picture in the book and pulled a disgusted face’s. "That’s him," Tara confirmed, giving Willow a quick nod.

"Man, talk about being beaten with an ugly stick," Xander joked with a laugh.

"He’s revolting," Dawn concurred, her expression one of somebody who has just smelt something really bad.

"Let me see," requested Giles as he came over. Willow moved aside so he could bend over and get a closer look.

"What kind of demon is it?" Tara asked as she scanned the page.

"He’s not a demon," Giles informed her as he read the text linked to the picture.

"Well he’s not human, that’s for sure," Xander said confidently.

"No, he’s not that either," the Watcher agreed.

"So what is he?" Dawn asked impatiently.

"Well, believe it or not, he is…or rather…he was…a Brownie," Giles informed them seriously. His announcement was met by total silence and he looked up to see that everyone was looking at him in stunned surprise.

"A brownie?" Xander repeated dubiously, a smile finding its way to his face. "You’re kidding, right? As in, like an elf? I mean, are you trying to tell us that one of Santa’s little helpers has gone bad or something?" He chuckled. "Or has Buffy gotta go and kill a little square, chocolate guy?"

"Good gracious, give me strength," Giles mumbled as he picked up the book. "No, Xander, this…Fenoderee…as he’s now known, was once a Manx brownie."

"A what brownie?" Dawn queried with a frown.

"Manx, as in he originates from the Isle of Man which is a small isle off the coast of Britain." Giles paused and when the brunette nodded her understanding, he continued. "It says here, that unlike most Brownies, he is the size of a human and possesses supernatural strength."

"Typical," Xander snorted in annoyance then waved his hand for the Watcher to carry on when he saw the older man glaring irritatedly at him from over his glasses.

"Yes, well, where was I?" he muttered as he looked back down at the tome.

"Supernatural strength," Willow supplied helpfully.

"Oh yes," he said, finding his place again. "Apparently, it also says that he was a faerie who was cast into the world of mortals because he fell in love with a human girl. His looks were also taken from him as added punishment and he is forced to spend the rest of eternity an object of ridicule and loathing."

"That’s it?" asked Xander when it appeared that Giles wasn’t going to say anything further.

"I’m afraid so," the Englishman replied, taking off his glasses and looking at him. "It doesn’t mention anything that suggests that he might have something to do with the current killings."

Dawn frowned. "Looks like Spike’s hunch was wrong then."

"Uh, from what Tara and I saw last night, I don’t think it was," Willow interjected quietly.

"What? Why do you say that?" Giles queried. "Did something happen?"

Willow looked at her girlfriend who gave her a small smile and nod of encouragement. "Well, when we went into Willy’s to find Spike, he was talking to this…Fenoderee."

"What?!" Giles exclaimed, his frown deepening. "What on earth was he doing talking to him?"

"I don’t know," the redhead admitted with a worried look. "I think we interrupted at the right moment because he looked a bit out of it…you know, kinda dazed. And when we asked him if that was the guy Buffy and he was looking for, he said no. We didn’t press it, but, whatever they talked about…I think it shook Spike up pretty bad."

"You sure it wasn’t just guilt for getting caught with the enemy?" Xander suggested suspiciously.

"No!" Willow refuted immediately. "That used-to-be brownie had some kind of power that he was using."

"That’s right," Tara concurred, backing her girlfriend up. "We even overheard him threaten Spike before he left."

"Why didn’t you say something earlier?" asked Giles in confusion.

Willow turned to Xander and gave him a stern look before returning her gaze to the Watcher. "We knew someone would jump to the wrong conclusions so we decided we’d speak to Spike first and give him another chance to explain before we said anything."

Xander had the grace to look slightly shame-faced that he’d assumed Spike was at fault and received a slight smile from Willow to let him know it was okay. She loved her friend but also knew that he’d always think the worst of Spike first. She just hoped that time would eventually change his perception of the vampire. For Buffy's sake if nothing else.

"He had some sort of power, you say?" Giles asked, putting his glasses back on and staring interestedly at the wicca. "What kind of power exactly?"

