AN: Bare with me Spuffy is all I write, in the end matter life or death there is only Spuffy. This in the first chapter of the first story of this series.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY

April 8, 2001

One man leaned back in his chair, resting his head back, as he waited for what he hoped would be good news that was being delivered. The look on the younger man's face as he tried to tell him what he needed to know told him it was probably the best news he had ever heard.

Richard Horton stood in front of his boss' desk. The information he had to deliver was sad, and he wondered how Mr. Travers would take it. 'It's not like he liked the girl.' He just believed Travers wanted to be the one who put the final nail in the young blond slayer's coffin.

“The Hell God is dead, but so is Miss Summers,” Richard finally spit out.

“That is wonderful news, wonderful news,” the older man smiled. “We will see how Mr. Giles handles her death. We have time, plenty of time, to wait and see how it plays out.”

“But that will leave the Hellmouth unprotected by a Slayer,” the younger man replied, shocked that his leader and mentor appeared so unconcerned at the dangers of not replacing the Slayer in Sunnydale.

“Richard, do not fret. I’m sure Miss Summers' friends will see to keeping their home safe until we decide to make our move,” the older man snorted. He knew that it would be a cold day in hell before Rupert Giles came to the council and told them of his little slayer’s demise. “Just continue to monitor the progress of the rogue slayer for now.”

“Yes, sir,” Richard said as he turned to leave. “Is there anything you require before I leave?”

“No, Richard. Go home and get some rest,” Quentin Travers smiled as he bid the man farewell. His thoughts of finally being rid of Miss Buffy Summers were making him a very happy man. ‘I will allow her poor excuse of a Watcher time to grieve and keep her death a secret for now. Let's see how long he thinks he can play me for a fool.’

~~~~~~~

Two figures stood quietly in the candlelit bedroom. A romantic evening had been going as planned- celebrating the fact that they were going to be parents. Then the tragic news interrupted their night. The word death was enough to dampen one's mood. A certain someone's death, which brought sorrow to some and relief to others. For a small sector, it meant the beginning of something more. They would just have to be patient, and the signs would point out what it was they would have to do to secure a safe future for humans.

“She is dead,” Haig sighed as he looked around the bedroom with regret that such news came at the second best time of his life.

He watched his lover move toward the window, her dark brown hair flowing behind her like a curtain blowing in the wind. When she stood still and wore it down, it would stretch to the back of her knees. He knew if he saw her face, a small smile would be present. For she had been waiting for this moment for close to a century now. The news of the Slayer's death had just reached them, but for some reason, that information did not appear new to his love.

“But she will rise again. The prophecy has foreseen it,” Kyia's mystical voice spoke as she gazed up at the moon, the stars having already told her of the young Summers girl's fate earlier in the night.

She turned to see her lover looking at her with love in his eyes. The knowledge that he loved her above all others warmed her heart since Carvion demons were not known for their fidelity. Nevertheless, he had chosen her to spend the rest of his days with. He then married her, and they now awaited the birth of their first child.

“If she is truly the one it speaks of,” Haig smiled as he moved to join her by the window, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him.

He could remember the day she had said yes to becoming his lover. For on that day, she had become a fallen angel, taking a chance that he would never stray as his kind normally did. He looked at the beauty that was his- she was so different than her sister, who had left the path of Powers That Be and chose to follow evil. Her eyes are what had caught his attention, their depths touching his soul. The golden brown orbs told him every time he looked into them that he was home.

“She is the one. She will return,” Kyia smiled up at her husband.

“How will we know when it is time?” Haig asked, feeling curious as to what he should be looking for. That is, if there were signs alerting them to her return.

“When the witch starts to delve into the dark magic, we will know. When she takes the blood of an innocent, it will be time to watch for The Chosen One to return.”

“Who will we get to look after her when she returns?”

“Do not worry so, my dearest, for I have already taken care of it. He is the best one for the job and will make sure she reaches her full potential.”

“I’m sorry I question you, my love. I should know better than that by now. You have never led me astray before,” Haig smiled softly down into his wife's face.

“He will be her protector when she needs it most,” Kyia smiled as she raised her hand and placed it softly along his cheek. "I'm glad you ask your questions. It tells me my husband has a mind of his own and can think without my help."

Haig snorted as he asked his next question. “Will he be her lover?”

“NO! Another will teach her, as she will him, what true love is really all about,” Kyia stated right before she yawned. "It seems that I'm more tired than usual."

“I will go and prepare your bath,” Haig smiled at his ladylove right before leaning down and giving her a tender kiss on the lips.

“Our bath, my love,” she whispered when he ended the kiss, her eyes still closed and a happy smile on her lips.

“Yes, our bath,” he smiled at the dark beauty before him that stole his heart so long ago.

“Haig, I will join you momentarily. I need to make a phone call,” the woman replied as her lover left the room.

She picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. “Yes, it has happened, the prophecy has begun.”

The man on the other end of the phone sighed, his sadness heard over the distance. “Then it has begun. All we do now is wait.”

“Yes, but at least we know now that she is the one.”

“Kyia, how did she die?” he asked, wondering who and what circumstances took his father's slayer from this world.

“As the words told us, she gave her life in place of another who shared her blood, to save the world,” Kyia simply said.

“Then he was right all along,” he whispered, wishing he could call Travers and tell the bastard where to stick it. However, he thought it would be too premature at this time. The one thing he remembered most from his father's teachings was patience; it truly is a virtue to have. "Son, it will save your life one day."

“Yes, your father was right, but then, had he ever been wrong?” she asked.

“A few times, when he bet on the horses. But with his job, he was never wrong,” he chuckled at her question, knowing she knew of his father's weakness for betting on the horses.

“Like father, like son, would you not say?” Kyia laughed gently. "Except with the horses, that is."

“I can only pray to be as good as my father.” The man on the phone sighed.

“But, you already are.” Kyia smiled into the phone. “Now, I must be going. Haig is preparing our bath.”

The man chuckled. “You have him so under your thumb.”

“As much as he has me under his,” she returned with a soft smile. “I will let you know when the signs begin to alert us of her return.”

“I will be waiting. Goodnight, old one.” He worked hard to keep from laughing.

“Goodnight, young one.” She laughed as she hung up the phone and hurried to join her lover.

JUNE 6, 2001

“I cannot believe she is alive. How can this be?” Quentin Travers growled.

“Mr. Travers, I don’t know. All reports said she was dead, that she had died after the fall off the tower,” Richard shrugged.

“Then how do you explain that when Marcus went to Sunnydale to finally confront Giles about her death, he found her still alive and performing her slayer duties?”

“I don’t know, sir. I really, truly don’t know,” Richard explained. "I'm as shocked as you are with Marcus's findings."

“Damn it all. I had such plans,” the older man mumbled under his breath.

Richard took a deep breath and prepared for his possible death. “We still have not found the rogue slayer, Faith, as of yet either.”

Travers face became red as he shouted, “What the hell are you people paid to do? Just make my life miserable?”

“We are trying our best.” Richard tried his best to reason with the irate man.

“Well, it is not good enough,” Travers, yelled louder.

He could not believe that all this time, he had thought the Summers girl had been dead, but she had been alive protecting the Hellmouth. At first, he was sure Giles had concocted some sort of magic or something. Nevertheless, Marcus had returned and reported that she was alive and well, strong as ever.

~~~~~~~

Giles looked over at the Scoobies and sighed. “That was close. Far too close for comfort, that is for sure.”

“Yep, gotcha. Too close of the not Jack Ritter kind,” Xander smiled.

“Jack Ritter kind?” Giles looked questionably at Harris.

“Never mind, Watcher. Over your head and all,” Spike snorted.

“I guess we have something to thank Spike for,” Willow spoke aloud, suddenly wishing she had kept her big trap shut.

“Huh?” Xander asked. "What do we have to thank Dead Boy Jr. about?"

Anya smacked her boyfriend. Although he gave her many pleasurable orgasms, she realized he was sometimes slow on the uptake. “Buffybot…Spike…get the picture?”

“Oh…I mean…OHHHH.” Xander rolled his eyes and wondered how it was right to thank the bleached wonder for being a pervert.

“Shut the hell up,” Spike growled as he stood, the anger radiating from his body.

“Okay, change of subject. What’s for dinner?” Dawn asked as she reached and grabbed the vampire’s hand. “I vote for pizza and wings.”

Spike looked down at the Bit and tried to calm down. It was hard with the image of his lost love sitting quietly in the corner with her eyes closed. ‘It's like she is really here and is just asleep, takin’ a nap.’ He thought as his undead heart began to break again.

“I don’t care what we have as long as we don’t stay here,” Spike stated as he nodded toward the robot that was shut down and recharging. Mostly shut down so she would not remind people of whose image she portrayed.

Giles for once felt badly for the vampire, remembering how broken Spike had been on the night they had lost Buffy. He still could not say the words that described what had happened that night in April. All he could think of right now was that the robot had done enough to convince Travers' lackey that Buffy was still alive, even if the case was not true.

“I vote for Pizza Hut and all its topping offerings,” Willow winked over at Dawn and then smiled at Tara.

“Me, too.” Tara blushed as she noticed the look her lover was giving her.

They all gathered their items with Willow deciding to leave the mechanical Slayer there. ‘I'll pick her back up on the way home. Need to do a little research as well.’ There was a spell she had found that had to do with resurrections, but she needed to finish translating it more clearly before telling the others what she had found.

~~~~~~~

August 28, 2001

Kyia smiled at her lover’s antics of pleasing her. Haig was her soul mate, the one that would be hers until she died. His touch was unlike any before him, and no one could ever replace it in any way. It did not hurt that he was also pleasing to the eyes. At least her eyes, anyway. His rugged but handsome features made her heartbeat quicken every time she looked upon his face. His shoulder length, curly dark brown hair was as soft as a feather when she caressed his head or it caressed her body. He could pass for human, if not for his eyes- they were the only feature that told of his demon trait. They were black. So black at times they seemed midnight blue.

He was a Carvion demon, a race that lived each day as if it was their last. The rumor was that they were part human, bred with an unknown demon, for the sole purpose to kill. Her Haig was different; for he tells anyone that will listen that he changed who he was the moment he had found his true love. That she gave him purpose, and he now only reverted to his killing ways when his life or that of his loved one was threatened.

She watched as he gently placed her tray of food before her. Her body was large with their child, reclined back on the sofa, letting him wait on her, hand and foot. She was in her 7th month of pregnancy, and if she did not know better, it felt like she was carrying twins with how far out her abdomen stretched. 'I'm finding it harder and harder to find my feet.'

Suddenly, she felt the current in the air change, a feeling of darkness threatened. “She has begun to dabble with the spell. Soon she will attempt to bring The Chosen One back to us.”

Haig looked up and noticed the trance-like state his lover was in and kept quiet and let her finish. He did not want to do anything that would pull her back before she was ready- it would be bad for the baby.

“Once she is back, she will need to find a reason to live again. For, unbeknownst to those that bring her back, she is not where they think she is. Their intentions are from the heart, but misguided they are. Nevertheless, the path they must take and their loyalty tested, for she will need them all in the end, especially the one that steals her heart like a thief in the night. For he will prove to be the most loyal to her in the end.”

Haig watched closely for the signs telling him she had come back to this plane. He wanted to make sure she knew he was there and not be afraid that she was alone. She was his life now, she and the baby. If anything happened to either of them, he was not sure he would not revert to his former self.

Kyia opened her eyes and smiled softly. Feeling tired and weary from her journey to the place of dreams, as she called it, she allowed her lover to pamper her with his love and understanding. She knew he would wait until she was ready to tell him all she had come to understand from her little trip after she had rested and finished her meal.

~~~~~~~

September 18, 2001

“It is done. She is back among us,” Kyia told the man on the phone.

“Then it is time I prepared myself to join her.”

“You must give her time. That is why I sent Haig to watch over them,” she informed him.

“Why? Is it not imperative I train her for what lies ahead?” he asked.

“Yes, but first, she must follow the path, along with her family and friends,” Kyia explained. “We must let fate happen. She must learn to deal with being back in what she considers hell compared to where she was taken from.”

“So, will you tell me when it is time for me to take over her training?”

“Yes, I will let you know when it is time for her to move on to the next step. Again, I will stress to you, as I did with my companion, do not interfere unless her life is threatened. She must follow the path until she comes upon the crossroad and then choose her own way when she reaches it. There will be several trials, and she will learn many lessons along the way, but she will also find what it is she has been looking for but didn’t know it was right under her nose the whole time.”

“What is that?”

“Love, my dear boy. Love in its purest form, of the best kind.” She frowned. “But unfortunately, she will find sorrow at its darkest level before that can happen. Her heart will break, but it must happen so she will open her eyes and see what it is that she had lost so she will fight harder to get it back.”

“Woman, you scare me with your insight and visions.”

“I had a sister once, a long time ago. But a terrible evil creature took her from me. To hear his name, you would think of heaven, but no, he is, or should I say was, the most feared form of evil to walk this earth at one time.”

“Is she dead now?”

“Well, technically, I would say yes, but she still does walk among the living,” Kyia sighed. “But enough sad thinking for now- my son beckons to be fed, and since I’m his food source, I must bow to his wishes.”

“I will wait to hear from you then.”

