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Spike watched Past-Dawn from the doorway of her room. She laid on her bed with her back to him, but he knew she was crying, he could smell her tears. "Niblet, mind if I come in?"

Past-Dawn shrugged and sat up. "I don't care."

Spike sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed Past-Dawn's shoulder soothingly. "We'll get him back."

Past-Dawn lift her eyes to him. "He's my best friend. I can't lose him. I've already lost-" her voice caught in her throat.

Spike scooped Past-Dawn into his arms. He ran his hand up and down her back as she nuzzled her face into his neck. "It's okay, Dawn, I know what he means to you. You won't lose anyone else, I swear, Dawn. No one else is leaving your life."

She clutched his shirt and cried silently.

Spike's ears perked up as foot falls approached the room. He looked up in time to see Past-Buffy step into the room.

"How is she?" Past-Buffy asked softly.

"Dawn will be okay when her bloody pal is returned safe and sound."

"What if we don't-" Spike cut her off

"We *will* get the bugger back." Spike hugged Past-Dawn a little tighter and whispered to her, "We will."

Past-Buffy asked more forcefully. "We don't know that. What if Angelus has already killed him?"

Spike kissed the top of Past-Dawn's head. "Made a promise to a lady; one that I plan on keeping."

Past-Buffy moved to her sister's side. "Dawnie? I'm going to need Spike if we want to get... um, Spike back? We should assign nick-names."

Past-Dawn removed herself from Spike and dried her eyes. "Okay, just get him back to me."

Spike squeezed her shoulder. "You gonna be okay?"

Past-Dawn nodded. "Yeah, you go save my friend." She smiled sadly at Spike. "My other friend."

Spike kissed her forehead. "Right, coming down, or stayin' here?"

Past-Dawn blushed. "I'll stay here and listen to my boy bands."

Spike shuddered. "Play it quietly, maybe my vampire hearing won't pick it up."

Past-Dawn raised her eyebrow. "Does my music scare the big bad Master vampire?"

Spike smirked, glad Dawn wasn't distracted from her heartache. "Your sister and your music are the only things that do. I'll probably have nightmares about being a part of one of your girly, boy bands."

Past-Dawn smiled brightly. "I can see you dancing on stage already!"

Spike groaned and rolled his eyes. "Remember when you made me dress up in the god awful outfit to meet your friends during the summer?"

Dawn giggled. "You looked great! All of my friends were drooling over you."

Spike chuckled. "Yeah, well I felt like a Justin Timberlake wanna be. I better follow your sis." Spike patted Past-Dawn's back. "Come down if you get tired of nancy sounding boys, and bad music."

Dawn scooped up a disc and popped it in her player. "Never gonna happen."

Spike shook his head and followed Past-Buffy out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Past-Buffy raised her eyebrow at Spike. "Justin Timberlake?"

"Don't ask."

She stared at him thoughtfully. "How do you do it?"

"Well, you know, I wore a stupid outfit and teased my hair a little. It was-"

"Not that. I talk to Dawn, and all I get is the teenager treatment. You put down her music and she's batting her lashes at you. How do you make her smile?"

Spike slung his arm over her shoulders. "Easy, I'm like her older brother, only she can show me off to all her mates. Plus, we got pretty close, during the summer."

Buffy jogged up the stairs. "What's taking you two so long?" Her tone was tinted with jealousy.

Spike walked over to Buffy and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Just calmin' the Bit a little."

Past-Buffy shouldered her way past Spike and Buffy and stomped down the stairs. "We should get on with it."

Everyone collected in the living room. Spike sat sandwiched between Dawn and Buffy on the loveseat. Xander, Anya and Past-Buffy sat on the couch, Tara sat on an armchair and Willow sat on a chair from the dining room.

Willow sneaked a glance at Tara, her heart ached. 'Why can't I sit with her?' Willow asked herself. 'Because she freaked when you attacked her with love earlier,' her annoyingly intuitive inner voice answered.

Tara looked over at Willow, and caught her looking. "Does- does something h-happen to me? I-in the f-future I mean."

Willow gazed down at her hands. "Yes."

"What?" Tara asked.

"You… die." Willow closed her eyes on the tears, and shut them out before they started. "Warren does- did it. Where I come from that is."

Xander sprung from his seat. "Then we'll stop him!"

Past-Buffy nodded. "Duly noted. But unless it happens today, it gets set on the back-burner. First we save Willow, then soul Angel up, then get Spike… the other, not so present Spike."

Spike shook his head. "Not a chance. Angelus is up to something, and probably torturing the prat as we speak. Soul Angel, get me out of where ever he is, then save Red."

