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I'm late again aren't I? Sorry....I've been trying to figure out php/cgi stuff and I got distracted

and no, I still don't have a new story for you yet but the good news is that I keep starting things so, once I actually finish some, you'll have a lot to read :)
Chapter 26

“What?” Buffy asked after a few moments.

“Actually, I’d rather William tell me why it is he thinks he’s done something to you, first.”

“Oh yeah,” Buffy said, “I forgot we hadn’t told you that. I think he’s never going to find anything because it’s not--“

“It is my fault, Slayer,” he interrupted, coming further into the room. “I told the witch—because she had to do some sort of spell or bad stuff was going to happen—I told her to make Buffy feel what I feel.”

“And how is that affecting Buffy?”

“I thought I’d shown him that it’s not…but he’s convinced that because he doesn’t know the exact words that she used that he’s missing something.”

“I have to be!”

“Spike,” Joyce said soothingly.

“Why can’t you see?” he asked and Buffy didn’t know what to do when she saw he nearly had tears in his eyes. “It has to be my fault; if it’s my fault I can go fix it, go kill it…or you can kill me. If it’s my fault then it’s not…”

“Then it’s not something we’ll never find an answer to?” Joyce guessed, voicing her own fear as well.

“Yeah,” Spike agreed, trying to get his voice even again. “Even when Dru—I’ve always been able to figure out how…I should know! I should have some idea!”

“No one else does either,” Buffy reminded him, truly stunned that he cared this much.

”But that’s why I should,” he disagreed. “They don’t know and…someone has to be the one to know and Rupert and Willow aren’t exactly…They should have the whole bloody Council working on this….they should…I almost called Angelus the other day to get him to look into it….You save the world time after time and they can’t even manage two people trying to…”

Buffy had never heard him call that many people by their names at one time. Like ever.

“Maybe they’re looking more than we know,” Buffy had had to convince herself of that very fact already.

“I just don’t see how they…You weren’t even talking to me and I was trying to figure it out, I just don’t understand how….”

“How what?” Joyce asked.

“How people who’ve claimed to love her….who’ve…five years, Buffy. Five bloody years and they can’t even manage five weeks…five people! How can they not—“

“Buffy do you think I could speak with William for just a moment?”

“Sure…I’ll go get something to drink.” Yeah, something to drink and a way to come to terms with everything that had been said in the last ten minutes



She was looking at him expectantly and Spike knew he’d have to tell her. Maybe it would be better to finally say it to someone.

“I just can’t understand how they can love her and not be absolutely terrified,” this time there were tears in his eyes.

“Neither do I,” Joyce agreed sadly. “Neither do I. For years I’ve trusted Rupert to take care of her, believed that her friends would do anything for her…I don’t know if it’s some sort of fear or denial or—I don’t really care. All I know is that this is when my little girl needs them the most and they’ve been to our house once, once to tell her that they’d yet to find anything out.

If this was something that was going to end the world, they’d be there day and night pouring over the books—looking at anything and everything.”

“Be the end of my world,” Spike mumbled and Joyce smiled at him weakly.

“Probably everyone else’s too…I fear….they think it is the three of them that has kept this town safe the past few weeks; they think they can do it.”

“I’ve been patrolling for her some.”

“I know you have and…and I have a good feeling that without you, just about every demon anywhere would know that the Slayer’s been out of it. This town would be run over within a week…

I don’t know if they’re just truly that insensitive or if they think she’s going to cure herself, but…I think perhaps you and Buffy need to have a talk with them—perhaps including Anya as well.”

“You know I’m going to want to kill them, right?”

“I wouldn’t expect any less; just don’t.”

“Won’t touch a hair on their heads,” he agreed.

“So what is this about you moving into my home?”

Spike was just sure he was in for it now, but she didn’t sound upset with him—or she was hiding it very well.

“I…I should have spoken to you about it first, but…I think they need someone there to…look out for them. Buffy’s trying too much so that Dawn will think she’s okay and the Bit’s trying to take care of the both of them—think she’s forgetting she’s the kid sis, shouldn’t have to be doing all she is.”

