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Chapter 6

A week after the troll incident, Buffy heard from Giles. Apparently his discreet inquires weren't as subtle as he thought. The Council had been alerted, and they were on their way to Sunnydale. Buffy called a Scooby meeting that included Joyce and Dawn. They all agreed to keep Buffy's relationship with Spike from the Council. The Scoobies agreed that it was nobody's business who any of them dated.

After the other left -- the Scoobies to home, Dawn to Janice's, and Joyce on a date -- Spike and Buffy curled up on the couch to enjoy the last bit of intimacy they'd be able to share before the Council showed up. The television was on, but neither one was all that interested in what was on the screen.

"I hope the Council has some information on Glory," Buffy said. "She's strong. She's even stronger than Adam."

Spike grunted as he remembered how strong the Initiative's put together monster had been. "What exactly does this bint want, pet?"

"The Key." Buffy's voice dropped to a whisper. "But it's mine now, and she can't have it."

"Buffy?" Spike looked at the petite blond resting against his side. Buffy's posture and tone told him that there was something more to the Key than what he was being told. "What's the Key?"

"The question isn't what the Key is, but 'who' is the Key," Buffy said, again in a whisper. She gave the vampire a pained look.

"No!" Spike replied in denial as several pieces of a puzzle fell into place. He thought about who could matter that much to Buffy. Something jogged his memory in a quick flash. "Not her."

Buffy nodded slowly and sighed.

"Not possible. I remember her, always in the background."

Buffy shrugged. "Remember when I found you 'out for a walk'?" She made quote marks, and then she waited for him to remember. "I found out then."

"Buffy, she can't be." Spike shook his head.

"She doesn't know, Spike." Buffy nibbled on her lip. "Mom has guessed and Giles knows, but nobody else knows. Whatever Glory is, she makes Angelus seem completely sane!"

"She needs to know, luv." Spike put his arms around Buffy.

"She'll freak," Buffy whimpered.

"Your sis is strong, Slayer," Spike assured Buffy. "She's a Summers woman. I guarantee she'll freak more if she finds out from someone else."

"I hate this, Spike." Buffy leaned into Spike's shoulder.

"I know, but we'll deal with whatever happens," Spike sighed. "Just like we always do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy and the Scoobies sat across the table from Giles, Travers, and the other Watchers. There was currently a stalemate in the exchange of information. Buffy refused to kowtow to the Watcher's wishes, and in return the Watcher's, Travers specifically, refused to turn over the information on Glory.

"You're our Slayer. You're required to do was we wish," one of the junior Watchers demanded.

"No, your Slayer is currently residing in the California State pen," Buffy replied. "Besides, she doesn't have what Glory wants."

"And you do, Miss Summers?" Travers asked.

"It's possible," Buffy replied vaguely.

"Rupert told us you're consorting with a demon," a female watcher leaned forward with a gleam in her eyes. "A rather infamous demon."

"Well, that pretty much describes Spike. However, he is my ally." Buffy's eyes drifted upwards to where Spike was standing on the upper level. "He's an important part of my group."

"He is evil and soulless," Travers sneered at the Slayer.

"Don't deny that one little iota, but that argument is getting old. There are plenty of soulful people going around killing others," Buffy said with a sigh. She rose to her feet. "Glory came to my house today. She threatened my family. Nobody threatens those I love. I need to know what you know."

Spike chuckled. He remembered how brassed off Buffy had been when he had kidnapped Angelus so many years before.

"Then I fought some knights. Humans, I might add." Buffy paced back and forth. She stopped in front of Travers. "You didn't come all the way from England to determine whether or not I was good enough to be let back in." A light of realization struck her. "You need me to give your jobs ... your lives ... some semblance of meaning. Without me or Faith you're nothing but a bunch of old bureaucrats."

The male Watcher from before rose to his feet. "This is beyond insolent." He had been taught that Slayers were theirs to control as weapons for the greater good. The upstart little blond Slayer was ticking him off.

Spike leaped down from his spot. "Sit down and listen to the Slayer, wanker. She's the one talkin' right now."

The Watcher sank back down into his chair. He was clearly intimidated by the snarling vampire.

"Thank you, Spike." Buffy nodded at the vampire. She turned to the head of the Council. "You will tell me what I need to know, Quentin. You will then leave Sunnydale before my patience is gone, and I let you find out how my ally got the nickname Spike."

"Buffy!" Giles rose to his feet. "This is gone too far. You're threatening a human." Giles was appalled at Buffy's behavior. "I will not allow you to associate with Spike any longer. His influence on you is too detrimental."

Buffy gave her Watcher a cool look. "I love you, Giles, as if you were my own father. Hell, I love you more than my own father, but I pick who my allies are. I have to trust whoever is at my back. If I'm pushed too far, I will whatever means I have to push back."

Giles shook his head as Buffy stood her ground. He couldn't watch again the betrayal of all he held dear by an evil vampire. Buffy, her family, and her other friends had accepted their fates. He wouldn't stay around just so he could say 'I told you so' this time. Giles walked out of the Magic Box without another word.

Buffy's breath hitched at Giles' departure, but she squared her shoulders. She turned to Travers. "Now, you all may be good at your jobs, but from here on out, you work for me, or Faith if she's so inclined. Do you understand, Quentin?"

