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Author's Chapter Notes:
Enjoy the second half of chapter 11! =D

Banners by xoChantelly and Edgehead
Buffy raced into the room, her wide eyes first fixing on Spike to make sure nothing ghastly had happened to him. He looked freaked out, but not hurt. Then her eyes darted around the room.

"Spike, what the hell happened?! Why did you --"

He pointed to the mirror, "The bloody mirror talked to me! It's doin' something -- look!"

Buffy cautiously went further into the room and looked at the mirror from a safe distance.

Spike got over his initial shock and went to stand beside her. He hadn't thought of the possibility of talking mirrors because there wasn't supposed to be one in Hansel and Gretel. There was one in Snow White, but not this particular fairy tale. Not until now, anyway.

They watched nervously as the white mist coalesced into a face. The face had no prominent features, just rudimentary shapes forming a nose, mouth, and eyes.

The Mirror laughed at their surprise, then said, "Congratulations on having activated the portal. We were beginning to doubt you would survive."

"You're one of the Unari?" Buffy asked.

"I am a representative of the Unari. I was created to speak for them."

Spike couldn't contain his anger. "'Bout time you wankers showed up! You almost killed us! What the bleedin' hell is wrong with you people?! That how you get your jollies? By making people suffer?"

"That's interesting," the Mirror said dryly. "Especially coming from a Vampire."

"Yeah, well, guess you could say being treated like shit and chained to a bloody wall for weeks had an impact on me."

Buffy couldn't stop her own anger from boiling over. "You tortured and starved us for weeks! We were almost murdered tonight! Why did you do that to us?!"

"We didn't do anything to you. It was the witch."

Spike snorted. "Right. Like you didn't control her? Like you couldn't have put a stop to that shit if you wanted to? Just how dim do you think we are? The witch in the story didn't have superhuman strength and abilities. You made her that way."

"Yeah," Buffy continued, "and there were times when it was like she read our minds, and you're telepaths. Not hard to figure out that you were using that -- which was totally unfair -- to ruin our plans to escape."

"She was a character with a life of her own, we merely observed to see how you dealt with her. We did not make the witch do anything to you, though, admittedly, we enhanced her abilities to rival your own. It wouldn't have been sporting otherwise."

"Sporting?" Buffy was so pissed off, she wished the Mirror had a neck she could snap. The Unari were smart not to send a flesh and blood 'representative'. "There was nothing sporting about what was done to us!"

"We had heard that Slayers and Vampires were stronger and more resilient than normal Humans. We did not impede you or help the witch. If anything, what little interference we did do was beneficial to you."

"Any examples of this alleged help you gave us?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms.

"The witch would have known you were stealing food, but we prevented her from catching you. And the singing that Spike did at night was another thing that the witch would have put a stop to. But we found the effects it had on both of you interesting. So we allowed it to continue. You were allowed privacy while bathing as well."

"Was it you that made me obsessed with giving Spike my blood at the end too? I was totally convinced that was the answer."

"We would never aid you in that way. You must solve problems yourselves."

"Oh..." Buffy had thought it was the Unari who had made her so bizarrely fixated about feeding Spike her blood, but the Mirror was denying it. And she didn't think they were the merciful types, so it probably really was her own need. Did that mean that the lustiness was real too? She needed to ask about that as well. "Well... okay, yeah, it's cool that you did those other things, but it doesn't make up for the fact that you made it impossible for us to get away!"

"There were many possible avenues of escape, there are always solutions to the obstacles you encounter in this realm, if you look for them carefully enough. One of the solutions was for Spike to drink your blood. We didn't anticipate that it would be refused... several times."

Spike shifted uncomfortably and looked down. He hated himself for not getting them out of here a lot sooner. He could have spared both of them so much pain.

