Chapter Summary: Willow followed Dawn from the high school to Wolfram and Hart. She recognized the name of the law firm and immediately rushed to call Angel. Buffy had what she considered a Slayer dream about Angel/Angelus' return to Sunnydale. She was worried, but she tried to assure Spike that he was the one she wanted, not Angel in any form. So now we deal with Willow and Angel on the phone and the day after Buffy's awakening.
Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.
'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.
An annoyed Angel stomped his way down the stairs to answer the phone at Angel Investigations. It was the middle of the day, and no one was around. He wondered where Wes and Cordy ran off to.
"Angel Investigations. This is Angel." Cordelia made a little spiel up that she expected everyone to use when they answered the phone. Since Cordelia wasn't around, he was saved from her lecture because he chose a more direct and short greeting.
"Angel, this is Willow. We have to talk."
"And why is that?" Angel sighed. He wanted to beat his head against the wall nearby. It figured that the time he was forced to answer the phone, it was someone who reminded him of what he left behind. "You have a problem?"
"I think Dawn has been kidnapped." Willow panted a little. She was still flustered and winded from her drive and run to the Magic Box.
"You think she's been kidnapped?" Angel groaned. What had he done to deserve this? Dealing with these people had to be more penance than his guilty soul required of him. "Why don't you have Buffy look into it, Willow?" He gritted his teeth and attempted to stay calm.
"Buffy hasn't been seen for a few days. Dawn was the only one who knew where Buffy was."
"And you can't talk to Dawn because you think she's been kidnapped?" The conversation had the markings of a wacky round robin, and he wasn't in the mood for games. "Make sense Willow, or I'm hanging up."
"Did you know Wolfram and Hart had a Sunnydale branch?" Willow questioned. She wanted to strangle Angel. Was he really that dense?
Angel's interest perked up at the name of the firm that continued to be a thorn in his side. "I never heard anything about it." He remembered some demons talking about a few places in Sunnydale where various transactions took place with the human world. He had no recollection of anyone mentioning the name Wolfram and Hart to him.
"Well, they do," Willow stated matter-of-factly. "I've seen it."
"An office of theirs would stick out like a sore thumb in Sunnydale." The only part of Sunnydale ritzy enough for the law firm's tastes was nothing but upscale houses and a couple parks. "Their offices are pretty huge."
"Not this one," Willow sounded flustered. Why didn't Angel believe her? Did he think she was making it up? "They have a modest sized office on the Eastern outskirts of town. There was a sign out front, as plain as day, with their name on it."
Angel jotted down a few notes on a pad of paper near the phone. Cordelia liked to be prepared for each phone call. "I can look into the situation to see how much of a threat that branch is to Sunnydale, but I don't understand what this had to do with Dawn and Buffy."
"I think they kidnapped Dawn, and if they have Dawn they might have Buffy too. I saw Dawn running into the building a half hour ago."
Angel worked to comprehend what Willow was telling him. "Was someone dragging her?"
"No. She ran from a car that picked her up from school." Willow was baffled as to why Dawn looked so happy if an evil law firm was involved. "She seemed willing to go in, but then I saw the name of the firm. I drove as fast as I could to get to a phone to call you."
"Maybe they are using a spell to bend her to their will? They're not above using magic to get what they want." Angel ground his teeth together tightly. 'They love to mess with your life.' He both hated, and was delighted, that they found a way to bring Darla back.
"Magic! That's it!" Willow slapped her forehead. "I should have realized that only a heavy barrier or protection spell would have warded off my spell on Susan a couple nights ago."
"Susan? Who is that?" Angel queried.
"She was a woman who posed as a social worker. She came to the house and took Dawn away." Willow was angry with herself. Had she let Dawn be taken away to be hurt? 'Buffy will never forgive me if something happens to Dawn.'
"You said someone picked up Dawn at school. Was it that same woman that took her from the house?" Angel sorted through a file folder marked Wolfram and Hart from the desk. He hoped that a description would help him find out something about who might have taken Dawn.
"No, she wasn't the same one. She drove a really nice blue Mercedes." Willow tried to recall exactly what the woman looked like who picked up Dawn from school and the social worker. "I don't remember what she looked like exactly, but I know they weren't the same woman."
"All right. Here is what I'll do," Angel put the notebook down on the counter, "I can't leave until dusk, and there are a few things that I have to take care of before I can leave." He rubbed his chin. There was no way he was leaving Connor behind. He had to find some way to locate Cordy and Wes. "You are living at Buffy's house, right?"
