Twists Of Fate
By Tasha and Stephanie

Chapter Summary: This is the sequel to Me and a Gun written by Stephanie.  Stephanie and Tasha are writing this sequel together.  This chapter picks up at the end of the previous story.  It would be helpful to read that story, but the summary is that right after OMWF, Buffy is caught in the cemetery, raped, shot, and left to die.  Spike sees the perpetrator leaving the crypt, and then he smells Buffy's blood.  He finds her inside, and the rest follows.

***Warning: There is blood play involved in a lot of this story, including claiming and feeding for vampires.  There are also many sexual situations and innuendos, as well as the violence of revenge on some characters and some language.  Please read with caution if any of these things freak you out.***

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights.  I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can.  I do not make any money off of this.  I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story.  "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

Chapter 1

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"Slayer ... Buffy ... Not again, luv."  Spike leaned down and cradled Buffy's head in his lap.  Blood red tears ran down his face as he processed all of the damage done to Buffy's body.  He tried to stop the flow of blood from her bullet wounded chest, but his heart tore apart at the evidence of Buffy's sexually violated body.  'How could anyone be so cruel?'

There was no way Spike would be able to get Buffy to a hospital in time.  The sun had already started to rise, and any movement from their location would render him dusty.  From the skipping and slowing of her heartbeat, he knew it wouldn't have mattered if the sun or moon were up.  She had less than 5 minutes to live.  "Damn him."  He growled.

Spike ran his fingers through Buffy's matted hair.  "Please don't hate me, Buffy."  He vamped out, leaned over, and pierced her neck with his fangs.  He gently supped a few sips of her blood down his throat.  There wasn't much blood to spare with the wound to her chest, but it would be enough for a Sire claim.  He tore his wrist with his fangs.  He held it up to Buffy's mouth.  "Drink, pet."

Somewhere in the distance Buffy heard Spike's command to drink.  In the back of her mind she knew the cold body that cradled her was Spike.  A part of her longed for the peace of heaven once more, but she knew it wouldn't be the same this time.  She was leaving so much undone this time.  She hadn't told Spike how she really felt about him.  She would miss her sister Dawn, and she had so much still to tell the Scoobies.

"Come on, Buffy.  Please."  Spike pleaded with Buffy's semi-conscious form.  "I promised myself and the Nibblet that I would do anything possible to keep from you dying again."  He opened her mouth a little wider.  The blood that flowed from his wrist simply pooled in her mouth.  She wasn't swallowing it.  "Don't let that wanker who did this to you, win.  Fight it."

Another part of Buffy fought with every ounce of strength that remained in her body.  She wanted to live.  She feared that Spike's gift of "life" would end up being a curse.  Something told her that if she accepted Spike's gift she would still be herself, but she feared becoming her worst nightmare.  Then again after the events of that night, she held no misconceptions that soul and human meant good.

Spike started to panic.  Buffy's heart had slowed to an almost imperceptible level of beating.  If she didn't drink soon, there would be no hope to save her.  He wouldn't force this choice on her.  He's spent many hours while stuck at the Watcher's house reading his books.  They all thought he was chained up, but he easily escaped the chains when he wanted to.  He'd put them back in place before anyone noticed, but in the mean time he read everything he could on Slayers.  He wondered just how much the Watcher read of his own books.  If only he had enough time to convince her that she would still be the same.

Spike rocked Buffy's unmoving body in his lap.  "Please don't leave us again, Buffy.  We need you pet."  His tears fell harder onto Buffy's cheeks.  They streaked her pale skin red with the blood from his tears.  "I love you, Buffy."  He hung his head in resignation that he'd lost the love of his life again.  It broke his heart to imagine life without her again.

Spike was shocked out of his morose thoughts by the suckling motion of Buffy's lips on his wrist.  He looked down into her green eyes that stared back up at him.

Buffy's lips locked tightly around Spike's wrist.  With her last breath she kept the promise to herself that she made while being raped.  She would fight to live.  What better way to live again than by Spike's side?  Something told her he wasn't just making her a vampire.  She was sure that he was making her his Childe.  That meant a lot more in the vampire world.  She pulled harder on his blood to get as much as he was offering her.  Her eyes fluttered closed with the last beat of her heart.  Her chest fell silent, the last breath she ever needed to breathe having been expelled from her lungs in the silence of her death.

Spike held an unnecessary breath while he watched Buffy drink from him.  Normally a Sire would have already stopped the new Childe from drinking.  He vowed to himself and Buffy that she would be the strongest Childe possible.  He hoped she wouldn't stake him when she woke up though.  The Watcher's books noted that was the most likely result of a Slayer turning.  He was willing to risk his final death if it saved Buffy from hers.  He caressed her cheek while she drank until her head dropped loosely back into his lap.

Spike collapsed back against the sarcophagus in the crypt.  He was exhausted from the emotional and physical turmoil of the night.  If Sweet's singing and dancing spell hadn't been hard enough on him, having to watch Buffy die again was enough to destroy him.  Only the hope that she would rise again and be the woman he still loved, gave him any lift in his spirit. 

Spike had no idea what he was going to tell the Scoobies.  They were going to want to stake him for sure.  He had to keep Buffy away from them until she had time to deal with her new status and the pain that she'd suffered before her death.  Who could he trust?  The first person that came to his mind was Glinda.  She was a true motherly type, despite her lesbian status.  She would be the right person to help him, and she wouldn't stake first - ask questions later.

Spike closed his eyes.  He had time for just a little nap.  Buffy wouldn't awaken for a day or two due to how severe her injuries were.  Her body would need to fully heal before she would awaken.  He had many things to take care of before she arose, including securing the wanker that did this to his love.  So, he was going to need his rest.

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Buffy floated about in a surreal dreamland.  People and places from her past and present visited her in the darkness and light of this in-between state of being.  She felt the anger and pain that her friends were bound to have over her new status.  Even in her dreams Xander and Giles lectured her over how demons were bad and humans were good.

The worst of those who chastised her in this state was Angel.  He treated Buffy like she was a cast off or abnormality that he should put down.  She begged and pleaded with him to understand that she was still the same Buffy that she always was.  She had her soul, and somehow she knew she always would.  It wasn't some curse.  It was a gift from the powers that be because of her previous Slayer status.

A half-broken Buffy cried out in the dark for Angel to understand.  He left her alone in the dark.  She felt several pairs of arms surround her.  One set was cold, and the others were warm.  She turned her face into the cold chest of her Sire.  This was the man who loved her no matter what.  He loved her when she was the killer of his kind, and he still loved her now that she was a vampire.

"This isn't the end, Buffy."  The soft and warm voice of Joyce Summers penetrated Buffy's fogged brain.

"Mommy?"  Buffy looked up at her mother.

An ethereal light surrounded Joyce.  She knelt beside Buffy.  She hugged her tightly.  "Hello, sweetie."  She tucked loose golden tresses of Buffy's hair behind Buffy's ear.

"Where am I?"  Buffy looked from Spike to Joyce.  This wasn't how heaven was last time.  She knew that.

"You're healing so you can awaken again."  Joyce explained.  "The powers sent me to tell you that they are still very proud of their warrior.  They haven't given up on you yet."

Buffy started to cry.  Her body shook with the sobs.  "Mommy, it hurt so bad.  I couldn't stop him."

Spike rubbed Buffy's back in soothing circles.  He said nothing, but he gave his support with every touch and caress.

"I know.  There are bad people in this world, and they don't have to be demons."  Joyce's voice soothed Buffy's frayed nerves.  "Don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise."

"I know that now."  Buffy sniffled.  "That man had a soul, but it didn't stop him from ... from ... violating me."

"Evil comes in many forms.  So does goodness and love."  Joyce looked over Buffy's head at Spike.  "You need to listen to Spike, sweetie.  It's going to be hard to start with, but I trust him."

Buffy turned in Spike's arms.  "You always have liked him, haven't you?"  She looked up into Spike's water filled eyes.  "He loves me."  She muttered softly.

"That's right, Buffy.  He loves you."  Joyce wrapped her arms around Spike and Buffy.  "What he did, he did out of love.  Never forget that, no matter what any of your other friends say."  She turned Buffy's face to look at her again.  "Your time wasn't done.  The powers couldn't stop the evil man from doing what he did, but they sent you a different kind of salvation.  It will protect you in the end from another purer evil that would have arisen if you had remained "alive" as a human."

"I understand, Mommy."  Buffy hugged Joyce tightly.  She instinctively knew that her Mother didn't have much longer to stay.  She wanted to cherish every moment with her.  "I'll make you proud of me."

Joyce stepped back away from Buffy.  "I've always been proud of you, Buffy.  Always."  She turned her gaze to Spike.  "Take care of my little girl, Spike."

Spike nodded then looked down at the top of Buffy's head.  He kissed the top of her head.  "With all my heart, Joyce."

As Joyce disappeared into the golden mist before them, Tara stepped forward.  She wrapped the two of them in a protective embrace of warmth and enchanted protection.  "Rest.  We've much to do."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara sat up straight on the couch at the Summers' house.  She was panting and sweating.  The sun was out, but she felt the chill of death down her spine still.  She wriggled off of the couch she fell asleep on the night before.  After finding out about Willow's spell she couldn't make herself sleep in bed with Willow.  Now she had this weird dream to think about as well. 

Tara headed into the bathroom.  She looked at her worn face in the mirror.  The events of the last few weeks had taken their toll on her.  The last couple days had been the worst.  What was she going to do about Willow?  What did her dream mean?  Were Spike and Buffy in trouble?  She sighed.  She had to get ready for school.  She'd try to sort it out later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike tightened his grip on Buffy in the crypt where he found her.  He was still asleep, but his dreams shifted from one place to another with plans that needed to be made.  His body attempted to rest while his mind raced from one thing to another.  He'd need to find Tara when he woke up.  He realized from the dream he shared with Buffy that Tara would be the one to help him for sure.  He hoped she really would understand.  Buffy's "life" depended on it.

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(To Be Continued)
Chapter Summary: Spike and Buffy were resting in the crypt Buffy was killed in.  Spike, Buffy and Tara all dreamed together early in the morning.  Tara has headed off to classes, while Spike and Buffy are still sleeping.  Tara is the first of the Scoobies to deal with Spike after everything that happened to Buffy.  Will she choose to help them, or will she turn her back on them?  Who else will they or should they tell about this?

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Tara sighed and shifted in her seat.  It was hard to concentrate on what the professor was saying when all her thoughts were being consumed by her sweet and powerful Willow.  The revelations of the previous night still echoed in her mind; what had they done?  She had allowed Willow to convince her that Buffy had been in a hell dimension, and it was their responsibility to bring her back.   She had her doubts at first, but they had disappeared under assurances from Willow that they were doing the right thing.  She seemed to remember a spell they did to determine where Buffy was located at.   When she concentrated on the details, however, the memory became fuzzy, and she was left with a vague sense of unease.

Was their previous fight really the only time Willow used a spell to make Tara forget?  This coupled with the knowledge that Willow had wiped her memory of an argument had been terrifying her.  She started to question what was reality, and what was Willow's desire for her to be the perfect girlfriend.  If Willow was manipulating her, then how much of her actions, her thoughts, her desires were that of her true self and how much of it was Willow's desire to influence everything?  Was she in control of her self or was she merely a puppet?  She'd have to talk to some Wicca friends about a protection spell to keep Willow from erasing anything else from her mind.

These fears coupled with the anxiety over the dream which had awoken her, had left her feeling sick to her stomach.   Willow controlling her; Spike and Buffy in trouble, what was reality anymore?  Finally, thankfully, the class ended, and Tara gathered her books.   Perhaps if she could find Spike and Buffy she could at least ease the discomfort that the dream had brought her. 

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Tara looked at the map with a confused expression on her face.  She had gone to the Magic Box to gather supplies for a locating spell after she realized that Buffy hadn't returned last night.  The spell guided her to this cemetery, but she had already checked Spike's crypt and found it empty.  The earlier fears returned with a vengeance.  Both Spike and Buffy absent from their respective homes did not bode well, especially since it was daylight, the time when vampires should be asleep.  

Spotting some footprints outside a crypt, Tara took a deep breath and went to open the door.  Hopefully the prints belonged to Spike or Buffy; otherwise she was going to end up some other vampire's breakfast.   She knew it would be more logical to go get Giles, or perhaps Xander, to help her investigate, but the uneasy feeling from her dream had returned and spurred her on.  

Tara stepped into the crypt and closed the door behind her.  She hoped her eyes would adjust quickly.  If she left the door open too look, she took a chance of setting Spike on fire.  That was if Spike was even there to begin with.

Tara gasped as she took in the sight before her.  Spike was propped up against the side of the sarcophagus cradling a blood soaked Slayer in his arms.   It looked as if Buffy had bathed in blood.  Every inch of her was covered in a red so deep that it appeared black.  At first glance, it didn't even look like her.   Her hair was matted with blood.  What remained of Buffy's red dress was in tatters, torn with what looked like a bullet hole in the center.  She had blood running down her legs and pinpricks on her neck.   The only part of her that appeared to me unmarked was her face.  Her pale but beautiful face was unmarred with the exception of a small blood stain on the corner of her mouth.

Spike heard the door open.  He'd made sure that Buffy and he would be protected from any stray streams of sunlight earlier, if the door was opened.  He listened to the footsteps and racing heart of the human who entered.  He peaked open one eye to see who was there.  He hoped it was a friend because he was in no state to fight anyone right now.  "I found her dying, Glinda.  Someone, some human," he spat, "Violated her and then shot her from what I can tell."  He sighed.  "The Slayer!"  He stated in disbelief that any human would want to kill the Slayer, the protector of humans.  "How could someone do that to her?"

Instinctively Tara took at step back at the shattered voice of the vampire before her.  Her gaze rose from Buffy to meet the anguished eyes of Spike.   Bloody tears had dried on his face and he looked heartbroken.  "Oh, Spike.  What have you done?"  Before she even asked the question, she knew in her heart what he'd done.  Buffy's pale complexion told the tale of blood loss that her body had went through.