“Yes, but don’t worry…it won’t be long,” Kyia said, the stars telling her to be prepared for danger, but nothing specific as of yet.

November 1, 2001

Buffy sat on the couch, staring blindly in front of her. She could hear the chatter of Dawn and Janice as they watched the movie that was playing. ‘Can’t remember the name. Hmmm, not important anyway.’

She looked at the clock and noticed it was time she left to do a short patrol. She just prayed a certain blonde vampire would not be out looking for her. ‘I don’t think I could handle his 'we are meant to be together' crap right now.’

Just the thought of the two times they had had sex brought an uncomfortable wetness to her panties. ‘God, why is it the only time I feel alive is when I’m being screwed by a certain undead blonde guy?’

She had managed to avoid him since that night on the balcony at the Bronze where he had somehow convinced her to have sex while watching her friends dance below. 'I wonder if he uses a thrall on me.' Deep down, she knew that it was not a thrall but just something dark inside her that let him do those things and say bad things to her. 'I don't belong in the dark with him like he said. I’m not Faith- I'm not going to become a dark slayer.' The thought that she was turning into a bad slayer like Faith scared her more then anything. 'Damn, it's only sex. Sex that makes me forget the hell I'm living in…but makes me feel damned when I come back from Spike-sex happy land. Yeah, but Faith was a sexaholic, and look where it led her…just sex is bad…bad sex is worse.'

She knew that her luck was running out. Soon, she and Spike would be alone together, and she prayed she would have the willpower to walk away and not let him touch her in all the right places again. ‘No, wrong places, not right…it’s just not right…so not the right places.’

Buffy stood up and mumbled that she was going out for a while. The need to kill something or at least give it a good pounding was sounding good right about then. ‘It will keep me from thinking about things that I shouldn’t be thinking about, like being touched in all the wrong places.’

Dawn glared at her sister, wishing her mother were still alive so she would not have to depend on Buffy anymore. She also wanted Tara back living with them. ‘At least she liked to spend time with me.’

Since Tara and Willow had broken up, the teenager found herself alone more than she liked to be. Buffy didn’t want her hanging with Spike anymore, so that really put a damper on her having anyone to talk to or do things with. Buffy was being such a bitch. ‘It wasn’t my fault she was brought back the way she was. Can’t she just be happy she’s alive again? Heaven or hell, she’s back home.’

“Man, your sister is weird,” Janice, said as she grabbed some more popcorn.

“Yeah, but aren’t older sisters that way?” Dawn replied as she took a drink of her fruit punch.

“I guess, since I don’t have one to say if they are or not, but yours is without a doubt on the loony side of the scale of human behavior.”

“Well, most other poor, unfortunate younger sisters agree with me that having older sisters suck.” Dawn leaned back and thought to herself, ‘but I bet I beat them in the weird sister category since mine is the Slayer.’

Janice laughed, and then a Brad Pitt scene came on screen. “Man, he is soooo hot.”

Dawn could not help but smile and agree. “I’m going to marry him and have all his babies.”

“Yeah, right,” Janice snorted.

~~~~~~~

Spike stood and watched as his worst nightmare and best fantasy trashed the two newly risen fledges. He loved to watch her move, and the things that came out of her mouth were truly entertaining to hear. ‘She is bloody perfect.’

Her moves were like poetry in motion as he watched her take out the first vampire with such grace. He also knew she did not fight with the same passion as before she had died. He was starting to see her with the eyes of the Slayer of Slayers. He could see her getting closer and closer to losing the will to survive. ‘God, luv, can’t ya see I would rather have you in the dark with me than not here at all. If dragging you into my world saves you, then so be it.’

Spike could not believe that the Watcher had left, gone soon after the singing demon had Buffy spill the beans on where she had been before the idiots resurrected her. ‘Damn, Rupert- thought you of all people would have seen what coming back from Heaven was doing to her and stayed. But no, you had to run like a scared puppy and hide your head in the proverbial mud.’

He understood that youth and guilt blinded three of the four that were responsible for pulling his Slayer out of Heaven. The only thing keeping him from letting her go back was the fear of where she would end up. He could not help but think it was a form of suicide, and the act itself might condemn her to hell. ‘Can’t let you go there, luv. You deserve much better than that.’ Now Anya was a different matter. He knew that the ex-demon should have known better than to play with magic like that without doing a locator spell. ‘Damn twit still won’t answer me about that one, still blamin’ Red. Can’t say I blame her- even a novice witchie in trainin’ would know that one.’ Still, Harris’ hot squeeze still had been around a lot longer than any of the Scoobies, or himself in that case, and should have known better.

Something suddenly changed between the remaining newbie and the Slayer. For some reason, the fledging was gaining the upper hand, causing Spike to become alarmed. He did not smell fear coming from Buffy, but he noticed she had lost some of her energy. Then he recognized the look. She had the same look as the other two Slayers he had faced and defeated. That look of readiness to die.

Buffy felt the adrenaline pumping after dusting the first pain in the ass wannabe bloodsucker. For some reason, she started to feel like she was running out of fuel. Her thoughts became dark and scary. ‘Why am I still here, still doing this? I hate my life. I hate my friends for bringing me back here only so I can die again. I hate it that I’m again having feelings of some kind of wrongness about a certain someone that I shouldn’t be having.’

For the first time, she really wondered if it would hurt, letting this creature end her suffering, giving in and letting someone else fill her shoes and fling the stakes, fist and feet. She found it hard to move as these thoughts grew heavier and was feeling a mixture of freedom and acceptance comes over her as she started to give up. A small voice cried out to fight, that tomorrow would be another day; another chance to start to live again, but again, it was such a small voice that it didn’t carry too much conviction.

Everything happened so fast. First, she felt the impending fatal bite coming her way, praying it was quick and that magic could not bring her back. Next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground with a blur of black hitting, mumbling, and then staking the fiend that had been about to end her torment.

“Damn bloody bint. Thinkin’ me, the Big Bad, was gonna let you fall like this,” Spike muttered as he checked on the Slayer before finishing the job that Buffy should have done herself.

Before the vampire had turned to dust, Spike was already turned around and reaching for the petite blonde ball of “will be the death of me”, pulling her up and into his arms. “You bloody stupid cow, what the hell were you doin’ just now, luv?”

Buffy felt like she was awakening from a dream, frightened at what had just occurred. She really didn’t know why she had suddenly given up. “Breathe. I need to breathe, Spike,” she managed to say as she was held in a death grip against him.

“What the hell, Summers? You weren’t thinkin’ much about sucking in air a moment ago.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Spike loosened his grip and pulled back far enough to look her in the face. “I saw the look, pet. I knew it for what it was. Why do you think I jumped in when I did?”

“You don’t know shit, fang face.”

“Buffy, I lov-“

“Don’t talk to me about that. You are a soulless evil creature. I can never love you. I don’t even like you,” Buffy yelled. The mixture of not knowing what had happened to her and Spike being so close and overwhelming was too much for her to handle at the moment.

“Stay away from me, Spike. I want nothing from you. You have nothing I could possibly want,” she continued to scream, not looking at him, not seeing how her words were destroying him. “You could never be Angel to me, and never in a million years could you replace Riley.”

“Yeah, 'Mr. Go Evil If I Get A Little Happy Done To Me' and 'Mr. Suck Me And Give Me What My Girlfriend Can’t'. My heroes, just who I want to model myself after,” Spike yelled as he stepped back, looking up at the sky, holding back the tears. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it again.” The blonde vampire fought for control of his emotions.“ Goodbye, Slayer. Have a nice life, however long it may be.”

Buffy had seen the pain on his face before hiding it from the world as he turned to go. The voice inside of her again cried for her to stop him and tell him she was acting on her fear, not on how she really felt about him. That what she truly felt scared the hell out of her. She watched until he disappeared before she turned and blindly walked home.

Haig Boran frowned as he watched the interaction between the Slayer and William the Bloody. ‘Why does she fight it so? It is as it should be…the Slayer finds her mate and lives a long and happy life.’ He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt the vibration of his cell phone.

“Yes?”

“So, how did it go tonight?”

“She is acting strange. Almost died tonight and then took it out on her mate.”

“He is not her mate yet!”

“Why does she fight her nature?” Haig asked.

“Because The Council has taught her differently. They do not wish for the Slayer to be as a Slayer should, but controlled by them,” was the reply.

“But we are going to change this, yes?”

“Yes, we are going to change all of it,” she said. “I called to let you know that powers are gathering to take her away from us, and soon, we will have to act.”

“I will do as you say. I will protect her and keep her safe until you arrive to take my place,” Haig vowed. “But you had better make it soon. I feel like something is already in the works- she almost died tonight.”

“How?”

“It appeared as if she had given up. But her destined mate intervened, thus making her say very hurtful things to him.”

“Keep a close eye. I feel there may be a traitor among her following, but I cannot be sure.” The soft voice's tone conveyed her concern. “And why are you sure that William is her destined mate?”

“I am Haig- I know these things," he chuckled. “You forget that I can read auras, and his fits hers. He is the one that is marked hers and hers alone. Even his sire cannot change his heart now…she will become his soul, if she has not already.”

“Good, I'm glad you agree with me…I, too, feel that Spike is the one.”

“You must be careful, my dearest one. If they find you, all will be for not. You are the key to protecting her from those she should trust.”

“I promise to be careful. I will be there tomorrow night. I love you.”

"I adore you, and kiss my son for me."

"Consider it done. Keep yourself safe for us," Kyia whispered as she hung up the phone.

The dial tone told Haig that his partner had hung up. He looked around before stepping out from the safe zone he had placed around himself. The path he chose to follow was that of the Slayer’s. Tomorrow, he would check up on the vampire at his crypt while he slept.

TBC

August 28, 2001



Kyia smiled at her lover’s antics of pleasing her. Haig was her soul mate, the one that would be hers until she died. His touch was unlike any before him, and no one could ever replace it in any way. It did not hurt that he was also pleasing to the eyes. At least her eyes, anyway. His rugged but handsome features made her heartbeat quicken every time she looked upon his face. His shoulder length, curly dark brown hair was as soft as a feather when she caressed his head or it caressed her body. He could pass for human, if not for his eyes- they were the only feature that told of his demon trait. They were black. So black at times they seemed midnight blue.



He was a Carvion demon, a race that lived each day as if it was their last. The rumor was that they were part human, bred with an unknown demon, for the sole purpose to kill. Her Haig was different; for he tells anyone that will listen that he changed who he was the moment he had found his true love. That she gave him purpose, and he now only reverted to his killing ways when his life or that of his loved one was threatened.



She watched as he gently placed her tray of food before her. Her body was large with their child, reclined back on the sofa, letting him wait on her, hand and foot. She was in her 7th month of pregnancy, and if she did not know better, it felt like she was carrying twins with how far out her abdomen stretched. 'I'm finding it harder and harder to find my feet.'



Suddenly, she felt the current in the air change, a feeling of darkness threatened. “She has begun to dabble with the spell. Soon she will attempt to bring The Chosen One back to us.”

Haig looked up and noticed the trance-like state his lover was in and kept quiet and let her finish. He did not want to do anything that would pull her back before she was ready- it would be bad for the baby.



“Once she is back, she will need to find a reason to live again. For, unbeknownst to those that bring her back, she is not where they think she is. Their intentions are from the heart, but misguided they are. Nevertheless, the path they must take and their loyalty tested, for she will need them all in the end, especially the one that steals her heart like a thief in the night. For he will prove to be the most loyal to her in the end.”

Haig watched closely for the signs telling him she had come back to this plane. He wanted to make sure she knew he was there and not be afraid that she was alone. She was his life now, she and the baby. If anything happened to either of them, he was not sure he would not revert to his former self.



Kyia opened her eyes and smiled softly. Feeling tired and weary from her journey to the place of dreams, as she called it, she allowed her lover to pamper her with his love and understanding. She knew he would wait until she was ready to tell him all she had come to understand from her little trip after she had rested and finished her meal.



~~~~~~~



September 18, 2001



“It is done. She is back among us,” Kyia told the man on the phone.



“Then it is time I prepared myself to join her.”

“You must give her time. That is why I sent Haig to watch over them,” she informed him.



“Why? Is it not imperative I train her for what lies ahead?” he asked.



“Yes, but first, she must follow the path, along with her family and friends,” Kyia explained. “We must let fate happen. She must learn to deal with being back in what she considers hell compared to where she was taken from.”

“So, will you tell me when it is time for me to take over her training?”

“Yes, I will let you know when it is time for her to move on to the next step. Again, I will stress to you, as I did with my companion, do not interfere unless her life is threatened. She must follow the path until she comes upon the crossroad and then choose her own way when she reaches it. There will be several trials, and she will learn many lessons along the way, but she will also find what it is she has been looking for but didn’t know it was right under her nose the whole time.”

“What is that?”

“Love, my dear boy. Love in its purest form, of the best kind.” She frowned. “But unfortunately, she will find sorrow at its darkest level before that can happen. Her heart will break, but it must happen so she will open her eyes and see what it is that she had lost so she will fight harder to get it back.”

“Woman, you scare me with your insight and visions.”

“I had a sister once, a long time ago. But a terrible evil creature took her from me. To hear his name, you would think of heaven, but no, he is, or should I say was, the most feared form of evil to walk this earth at one time.”

“Is she dead now?”