"Yes, I've been living here since Buffy's dea ... you know." Willow sighed. She forced herself not to regret bringing Buffy back. 'She could have been in a Hell dimension.' She felt that she had a right to do the magic if she was able to. Those who had power to do good should. Why didn't people see that, and why did they keep telling her to use restraint? Restraint was for geeks and wimps. She refused to be either.
"Fine," Angel closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about the time Buffy was gone because of death. He'd seen her be brought back to life after the Master. When they'd seen each other earlier in the year after she returned this time, it wasn't all that pretty of a sight. He wasn't looking forward to running into Buffy in Sunnydale. "I'll meet you at Buffy's house a few hours after dark."
"That sounds good, Angel. Don't take too long." Willow frowned. 'Spike would have found a way to get to Sunnydale, sun or not.' She wondered if Angel didn't care about Buffy as much as he professed he did. "I don't know what they are doing to Dawnie."
Angel hung up without saying goodbye. He refused to let a barely out of her teens woman make him feel guilty. He was a vampire for crying out loud. It wasn't like he could take a drive in the sun. He paused to think of his wayward Childe who always seemed to get wherever he wanted to no matter the time of day. 'He's just crazy.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn sat down in a chair in the lobby of Wolfram and Hart. Her face was buried in her hands, and she was crying when Valerie walked in.
Valerie rushed over to Dawn. "Dawn? What's wrong?" She looked around at her fellow workers in the area. "Did anyone touch her?" She would be ticked off if anyone harmed this young woman. She'd already found a soft place in her heart for Dawn Summers.
"No, they ... no one ... I'm so sorry!" Dawn looked up at Valerie and wept harder. "I didn't catch it. I didn't see. I'm so stupid." She continued her tirade of insults at herself.
"Dawn, what didn't you see or catch?" Valerie wrapped Dawn's hands in her own in comfort. "You have to tell me what's wrong, or I can't help you fix it."
"We can't fix it." Dawn sniffled, but she started to get a better hold of herself. She pointed at her "Willow detector" bracelet. "I wore a long shirt today, and I forgot to check the bracelet when I got out of school. I was in such a hurry to get here to have a chance at seeing Buffy."
Valerie nodded in understanding. "Willow was nearby?"
"Yes," Dawn nodded emphatically. "When I got inside, I dropped my bag. I picked it up, and my sleeve pulled up to reveal a glowing bracelet." Her face looked like she was ready to hyperventilate. "She knows I'm here, and if I know Willow she is going to head straight to Angel about it."
"Angel?" Valerie thought about her dealings with the Aurelius clan. "You mean Angelus, the head of the clan?"
"Not so much the head of anything when he's all soulful," Dawn answered. "He goes by Angel then. If he finds out about Buffy, he is likely to kill Spike and Buffy."
"I see." Valerie stood up. She headed over to the main welcoming desk. "Patch me through to widescan for our operatives in Sunnydale."
"Yes ma'am." The secretary hurried to follow Valerie's orders. Right now Valerie had the biggest clients of Sunnydale, and their bosses were very pleased with her work. She was a woman you didn't want to have on your bad side if you were hoping for a promotion.
"Attention all," Valerie spoke into the handset, "Locate, follow, and report on a Miss Willow Rosenberg. She has red hair, average height for a female, and is around her early twenties. She frequents the Sunnydale College, Magic Box and other magic related areas. Her residence is currently 1620 Revello Drive, also the home of Buffy Summers. Use caution and avoid contact, charms in place. Report in if you have any information, directly to Valerie."
A long series of beeps, long and short, and other signals answered the call one by one to acknowledge the receipt of the information.
"You have my pager and cell phone number, Colleen. Contact me immediately if anyone checks in." Valerie walked back over to Dawn. She crouched down next to her, and she ran her fingers comfortingly through Dawn's long brown hair. "They will find her, and we'll make sure we know if Angel meets with her."
"But what are we going to tell Buffy and Spike?"
"What are you going to tell Spike about?" Spike walked into the room from a back entrance that was protected from the sun. He noted the concerned looks on Dawn and Valerie's faces. "It doesn't seem like happy news."
"It isn't." Valerie stood back up.
Before Valerie was able to say anything, Dawn jumped up off the chair. "Spike!" She ran over into his arms, hugging him tightly. "It's all my fault. I didn't notice that Willow followed me from school. She knows I'm here."
