"A Demon Lord has come to Sunnydale," Spike stated flatly, looking around the table at everyone. "It's not-"

"That's it?" interrupted Xander. "Some kind of extra fancy demon royalty? What's the big deal with that? We can fight one demon, no problem!"

"Yeah, Spike, big deal," shot Willow. "What we SHOULD be talking about is that spell you put on Buffy!"

"In due time, Red," Spike responded as Anya scoffed at her fiance (knew he liked that girl), "because if certain people would keep their bleedin' traps shut, I could explain that a Demon Lord is not as simple as the title makes it sound. It's a very specific term. ‘S not just a demon who's a little smarter and stronger and in charge of the rest of its kind. It's a being - usually starts out as a human - who has developed his or her capacity for magic over decades, maybe even a century or more."

"You mean they've prolonged their life spans with magic?" Willow, suddenly distracted from Spike's spell.

"Among other, more terrifying things, yes," Spike said. He noticed Giles looking at Willow with concern and grinned to himself. Witch gettin' too big for her britches, it seemed. No wonder the luscious Tara had had enough. Although, he wished she hadn't a little. He liked that one, treat for the eyes and the ears she was. And not unpleasant to him like the rest of -

"Spike." Witch called him back to where he was.

"Sorry, Red," he said, sending her a saucy smile. "Still recoverin' and all that." Willow rolled her eyes. "Anyway, point is, the title Demon Lord is because eventually, this thing - person - being - whatever - acquires control over all species of demon. On varying levels, but it grows over time. And this should go without sayin', but they're not mobilizing an army of demons to save damsels in distress and kittens up trees."

"Oh, thanks, Spike," Xander said, sarcasm evident. "I was hoping this Lord guy would take over the world, making it safer for everyone but you."

Ignoring the whelp, Spike went on. "Demons are terrified of these Lords, because even the thickest of ‘em don't want to be stripped of free will and used as cannon fodder or what have you. And the thing is, all the Demon Lords I've heard of have a sense of humor. Mischief, I guess. They're hard to get at, because they're not about some cliched world takeover. They're about having a good time, and their idea of a good time isn't something even I can always get into."

"Well, hey, Spike, good to know that there's some kind of depravity out there that you won't sink to," quipped Xander.

"Xander, please," Giles said quietly. He had been silent until now, and Spike found himself strangely pleased that the Watcher had sort of defended him. Their mutual lack of patience with Xander was rewarding, at times.

"Spike, I don't mean to doubt your knowledge, but I find it strange that the Council has never heard of anything like a Demon Lord." Giles pushed his glasses up his nose. "It sounds, from what you say, like a highly visible threat that would have come to the attention of Slayers and their Watchers."

"Sounds like you're making it up," Willow smiled, nastier than Spike had seen her. "Making it up so you can put a spell on Buffy, right? As if harassing her all the time wasn't enough, you -"

"Willow!" Buffy finally showed some sign of animation. "I feel fine. Can we at least wait for Spike to explain?" Willow pouted and crossed her arms, but stayed quiet.

"Look, Rupes," said Spike, his momentary liking for the librarian dissipated and Red on his last nerve. "Demon Lords are smart. Smarter than vampires, smarter than humans. They're in it for themselves. Why would they try to draw attention? They never target Slayers, or even go near a Slayer's territory. Usually." Spike snuck a look at Buffy. This concerned him more than anything, a Demon Lord in the town of a Slayer who had become legendary. She looked - blank. Unconcerned. And that was scary to him, too.

"But I find it hard to believe that NO hint of the existence of such a powerful being has ever reached the Watcher Council's ears," persisted Giles.

"Really?" spat Spike. "Because I don't. How many Watchers get killed by demons? Not a lot, but it's a hazard of the profession, right? Not somethin' you lot look into all that closely. Watcher hears a bit about a Demon Lord, Demon Lord makes it their bloody priority to get rid of that Watcher. And when it's on a Demon Lord's list of things to do, it gets done now don't it? With any one of the horde at their beck and call. And anytime they pull something - like the rebellions in Prague in the 1400s - it's hard to see it for their work."

"In that case, how do you know about them, then, Spike?" asked Giles witheringly.

"Because I'm a demon, that's why," Spike explained as though to a child. "Demon Lords are a big stinkin' hazard in our world. Dunno who first figured it and shared the knowledge, but most demons hear those rumors and beat it the hell out of town. Leaving ‘em to spread the word. We don't wanna be mind controlled and it's not like the buggers usually have a cause we can get behind. Vampires especially steer clear. We like to go our own way."

"If everyone could stop baiting each other for just a moment, I want to say that Spike isn't making it up. I've had quite the history with at least one Demon Lord," Anya put in. "From my demon days - vengeance demons and Lords actually get along pretty well, we're both into chaos and enjoy, you know, the little things, like disembowelments and-"

"An," said Xander. "Um, gross now."

"Sorry, sorry, so sensitive, aww" Anya said, and petted Xander's face. "Anyway, like I said, Demon Lords, real things, like chaos, one of the few things demons'll run from."

"Then why haven't YOU left town, Spike?" asked Buffy, sudden and direct. The vampire squirmed a little. He didn't mind being the good guy for Buffy, but in front of the others it was galling.

"Yeah, and can we talk about that spell now?" put in Willow.  Spike decided he preferred the latter question. Witchy wasn't going to shut up about anytime soon, besides.