Buffy curled her fingers around his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I told you it's okay, Spike. By doing that, you proved to me that you could be trusted, that you cared about me, and that you can be a good guy. I'm not sorry I got to see those things about you." She smiled reassuringly at him. She could tell that he was still troubled about it, but he gave her a small, appreciative smile. Then Buffy turned to address the Mirror again, her smile disappearing. "You know your 'test' didn't make any sense, don't you? It wouldn't be a test for a Vampire to just drink my blood without a second thought. The test would be him not taking it. Spike had to fight every instinct he had to reject it, he had to have amazing self-control. And that should have been the right choice."

"When you create your own dimension, you can run it however you'd like. But you're in ours now. You aren't in command here, Slayer," the Mirror said, sounding a little testy. "The challenge wasn't only about escaping. It also involved you growing beyond your limitations -- opening your minds and hearts to things that would have made you balk in the not-too-distant past. Any good quest causes the subjects to discover truths about themselves. In the end, you were both willing to sacrifice yourselves to save the other, and that impressed us. Are all Slayers and Vampires as interesting to observe as you? You're our firsts."

"I doubt you'll ever have another Slayer/Vampire duo questing together," Buffy said. "We aren't typically... mixy."

"Right. I can guarantee you won't have any other Slayers or Vamps in here makin' nice. Buffy and I are a special case. We have a --"

"You have a bond," the Mirror finished. "Yes, we noticed that connection. After all these years, we can still be surprised. It's fascinating."

They glanced at each other, wondering what exactly the Mirror meant.

Buffy started to ask, "What kind of bond do you --"

The Mirror interrupted, "Our time to talk is limited. I suggest you ask now if there is something important you wish to know."

There were tons of questions she wanted answered, but Buffy needed to get to the heart of the matter. "I suppose you know why we're here, since you can read our minds. We came here to rescue my sister Dawn."

Spike decided to let Buffy handle most of this, she seemed to be up to the task. He wasn't feeling particularly chatty or forceful at the moment. Buffy might be okay with his non-action resulting in keeping them here much longer than they should have been, but he wasn't okay with it. Spike felt unsure of himself, he doubted himself and his decision making skills. What if he made another wrong decision that got them more abuse, or ended up getting them killed?

"Yes," the Mirror replied, "you came to retrieve the Key. The Key does not require rescuing. We are protecting and lavishing the Key with luxury. The Key's every whim is being attended to."

"Her name is Dawn. She's more than just some mystical Key to me. I'm afraid of what you might have done to her, considering how horrible Spike and I have been treated. If you hurt her... I swear I'll make you pay. I don't know how, but I will."

"Making threats isn't going to help, Slayer. We respect and revere the Key. It is an ancient and powerful being whom you could never hope to comprehend. No harm has come to Dawn. Your tone is accusatory, but it's not as if we took her from you, she was drawn into our dimension accidentally, we weren't aware of her origins until she was well into her first quest."

"What was her quest?" Buffy was curious to know.

"She was Rapunzel, trapped alone in an ivory tower. When we realized what that seemingly normal Human girl actually was, we ensured that she was not harmed in any way. She is quite intelligent and escaped the tower on her own before the prince had arrived. She did much better than the two of you." The Mirror chuckled.

Buffy was both relieved (that her sister didn't have to deal with an evil witch) and impressed (that Dawn had overcome obstacles without any help). "How did she escape?"

"Oh, I can't tell you that. You may face a similar test in the future and it wouldn't do for you to know what course of action to take in advance."

"In the future? You mean, we're not done? There's more?!"

Buffy and Spike were taken aback that the Unari felt they hadn't done enough or proved themselves worthy yet. If this had been only the first test (they'd suffered near starvation and being abused), what were the Unari going to do for an encore? It made them both shudder.

"Yes, indeed," the Mirror said smugly. "The portal to your next quest is now open, you only have to journey there and enter to receive your next set of challenges."

"Son of a..." Buffy trailed off. "All I want is to get my sister and take her back home where she's safe! How many hoops do we have to jump through to satisfy you people?!"

"Dawn is safer and happier here. We know of Glorificus and her quest to find the Key."