Spike's head shot up to look at Valerie for confirmation. He sighed at the nod of her head. "It's okay, Bit." He ran his hands up and down her back in circular motions. "I'm sure you were just in a hurry to get here for your bit of mojo to see Buffy."
"I was, but now Angel is going to kill her because I wasn't paying attention." Dawn's wet face drenched Spike's shirt where her cheek lay.
"That stupid git is not going to get close enough to kill Buffy." Spike growled. "I will dust him first myself." Childer were not usually able to kill their Sires, but Angel had killed Darla. Spike hated Angel enough to force himself to kill his Sire to save his Childe, if necessary. He looked up at Valerie again. "We have time to prepare. I know my Sire, and he won't leave until the sun goes down."
"That gives us several hours to get things in ..." Valerie was interrupted by a loud beeping at the welcome desk. She quickly strode over to take the call.
Colleen picked up the handset. "Agent Matthews," She said before she handed the device to Valerie.
"Thank you, Colleen." Valerie beeped in her response code then started to speak, "Go ahead, Matthews."
"Target located leaving the Magic Box. I'm being forced to follow at a distance in-between different establishments. Difficult to follow."
"Understood. Do your best." Valerie paused in thought. "This is an important target. Succeed, and I will give put forward my recommendation for further field training. Check in every half hour to 45 minutes." Her voice was very authoritative and precise. She wounded like someone you didn't want to disobey.
"Yes, ma'am." Two long beeps followed by four short signaled the end of the conversation.
Valerie walked back over to a surprised Spike and Dawn. "What? A little incentive goes a long way." She grinned. "If he can handle following Willow, then he will deserve that recommendation."
Spike chuckled. "I like you, pet." He looked down at the mass of Dawn that was still in his arms. "Let get this mojo worked on you, Nibblet. Looks like you might be trying out a longer term stay today."
Valerie motioned for them to both head into her private office. She had her mages waiting to perform the demon defensive spell on Dawn. "This shouldn't take more than an hour or so."
"Sounds good. I think I will take Dawn directly back to our house afterwards." Spike reasoned, "If Red is snooping back around here, she would recognize your car. She doesn't know about mine."
Valerie agreed. "Later on, I will head home with a company car. I'll pick up some of her clothes and personal items and bring them over."
"I'm going to spend the night?" Dawn said with an eager lilt.
"We might have no choice with the poofter sticking his nose where it doesn't belong anymore." Spike looked at Dawn very seriously. "I don't know what it will be like. If Buffy can't handle it, we'll have to think of something else. As much as I love you, Bit, Buffy comes first in my mind."
Dawn nodded her head vigorously. She was almost happy that Angel was coming to town since it meant she'd get to stay with Buffy and Spike all night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy sat up straight on the couch. She sighed. The emotions she felt from her Sire told her that at least part of her dream was coming true. Angel was coming to Sunnydale. She flopped back against the couch with an exasperated sigh. "He better not try to take me away from Spike."
Buffy tore off another piece of paper from the notebook she was writing in. She started to work on a list of things she needed to do before Angel got there. She hurried off a text message to Spike on her cell phone to tell him that she knew Angel was coming.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn and Spike exited the Taurus in the garage at their new house. Dawn clutched Spike's hand tightly as they made their way to the house. She wasn't worried about her love for Buffy changing. She was more worried about Buffy's love for her changing.
Spike recognized Dawn's distress. He worked to reassure her of Buffy's desire to see her sister. "Bit, Buffy wants to see you as much as you do her. She was talking about you last night and today."
"I'm just scared." Dawn walked up the porch steps alongside, Spike. "We've grown apart since she came back. What if now that she's turned, she doesn't care at all about me anymore?"
"Dawn," Spike used Dawn's formal name to get her attention. He turned Dawn to face him. "She is still the same Buffy you've always known. I promise you that. She has some things to deal with because of the demon and being torn out of Heaven, but she is still Buffy."
Dawn nodded slowly. She watched Spike key in the entry code. She gulped hard when the key clicked in the lock and the door opened. She stood amazed at how beautiful the house looked on the inside as well as the outside. Her nervousness temporarily faded as she walked in, looking around. "Definitely a step up from the crypt, eh Spike?" She teased.
Before Spike was able to answer Dawn, a somewhat timid voice wafted down the stairs, "Dawnie?"
"Buffy?" Dawn followed the voice to the staircase. Slowly she inched away from Spike to meet Buffy at the bottom of the staircase.
Spike watched both of his girls interact. He hung back far enough to allow the two of them their space, but he was close enough to jump in if necessary.
