By Heather Martin

Spoilers- Set during and after Smashed. I borrowed a few lines from Wrecked as well. Has spoilers for everything up to that point. Goes AU after that

Summary- B/S T/W A/X Something goes funky with Spike and Buffy after their coupling in the abandoned house. Meanwhile, a demon and a mysterious girl come to Sunnydale from the future.

Chapter Three- Shell Shock

Luckily Spike had a dreamless night. He had been afraid that his soul would torment him with past evil deeds. He awoke, forgetting what had happened last night, his mind a thick fog. Then it all came back to him as he drew in a deep breath. He sat on the cot for awhile, reflecting on what he was now. The concept wasn’t getting any easier. Then again, it had only been a few hours.

The ex-vampire dragged himself off the portable bed. He slowly made his way up the stairs and into the kitchen. The aroma of something appealing wavered in the air. He scanned for the source, seeing Dawn flipping pancakes in a skillet. A strange sound came from his stomach. It had been so long since that had happened, and he wasn’t sure what it was for a moment. It hit him all of a sudden that it was his stomach growling.

“Got enough batter for two?” Spike asked.

Dawn shrieked, jumping in surprise. She spun around to see Spike.

“Oh my God, you scared me!” Dawn burst out.

Spike smiled. Even as a human he still had sneaking ability.

“Sorry, bit,” he apologized. He really wasn’t that sorry. He was glad that he could still frighten someone.

Dawn turned back to the food she was cooking. “Why are you here, Spike? Did you spend the night?”

“Yeah, I slept on the cot downstairs,” he informed.

“So, uh, do you have enough for two?” Spike asked again.

The teen scooped the pancakes on a white porcelain plate. They were darker brown than they should have been, but they weren’t burnt.

“Sure,” Dawn said. “I’m not as good as Tara, but they’re edible.”

She put the plate on the island. Spike gathered a stack of them for himself. He spread butter on them and drowned them in maple syrup. He dug in, amazed at how potent the taste was. As a vampire he had liked food, but it had never been this enjoyable before. He couldn’t wait to get a hold some spicy buffalo wings from the Bronze.

Spike could sense someone watching him. He raised his head to spot Dawn eyeing him with curiosity.

“Is it really that good?” she questioned.

“Not bad,” Spike commented.

She giggled. “I’ve never seen you gobble food up like this before. I remember our popcorn and movie nights. You never ate this way.”

Spike swallowed the last piece of the breakfast. “I’m just famished, that’s all.”

“Shouldn’t you be going to the butcher’s shop then?”

The bleach blonde wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. Then he hopped down from the stool he had been sitting on.

“Big sis didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Dawn demanded.

“I’m human now.”

At that, Dawn exploded into laughter. She bent over, consumed by giggles.

“What?” Spike asked, clearly not finding the humor.

She pointed at him. “That one was good.”

Spike blinked. Did she not believe him?

“You should try that one on Xander.”

“This isn’t a joke, nibblet.”

Dawn wiped the tears from her face. Her laughter came to a halt. She examined him for a long time. She noticed the slight rise of his chest as he took in air.

“Oh my gosh!” she shrieked. “You really are alive.”

She came over and touched his hand. “You’re warm. Wow! This is amazing!”

The man snatched his hand back. “This isn’t amazing. This is a nightmare.”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “No, Spike, this is a miracle. Think about it, you can go out and see the sun. Get a real place and a job.”

“I don’t want a house and job! I want to go on forever living in a dank, dark tomb, drinking blood, and doing what I bloody well please.”

Just then the door opened. In came Willow and another girl with light brown hair, along with a stream of sunshine. Out of habit, Spike dashed out of the ray’s path.

“Hey,” Willow greeted.

The girl she was with stood beside her. She wore a tight black shirt and a short skirt. She gave a tiny smile.

“Willow, where’ve you been?” Dawn asked.

“Out.” She gestured to the girl. “With Amy.”

“Amy?”

