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The words hung heavy in the air between them. She watched him quietly knowing how big a shock it was. She hadn't wanted to tell him like this and she knew it was unfair for him to find out this way. But in another way she was relieved. It was out there in the open and there were no more secrets between them.

Spike struggled with the word in his head. Immortal. Not mortal any longer. He couldn't seem to grasp the concept. Like the idea was floating around the edge of his mind just out of reach.

"You're sure about this?"

"It's been tested. Let's leave it at that." She gestured for him to sit back down. "I had some dark times after that in Rome. It was part of the reason I moved back to California. The thought of living forever....” she closed her eyes "I still can't... " She looked at him again. "I'll just say I didn't take the news to well. I was able to pretend for awhile that none of it mattered that it didn't change anything." She gazed at him sadly.

"But it changes everything doesn't it pet?" He raised a hand to stroke her hair.

"Yeah in the not so good way mostly. It was part of the reason I hadn't talked to anyone the last two months. Being in that alley made me realize that I'm going to watch everyone around me grow old and die. And I'll still be here. Alone slaying things that come out of this hellmouth or another."

"You're not alone Buffy." He said it quietly. "I'm not going anywhere remember?"

She gave him a timid smile. "No not if you can help it I know. But forever is a long time."

He let the thought float around in his mind for a moment. Forever. With his Slayer. Who loved him. It couldn't even be conceived of in this lifetime. But it didn't need to be they had as many lifetimes as they needed.

She watched him mull this new twist in their lives around in his mind. It was a lot to take in she knew. Boy did she know but they had spent a lot of time in this cemetery with her blood scenting the air. They were tempting fate staying here while she was covered in her own blood. And she desperately wanted to get out of the now dried and matted clothing she was wearing.

"Spike I think we better get going." She maneuvered her legs underneath her and started to get to her feet. Once there she wavered a bit still a little weak from loss of blood. Spikes arm was around her in an instant steadying her. "We better get back to the others and tell them what you know."

"Um pet do you think that's wise right now?" He gestured from her knees to her chest.

"I know but everything is back at Faith's including a shower." She looked him over eyeing him carefully. "Besides I think I have an idea."

*********

They had spent more time at the cemetery than they had anticipated. When they finally did walk in the front door, Buffy wrapped up in his duster, it was already three in the morning. Luckily it seemed the gang had called it a night and no one was in the living room.

Locking the door behind them she moved further into the house.

"I'm just going to go get cleaned up 'cause you know ewww." She moved quietly through the house to the spare room Spike had used earlier.

Spike sat himself on the couch with a flop. They hadn't spoken in the car on the way over. Mostly that was his fault because for once in his unlife he was totally speechless.

He wondered, and not for the first time since he had met her not so long ago, how she had dealt with this alone for as long as she had. How she could be so calm and matter of fact about the whole thing. True she had a few months to adjust to the idea but what were a few months when you were faced with the end of time. Maybe she was still in denial. After all denial was something Buffy excelled at. It was the best weapon in her arsenal as far as he was concerned. Or maybe the dark times she alluded to in Rome were very dark indeed and something that pushed her into this blank acceptance.

Still he wasn't sure he was accepting it at all. Well if anger is the first stage of acceptance he was on his way he felt it growing deep in his belly burning him on the inside. How could the Powers allow this to happen? The woman had been through enough already. Yet here she was now shackled to a destiny that would never end. Angel's words came back to him, that she couldn't even die to get away from it. He remembered how she had talked of heaven when she had come back and how the thought that someday she would return had helped her finally start to heal. Now she was denied even that. There would never be any peace for her. She would fight to save a world that didn't care, that was harsh and cold. It would grow and change, as would those closest to her, and she would stay the same.

He ran a cold hand over his tired face. Maybe he should just get some sleep. It was still early for him but with all the excitement from the last couple of days he felt like he could sleep for a week. As he stood to collect his stuff from the downstairs room there was a heavy pounding on the door.