“Well, technically, I would say yes, but she still does walk among the living,” Kyia sighed. “But enough sad thinking for now- my son beckons to be fed, and since I’m his food source, I must bow to his wishes.”

“I will wait to hear from you then.”

“Yes, but don’t worry…it won’t be long,” Kyia said, the stars telling her to be prepared for danger, but nothing specific as of yet.



November 1, 2001



Buffy sat on the couch, staring blindly in front of her. She could hear the chatter of Dawn and Janice as they watched the movie that was playing. ‘Can’t remember the name. Hmmm, not important anyway.’

She looked at the clock and noticed it was time she left to do a short patrol. She just prayed a certain blonde vampire would not be out looking for her. ‘I don’t think I could handle his 'we are meant to be together' crap right now.’

Just the thought of the two times they had had sex brought an uncomfortable wetness to her panties. ‘God, why is it the only time I feel alive is when I’m being screwed by a certain undead blonde guy?’

She had managed to avoid him since that night on the balcony at the Bronze where he had somehow convinced her to have sex while watching her friends dance below. 'I wonder if he uses a thrall on me.' Deep down, she knew that it was not a thrall but just something dark inside her that let him do those things and say bad things to her. 'I don't belong in the dark with him like he said. I’m not Faith- I'm not going to become a dark slayer.' The thought that she was turning into a bad slayer like Faith scared her more then anything. 'Damn, it's only sex. Sex that makes me forget the hell I'm living in…but makes me feel damned when I come back from Spike-sex happy land. Yeah, but Faith was a sexaholic, and look where it led her…just sex is bad…bad sex is worse.'



She knew that her luck was running out. Soon, she and Spike would be alone together, and she prayed she would have the willpower to walk away and not let him touch her in all the right places again. ‘No, wrong places, not right…it’s just not right…so not the right places.’

Buffy stood up and mumbled that she was going out for a while. The need to kill something or at least give it a good pounding was sounding good right about then. ‘It will keep me from thinking about things that I shouldn’t be thinking about, like being touched in all the wrong places.’

Dawn glared at her sister, wishing her mother were still alive so she would not have to depend on Buffy anymore. She also wanted Tara back living with them. ‘At least she liked to spend time with me.’

Since Tara and Willow had broken up, the teenager found herself alone more than she liked to be. Buffy didn’t want her hanging with Spike anymore, so that really put a damper on her having anyone to talk to or do things with. Buffy was being such a bitch. ‘It wasn’t my fault she was brought back the way she was. Can’t she just be happy she’s alive again? Heaven or hell, she’s back home.’

“Man, your sister is weird,” Janice, said as she grabbed some more popcorn.



“Yeah, but aren’t older sisters that way?” Dawn replied as she took a drink of her fruit punch.



“I guess, since I don’t have one to say if they are or not, but yours is without a doubt on the loony side of the scale of human behavior.”

“Well, most other poor, unfortunate younger sisters agree with me that having older sisters suck.” Dawn leaned back and thought to herself, ‘but I bet I beat them in the weird sister category since mine is the Slayer.’

Janice laughed, and then a Brad Pitt scene came on screen. “Man, he is soooo hot.”

Dawn could not help but smile and agree. “I’m going to marry him and have all his babies.”

“Yeah, right,” Janice snorted.



~~~~~~~



Spike stood and watched as his worst nightmare and best fantasy trashed the two newly risen fledges. He loved to watch her move, and the things that came out of her mouth were truly entertaining to hear. ‘She is bloody perfect.’

Her moves were like poetry in motion as he watched her take out the first vampire with such grace. He also knew she did not fight with the same passion as before she had died. He was starting to see her with the eyes of the Slayer of Slayers. He could see her getting closer and closer to losing the will to survive. ‘God, luv, can’t ya see I would rather have you in the dark with me than not here at all. If dragging you into my world saves you, then so be it.’

Spike could not believe that the Watcher had left, gone soon after the singing demon had Buffy spill the beans on where she had been before the idiots resurrected her. ‘Damn, Rupert- thought you of all people would have seen what coming back from Heaven was doing to her and stayed. But no, you had to run like a scared puppy and hide your head in the proverbial mud.’

He understood that youth and guilt blinded three of the four that were responsible for pulling his Slayer out of Heaven. The only thing keeping him from letting her go back was the fear of where she would end up. He could not help but think it was a form of suicide, and the act itself might condemn her to hell. ‘Can’t let you go there, luv. You deserve much better than that.’ Now Anya was a different matter. He knew that the ex-demon should have known better than to play with magic like that without doing a locator spell. ‘Damn twit still won’t answer me about that one, still blamin’ Red. Can’t say I blame her- even a novice witchie in trainin’ would know that one.’ Still, Harris’ hot squeeze still had been around a lot longer than any of the Scoobies, or himself in that case, and should have known better.



Something suddenly changed between the remaining newbie and the Slayer. For some reason, the fledging was gaining the upper hand, causing Spike to become alarmed. He did not smell fear coming from Buffy, but he noticed she had lost some of her energy. Then he recognized the look. She had the same look as the other two Slayers he had faced and defeated. That look of readiness to die.



Buffy felt the adrenaline pumping after dusting the first pain in the ass wannabe bloodsucker. For some reason, she started to feel like she was running out of fuel. Her thoughts became dark and scary. ‘Why am I still here, still doing this? I hate my life. I hate my friends for bringing me back here only so I can die again. I hate it that I’m again having feelings of some kind of wrongness about a certain someone that I shouldn’t be having.’

For the first time, she really wondered if it would hurt, letting this creature end her suffering, giving in and letting someone else fill her shoes and fling the stakes, fist and feet. She found it hard to move as these thoughts grew heavier and was feeling a mixture of freedom and acceptance comes over her as she started to give up. A small voice cried out to fight, that tomorrow would be another day; another chance to start to live again, but again, it was such a small voice that it didn’t carry too much conviction.



Everything happened so fast. First, she felt the impending fatal bite coming her way, praying it was quick and that magic could not bring her back. Next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground with a blur of black hitting, mumbling, and then staking the fiend that had been about to end her torment.



“Damn bloody bint. Thinkin’ me, the Big Bad, was gonna let you fall like this,” Spike muttered as he checked on the Slayer before finishing the job that Buffy should have done herself.



Before the vampire had turned to dust, Spike was already turned around and reaching for the petite blonde ball of “will be the death of me”, pulling her up and into his arms. “You bloody stupid cow, what the hell were you doin’ just now, luv?”

Buffy felt like she was awakening from a dream, frightened at what had just occurred. She really didn’t know why she had suddenly given up. “Breathe. I need to breathe, Spike,” she managed to say as she was held in a death grip against him.



“What the hell, Summers? You weren’t thinkin’ much about sucking in air a moment ago.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Spike loosened his grip and pulled back far enough to look her in the face. “I saw the look, pet. I knew it for what it was. Why do you think I jumped in when I did?”

“You don’t know shit, fang face.”

“Buffy, I lov-“

“Don’t talk to me about that. You are a soulless evil creature. I can never love you. I don’t even like you,” Buffy yelled. The mixture of not knowing what had happened to her and Spike being so close and overwhelming was too much for her to handle at the moment.



“Stay away from me, Spike. I want nothing from you. You have nothing I could possibly want,” she continued to scream, not looking at him, not seeing how her words were destroying him. “You could never be Angel to me, and never in a million years could you replace Riley.”

“Yeah, 'Mr. Go Evil If I Get A Little Happy Done To Me' and 'Mr. Suck Me And Give Me What My Girlfriend Can’t'. My heroes, just who I want to model myself after,” Spike yelled as he stepped back, looking up at the sky, holding back the tears. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it again.” The blonde vampire fought for control of his emotions.“ Goodbye, Slayer. Have a nice life, however long it may be.”

Buffy had seen the pain on his face before hiding it from the world as he turned to go. The voice inside of her again cried for her to stop him and tell him she was acting on her fear, not on how she really felt about him. That what she truly felt scared the hell out of her. She watched until he disappeared before she turned and blindly walked home.



Haig Boran frowned as he watched the interaction between the Slayer and William the Bloody. ‘Why does she fight it so? It is as it should be…the Slayer finds her mate and lives a long and happy life.’ He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt the vibration of his cell phone.



“Yes?”

“So, how did it go tonight?”

“She is acting strange. Almost died tonight and then took it out on her mate.”



“He is not her mate yet!”

“Why does she fight her nature?” Haig asked.



“Because The Council has taught her differently. They do not wish for the Slayer to be as a Slayer should, but controlled by them,” was the reply.



“But we are going to change this, yes?”

“Yes, we are going to change all of it,” she said. “I called to let you know that powers are gathering to take her away from us, and soon, we will have to act.”

“I will do as you say. I will protect her and keep her safe until you arrive to take my place,” Haig vowed. “But you had better make it soon. I feel like something is already in the works- she almost died tonight.”

“How?”

“It appeared as if she had given up. But her destined mate intervened, thus making her say very hurtful things to him.”

“Keep a close eye. I feel there may be a traitor among her following, but I cannot be sure.” The soft voice's tone conveyed her concern. “And why are you sure that William is her destined mate?”

“I am Haig- I know these things," he chuckled. “You forget that I can read auras, and his fits hers. He is the one that is marked hers and hers alone. Even his sire cannot change his heart now…she will become his soul, if she has not already.”

“Good, I'm glad you agree with me…I, too, feel that Spike is the one.”

“You must be careful, my dearest one. If they find you, all will be for not. You are the key to protecting her from those she should trust.”

“I promise to be careful. I will be there tomorrow night. I love you.”

"I adore you, and kiss my son for me."



"Consider it done. Keep yourself safe for us," Kyia whispered as she hung up the phone.



The dial tone told Haig that his partner had hung up. He looked around before stepping out from the safe zone he had placed around himself. The path he chose to follow was that of the Slayer’s. Tomorrow, he would check up on the vampire at his crypt while he slept.



~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~



Kyia hung up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Hello?”

“It is time for you to prepare to become her guardian. I refuse to call you her Watcher, for that would be an insult.”

The man chuckled and replied. “Then tell me what is expected of me and how I can guard my charge?”
“Just be her friend and help guide her with simple life decisions…she will need to learn to live again until it's time to do more.”

“Vague much.”

“I cannot tell you more, for I wish not to influence the future,” She sighed. “I will be your guide and help you as we go. It will not be easy, but if we work together, we will succeed.”

“Where do you want to meet?”

“The abandoned airfield where we first met, say in about 2 hours? I have to allow Crystal time to come and be with Kellen.”

“Okay, I will meet you there.”

“Be careful- they have become suspicious of your disappearance,” she warned.

“Don’t worry, I will be very careful,” he promised.



~~~~~~~



Spike looked at the female that was rubbing herself against him in a more than friendly manner. He could feel his demon responding to what the human chit was offering with her sweet smell, telling him of her aroused state. The Bronze was packed, making it easy for bodies to intimately touch without meaning to, but he knew this one was initiating the touching all on her own.

His demon kept telling him to forget the damn Slayer that the bitch was not worth the pain he was going through. Telling him he was a fool for letting himself get so lost again because of a girl. ‘This one is offering her body for sinful pleasure. No need to beg, ask, or plead for it.’

The blond vampire shook his head to clear away the thoughts of lust that kept trying to intrude. Yes, he had told the Slayer goodbye, but he knew himself he would not be able to stay away from her for very long. ‘She’s in my blood, and I haven’t even had a taste of hers yet.’ Just the thought of him sinking his fangs into her lovely neck, thinking how responsive she would be, made him hard with the wanting of it.

Vicki smiled as she felt his body’s response to her touch. ‘Finally, he's taking notice.’

She looked around the Bronze, making sure there were no blonde female distractions that would prevent her from getting this man’s undivided attention. She grew up in Sunnydale and understood the unusual nature of the town. Her mother was a gypsy that could read palms and tarot cards accurately, and her father, a normal American male, all brawn and no brain. She got her mother’s smarts but her father’s normal American looks.

Her mother taught her all about the occult and the underworld of the Hellmouth. She knew the man that she was interested in was a vampire, but that did not hold back how obsessed she was with wanting the said creature of the night as her very own. She also knew about Slayers, having read everything she could get her hands on concerning the slayer of vampires since she was a small girl. It was her family history and her knowledge that had gotten her the job of a lifetime, working for those of great power and influence recently.

She had some knowledge about creating potions but had never had the courage to dabble with one until recently. The young woman had found a simple love spell in her mother’s papers she had recently uncovered. ‘He will be mine tonight and forever.’

She had paid the bartender working tonight rather well to drop the odorless powder in the vampire’s beer when she gave him the sign. The method of payment was with money and sex with the promise after tonight neither would mention it again. She looked over and gave the wave that signaled for the next drink would be the one with the potion.

Spike moved away from the tempting body and made his way over toward the bar. His bottle was empty, and he had a plan tonight that involved drinking until he could not think about her anymore. ‘Want to get right pissed. Maybe I can rest in peace for a time.’

The little voice inside his head reminded him of the tasty morsel that was offering him something good to eat a few minutes ago. ‘Not gonna go there…’

“Hey, Matt, can I have another?”

“Sure, Spike,” Matt, snorted. ‘Man, is he going to wake up a new man.’