"It was protection," Spike told them. "I don't know exactly what it does, but it magnifies the bearer's existing strengths and protects against the supernatural abilities of enemies. It may even manifest as physical protection sometimes, hard to tell. Depends on the threat, and the champion."

"So Buffy is... the champion?" asked Xander.

"Well, yes," said Spike. "I don't know why a Demon Lord is here, but Buffy is legendary already. She's the Slayer who wins and who won't quit. Appeals to some who like a challenge," here, the vampire had the grace to look abashed, "and maybe this Lord was bored. Endless supply of demons on the Hellmouth, too. Any way you slice it, it's a threat to Buffy, Sunnydale, the Hellmouth, maybe larger, I don't know."

"How come you didn't get this for Buffy sooner?" asked Anya. "It sounds great, and since you're obsessed with her and all-"

"It's a bit hard to get, darlin'," Spike said hastily. "Can't ask for it for yourself, someone's got to ask it for you. Got to be for a really good reason, specific and all that, and there's payment to be made."

"Glory wasn't a really good reason?" this came from Willow, angry again.

"She was, just..." whispered Spike. He'd tormented himself over and over for not at least trying to get her protection, after she - jumped. But... "It wouldn't have blocked the powers of a god," he told them. "It comes from the Powers That Be, and they won't help out again one of their own. Start a divine war and all that."

"You went to the Three," breathed Giles. "How did you get in? And my god, Spike, how did you pay them?"

Spike REALLY did not want to explain that second one. Any whisper of the idea of him being Buffy's consort and they'd all send him flying out the door arse-first, not to mention the choices part. If anyone even believed that the sisters had actually said that, they'd still stake Spike just in case he made the wrong choices.

"Spike?" asked Buffy. "Was it... make with the big time payment?"

"I, er, had been there before," said Spike, trying to stall with the first answer. "When Dru was sick, before we even came to Sunnydale, we went to the Three. Dru could find them, you see, maybe cause she was mental, and we thought they could heal her. A protection spell to make her right again. And I guess they could've, but we didn't have anything they wanted in payment for helping a creature of the dark and all..." Bugger, he was back to the payment part. Searching quickly, he said, "They're not all on the side of fluffy bunnies, you know."

"I should hope not! Then we'd all be dead," said Anya, shuddering. "Can you imagine, invincible bunnies?!"

"Sure, An," said Xander amiably, "that'd be terrifying all right."

Spike was hoping the conversation would continue elsewhere, but then Giles the British Bugger had to bring it all back around.

"Yes, I've read that they are quite indiscriminate with their aid," he said, polishing his glasses. "Although the price is often higher for creatures of the dark... but some theories postulate that is a result of evil beings having less they care about, thus less to sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" asked Willow. "What did YOU sacrifice, Spike?" The redhead was getting belligerent again.

Unable to come up with something that would gain Buffy's gratitude while not seeming suspicious - it had to be noble but also not obviously weakening, no idea - Spike decided to just tell a bit of the truth. "I didn't pay anything," he told them. "They said... they said their price must be nothing."

"Must be?" asked Giles with an incredulous look. "Why on earth must? I have never heard of the Three offering their services freely."

"I don't know," said Spike. "I suppose they may have more of a bent towards the light than you think. They called Buffy ‘the Slayer who was not allowed to stop fighting'."

"Allow-" Willow began, but then cut herself off. She looked ashamed, and sad.

Everyone looked at Willow for a moment, and then Xander said in a small voice, "Maybe these Three are on the good side... or maybe this Demon Lord is a threat to them, too." For once, the whelp was using his brain, and Spike nodded at him. Everyone was quiet, thinking on that. The silence stretched across the table, more and more somber until a door slam broke into the space.

"GEEZ, who died?" asked Dawn, throwing down her bag and standing hands on her hips. "Wait, oh god, did someone we know die? Where's Tara?" All flippancy draining out of her tone, the teenager sat in the empty chair. Spike felt for the girl, wanting to be a part of things and afraid as all-getout after losing her mum and her sis in the same few months, but he didn't want to sit through the Dawn-splanation.

"This lot can tell you," replied Spike. Then, nicely, "Nobody's died yet." He pushed back his chair and went into the living room to get his leather coat. From it he yelled "I'm off," and headed for the door. It had been nice to take a shower and a nap on Buffy's couch, but it was just dark and he wanted his pad. He wanted some whiskey, and a bigger nap, and he didn't want the Scoobies to know how wiped he still was.

Buffy appeared at the door as Spike opened it. He looked at her, hoping to see some tenderness, gratitude, even fear - but she just looked blank. All the Buffy personality he'd seen starting to creep out over the last few days was gone, in the face of a threat that demanded the warrior, not the girl.

"I'll let you know if I hear anything else," he said to her, just wanting to elicit some kind of response. Her presence at the door was something, but not if she was zombie Buffy.

"Thanks, Spike," she said. Her face did change a little, then, and she added, "for everything. The protection, I mean. Thanks."

"Not a problem," Spike said, heading out the door. He wasn't in the mood to see this Buffy right now, and he really wanted that bloody drink.

"Spike," Buffy called out when he was almost across the lawn. The vampire looked back at her, standing in the lighted doorway, always startlingly tiny. "Control over demons - could that include you?"

Spike wasn't sure if he heard concern or curiosity, vulnerability or what, but there was only one response.

"It could, pet, but it won't," he called back, and left.