"I couldn't lose her, not again, not like that."  Spike's eyes begged for Tara to understand his reasons.  He sat up straighter.  "I didn't force her though.  I let her choose."  After all Buffy had already gone through, he wanted Tara to know that he didn't push anything on Buffy that she didn't accept.

Tara nodded.  Even in her current state, Buffy gave off an aura that Tara saw.  She noted the near peace that surrounded the tendrils of anger, pain, and suffering that Buffy must have lived through right before her death.  For whatever reason, Buffy's aura was fairly calm and accepting of her current form.

"She'll come back with her soul.  They all do, Slayers that is.  It's why you don't turn them.  They stake their Sires as soon as they arise."

Tara gasped in shock.  Spike turned Buffy even with the knowledge that upon her awakening, she would kill her Sire?  Her heart ached for the blonde vampire who was always willing to give up so much for the woman he loved.  She cared not what any of the other Scoobies said about Spike's love for Buffy.  His aura radiated that love and caring from the very heart that no longer beat in his chest.  She saw it every time she looked at him.

Spike noted how quiet Tara was really being.  She'd gasped and nodded sometimes, but it was the look in her eyes that told him he was safe from being staked by the blonde Wicca.  "If she can live, it will be worth it.  Buffy didn't deserve to die, not like that."  He continued to ramble on about Slayers, souls and the injustice of Buffy's death for a few minutes.

Watching him was enough to make Tara's heart break in two if it hadn't already been crying at the sight of the battered blond.  She walked over, kneeled down and took the two of them in her arms.  She rocked them back and forth in comfort and support, just like in the dream.  This was the place she needed to be, at their side.  This is where she was needed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara looked at the books in front of her.  She'd left the crypt a few hours ago with a promise to Spike that she wouldn't leave them permanently, that she would help make it all better.  She wasn't sure how she would manage to do it, but she knew they needed her.  She kept flashing back to the dream, and she knew that she would do everything in her power to protect Buffy and Spike, even if that meant protecting them from the Scooby gang.  

They'd talked for hours as she sat there and held them, comforting Spike as if he was a child and she was the mother.   Spike was distraught; yet clear about what needed to be done.  They needed a place to stay.  Spike wouldn't, no couldn't, let Buffy awaken in a crypt.   The memories of her rape, and her death, would be too strong.  They had to get to a place where it would be a fresh start for all of them, with no expectations of how Buffy was supposed to react or what she was suppose to do.

Tara agreed, even going so far as saying they should take her somewhere else other then Revello Drive.  Spike was surprised and pleased, but didn't press Tara for her reasons about that decision.  That was good, because Tara didn't feel like explaining that she feared what Willow would do to them if she found out what had happened.  Would Willow be kind and accepting, or would she stake Spike and then erase Buffy and Tara's memories?  Her heart said that Willow would never do such a thing, but her mind was not convinced of Willow's motives and actions anymore.  If Willow wanted to rearrange their lives, would they even realize she was doing it?  Better to stay away for now.

Tara took her selection of books up to the counter and tried not to look nervous when the cashier gave her a strange look.   She had picked up several texts on surviving rape, leaning to live again and other books that explained what family and friends should do when a loved one was raped.  She wasn't sure that Buffy would want to read them, but she was confidant that Spike would read them, and she would as well.

There was so much that had happened to the slayer in the last few months that Tara was afraid for her.  Buffy needed help understanding who she was, why she was here, and how she could go on.  This meant keeping Buffy away from the people who always seemed to make her feel guilty.

Tara loved her friends, but she had noticed a disturbing trend of everyone always telling Buffy what was best.  They seemed to make Buffy feel that she had to live a certain way or else she was bad.  That could destroy Buffy completely now, and Tara would not allow that to happen.

Walking outside into the sunlight, Tara was pleasantly surprised when a car pulled up right on time.  She held her hand up to shade her eyes from the sun to get a better look at the woman she was supposed to meet.

A tall blonde woman got out of the car.  Valerie Logan was supposed to be her name.  Tara had been surprised when Spike insisted that they buy a house in Sunnydale.  He refused to take Buffy too far away from Dawn.  He knew Buffy wouldn't be ready to see Dawn right away.  She would need the Nibblet in her life later, just as his Little Bit would need her sister.

Tara hadn't even realized that Spike had money, not after all the times he'd swindled the Scoobies into paying him for helping them.  Apparently, he had only hustled the Scoobies for money out of fun.  Her next worry was that the money he had was blood money.  She was told that the majority of it came from his family's holdings in England, investments through the decades, and the profits made off of the Amara treasure discovery.  He was quite well off, and money would not pose a problem to them for any of their needs.

Tara's next set of surprises came from when Spike gave her directions to the Sunnydale Office of Wolfram and Hart.  Apparently this particular law firm, which catered to demons as well as humans, had at least one office over every hell mouth and potential hell mouth in the world.  The office itself was small and clean.  There seemed to be about five or six lawyers and a few secretaries running the whole place.  That was it.  No demons roamed about, no evil plans dominated the tables.  The place really seemed like just another law firm, except it handled a bit more delicate batch of clientele.

At first Tara was stunned when Spike told her to go have his lawyer buy them a house and put it in her name.  She could tell he was worried about Angel trying to stake Buffy or another vampire trying to kill the newly turned Slayer.  With the house in her name, a human, vampires would require an invite to get past the door.  She tried convincing him to rent a house in case Buffy wanted to eventually go home, but he was insistent.  If Buffy wanted to go home then Tara could keep the house.  It was the least he could do for her help. 

Spike's only request was that if Buffy staked him, to please take care of Buffy and Dawn.  He'd even called ahead to give his permission for his lawyer to turn his holdings over to Tara in the event that his death was proven.  He trusted Tara fully and completely.

Tara's second surprise was Valerie.  The lawyer's aura was relatively good for someone who worked for an evil law firm.   It sparkled with life and with an interesting balance.  While she may not always have good clients, Valerie appeared to be fair while maintaining a sense of justice.   Her aura had positively radiated with light. 

Tara had briefly wondered if Valerie's being good was held against her at work.  It couldn't help an "evil" law firm's reputation to have someone so pure on their payroll.  Valerie laughed at Tara's first expressions, and the sound had made her feel more confident about their plans.  There was no malice in the tone, only joviality.

Valerie walked up to her.  "Hi Tara, I arranged for a rental car to be dropped off in the parking lot.  It's the blue Taurus over there."  She pointed across the parking lot to the dark blue car that just pulled into a parking space.  "You can use that to move into your new place and get set up.  Return it to the office when you are done, or let us know you want to keep it.  We can make arrangements for you, if you want to keep it."

Valerie pulled a manila envelope out of her briefcase.  She removed a few documents from inside it.  "I have a four bedroom house, fully furnished in a nice part of town.  It belonged to a former client who was dusted last week by the slayer."

Tara smiled inwardly at the irony of the house formerly belonging to someone that Buffy dusted.  'My how things change.'

"The glass is treated with the same film used in our L.A. offices.  So, Spike should be able to move around the house without a problem."  Valerie pointed to a place on one of the documents where she needed Tara's signature.  "I have stocked the fridge full of blood bags and set up wards around the house as you requested.  Is there anything else I can take care of for you?" 

Tara smiled at Valerie.  She felt a sense of relief that one of the hardest parts for their set up was ready and finished.  She handed the signed paper back over to Valerie.  "No thank you.  I should get back to the crypt.  Spike wants to get Bu ... his Childe into the new house so that she doesn't have to awaken in a crypt."

Valerie nodded and smiled.  "He always seemed considerate like that.  I don't know why he stayed in that crypt to begin with."

Tara neglected to correct Valerie on her assumption that she meant Spike's personal crypt.  "He's just that way sometimes."

"Yes, I suppose so."  Valerie picked up another stack of papers from her briefcase and handed them to Tara.  "This is all that Spike will need to read and sign to process his request upon his death."

"Thank you.  I'll be sure that he gets them."  Tara smiled.

"I'm sure you will, Tara."  Valerie smiled warmly in return.  She stepped back towards her car.  Before she got in she turned to Tara, "It was a pleasure meeting you.  I hope I see you again."  With that she sat down in the driver's seat of her car.

Tara clutched the papers, and her previous book purchases, to her chest.  She walked over to the Taurus, unlocked the car, and got in.  The sun was getting lower in the sky.  She needed to get back to Spike.  Then she had to find a way to sneak some of hers and Buffy's clothes from the Summers' house without anyone realizing it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Valerie watched Tara walk away.  This had been the first time in centuries that William "Spike" Jamison touched his money instead of taking or stealing what he wanted.  She'd been assigned his account when he first appeared in Sunnydale two years ago.

The Senior Partners would still require her to report on any possible blackmailable offenses, but she had a feeling this wasn't one of those.  They kept tabs on each of the vampires from the Aurelius line for that purpose.  Wolfram & Hart would love to have those vampires "owe" them a "favor".  For the first time since starting for Wolfram and Hart she was glad that she didn't have that much to report.  He wasn't stealing anything.  He was using his own money.  That kind of a natural transaction didn't need to be reported.

Valerie's mind wandered again to the blonde woman, Tara, that she'd dealt with.  She realized right away that the young lady emanated a natural power and strength about her.  She found Tara quite charming.  Although she hoped it wouldn't be for troubled reasons, she wanted to see Tara again.  Perhaps she would.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Twists Of Fate - (3) Preparations And Concerns
By Tasha and Stephanie
(Tasha)

Chapter Summary: Tara found Buffy and Spike, and she decided to help them as her dream insinuated.  Tara took care of a bunch of errands for Spike.  She even picked up some books that she hopes will help them to help Buffy with the trauma of why her death happened.  She met Valerie, Spike's lawyer, to get all of the papers for a house and car.  Spike is worried about Angel or other vampires being able to get to Buffy.  So the house was put in Tara's name.  Tara found out that evil law firm doesn't necessarily mean evil lawyers.  Now Spike is stuck waiting for the sunset with too much time on his hands to think about all the perils headed their way.

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Spike waited in the crypt for the sun to set.  He held no concerns about Tara meeting his lawyer.  He'd met Valerie once when he first arrived in Sunnydale two years ago.  He would, however, like to know where he stood in case he needed to vacate quickly.

Valerie seemed like a very competent woman and attorney.  She held various degrees, and he liked her personality.  After he'd been chipped, and set free from the Scoobies, Valerie organized the retrieval and sale of the bulk of the Amara treasure.  Several pieces of jewelry, and a weapon or two, were still under lock and key at the office, due to his lack of a secure location in which to store them. Now that he would have his own home again, he should probably retrieve them.

'It will be nice to have a house again.'  Spike thought.  He'd almost found himself a place a few times, but it never felt right to have a home in Sunnydale.  A house was permanent; it meant that he had a reason to come back besides the blood and the mayhem. 

Spike always tried to tell himself that he wasn't staying forever in Sunnydale, just until he killed the slayer, or until the chip came out.  Now he knew that he was being delusional to think that he would ever leave Buffy or the Nibblet behind.  He loved them both too much.  Nope, he'd be staying in Sunnydale until he was dust or his girls wanted to go with him.

With a sigh, Spike looked around the dank crypt he was sitting in.  The place was pretty disgusting, even for a crypt.  Maybe it was because this was the place that his Buffy was attacked in.  Perhaps the death of the Slayer in this place made it seem even darker than it was.  As soon as the sun set, he was getting out of this hellhole.  If Tara arrived before then, he'd take Buffy over to the house directly.  Otherwise he'd take her to his crypt to wait for Tara.

"My poor, sweet Buffy."  Spike ran his fingers through her matted hair.  He hated seeing her like this.  It tore him apart to look at her dead body after she'd fallen from the tower to close the portal several months back.  Now he was looking at her dead body again.  Only this time he knew she would awaken to a whole new world being opened to her.  His feared whether or not she would accept the world she'd been given.  Would Buffy hate him for eternity now?

"I've got to protect her."  Spike knew that any vampire who found out about the Slayer's change would try to challenge his Childe.  She would be a prized commodity in the demon world.  Turned Slayers were an oddity that others would usually try to show off.  He had no intentions of showing Buffy off.  He was going to try to help her live as normal of a life possible.  That was if she let him live past her first meal.

'I hope Dru is far away from here.'  Even though Dru drained most of his blood from him that night back in the 1800's, her link wasn't as strong with him because she wasn't his true Sire.  If she was a certain amount of distance away, she wouldn't feel much of Buffy's awakening.

'Of course the Great Poofter is another story.'  Spike sighed.  There was no way to hide Buffy's awakening completely from his true Sire.  Angel would have to be very far away to keep from telling who Spike's Childe was.  Even the fact that Spike had made a Childe would be odd enough for Angel to investigate.  He had no desire to deal with an Angelus style beating at this time.  His only hope was that the wards he requested would be enough to confuse the feelings his Sire would get when Buffy awoke.  Hopefully it would hide at least her identity from his Sire.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara drove through downtown Sunnydale.  Usually she walked everywhere she went, but she was going to be using this car a lot for a while.  She'd need it to drive from her new home to the college.  She wanted to check and see if Spike would let her keep it.  It would be less noticeable then Spike's car. 

So many thoughts and scenarios went through Tara's head as she drove.  The sun would soon set, but she wanted to check the house out before she brought Spike and Buffy to it.  She wanted to verify the wards surrounding it.

The house Tara now owned was across town from Revello Drive.  It was unlikely that the Scoobies would happen upon it easily.  That specification was intentional to keep any accidental meetings from occurring.  Buffy would have enough to deal with when she first awoke.  She shouldn't have to fear looking out her window to see Xander or Willow peering in from across the street.