Buffy was glad she wouldn't have to explain about Glory, but wondered how they knew. Weren't they hermits with no contact with the outside world? "What if Glory finds out that she's here? She could find a way in and --"

"No, Glorificus would not be able to enter our world."

"Okay... Well, what if Glory destroyed the book from out in the real world? Would that kill Dawn or --"

The Mirror said simply, "The Key transcends reality, time, and space."

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Spike's forehead creased.

"The dimension you are currently in is only one of many that we maintain. If the Key's life was threatened, we would shift her to another dimension for safekeeping. It is true that if a book is destroyed, those who entered through it would die. But we would know if the Key were in danger and would simply move her to another part of our continuum, thus keeping her from being harmed. She is special and should be protected. The two of you are special in your own ways, but we wouldn't save your lives under the same circumstances. It would be regrettable, but if you happen to fall by the wayside, that is simply the way it must be. You aren't that special."

"Gee, you're all heart," Spike said sarcastically.

Buffy was grateful to hear that Dawn would be protected if the worst happened, but she was equally disgusted at the Unari's callousness towards herself and Spike. "So you would've let us die in this place? You wouldn't have stopped the witch from killing us?"

"No, we would not have stopped it. You knew that our world would be perilous, and yet you chose to enter and risk your safety."

"Yeah, but only to get my sister. Dawn didn't enter your dimension by choice -- so shouldn't you just like... give her back?"

"I told you that the Key -- Dawn -- is safer here with us. Weren't you listening? Ah, I see, it's that stubbornness and inflexibility that you've displayed time and time again. You're very single-minded. Can you honestly say that you could protect her better than we could, Slayer? We'll give you a choice -- you can be sent safely home now without Dawn and leave her under our protection or you can continue the quest."

Buffy's determination wavered. Since it was her decision that got them drugged and then chained up in the house in the first place, she wasn't sure if what she thought was best was actually best. "Give us a second," she said to the Mirror. "Don't... go anywhere or get unswirly or anything." She took Spike's arm and walked with him away from the Mirror.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Spike, do you think I'm being selfish for wanting to take Dawn home with us? What if she really would be safer -- and happier -- here than in the real world? Is it fair of me to take her back? Maybe I'm too emotional to see the truth because I love Dawn so much... Please tell me the truth." If there was one thing she could always count on Spike to do, it was to tell it like it was.

Spike was worried about their situation and about Dawn's welfare, but he felt such happiness that Buffy was asking his opinion about something so close to her heart. She trusted him and wanted to know what he thought in order to make her final decision. The way she was looking at him with those beautiful green eyes told him that his opinion really mattered. Some of his confidence returned. If Buffy believed in him, then he could try believing in himself again too. He tried pushing aside his happiness to give her question serious consideration.

"Well... there's no way for us to be sure, is there? All we can do is go on what our guts are telling us. And my gut says you're not being selfish, Buffy. Whatever else Dawn happens to be, she's your little sister and she's Joyce's daughter. And she was put in your care for a reason. Wouldn't the monks have tried going to the Unari if they thought that was the best place for Dawn to be safe? They went through a lot of trouble to place her in your family because they knew you could get the job done." Spike held her hands in his. "I promise, on my life, I'll help keep the Nibblet safe once we get back home. Glory and her minions will have to go through me to get to her. And I'm a scrapper from way back. But I want you to know I'm with you completely, whether we journey on here or take the next portal home."

Buffy smiled, then leaned up to give him a soft kiss on the lips. "Thank you, Spike. I was hoping you'd say that."

They walked back to the mirror.

"I want to find my sister, I'm not letting her stay in this crazy dimension."

"Very well," the Mirror sighed. "Not that we won't enjoy watching you progress through the challenges, but you are misguided in your belief that --"

"Yeah, yeah. You can protect her better than me -- I heard you the first few times."

"You're very rude. I'm reminded of one of the reasons we withdrew from the outside world," the Mirror said haughtily.

"Well, pardon the fuck out of us if we're not feelin' all friendly after what you lot put us through," Spike said.

