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Buffy stood in the doorway of her living room just staring at the vampire next to her couch. Dawn peaked curiously over her shoulder, but she didn’t take notice. He mind was spiraling from the shock of discovering Spike’s newly acquired immunity to the sun. She could only think of the last time she had faced him in the daytime. She had told him she was breaking up with him. Had he somehow managed to find another way to become that invincible vampire again? He had made no made to harm them, and he had had an entire night of opportunity to do so. She had to remember, even after all he had done to help them, he was still a vampire. He hadn’t attacked yet, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

“Buffy, I…” Spike began softly. A look of panic flashed in his eyes as he searched for a way to explain. It had been so much easier when he had played out the scenario in his crypt. Of course, he had planned on doing it in private, not in a sun-drenched living room with both of the Summers woman staring at him accusingly.

“Did you finally find a way around the chip, Spike?” the Slayer growled. She tried her best to hide her fear. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him, but she knew what she had to do if he really was back to his old self. She had already sent one lover to hell, and she didn’t know if she could do it again. “If you try anything, I won’t hesistate to stake you!”

He cringed at her words. They didn’t exactly have the most loving relationship, but it had been quite some time since she’d actually threatened to kill him and truly meant it. “I’m not here to hurt anybody!”

“Why should I believe you?” she snapped. “You’ve been oh-so honest before! You just felt like taking a little stroll in the sunshine…”

“Actually, I just woke up. I haven’t been walking anywhere,” he shot back. “If you’d stop badgering me, I’d explain!”

“Well, then explain already!” she sighed.

“Fine!” he snapped trying desperately to keep his calm, and as usual the Slayer was making it next to impossible. “I made a wish.”

“A wish?” Buffy repeated.

“Halfrek!” Dawn jumped in. “You made a wish, and she granted it. Didn’t the birthday party that would not end teach you anything?”

The Slayer continued to glare at him. She was just as surprised as her sibling. “You want to get revenge on me because I…because…what were you thinking?”

“It wasn’t that kind of wish, luv,” he pleaded. “When you said you were leaving me, because you couldn’t love a soulless monster like me…”

“Wait a minute!” Dawn interrupted looking at her older sister questioningly. “You left Spike? When were you ever with him?”

“I…Dawn…I,” Buffy sputtered turning to face her sister. The angry glare she had been giving to Spike was now replaced with one of utter helplessness. Only moments before she had been concerned that she wouldn’t be able to turn Spike to dust, and now she was itching to do it! Damned that vampire and his big mouth! She hadn’t wanted Dawn to find out this way. She hadn’t wanted Dawn to find out at all!

“Dawn,” she continued, “Janice and her mom are going to be here soon. You better go get dressed.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” the younger girl informed her leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re keeping something from me. Besides, Spike made a wish. God knows how it’s going to backfire! I might not even be able to get out of the house again!”

“Bloody hell! It’s not going to backfire!” Spike sighed. “It wasn’t a wish. It was more of an unwish.”

“An unwish?” Dawn shifted her attention from her sister to the vampire.

“Yeah, Halfek gave me back my soul,” he explained as he settled down on the couch. Suddenly, he felt exhausted.

“She did…” Buffy went pale. She felt and overwhelming urge to join Spike in having a seat. “You have a…You’re…”

“You’re human?” Dawn finished her thought.

“Well, uh, yeah,” he nodded giving Dawn an almost sheepish grin.

“But how? Why?” she asked quickly. “We already know why, but how?”

“Well, uh, that’s kind of a longer story,” he gave the girl a weak smile as he pulled out his cigarettes from his duster, which was draped over the back of the couch.

“Which you don’t have time to hear,” she informed her sister.

"Come on,” she protested. “If Spike made a wish who knows what kind of world I might be walking into!”

“Probably a word still filled with social workers. Now get your butt in gear. And you,” the Slayer’s eyes flickered toward the cigarette, “don’t even think about it! I really don’t need a visit from the wicked witch of Social Services with the house smelling of cigarettes.”

Spike sighed as he placed the cigarette back into the pack. He leaned back on the couch and sat in silence as Dawn headed towards the kitchen.

“Fine, I’m going,” she moped. “Spike can fill me in when I get home.”

“He will be long gone by then,” Buffy told her departing sister’s back.

"You can’t send him back to that crypt, Buffy!” Dawn stopped just short of the door and spun around to face the Slayer. “He’s human now. He’ll freeze to death out there!”

“Dawn, we live in California,” Buffy reminded her.

“It still gets cold,” she argued. “If you don’t let him stay, I don’t go!”

“Fine!” Buffy threw her hands up in surrender. “He can stay! Now go!”

Buffy watched Dawn leave the room. She spotted Spike’s triumphant smirk out of the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore it. She needed answers, not an argument.

“Now,” she groaned setting into a seat facing the couch. “What exactly did you wish…er…unwish?”





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