Curious he walked closer to it and looked out the peephole. To his surprise it was an agitated Watcher using his fist to beat on the door making it shake in its frame. He unbolted the door and pulled it open. Without a word he had pushed past him barging into the room Xander following close behind. Spike watched the men take in their surroundings.

"Where's Buffy?" Giles demanded as he whirled back at him. "And Willow?"

"Evenin' Ripper. She's in the shower. Figure Red's sleepin' upstairs." He gave a hard glance to him. "What’s goin' on?"

"Xander go up and wake her get her down here." The younger man began to climb the stairs.

"You may want to let Buffy know we are here. It's a matter of utmost importance."

"It's always of the utmost importance. Don't want to rush her mate had a rough night."

"Well I think it's going to get a bit rougher." Giles pulled off his glasses and began to clean them. "Go tell her to hurry." The words were clipped and cold.

Shrugging Spike walked down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door. He heard a muffled response.

"Pet your watchers back with the whelp. Said you need to hurry." He thought he heard an okay over the noise of the running water. Standing there for a second he heard her turn the water off.

Satisfied he walked out into the kitchen and opened the fridge looking quickly he pulled out a bag of blood and found a yogurt. Opening the cabinets he found a mug and dumped the blood into it. Setting the mug in the microwave he dug in the drawers until he found a spoon. As the microwave beeped he pulled the mug out and carried everything back into the living room.

Willow had made it down during his short absence. She didn't look too happy at having been awakened at Xander's insistence. She was sitting on the couch her legs tucked underneath her a blanket thrown over her lap.

Giles was sitting in the armchair fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Xander was sitting in the opposite chair being uncharacteristically quiet his hands fidgeting a little in his lap.

Spike took a seat on the opposite end of the couch placing his mug and the yogurt on the table. As he settled into the couch
He could see Buffy headed back down the hall her hair wrapped in a towel on her head. She had dressed herself in an old pair of sweats and a tee shirt. The others watched her walk into the room.

"So what’s the what Giles." She asked the older man causally.

"Buffy I think you may want to be seated for this." She could hear the strain in his voice. Crap this was going to be bad she knew it.

She made her way to the couch and began to sit between Spike and Willow. The movement strained against the now closed wound on her stomach making her breath catch against the sudden pain. No one seemed to notice her discomfort except for Spike who reached out and placed his hand on her knee. Grateful for the small comfort she gave him a slight smile. In response his hand left her knee and grabbed the yogurt that was sitting in front of him. With the same slight smile he handed it to her.

Buffy was a little surprised at his thoughtfulness and let her fingers brush against his as he handed her the food.

"Thank you." She pried the top off immediately and began to eat. "So sitting now."

"Quite. I received a few frantic phone calls from Andrew and some of the others on the Council. It appears that there is some kind of massive attack being carried out."

"Okay so we attack back what’s the big?"

"Not that simple Buff." Xander's tone was hushed and tentative.

"Xander is correct Buffy. The problem is much bigger than we anticipated."

"Isn't it always?" she asked sardonically.

"We aren't sure how it is possible but we can estimate that there have been several attacks on other slayers this evening."

"What kind of attacks and how many?"

"Mostly well thought out ambushes carried out by large groups of vamps and maybe some demons. As for how many we still aren't sure. I can only tell you about the ones that we do know about. The Council is on alert now trying to contact as many as we can." He stopped taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead. "There have been a few casualties."

Buffy felt her stomach tighten. "How many?"

"Right now we know of at least one hundred and twenty."

"Oh Goddess."

"How many are there?" Spike asked his curiosity getting the better of him. No one had spoken about the other slayers that had been created and he was genuinely curious to know now.

"From the records we could find and the few surviving members of the Council that we talked to there was originally about three hundred and fifty potentials. After our dealings with the First we could account for only two hundred and ten slayers. That was including many that were too young and the others that were too old to begin training. We also have a few that for some reason could not perform the duties such as the young lady we retrieved from Los Angeles."