Buffy reached out to run her fingers through Dawn's hair. With Dawn growing so quickly, Buffy almost needed to stand one step up to look Dawn in the eyes. "How have you been?"
"Scared, but Valerie is taking good care of me." Dawn wanted to hug Buffy so badly. "I'm not scared of you," She added. "It's just Willow and Angel ... I'm scared of losing you again."
Tara moved out of her room into the hallway. She heard Spike and Dawn talking, and then she heard Buffy leave her room to join them. She waited a few minutes before she snuck out herself to see how the meeting was going.
Spike smiled warmly, and he nodded to Tara to let her know that he saw her. Buffy seemed to be handling everything quite well. He sensed that her bloodlust was under control. He was proud of her.
Buffy glanced up at Spike. She silently sought his permission to let the demon out. They'd talked about it earlier in the day before he left to see Dawn. If she did well to start with, she wanted to test out her demon. With Angel on the way, and the likelihood of Dawn spending the night, Buffy wanted to be certain that her sister was safe.
Spike rested his hands firmly on Dawn's shoulders. "Do you trust me, Nibblet?"
"Always, Spike." Dawn glanced from Buffy to Spike and back to Buffy. "You stayed with me when everyone else forgot that both you and I hurt as much as them, if not worse."
Spike nodded his approval to Buffy. He promised Buffy that he'd never let her hurt her friends. That was doubly true for Dawn. If he was right, and Buffy's demon and soul followed the path he expected, Buffy would not have any desire to kill her sister. Buffy loved her family too deeply for that.
Angelus killed all of his family after he was turned, but he hated them to begin with. Drusilla loved her family so much that when Angelus murdered them she went insane. She had been trying to recreate a family ever since then with her dolls and other invisible friends.
William turned his mother, but it wasn't out of malice or destruction. When he was turned he woke up strong and vibrant. His mother was deathly ill, and he wanted his mother to feel good again. He loved her, and he wanted her to be with him always. Anne was too weak to fend of the demon's more savage influences. Instead the demon took control of her instead of the other way around.
Buffy was strong. Spike had faith that her demon would be forced to accept her human family as protected and cherished. A woman who loved so strongly, like Buffy, could make any demon submit to her will. It still amazed him that his own demon was as much in love with Buffy Summers as his inner poet was.
Buffy picked up Dawn's hand. She squeezed it gently. "Do you trust me, Dawnie?"
"With all my heart, Buffy." Dawn forced her voice not to quiver. She knew any sign of fear would give the demon within Buffy more power against her. Dawn wanted Buffy to know that she was willing to do whatever was necessary to stay with her sister. She didn't want to be parted from her again.
Buffy nodded to Spike. She was ready. She drew in an unneeded breath, and she shifted into her demon form.
Dawn gasped. After a few seconds her heart rate evened out. She tilted her head to the side in a very Spike-like fashion. "You're beautiful, Buffy." She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this. Buffy's ridges seemed smoother and her face softer that other vampires she'd seen. "You're eyes," Her grin widened, "They're silver instead of gold."
"They're silver?" Buffy directed the question to Spike. Without being able to look in a mirror, she just assumed she looked like every other vampire she'd seen.
Spike almost chuckled. If he hadn't known how sensitive Buffy was to everything right now, he probably would have. Her demon wasn't worried about eating Dawn. It was worried about how it looked. "Yes, pet. They are a lovely silver, flecked with your beautiful natural green color."
"Oh great," Buffy huffed. "Even among demons, I'm a freak!"
Dawn rolled her eyes. Buffy still held her hand, but Dawn pulled Buffy to her for a hug. "You aren't a freak. You are unique and beautiful."
Buffy returned the hug wholeheartedly. "Oh Dawnie ... I'm so sorry that I've been mean to you since I got back. It wasn't your fault."
Dawn closed her eyes as happy tears streaked down her face. "I'm sorry I didn't try to understand more why you were so upset. If I'd known you came from Heaven, I would have understood why you were so unhappy. I thought you just didn't love me anymore." Dawn moved back to look into Buffy's vampire face. "I was so happy to see you alive again. I didn't think about where you might have been before."
"I'm sorry too, Buffy." Tara walked down the stairs. "I should have made sure Willow did a dimensional locator spell." Her face darkened, "I thought she had."
Buffy turned to look at Tara. "It's done now, and we can't change the past." She smiled warmly at her friend. "I know how you feel about magic, and I know you wouldn't have done it if you didn't truly believe that I was in Hell."
