Buffy and Spike slept right through breakfast and would have snoozed the afternoon away had their stomachs not started growling in protest. They emerged from the bedroom a little after noon, bleary-eyed and hungry, but not groggy enough not to notice the entire household staring at them curiously. Dawn greeted them with a knowing smirk, and Willow pretended to be engrossed in her lunch. Giles glared at his steaming cup of tea, refusing to look at either of them as he fumed silently. The Slayers were giggling and whispering in conspiratorial tones while Faith chose the more direct approach.
“Damn, B. You sure know how to pick ‘em,” she said. “Why don’t you share with the rest of us?”
“Were we that loud?” asked Buffy under her breath as she sat down next to her sister with a plateful of food.
“Are you kidding me?” replied Dawn incredulously. “I learned more about sex last night than from all mom’s old romance novels combined.”
Buffy gaped in horror, unable to decide what bothered her more: the fact that everyone had heard Spike and her last night, or that Dawn actually knew something about sex. Fueled by her furious blush, the other girls at the table continued to snicker.
“Excuse me,” Andrew interjected defensively, Hot Pocket in hand, “I don’t think it’s very nice to be laughing. I mean, they’ve come through so many trials and tribulations. It’s a total Mulder and Scully scenario, people. It’s Season 8, and they’ve finally consummated their doomed love. So what if it was off-camera? We should still respect it.”
Unable to stifle it any longer, the Slayers burst into laughter. Spike rolled his eyes, pulled out the mug of blood he’d put in the microwave to warm up, and headed for the living room without a word.
“Spike?” called Willow after him. “Giles and I needed to talk to you and Buffy about the, um, research you asked us to do?”
His groggy mind took a long moment to figure out what she was referring to, but at length, he nodded and said, “I’ll be in the living room when you’re ready. It’s a bit crowded in here, if you catch my meaning.”
Watching him leave with mixed feelings, Buffy bit off the corner of her sandwich and chewed mechanically. Though starving only moments before, she suddenly found she’d lost her appetite. “Anything happen while I was sleeping?” she asked her sister.
“Xander came home,” replied Dawn through a noisy mouthful of potato chips. “He’s upstairs asleep in Willow’s bed.” She snorted and said in a low voice, “You should have heard Kennedy complaining about that. I give her and Willow, like, one week before they call it quits.”
“You won’t hear me complaining,” agreed Buffy. “Tara was one thing, but yeesh. Anyway, how’s Xander? Last time I saw him…”
Dawn nodded. “He’s … quiet. But I think he’ll be okay. You should go talk to him after he wakes up.”
“Yeah, I definitely will. The wounded?”
“All in stable condition,” recited Dawn, as if she’d had to do it multiple times already that day. “All except Principal Wood. He’s still in ICU, but the docs think he’ll be fine after a few days.”
Buffy let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Good to know. I feel horrible, but I’ve barely thought about them since the battle ended.”
“Yeah. Well, a lot’s happened. Give your mind a little time to catch up.”
Buffy looked sheepishly at her sister. “So you’re okay with it? With me and Spike, I mean.”
Dawn thoughtfully crunched on a chip before she replied. “Haven’t decided yet. I’m still getting used to the fact that he has a soul.”
Feeling what little remained of her appetite dwindle, Buffy set the rest of her sandwich on her plate and pushed it away. She didn’t think she had it in her to tell her sister the truth about Spike just yet. “Willow, Giles? Want to have that research meeting now?”
Giles, who was drawing out patrol schedules for the girls, nodded silently, and Willow rose to set her dishes in the sink. “Can I come?” asked Dawn hopefully.
Buffy hesitated. “You should probably sit this one out, Dawnie. We’ve got some pretty serious issues to talk about.”
Dawn’s eyes shifted to Giles’ stern face. “You’re gonna get chewed out about Spike, huh? Too bad I have to miss it. Might be fun.”
Buffy tugged her sister’s hair teasingly. “You listen in, and I’ll make you regret it. Got that?”