“Amy, the rat,” Willow clarified.

Dawn widened her eyes. “The witch?”

Amy raised her hand. “That’s me.”

“Wow.”

“So you used to be a rat?” Spike questioned.

The females turned to him, seeming to notice him for the first time.

“Yeah, I was a rat. Willow changed me back,” Amy said.

“I used to be a vampire. Think she could change me back?”

Amy shrugged. “I bet she could. She's a freaking amazing witch now. I couldn't even keep up with her last night. I mean, I can do some transmography, but she is messing with dimensions and everything, it was awesome! This blowhard dude, first she made his mouth disappear? Thank god.”

Spike looked at Willow. “Sounds like you could do it. Please, turn me back,” he pleaded.

The redhead glanced from Spike to Dawn. “What is he talking about?”

“Spike’s a human now. Isn’t it cool?” Dawn said.

“It is not ’cool’!” Spike snapped. “Like I said before, ’It is a bloody nightmare’.”

“T-To change you back I’d sort of need to know the cause,” Willow said.

“Well, let’s get Buffy and you lot can do the research bit then.”

“No need getting me,” Buffy told them as she entered the room. With a slight limp, she walks over to a stool to sit down.

“Buffy, are you okay?” Dawn asked with concern.

“I’m fine,” the slayer assured her sister.

“You’re not,” Dawn replied. “You’re all sore and limpy.”

“I-I’m not . . . sore . . . I just . . . “ She looked up and met Spike’s gaze. “Patrol. Had a fight.”

If Spike was his usual self he probably would have made some comment to remind her of what really happened, yet not openly revealing it to the others. Instead he remained silent.

The slayer glanced over at Willow. “Did you just get home?”

“Yeah. Amy and I . . . We went out and lost track of time,” the red-head answered.

“Oh.”

Amy got up from her seat. “I should go. Dad is expecting me.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later,” Willow told her.

“Yeah, good.” Amy opened the door and left.

Dawn stepped closer to Buffy. “We were talking about Spike’s condition.”

“Uh huh. He’s human now,” Buffy said.

“We were also talking about lookin into it,” Spike hinted.

“Yeah. I promised Spike we’d check it out,” Buffy informed.

“Can I help?” Dawn asked with excitement.

A sigh escaped Buffy. “Sure.” What was the harm? And with another helper this matter could get wrapped up quicker.

Dawn gave Buffy a hug. “Thank-you!”

“I don’t know, guys. I’m really tired,” Willow said.

“Get some rest, Will. You can join us later,” Buffy said.

“All right. I’ll meet you at the magic shop in full research mode,” Willow promised her.

Willow headed out of the kitchen. “Night, everybody.”

Buffy got to her feet. “Let’s get this over with.”

A frown appeared on Spike’s face. Did she have to make remarks like that? She kept on wanting to remind him how much of a nuisance he was.

Buffy went over to the door. She opened it, going out. Dawn began to follow, but stopped when she realized Spike wasn’t coming.

“Spike?”

“Give a fella a second,” he said.

Spike mustered his strength, bracing himself. He cautiously moved toward the door. The sun hit him in the face. He squinted his eyes, lifted a hand to serve as a shield. His skin soaked in the heat, tingling. He blinked, focusing his fragile eyes.

When he could see, he comprehended that both Summers girls were staring at him. Dawn looked thrilled, while Buffy’s expression was unreadable.

“You are definitely going to the beach with me, mister,” Dawn stated.

Spike studied his pale arm. He compared it with Buffy and Dawn’s skin tone. They had rich tans. He found himself looking straight at Buffy. Examining her skin led to thoughts of touching it.

Buffy looked at Spike. He could see lust there. It ended quickly, though. She looked away, forcing it to dissipate.

Buffy began to walk toward the road. “Let’s go.”

Spike forced himself to move.

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I had planned on including more in this chapter, but it was getting kind of long. So, the magic shop stuff will come next chapter.