“And you moving in will help? When she saw his worried look, Joyce took pity n him, “Relax William, I know I will I just wanted to be sure you did as well. I’ve been worried about the two of them since I’ve been here…I know it’s only a few days, but…too much has been falling on Dawn and I’m sure Buffy’s…she’s going to make herself sicker just so that Dawn won’t worry—even though she already is.”

“Exactly.”

“So you’ll be moving in?”

“Think I should ask Buffy first.”

“Hey look, I can do this door popping up thing too.”

She looked so pleased with herself—so happy—when he turned around that Spike couldn’t help but smile himself and unbeknownst to him, that made Buffy happy as well—she didn’t like being the reason he was so mad and then so upset—at least not anymore.

“So you can, luv. Is it as fun as you thought?”

“Would have been better if it’d been while you were talking about something juicy,” she kidded. “But you weretalking about me so I guess it’s kind of fun.

So what’d you talk about?”

“Wouldn’t telling you defeat the whole purpose of having you not here?” her mother wondered.

”Okay, maybe,” she agreed. “So what did you talk about that I get to know about?”

“’Bout me moving in long as you agree to it,” Spike started.

“So he says, I say your opinion on the matter doesn’t really, well, matter. It’s what’s going to happen whether you like it or not.”

“Gee thanks, Mom. But don’t worry Spike, I wasn’t going to try to stop you anyway. Well actually I just have one condition.”

“Buffy—“ her mother warned.

“Hey! Give me some credit here, it’s one you’ll agree with.”

“Fine.”

“You can Patrol early, but you have to start getting some sleep.”

“But, pet, I have to—“

“She’s right on this one,” Joyce agreed. “You need sleep…or you’re going to be of no good to anyone—especially yourself. Everyone needs sleep, Spike.”

“I’ve been doing alright,” he protested.

“No you haven’t,” Joyce said. “You’re getting more upset, more worried—and more so than you would if you were well rested. And I don’t want you out there fighting alone when you’re tired.”

“Yeah,” Buffy agreed, “Patrolling when you’re tired is bad too.” She looked far too happy, in Spike’s opinion, that she and her mother were ganging up on him.

“Yeah, alright, fine. Means you have to agree to the second thing though,” he told Buffy.

“Second thing?”

“That we were talking about,” Joyce clarified.

“What is it?” she was just a little—okay more than a little—worried about what her mother and Spike were going to make her do.

“You have to have a good old fashion Scooby meeting—well ‘cept I get to go this time. And Anyanka’s gonna be there too.”

“I’ve told you I don’t want to be around those three right now,” gone was her happy mood.

“Buffy,” her mother wanted to be the one to explain it—she had after all decided it, “I think you and Spike—with Anya and Dawn there for support if nothing else—need tell them what Spike told you. There’s the possibility that they’ve already found something that they didn’t realize was important. I also think it would be beneficial to you—as well as Spike—if you found out just what it was they had ‘researched’ so far, so that you don’t necessarily cover the same ground—“

“—I’ll still probably look at it,” Spike interrupted carefully, “Not sure I trust them to have done it…least not well enough.”

“Just call it a fact finding mission. Then you don’t have to talk to them again until you want to—except, if you do it before the surgery, do ask that they don’t visit me. Seeing Rupert at the moment might just give me a heart attack or something equally as undesirable.”

“They’re all going to be mad, you know?”

“Do you care at the moment?”

“Little bit,” she admitted. “Wish I didn’t but still….but I also—it’s bad, I know but in a way I also want them to be mad.”

“Why don’t you two go and start moving Spike’s things?” Joyce suggested, knowing it had been an emotional morning for them all.

“But we—“

“I’ll be alright Buffy.”

“Come on, luv. Let’s let your mum get some rest.”

“Yeah, okay,” Buffy said, missing he smile of thanks Buffy gave her mother. “You know Dawn is going to love this.”



TBC........




Thanks for all the reviews........oh, and congratulations to everyone who won at the Lost in Spike Awards :)





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