Though obviously disappointed, Dawn nodded and didn’t protest when Buffy left to join the small group in the living room.
Buffy found Spike seated on the couch, boots on the coffee table. He took a noisy sip of his blood. “Oy, be a love and pass the remote.”
“Meeting now, Passions later,” said Buffy, nudging his feet off of the table and onto the ground before she took a seat next to him. He wisely didn’t put his arm around her as Giles entered the room.
Giles removed his glasses and carefully avoided Buffy’s gaze as he cleaned them. “I took the opportunity last night and this morning to look further into the matter of the amulet and its effect on the, erm, individual who used it yesterday.”
Spike smirked. “Sticks and stones, Rupes.”
“Spike…” said Buffy warningly. “What did you find out, Giles?”
“Absolutely nothing,” replied Willow as she entered the living room, bringing a stack of books over to the coffee table.
Buffy frowned. “But Giles said last night he had a few theories. He just needed to check some books or something.”
“Check some books, we did,” confirmed Willow, “and we found a whole lotta nada.”
Giles shook his head in frustration. “I can’t understand it. I know for certain that I’ve read about such an amulet before, but I can’t find mentions of it anywhere.”
“Well, can’t we just find other books? Willow, you could do the internet thing and—”
“Already did,” said Willow. “Nothing – which is really strange, if you ask me, considering the amount of information on the internet.”
Giles picked up a dilapidated book and flipped through its ancient pages. “Buffy, this amulet should be mentioned in the texts before you. I’m absolutely convinced of that.”
“So what are you saying?” asked Buffy, her frown deepening.
“Giles thinks knowledge about it has been erased or hidden somehow,” explained Willow.
“Like a concealment spell?” suggested Spike.
“No,” said Willow with a shake of her head. “If Giles is right, this is something different. Bigger and way more powerful than any concealment spell I know of. I mean, the entire internet has even been affected. And I’d be able to pick up magical traces if a simple spell was at work here.”
Spike rubbed his chin. “It would still be a supernatural force, though, yeah?”
“Probably, but like I said, something big and powerful. No way could one little witch pull this off.”
“So someone’s hiding information,” said Buffy. “Okay, fine. But didn’t you have some theories already, Giles? You said you remembered reading about it in the past.”
Giles sighed. “It was a long while ago – back when I was studying to become a Watcher. But I distinctly remember it being tied to The Apocalypse.”
“Well, I guess that would make sense,” reasoned Buffy. “We practically had one yesterday.”
Giles shook his head. “You don’t understand. You all use the term ‘apocalypse’ so lightly, as if it defines any sort of significant battle. But I’m talking about The Apocalypse. The one referred to in Revelation.”
“So the amulet has a part to play in the battle to end all battles,” said Buffy unenthusiastically. “That sounds … fun. What else do we know?”
“Not much,” said Willow apologetically.
“Angel gave you the amulet, correct?” asked Giles.
“Yeah,” confirmed Buffy, “but he didn’t know much about it either. Just that it was supposed to be worn by someone with a soul who was more than human. A champion, he said.”
Giles eyed Spike distastefully. “Yes, well that’s not much to go on.”
“We could call up Angel to find out if he knows anything else,” suggested Willow. “He could do a little research of his own, I imagine. He must have gotten it somewhere, after all.”
“All right, hang on just a sec,” interjected Spike. “The issue here is my missing soul, yeah? So shouldn’t we just concentrate on that instead of bringing The Grand Poofbah into this?”
Willow sighed. “That’s the thing, Spike. I did a little, uh, ‘soul searching’ this morning while you were still asleep.” When Spike’s eyebrow rose, she quickly explained, “I was just trying to find out what happened to it – where it went.”
“And?”
She pointed at the amulet in Giles’ hand. “It’s in the center jewel.”
“It seems as if your speculation last night was correct,” said Giles. “Your soul was indeed trapped in the amulet somehow.”