"That we are speaking to you is a gift we decided to bestow upon you; we were under no obligation to speak to you at all. And this is how you show your appreciation?" The Mirror's face started to break up.

"Wait!" Buffy cried. "Wait... please."

The face reformed. "Yes?"

"I have so many questions I need to ask. I'm... sorry we were being rude... I want to let my friends and my mom know that I'm okay."

"That will not be possible."

Spike sneered, "It's possible, you just won't do it."

The Mirror chuckled.

Buffy persevered. "Fine. But I want to talk to Dawn to let her know we're coming to help her and take her home."

"That will also not be possible. Or rather, we can, but won't do that. There are basic rules here, we have never let questors communicate with others while the quests are in progress. And we aren't about to change that for the two of you. Show us proper respect."

"Do you have to be such jerks about this?" Buffy asked. "Don't you think Dawn is going to be depressed if she thinks we don't love her enough to try finding her?"

Spike added, "You might prefer to only think of Dawn as the Key, but she's in the body of a teenage hormone bomb who's prone to wild mood swings. You want to keep her safe and happy? Let her know her family and friends love her and would do anything to get her back."

After a pause, "Perhaps you're right, Vampire. We wouldn't want the Key to be distressed."

"Glad you see it our way. And the name's Spike, mate. There's more to me than being just a Vampire."

"No, of course you're not just a Vampire."

Spike couldn't put his finger on it, but he didn't like how the Mirror said that. Like there was some kind of sinister meaning behind the words, like it was up to something... Probably just him being paranoid.

"We will tell Dawn that you are trying to 'rescue' her. And... your friends will know that you are well. But we will do no more than that, we cannot bend the rules too much for you. Others would expect the same."

They blinked, surprised that the Mirror was being more understanding.

"Okay... thanks. I'd rather tell them myself, but as long as they know we're all right, I guess it doesn't matter how they find out."

The Unari were amused that neither Buffy or Spike seemed to suspect that much of what they did showed up in the storybook. The Slayer and Vampire didn't know just how much their friends were seeing (and would see in the future). The poor deluded creatures seemed to think that just one picture of them (if any) would appear in the book and that the text wouldn't be too detailed. If and when they made it back into their world, they would get quite a surprise at finding out how much their friends read and saw of their journeys and trials. It was quite humorous.

Buffy said, "I realize that you don't have to do us any favors, but I'd feel better if I could at least see Dawn, to see with my own eyes that she's okay."

The Mirror didn't answer for a few seconds, Spike and Buffy speculated that it might be conferring with the Unari before it answered.

Then it said, "If it will set your mind to rest on the issue of Dawn's safety, we will show you how she spent her day."

The face joined the white mist swirling in the mirror, then the mist parted, showing a smiling Dawn doing various things, it was like they were watching her on a television monitor.

She was horseback riding on a beautiful, white mare; then she was having her long brown hair brushed and her toenails painted by handmaidens while she chatted with them and ate an apple; then she was modeling ball gowns; then she was seated at a huge, fancy dining room table. Rich, delicious looking foods were spread out on the table for her. Dawn was saying something to a servant, but they couldn't hear her; there was no sound.

"Wish I could hear her..." Buffy muttered.

Suddenly there was sound. And their view expanded so they could see the servant she was talking to. Buffy recognized him as Jonathan Levinson. It seemed that other parts of the dimension were populated by versions of the people they knew. Weird, Dawn had maybe met Jonathan just once; she probably wouldn't even remember she'd met him, but there he was.

"All this food is gonna make me fat," Dawn said, eyeing the platters of rich food. "Aw, what do I care? I'm a princess, right?"

"Of course you are, Highness. You're the most beautiful girl in the kingdom."

Dawn batted her eyes at him. "Thanks, Jonathan, you're sweet. Being a princess rocks!"

"Are you ready for the ball, Milady?"

"I can't wait! I've got the coolest dress to wear. I hope I get a major hottie to notice me."

"A man would have to blind, deaf and dumb not to notice your beauty, Majesty."