"I don’t know, Giles. I’m sorry," the redhead replied with a helpless shrug of her shoulders. "Spike just looked uncomfortable and then the Fenoderee left."

"Uncomfortable, how?" the Watcher wanted to know.

"Uncomfortable like in a thrall," came Anya’s matter of fact voice as she walked over and joined them at the table. "Was there eye contact? Did he only move when it was broken?"

"Hey, come to think of it, there was. And, he did. You could be right about a thrall," Willow said, turning to look at the ex-demon. "Good guess."

Anya sighed heavily and slowly shook her head. "Not a guess. When I overheard you say Fen's name…well, you just confirmed by suspicions, that’s all. I know what you’re up against and believe me when I say that you won’t be able to kill him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Buffy made it to Spike's crypt in record time. Bursting through the door, she urgently called out his name as she walked in. When there was no reply, she dropped down to the lower part and checked there. Realising he wasn't in his home, Buffy frowned. It wasn't that long past dusk for him to have got far, even if he did leave as soon as the night had began to fall. Of course, there was always the sewers…

She made a cursory sweep of the underground passageways, calling out for him but not getting any reply or any feeling that he were nearby. Sighing in frustration, she decided to head back to the Magic Shop and grab a couple of stakes before heading off to Willy's to look for him.

Head down, she exited the crypt and came to halt as she saw Spike's lighter and cigarette pack laying on the ground with a butt end next to it that emitted a slight trail of smoke.

Crap.

She picked the lighter and pack up with a frown, then plucked the remains of the cigarette up feeling the warmth that still emanated from it. Something had happened to Spike and it hadn't been that long ago either, of that she was certain.

Worry creased her brow as she automatically looked around at her feet, searching for, but at the same time, fearing to see, a telltale pile of dust. "Thank God," she breathed in relief as her frantic gaze found nothing even vaguely resembling vampire ash.

Not sensing him anywhere in the cemetery, her first instinct was to rush off to try and find him but as she fingered his lighter contemplatively, an idea popped into her head and she set off at a run back to the Magic Box.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I don’t believe this!" Xander groaned as he rubbed his temples to stem the headache that was starting to throb. "Please don’t tell me you granted this…this…Fen a wish, like…a billion years ago and now he’s here wreaking havoc in Sunnydale?"

"Not a billion years ago Xander, I wasn’t around then. This happened three hundred years ago," Anya corrected him and then frowned. "Do I look a billion years old?"

"Ahn, honey, focus, please," the carpenter begged.

"But you did grant him a wish?" Willow asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Anya shook her head. "No, I didn’t," she told them, causing a few sighs of relief from the gathered group. "He's like the bogeyman of the demon world. Parents use him as a warning not to fall for humans because if they do, he'll come and get them. Of course, now I know he's real, I'm naturally disappointed that it wasn't by my hand. I mean, that kind of revenge is very sweet."

"That as may be," Giles interjected, carefully ignoring the ex-demon's less than tactful remark. "But what is he, exactly, Anya? And why won't we be able to stop him?"

The blonde sighed and gestured for everyone to sit down. When they were settled, she began. "Okay, the book was right as a general background to what happened to Fen but it doesn't cover how he went to visit a powerful warlock to ask for a spell. He was angry and wanted revenge. Not against his own people though; it was against his own heart and what he saw as his weakness for loving a human. His people had acted according to their laws and he accepted that, but he couldn't accept himself. So, he approached an ancient warlock and offered his heart in exchange for the ability to punish all demons that were stupid enough love humans, just like he had. He wanted to strip them of their capacity to love."

"Punish demons that love humans?" Dawn repeated quietly, a chill starting to seep into her bones. "You mean, like Spike loves Buffy?"

Anya nodded. "Yes. Just like that."

Dawn looked down and felt the rush of tears at Anya's confirmation, the worry for her surrogate brother evident. An arm came around her shoulders and she looked up to see Tara's softly smiling countenance offering comfort as she gave the younger girl's arm a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, everything will be fine," she whispered.

Dawn managed a small smile in return and then they both turned their attention back to the conversation. Buffy needed to know everything if she were going to fight this thing and Dawn was going to make sure she heard every word.