Travers' eyes darted to Spike, and then back to Buffy. He nodded slowly, swallowed noisily, and announced, "Glory's a God."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next week and a half was hectic for Buffy as the research into Glory the Hell-God went into full swing. She worried over telling Dawn that she was the one Glory was searching for. With all the other things going on, Buffy didn't realize that her period was overdue. Even after she realized that little fact, she put it down as a result of her stressful life. After all, she hadn't had sex with anyone but Spike in weeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what are we doing for your birthday, luv?" Spike looked over at his lover. He still couldn't believe that the Slayer was his.

"Not sure we can top last year," Buffy replied with a distracted sigh. She was currently mustering up the courage to talk to Dawn.

Spike grinned. "Yeah, old Rupes as a Fyral demon was bloody hilarious." He cringed a moment later when he realized that he had mentioned the absent Watcher's name. Buffy's emotions went up and down about Giles.

"Uh huh." Buffy rose to her feet, and she went to the bottom of the stairs. She didn't want to think about Giles at the moment. She had bigger fish to fry. "Dawn, can we talk to you for a minute?"

Dawn came down the stairs in a burst of teenaged noise. "Mom's okay, isn't she?" She'd learned to recognize the worried tone in Buffy's voice since their mother had surgery.

"Mom's fine, Dawnie." Buffy led her sister into the living room. "I need to talk to you about Glory and what she's looking for."

"I got the gist of it, Buffy." The dark-haired teenager plopped down in a chair. "'Hell-God wants Key'. It's a headline."

"Yes, she does." Buffy looked at Spike for support. She took his hand when he moved closer. "The monks made the Key human, Dawn. They took some of my DNA, made a person, modified our memories, and inserted her into our lives."

"Buffy?" Dawn's hesitant questioning voice filled the room. The young girl was quite bright, and she easily put two and two together. At Buffy's reluctant nod, she blurted out, "No! No! I can't be the Key."

"It's true." Buffy looked sad. "It's why that spell I did to check on Mom went wonky. It also explains why those people freaked out on you and why that snake targeted you."

"I'm not real?" Dawn jumped to her feet. "How can I not be real?" Her hands felt up and down her body in shock.

"I said they made you, not that you're not real." Buffy jumped to her feet too. "I don't care how you got here, Dawn. You're my sister just the same. I will do whatever it takes to protect you."

"As will I, Nibblet," Spike vowed.

"How old am I?" Dawn asked.

"You're fourteen, Dawnie. You know that." Buffy looked confused.

"No! The monks!" Dawn stomped her foot. "When did they ... you know?"

"Oh, that. About six months ago is my best guess," Buffy replied.

"I've only been alive for six months?" A tear trickled down from the teenager's eye.

"Not to us!" Buffy moved closer to Dawn. "To Mom and me you're still our Pumpkin Belly." She put her arms around the younger girl. "I love you, Dawnie. I don't care how you got here."

"Me either, Nibblet," Spike agreed with Buffy. "You're a Summers. You smell like a Summers, you look like a Summers, and you act like a Summers."

"See?" Buffy grinned. "You have the William the Bloody seal of approval." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "You know it's something pretty special to have that."

"You said that Glory's super strong." Dawn looked at her sister. "How can you protect me?"

Buffy glanced at Spike, and then back at Dawn. "I don't know, but we'll think of something. The Scoobs are coming over for my birthday party. Together, we'll figure something out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy looked around the room. She missed Giles. She really needed him right now, but it was obvious that he didn't trust her decision making. She gave Spike a smile.

"Happy Birthday, Buffy." Anya smiled at the Slayer.

"Thanks, Anya!" Buffy replied back to the other woman. "I have something to tell all of you about what, or rather who, Glory is looking for."

"You know what the Key is?" Willow's eyes darted around the room.

"Yes." Buffy nodded. "The Key is someone I will protect with my life."

"It can't be your mom," Tara said.

"That only leaves Dawn." Xander blinked in surprise when Buffy nodded. "No! Not Dawnie!"

"I'm afraid it's true." Buffy walked back and forth. "That 'Rotate my Foodstuffs' spell I did revealed it, and then the monk confirmed it."

Just then the front door exploded inwards. Glory stomped into the Summers' residence. "I want my Key," she demanded. "Give me my Key now."

"Why should I?" Buffy asked. She crossed her arms over her chest. "The monks gave it to me, and I don't like to share my things. Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"It's mine, and you'll give it to me now!" Glory advanced on the Slayer.

Spike moved to stand beside Buffy. He knew that the Scoobies would never survive an encounter with a Hell-God. Hell, he wasn't sure he or Buffy would survive. Behind him, he could hear the Wicca lovers chanting a spell.

The Slayer and the vampire stepped forward in tandem. Both knew they needed to keep Glory occupied long enough for Willow and Tara to work whatever magic they were casting. They were both tossed in opposite directions by a simple sweep of Glory's arms.

Willow clapped her hands. "Discede!"

Glory exploded into a cloud of dust before she disappeared.

Willow fell to the floor with blood streaming from her nose.

"Willow!" Tara dropped to the floor beside her girlfriend.

"Buffy." Spike crawled over to the mate of his heart.

"Anyone get the number of that truck?" the petite blond girl moaned.

"Red made her go away." Spike pulled Buffy close to him.

"Where?"

"That's one of the kinks," Willow muttered. "I'm not sure where."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miles above Sunnydale, Glory appeared. When she saw where she was she groaned, "Oh shit," just before she fell towards the Earth.





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