Spike nodded his appreciation and handed over the money. ‘Damn, used to be I didn’t have to pay for a damn drink of any kind.’

Matt sneaked a wink over toward Vicki, letting her know he had done his job. “Bottoms up there, mate.”

“Cheers,” Spike shrugged as he tipped the bottle between his lips and took two large swallows. He turned and noticed the whelp and his bird making out, over across the way. ‘Wish I could snog my girl like that, all out in the open.’

Vicki smiled as she watched her man finish his spiked drink. ‘Oh, that is so funny- spike for a Spike.’

Spike made sure to keep his distance from the dark-haired temptation of sin. There was nothing special about her looks, but the energy she was putting into trying to seduce him made up for it. ‘She just ain’t the one for me.’

She noticed the glazed look that came over the vampire, telling her it was time to make her move. From what she had read and understood, whomever he would see first after the spell took hold would be whom he would want. If this worked, then she would make sure she made more, and one day, he would not need it. He would love her and only her. She had plans in the making to ensure that any distraction from that goal would not be interfering with her having him for the rest of her life. 'If all goes as planned tomorrow, then he will be mine for the taking.'

“Eww….” Xander shuddered.

“What?”

“Spike, kissing. I MEAN, really kissing.”

Anya looked over, where her man was staring. “Lord, why don’t they get a room?”

“Room, him…her…should we, like, stake him or something?” Xander looked over at Anya with a shocked look on his face.

“I think he is going to stake her,” Anya just shrugged. “No big deal, Xander. It’s not like he can hurt her, and maybe she's one of his kind. I mean, that slutty behavior is more vampire-like.”

“Anya, maybe we should make sure?”

“Xander, leave Spike alone…he deserves orgasms, too.” Anya patted his arm in sympathy. “Which gives me an idea.”

“What, go over and separate them?”

“No, silly…we can go home and play a new sex game…I will be the Slayer, and you can be the vampire that makes me want to-”

“Anya, that is soooo not right, no matter how you look at it,” Xander yelled as he put his hand over her mouth before yelping when she bit his hand.

“That was not nice, Xander.”

Xander leaned over and kissed her softly. “I’m sorry, but no slayer/vampire sex games for us…just too close for me.”

“I know. You have always been attracted to Slayers, I hear.”

Xander looked like a deer caught in a car's headlight. “What do you mean?”

“I have heard about you and Faith, and I have always known you have been attracted to Buffy…in a kind of 'more than wanna be friends' kind of way.”

“Honey, I love you.” Xander quickly kissed her to try and close the subject. Neither of them noticed the vampire and the girl leave the Bronze with the blond male dragging the young woman behind him.



~~~~~~~



Buffy sat in her bed and stared at the empty cartoon of cookie dough ice cream. "I can't believe I ate the whole thing."

No matter what she did, or tried to forget, she could not get the hurt look that her words and actions had placed on Spike's face. Since coming back, she had a hard time with all of her feelings. She didn't know what was real or imagined. 'Whom do you talk to about coming back from the dead and feeling more dead inside than when you were dead?'

"God, does that even make any sense?" she spoke aloud, looking upward, praying for an answer that she knew would not come.

The young woman continued to stare unblinking at her ceiling, letting her tears of frustrations fall. She looked down at her journal- she had written everything down that had happened tonight. 'Every night and day since right before I received my damn calling.' The words begged for her to read them, and as she did, she felt some things she had written make sense. "GOD, I love him...I really do love him," she whispered.

Before she knew what hit her, she stood up and began to dress. She was going to see him, talk to him, and try and get things settled once and for all. 'For some reason, he made feel again, want to live again. I just let the fact he was a vampire without a soul keep me from facing how I feel.'

She picked up a stake and left to go to Spike's crypt. For the first time since she had returned from the dead did she feel a spark of hope, hope that her life would finally have meaning, other than saving the world.

Vicki cursed as she held the sleeping vampire in her arms. She had to put a sleep spell on him because he was getting agitated and saying things that did not make sense at first. "Not her, not the girl, can't do that to my girl." She realized the spell was not strong enough to make him forget that blonde bitch, Buffy. She then decided to make him sleep and wake up in her arms and think they had spent the night together.



About an hour later, she heard the crypt door open and a female voice call out her vampire's name. "Spike, are you here?"



Vicki smiled as she thought to herself, 'I couldn't have planned this better myself. Let the little Slayer come and see him in my arms.'



Buffy looked around the upstairs and noticed his leather coat thrown over the back of the chair in front of the TV. 'Well, we know he's home. Never seen him without that.' She moved over toward the ladder leading down into his bedroom. 'God, Spike, I hope you let me explain. I hope I can explain.'



She moved down the ladder, feeling nervous but ready. Ready to tell Spike how she was feeling and ask him if they could work things out so they could see what these feelings meant and if he thought they could take them further and not kill each other. A noise behind her alerted her that all might not be, as she would have wanted them to be. There was a soft moan that did not sound like Spike but more of the female variety.



Buffy turned and met the person's eyes directly and watched as the dark-haired woman who was naked with Spike, sleeping on top of her, stroked the small hairs of his neck. The pain of what she was seeing shocked her at first before the true anguish of his betrayal stabbed her heart and burned her soul, especially reading the woman's lips. "He's mine now."



She turned and climbed the steps; surprised she did not trip and fall. Her tears blinded her to the point her running was more instinctive then her truly knowing where she was going. Finally, she ended up at her mother's grave and fell to her knees. "Oh God, it was a lie. He lied to me. He never loved me. He never did."



Haig watched as she sobbed over the grave, his heart breaking for the young woman. He could not help but wonder what had happened in the vampire's lair to bring her such grief. He would investigate further after he made sure she made it home safely.



~~~~~~~



Vicki had fallen asleep, making herself more comfortable by snuggling up against the once-cold body that had now taken on some of her body heat under the covers. She was so deep in her sleep; she did not hear someone enter the bedroom. She did not see the look of hate that had entered the dark black eyes of one that smelled the magic in the air. 'The damn bitch had used magic to lure him into bed.' He could also smell that nothing had happened between them, no smell of sex could he find.



Haig knew now what had happened to make the Slayer so grief stricken. 'I will have to talk to Kyia about this tomorrow. The young woman must be made aware that tonight was not what it looked like.'



The demon glared toward the woman in the bed and committed her face to memory. His instinct told him his dealings with her were not over and that one day, he would confront her about her misuse of her craft and the unnecessary pain that it caused to his charges. 'Yes, young one, we will meet again.'



November 2, 2001



Spike felt groggy as he was waking up. He wondered when Buffy had come to his bed and what had happened that made her stay. 'Am I dreaming again?'



As he moved to breathe in her scent, he realized the smell was all wrong, that this warm body was not his Slayer, causing him to open his eyes to see who was in his bed, or for that matter, 'am I in mine?'



He opened his eyes and looked around, recognizing his bedroom, and then looked down at the dark-haired woman that was asleep in his bed. He gently eased away from her so he could get out of bed and put on his pants without waking her up. He was not ready for a face-to-face "what the hell happened here" kind of confrontation yet. All this time, he was trying to remember what had happened, from the time he had left Buffy, went to the Bronze, the woman in his bed that was making moves on him earlier, only drinking two beers, and now waking up, not knowing how this woman had gotten in his bed, let alone how he got into his bed.



The one thing he was sure of was the fact they had not done anything. He could smell the strange woman's scent in the bed since she was still in it. No trace of sex having happened could he find. 'Thank God, I could never do that to Buffy- it would kill me to hurt her that way.'



Spike did not know what he should do, so he did the only thing he could think of, and that was leave. He finished dressing and made his way to the sewers before making his way toward Clem's since the sun had just risen. He just hoped that when he returned, the girl in his bed would be gone and he would never see her again.



Vicki woke up a few hours after he had left and stretched, moving her hand back to check on her lover-to-be, only to find the bed really cold and empty. "What the hell?" she exclaimed as she sat up and looked around the room. Her clothes were still on the floor, but his were gone. She moved quickly and dressed before searching for any sign of Spike or where he may have gone, finding nothing. She knew she would have to play it cool and see how much of last night he remembered. The last thing she needed was for him to find out she had had him drugged. If he figured out that he had been drugged, she would have to play the injured party as well.



'Damn, why the hell did he have to wake up before me?" she fumed as she left to return home and regroup.



Haig watched as she walked out of the crypt and headed home, not realizing she was not alone. He followed her as she made her way to her house. He could smell the anger and frustration, and he could not help but wonder what had happened when she had woke up alone. For he knew she was alone, having snuck back down earlier and found her sleeping single. No sign of the vampire was noticed, and the smell of magic was gone. 'I will be keeping my eyes on you. Your aura is dark and thick.'



He had called his wife earlier to tell her what had happened. She had been saddened but not surprised. He could not believe she had told him to leave things be for now, that in the end it would all work out. That they could not interfere with fate until it was time for them to do so. He continued to follow the little witch for now just so he could find out more about her and maybe get an idea of what she was up to, other than trying to seduce a master vampire.



~~~~~~~



Buffy sat, crying, as she wrote everything that she felt about finding Spike with that other woman, her tears staining some of the pages. When she finished, she decided she needed a shower. She quickly grabbed her stuff and ran into the bathroom. She felt her muscles relax as the heated water beat down on her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get last night out of her head but decided to look at it in from a different angle. For one, it was not like Spike to continue to sleep when someone entered his crypt.



The more she thought it all out, she understood what Spike most likely had done since she was sort of guilty of it, too, when Angel had left her for LA. He had turned to another person for comfort. That he probably got drunk and brought the woman home to help forget about her since she had said some really awful things to him that she was not sure he would forgive.



She hurried with her shower, feeling suddenly tired, having been up all night and most of the morning. Sleep would be important if she wanted be rested and in a together state of mind when she confronted her vampire with her thoughts and knowledge that he had taken a bimbo slut home with him and it had better not happen again. 'The fact is he never cheated on me. I'm the one that needs to be forgiven for the pain I have caused him. And no, bitch, that vampire is still mine.'



She took the towel and dried off before putting on her nightclothes and then crawled in under the covers. A sweet smile came to her face as the dream of her and Spike lying in bed, talking about their future and how much they love each other, began to play.



~~~~~~~



Spike woke up as the sun began to set, feeling rested and less out of sorts. He had concluded after talking with Clem that someone had put something in his drink last night. He would be having a nice little conversation with a certain bartender tonight, and the man better have some really good answers. Clem had let him crash in the spare bedroom and told him he could stay there until Petunia came back next week, Petunia being Clem's mother.



He stretched and felt his body hunger for what it needed- blood- and his girl. 'I'm love's bitch- what can I say?'



The vampire got out of bed and dressed, feeling like a new man. He was going to fight for his girl, and be damned the consequences. 'She will be mine, as I'm already hers.'



He opened the bedroom door and sauntered over into the kitchen to heat up some blood, planning on feeding and then going out to either finally win the girl in a battle of wills or die trying. He would make her understand that the only way to get him out of her life was by dusting him by her or someone else's hand. 'Done bein' the whipped dead boy. OH, BLOODY HELL! Now I'm thinkin' like the whelp.'



Clem hid his smile as he tried to ignore his friend. He knew that the vamp was having one great conversation inside his head. 'Wish I had a peek on what he was thinking right now.'



"So, are we going to the Bronze tonight and talking with Matt?" Clem asked, trying to keep from laughing.



"Yeah, and what the hell do you think is so funny?" Spike glared at the heavily wrinkled-skin demon.



"Just you and your little sideshow just now." Clem shrugged, not hiding his grin any longer. "Care to share, or can I make up my own punch lines?"



"Have a blast, mate." Spike rolled his eyes, not realizing he must have said some of his thoughts aloud. "I'm sure I would rather hear what you think I said and not what I did."



Clem knew better than to voice what he really thought. He was sure it had something to do with the Slayer, and right now, that was a touchy subject. He didn't want his friend to end up a pile of dust, and he was sure that was where the vampire was heading if he continued to pursue a relationship with the heavy-handed, hothead blonde female. "I called to make sure he was working tonight. He's due in at nine, Sal said."



"Thanks, mate," Spike replied as he put his mug of blood in the microwave. "I'll drink this, and then we will be off to catch a few hands of poker down at Willie's before headin' over to the Bronze."



"Sounds like a plan to me," Clem replied as he turned to his friend. "Do you need me to float you a few kitties?"



"Yeah, I could use it. Will pay you back, you know that, don't you?" Spike looked over at his friend, feeling bad he had borrowed from him several times and of late had not been able to pay him back.



"No problem. You helped me out a lot when I needed it. Now it's time to help you, is all." Clem winked, feeling he did owe Spike a lot since the vampire had taken care of him when he had been the Big Bad of Sunnydale before getting chipped. "Plus, my mother would never forgive me if I didn't help her William out."



Spike rolled his eyes as he watched the other demon's whole body shake from laughing. "Yeah, well, your mum has great taste, what can I say?"



Both males started laughing as they continued to talk about the best way to interrogate Matt with Clem saying he should be the bad cop kind of guy since he could hit him. Spike thought it would be worth the headache to hit him. Both of them decided they would draw the line at beating him severely or killing him since neither of them wanted the Slayer on their ass.

Vicki showered and looked at her reflection in the mirror as she put on her blue jeans and green T-shirt. "He will be mine. After tonight, she will be gone, out of his life completely, and no longer in my way."