Xander stuck his finger at Spike. "No way, Billy. Willow first, the Fang gang second."

Spike bit back a crude comment about Xander's nether regions, and took a deep breath. "Listen, I promised Dawn that we'd get her mate home safely. The lack of a soul made Angelus real unstable the last time he lost it, he could be doing anything right now, there's no way of knowing how bad the damage is without checking it out. He needs to be souled."

Willow shook her head. "I'm using too much power keeping the portal open, I can't do it."

Buffy waved her hand in the air. Wait, wait, wait. I thought Dawn kept the portal open?"

Willow sighed. "She helps, and from our dimension I can use her to open the portal, but it still takes my power to do this. I'm not powerful enough to split my magic, our gate would close."

Dawn spoke. "But can't you use me to reopen the portal?"

"Yes, the portal to this dimension, not to ours."

"Yeah, but what about the other me?"

Willow shook her head. "You're the Key, you're essence is… multidimensional."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "explain-y?"

Willow rubbed her temples. "I used the Key. The Key breaks dimensional barriers. The Key's essence is exactly same. Just like gods." Willow glanced around the group; annoyed that Spike and Anya seemed to be the only ones to understand her.

"What about Glinda?" Spike asked.

Tara stuttered and shook her head. "Wi-Willow is the strong one. I c-can't do that m-agic yet."

Suddenly the front door splintered against the wall, and sent pieces of wood flying.

Angelus' voice rang out, his body hidden by the wall that separated the two rooms. "Who missed me? Be honest now, don't be embarrassed."

Both Buffy and her double leaped to their feet and ran into the front room, stopping in front of Angelus.

Angelus had a gun leveled, moving it between the two. "I thought that you still might be a bit sore, so I got something to settle everyone's nerves. How does it work?"

Spike moved into the room, quickly getting between the girls and the gun. "Vampires don't use guns, mate. It's kinda pathetic."

"I'd stop mouthing off. I'm not opposed to pumping a little lead into your carcass."

"What, you're going to shoot a vampire, mate? Think it will help? Can't kill me with that toy."

Angelus pushed his tongue against his cheek. "Ya know what? I really can't kill you. Thanks for pointing that out." He squeezed the trigger.

The bullet tore through Spike's thigh. A second hit him mid ribs on his left side, and a third went through his throat and hit Buffy in the shoulder.

Spike fell to his knees; one hand clutched at his neck, he used the other to brace himself.

Buffy leaned against the stair railing as Past-Buffy zipped into the living room. "God, spike was right. This is way wimpy for a vampire."

Angelus rolled his shoulders. "What can I say? It was three to one, and not in my favor." Angelus moved to Spike and kicked him in the face.

Spike's head flung back and he fell backwards. He coughed out blood and gritted his teeth against the pain.

Angelus spun and backhanded Buffy as she jumped at him. He kicked her in the side and brought his foot down on her back. "That was fun. I'm definitely using this more often."

He whistled as he strolled into the living room. He dropped into a crouch as an axe flew towards his head. Pointing the gun at Dawn, he kept his eyes on Past-Buffy -who was standing a foot from him with an axe in hand- "How many of your friends do you think I can kill before you stop me?"

Past-Buffy looked around the room. Her friends and Dawn all stood clustered. She glared down at Angelus. "What do you want?"

"You could start with dropping the axe, and not on my head or your sis gets it."

Past-Buffy put her arms at her sides and let the axe slip out of her hand. "What now?"

Angelus stood up. "Now," He whacked her in the side of the head with the butt of the gun and she dropped like a sack of potatoes, "you come with me." He kick her in the head for good measure.

Xander jumped at Angelus. "Bastard!"

Angelus fired twice. One shot struck Xander in the shoulder while the other hit the wall beside Dawn's head. "You're all very lucky that I'm letting you live… for now."

Anya glowered at Angelus from Xander's side. "Why are you letting us live? I've heard stories about you, you're not a 'leave survivors' kinda vampire."

"Not that we're complaining!" Willow added.

Angelus picked Past-Buffy up and tossed her over his shoulder. "I'd rather Buffy kill you herself. Ciao." He turned and glided out of the house and disappeared into the night.

Anya held Xander's head to her chest. "We've gotta get Xander to the hospital. It's custom to do so after one is shot."

Willow grabbed the phone. "I'll call an ambulance."

Buffy poked her head into the room. "Is there still Slayer blood in the freezer?" Her voice was pitched with worry, and her eyes burn with fury.

Tara nodded. "I- I think s-so. I'll get it. I-is Spike…?"

Buffy shook her head and fought back the need to scream. "I don't know. He's lost a lot of blood, he's sheet white and not responding. He needs blood."





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