Tara craned her neck over the steering wheel as she drove through what was to be her new neighborhood.  It was a beautiful place to live.  She marveled at how such a beautiful and serene looking neighborhood could be in the same city as a Hellmouth.  It was all too surreal to think about.

A part of Tara was sad at the thought of leaving Willow behind on Revello Drive.  Tara needed to talk to Mr. Giles about Willow's magic.  She was sure that he would agree with Tara's assessment and concerns.  She'd overheard an argument between Willow and he when he'd returned from England.  She needed this time away from Willow.  Maybe she would return to Willow later, but it was going to take a long time before she would trust Willow again.  Her family played with her mind for years.  To find out that Willow used magic to tamper with her mind was the worst thing Willow could have done to her.

Tara pulled into the driveway of the address on the papers.  She would have laughed at the irony of the lovely colonial style home with a white picket fence around the property if the seriousness of these life changes hadn't still hung over her mind.  She stepped out of the car.  There was a garage at the end of the driveway.  Without a handle on the front of the door, she assumed that it opened with an electronic garage door opener.  She'd look for that later.

Tara walked to the side of the garage to unlock the entryway.  The picket-like privacy fence lined the entire property.  There wasn't an entrance off the driveway without going through the garage.  It was probably more for security purposes.  She figured that she would usually be parked in the garage anyways.  So that was fine.  She would scout out the rest of the property later to see if there was any other entrance gates on the other side of the house or out front.

When Tara emerged from the garage she was surprised at all of the landscaping on the property.  The house had to be sitting on at least an acre of land, which was unusual for a city setting.  White and red rose bushes lined the front porch area.  It was a covered porch lined with tinted glass in front of screens.  She wondered if the glass was specially tinted for vampires like the regular windows were supposed to be.  'That would be nice for Buffy and Spike if they can come out on the porch during the day.'  She stopped to smell the snapdragons and other flowers interspersed in front of the roses in the flower garden.

Tara looked through the various keys on the chain with her car key.  She finally fished out the right one she needed for the porch door.  "None of the doors have the same key.  That will make it a little harder to break into."  She looked down at the little sheet of paper with 6 numbers on it.  When she reached the actual metal front door, she realized that the code must belong to the security panel next to the entry.  She punched in the 6 numbers.  After she heard the beeping of release, she unlocked the door with another key.

Nothing could have prepared her for the inside décor of the home.  "Wow."  Tara's eyes widened at all of the extravagances around her.  Deep crimson draperies made of velvet hung around the main windows with white eyelet lace inserts to cover the windows when the draperies were open.  All naturally stained cherry wood floors covered the majority of the downstairs, even into the kitchen.

The living room appeared to be decorated with various Victorian style couches and chairs.  Everything was decorated with lavish materials, but it still felt like a place you could live in.  "This is amazing."  She had no idea that a vampire would ever live like this.  Had Valerie changed the decorations to Spike's tastes, or was this how the last vampire had lived too?  Either way it was gorgeous.  It was like she'd stepped back into another era of time.

In the kitchen, Tara found that it was stocked as Valerie said it would be.  She got a chuckle that the area for the blood bags had it's own shelf door to keep it hidden upon first opening the fridge.  The kitchen as a whole was set up that no matter if human or demon visited, they would be comfortable and unoffended at what the cupboards and fridge could hold.

The first floor was complete with a fair sized office/den and bathroom towards the back of the house.  A back door led out into the spacious back yard.

Tara walked through the four bedrooms upstairs.  Each had it's own design or theme, but they all seemed practical as well as elegant.  Each bedroom was large enough to be a master bedroom.  2 bedrooms were on one side of the hall and the other 2 were on the other side.  The 2 adjoining bedrooms on one side shared a large master suite like bathroom.  A non-shared bathroom separated the other 2 bedrooms.

Tara decided to wait to pick out her bedroom until Spike chose his and Buffy's.  She had a feeling that Spike would pick the shared bathroom suite for him and Buffy.  That way they'd each have separate rooms, but he'd also have a way to care for her without anyone else having to see.  It seemed the most sensible thing to do.

Tara returned to the living room with the small bag she carried in with her.  She laid out several ingredients along a leather scrap of material.  She lit different scented candles, each with their own purpose or cleansing qualities, in a wide circle around her.  She sat Indian style within the circle, closed her eyes, pinched her thumb and index finger together, and started to chant.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike stood up as soon as the sun fully set.  He lifted Buffy up into his arms.  He cradled her head against his chest.  The cool of her body caused him to shiver.  He was glad that he had the two days to get used to her new status.  He needed to be sure that he never flinched at the touch of his Childe.  She was going to have a hard enough time of accepting it without him flinching from her.  He would not flinch in disgust, but he was used to her body being so warm compared to his.  He needed to adjust his way of thinking when it came to Buffy.

Spike shifted Buffy in his arms.  He turned around to be sure that he wasn't leaving anything behind.  He wasn't sure if Buffy's attacker would try to come back or not.  If he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't come back.  Not that it would save the wanker from Spike's hatred and revenge.  His Childe needed a human meal for her first one to become strong.  A human who would rape and murder the woman Spike loved was not worth living.

Spike opened the door, slipped out into the night, and closed the door again.  He was careful to stick as much to the shadows of the night as possible.  He was unsure if any of the other Scoobies realized that Buffy was missing.  He wasn't up to dealing with a confrontation with any of them right now.

Spike kicked open the door to his crypt.  The startled scream of a woman hit his ears too late to realize that someone was in his crypt.  He had been so focused on the path to his crypt that he hadn't noticed a human was in it.

"Spike?"  Dawn looked up from Spike's chair in front of the TV.  She jumped up, heart racing, to face Spike.  "Oh my God!  Buffy!"  She ran towards Spike.

"No!  Dawn!"  Spike quickly turned away from Dawn.  She shouldn't have to see her sister like this.  He was in a state of panic.  What should he do?  He'd promised Dawn that he'd never let anything happen to Buffy again, but he wasn't there to save her from the human.  Would Dawn hate him?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara blew out the candles surrounding the circle.  She gathered up the remnants of her supplies.  All was safe for now.  She still had to see a Wicca friend to complete the memory protection spell on her, but she should be fine until she could meet her friend.  She had a warning spell in place if anything tried to alter her memories, but she'd feel a lot better once the full protection was in place.

Tara quickly locked everything back up.  She frowned at the darkened sky.  She hadn't realized that she'd been under the trance for so long.  Now she'd have to head to Spike's crypt.  Maybe she should make a pass by Revello Drive first.  If no one was around she could sneak out some clothes for her and Buffy.  She knew Spike wanted to bathe Buffy and put her into clean clothes.

Tara decided to do a quick sweep by Revello Drive .  She hoped it was empty.  Spike would already be at his own crypt by now so he could pack.  It was best to make use of the time she had available now.

Luckily Willow was still at classes or out.  All of the lights were off at the Summers' house.  She assumed Dawn was out with her friend Janice.  She wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  She quickly grabbed one of her own suitcases and one of Buffy's.  She packed the essentials she would need for herself.  She and Spike were trying to think of a good cover story for their absences.  They didn't need the Scoobies trying to find them.  At least the wards would make any locator spell void.  When they were in the vicinity of the house it would be as if they didn't even exist on this plane.

Tara tried to pick up things that Buffy would usually use every day.  She gathered up some of Buffy's memorabilia and personal effects including her pig, Mr. Gordo.  In just the few pages that she'd skimmed of the books she bought, it emphasized having comforting and familiar things around the victim.  It was going to be hard on Buffy being at a whole new house.  So, Tara needed to bring as much of Buffy's personal things as possible.

Tara hauled another suitcase onto Buffy's bed.  She packed both casual and patrolling clothes.  She didn't think Buffy would be too keen on patrolling, but it would be something to help her work out frustrations.  She made sure that she packed enough comfortable clothes for lounging around in too.  After adding a good amount of personal and intimate undergarments, she packed a few dresses and skirts.  Anything else they'd need or want, she was sure that Spike would let them buy.  This was enough to start with.

Tara drug the suitcases down the stairs as quickly as possible.  She loaded up the trunk of the Taurus.  After a second trip to grab the third suitcase and Buffy's weapon's bag, she closed the trunk and got back in the car.  It was time to head to the cemetery.  Hopefully Spike had all he needed packed by now too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What's wrong with her, Spike?"  Dawn stayed behind Spike, but she bounced on her heels to try to see over his shoulder.  "Please, Spike.  I need to see her."

"You don't want to see this, Nibblet.  Trust me on that."  Spike's voice shook.  'Damnit.  This is what you get for not paying attention.'

"Why? Is she ... Is she ..."  Dawn's voice cracked over the two repeated words.  She couldn't even get the last word to come out of her mouth.

Spike hung his head and sighed.  What did he tell Dawn?  "It's complicated, Lil Bit."  He rested his cheek against the top of Buffy's head.  "I didn't want you to see her this way."

"What way, Spike?"  Dawn was beyond scared now.  True Buffy and she hadn't had a very good relationship since Buffy's return from the dead, but she loved her sister more than anything.  Buffy and Spike were her only true family left.  Buffy was her blood sister, and Spike was everything that a brother would ever be to her.  He protected her all summer when Buffy had been dead.  He was there for her when everyone else was dealing with their own grief and ignoring her.

"I found her in a crypt."  Spike started to speak.  He tried to carefully think out each sentence, but he failed to find the right thing to say.  In the end all he knew to do was be honest with the girl that he looked at like a younger sister.  Joyce, Dawn and Tara were the only ones to ever really accept him.  Anya never seemed to care one way or the other.  "She'd been attacked."

"What kind of demon?"  Dawn had a sinking feeling of the worst kind.  Buffy hadn't moved the whole time in Spike's arms from what she could see.  She also hadn't woke up either.  That wasn't like Buffy.

"I'm afraid it wasn't a demon, Bit."  Spike sighed.  "She was ... She was shot by a human."  Buffy needed to be the one to decide whom she told about the rape.  It was something that he didn't think Dawn could handle now on top of the other.

"Oh my God!"  Dawn ran in front of Spike.  She fell to the floor on her knees at the sight of Buffy's blood soaked clothes.  "No!  No!"  She cried out.  She buried her face in her hands.  "Oh God, she's gone again!"

Spike's heart was torn in two.  Both of the women he loved were broken right now.  He sat Buffy down in the chair carefully.  He covered her body with a blanket to keep the haunting scene from Dawn's eyes.  He pulled Dawn up from the ground to hug her.  He rocked her back and forth.  "Shhh ... She's not really gone this time."  He kissed the top of Dawn's head.

Spike's words broke through Dawn's grief addled mind.  "Not really gone?"  She pulled back in Spike's arms just enough to look into his eyes.  Her eyes widened with the knowledge of what Spike must mean.  "You turned her?!?"

Spike cringed.  'Damn, but the Bit is a smart one.'  He sighed and nodded.  "I'm sorry, Nibblet.  I couldn't let her go; not this time."

Dawn gasped in shock.  It wasn't that she was mad at Spike turning her sister, but she found it hard to believe that he had done it.  He loved Buffy, and she knew that it would break his heart for Buffy to come back as an evil demon instead of the woman he loved.  "Why?"

"Because I love her."  Spike stuttered on quickly.  "She'll keep her soul.  All Slayers do.  She might kill me, but she'll still be Buffy.  I promise."  He tightened his grip on Dawn, afraid that she had a stake hidden somewhere.  He had to be there when Buffy awoke.  After that he'd gladly take any stake that she or Dawn felt was necessary, but he had to see to her recovery first.

"Easy Spike."  Dawn's voice was soothing.  "I don't hate you."  She hugged Spike tighter.  "After this summer you should know that I would have asked you to turn her if there wasn't any other way to save her."  She spoke the truth.  She'd missed Buffy so much over the summer.  Having her back now was a gift that she would have done anything to keep Buffy.  She didn't care if Buffy was a vampire so long as she was still her Buffy.

"You don't hate me?"  Spike stared at Dawn in amazement.

"No, Spike.  If you say that she'll be Buffy, then I believe you."  Dawn had faith in Spike long before anyone else did.  She looked up to him as an older brother, and it always made her mad how the other Scoobies treated him.  Even after everything he’d done for them during the summer, they went back to hating him as soon as Buffy was back.  She refused to be that way.

"She will, Bit."  Spike explained, "But she won't be able to be around humans for a while.  I don't know everything that happened to her.  I only know how I found her."

Dawn nodded in understanding.  "Fine, but I want to see her as soon as you think she can handle it."  She wanted to argue with Spike that she should be there, but she knew it was pointless to argue with Spike if he'd made up his mind.  She saw the determination in his face.  He wasn't going to budge on the issue.  "Please tell her how much I love her, no matter what."

"I will, Bit.  I ..."  Spike was interrupted by the crypt door opening.

"Everything is set at the house.  I was able to get some ..."  Tara 's voice trailed off when she noticed Dawn standing in Spike's crypt.  "Dawn?"  She panicked, looking around for Buffy's body.

"Bit was here when I moved from the other place."  Spike explained when he saw the confusion on Tara 's face.

"Oh."  Tara saw the tear stains on Dawn's face.  "She knows?"

Spike nodded.  "Sussed it out pretty quickly."  He hugged Dawn.  "She's a right smart girl.  Aren't you Nibblet?"

"Sometimes too much for my own good if Spike's reaction was anything to go by."  Dawn rolled her eyes.  She tried to keep the conversation light.

"O ... Okay."  Tara stuttered a little bit.  "You're okay with it?"

"I explained it to Spike, yeah."  Dawn nodded her head.  "I take it you are going to be there too?"  She looked to Spike for confirmation.  He'd said that Buffy couldn't be around humans.  So she wondered why Spike was letting Tara be there.

"Tara is a witch, Dawn."  Spike explained.  "We needed protection, and I needed a human to own the home we'll use.  I figured Glinda would be the first choice for support amongst the Scoobies."

Dawn frowned, but nodded.  "I wish I could be there."

