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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry that its been while since I updated. Sick kid, sick me and the holdays are upon us, not to mention unnegotiated contracts.. enjoy and thanks for the kind and lovely reviews. Please let me know how you like this one

[A/N: This has been an interesting ride so far. I’m having a blast writing this. Onward and upward we go. Title is from that sort of famous Irish group, as is the quote. First time I saw them it was 1982 and they sucked, but there was something about them. Just kind of knew they were gonna be special. I’m really glad they’ve gotten a little bit better. Nice to see them eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Slainte, one and all. Disclaimers haven’t changed, but I’m thinking of working on Joss now that he’s got some idle time.]

Previously: Everyone is at Revello Drive and seen Buffy (except for Willow). Let the explanations begin . . .

17. A Sort of Homecoming

Tonight we’ll build a bridge across the sea and land
See the sky, the burning rain
She will die and live again
Tonight

And your heart beats so slow
Through the rain and fallen snow
Across the fields of mourning
To a light that’s in the distance

Oh, don’t sorrow
No don’t weep for tonight, at last
I am coming home
I am coming home
From the album The Unforgettable Fire.



There wasn’t a sound in the house. Xander, Anya and Giles all stared at Buffy, who stood quietly in the dining room’s entrance, eyes wide and wary. Spike and Tara exchanged a look, both of them worried about Buffy’s reaction. Giles’ face had such an indescribable look upon it, something Spike was reluctant to witness. Xander’s features were a study in comical disbelief and staggering hope, so much so that Tara was forced to suppress the little giggle that was burbling in her belly. Anya, on the other hand, had her head cocked slightly to the side, intently studying the slayer.

Buffy started fidgeting, wringing her hands together. Her eyes lowered, then she snuck a glance to her side, noting Spike at her side, lounging against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. Sweeping her downcast gaze across the others, Buffy smiled slightly at the expressions on Tara’s and Dawn’s faces. Dawn was practically bouncing in her seat, a Chesire cat grin gracing her features. Buffy smiled a little wider in response, which broke the silence.

“Oh dear lord.” Giles breathed out the words, getting up from his chair.

He reached out to Buffy, hesitating just a bit when she flinched back from him. When she relaxed, the Englishman moved to hug her. He couldn’t speak, not for lack of trying though. His emotions just weren’t able to be put into words. Buffy seemed to be suffering from much the same, since all she did was hold him close. Her face was turned to the side, where Spike was standing and he saw the relief settle on her features.

Little tears slipped from beneath her closed lashes. There was a bit of peace on her face also, like she had needed this comfort from her watcher. A tiny niggle of jealousy crept into his heart and he quickly squashed it. He knew she didn’t think about Giles that way, was obvious long before this that she had put him into a fatherly slot.

Xander was frozen in place. Unable to move or think and barely breathing. His entire system was in shock. Buffy was standing there. In the flesh. Complete. How he knew it wasn’t the Buffybot he wasn’t sure. At least not until Giles got up to hug her. That’s when his composure broke. Xander put his food down, swallowing loudly. His mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, no sound coming out.

Anya was the first one to speak. “Is that really you? How did you – what happened?”

Without letting Giles go, Buffy spoke. “Yes its me.”

Pushing back his chair with a loud noise, Xander got to his feet.

“Buffy.” His voice broke and Xander stood still, gulping breaths heaving in his chest.

Breaking free from Giles’ embrace, Buffy moved around the older man to face one of her best friends. “Hey Xan. You okay?”

It was obvious that he wasn’t, but the absurdity of her questioning how he was broke his silence. His nervous laugh ended in a catch, as he opened his arms to her. Again there was a moment of hesitation before she moved to hug him back.

This was hard, harder than she’d expected. It wasn’t comfortable being here right now. The lights hurt her eyes and every noise startled her. Sudden movements weren’t much better, because when Anya jumped up to join their hug, Buffy visibly jumped, breaking away from Xander.

“You okay?” Xander’s voice was full of concern.