"Aww! Thanks, Jonathan. Oh, I'd better get started on my dinner, I've got my dance lesson in an hour." Dawn started shoveling pasta into her mouth, not seeming to care at all if she looked like a pig.

Then the mist closed in to obscure the picture, and the face was back.

"Are you satisfied?"

"I guess I'll have to be. I hope what you showed me wasn't a lie..."

"What you saw was the truth. We want her to be happy and taken care of."

"Hey, I thought the ball already happened?" Buffy said, puzzled. "Remember that picture in the book?" she asked Spike.

"Yeah, I remember. Showed her dressed all fancy and wavin' to people."

"Do you see how your comprehension fails you? There is no past, present, or future. Time has little meaning here. Events that have happened are still occurring and will occur. But through it all, the Key will be protected."

"We'd have to be very stoned to make any sense of that bollocks," Spike said. "Feel like I'm listening to Timothy Leary."

"It didn't seem like she even misses us at all..." Buffy said sadly. She wondered again if Dawn was better off here.

Spike put an arm around her waist. "We're not seeing everything, Buffy. 'Course she's having a grand time riding horses, being waited on hand and foot, dressing in fancy duds and jewels, and eating a feast of her favorite foods. Who wouldn't? But at night, when it's quiet, I'm sure she sheds a tear wanting to see you again."

Buffy smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're on a 'saying the exact right thing to make me feel better' streak."

"Just so you know, I'm not just saying it to make you feel better, pet. That's a good bonus, but I'm saying it because I believe it."

Buffy did feel somewhat reassured that Spike believed it. He had a knack for seeing how people were really feeling, whether they put on a happy face or not. She looked back to the Mirror. "When we do get to Dawn, are you going to let us take her through a portal back into our world?" she asked nervously, hoping these weirdoes didn't want to keep her sister.

"We would allow it, since that is your primary quest. Should you succeed, you will be permitted to take her back to your world. If she wants to go, of course. The Key will not be forced to do anything she doesn't want to do."

"Oh, that's great... we might have a tough time convincing Dawn to leave a place where they pamper her and don't make her do diddly squat."

"She'll jump at the chance to go back home, Buffy. You'll see." Spike believed that, but it probably would take at least a little time to convince a teenage girl to give up the life of a princess so she could go back home where she'd have household chores (and an evil Hell God hunting for her).

"But if Dawn agrees to come back with us, you won't stop it?" Buffy was still suspicious. "No tricks? You'll let us go through a portal home with Dawn without throwing more obstacles in our way?"

"I said we would allow it." The Mirror definitely sounded weary with the conversation. "I think it's high time you went on your way to the portal."

"It's not going to close or anything if we take too long? It'll still be there and open?"

"It will be there waiting for you. Good luck." The mist swirled again.

"Wait! Please! We still have more questions!" Buffy called.

The face did not reform, but they heard it say, "A Mirror such as this one can be found in every new environment. Seek it out if you have a pressing need to speak with us again. But don't try our patience."

And then it was nothing but a deceptively normal looking mirror again.

"Dammit," Buffy muttered. "I didn't get to ask half the stuff I wanted to."

"Yeah, but we did get a look at Dawn. She doesn't look any the worse for wear. She's getting much better treatment than we've gotten in this bloody place."

Buffy nodded, trying to let that make up for the burning questions she didn't get a chance to ask. She really wanted to ask about the extreme lusties that her and Spike had for each other. Was it the Unari manipulating them like puppets, or was it a natural attraction that had simply grown over time? It felt like it was natural, but she didn't trust the Unari; they'd proven to be cruel and they didn't play fair. And what did the Mirror mean about her and Spike's bond?

"There was shit I wanted answered too..." Spike growled. "But it said there were other mirrors in each new place. Reckon we'll have to save the rest of our questions for next time."

Buffy put her arms around Spike and laid her head on his shoulder. "You really think what they showed us was the truth?" she asked, still doubting.