Tara opened her arms for Dawn to move into.  "As soon as it is safe, we'll bring you to see her.  We promise."  She stroked her hand down Dawn's hair.  This girl had suffered through a lot more than someone her human age should.  She didn't care if Dawn was a mystical key before.  Now she was just a teenage girl who suffered too much heartache.

"I don't care what anyone says or will say."  Dawn hugged Tara then opened her arms for Spike to join them in the hug.  When he reluctantly moved forward into a three-way hug she continued, "I will stand by you both, no matter what."

"Thanks, Bit.  I have a feeling that we'll need all the support we can get."  Spike kissed the top of Dawn's head again.  "You can't tell anyone at all."  He pulled back to look into Dawn's eyes.  "Tell the Scoobies that Buffy needed to get away for a little bit to deal with some things.  She told you that she'd contact you specifically off and on, but that she didn't want a whole Scooby troupe to try and find her."

"They won't be able to do a locator spell on her, Dawn.  So, don't worry if they try one."  Tara explained.  "It will enforce to them that Buffy doesn't want to be found, hopefully."

"Okay.  Anything else I should do?"  Dawn wanted to help in any way that she could.

"Tara will be living with us.  We'll figure out what to tell Willow, but for now just say that Tara is staying with a friend until she gets some things sorted out."

Tara nodded in agreement with that idea.  "Sounds fine to me.  I'll try to keep in touch.  I'll still be going to school.  So, I'm sure I'll run into Willow at some point."

"All right.  You know they aren't going to like this."

"I don't give a damn what they like and don't like."  Spike started to get angry.  He wasn't upset at Dawn, but it always peeved him off how the Scoobies thought they had the right to run Buffy's life.

Tara put a hand on Spike's arm to calm him down.  "They'll have to live with it.  Since they know we took Buffy from Heaven, I am hoping they will understand the absence."

Dawn nodded.  She looked over at Buffy's body in the chair.  She shivered at the stillness of her sister.  "May I say goodbye?"

Spike nodded.  He watched Dawn walk over to Buffy, kiss her forehead, and hug her.  She walked back towards the door.  "Take care of her, or you will have one pissed off teenager coming at you with a stake or a torch."

Tara gulped.  She knew Dawn well enough to realize she was serious.  Spike nodded.  He breathed a sigh of relief once the door shut behind Dawn.  "Well that wasn't planned."

Tara half chuckled.  "Definitely not.  The house is all in order though."  She looked over at Buffy's body, sleeping while it healed itself.  "Are we ready?"

"I still need to pack.  Nibblet was here waiting for me."

Tara nodded.  "Okay.  I'll watch Buffy while you pack."

"I won't take long."  Spike jumped down the hole to the lower level to pack what he wanted to take with them.  Mainly he’d just need some clothes.  He has some special personal items as well that always traveled with him too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Twists Of Fate - (4) Attacks and Disappointments
By Tasha and Stephanie
(Stephanie)

Chapter Summary: Dawn knows about Buffy being turned, and she is willing to support Spike and Tara.  Tara checked out the house, and she picked up Spike to take him and Buffy there.  Dawn returned to Revello Drive.  Tara gathered some of her and Buffy's clothes to bring to the new house.  What is going to happen when Willow realizes that some of Tara's belongings are gone?  Will the magic and wards on the house protect her from any spells Willow might do?  Is Dawn safe?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara just finished showing Spike the rest of the house when she felt a tingle at the back of her neck.  It was faint, almost like the feeling one gets when you think someone is staring at you, but it was strong enough that she noticed it.  She chalked the feeling up to nerves and hurried up to get the rest of the car unloaded. 

Spike already situated Buffy in one of the two rooms that were connected by the master bath.  That left Tara free to choose one of the two rooms that were situated on the other side of the house.  After deliberating which room would suit her best, and which room would eventually be better for Dawn, she chose the smaller of the two rooms.  It had the largest windows.  The bay window would be perfect to put a desk by, and the furnishings were spacious enough to give her plenty of room to perform spells. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike laid Buffy on top of an extra blanket on her bed.  He wanted to wash Buffy, but he needed to unpack her things first.  He separated all the clothes that Tara packed in a suitcase into the new drawers of Buffy's dresser.  He laid her brush and comb on top of the dresser.

The wood bedroom set was complete with queen-sized bed, end table, and dresser.  The vanity on the dresser was missing the mirror usually embedded in the middle of these kinds of hutches.  A vampire had no need of mirrors in their furniture.  In its place was a landscaped mural of the sun rising over the English countryside and up the back of an English manor.  Spike traced the painted rays with his fingertips.  "I wonder where she found this.  Resourceful gal."

Spike tucked the empty suitcase under Buffy's bed.  He tugged a second suitcase up onto the dresser to unpack.  After hanging a few dresses and skirts, he gathered the personal hygiene paraphernalia together.  Vanilla scented oil and bath salts now lined the shelved edge around the tub.  He artfully arranged various decorative bottles of lotion, soap and shampoo from Buffy’s collection as well.

Vampires weren’t usually into the whole bathing and hygiene aspects of life.  One reason was that they didn’t sweat.  Spike enjoyed showering and bathing.  It was one of the few times that his body would be nice and hot again.  Based on how Buffy was before, he had a feeling that she would continue to enjoy her heated soaks in the tub.  He hoped so.  He always loved her scent.  It would be a way that she could relax. 

The heat would help unkink muscles for Buffy after patrolling.  Spike figured that once Buffy was better acclimated to her new life, she would want to patrol again.  Vampires needed violence to help satisfy their inner demons.  Buffy would be no different in that regard.  Her Slayer side already craved that violence almost as much as a vampire did.  The crossover of being turned would complete the pull for that need.

Spike finished Buffy’s unpacking by tucking her weapons bag in the closet.  “Let’s not keep the pointy wooden objects too close to the bed for when she wakes up.”  He half chuckled to himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara touched the various pieces of furniture in her room.  She counted the money in her bank account mentally.  She’d have enough to purchase a new desk and lamp.  Spike said this was her house.  She was starting to get used to that thought.  She wanted to add a few touches of her own.

After Tara unpacked the rest of her clothes, she sat on the edge of her bed.  It was a nice full sized bed with an intricate lace covered comforter.  The rest of the comforter was made of a light material to ward off the chill of a Sunnydale windy night but not be too hot.  For the most part it would be decorative.

Tara shook her head back and forth as the niggling sensation at the back of her mind continued.  It disappeared again.  She headed out of her room and down the stairs.  She felt a little hungry.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike watched as Tara exited her new room.  Her eyes sparkled with delight, and she had lost a bit of the haunted look she had been carrying in her eyes.  Spike was glad that she moved in with them.  Not only would it ease Buffy into the transition of her new life, but it would also help Buffy cope with the pain.  In addition, it would be good for Tara to get away from Willow for a while. 

Spike noticed the pain in the blonde Wicca’s eyes during Sweet’s musical interlude time.  He had a feeling that her pain had something to do with all of the magic Willow kept doing.  He’d heard Tara arguing with Willow about her magic the day before Sweet showed up.  When Tara found him in the crypt, she told him about the spell Willow cast over her to make her forget things.

Spike thought of Dawn.  He was glad that she handled everything so well.  He loved the little Nibblet.  All four of them had their own needs and crosses, no pun intended, to bear.  Together they would all be able to help each other and heal the damage that Buffy’s rape, Willow’s betrayal, and Buffy’s death inflicted.  He hoped that the four of them would eventually form their own tight knit family unit.  It had been a long time since he really felt a part of a loving and close family.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara rummaged through the refrigerator.  She wasn’t sure just what she was in the mood to eat, but her stomach rumbled again to remind her that she hadn’t had anything since her early lunch.  She’d been so focused on Spike and Buffy that she forgot to pick up something to eat before her bookstore errand.

Spike trotted down the stairs into the living room.  He turned left and headed into the kitchen.  He was just about to open his mouth and ask Tara if she wanted him to make her something when a flash of pain crossed Tara’s face.  Concerned for the blonde, he hastened across the kitchen to where Tara was standing.  He gently touched her shoulder.  “Are you all right, Glinda?”

Tara looked up at Spike and smiled weakly.  She rubbed her temples with her fingertips.  “Sure, Spike.  Just a bit of a headache.”  She turned back around to face the refrigerator, but instead she ended up unconscious on the floor at Spike’s feet.

Spike panicked for a moment.  He looked around the room.  He wasn’t sure why Tara collapsed, but he faintly smelled the taint of magic in the air.  “What the bloody Hell is going on here?  This house is warded big time, and Tara added her own protection spells as well.”  He was confident in Tara’s magical abilities.  She was a true Wicca of light.  He always felt that when he was around her.  “How could anything get through?”

Spike scooped Tara up into his arms.  He laid the unconscious woman on the couch.  She lay there unmoving.  It unnerved him to see how much she looked like she was dead.

Spike shivered.  He needed help, but he wasn’t sure whom he could trust at this point.  He made a decision, picked up the phone, and called the one person that he knew would help him, even if it was only because he paid her to.  “Valerie, I need your help.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Valerie shifted in her car seat, replaying the conversation with Spike in her mind.  They would have to move fast to get everything accomplished and be able to help Tara before his Childe awakened.  Spike felt he had until tomorrow night before she would awaken, but he had other plans that still needed to be taken care of.

Valerie was surprised at the worry she heard in the vampire’s voice when he spoke of Tara’s condition.  He seemed genuinely concerned for the young woman.  His worry tainted voice nearly quivered when he mentioned the teenager named Dawn, the sister of his Childe.  He wanted the young girl safe at all costs.  She wondered why he had such a strong bond with the girl named Dawn.

Valerie sighed in relief as 1630 Revello Drive came into view.  She was still quite nervous about the whole plan.  It was true that she would have two mages flanking her with powerful glamours and protection spells, but Willow Rosenberg was a powerful witch in her own right.  Frankly, she felt the woman was out of control.

Wolfram and Hart had considered recruiting Willow Rosenberg for their special operations team, but her unpredictability was a serious deterrent.  They feared that they wouldn’t be able to control the witch.  If Wolfram and Hart was worried about controlling Willow, Valerie had every reason to be scared.  The sooner this was over, the better.   

As Valerie knocked on the door, she felt the mages protection spells solidify.   She would be safe from any form of magical control that the redhead could attempt.  The mages would also act as muscle in case it was needed to take care of what she needed to do.

The first part of Valerie’s mission was to conduct reconnaissance.  All that Valerie was required to do was touch Willow, and she would instantly be able to tell if Willow was the person responsible for the attack on Tara.  If Willow was innocent of any wrongdoing then they would leave the house without further communication.  If she was guilty, however, then the lawyer had been instructed to get Dawn out of the house and into a safe location.  Spike was insistent that Dawn not be left with someone who had brought physical harm to Tara.  

After a short while a young redhead answered the door.  "Hello," Valerie started the conversation with a fake southern drawl.  "My name is Susan Parker, and I am here with social services.  Are you Buffy Summers?" 

Willow looked surprised and hesitated briefly.  "Buffy is not here at the moment.  I'm Willow Rosenberg, Dawn's babysitter.” 

Valerie presented her hand for a handshake and held her breath.  As soon as Willow touched her she would know the truth.  "Nice to meet you Willow."

They spent the entire summer Buffy was gone prepared with stories for Social Services.  She slipped easily into their preconceived stories.  “Is there something that I can help you with?"  She extended her hand to return the handshake.

Valerie gasped as visions of Willow and her spell casting assaulted her.  One of the mages at her side wrapped his hand on Valerie’s arm in support.  He felt the young witch’s power saturating the house as soon as they’d walked up the porch. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Flashback to earlier that day)


Willow looked around the room; a confused expression marring her beautiful face.  She didn't quite understand what was happening.  She thought things were going great between her and Tara.  Now all of a sudden Tara was mad at her again.  This time she had no idea what for.  She hadn't done anything terribly magical lately that Tara would remember, and she was too good of a witch for the memory spells to have broken.  What would have caused Tara to not only sleep on the couch last night, but to avoid her all day, and then sneak her stuff out of the room?  It didn't make any sense.

Willow decided that she had to get to the bottom of their newest problem as a couple.  Willow gathered her magical supplies.  While casting the circle she thought back to the discussion that had occurred the last time her mother had made the entire family go to therapy.  'The only way to solve relationship problems is to sit down and talk it out.  Moving out is never the answer because the incentive to solve the problems is lost and the communications break down.'  The thought didn't cross her mind that forcing someone to return to you wasn't the best way to open up communication again.

Making her decision, Willow performed the spell to make Tara decide that she wanted to move back into Revello Drive.  Everything that was missing of Tara's made Willow believe she'd moved out.  She thought that once Tara was back under the same roof Willow would figure out what was wrong with Tara.  It couldn't be too serious.  She'd have some way to fix it.  They were perfect for each other.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the flashbacks, Valerie let Willow’s hand go.  She’d experienced enough of the magical world to understand what now occurred when Willow performed the spell.  Under normal circumstances the spell would have worked.  It would not have influenced Tara’s memory or normally harmed her in any way.  It would have simply created a nagging sensation in Tara's mind that she had made a mistake to move out and that she should return to Willow.  

The spell would have worked, if Tara had been anywhere else other then the warded house.  Instead of the spell influencing Tara, however, the house viewed it as a magical attack against its occupants and retaliated.  The clash of the magical forces fighting had caused Tara the initial discomfort.  As the magical battle waged over her mind, the pain eventually grew to be too much and caused the girl to pass out. 

The spell had not meant to physically harm Tara, but the houses defenses were correct.  Influencing Tara’s mind in any way was an attack.  Spike would be very upset to find out what occurred.  She knew she had to get to Dawn out of there.  She wasn’t sure where they teenager would stay, but she was willing to offer her own home if it got the teenager away from this woman.  She nodded to her associates.