The phone rang as she finished tying her tennis shoes, causing her to smile when she recognized the number on the caller ID. "Hello. I take it it's a go?"



"Yes, we will get her over to the warehouse right at dusk, and then she will be history," the man's voice said. "The money will be placed into your account, and can I say it has been a pleasure doing business with you and look forward to future dealings."



"As long as you realize I choose my assignments, I will have a different life after tonight," she stated firmly, letting the man know she was in control of her life, not him or his bosses.



"I cannot make any promises, you know that." His voice became suddenly tense. "You will understand that you work for US now, and we have full control. If we say jump, your only question will be how high and where too. Is that understood, or do I need to give you a reminder as to who we are and the power we have over you?"



Vicki felt her throat tighten up. "No, sir. You don't have to show me. I think I understand what you are saying."



"You are a very smart girl," Travers told her right before he hung up, thinking to himself, 'If I didn't have a need for her in the future, she would be joining the Slayer tonight in meeting her death.'



For the first time since accepting the job from The Watcher's Council, she felt she had made a mistake in her decision to help them. Even if she gets her vamp in the end, she ends up losing her freedom and possibly loosing him if the wrong people found out about all of it. 'The Slayer's friends will kill me for helping in facilitating her death, and her now new bosses if her planned relationship with Spike develops as she plans. Well, I can work on Travers and his bunch later, maybe put myself in a position to assist them. But now, I have to get rid of her before I can do that.'



She finished getting ready and headed out to the warehouse district so she could put her plan in motion. There was a lot she had to do to get ready to make sure that the Slayer was the only one to show up, and it was going to take everything in her to make that happen.



~~~~~~~



"Buffy, it's for you," Dawn called from upstairs. "It's Willow."



Buffy had been looking through her clothes, trying to figure out what she should wear when she went to talk with Spike. 'I don't want to look like a ho looking for some action, but not too much like a cold fish either.'



"Tell her I will be right down," Buffy yelled as she decided to wear Spike's favorite black leather pants with a simple red T-shirt. 'His colors- maybe he will notice,' she thought as she quickly dressed and pulled on her short black boots to finish the outfit. 'Alright, bitch, whoever you are, be prepared to be knocked right on your ass if you even think about getting in my way.'



The blonde Slayer hurried down to answer the phone. "Hey, Wills, what's up?"



"Buffy, Giles called and needs you to go to this address. Seems there is a large nest of the fangy type. He needs you to check it out, thinks they are a part of some ritual or something that is due."



"Okay, got an address?" Buffy asked, feeling like something just was not right about this. "Is there a reason you are calling me and not Giles?"



"He called here first, thinking you'd be here training. He's busy working on this prophecy he found that involves Dawn and the key and asked if I'd call you. I could meet you there, if you'd like?"



Buffy instantly became worried about her sister and let that overcome her feeling of something wasn't right. "No, that's okay. Would you mind helping Giles? Give him a call back with the reach stuff, and when I'm finished at the warehouse, I will stop by, and you can fill me in on the 411."



"Are you sure, Buffy? I can call Anya and she can come help, or I could call Xander and see if he can come help?"



"Nah, if I need help I will call. Could be just a couple of the blood-breath evildoers, and I can handle that. I promise to call for back-up if I think there's too many or I will need some help," Buffy quickly reassured her friend. "I'm outta here and will see you after, okay?"



"Sure, Buffy, if that's how you want to handle it. I will call Giles and hopefully have some answers when you get here. Be careful, okay?"



"Betcha, talk to you soon." Buffy hung up, feeling frustrated that she couldn't stop and pick up Spike on the way, but there was still too much daylight, and time was wasting if she wanted to catch the vamps before dusk and feeding time.



Dawn had hung up after Buffy, glad her sister had not realized she had been on the line, listening. 'I'm going to get Spike- I don't care if she gets mad at me.'



The younger Summers waited until she heard the front door close after her sister had called out that she was leaving and would be home after patrol and stopping to see Giles at the Magic Shop. She ran over to her sister's weapons chest and pulled out a couple stakes and a crossbow right before she left to go and find her best friend.



Vicki hung up the phone and smiled to herself. "That was so easy-she is so stupid. Just how the hell did she stay the Slayer for so long and not be killed? She's so incompetent.'



She found it was easier to produce Willow's voice than Giles', and forget even trying Xander's. 'She wouldn't have believed Xander as much as Willow calling a message from Giles, anyway."



Vicki looked over at the gentlemen dressed in black, looking like the secret military type, and said, "She is on her way."



"Good work. Now, it is time for you to leave and stay as far away from here as possible," the taller of the two men instructed her. His tone of voice told her it was an order she was not to ignore.



"Right, me out of here. Not a problem at all." She nodded her head as she turned to leave out of the warehouse, now rigged with explosives that were to go off when a certain someone entered.



She never looked back to notice the other men as they entered from the side, and they did not notice her. Vicki turned to go visit a loose end that needed taking care of before he could tell someone about what she had paid him to do last night. 'Can't have that happening.' She smiled as she pulled out the little vial of poison she had concocted that late afternoon.



~~~~~~~



Spike walked into his crypt as soon as Clem said the coast was clear. The wrinkle-skinned demon had went in first to make sure the woman the blonde vampire had woken up next to was indeed gone. "No strange women here. It's safe to come into your own home now."



"Right funny you are there, mate." Spike rolled his eyes, as he made sure to keep an eye on the front door. "Well, let's get on with it, shall we?"



Clem watched his friend move over to the far wall to pull a stone out of the way to get to the stash of money hidden there. The demon community did not have a need for money, but when they had to go among the humans, it was a necessity. "We had best be going, Spike. Sun is going to be down soon."



No sooner as Spike put the stone back, the door to his crypt was forced open, causing it to almost hit him. "What the bloody hell?" he yelled.



"Spike, it's me. You have to go and help Buffy," Dawn started talking a mile a minute. "YouseeWillowcalledaboutanestandprophecy."



"Nibblet, you need to slow down. What is this about big sis and her needin' help?" Spike moved quickly to grab the young girl's upper arms to try and get her to calm down. "Breathe and take it from the top again."



Dawn's eyes were huge when she looked up at his, and she wished Buffy could see how much the vampire was in love with her. "Willow called about a nest of vamps down at 1103 Bray Street. Willow is helping Giles research about a prophecy about me being the key, so my sister, being the stupid blonde, told Willow she would go alone. You have to go and make sure she doesn't get killed. I can't lose her again. Not again, Spike. Please make sure she doesn't, okay?"



Spike pulled the young girl into his arms and hugged her as tightly as he could without hurting her. "You know I will make sure she is okay, pet. Now, you get on home and let the Big Bad go and piss off the Slayer." He chuckled when he heard the soft giggle come from her body.



"She will be pissed, and not only at you, but at me," she whispered. "She didn't tell me. I listened in on the phone without her knowing."



"Ah, little bit doing some spying on big sis." Spike pulled back to look down into her brown eyes. "Don't worry, pet, I will make it look like I was doing my usual tag along, okay?"



Dawn smiled as she nodded her head yes. "I hope one day she opens her eyes and sees what a good boyfriend you would make."



Spike closed his eyes as he thought about the last words his Slayer had said to him, causing a sad look to appear on his face. "Nibblet, that is a fantasy you need to get out of your pretty little head," he said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Now, get on home so when she storms in they're all pissed off and what not, you'll be there and act all innocent and such."



"That is a fantasy I will have until the day I die- you and my sister being together and us being a family." Dawn smiled as she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek quickly before turning around and running out of the crypt, towards home.



"Well, Clem looks like I have somewhere to go." Spike looked back at his friend to see the worried look on his face.



"I'm coming with you." Clem looked at him with determination on his face. "I know that warehouse, Spike, and there's no vampire nest there."



Spike's face took on a look of anger. "Do you know anything that would be helpful?"



"Only that some suspicious-looking people have been seen around there, but of the human kind," Clem told his friend what he had heard last night during a friendly game of kitty poker. "So I'm going with you because we know the limits you have with dealing with humans, and if you need something done to one to protect your girl, then I'm going to be needed."



"Clem," Spike smiled softy. "You’re a good friend."



"Well, yeah. Should we call the Scoobies and have them meet us?" Clem asked.



"Yeah, I guess we should." Spike worried that taking the time to call them would keep him from getting to his Slayer on time. 'Buffy, Luv, please be careful. I don't want to break a promise to our girl.'



Spike grabbed a blanket and the keys to his car. "Let's ride, shall we? Faster than going through the sewers, and we can stop at the Magic Box on the way."



"Sounds like a plan," Clem said as he moved ahead of the vampire. "I'll go first so I can open the door, and you can just jump right in."



"Great idea, mate, glad to have you covering my back." Spike sighed, the worry getting stronger, and his fear for his girl getting worse. "Clem, I feel something bad is going to happen."



"Don't think about it. Let's just do what we have to do." Clem smiled as he remembered the cell phone he had in his jacket pocket that he won last night from the silly man who had decided to play. "Forgot, I have one of those mobile phones I won last night."



Spike's smile grew as he pushed the demon toward the door. "Come on then. You can dial and talk while I drive to the warehouse."