"Thank you, Buffy. It means a lot to me that you don't hate me." Tara sighed in relief.
Buffy lifted Dawn's wrist to her mouth. "One more test, Dawnie, and then we can leave all this tension behind. Are you ready?"
Dawn nodded. She nibbled on her lower lip. She had a feeling that Buffy was going to bite her, and she was afraid that it would hurt too much.
Buffy kept her eyes locked with Spike's as she brought the wrist to her mouth. She licked and suckled at the vein there to bring it closer to the surface. At the right moment, she sliced her fangs into Dawn's skin and pulled once on her blood.
Dawn stiffened at the point of entry, and then she relaxed. It actually felt pretty good. 'That's strange.'
"Pet?" Spike felt the churning emotions from his Childe. Something was disturbing her in Dawn's blood. "What is it?"
Buffy's fangs retracted back, and she licked the wound closed. "Spike?" She looked up at Spike in confusion. "I know the monks made her from me, but she literally has Slayer blood in her." Her demon wanted to taste more Slayer blood, but it was satiated from the sense of family it felt in Dawn's blood instead.
"That's a twist. Guess you have a bit of the fighter in you, Bit. Always knew you were a spitfire." Spike chuckled. He wrapped one arm around Buffy and another around Dawn. "Let's go sit down, and have us a little chat."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel and Cordelia, along with Angel's son Connor, were on their way to Sunnydale a half hour after sunset. He drove the speed limit to avoid any delays by being pulled over. The closer he drove to the town, the more nervous he got.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Angel?" Cordelia cradled Connor in her arms. He was such a good baby. She was constantly amazed that a beautiful and well-mannered child like Connor had Darla and Angel for parents.
"No, I don't think this is a good idea, but I don't have much of a choice." Angel sighed. "Willow has no idea where Buffy is, and if Wolfram and Hart is involved it can't be good. We talked about this already." His patience was worn thin. He'd spent a couple hours just arguing with Wesley and Cordelia about why he should or shouldn't go to Sunnydale.
"Don't bite my head off, Mister "Broodier Than Usual"." Cordelia spent a large amount of time in her bedroom between Angel's announcement about heading to Sunnydale and their actual departure. During that time she was sent a vision by the powers. Wesley heard her scream of pain, but they agreed to keep the contents of her vision from Angel for now. If what she saw was true, it would change everything for everyone.
"Can we just not talk, Cordy?" Angel huffed. He needed more time to think. Something wasn't adding up in his head. He'd been so busy with Connor lately that nothing else penetrated his mind. Now, as he thought harder on the events of the past week, he felt a nagging sensation in his mind that he missed something important.
Cordelia watched Angel out of the corner of her eye. She knew when his thoughts turned in different directions. Something about Angel was easy for her to read, no matter that he kept the same expression on his face. It was like she felt his emotions at times. It always unnerved her.
Angel realized that part of the sensations he'd felt were due to the creation of another Aurelian Childe. He felt it when Dru turned Darla back into a vampire, but this had a slightly different edge to it. He would almost think that Spike created a Childe, but he knew about the government chip that kept him from harming humans. 'And I'd say turning a human into a vampire would be considered harming.' His thoughts continued to wrestle around within his head the whole way to Sunnydale without being able to nail them down.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Valerie scanned through all the information the Los Angeles office sent her on Angel. It seemed that Lindsey McDonald made it his goal to find out everything he could about Angel and attempt to destroy him. From the notations she read by the Senior Partners, Lindsey wasn't very successful overall.
Valerie's eyes bulged at one of the footnotes that led to another report in the file. She quickly flipped through the pages and read from top to bottom. "Oh my gosh." She tossed the other folders onto the coffee table.
"What is it?" Tara leaned close to Valerie to see what she was reading.
Valerie looked up at those gathered in the living room. "I don't see how this information is accurate," She passed the folder over to Spike and Buffy who sat on the opposite couch from her and Tara. "It has to be wrong."
"What has to be wrong?" Dawn's curiosity was piqued. She unrolled her legs out from underneath her. She sat on a chair in-between the two couches. Even though everything was going well with Buffy, Spike still made sure he was between her and Buffy in case he needed to protect Dawn.
Spike darkly laughed. "You're bloody right it has to be wrong. Vampires can't get people pregnant, and we certainly can't have babies!"
Buffy ripped the file from Spike's hands. "Darla? Darla was dust." She read on, "Valerie, I'm seriously worried about the firm you work for when they are able to bring back dusted vampires." She looked up at Valerie with a cold stare.