Valerie's voice cooled when she spoke again, and her fake southern accent turned icy, "Well Ms. Rosenberg, it was a pleasure to meet you.  However, this is not really a social visit.”  Her eyes narrowed into thin angry slits.  “I am afraid that social services has looked over Ms. Summers record, and we feel that it would be in Dawn's best interest to be removed from the Summers’ residence and placed into foster care at this time."

Willow gasped, and her eyes started to turn dark.  The mages, however, were prepared and blocked the young witch's attempts to enter their minds.  Willow’s eyes widened when she felt her magic blocked.  She stared at the three people confused.

Valerie glared at Willow.  She felt the magic from Willow beat at her defenses.  She was furious at what Willow did to Tara.  She was also peeved that she tried to influence them as well when Willow wasn’t happy with the situation.  "Gentlemen, please stay down here with Ms. Rosenberg while I inform Ms. Summers of her change in status.”  She brushed Willow to the side of the doorway.  “The Summers residence is not fit for a young girl to grow up in."

Dawn inwardly moaned over the argument she’d heard going on downstairs.  ‘I won’t let them take me away.’  She was worried that Spike wouldn’t be able to find her if she was taken away.  She had to watch after the Scoobies’ actions for Spike and Tara.  She headed down the stairs.

Valerie ascended the stairs, but she met by a hostile and defiant teenager only halfway up the stairs.  "I'm not going anywhere away from my sister."

Valerie leaned close to Dawn.  She whispered in her hear, “Shhh, it’s okay.  Spike sent me to get you.”  She put a hand on Dawn’s lower back to nudge her back upstairs.  “Just grab whatever you need, and let’s get out of here.  I will explain in the car.”

Dawn looked panic stricken.  “Is Buffy okay?”  Had something already gone wrong with Buffy?  Did she already wake up and stake Spike?  So many thoughts worried around in her head.

“Buffy?”  Valerie hadn’t been told the identity of Spike’s Childe.  The name Buffy nagged at the back of her mind as a name she should know.  “If that is his Childe, then no she hasn’t woken up yet.”  She didn’t want to worry the girl, but they had to get her out of this house quickly.  She felt Willow’s power as it grew while they spoke.  “It’s Tara, Dawn.  She’s been hurt, and Willow is responsible.”

They’d made it back to Dawn’s room by now.  She already stuffed several changes of clothes into a duffel bag.  She gasped, threw her journal, and her make up into the bag.  She picked up her backpack with her schoolbooks in it.  She ran around her room to gather a few other important things to her, including a necklace from her mother and her stuffed animal.  “Let’s go.”  If Willow was working the mojo again, Dawn had no desire to stick around.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike paced back and forth through his new living room.  Valerie, Dawn and two other blokes had shown up to take a look at Tara.  Seeing Dawn had crystallized his fears.  He knew it meant that Willow was responsible for the attack.  It made his heart ache for the young girl in his living room.  Dawn had already lost so much.  She shouldn’t have to deal with Willow being responsible for hurting another of Dawn’s friends.  Although he wasn't terribly surprised at the witch's abuse of power, he did realize that this would break Tara's heart when she woke up.

In the middle of the mages working on Tara, Spike smelt a familiar scent.  He raced to the front window.  He noticed a man swagger down the middle of the street.  Spike growled low.  He wanted to follow the man, but he needed to stay with Tara and Dawn until Tara was okay.  He tightened his hands into fists.

“What’s wrong, Spike?”  Valerie walked behind Spike.  She rested her hand on Spike’s shoulder in a friendly manner.

“Just some trash that needs to be taken care of.”  Spike growled his response.

Valerie blinked.  The anger that radiated off the vampire was so thick it was palpable.  She moved around the side of Spike to look at his face.  “Buffy Summers is the Slayer, isn’t she?”  She changed the topic of conversation.

Spike sighed.  “Figured it out, eh?”

Valerie nodded.  “Not until Dawn mentioned Buffy’s name in reference to your Childe.”  She rested back against the wall with a hand on Spike’s arm.  “This could go very bad for you.”

“I know.”  Spike nodded.  “I love her.”  He picked up an envelope from a table by the door.  “If she dusts me, so be it.”  He handed the envelope to Valerie.  “This is all of the paperwork you needed me to sign to transfer all rights of my wealth to Tara upon my death.”

Valerie opened the envelope.  She double checked all of the paperwork to be sure it was in order.  “I hope you know what you are doing.”

“Now you know why I wanted to get things set up for Tara to take over.”  Spike eyes narrowed on the woman.  “I trust you to keep this a secret, Val.  Your bosses better not find out.”

“You have my promise, Spike.  You’re going to have enough problems to deal with, without that added to it.”  Valerie patted Spike’s arm in assurance.  “Good luck.”

Dawn watched Valerie and Spike interact.  She could see that they were more like friends, but she still wanted to remove Val’s hand from Spike’s arm.  She hoped Buffy didn’t let Spike get away this time.  If only Buffy admitted to herself last year that she liked Spike too after Drusilla came to town, maybe some things would be very different right now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Several hours later, Tara sat on her new porch, swinging gently while she let her feet dangle.  There was so much to process, and she was having trouble comprehending it all.  Willow tried to manipulate her again.  She tried to control her and take away her free will.  Even though it was just to get her to come back to the house, Willow still tried to make Tara do something she didn’t want to do. 

Tara knew in her heart that things could never be the same again.  Willow would never stop manipulating her, making her into the perfect girlfriend.  She couldn't, no she wouldn't, be able to live through the manipulations and still retain her sense of self.  Unfortunately that didn't stop the pain she was feeling over the loss of her girlfriend. 

When Tara woke up the mages told her that if she was anywhere else other then in the house she would not have been able to resist the magical suggestion.  Just knowing that if she had been outside, or in a store, or even at school that she would have gone back to Willow and not realized why she had done so, made her mad.  The magic would have bypassed her protection spell, one because of Willow's strength and power and two because she wasn't trying to alter Tara's memories, just implant a suggestion. 

Shaking her head, Tara thought about everything else that happened.  Dawn was devastated at the current turn of events.  Her world was crumbling, and there was not much Dawn could do to stop it.  Her sister had been killed twice and now turned.  Willow, who was like a big sister to her, had been abusing magic.  Now Tara, who she thought of as a surrogate mother, had been manipulated and attacked by Willow. 

Spike decided the safest place for Dawn would be at Valerie's house.  None of the Scoobies knew Valerie or would think that Spike had a lawyer.  However, just in case that Willow decided to go after "Susan Parker", Valerie and Dawn would still be safe within a magically protected house.

'I really don't want to see Spike's attorney bill this month.'  Tara sighed.  She wished that Spike would hurry up and return from wherever he ran off to.  He had paced back and forth for hours after everyone left.  Finally he broke down and asked if she could stay with Buffy while he went out to pick up "supplies" for when Buffy woke up. 

Tara assured Spike that she would be fine in the house, but she hadn't pressed for details.  The look is his eyes chilled her, and she didn't think she really wanted to know.  His steps were determined and sure when he tromped out of the house.  She wondered how long he would be gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__________________________________________________

Twists Of Fate - (6) A Girl Named Valerie
By Tasha and Stephanie
(Stephanie)

Chapter Summary: Buffy has awakened, and she had no problems taking care of her rapist and murderer much to Spike's surprise.  Buffy hadn't even hinted at staking Spike for her conversion.  She seemed like Buffy, only very determined to see revenge on those who harmed her.  Valerie stopped by to see how things were going at the house, and she had some cell phones for everyone to keep in contact more quickly.  Buffy and Spike came downstairs to see Tara and Valerie in the living room.  With the faint scent of Spike in the air, near Valerie, Buffy went on the jealous streak of indirectly declaring Spike as hers.  Let's see what Val has to say about that.  Who really is this woman named Valerie?

Author's Note (From Tasha): The title comes from a Ghost of the Robot song called Valerie.  When I first read Stephanie's chapter 2 with Valerie's introduction I was actually listening to the Ghost of the Robot's "Mad Brilliant" CD.  The song started playing in the background when I started reading about Valerie.  I found that amusing.  James Marsters was the lead singer of GoTR, and now he has a solo musical career.  Just thought I'd share the tidbit as to why I chose this particular title for the chapter.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Valerie met Buffy's challenging stare with a calm look.  She dealt with demons day in and day out for the last five years of her life.  Although the blonde in front of her practically radiated jealousy, vengeful fury and power, Valerie was confident that she could calm Buffy down.

Valerie took in the woman/demon before her.  She was stunned by Buffy's beauty even in her vampiric guise.  She never met a vampire with such a mixture of light and dark radiating from them.  Usually nothing surprised her anymore.  After all, Valerie knew demons.  Buffy was different than any she'd met so far.

While working for Wolfram and Hart may not have been her first choice as a professional career, it had provided her with a vast amount of resources, which she studied throughout the years.  After she mentally assessed a few scenarios, Valerie chose the one she felt would work the best.  Slowly she tilted her neck into a submissive gesture to the demon within Buffy Summers.  "May I approach, please?"

Buffy looked stunned.  The strange woman in front of her showed not a trace of fear, and her actions appeared to be soothing the demon inside of her.  She could feel her jealous rage subside, and her female curiosity was piqued.  The minutes ticked by as Buffy stared at Valerie in an assessment of her own.  She finally nodded for Valerie to move forward.

Spike stood still, nervous at the interaction.  He was confident that Valerie could handle herself, but Buffy was newly turned.  He wasn't sure how long it normally took for the soul to master the demon. 

Normally a fledgling would be completely overcome with their bloodlust by now.  The fledge would have killed any living thing in sight to get the blood it needed.  Although Buffy was cruel to her tormentor, Spike never sensed Buffy edging towards Tara or Valerie to eat them.  Buffy was acting protective and possessive of a Mate.  She wasn't trying to feed.

Spike tensed, ready to rush in if it was needed.  He would hate to begin his new relationship with Buffy by having to use a Sire command.  Plus, the silly bint was strong enough that she might stake him for it after his hold wore off.  He still couldn't reconcile himself with the fact that Buffy hadn't wanted to stake him as soon as she rose.

Valerie approached slowly.  Her steps indicated that she was still being submissive to the demon.  She only moved forward a little bit at a time.  She kept her eyes lowered to the floor and her head tilted.

Valerie finally made it all the way to Buffy.  She stayed to the side furthest from Spike.  She knew that if she got too close to the woman's Sire, that Buffy's demon would probably take over, and she might attack.

While Valerie wasn't particularly worried about dying, her contract provided extra magical protection against demons; she could experience a great deal of pain.  Her research indicated that not all vampire bites were painful.  She doubted that Buffy's bite, in this instance, would be gentle if she spooked or provoked the demon into action.

Valerie bent down close to Buffy's ear.  She quietly whispered something to Buffy that only they could hear.  She hoped Buffy would understand what she was trying to say.

Both Spike and Tara strained to hear what Valerie said, but it was no use.  Valerie's protection against demons had kicked in with her proximity to Buffy, and she practically crackled with a magical barrier around her.  Unfortunately, it also muted all aspects of her whispered words.  Seconds later, Buffy started to laugh so hard she fell down.

Valerie's words satisfied both the soul and the demon.  They were both pleased to have this girl around for them.  Buffy had a feeling that they would become closer friends over time.  Valerie seemed to understand what was needed without being judgmental or fearful.  Buffy promised herself to ask Spike more about Valerie later.

Spike moved to help Buffy up off the floor as Valerie slowly moved back to her former position next to Tara.  Tara looked at Valerie and whispered, "What did you say to her?"

Valerie looked at Tara with a twinkle in her eyes and smiled, "Someday, I'll tell you." 

Suddenly Buffy stopped laughing, sniffed and cocked her head as if she was listening to an internal voice.  She looked at Valerie, Tara and the new house that was scented with a multitude of personal scents.  The longer she was "awake" the more her senses kicked in.  She felt the magical barriers crackling in energy around them, unseen.  Something else lingered in the air.  Processing this information Buffy turned to her sire, "What the hell happened here, and where is Willow?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sat at the kitchen table with Spike, her hands wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate.  She looked more sorrowful than angry at the moment, and Spike desperately wished he knew what she was thinking about.  The multitude of unsettled emotions was easy for Spike to pick up on.  Until other claims were finished or initiated, his senses were on the outskirts of the true depths of Buffy's thoughts.

Lost in her thoughts, Buffy didn't notice Spike's discomfort.  She was still trying to absorb all the information that had been given to her.  The euphoria of being turned, and the adrenaline from her first kill, was starting to wear off.  Now too many thoughts crept into her mind.  She remembered everything: the rape, the feeling of helplessness, the desire to live, and the need to repair her relationships with friends and family. 

The rage of the demon was overwhelming, but Buffy felt her soul in there too.  It worked to calm her demon, and it wept at the treachery done to her body.  She tried to push her thoughts away from the rape.  She thought instead about the actions of one of her oldest friends.

Focusing on Willow's magical attack and memory violations of Tara was a way for Buffy to avoid thinking about other factors.  If she held on to her anger at Warren, Willow, or fate in general, then she didn't have to focus on her feelings about the rape, or her surprising joy at being turned.

Finally Spike's voice broke Buffy's concentration, "So luv, what did lawyer girl have to say to you?"  Sitting in silence wasn't going to help either of them adjust to their new lives.  He wasn't going to push too much too fast, but he wasn't going to allow Buffy to retreat into a shell either.  She tried to do that after returning from Heaven.  He wouldn't let it happen again.

A laughing smile broke across Buffy's face.  What was said really wasn't extremely funny, but compared to everything else going on it was hilarious. "Something about guys in dusters being so two years ago, and she much preferred blondes in skirts."  Her eyes twinkled in mirth.  "It was a lot funnier the way she said it.  Do you think Tara knows that Valerie wants in her skirt?"

Spike laughed at Buffy's question, "I doubt she meant it quite that way, pet.  She probably phrased it that way to get the point across to your demon that she wasn't encroaching on your "territory"."  He tilted his head to the side in contemplation.  "Of course, it is interesting to think about those two together." 