Both demons ran for the car, one wrapped in a blanket, looking like the hounds from hell were chasing them. All thoughts of going to the Bronze and talking to Matt were forgotten for the moment. The Slayer's safety was taking precedence over Spike's worry that someone had drugged him last night.



~~~~~~~



Willow sat and listened to Anya go on and on about wedding plans, how she wanted this and that and Vogue said this and Bridle something said that. 'Goddess, can it just be over so we can stop being tortured so painfully?' she thought as she kept her ever-patent Willow smile on her face.



"Willow, I wish you'd be one of my bridesmaids, but I understand that Xander has to have a best person stand up for him. Just wished he had a male friend to be his best man like it says in the magazines," Anya rambled on, interested in only one thing- her need to have her wedding be as normal as possible. 'Even if my side will consist of my demon friends.'



Xander looked at the box of cookies that Willow had brought with her to the Magic Box and wished he could reach in and grab one, two, or three of them. 'The bride-to-be from hell would kill me. Says if I keep eating the way I have been, I won't fit in my tux.'



"I wonder where Buffy is? She was supposed to meet us here with Dawn so we could go and get the final fittings for the dresses," Anya sighed as she looked at the shop's door and then back at the clock.



"I'm sure she will be here soon." Willow smiled as she felt her lover take her hand and squeeze it gently.



Tara looked over at Willow and could feel the tension in her body. Ever since they'd found out that Buffy had been in Heaven and not the Hell dimension they had thought, Willow had been holding her hurt, anger, and guilt deep inside. 'You need to talk about it before it destroys you.'



The room became quiet as each person became lost in their thoughts. It went on for a while when the silence was broken with the shrill sound of the store's phone ringing, causing Anya to jump and run for the phone and the others to look around and try to think of something to say.



"Thank you for…" Anya never got to finish before an obnoxious vampire interrupted her.



"Look, pet, let me talk to one of the witches. Prefer Glenda now," Spike practically yelled.



"How rude," Anya snorted as she looked over at the others. "Tara, it's Spike for you."



The ex-demon suddenly smiled as she spoke into the phone. "Did you have many orgasms last night, Spike?"



"What are you... never mind, don’t have time for that," Spike growled. 'Damn, how does the demon girl know?'



"Hmmm, looked like you were in a hurry last night," Anya snorted before handing the phone over to Tara.



"Yes," the soft-spoken of the two softly answered.



"Glenda, get the Scoobies together and get to 1103 Bray on the double. Buffy could be in trouble," Spike said firmly. "Got a bad feelin' about this one, so don't waste time. Just get them there. Me and Clem are almost there now."



"Okay, not far from here." Tara looked over at the others and motioned for them to come closer. "We will meet you there."



The others looked at the blonde witch with questionable looks on their faces. Xander was the first ask, "What did dead boy Jr. want, and why should we do it?"



Tara cringed at the hostility in the other man's voice. "He...said..." Tara looked over at Willow for some support.



"It's okay, honey. Xander, stop being a poophead," she glared at her oldest best friend.



"Just don't know why we should do anything to help the undead, neutered boy flounder is all," Xander shrugged.



"Not…helping Spike…Buffy," Tara managed to say.



"Buffy," Xander stood attention. "He had better not have hurt her."



"He can't. Chipped, remember?" Anya snorted as she felt the jealousy burn inside her over Xander's concern over the alive, but dead inside, Slayer.



"He gave an address, 1103 Bray and…told us...to get…there fast," Tara sighed. "Said he and…Clem was on their way."



"That’s just two blocks from here. A lot of warehouses there," Xander informed them as he moved toward the door leading to the training room. "Let's grab some weapons and beat it over there, pronto."



The others silently followed him, grabbing various weapons that they could use in a fight. No one said anything as they moved quickly out of the Magic Shop with the intent to help their friend take out the bad guys.



*******

Hello one and all. This is the end of book one. illusions, remember the word.

Buffy walked into the warehouse with a feeling of dread. 'Something is just not right about this.' She noticed there was no sign that living or not-so-living creatures lived here.



She heard a sound, and then suddenly, she felt someone grab her as something flashed before her eyes, and a loud explosion was heard. Then, she felt nothing at all as the lights went out.



*******



Spike was three blocks down when he noticed his girl walk into the warehouse since he'd vamped out so his senses would be more acute to things around him. 'Damn, why couldn't I've gotten here faster, or her be just a little slower.'



Clem was about to say he had a bad feeling when the building the Slayer walked into exploded into flames. "Holy shit!"



"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," Spike screamed as he started to run toward the building. "Not again, not again."



"Spike, come back," Clem yelled as he ran to grab his friend, barely getting a hold of him, having to tackle him down to the ground to keep him from running into the flames.



"SHE CAN'T BE GONE, NOOOOOO," Spike shouted as tears ran down his face, the anguished look on his face tearing up the other demon.



"Think of Dawn, Spike, think of Dawn," Clem begged, trying to reach the broken vampire before him to make sure he did nothing drastic, like join his Slayer in her firey death.



Vicki used her military binoculars and watched from a safe distance, and for the first time, she regretted her part in causing her vampire so much pain. 'I didn't realize he loved her that much.'



She prayed that something or someone kept the man from joining the bitch in her burning grave. 'Serves her right. She didn't deserve him anyway.'



Something moved further down the street when she noticed the rest of the Slayer's little gang come running. 'Why the hell are they here? No one was supposed to see this happen.'



Willow was the first to see the two demons lying on the ground. She knew that since Clem was holding Spike down, something bad had happened. 'Oh, my Goddess, it can't be?'



Xander felt his heartbeat quicken when he noticed the sobs coming from the vampire, as they got closer. He looked around for Buffy and did not see her, and missing her would have been a problem, since the fire was so bright. It was almost like daylight, the closer they got. 'Please, let Spike tell me Buffy was not in that explosion.'



Anya knew without being told that Buffy was dead. Nothing else would have broken the blonde vampire, who was crying like he had lost the most important thing in his life. 'She has managed to ruin our lives again with her dying.' Anya could not help but think of how hard it was going to be putting Xander back together again, and so close to the wedding.



Spike heard voices but was unable to make out the words. All he could think about was how he had failed her again, both Buffy and Dawn. He'd swear to himself he'd not let anything bad happen to them again, but it would seem his word was nothing but shit. 'God, tell me, how do I tell Nibblet?'



"Spike, what happened?" Willow yelled over the noise of the fire, which, by the looks of it, was going to try and take the next building with it. "Talk to me, Spike."



Clem looked up with tears streaking his face. His pain told them what Spike's words could not. He had come to like the Slayer in the dealings he had with her.



Willow started to cry as Tara wrapped her arms around her lover, the feeling of deja vu. 'Please, mother of God, not again. Don't let her die again.'



Xander sank to his knees next to the two demons and looked into the fire's soul, feeling its power. They all heard the sounds of sirens in the background, telling them that help was on the way. Coming too late to help their friend but maybe in time to get the blaze under control before it took out the warehouse district.



Spike howled as it fully hit him that his girl was gone. No magic this time could bring her back. "Why the fuck was she here? Answer me that, Red. Why did you and the absent Watcher send her here?"



Willow looked at the angry vampire, and for the first time since he was chipped, felt afraid of him. "What are you talking about, Spike? I didn't have anything to do with this."



Spike stood and stalked over to lean down into her face. "That's not what Dawn had to say. She said Buffy was coming here to check things out 'cause you called, and that Rupert wanted her to."



"I swear, Spike, I didn’t call Buffy. I haven't talked to her since this morning before I left for class." Willow looked over to Tara so she could confirm this.



"She's te…telling the tru…truth," Tara stuttered, having been with Willow all day.



"Yes, we've been together all day, honest. I haven't talked to Giles since he left," Willow reassured the grieving vampire. "I wouldn't knowingly do anything that would hurt Buffy, or anyone, I swear."



"I think we need to call Giles and ask him if he made any phone calls to Sunnydale lately," Anya pointed out. "I smell a conspiracy."



"Watcher's Council, maybe?" Xander agreed with his fiancé. "They never did like our Buffy since she never played by their rules."



"And with Faith locked away, it would only make sense to take out the rebels and start new." Anya smiled as she decided to let the others in on a secret she had promised never to tell. "Also, they were afraid of the Slayer finding her mate."



"What?" Xander squealed.



"It's common knowledge to those that have been around longer than the men in tweed that the natural order of the Slayer was to mate with a vampire. Then they would be partners in everything. He would help her fight demons and protect her, and she would live a long time. But then the elders felt that it was too dangerous and started to arrange the death of the Slayer whenever she'd find her mate, and so the trials began."



"Anya, why have you never mentioned this before?" Willow asked, everything about Buffy and Angel making sense.



"Because I was sworn to secrecy and can still be killed for it, so I don't know why I'm even mentioning it now," Anya whispered as she looked around. "There is a prophecy out there that speaks of The Chosen One and her Champion, together defeating ultimate evil and then creating a new line of evil fighters. I'm sure that has kept the Council frightened, that their way of life would be altered so drastically if that would happen. They must think that Buffy has met her mate in Angel and are afraid with him being special. That she might be The Chosen One and have decided to change the fate of the world and eliminate her."



Spike's heart broke more as he heard the words, and hearing that Buffy and Angel might have been meant to be made it even worse. 'Why not me? Why couldn't she have been meant for me? Because you are a weak, stupid, reckless, careless, nothing of a vampire,' is what he told himself as his undead heart broke more.



Clem noticed the fight go out of his friend at the ex-demon's words. "Doesn't mean she was meant for Angel. Could be she was meant for someone else, and that is why they now took action. If, in fact, it's the Council of idiots behind this."



"I think we need to move this conversation elsewhere, and someone needs to go and tell Dawnie." Willow bit her lip as she pointed to the fire trucks beginning to turn down the street, and the sound of more sirens grew louder.



"Yep, we need to make like a tree and leave," Xander nodded. "I say we meet somewhere that we can't be overheard. If the Council is behind this, then our places aren’t safe."



"You can come to my place," Clem offered. "They wouldn't have bugged me since I'm not important."



"Oh, but now you are," Willow smiled. "You are the most important one here right now."



"How do you figure?" Spike asked.



"We'll explain when we get to Clem's. We will talk there, and then we will go together and tell Dawnie." Willow looked at Xander. "We have to put all our prejudices behind us now and work together to see Dawn through this."



"I gotcha, Wills- no picking on the undead guy," Xander acknowledged as he turned to follow the others to Clem's place.



*******



Faith heard the rattle, as the outer doors were unlocked. "Wonder who's getting a late night visit?" se mumbled to herself, knowing any visits at this time of night were never of the good.



She sat on her bunk, never for one minute thinking anyone would be coming to visit her. It wasn't the end or the first of the month, meaning it was not time for Angel to visit. So, when they had stopped in front of her door, she was surprised. Since she had a single room at the Inn, it meant that the late night visitor had come to see her.



"Miss Faith, I presume," the very cultured female British accent asked.



Faith looked up and noticed a woman and man standing outside her cell doorway. "Yep, and who might you lovely people be, coming and disrupting my beauty sleep?"



"Oh, let's say we are people who care deeply about your welfare," the male voice, just as cultured and very British, replied.



Faith turned around and noticed a frumpy, dishwater-blonde female, dressed in a dark business suit with her hair in a bun on her head and a pair of dark-rimmed glasses on her face. The male was dressed the same as the female, but his hair was midnight black and his rugged facial features were handsome. His hazel eyes were intense, and his hair was cut short with a little curl to it.



"You care about my welfare? By the looks of the both of you, I would say the Council has come to have a little pow-wow with the bad slayer," Faith smirked as she sat up. "Or you have come to finally give me my 'get out of jail dead' card."



The older woman chuckled, as she looked Faith up and down with a look of disgust. "If I had my way, yes, you'd die for the transgression you are guilty of, but again, I'm not in charge."



Her male counterpart gave his partner a look that told her he was not in agreement with her. "I think we can discuss this without bringing our personal thoughts into this."



Faith scooted back on the bed with her back against the wall and folded her legs up to sit Indian-style. "Maybe you should explain why you are here at such a late hour for business types like yourself?"



The male looked over at the girl with a smudge of respect on his face. "I'm Paul O'Malley, and this is Martha Pearson, and yes, we do represent the Watchers' Council. But the reason we are here is the fact you are needed to protect the innocent lambs from the evil that walks among them in Sunnydale."



"Hey, that's B's job, and I'm not stepping on her toes." Faith shook her head, making them aware she was not going there.



"Miss Summers is no longer among the living to do the job of protecting the Hellmouth anymore," Paul sighed, feeling saddened about the blonde Slayer's death. He really liked her and thought she had guts.



Faith's 'something is not right about this' radar went on red alert. She knew something was not right in the fact she had not felt the other Slayer's death, like she had before. The feelings that something was not right about what was going on is why she decided to play along and wait to talk to Angel about her feelings.



"Wow, Buffy's dead." Faith put enough grief into her voice to try and convince dwiddle-dee and dwiddle-dumb she believed what they were telling her. "I had hoped to have time to work things out with B when I got out of here."



"Maybe you can redeem yourself by fighting the good fight and protecting her friends and family now that she is no longer able to," Martha replied, thinking it was a mistake to try and bring this rogue Slayer back into the fold.



"So, what are my conditions, since I’m sure you are not going to let me walk out of here without some kind of warranty?" Faith looked over at Paul, not wanting to discuss her feeling about Buffy and her friends with that woman who she knew despised her.



"We have a contract for you to sign." Paul nodded his head, his respect for this young woman growing more and more since meeting her.



"Tell me the terms, please." Faith nodded.



"Here, I will let you read it." Paul reached into his briefcase after setting it on the lone table in the room. "Take your time and read it. If you wish, you can contact Wesley and Angel to go over the fine print, if you'd like."



"That would be 5X5, if you don't mind." Faith reached over and took the papers from the cute-looking guy who was being far too understanding and generous for a Council rep.



"We want you to fully understand what we want from you so no misunderstanding will keep us from working together," Paul smiled, feeling a connection with this woman whose history he understood since he saw a bit of himself in her before becoming a Watcher. "We all deserve a second chance."



Faith smiled, her eyes softening as she heard his words and the conviction in his voice. "Thanks. I'll read what I can and call Angel later today and see if him and Wesley can come give me an early visit."



"I will look forward to your call," Paul's smile grew when he heard his partner's grunt of disapproval. "Take care of yourself, and I'm sorry that you did not get the chance to mend your fences with Miss Summers."



Faith made let tears forth as she decided to test one more thing. "Is there a way that Rupert Giles could be my Watcher?"



Paul looked at the girl and wondered why she would ask for him, of all people. "I can ask, but why would you want him?"



Faith sighed, "He kept his Slayer alive longer than anyone else, and if I can make him believe I've changed for the better, then maybe the rest will follow."