"If you lost one hundred and twenty tonight...."

"Yes the attacks have been aimed at anyone who is a slayer regardless of status. From that number only thirty were trained and performing duties."

"Tell me how to stop it Giles." Her voice was demanding.

"That is the problem Buffy. The attacks are not random there is evidence to suggest each one was premeditated but for that to happen on such a global scale... " He shook his head sadly. "I am afraid this is something that is beyond our abilities to deal with."

"So what are we going to do then?" Willow queried.

"We keep the others safe."

"And how do you think we're going to do that? I mean whole world kind of thing you can't be everywhere at once."

"I kind of know that Xan, we need to get everyone to a safe house. Give them safety in numbers. Giles could we set the ones in Europe and Asia in your place in England and with the Immortal in Rome?"

"Yes I suppose that would work would the Immortal be willing to do this?"

"I think he would I just need to call him." She noticed a pained expression on Spikes face. Damn she was going to have to fix that but not now there was still stuff to do. "For the ones on this side of the planet maybe we could call in a favor to Angel and have them go to him? And the rest could gather here we would need the coven to send the word out to everyone. But we have to make sure the inactive slayers come too."

"Why Dead Boy and the Immortal Buff?"

"Cause we need extra muscle. The Immortals got enough minions around that they wouldn't be able to get through to them. Angel will protect them and the ones in England are the largest concentration of trained slayers and their watchers. You know how to reach him don't you Spike?"

He just nodded at her the muscle in his jaw twitching ever so slightly.

"And what of Faith?" Giles' voice sounded uncertain.

"I know I don't like ruining her honeymoon anymore than you do Giles. We'll call her in the morning and let her know the sitch. Let them have at least this one night." She thought quietly to herself. "Giles did you know Faiths' patrolling habits?"

"Just what she told me in passing Buffy we didn't speak of it much." He glanced at her uneasily. "Why do you ask?"

"I have a feeling I may be included on that little list of attacks. We met with a large group of vamps patrolling. I've never seen that many hunt together before."

"Don't usually love. We tend to be a bit more solitary in that regard. They weren't the usual crowd more like hired hands."

"What did he tell you?"

"Said some other guys hired him from a demon bar just outside of the city to off the slayer for their master."

"Master as in Vampire?" She asked her voice hitched a bit and she flinched at the instinctual fear the name brought to her.

"Don't rightly know pet. Could just be a name or they could be some kind of servants. No way to tell just yet."

Buffy glanced around the room the strain in all of their faces. She wondered when they had all become so hard to all of this. She tried to remember a time when they were all so young where this horror would have brought shouting and shaking of fists at the inaction they were feeling. Now there was just a quiet gritty acceptance.

"We should start making some phone calls I think then we need to try to get some sleep."

********

He was laughing. It was a laugh of joy and triumph and it would chill anyone to the bone. He was succeeding and he knew it. Soon all the slayers in the world would be gone and half of his goal achieved. The response he was receiving on the monitor of this computer was elating. They never knew what hit them. It was such a simple matter they were after all just girls with a little more strength than the average human. He could deal with little girls.

A fledgling carefully made his way to his elbow standing as quietly as possible.

"Report."

"We have dispatched one hundred and twenty-seven master."

"Very good out of one hundred and thirty attacks not bad." He nodded to himself. "What about the three that got away."

"Two were severely wounded I was assured that they would not be living much longer."

"And the last?"

"The group in Cleveland never returned."

"Very interesting. Well I suppose I should know better than just send a few vamps to that one. A little too much experience. We'll have to think of something special for her." He thought for a moment. "And did you find the one I asked for?"

"We found where she had been living master but she was not there."

"I expect that to be remedied by this evening." He glared at the vamp. "I want you to notify me as soon as she is located."

"Yes master."





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