"Something tells me it was true, yeah." Spike could be happy staying like this forever with Buffy's arms around him and her body pressed against his. But the faster they got the show on the road, the faster they would be to getting home, and then getting closer. "Right. Let's pack up the food and get the fuck out of here before more pieces of furniture start talkin' to us."

"I'll be sooo happy to see this house in the rearview. We won't have a car... but you get what I mean." She looked up and giggled.

Spike frowned, smiling a bit. It was so good to see Buffy smile, but he wasn't sure what it was she was smiling about. "Feelin' giddy about getting out of here, eh?"

"Definitely. But mostly, I was wondering why you're wearing the hat."





They finished getting the food and water together. Buffy found another bag to put the magick book, map, and the wand in -- Spike stuffed the green hat in the bag too. He hoped he'd never see it again after this was over.

Buffy showed Spike the lantern and some matches. "I'm taking this too."

Spike was making a last visual sweep of the room to make sure they weren't leaving anything they might need. He glanced at her. "Good idea. It'll keep the animals away."

"Animals?" Buffy hadn't considered that benefit of having light with them.

"Well yeah, we know there are wolves around, we've heard them howling at night." He saw the nervous look on her face. "Don't worry, the light will keep 'em away. More afraid of you than you are of them, and all that rot."

She set the lantern down on the table. "Unless they're starving... then they'll attack anything that moves. And we're going to have food with us..."

Spike stepped up to her with an unconcerned smile, he put his hands on her shoulders and lightly kissed her forehead. "No wild animal's going to hurt you while I'm around. I'm a much bigger and wilder animal than anything out there."

"I could fight if I had to, I don't need you to protect me," she said a little defensively. Then she smiled a bit, and fingered the collar of his shirt. "I mean... I appreciate you wanting to protect me and everything. It's just that I've felt so helpless so often since we've been here, but I'm the Slayer and it's time I started acting like it again. I kick major ass."

"That you do, luv. I'm very aware of how rough 'n tough you are under normal circumstances. Watching you in action while you dispatch some baddies is..." Spike sighed dreamily at picturing her kicking demon ass, "It's a thing of beauty. But you aren't 100% Buffy yet, and until you are, I'm going to take point when danger's afoot."

"I feel a lot better since I ate and napped. It's just that I don't want to be forced to kill any innocent animals, that's all."

"You won't have to. They won't bother us. But if they do, we can try scarin' them off before I resort to any killing. Okay?"

"Okay."

Spike just had to have her in his arms one more time for a thorough snog before they left. Buffy squeaked when his arms were suddenly around her and his lips were pressed to hers. Buffy's arms went up around his neck and she joined in the kiss, knowing she should tell him to stop, but it felt so good. No one had ever kissed her like Spike did. They'd had some sweet, light kiss-age that had made her warm up gradually, but it was this hungry, possessive kiss that immediately made her toes curl and her body thrum with desire.

His mouth moved along her jaw, he kissed her ear then her neck.

"You feel it, don't you, pet?" Spike said huskily, holding her body tight against his.

"Spike, we... we really don't have time for th-this." Oh, it was so difficult to protest. She just wanted to rip those shorts off his body and ride him into the ground. "I told you my reasons for waiting, and you pressing it against my --"

Spike laughed and backed off. "There's that dirty mind of yours again. I'll have you know I was referring to you feeling the heat and sparks that I feel between us. Not other, more... tangible things."

"Oh... well, I knew that. Yes... I do feel it. The heat and sparkage. But I'm going to stick to my pledge to wait. I want to kiss you... and more... I really want to. But... I can't."

Spike let out a ragged breath. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. Your fault for bein' so bloody irresistible."

"I still think you might need glasses, I look like total crap." Buffy smoothed back her hair, then made sure her clothes were straight, trying to hide the smile she got from knowing she drove this gorgeous man wild with lust, even when she looked (what she considered) bad. "Now, can we go, please? I can't stand being in this place for one more minute."





They finally walked out of the gingerbread house, both of them throwing a nervous look or two over their shoulders as they approached the gate. They were still paranoid that something would happen to stop them, but who could blame them?