Paul nodded, his head thinking how much sense that made, but now if he could only sell it to his bosses and make them see the sound reasoning behind her request. "I will do what I can."



"Thank you," Faith smiled softly, thinking the real reason she wanted to talk to Giles had to do with the fact he was the only one she trusted other than Angel to talk about her feelings that Buffy was not dead.



"Until I hear from you, please keep yourself safe." Paul closed his brief case and bowed slightly before turning around and nodding to his partner it was time to leave.



Faith missed the look of contempt that Martha flung her way behind her partner's back before the guard unlooked the cell door and let them out, leaving the petite brunette looking down at the papers in her hands.



The dark-haired Slayer looked up and noticed her company was gone and let her mind process all that had happened so far. She took the contract and slid it under her mattress before turning over in her bed and started putting everything in order.



The one thing that stood out the most was the fact the Council came to her about Buffy's supposed death where she knew that Angel would have come to tell her of the blonde's fate as soon as it had happened. The one topic of conversation that had come up in every one of their meetings was her wanting to tell Buffy how truly sorry she was for doing all those things to her.



Her last thought was that the Council was behind whatever had happened to Buffy but could not kill her right away without causing doubt that the two Slayers' deaths were all above the board.



*******



Spike stopped at the door leading to the Summers' home, the morning sun not high enough to reach inside the porch yet, wrapped in the smoldering blanket he used to travel from Xander's car to where he stood now. He felt so much pain at what they had to tell Dawn. He was not sure he'd be able to handle it. But his memory of promising to protect the younger girl 'until the end of the world' came back to haunt him. "I promise to protect her until the day I no longer can, and then I have no further use in this world," he told himself.



He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Tara, looking at him with understanding. "You are not alone."



"Yes, I am. She was everything to me, and when everything that was important to her is gone, I will be, too," Spike said loud enough for the others to hear as well. "I promise to help all of you the best I can."



Xander, for the first time, found he didn't want to say anything negative or degrading to the undead thing before him. 'No longer an undead thing- just Spike who loved Buffy and Dawn,' Xander told himself, finally realizing that maybe even evil vampires could change if given a reason like love.



Willow moved to stand beside the vampire and lifted her hand to caress his cheek. "We will help each other during this time, and I promise no magic this time."



Spike fought hard to keep the tears from falling. "Yeah, no magic. It has its consequences, and we've had too many of those as of late."



"Yeah." Willow stood up on the tip of her toes and lightly kissed his cheek. "We will help each other deal with this, and together, we will get Dawn through this, too."



Spike nodded his head and looked over at Clem. "This is where you go and see what you can find out at Willie's, and keep your floppy ears to the ground."



"You bet, buddy. Anything I hear, you will know." Clem reached out and patted his friend on his arm. "I take it you won't be coming back to my place, so I will give you a call."



"You do that." Spike nodded as his hand touched the doorknob, which was ripped out of his hand when the lone occupant of the house tore it open and looked hurriedly among the crowd standing before her, looking for the one face she needed to see more than ever.



"Where's Buffy? Where's my sister?" Her voice becoming more high-pitched each time she asked. "WHERE IS MY SISTER, AND DON'T TELL ME SHE IS DEAD! I WON'T BELIEVE YOU!"



"Dawnie!" Willow tried to calm the young girl down when suddenly Dawn turned and ran up the stairs, screaming over and over, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NOT AGAIN."



"I'll go," Spike whispered as he moved quickly up the steps, thanking whoever was in charge that there weren't any window as he raced up to comfort his Bit.



Willow and the rest of the gang came in and sat down in the living room, looking tired and worn out. "I guess I will call Giles now," Willow sighed as she moved over to the phone.



She dialed the number she had memorized after he had left and let it ring. She smiled when she felt her lover embrace her from behind. "Thanks, sweetie."



"Anything for you," Tara whispered, tightening the hug when she noticed Willow 's body tense up. "Be strong, baby."



Willow closed her eyes when she heard the familiar voice answer the phone. "Good afternoon."



"Hi, Giles," Willow managed to get out.



Silence greeted her at first. She knew his last visit had been a strain on their relationship, him being upset with what he called her abuse of her magic. It was broken as she heard him say her name with a bit of fear in his voice.



"Willow?"



"Giles, I have some bad news, and I really don't know how to tell you," Willow whispered. Fighting back the tears was making her voice raspy.



"Just say it as simple as you can," Giles encouraged, fearing the worst, his heart telling him the news was grave, especially since it was Willow calling him to tell him about it.



"Buffy is dead," Willow said after taking a big breath and making it as simple as she could, but it did not stop the tears from flowing down her face again.



Again, silence accompanied the news from the other side of the phone line as her simple and direct words sunk in. Soon, the silence grew to be uncomfortable. "Giles, are you still there?"



"Yes, I'm still here," Giles, replied. She could hear the pain in his voice and wished there had been some way they could have told him in person.



"How did it happen?"



"There was an explosion, and Buffy had just gone in the building," Willow told him, wishing she didn't have to talk about it.



"Was she alone? Was anyone with her?" Giles asked, his mind going a mile a minute with this news.



Willow felt the pain of her friend dying as the tears began to flow without knowing how sorry she was for pulling her out of Heaven. "As far as we know she was alone."



"Dawn, how is Dawn taking her…" Giles couldn't finish the sentence- to say the words would make it too real. "I will catch the next flight out."



"Okay, Giles. Call and let us know, and we will pick you up at the airport if you want," Willow whispered as her voice became taunt with her grief. "I'm sorry, Giles."



Giles heard the pain and knew what the young woman was trying to relay. "I'm sure she knows, Willow."



"It's not the same as telling her and having her tell me she forgave me," Willow sniffled, feeling stronger as her lover wrapped her arms around her. "Be careful."



"Is Xander with Dawn?" Giles asked, wondering what they were going to do about Dawn suddenly.



"No, Spike is up with her right now." Willow looked over at her oldest best friend and realized that he had not made one cruel remark to or about Spike and had let the vampire run after Dawn without making any attempt to stop him.



"Spike?" Giles at first was shocked, and then he realized the vampire would be the best one to handle the teenager. "Yes, I can see how Spike would be the best to work with Dawn."



"He does have a way with her," Willow smiled sadly and then asked the dreaded question he hoped Giles himself volunteered to do. "Do I call their father?"



"Why call him?" Giles sneered as Ripper made an appearance. "He made no appearances after Joyce's death. What about Buffy's would make a difference?"



"I'm not sure we can hide her death this time." Willow closed her eyes as she said this and felt Tara squeeze her tighter and felt someone take the phone out of her hand.



"Giles, I think we can talk more about this when you get here," Xander spoke into the phone receiver.



"Yes, you're right." Giles bowed his head, having noticed a change in Xander that broke his heart. 'He has become the man I knew he could become,' the old man thought, hearing the in-charge tone of Harris' voice. "I will call when I know my flight information."



"We will be here," Xander replied as he hung up the phone and moved to hug Willow and Tara. "We will be right here."



Anya felt suddenly alone until she noticed her boyfriend's hand waving her over toward them. She walked to them, finding it strange that she wanted to be included in the group-hug since she found herself greatly saddened at Buffy's death. The four people who had brought back the dead found solace together as they waited to hear from the one man they had all come to look upon as a parental figure.



*******



Spike could hear his young friend crying her heart out on the other side of the door. He found it hard not to feel her pain as he, too, felt the grief of losing Buffy yet again to her job. He took a moment to calm himself, for he knew a time would come when he'd have to deal with his own grief, but right now, the most important person needed him strong.



He didn't bother knocking as he opened the door and looked upon the shaking body that was sobbing on the bed. His undead heart felt like it died all over again at the pain he could feel coming from her as he moved closer to the bed so he could be with her.



"Dawn," Spike whispered as he sat down on the bed.



He was not prepared for the bundle of teenager when she suddenly moved into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck so tight. If he'd been human, he would have found it hard to breathe. "Shush, pet, Spike's got you now."



"She can't be gone, she can't be." Dawn sobbed into his chest. "Why do I lose the ones I need and love?"



"I don't know, bit." Spike started to rock her to try and calm her down. "If I knew the answer to that one, I could do something to fix it."



"I'm alone now, I have no one." Dawn continued to cry, but since he had started to rock her back and forth, she was calming down.



"You have me, always have me, pet," Spike softly growled into her ear. "Don't you ever forget that, do you hear me?"



Dawn nodded her head yes, her throat too tight to answer him. She knew that he would always be there for her. "I don't know what I'm going to do."



"Don't you go worrin' your head on that. Let me and the band of slayerettes worry about that." Spike deeply inhaled her sent, smelling a part of her sister among the heady aroma. "We will make sure you are taken care of, Nibblet. Don't you worry about that."



"Okay, I trust you." Dawn's crying had calmed to a steady stream of tears and some hiccups as she allowed her best friend to hold her and rock her to sleep since she had spent the night awake, worrying about her sister.



Spike felt her body relax and readjusted his body so he was lying down on the bed with the young girl lying in his arms as she drifted to sleep. He let the tears he had fought so hard to keep from falling have their way as they slipped silently down his cheeks. If it were the last thing he did, he would find out who had lead his Slayer to her firey death. They would find their own life shortened, even if it burned his brain to the point he was an undead shell of a vampire once the chip fried his brain.



*******



NOVEMBER 5, 2001





Giles sat at the Summers' kitchen table and played Dawn's tale of someone calling here, saying they were Willow, and that they had sounded just like the redheaded witch. He had his suspicions on which he thought was behind Buffy's death but could not prove it. To be honest, any of Sunnydale's demon community could have set her up like this.



The only thing that made him suspect it was indeed the Council was the fact a mention of Dawn being the Key, and that right after Buffy's death, they had approached Faith about resuming her duties as a Slayer.



Wesley had been the one to pick him up at the airport and between them shared their beliefs and had worked on a plan that would help protect Faith from sharing Buffy's fate. Giles would become her Watcher, and Wesley would be a silent partner, as well.



He looked at his now cold cup of tea and wondered how he was going to get a certain blonde vampire to help him with the training and keeping of one Slayer with a history of being a rogue alive.



"So what's got you in such a state you let you a cuppa lose it's steam, Watcher?" Spike asked, having stood in the doorway and watched the man lose himself in his thoughts.



"Spike, just who I was wishing to have a word with, if you would be so kind." Giles looked over at the blonde vampire and motioned with his hand for Spike to join him.



"Well, what would a man of your education and humanity want with a killer such as myself?" Spike shrugged as he sat down across from Buffy's ex-watcher. "Hope you aren't here to tell me to leave Dawn and to move on, 'cause I'm here to tell you to sod off."



Giles smiled for the first time, seeing how much Spike had changed, and not because of the chip that the Initiative had shoved in his brain, but because he had come to care about humans, especially a Slayer and her sister. He had watched how the vampire had looked out for everyone over the last couple days, just like he had done when they had first lost Buffy after her jump off Glory's tower.



It was then he believed for the first time that the vampire truly was in love with his Buffy. It made sense from what he could piece together after talking to Anya that Spike may have been the one meant for Buffy. Someone had mailed him a copy of the prophecy concerning The Chosen One and her Champion a few weeks ago. It had fit Buffy and Spike perfectly. Now, with Buffy dead, did that mean their chance to fight the ultimate evil in the future would be affected?



"Spike, I want you to help me train and protect Faith." Giles came right out and asked the vampire, having a hard time keeping from laughing when he noticed the shocked look on Spike's face.



"You want me to what?" Spike spit out as he stood, knocking over the chair as he did. "Are you out of you bloody mind, Rupes?"



"No, I am not, and would you please sit down and be just a little more on the quiet side?" Giles sighed heavily to try and cover up his amusement at Spike's reaction.



"Yes, William the Bloody, could you please refrain from bringing the other into this conversation," Wesley announced his arrival as he sauntered over to join them at the table. "We would very much like to keep this between us, if you don't mind, for now."



"What's with the two-on-one here?" Spike looked like he was ready to fight.



"We need your help," Giles simply stated.



"Yes, we do." Wesley nodded as he looked up at the confused-looking vampire and prayed they were about to do the right thing. "You cannot talk to anyone about this, not even Angel."



"Not even the mighty poof? Why ever not?" Spike's suspicion grew as he contemplated in his head what game these two sneaky Watcher-types were going to try and play on him.



"Because he would not understand why we trust you," Giles answered as he leaned back against the chair. "We don't need more attention brought to this subject than already has been. We have talked it over with Faith, and she agrees with us."



"Fine, then you lot had better explain, and good and proper." Spike returned his seat to its upright position and sat back down, watching the two mortals to make sure neither of them had a stake ready to attack him with.



"Spike, we suspect the Council was somehow responsible for Buffy's death." Wesley decided not to beat around the bush and be up front with the vampire, thinking it would be the best route at forming a trust with him as well.



"Tell me something I don't know," Spike snorted as he reached in his pocket and pulled out his smokes. "Who else would have the means to pull something like this off?"



"Well, any of the demon clans could have arranged it." Giles silently praised the vampire.



"Nope, no self-respecting demon would take a Slayer out like that and not be advertising it all over the demon community," Spike said with his unlit cigarette as he flicked his lighter. "No talk about any demons involved. In fact, talk is they were human."



"Maybe they don't want to be the target of the next Slayer?" Wesley offered.



"Nope, they'd be all ready to take her out as well." Spike pursed his lips as he thought of an easy way to put it without pissing the two mortals off. "I think you should research the deaths of other Slayers that no one claimed as their kills."



"Are you saying Buffy may not have been the only Slayer the Council may have killed?" Wesley asked at the same time it all started to make sense. "Of course, I see it now."



"What?" Giles asked as his own fears came to light.



"Maybe we should look into the deaths of the Slayers that lived past 18 years of age? If only we had access to their records" Wesley looked over at Giles, his face full of anger. "I think they will not make a move on Faith right away, would look too suspicious."



"That will be a good place to start, and don't worry, I think I know who we can call on to help." Giles' smile did not reach his eyes and gave Spike a sudden thought that he would not want to push Rupert Giles too far.



"I want a piece of whoever killed my Slayer." Giles and Wesley looked at each other and wondered if Spike realized he had called Buffy his Slayer.



"Spike, you can answer this later or now, but did you and Buffy...did you and her ever..." Giles tried but could not bring himself to ask if they had ever had a sexual relationship.



"That's personal." Spike glared, feeling the pain rush up and grab him, telling him he'd never feel her arms around him again, her lips on his, or sink deep into her warmth and hear her call out his name whenever he pushed her over the edge.