Buffy playfully swatted Spike in the shoulder.  "Watch it, Mister.  No mind wandering to those two and skirt upping."

Spike laughed.  He hugged Buffy tenderly.  "No one will ever compare to you, Buffy.  You are the only one I love like that."  He moved slowly out of the embrace.  He hoped he hadn't made Buffy uncomfortable.  He knew he only acted naturally to how he felt about her.

Buffy felt bereft after Spike let go.  In that brief moment that he held her, Buffy knew safety and peace.  Her demon quelled into contentment during the brief touch.  It allowed her soul to rest from all the work it was doing to keep Buffy sane.  "I hope so, Spike."

A troubled look crossed Buffy's face, and her eyes started to flicker with silver.  "How could Willow do that to Tara?  Controlling someone and taking away their choices are wrong."  Her anger at finding out her friend abused her magic again infuriated her.  "Doesn't she realize that she violated Tara as surely as that man did to me in the crypt.  I think what Willow did was worse.

"Worse?"  Spike was confused about why Buffy felt Tara's violation was worse than Buffy's.  Both of the violations were equally as wrong in his book.

"Willow manipulated Tara's mind.  Now Tara will always wonder what else Willow might have made her "forget" or made her "want to do" like Willow tried the other night."  Buffy went on for a few minutes ranting on how wrong it was to violate a person like that. 

Buffy rattled on about how wrong it was for others to make decisions like that for people, even if they love them, and take away their free will.  She never forgave Angel for leaving her "for her own good".  He made that decision for both of them without even asking her what she thought.  "Willow can't keep using the excuse that she is hurt or she loves the other person so much that she had to do the magic.  It's wrong for her to think that she has the right to make those choices for us."

Spike sat back and let Buffy rant.  He occasionally refilled her cocoa mug.  He added enough marshmallows to cover the top of the cup when he refilled it.  His head snapped up.  "Luv, are you really all right with me turning you?"  He worried that Buffy was upset with him as well.  "I know I gave you the choice, but you were dying.  Your survival instinct probably just kicked in ..."

Buffy stopped ranting and looked at the face of the man who loved her, her Sire. "Spike, I didn't choose to come back from heaven, and I didn't choose to get raped and killed."

Spike lowered his head in shame.  Buffy might not be staking him, but she might as well stake him if she regretted being connected to him as her Sire.

Buffy lifted Spike's chin with the tips of her fingers.  "I chose to talk to you over everyone else when they brought me back."  She smiled.  "I could have gone to Angel to tell him about Heaven.  Heck I could have had Willow erase all my memories of Heaven, but I didn't."

Spike thought about that for a little bit.  He was the only one who knew about her being ripped out of Heaven instead of Hell.  Did that show that she trusted him as a friend before?  Right before the tower, Buffy showed that she looked at him as more than just a demon, but when she returned from Heaven she held so much animosity within her that their confrontations had been strained.

"I chose to take your blood, willingly.  You did not take away my free will."  Buffy cupped Spike's cheek.  "You expected me to stake you when I woke up.  If you wanted to control me, you would have secured me in such a way that I couldn't harm you."

Spike relaxed his shoulders in relief.  Buffy continually amazed him with her clarity of thought.  'She must have had a hell of a set of dreams to be so accepting of this.'  She was handling everything a lot better than he expected her to.

"I'm not going anywhere, Spike."  Buffy rubbed her finger in a caress against his cheek.  "I chose to be here with you, in this strange family you seem to be making.  I didn't want to go back to Heaven."

"You'll go back one day, luv."  Spike turned his face into the touch.  He kissed the palm of Buffy's hand.  "Your soul is still there.  I'm sure you'll go back."

"That's fine, but not right now.  It might take a while for me to get used to being a vampire," Buffy sighed, "and the other things that happened.  I swear that I'll work hard to make life better."  She chuckled at the term "life" being used in reference to a vampire.  "I'm glad Tara is here.  Heck I'm even glad Valerie is here, and I'm glad she is taking care of Dawnie.  I wish I could do that."

"You will soon, pet.  She knows about you, and she still loves you without question."  Spike opened his arms for Buffy to slip into.  "We have to be sure that you can control yourself around all the heartbeats.  I won't let you hurt anyone you care about.  I know you'd regret it later."  He chuckled.  "I won't even let you kill Red, even though I'd like to throttle her myself right now."

"Thank you, Spike."  Buffy rested her head against Spike's chest.  She closed her eyes and relaxed into his embrace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Valerie checked on Dawn.  She hated to wake her up this late at night, but she promised to tell Dawn about Buffy.  Dawn wanted to know about any changes in Buffy's status.  Walking softly across the room, she sat on the edge of the bed and reached over to gently shake Dawn.  "Dawn?  Dawn wake up.  I have news."

Dawn answered her groggily, "What is it?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Buffy is awake."

Dawn bolted up.  She almost fell off the bed in her haste to move.  "She's awake?  Did she ask about me?  Did she stake Spike?  Is she all right?  What happened?  Can I see her?"  She fired off each question in rapid succession without giving Valerie a chance to answer in-between each new question.

Valerie laughed softly.  "Yes Dawn.  She is awake, and she asked about you."  Valerie tried to answer each question in the order Dawn asked them.  "No, she didn't stake Spike.  In fact she was quite possessive about him.  She seemed to be all right."

Dawn visibly relaxed.  She loved Spike almost as much, if not as much, as Buffy.  He protected her all summer, and he was her best friend.  Spike never treated her just like a kid or a "key".  He was always the same to her, and he treated her well.

"I need to make some arrangements at work tomorrow, but we think the mages can make a temporary protection spell for you to be able to see Buffy."  The bright smile on Dawn's face was enough reward for Valerie to contact the mages first thing in the morning.  "It would be kind of like the one I have.  You won't be able to live at your new house yet, because the demon will still be too strong, but you should be able to visit for short amounts of time."

Dawn brightened up at the prospect of seeing her sister.  "Can I visit tomorrow?"

"I'll pick you up from school and bring you to the office."  Valerie mentally worked through the day's agenda of meetings.  She rearranged things in such a way to make it all work out.  "Hopefully the mages can work their mojo along with strengthening the protection spells against you.  Now, you need to get back to sleep."

Dawn smiled and snuggled back down into her blankets.  "Thank you, Valerie."  She couldn't wait until tomorrow and the possible chance of seeing her sister again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tara sat on the porch swing.  She enjoyed the sensation of being rocked back and forth.  The swing was quickly becoming her favorite place to think and reflect.
She had a pleasant conversation with Valerie earlier.  They traded Sunnydale stories, and Tara hadn't been able to stop herself from asking a truly cliché question.  "What's a nice girl like you doing working for an evil law firm like that?"

Valerie's answer, like so many things lately, made Tara deeply reflect on what she believed about the world around her.  She learned about Valerie's family, why Valerie started working for Wolfram and Hart, and why she pretty much hated what the Council stood for.

Valerie's parents had been part of an "underground railroad" that helped peaceful or reformed demons relocate and start productive new lives.  There were many demons that had no desire to kill, maim, or even hurt humankind.  Some came from alternate dimensions to escape war and others were fleeing from organizations such as the Initiative or the Council. 

Val worked with her parents on the railroad her entire life.  She was as comfortable around demons as she was a human.  Over the years, she heard many horror stories of demons that wanted nothing more than to live peacefully and raise their children.  Instead, they had their family members killed, chipped or dismembered by some happy-go-lucky agency who didn't care that they had no interest in malevolence.  No one stopped to find out if the demon they were hunting, testing or slaughtering was really a threat to anyone.

The year Valerie left for college the Council found out her parents were part of the railroad after a particularly nasty relocation.  They succeeded in rescuing 20 Baccharan from a Council "demon-hunt", and her parents helped them move to upstate New York where they would blend in better.  The Baccharan in question had all converted to Quakerism about twenty years prior.  Now they were pacifists by virtue of their faith.  The Council, however, hadn't cared about their conversion, and they sent a special operations team to "take care" of the demons.

Valerie's parents found out about the planned raid before it happened.  Since they worked with the demon community in a positive way, word reached them of what was going down.  Thankfully Valerie's parents were able to save all of the demons from being killed.  Unfortunately something was left behind that led the Council to her parent's doorstep.

Two weeks after the rescue, the Council managed to track down the identity of those responsible for the rescue.  They surrounded the home to make sure no one was able to leave.  Then they blew the house up with everyone inside.  Valerie's parents, and six innocent demons who were visiting from out of town, lost their lives.

Valerie admitted to Tara that she was very angry and bitter during those first days, weeks and months after her parent's death.  She wanted revenge in the worst way, but she found it was quite impossible to take on an organization as big as the Council and win.  She decided it was best to carry on the work her parent's started.

It was during that time that Wolfram and Hart approached her.  They seemed sympathetic enough, but Valerie wasn't fooled.  She'd heard about the law firm through the various demons they assisted.  The member who spoke to her was very nice though.  Wolfram and Hart offered to pay for all funeral expenses, give her a full scholarship to USC Law School, give her a lucrative contract, and take care of her personal expenses during college in exchange for 5 years of service in one of their offices.

That was 5 years and a few months ago.  Valerie explained that although she was approached to be "promoted" to the L.A. offices many times, she never took the opportunity.  The Sunnydale branch was much more sedate than other branches.  Most of their transactions with demons were as normal as any human law firm, real estate agent, or bank.  She told Tara how happy she was with her job, and how she felt that she was helping the right kinds of demons.

Valerie renewed her contract last month, and she still sent support checks out to other houses in the underground network.  She kept enough to take care of her own needs and bills, but the majority of her salary was sent to various causes to help out the types of demons her family protected for all of her life.

Valerie learned everything about demons, both good and bad.  She never went into any decision uneducated or unsure of just who she was dealing with.  Although Spike wasn't the kind of client she originally wanted, he never asked her to do anything for him that went against her personal code of ethics.  Now, she was glad that she'd kept him as her client instead of passing him off to someone else. 

There was no doubt in Tara's mind that Valerie hated the Council with a passion.  Valerie's lips pursed and her eyes turned fiery when she said the name of the group.

The concept of the "underground railroad" for peaceful demons piqued Tara's interest.  She wondered if there was a way she could help out, or at least a fund she could contribute to.  She needed to do more research to validate Valerie's claims.

Her own family, who lied to her for years, persecuted Tara.  She was told that she was a demon, and her family treated her as one.  They wanted her as their "slave" after her mother died.  She was glad the Scoobies stood up for her then.  If they hadn't, who knew where she'd be now.  She understood the feeling of being misunderstood or scared that your identity would be found out and held against you.  Tara sighed, slipped off the swing, and walked back inside.  She made sure all of the lights were off downstairs before she headed up to bed. 

Tara locked her bedroom door, as Spike suggested.  She laid down and stared at the ceiling.  Tomorrow was another day, and she needed the sleep to face it.  She hoped she would be able to rest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike looked around his clean room.  Adam's body no longer hung limp from the wall of his bedroom.  A clean up crew came in and quickly took care of the mess.  If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have known a man had been tortured there.

Spike listened to the sounds of the house.  Even though it was only 3 am, Buffy was already back in her own bed sleeping.  She expended a lot of energy between her emotional and mental states.  She needed the rest.  After listening for a couple hours longer, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.  He'd hear Buffy if she needed anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy's eyes twitched in her sleep.  She was lost in her dreams shortly after she fell asleep.

Buffy looked around the strange looking room.  It seemed like it could be a law office, if the paintings and knick-knacks were any indication.  Female screams penetrated the door.  She ran out of the office in a hurry to find the source.  She thought one voice sounded like Dawn.

"Get away from the lawyer, Dawn."  A furious Angel growled at Dawn in the open area of the new room.  "She's evil.  I'm here to protect you from her."

"I don't need protection from her.  Valerie saved me from the only person I needed protection from, Willow."  Dawn firmly stood her ground in front of the bleeding woman.  Angel would have to go through her to get to Valerie.

Buffy vamped and growled threateningly at the danger to her family and friends.  She launched herself at Angel's back, kicking him to the floor with a blow to the middle of his back.  She flipped Angel over while she punched and beat on him.

All at once the vampire surged off the floor.  He bound Buffy's wrists in his hand.  He growled dominantly, demanding her to submit.

Buffy snorted at the command.  There was only one person she gave that control to, and that vampire was blonde, sexy, and her Sire.  She counter-growled in refusal.

The dark haired vampire let go of one of Buffy's wrists long enough to open-handed slap Buffy across the face.  The ring he wore on his hand cut into her cheek.

Pain radiated from the blow.  She blinked at the stars swimming around her vision.  Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy saw Dawn sneak Valerie down a hallway to another room.  Happy that her sister was safe for the moment, she fought back again.  Her boot connected with the vampire's groin, and he dropped her.

"Now Buff.  Was that a nice thing to do?"  Angelus cupped his aching family jewels. Seeing Buffy as a vampire called out to his demon.  She was magnificent to behold.  His demon forced its way to the surface in a lunge of desire, dominance, and a need to posses the woman, shoving the soul back into the background.

'Buff?'  Buffy thought to herself.  Her eyes widened in recognition.  "Angelus?"

"Oh aren't we a smart little fledge."  Angelus sneered.  He straightened his back and walked closer to Buffy.  He leaned down and sniffed at her neck.  She felt like family, but how was that possible.  "SPIKE!!"  He snarled in disgust and anger.  He recognized his Childe's mark on Buffy's neck.  Spike's scent was all around the woman.

Buffy couldn't help the step back she took away from Angelus' rage.  She doubted that she'd seen him this mad the last time he was free.

"How dare he?"  Angelus grabbed Buffy's arms.  He pushed her up against a wall.  "You were mine."

Now Buffy was peeved.  There was no way she'd let Angelus get away with a remark like that.  "I was never yours, Angelus."  Her eyes narrowed on the dark side of her first love.  "And I never will be.  I belong to Spike."