Buffy shook her head, stepping back a bit. Unconsciously moving closer to Spike she barely refrained from backing into his chest. At her movement backwards, he’d straightened away from the wall. Bare inches separated them and she could feel his supporting presence like a rock behind her.

Sensing her skittishness, Anya paused, waiting until Buffy composed herself. It took a moment, but when she smiled at the former demon, Anya stepped forward to hug her.

“Welcome back. Even though I don’t know where you were or how you got back. It’s good to see you, even if you do look like hell.”

Leave it to Anya to state the obvious. Spike snorted a laugh, while her disingenuous words broke the tension engulfing the room.

“Well then” came from Giles, while Tara motioned her to a chair, “here Buffy I fixed you some plain noodles.”

Somehow they all settled into seats, even Spike, who piled his plate with pasta garnished with hot sauce. There was silence for a little bit longer, when all at once the dam broke for once and all.

“What happened?”

“How did you get back?”

“When did this happen?”

And the one question Buffy had no intention of answering for a very long time “where were you?”

Looking up from her plate, Buffy said the only thing she could think of, “I don’t remember much of anything.”

There was more babbling, which she tried to tune out, but as the voices got louder, Buffy flinched more and more. Spike’s voice cut through the chatter. Despite the volume of his voice and the aggravated tone, Buffy visibly relaxed. Well visibly to the two people who were paying close attention to her. Both Tara and Spike had been watching her, each of them ready to jump in if things got too rough. That it was Spike that reacted first was of little surprise to the wiccan.

His protective instincts were always hyper, especially when his emotions were engaged and they were most definitely whenever Buffy was involved.

“Hold your water all.” Cutting across all their questions, Spike drew everyone’s attention. “Leave off and let’s do this slow, yeah?”

Even Giles held back a comment. Waiting a beat to make sure he wasn’t going to be interrupted, Spike spoke again. “Don’t think the Slayer has many answers, but Glinda might.”

Never comfortable with being the center of attention, Tara nearly froze when everyone’s gaze riveted to her. A very nervous smile crossed her face and Tara shot Spike a glance that spoke volumes about payback.

Hesitant at first, but each moment gaining more confidence, Tara quickly went over the events of the previous night. She left nothing out, including her suspicions about Willow. When Xander gasped and dropped his hand back down to the table, she knew that he’d known something.

Giles let her finish without interrupting. Her voice trailed off after she told them about binding her girlfriend. That was when he spoke. “Where is she now?”

No one’d noticed it until then, not even Spike. But all at once the fury Giles had been concealing was laid bare.

“Upstairs in our room” was Tara’s softly worded response.

“Giles” Xander cleared his throat, not really certain he wanted to draw the older man’s attention, but knowing he had too. “Couple of months ago, I thought Willow was acting strange. She told me she was planning this.”

The look Giles shot him was enough to freeze alcohol, but the tone of his voice could’ve drawn blood. “And you just decide to keep this too yourself?”

“She thought . . . she told me you’d try to stop her . . . that you wouldn’t let her do it it. Said something about you thinking she couldn’t do it, that it would be dangerous.” He was flustered and confused, but they were almost all acting like they weren’t happy about Buffy being back, which he didn’t understand at all.

“Thing is whelp, there’s always a price. Magic this strong always has consequences.” Spike’s tone was no less blood-freezing than Giles’ but Xander wasn’t afraid of him – he couldn’t act on his anger.

“Right. And you can’t tell me you’re not jumping for joy that she’s back.” Xander couldn’t resist.

“Oh I’m happy, all right, that she’s here. Just not over the moon ‘bout how she got here is all.” No reason to lie to anyone. There was real fire in his eyes now, but Buffy’s hand on his tensed arm drew his focus.

“Spike’s right.” Tara’s voice sounded in the charged air. “Magic . . . the rule . . for every action, equal and opposite reaction.” Glancing once at Buffy in apology, Tara continued “but even more, she shouldn’t have had to come back that way.”

Now Xander was truly bewildered. “What way. . . what are you talking about?”

His eyes on the girl beside him, Spike ground out “had to crawl her way out.” As he watched Buffy’s eyes closed. He waited until she was ready for him to continue. “Yeah, Red’s mojo worked, but only not so well. Found her just after she’d dug her way out of her own grave.”