Spike was carrying everything except the lantern (and the axe, which Buffy had decided made her feel more secure). Buffy didn't want to keep being the weak maiden and let Spike do everything -- but she also didn't like carrying stuff, so she didn't mind him being overprotective this time. Besides, Spike seemed to enjoy being able to do things for her, it made him feel all manly.

Buffy smiled as they walked down the path, convincing herself that it really was over. Freedom had never felt so good. "My new goal in life is to eat as much good food as I can in one sitting without getting sick. They'll have to bury me in a piano case. Jabba the Slayer, is what they'll call me."

"Might have trouble battling the forces of evil if it takes a forklift to move you, luv."

"I bet you wouldn't want to kiss me then," she said with a coquettish smile.

"I'll take that bet. I don't mind a woman having some meat on her bones. You know, it's not just the window dressing that gets my motor revved -- though it is some beautiful window dressing, at that. I'm captivated by the whole Buffy Summers package."

She batted her eyes at him, "Why, Spike, that's..." Buffy stopped walking abruptly when they got to the gate, "Oh shit... Wait! Stop!"

Spike stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong?"

"The invisible fence thing... What if we can't get out because of that spell?"

"Shit."

"That's what I said."

They looked at the border of the property with trepidation.

"I forgot about that... But maybe the spell was broken when the Green Meanie bit the dust," Spike said hopefully.

"Maybe..."

Spike put down the bags and stepped toward the fence.

"Spike, you're doing it again! Stop putting yourself in --"

"Buffy, one of us has to test it to see if the spell is still active, and I'm volunteering to do it. So shut your beautiful gob."

She raised her eyebrows. "If you think you're the boss of me, somebody done told you wrong. And I won't shut my gob. My gob will stay wide open, thank you very much."

"Yeah, I'm quite the male chauvinist villain, ain't I? Ordering you to step back while I take the brunt of the possible danger."

"Okay, just... try going out the gate. Get it over with." The suspense and worry were killing her. The words 'be careful' wanted to come out of her mouth, but that would be a pretty stupid thing to say.

But Buffy didn't have to say it, Spike could see the worry for him in her eyes. He took a deep breath, then took a big step past the gate. And he wasn't zapped. He turned around with a big grin. "Nothing. The coast is clear." He jumped back and forth across the border of the property a few times to make sure.

Buffy grinned back at him. "Yay! I thought for sure they'd try screwing with us some more. Let's go!"

Spike took the bags from where he'd set them down, and they started north on the road.

After only a few steps, Spike stopped walking again. "Wait," he sighed.

Buffy groaned. "No more waiting, let's just go! Every second we're here is a chance for something crazy and horrible to happen."

"Fine, you go on ahead then, there's something I have to do. I'll catch up in a few minutes."

"I am not going anywhere without you. What else could you possibly have to do here? Unless you want to burn it down -- Ooh, let's burn it down!"

"Razing the place to the ground does sound good, but that's not what I was thinking." Spike sighed and looked over to where the animal pens were. "I'm going to let the animals out before we go."

"Why?" Buffy's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"'Cos... we don't know if all this will keep existing after we've gone through the portal. If it does, those animals will be trapped in their pens if we don't let them out. After being starved like I was, I don't want any creature to suffer like that. They might have to deal with predators, but at least they have a chance of getting away. I know it's silly, but..."

"Aww! That is so --"

Spike looked at her seriously, "Do not say it's... sweet."

"Well... it is! And I feel the same way, now that you brought it up. We should let the animals go, that would be the compassionate thing to do."

"I'll take care of it. Wait here," Spike grumbled, then walked quickly around the side of the house.

Buffy sighed, smiling and waiting for Spike to come back. It was this kind of stuff that she never would have predicted he would do. It was this kind of stuff that made her more certain that she wanted him for more than just hot sex -- which she had to wait to sample, but knew it would be hot.


Spike was back a few minutes later, having let the cooped up animals out.

And they started their way north to the portal, bidding adieu to their prison forever.


Chapter End Notes:
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