“Now we have to figure out how to extract it,” explained Willow, “but I don’t even know where to start. We don’t know the full purpose of the amulet. For all we know, if something happens to it, his soul could be lost for good. Spike could even be tied to the amulet now. If it was hurt or destroyed, well … it might not be good for Spike’s physical well-being.”
“Not to mention that this situation might be tied to The Apocalypse,” added Giles.
“The Apocalypse,” teased Willow. “Emphasis on The, right Giles?”
“What I’m trying to say is that we don’t know what this event might signify. In short, we need to find out what this amulet is very soon. Someone obviously doesn’t want us to know – someone very high up in power.” Giles suddenly turned on Buffy and Spike. “And I must say how very shocked I am that you two chose to implement such a weapon without knowing anything about it – without even consulting anyone first. I hope you both see now how foolish your actions were.”
Jaw clenching angrily, Buffy shot back, “If Spike hadn’t used it, we might all be dead, and The Apocalypse might already be well underway. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone call to make.”
Rising from her place on the couch, Buffy picked up the cordless phone and headed for the stairs. Frowning, Spike started after her, more than happy to leave the fuming Watcher behind. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked as they thumped up the stairs and down the hallway. “Can’t call him with anyone else present?”
Buffy sighed as she opened the door to her bedroom. “Angel’s number is in my address book, which is in my desk.”
“Surprised you don’t have it memorized,” muttered Spike, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her rummage in her desk for the small book.
“Jealousy. How original. You do remember last night, don’t you? When we – oh, how did Andrew put it – consummated our love? I would think you’d be a little less insecure.”
“I might be if I hadn’t seen you and Peaches n’ Cream snogging not two days ago.”
Buffy made a face. “What is that? ‘Snogging’? I don’t snog.”
Spike rolled his eyes and took the phone away from her. “Buffy, you call Angel, and it’s gonna spell bad news for us.”
She let out a slow breath, trying to understand Spike’s anxiety. Maybe all he needed was a little reassurance. She tugged him close, but he avoided her attempt to kiss him. “Angel had his chance with me, Spike,” she said gently. “He left.”
Spike winced. “So I’m in your bed just because I’m the one who’s still around? Because I’m convenient?”
“No, you’re in my bed because I want you there. Because I trust you, and yes, because you’re still around. In case you didn’t know, that’s a good thing. You didn’t give up on me, Spike, and I won’t forget that. And you will be the only person I snog – whatever that means.”
Spike handed over the phone unhappily. “Make it quick, yeah? I’d like to test that theory.”
“Alone.”
A scarred eyebrow rose. “Come again?”
“I want to talk to him alone.”
“No way in hell. This is my soul we’re talking about here.”
“I’m not going to be able to get a word in edgewise with you hanging over my shoulder, calling him names every two seconds.”
“I would never…” he protested vehemently.
“I already said I trust you, Spike. If you don’t trust me, that’s something you’re going to have to work out on your own.”
“No,” he disagreed. “It’s something you’re going to have to prove to me – just like I had to prove it to you.”
His words cut into her, and she blinked back sudden tears. “I can’t prove it to you if you don’t give me the chance.”
Spike sucked his cheeks in. “Fine,” he said, turning on his heels and storming out of her room.
She glared at his retreating form, angry that he was making her feel guilty over a phone call she was making for him. She dialed the L.A. number before she could talk herself out of it and was surprised when Angel himself picked up on the first ring. He usually had a secretary for that sort of thing. She felt a twinge in her stomach – a familiar twinge she often felt when in Angel’s presence.
“It’s me,” she said quietly.
“Buffy,” gasped Angel. “The battle with The First, it—”
“—went fine,” she finished for him. “We won. Punched a nice, big hole in the Hellmouth while were at it, too.”
“I saw. On the news, I mean. We felt the earthquake here.”
“That was compliments of the amulet. It did a lot of things, in fact – some less pleasant than others.”
“You wore it, then? I wasn’t sure if you would use it.”
“Spike wore it, actually,” she said hesitantly. She wanted to mention Spike as little as possible during this conversation, for all their sakes.