This time there was no break of the silence.


******************************* *******************************


There really hadn’t been much to say after that. A little more conversation, some food eaten, desultory conversation between those willing to engage in idle chatter and then suddenly, it was time for him to go out and patrol.

Warring with his desire to stay close and protect his humans, was Spike’s desperate need to thrash something – anything – to within an inch of its life, and then stomp it into hell. Giving into the bloodthirst, he’d waiting only long enough to make sure everyone was settled before heading away from Revello.

Time to battle the nasties.

Exerting a bit of pressure on the whelp earlier, Giles had gotten everything he knew out of him. Which hadn’t been much. It was enough, would serve as a starting point, but they wouldn’t have all the answers until they woke Red. Knowing Rupert, that would be sometime in the morning. The watcher’s anger fueled adrenaline rush hadn’t lasted long and by the time Spike had been ready to go kill something, Rupert had been fighting sleep. Buffy wasn’t much better. So Xander and his girl had toddled off, while the others settled in for the night.

When he’d left, Giles’ snores could be heard at the front door and Dawn’s stereo hummed away. Buffy and Dawn had retreated upstairs, for some sister time.

Making his way methodically and quickly through the cemeteries, Spike wasted no time hanging about waiting for any nasties too shy to come out and play.

The three vamps he’d dispatched already were just minor blips, not even worthy of his wasting a breath on. After last night, things were strangely quiet. He really hated nights like this, especially when he was craving some bloodsport.

Bypassing Willie’s and the Bronze, Spike headed for Glory’s tower. He’d promised the watcher and the witch he’d take a look around, see if anything came through the portal before they’d managed to close it.

Long before he was in sight range, Spike’s other senses went haywire. The energy was pulsing and there was a stench lingering in the air that was a cross between dump waste and rotting horseflesh. It was so strong he could almost taste it. He slowed his approach, straining his ears for any sound. There was a note of fresh rich blood in the air as counterpoint and Spike had to shake himself to stay out of game face.

Oh yeah. That was the good stuff, and more than one by the strength of it. He’d never admit it, not to any of his humans and especially not the Slayer, but he loved the scent of teenaged girls blood. It was better than the best scotch, better than . . . well blood and sex still made his mouth water. He expected they always would.

And right now, that’s what he smelled, blood and sex, under cut with that foul stench. Following his nose, Spike veered to his left, where the blood was strongest.

Judging by the amount of blood in the air, whatever had killed hadn’t either been very hungry, which left out vamps, or was just incredibly messy which left the possibilities wide open. Almost tripping over the first body, Spike eliminated any thoughts of vamps at all.

The construction site that Glory had commandeered for her tower was riddled with closed off areas, ideal for nesting nasties or the kind that killed, dumped and ran.

Had to be at least six girls here. At first glance he saw enough body parts for that anyway. Stepping behind a pile of wood and cement, Spike found the hiding hole of something very large.

Blood and gore was splattered nearly ten feet above his head. Most of it was fairly fresh, sometime in the last twenty-four hours. Which gave him an indication that whatever it was had just arrived in Sunnyhell – further indicating again that this nasty just might have slipped through Red’s doorway.

Which just added to his anger. Bitch. Just blindly gone ahead – opening portals that had no business being opened – bringing her back that way.

Fucking hell.

This was just . . . wrenching his attention back to the matter at hand, Spike pushed all thoughts of Willow from his head. All this blood was just gonna draw scavengers. Unless, yeah, what the hell, why not.

Searching around, Spike found a couple of half full gas cans. Working quickly he piled the body parts together. Adding wood and dribbling a trail of gasoline all around, Spike light a fag, drawing in the scent of sex, blood and tobacco. A sardonic smile crossed his features as he flicked the cigarette onto the pile, then turned his back.

There was a small crackling sound, then a whoosh followed by a loud whomp and then the night exploded into flame as he walked away.

So it wasn’t violence. ‘twas enough, it would serve.

He headed home to watch over his girls.





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