"But these demons have been murdered," Giles pointed out. "Removing their capacity to love shouldn't kill them as well."

"I know," the ex-demon concurred. "The warlock that took Fen's heart, double-crossed him. If you make a deal with evil, you can't really expect anything less. There's always consequences." She sighed. "Fen needs the essence of heartbroken demons to sustain him. Literally. He can sense the heartache that comes from human rejection and preys on the weak, feeding off their woes. There's only one catch…they have to be willing to give up their lives and to do that he has the ability to put them in a kind of a thrall and then gets them to agree to be drained."

"Amazing," the Watcher commented as he busily began cleaning his glasses. "But you still haven't said why we won't be able to fight him."

"Well…" Anya began, only to be cut off when the door burst open and an out of breath Slayer rushed in.

"Something's happened…to Spike," she announced in between heavy pants as she tried to get her breath back. She pulled out the vampire's lighter and held it out to Willow. "Here…can you do a…location…spell for me?"

Willow immediately nodded and took the lighter then looked at Tara for help. Her girlfriend joined her and they headed off to make preparations for the spell while Buffy bent over and took in deep lungfuls of air, finally calming her breathing.

Looking up, she saw that everyone was looking at her, their expressions telling her that something was wrong. "What's up?"

They looked at each other and then Giles gave her a brief outline of what they'd learned about Fen, including Willow and Tara's account of what they'd seen at Willy's.

Buffy closed her eyes instinctively knowing that Fen had got to Spike. It wasn't the only explanation for finding the lighter and cigarette pack outside his crypt but, considering this new information, it was the only one. He was a prime target and they all knew it. Even Spike, from what Giles had said.

Anger started to simmer within her. Why the hell hadn't he told her that he'd spoken to Fen? Surely he knew she'd want to go and…her eyes flew open suddenly as the answer hit her. Damn. It was so obvious. His guilt at the perception of what he regarded as his failure on the Tower could only compel him act one way.

Protect.

Her. Dawn. All of them. Only what he didn't know, was that they were never in any danger from Fen. It was only him. And now he was probably caught and having his essence drained…

"We have to find him," Buffy suddenly said urgently, the words 'before it's too late' hanging unspoken in the air. "How's the spell coming?"

"We're ready," Willow said and they all gathered around the two witches as they began to chant.

"Come on, come on," Buffy muttered as she watched map for a sign of Spike's whereabouts. A light appeared and hovered near the older part of town then slowly started moving out towards Rosewood cemetery. Abruptly, Buffy turned then went into the training room and came out wielding a lethal looking sword. "I won't be long," she said grimly, heading towards the shop door. "Just gonna kill me an ugly ass demon then talk some sense into a stubborn vampire and I'll be back."

"Wait, Buffy! There's something I've told you yet," Anya called out, the desperate tone of her voice halting the Slayer in her tracks.

Buffy turned at look at her. "What is it, Anya? I'm kind of on a clock here. Spike could already be…" she stopped and took a deep breath then repeated, "What is it?"

The ex-demon looked at her with the closest thing to sympathy on her face that the Slayer had ever seen and her blood chilled. "What is it, Anya?" she demanded again, her tone harsh. "Tell me."

Anya shook her head regretfully. "If Fen has Spike then he's already under his thrall and you can't break it. If you do, you'll kill Spike as well."

Dawn gasped loudly but Buffy absorbed the information in silence, the slight paling of her already wan face the only indication that she'd actually heard. "How do I stop him then?" she asked, her voice low as she tried to control her emotions.

"You don't," Anya replied. "Spike's the only one that do it because he's in the thrall. If he can turn against Fen and kill him himself, then he'll be safe." Anya paused then gave the Slayer a small smile as she offered her final piece of advice, "Just remember, even within the thrall, Spike can still hear you, Buffy."

Hope flared at Anya's words and Buffy straightened her shoulders back in new resolve. "I'd better make sure I say the right things then, hadn't I?" she said determinedly.

With one last glance around at her friend's concerned faces, she managed a small smile of her own before saying to her tearful sister, "Don't worry, Dawn, I'm not coming back without him." Then, with a final nod, she was gone.

END CHAPTER 13





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