Angelus dropped Buffy to the floor, and he laughed.  He laughed so hard that Buffy thought he was going insane.  When Angelus stared at Buffy's eyes again, he glared at her in hatred.  "If he touches you again, I will dust him.  I brought him into this world, and I will take him from it."

Buffy twisted in the sheets on her bed.  Her head tossed wildly back and forth.  "No ... NO!"  She yelled loud enough that Spike heard her even without his vampiric senses.

Spike rushed into the bedroom.  He slept naked, and he hadn't stopped to pick up any clothes.  All he cared about was getting to his Childe as soon as possible.  He smelled the fear in the air from Buffy.

Buffy continued to growl, in full demon face, at whatever was causing her grief in her dreams.  She scratched and kicked at Spike who tried to subdue her.

Spike shook Buffy's shoulders.  "Buffy!"  The scent of his blood and hers permeated the air.  "Wake up, luv!"  He was unable to stop Buffy from hurting him, and he had to dig his fingers down hard enough into Buffy's arms that his nails made her bleed to keep her flailing to a minimum.

Buffy heard a voice in the distance.  It wasn't the voice of the vampire before her now.  She turned her head to look back over her shoulder in her dream.

Angelus grinned at Buffy.  "He can't save you.  I will execute my rights, and you will be mine."  His grin turned into a sneer.  "If that doesn't work, I can dust him, and I still get what I want."

Spike sighed in resignation.  He had no other choice but to use a Sire's voice to break Buffy from whatever was tormenting her.  He slapped Buffy across the cheek and growled.  "Wake up now, Childe!  Return to me!"

Buffy screamed because in her dream Angelus bit her neck and started to pull the blood he needed to complete his claim.  She was ripped from Angelus' arms at the sound of Sire's voice.  It broke through the fog and horror that she was living in her dreams.  She opened her eyes to stare into the troubled amber eyes of her Sire.

Spike heaved a breath of relief when Buffy finally opened her eyes.  In the next moment his arms were full of a weeping Childe.  He rocked her back and forth and rubbed his hand up and down her back to soothe her.

Tara opened the door to Buffy's room slowly.  "Spike?"  Her timid voice questioned.  She wasn't asleep long before Buffy's screams woke her up.  She knew Spike would take care of Buffy, but she was concerned.  "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nightmare," Spike told Tara in explanation.  "We should be okay.  I'll stay with her a bit until she gets back to sleep."

Tara nodded and closed the door.  Spike looked back down at Buffy, only to find himself staring into blood-tear stained eyes. 

Buffy clutched Spike like a life preserver from a sinking ship.  "Please don't leave me, Sire."  She pleaded with Spike.  "Please be with me tonight."

Spike noticed his nakedness for the first time since he bolted from his room.  "I don't know if that would be a good idea, pet.  I don't think you're ready for that."

Buffy would have blushed if she could have managed it as a vampire.  She buried her face in Spike's chest for a few moments to collect her wits together again.  She looked back up at Spike.  "Just hold me, please?"

Spike understood the loneliness that came from many sleepless nights alone in his bed.  He nodded slowly.  "Let me go get some pants first, kay?"

Buffy shook her head back and forth.  "I trust you to behave.  I'm not taking a chance on something happening if you leave me."

Hearing Buffy say that she trusted him meant a great deal to him.  "Okay."  He pulled back the blankets next to Buffy.  He straightened the mess of sheets that suffered from Buffy's nightmarish ordeal.  "Will you tell me about your nightmare, luv?"  He slipped in next to Buffy.  He waited for Buffy to decide what position she wanted to be in.

Buffy snuggled up to Spike, burying her face in his chest.  She wrapped one arm over his waist, and the other was tucked up underneath the pillows at the head of the bed.  She slipped one of her legs in-between Spike's to allow her to get closer to him.  What should she tell him?  Angel was a sore point with Spike.  What would he say about her dreaming of his Sire, especially Angelus' claims that he would take Buffy away from Spike?  "It wasn't just a nightmare, Spike.  It felt like a Slayer dream."

"Are you sure?"  Spike questioned.  Her heard about Slayer's having prophetic dreams, but he wasn't sure which part of the Slayer was responsible for them.  Finding out what Buffy could still do or not do would be interesting.  She was more than a normal vampire, definitely a lot more than the average fledgling.

Buffy nodded.  "Unfortunately, yes.  I've had them before."  She frowned.  Tears threatened to fall again.  "They aren't one hundred percent accurate, a bit cryptic usually, and sometimes only little bits of the dreams are real.  I'm sure that it was a Slayer dream though.  I don't want any of it to be true, but I have a feeling that at least one part of it is right on the money."

"Which part, Childe?"  Spike spoke lovingly and softly.  He called her Childe in a caring respect to reinforce their connection, not as a reminder of his position over her.

"Angel," Buffy cringed when Spike's body tightened next to her.  "He's coming soon."  She tried to reassure Spike of his position in her life.  "I don't want him here, Sire.  I chose you, not him."

Spike held Buffy tighter to him.  He had no desire to see his nancy boy Sire right now.  Heck, he didn't want to ever see him, but right now he wasn't sure if he could handle the problem.  He needed to focus on Buffy and her training.  Angel would only muck up the progress that Spike made in his relationship with Buffy.

"He can challenge your rights as my Sire, can't he?"  Buffy meekly asked the question on her mind.

"There are ways, yes."  Spike frowned.  "It was one reason I made sure to have some heavy magic around us."  His demonic face melted away to the saddened and insecure face of the human he used to be.  Angel had a way of making him feel like the weakling he used to be in his human days.  "I wanted to keep your turning from Peaches."

Buffy raised her head to lock her gaze with Spike's.  "I don't want him to challenge it, Spike."  She caressed her fingers down his cheek.  She traced the line of his jaw to his lips.  "Don't let him take me away from you."

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered.  "I'd have to be dust before I'd let you go.  You are mine: my Slayer, my Childe, my Buffy, my love, and so much more.  You're the one Buffy, from now until eternity."

Buffy sighed contentedly back into Spike's arms.  She rubbed her cheek against his chest.  "Eternity with you sounds pretty good, Sire.  I don't know if I will be able to say the words I know you want to hear Spike, but I promise that I won't hide them from you if or when I feel them.  I need a little time to work through all of my issues."

Spike nodded in understanding against the top of Buffy's head.  "Take as long as you need.  Just being close to you is enough to bring me joy."  He hugged her tightly.  "All I ask is that you don't shut me out.  Even if I don't like what you have to say, I will not turn away from you.  Trust me to be there for you.  I won't leave you."

"I'll try, Spike."  Buffy closed her eyes.  Somehow she knew the dreams wouldn't return when Spike held her.  She would deal with Angel or Angelus whenever she had to.  She wanted to forget about him until then.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow woke up slowly to the sunshine streaming through the window.  Her mind was fuzzy, and she tried to recall last night.  Rolling over she snuggled up to the leggy woman in her bed.  'What the...?'  Memories started to flood her mind. 

Yesterday she woke up to an empty house again.  Buffy took off for parts unknown, Dawn was taken by social services, and Tara disappeared into thin air despite Willow's best attempts to track her down and bring her back home.  Everyone close to her left her in some way all at once.  She couldn't even count on Xander due to Anya's wedding obsession.  Giles spent the last few days in a drunken stupor, muttering something about run-away slayers and mystical keys yelling at him.

No one bothered to check on her needs.  No one cared to see how SHE was doing after Tara abandoned her.  No, they were all going on with their own precious lives.  Didn't they realize she was hurting?  Willow spared no thoughts for how Buffy was doing or how Dawn was adjusting.

Willow even thought about hiring a detective agency.  Perhaps Angel would be willing to locate Tara for her.  She was frustrated with her own private search.  All of her spells indicated that Tara was not in Sunnydale.  She really wanted to know what kept making people leave her.  She wouldn't go through the loneliness again.  She would find Tara, and Tara would be coming home with her.

Lonely for company, and not wanting to deal with fools or drunkards, Willow finally thought about a spell to de-rat Amy.  She was pleased when her casting resulted in the reappearance of another witch in her life, hopefully one that would understand her better. 

The girls talked about all the changes that occurred on the Hellmouth during the last few years.  Later that night, when no one had bothered to come home again, Willow decided to go out and have a bit of fun.  'Would it have hurt them to call and see how I was doing?'

The girls went to the Bronze and had a magical blast rearranging reality on the poor unsuspecting crowd.  It was the most fun that Willow had in ages, and she found herself wishing that Tara was more accepting like Amy.  'I wonder if there is a spell to make one enjoy using magic more?'

Silently Willow contemplated whether it would be possible to magically enforce a desire to do magic onto Tara.  Her thoughts drifted to other possible uses of the magic on the Hellmouth.  She would have to keep quiet about it though.  Her experiences had shown her that people like Giles and Tara wouldn't appreciate her efforts to manipulate her surroundings, even if it was for their own good.

Finally, physically and magically drained, the girls had collapsed in Willow's room.  They fell asleep before they could even get undressed.  If no one bothered to return home, perhaps Amy would like to move in with her.  It would be nice to have another magically inclined friend around.  She figured that it was her home too, and she should have a say in the living arrangements.  She thought she could do what she wanted to with the house.  Besides, Dawn's room would be available now.

Willow felt a twinge of guilt at giving away Dawn's room without at least checking to see if the girl was all right in her new life.  'She's probably happier there anyways.  Now I don't have to worry about her getting in my way and messing up my spells.'

Willow cringed at the thought.  She liked Dawn.  Why would she think of her in that way?  She made a decision to stop by Dawn's school in the afternoon about the time school let out.  The only information she got out of Giles was that Dawn knew where Buffy was.  Perhaps she could convince the girl to tell her where Buffy was and find out if she'd seen or heard from Tara.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy curled up on the couch reading one of the many books Tara purchased for her.  She resisted staying home alone at first.  She wanted to go hunt down Warren, or have a "talk" with Willow about what she'd done to Tara.  Spike took the time to calm her down, before he took the sun-proofed car to go check on Dawn.  He kissed her softly on the lips before he left.  She found the endearment so touching.

Logically, Buffy knew she wasn't ready to face humans yet, but that didn't make it any easier for her to accept.  She would rather be out patrolling or hunting for human or demon scum than sit here and read these books.  She laughed softly at the irony of her thoughts.  At least the book was right about one fact.  She was trying to focus on everything else rather then deal with her own feelings.  She wished the realization made it easier to deal with her feelings, but it didn't.

Twirling her new Willow-detector bracelet, Buffy let her thoughts wander far from the books in front of her again.  She wondered if Spike would let her buy a new computer for the office.  She could go back to school and take night courses or even online courses if she had a computer.  She wanted to feel active in life again.  She'd shut so much out since her return from Heaven.

Besides, Tara would be able to use it too.  Pushing the books aside, Buffy began to wander around the house making a shopping list of everything she wanted to buy.  This would take some time, and it gave her some time away from the tumultuous emotions going through her head.
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawn squirmed in her seat.  It would only be a few more minutes until the final bell rang, and it would be time for her to be on her way to Wolfram and Hart.  She was a bit nervous because apparently it was an evil law firm.  'A demon law firm, not an evil one.'  She reminded herself.

Dawn shook her head while she tried to reconcile the thought of Valerie, who was quickly becoming her friend and a mentor, with her conception of an evil lawyer.  The ideas just didn't seem to go together.  'I wonder if I pulled my grades up, if I could go to law school too.  Valerie seems so cool, plus a ton of money for arguing all day.  I could so do that!'

Finally the bell rang and Dawn sprung from her seat.  She grabbed her books, and she made a beeline for the door.  As soon as she stepped into the warm sunshine she began to look around for Valerie's dark blue Mercedes.  Spotting her, she sprinted to the car.  She never noticed that her charmed bracelet was glowing, indicating that Willow was near.  It was tucked under the long sleeves of the peasant blouse she picked out to wear to school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow watched Dawn sprinting to the dark blue Mercedes.  'Her foster parents must have a lot of money.'  She was surprised to see only a strangely professional looking blonde in the car.  'I wonder if that's her foster mom.'

Willow thought it would be best to follow the Mercedes.  Something seemed a bit wrong with Dawn being so excited to go with her foster parents.  She knew how much Dawn loved Buffy, and this didn't seem right.  She spotted an unused vehicle in the parking lot.  She quickly used a bit of magic to unlock the car and began to trail the Mercedes. 

After about ten minutes the car pulled into the Sunnydale branch of Wolfram and Hart.  Dawn got out of the car.  She practically ran to the front doors.  "Wolfram and Hart?  That's the evil law firm that tried to kill Cordy.  They have Dawn." 

Willow feared that the law firm, as a means of reaching Buffy, kidnapped Dawn.  "I just resurrected her.  No one is going to kill her again."  Quickly she pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the Magic Box.  She ran in, grabbed the phone and started to dial.

"Hey!"  Anya protested at Willow barging in and using the phone.

"It's an emergency."  Willow waited for someone on the other end to pick up the phone.  She was glad to hear the male voice on the other end.  "Angel?  This is Willow.  We have to talk."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

annoyed Angel stomped his way down the stairs to answer the phone at Angel Investigations. It was the middle of the day, and no one was around. He wondered where Wes and Cordy ran off to.

"Angel Investigations. This is Angel." Cordelia made a little spiel up that she expected everyone to use when they answered the phone. Since Cordelia wasn't around, he was saved from her lecture because he chose a more direct and short greeting.

"Angel, this is Willow. We have to talk."

"And why is that?" Angel sighed. He wanted to beat his head against the wall nearby. It figured that the time he was forced to answer the phone, it was someone who reminded him of what he left behind. "You have a problem?"

"I think Dawn has been kidnapped." Willow panted a little. She was still flustered and winded from her drive and run to the Magic Box.