Angel didn’t respond.
“That’s actually the reason I called,” she continued. “The amulet, I mean. We need to find out more about it – like where you got it from.”
Another uncomfortable silence.
“Angel, you there?”
“I don’t know much,” he said quietly. “Giles couldn’t find anything about it in all those dusty books he hoards?”
“It seems as if someone wants to keep knowledge about it under wraps. We can’t find anything.”
Angel sighed. “Somehow I don’t find that surprising, considering who gave it to me – and the fact that I was suppose to wear it.”
She purposely ignored the bitterness in his pointed comment. “We need to find out everything possible about it.”
“What’d it do to him?”
Buffy shifted uncomfortably. “I’d rather not say. He’s okay, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“It’s not.”
“Look, I know you and Spike have history, but I’m the one asking you to do this. Don’t do it for him – do it for me.”
“Truth be told, I’m not inclined to do it at all. You chose not to involve me in that battle. You chose to give Spike the amulet. And you can bet he wouldn’t be stretching his neck out to help me even if I had worn it.”
“I would help you,” replied Buffy quietly. When Angel didn’t respond, she said, “You know what? Spike and I can handle this. If you can give me the name of the person who gave it to you, we’ll go to L.A. and do the work ourselves.”
“You come to L.A. – and we’ll talk. Just you and me. Leave Spike in Sunnydale.”
“He’s part of this, too.”
Angel sighed. “Come to L.A., and we’ll talk,” he repeated. “I’m not promising I can help – there’s been a lot of changes around here – but I’ll try. Happy?”
Buffy frowned, trying to understand what it was about their past that made Spike and Angel turn into self-righteous bastards at the mere thought of each other. This was going to be one difficult trip. “We’ll leave at sundown. Thanks,” she said with unenthusiastic shortness before she hung up.
Covering her eyes with her hands, she leaned back against her pillows with a frustrated growl. She loved Angel – or at least her inner 16-year-old did. He was everything the storybooks said she should want – tall, dark and handsome. He even had the mysterious, brooding puppy-dog act down. But add to that his air of superiority and a propensity to abandon people when things got rough – and suddenly the storybook ideal didn’t seem so appealing anymore. She knew deep down that Angel was no good for her. She also knew that she shouldn’t have led him on by kissing him and telling him all that cookie dough mess the other night. But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t think about him often. She missed him and what he used to represent to her. How she was going to survive this trip to see him with Spike in tow was beyond her. It was confusing enough before adding a second vampire to the equation.
She rose and went downstairs to tell the others the plan. “We decided I should go to L.A. to look into things,” she said when she rejoined the group, carefully avoiding Spike’s gaze as she spoke. She had a feeling his glare was rivaling even Giles’ at the moment.
“I imagine Spike will be accompanying you?” Giles bit out the name like a curse word.
Before Buffy could respond, Willow cut in. “Of course he will. They’re together, right? Besides this whole amulet thing kinda concerns him. Be kinda silly to send Buffy by herself.”
Buffy stared at Willow in surprise as the redhead winked at her behind Giles’ back. “Yeah. That was the plan,” said Buffy.
“Do you think he’s entirely safe to take into such a large city, soulless and chipless?” protested Giles.
“Yes, I do,” replied Buffy. “Spike isn’t Angelus. I’m surprised his behavior since he lost his soul hasn’t already persuaded you of that.”
“If he goes through with the process of restoring his soul, I might be easier to persuade on the matter. All the same, I don’t feel it’s wise to take him outside the watchful eyes of so many Slayers. I don’t trust him alone with you.”
“Well, I do. I trust him with my life and with yours. If you don’t give him a chance to prove himself, why would he even want to try? Deal with it, Giles. I’m going to pack. Spike? We leave as soon as the sun sets.” Turning around, she was up the stairs before anyone could say a word.
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To be continued.
Feedback? :) Thanks again to my lovely beta readers, slackerace and desoto_hia873.
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