"Yes, but important to know, I'm afraid." Giles dreaded hearing the truth.



"Why?" was all Spike asked as he jammed his cigarette into the ashtray.



"If Buffy trusted you that much, then I know I can trust you with my life." Giles leaned forward so he could meet the vampire's eyes.



"She was going through some tough times since you left." Spike leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "For some reason, she sought comfort from me, but then she woke up and realized I was nothing and didn't want to have anything more to do with me."



Giles looked over at Wesley and noticed the man's look of wonder. "Spike, did she tell you before Sweet came to town about being in Heaven?"



Spike looked at Angel's yes-boy and wondered why he asked that question. "Why do you ask?"



"Because I'm thinking she was attracted to you. Maybe even had feelings for you." Wesley thought back to something Dawn had said about Buffy accepting Spike's help before the others had busted in when she had been resurrected.



"Why would you say that?" Giles asked out of curiosity, wondering just like Spike how the other man came to that conclusion.



"It was something Dawn said about how accepting Buffy was because of your help that first night she was brought back." Wesley 's facial expression reflected what he was thinking. "So did she tell you before the others found out about being torn out of Heaven?"



Spike looked down at his lap. "Yes, she did."



Giles looked shocked. "She told you?"



"Yeah, I think she thought whispering it in a dead man's ear would make it not seem real." Spike quoted a line from his day the singing demon had come and brought Buffy's secret to light. "After the kumbya session, we kissed, and she was in denial. Then you left, and I found out I could hit her and the chip didn't make my head twitch."



"You could hit Buffy, and it didn't set off the chip?" Giles' understanding of just how much the vampire had come to love Buffy hit him like a ton of bricks. "You loved her that much."



Spike looked up with tears in his eyes. "I love her enough that I would die a million times in her place if I was given the chance."



Both men looked at the pain in the vampire's blue eyes and knew without a doubt the prophecy had been about Spike and Buffy, and now the human race could be in jeopardy because of the Council's stupidity and cowardice.



"I believe you." Giles tried to keep from asking more, wanting to know if they had been intimate, knowing if they had then for sure Spike was the link to possibly getting Buffy back. His old days of magic and Ripper sneaking in and whispering things he could do and special powers he could seek out to try and bring her back to fulfill her destiny were brought to mind.



"I touched her fire and it burned me to the core- does that answer your question?" Spike looked at his Slayer's ex-Watchers and offered his services. "That is why I will do everything in my power to make sure this world is protected for my girl upstairs and in honor of the one I lost."



"So, does that mean you will help us with training and protecting Faith?" Wesley knew what the answer was going to be but had asked it anyway.



Spike looked out at the night sky and noticed the stars and knew his Slayer was somewhere up there. That is, if that's where Heaven was located. "I'll help any way I can."



"Good, I will feel much better knowing I have your assistance in this matter." Giles breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he would take the time to get to know Spike better and maybe, just maybe, he will answer the questions he needed answered.



Neither knew of the other undead creature lurking outside, listening to their conversation. He knew why Wesley had kept this from him, for he'd never have believed Spike could have changed without earning his soul, but he now knew he had been wrong. He heard the truth in his Grandchilde's voice when he spoke of his love for Buffy. The funny part was the implied mention of him and Buffy being together as in sex did not make him angry, but sad, for some reason.



He vowed to Buffy there and then he would make sure that while the younger vampire was watching over Buffy's loved ones and her sister, he'd watch over the peroxide blonde pain in the ass. He would never say it to the vampire that had never really lived by the code that he was proud of the changes he noted since bringing Faith back to Sunnydale.



*******



Spike sat on the steps and went over the events since Buffy's death. The fire investigators had come to the house to inform them they had identified one of the remains as one Buffy Summers. They had used the same excuse of bikers on PCP, and they suspected they had kidnapped Buffy when the boiler had exploded, killing her and several members of the gang.



They had given Dawn while everyone was present what effects they had found on the body. One was the Claddagh ring that Angel had given Buffy, and the other was her favorite silver cross necklace that had been a gift from her first Watcher Merrick.



When they finalized the funeral arrangements, they had made sure to hold her services at night so Spike and Angel could attend. Angel's rag-tag team had come with him to attend and brought Faith to the Hellmouth after arrangements had been made for her release from prison.



Hank was asleep upstairs like there was not a care in the world. Since contacted by Giles concerning Buffy's death, he had come to Sunnydale, acting the part of a grieving father. Social Services had been in contact with the man as well, concerning the care of his youngest daughter. The hostility that everyone, including his daughter, felt toward the man was so thick- one could cut it with a knife. It was a shame, but he now was Dawn's legal guardian, and his plans included taking her back to L.A. to live with him.



It had taken everything he had in him to talk Dawn into going back to L.A. with her father, promising he'd keep in touch and visit as often as he could. Angel, Cordy, and Wesley promised they would make sure her father treated her decently and watch over her. Cordy had hugged her and promised shopping every weekend and that she'd come and drive her to Sunnydale herself at the first sign of trouble.



He looked up at the sky, sitting in the same spot she had sat in the night he had come to kill her dead, only to comfort her when she told him Joyce was ill. Then and there, it had sunk in that he'd never be able to kill her and would make sure no one did.



"I'm sorry I let you down again, luv," Spike whispered as he gave himself over to the grief, thinking everyone had left or was sleeping.



He felt his Grandsire's presence but not soon enough to wipe the tears off his face. He was shocked when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder as Angel sat down next to him.



The fact the poof was sitting beside him, offering the same one-handed comfort he had given Buffy, caused him to laugh.



"What's so funny?" Angel looked at Spike and wondered what he could find funny about this.



"Well, you see, it's like this," Spike started as he told Angel the story of how he had come to shoot Buffy with the shotgun, not caring it would fry his brain and either kill him or make him as loony as his sire.



"So you are sitting in Buffy's place, and I'm sitting in yours?" Angel tried not to smile.



"Give the boy a cookie," Spike snorted, still finding it funny the change of characters on what will now be known as the crying porch.



"Just don't think I'm going to tell you that I love you and get all cow eyes on you." Angel tried his best to look serious.



Spike busted up laughing. "I think Mr. Broody just made a funny."



"Be careful, Spike." Angel glared at his grandchilde, trying again not to join his laughter.



"Come on, Peaches, lighten up. Laughter is good for the soul, they say." Spike winked. "I wouldn't know, don't have one anymore."



"Anymore?" Angel looked over at Spike and pretended he didn't know what he had meant.



Spike rolled his eyes, wishing he'd learn to keep his big mouth shut. "Nothing. I meant nothing."



"Oh, I thought maybe you meant now that Buffy was gone." Angel looked over at Spike with the understanding that he knew that Spike had feelings for Buffy, shown in his eyes.



"I'm not going to say I'm sorry for loving her." Spike became defensive.



"Good." Angel smiled a real smile, not one that comes with making evil plans or after a horrific kill that was planned down to the blood drops on the floor, but a real smile that told Spike his grandsire held no ill toward him.



"Good?"



"You love her, and I understand how she can do that to a man." Angel sighed. "Did she love you?"



"Don't think she knew what she felt. She didn't deal with comin' back very well." Spike knew if anyone would understand like he had, it was Angel. "She had to dig herself out of her grave."



Angel looked shocked, and he closed his eyes, knowing how it had felt when he had dug himself out of his grave. "It must have been hell for her."



"Yeah, and then with her being pulled out of Heaven- that didn't help," Spike continued to explain. "Looking back on things, I think she wasn't sure how she felt, and I didn't help matters much."



"How so?" Angel squeezed Spike's shoulder, offering his support, not his judgment.



"I think I may have pushed her too far with the 'I love you and you love me', after we had, you know, done it." Spike suddenly remembered who he was talking to about some intimate details concerning him and Buffy.



"You took advantage of her." Angel's voice for the first time held anger.



"No, I swear I didn't take advantage or think I was taking advantage," Spike tried to explain. "It's complicated. One minute we are fighting, and the next minute, she is undoing my pants and taking ME inside her."



Angel felt a surge of jealousy until he remembered Spike's words from earlier that night, saying he'd die for Buffy if given the chance. "So she initiated it, not you?"



"Yeah, something like that." Spike opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them until that night started to play again in his mind. "I know she loves you. I think she was just using me, is all."



"Do you really believe that?" Angel, for the first time since Spike's turning, noticed the insecure William that Dru had first brought back with her.



"I really don't know what to believe anymore, and she is not here to try and make sense of it all." Spike looked up at the stars and silently told his girl, "I love you more than you will ever know."



Angel knew then he'd do everything in his power to help Spike get through this. He felt a connection with him now- they shared something special that no one could take away. They shared the love of the same woman that was good and right, unlike their shared relationship with Dru that consisted of pain, blood, and control.



"Promise to watch over Dawn and bring her back home if that git who calls himself a father doesn't treat her right." Spike looked over at Angel, feeling like he had found a friend at last in the man that had made his unlife hell until he up and left the group.



"I will protect her with my life." Angel smiled as his face changed and used his fangs to cut the palm of his hand.



Spike followed suit, and cutting his hand in the same manner, accepted the hand that his grandsire offered him. "I give you my blood oath to protect her with my life."



"I accept and offer to help you any way I can in the future." Spike felt the power of his grandsire flow through his hand.



"Just protect Faith and call me if and when you need me." Angel looked deep into his grandchilde's eyes and knew their relationship had changed- no longer enemy's, but truly family. "We are family, and family protects family."



"Family," Spike agreed.



Neither of them noticed the man watching them from across the street with a smile on his face. He felt bad he could not tell them the secret he held close to his chest. But a time would come when he'd have to confront the two vampires with what he knew and see who would be the one to help him accomplish what needed to be done.



*******



The service was simple. The casket had been a closed one. The people had come from various walks of life to pay tribute to the one that had kept them safe from what most of the town chose to ignore existed.



No one questioned the hour of the service except Hank, who Anya explained was done because she had a sun allergy, daring him to challenge her. She had contacted Halfrek; an old demon friend of hers that helped children out if they needed vengeance of any kind, to make sure she kept an eye on how well Dawn was treated. The demon was to report back any ill treatment before dishing out any punishment or wishes.



There was not a dry eye at the gravesite as they all paid their final respects to Buffy Anne Summers. This headstone read, "For she is loved, and she will be missed."



Vicki stood back and watched as the services concluded. She knew she'd have to wait for the vampire to grieve, but she wouldn't wait too long before she made her move. She had sacrificed too much to the Council to not get what she had done it all for. Spike would be hers, and she'd make sure no one stood in her way.



*******



Dawn hugged Spike like she was drowning. "I don't want to go. Please don't make me go."



"I know, pet, but if you don't go, he will make you go, and then none of us will be able to visit you," Spike reasoned. "Remember, call Angel's place if you need anything. You have Cordy, Wes, and Gunn's cell phones. Don't bother using the Poof's if you really are in trouble. By the time the goof figures it out, they will have eaten you up."



Everyone laughed and laughed even harder at the look on Angel's face. Only Spike could make his facial expressions change so quickly and not look so pretty. "Spike, are you done yet?"



Dawn slowly let her best friend go and asked him one last thing. "Please don't forget about me?"



"Oh, Nibblet, I could never forget you as long as I live. You and Buffy will be in my heart," Spike vowed as he took her face between his hands and kissed her nose. "You are why I am here now and not a speck of dust."



"No, that's not true. It's because I'm Buffy's sister," Dawn glared.



"Sorry to disappoint, but I made friends with you, my little B & E friend, because of you. Yeah, being Buffy's sister helped, but you were the only one other than your mum that saw who I really was. It touched me here." He put his hand over his heart. "And I had thought it was dead to mortals before you stole a piece of it."



"You promise to call me every night after patrol?" Dawn stood with her arms across her chest, just like her sister would when she was trying to intimidate or when she was pissed.



"Honest. Cross my undead heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Spike tilted his head and gave his smirk-like smile.



"Be gone with you." Dawn's laugh was interrupted when her father came downstairs with his suitcase. Most of her stuff was already packed with movers coming later to get the rest.



"My realtor will work at putting the house up for sale," Hank informed the group standing in living room, looking at him as if he had the plague.



"Here is my card." Angel smiled as he handed Buffy's deadbeat dad his business card. "Have him contact me. I'm interested in purchasing the house and all that you don't want."



"Really?" Hank wondered what he could take the man for.



"Yes, really." Angel smiled. "I know what is owed and how much it is appraised for. I'm buying it for Dawn's future. Faith will live here for now until Dawn comes of age and decides what she wants to do with it."



Hank gripped the hand and smiled an honest smile for the first time. "I will make sure she cuts you a deal."



"You do that." Angel returned the smile, but inside, he wanted to suck the uncaring bastard dry and leave his carcass for the worms. He realized he was channeling too much of Angelus and shook the bad thoughts away.



When Hank and Dawn left, Angel turned to Spike and surprised everyone in the room. "I'm putting your name alongside Dawn's on the deed. This will be your home as long as you wish to live here."



Spike looked at Angel and smiled as he looked at Faith and winked. "I get first dibs on rooms."



"Like I didn't know that one, Blondie Boy." Faith rolled her eyes and wondered why every one of the Scoobies, including Giles, was laughing. "What's so funny?"



"Oh, Blondie boy reminds me of another Blondie nickname." Xander chuckled. "Isn't that right, Blondie Bear?"



"Sod off, whelp who fights like a girl." Spike glared at the boy wonder and noticed again the boy's eyes held sadness and did not show him any ill thoughts.



"Well, what can I say? No real male fighting role models that took any time to show me the ropes." Xander shrugged. He knew he fought like a girl when he ran into Harmony.



"Well, that's about to change." Spike winked. "You start training with me and Faith tomorrow. Be there after work, mate, and don't make me have to come find you."



"What if I like my Xander the way he is?" Anya pouted.



"Think of the muscles your man will have when I'm done teaching him how to fight like a man." Spike winked knowingly at Anya who perked up when Spike had mentioned manly muscles.



"Okay."



"Thanks, honey," Xander complained good-naturally, for the first time feeling like he could make a difference and not be the comic relief.



Willow smiled as she noticed the new friendship that was developing between Spike and Xander. For the first time, she felt like they could move on and be stronger, not weaker, without Buffy. She had curbed her magic and started working on control, not just abusing it anymore, with Tara's guidance.



They all gathered around and started to make plans with how they were going to work together to make Sunnydale a safe place to live. They knew Buffy would be missed, but they loved her enough to hope that this time, she did make it back to Heaven and would watch over them.



The End.