"Not all branches are like that Buffy." Valerie wanted to remain calm, but she felt the anger pulse from Buffy. "It seems that Lindsey McDonald and a couple associates worked to bring this about. It wasn't sanctioned by the Senior Partners directly."
"They tried to give him a happy, Val!" Buffy jumped up in anger. She growled. "Do you have any idea what happens when he gets a moment of perfect happiness?"
Spike stood up next to Buffy. He nuzzled his lips against his Sire marks on her neck. He whispered soothing words and sounds against her neck to help calm her.
Buffy panted, and her eyes closed. The touch was both arousing and calming. She felt her anger ebb itself away until she was much more calm. "I'm sorry, Val, but you have no idea the Hell I went through the last time his soul went on walkabout." She whimpered.
Spike caressed Buffy's back. "It's all right, pet. The papers say his soul is still in there."
"It's not all right, Spike." Buffy looked up into her Sire's eyes in pain. "Angel has a child, a real flesh and blood child, and that bitch Darla is the child's mother. He had sex with her! The file says that Angel protects and loves that child completely from all reports."
"Is that the problem then?" Spike growled. "You're all jealous that the bleeding poofter had sex with another woman?" He tried to cover up his aching heart with anger. He knew that Angel would ruin everything for him again. Here it was happening, and Angel hadn't even arrived in Sunnydale yet.
"No," Buffy hung her head. She realized her words caused Spike pain. "It is that he took the chance to lose his soul again after all of his lectures to me of how we couldn't be together anymore, blah blah blah. He is such a hypocrite." Tears rolled down her face at the memory of the pain she suffered after Angel left for L.A.
"Pet," Spike tipped Buffy's face up. He kissed each cheek's tears away tenderly. "His brooding self has played the martyr for decades. I don't know what happened with Darla, but the snobbish bitch was still family. She was also Angelus' Sire, and you know now just how strong that bond can be."
Buffy nodded slowly. "If she hadn't dusted herself, I'd go dust her myself now," She spat out in disgust. "Don't think Drusilla would miss my wrath either for turning Darla gain." She hoped Spike could understand why.
"If Drusilla, or anyone, tries to hurt you, I will dust them myself. Now that the chip doesn't work, I can take care of anyone that comes our way, human or demon."
"The chip doesn't work?" Buffy's eyes widened.
'Uh oh,' Spike cringed. He thought Buffy figured that fact out when she saw the rapist. "Did you think Tara picked up that bastard who hurt you and brought him home?"
"No ... I ... I really didn't think about it." Buffy's shoulders sagged. Dealing with the Scoobies would have been hard enough if Spike was still chipped. Now, what was she going to do?
"Do you want the stake now, Slayer?" Spike's tone was cold, and he bit back the pain he felt inside. He begged whatever higher power would listen to him to allow them to stay together.
Dawn jumped off her chair to Spike's defense. "Buffy, please ..."
Buffy held onto Dawn's arm to stop her. "I was just caught off guard." She turned back to look at Spike. "I can trust that you will not harm innocents?" Her eyes searched his gaze. She hoped to find the truth and trust in their depths that she needed.
Spike relaxed some. "Buffy, I promise that I will never do anything that you would have to stake me for. The chip's been gone for a couple days, and I haven't gone all massacre happy. I can control myself. I am not Angelus."
Buffy hugged Spike tightly. She buried her face in Spike's chest. She felt the reassurance of his love flow into her. She felt secure that he meant every word he said.
"Not to interrupt, but what are we going to do about Angel and the child?" Valerie queried. "What if he brings the child with him?"
"If he does, then we'll have ourselves a little family reunion." Spike grinned devilishly. He had no plans to harm the child, but the boy could be an ace in the hole to keep his Sire from staking Buffy. "Even Angelus keeps certain ties to family and blood. Sometimes his idea of taking care of the family is pretty sadistic, but blood means a lot to him."
"You think we can reach that part of him that still recognizes the claim of family to protect me?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, and if we have to, we can use the boy as a little persuasion."
Dawn gasped. "You wouldn't hurt him, would you?"
"No, Bit, but if we can make him realize the correlation between how he feels about his child, and how I feel about mine, maybe we can get through to him."
Valerie's cell phone went off. She pressed the talk button and listened to Agent Matthews report on Angel's arrival. "See if you can hear any of the conversation, but do not give away your presence." She closed the phone to end the call. "I hope you're right, Spike. Angel's here, and he brought the boy with him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(To Be Continued)