"You think she's been kidnapped?" Angel groaned. What had he done to deserve this? Dealing with these people had to be more penance than his guilty soul required of him. "Why don't you have Buffy look into it, Willow?" He gritted his teeth and attempted to stay calm.

"Buffy hasn't been seen for a few days. Dawn was the only one who knew where Buffy was."

"And you can't talk to Dawn because you think she's been kidnapped?" The conversation had the markings of a wacky round robin, and he wasn't in the mood for games. "Make sense Willow, or I'm hanging up."

"Did you know Wolfram and Hart had a Sunnydale branch?" Willow questioned. She wanted to strangle Angel. Was he really that dense?

Angel's interest perked up at the name of the firm that continued to be a thorn in his side. "I never heard anything about it." He remembered some demons talking about a few places in Sunnydale where various transactions took place with the human world. He had no recollection of anyone mentioning the name Wolfram and Hart to him.

"Well, they do," Willow stated matter-of-factly. "I've seen it."

"An office of theirs would stick out like a sore thumb in Sunnydale." The only part of Sunnydale ritzy enough for the law firm's tastes was nothing but upscale houses and a couple parks. "Their offices are pretty huge."

"Not this one," Willow sounded flustered. Why didn't Angel believe her? Did he think she was making it up? "They have a modest sized office on the Eastern outskirts of town. There was a sign out front, as plain as day, with their name on it."

Angel jotted down a few notes on a pad of paper near the phone. Cordelia liked to be prepared for each phone call. "I can look into the situation to see how much of a threat that branch is to Sunnydale, but I don't understand what this had to do with Dawn and Buffy."

"I think they kidnapped Dawn, and if they have Dawn they might have Buffy too. I saw Dawn running into the building a half hour ago."

Angel worked to comprehend what Willow was telling him. "Was someone dragging her?"

"No. She ran from a car that picked her up from school." Willow was baffled as to why Dawn looked so happy if an evil law firm was involved. "She seemed willing to go in, but then I saw the name of the firm. I drove as fast as I could to get to a phone to call you."

"Maybe they are using a spell to bend her to their will? They're not above using magic to get what they want." Angel ground his teeth together tightly. 'They love to mess with your life.' He both hated, and was delighted, that they found a way to bring Darla back.

"Magic! That's it!" Willow slapped her forehead. "I should have realized that only a heavy barrier or protection spell would have warded off my spell on Susan a couple nights ago."

"Susan? Who is that?" Angel queried.

"She was a woman who posed as a social worker. She came to the house and took Dawn away." Willow was angry with herself. Had she let Dawn be taken away to be hurt? 'Buffy will never forgive me if something happens to Dawn.'

"You said someone picked up Dawn at school. Was it that same woman that took her from the house?" Angel sorted through a file folder marked Wolfram and Hart from the desk. He hoped that a description would help him find out something about who might have taken Dawn.

"No, she wasn't the same one. She drove a really nice blue Mercedes." Willow tried to recall exactly what the woman looked like who picked up Dawn from school and the social worker. "I don't remember what she looked like exactly, but I know they weren't the same woman."

"All right. Here is what I'll do," Angel put the notebook down on the counter, "I can't leave until dusk, and there are a few things that I have to take care of before I can leave." He rubbed his chin. There was no way he was leaving Connor behind. He had to find some way to locate Cordy and Wes. "You are living at Buffy's house, right?"

"Yes, I've been living here since Buffy's dea ... you know." Willow sighed. She forced herself not to regret bringing Buffy back. 'She could have been in a Hell dimension.' She felt that she had a right to do the magic if she was able to. Those who had power to do good should. Why didn't people see that, and why did they keep telling her to use restraint? Restraint was for geeks and wimps. She refused to be either.

"Fine," Angel closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about the time Buffy was gone because of death. He'd seen her be brought back to life after the Master. When they'd seen each other earlier in the year after she returned this time, it wasn't all that pretty of a sight. He wasn't looking forward to running into Buffy in Sunnydale. "I'll meet you at Buffy's house a few hours after dark."

"That sounds good, Angel. Don't take too long." Willow frowned. 'Spike would have found a way to get to Sunnydale, sun or not.' She wondered if Angel didn't care about Buffy as much as he professed he did. "I don't know what they are doing to Dawnie."

Angel hung up without saying goodbye. He refused to let a barely out of her teens woman make him feel guilty. He was a vampire for crying out loud. It wasn't like he could take a drive in the sun. He paused to think of his wayward Childe who always seemed to get wherever he wanted to no matter the time of day. 'He's just crazy.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawn sat down in a chair in the lobby of Wolfram and Hart. Her face was buried in her hands, and she was crying when Valerie walked in.

Valerie rushed over to Dawn. "Dawn? What's wrong?" She looked around at her fellow workers in the area. "Did anyone touch her?" She would be ticked off if anyone harmed this young woman. She'd already found a soft place in her heart for Dawn Summers.

"No, they ... no one ... I'm so sorry!" Dawn looked up at Valerie and wept harder. "I didn't catch it. I didn't see. I'm so stupid." She continued her tirade of insults at herself.

"Dawn, what didn't you see or catch?" Valerie wrapped Dawn's hands in her own in comfort. "You have to tell me what's wrong, or I can't help you fix it."

"We can't fix it." Dawn sniffled, but she started to get a better hold of herself. She pointed at her "Willow detector" bracelet. "I wore a long shirt today, and I forgot to check the bracelet when I got out of school. I was in such a hurry to get here to have a chance at seeing Buffy."

Valerie nodded in understanding. "Willow was nearby?"

"Yes," Dawn nodded emphatically. "When I got inside, I dropped my bag. I picked it up, and my sleeve pulled up to reveal a glowing bracelet." Her face looked like she was ready to hyperventilate. "She knows I'm here, and if I know Willow she is going to head straight to Angel about it."

"Angel?" Valerie thought about her dealings with the Aurelius clan. "You mean Angelus, the head of the clan?"

"Not so much the head of anything when he's all soulful," Dawn answered. "He goes by Angel then. If he finds out about Buffy, he is likely to kill Spike and Buffy."

"I see." Valerie stood up. She headed over to the main welcoming desk. "Patch me through to widescan for our operatives in Sunnydale."

"Yes ma'am." The secretary hurried to follow Valerie's orders. Right now Valerie had the biggest clients of Sunnydale, and their bosses were very pleased with her work. She was a woman you didn't want to have on your bad side if you were hoping for a promotion.

"Attention all," Valerie spoke into the handset, "Locate, follow, and report on a Miss Willow Rosenberg. She has red hair, average height for a female, and is around her early twenties. She frequents the Sunnydale College, Magic Box and other magic related areas. Her residence is currently 1620 Revello Drive, also the home of Buffy Summers. Use caution and avoid contact, charms in place. Report in if you have any information, directly to Valerie."

A long series of beeps, long and short, and other signals answered the call one by one to acknowledge the receipt of the information.

"You have my pager and cell phone number, Colleen. Contact me immediately if anyone checks in." Valerie walked back over to Dawn. She crouched down next to her, and she ran her fingers comfortingly through Dawn's long brown hair. "They will find her, and we'll make sure we know if Angel meets with her."

"But what are we going to tell Buffy and Spike?"

"What are you going to tell Spike about?" Spike walked into the room from a back entrance that was protected from the sun. He noted the concerned looks on Dawn and Valerie's faces. "It doesn't seem like happy news."

"It isn't." Valerie stood back up.

Before Valerie was able to say anything, Dawn jumped up off the chair. "Spike!" She ran over into his arms, hugging him tightly. "It's all my fault. I didn't notice that Willow followed me from school. She knows I'm here."

Spike's head shot up to look at Valerie for confirmation. He sighed at the nod of her head. "It's okay, Bit." He ran his hands up and down her back in circular motions. "I'm sure you were just in a hurry to get here for your bit of mojo to see Buffy."

"I was, but now Angel is going to kill her because I wasn't paying attention." Dawn's wet face drenched Spike's shirt where her cheek lay.

"That stupid git is not going to get close enough to kill Buffy." Spike growled. "I will dust him first myself." Childer were not usually able to kill their Sires, but Angel had killed Darla. Spike hated Angel enough to force himself to kill his Sire to save his Childe, if necessary. He looked up at Valerie again. "We have time to prepare. I know my Sire, and he won't leave until the sun goes down."

"That gives us several hours to get things in ..." Valerie was interrupted by a loud beeping at the welcome desk. She quickly strode over to take the call.

Colleen picked up the handset. "Agent Matthews," She said before she handed the device to Valerie.

"Thank you, Colleen." Valerie beeped in her response code then started to speak, "Go ahead, Matthews."

"Target located leaving the Magic Box. I'm being forced to follow at a distance in-between different establishments. Difficult to follow."

"Understood. Do your best." Valerie paused in thought. "This is an important target. Succeed, and I will give put forward my recommendation for further field training. Check in every half hour to 45 minutes." Her voice was very authoritative and precise. She wounded like someone you didn't want to disobey.

"Yes, ma'am." Two long beeps followed by four short signaled the end of the conversation.

Valerie walked back over to a surprised Spike and Dawn. "What? A little incentive goes a long way." She grinned. "If he can handle following Willow, then he will deserve that recommendation."

Spike chuckled. "I like you, pet." He looked down at the mass of Dawn that was still in his arms. "Let get this mojo worked on you, Nibblet. Looks like you might be trying out a longer term stay today."

Valerie motioned for them to both head into her private office. She had her mages waiting to perform the demon defensive spell on Dawn. "This shouldn't take more than an hour or so."

"Sounds good. I think I will take Dawn directly back to our house afterwards." Spike reasoned, "If Red is snooping back around here, she would recognize your car. She doesn't know about mine."

Valerie agreed. "Later on, I will head home with a company car. I'll pick up some of her clothes and personal items and bring them over."

"I'm going to spend the night?" Dawn said with an eager lilt.

"We might have no choice with the poofter sticking his nose where it doesn't belong anymore." Spike looked at Dawn very seriously. "I don't know what it will be like. If Buffy can't handle it, we'll have to think of something else. As much as I love you, Bit, Buffy comes first in my mind."

Dawn nodded her head vigorously. She was almost happy that Angel was coming to town since it meant she'd get to stay with Buffy and Spike all night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sat up straight on the couch. She sighed. The emotions she felt from her Sire told her that at least part of her dream was coming true. Angel was coming to Sunnydale. She flopped back against the couch with an exasperated sigh. "He better not try to take me away from Spike."

Buffy tore off another piece of paper from the notebook she was writing in. She started to work on a list of things she needed to do before Angel got there. She hurried off a text message to Spike on her cell phone to tell him that she knew Angel was coming.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawn and Spike exited the Taurus in the garage at their new house. Dawn clutched Spike's hand tightly as they made their way to the house. She wasn't worried about her love for Buffy changing. She was more worried about Buffy's love for her changing.

Spike recognized Dawn's distress. He worked to reassure her of Buffy's desire to see her sister. "Bit, Buffy wants to see you as much as you do her. She was talking about you last night and today."

"I'm just scared." Dawn walked up the porch steps alongside, Spike. "We've grown apart since she came back. What if now that she's turned, she doesn't care at all about me anymore?"

"Dawn," Spike used Dawn's formal name to get her attention. He turned Dawn to face him. "She is still the same Buffy you've always known. I promise you that. She has some things to deal with because of the demon and being torn out of Heaven, but she is still Buffy."

Dawn nodded slowly. She watched Spike key in the entry code. She gulped hard when the key clicked in the lock and the door opened. She stood amazed at how beautiful the house looked on the inside as well as the outside. Her nervousness temporarily faded as she walked in, looking around. "Definitely a step up from the crypt, eh Spike?" She teased.

Before Spike was able to answer Dawn, a somewhat timid voice wafted down the stairs, "Dawnie?"

"Buffy?" Dawn followed the voice to the staircase. Slowly she inched away from Spike to meet Buffy at the bottom of the staircase.

Spike watched both of his girls interact. He hung back far enough to allow the two of them their space, but he was close enough to jump in if necessary.

Buffy reached out to run her fingers through Dawn's hair. With Dawn growing so quickly, Buffy almost needed to stand one step up to look Dawn in the eyes. "How have you been?"

"Scared, but Valerie is taking good care of me." Dawn wanted to hug Buffy so badly. "I'm not scared of you," She added. "It's just Willow and Angel ... I'm scared of losing you again."

Tara moved out of her room into the hallway. She heard Spike and Dawn talking, and then she heard Buffy leave her room to join them. She waited a few minutes before she snuck out herself to see how the meeting was going.

Spike smiled warmly, and he nodded to Tara to let her know that he saw her. Buffy seemed to be handling everything quite well. He sensed that her bloodlust was under control. He was proud of her.

Buffy glanced up at Spike. She silently sought his permission to let the demon out. They'd talked about it earlier in the day before he left to see Dawn. If she did well to start with, she wanted to test out her demon. With Angel on the way, and the likelihood of Dawn spending the night, Buffy wanted to be certain that her sister was safe.

Spike rested his hands firmly on Dawn's shoulders. "Do you trust me, Nibblet?"

"Always, Spike." Dawn glanced from Buffy to Spike and back to Buffy. "You stayed with me when everyone else forgot that both you and I hurt as much as them, if not worse."

Spike nodded his approval to Buffy. He promised Buffy that he'd never let her hurt her friends. That was doubly true for Dawn. If he was right, and Buffy's demon and soul followed the path he expected, Buffy would not have any desire to kill her sister. Buffy loved her family too deeply for that.

Angelus killed all of his family after he was turned, but he hated them to begin with. Drusilla loved her family so much that when Angelus murdered them she went insane. She had been trying to recreate a family ever since then with her dolls and other invisible friends.

William turned his mother, but it wasn't out of malice or destruction. When he was turned he woke up strong and vibrant. His mother was deathly ill, and he wanted his mother to feel good again. He loved her, and he wanted her to be with him always. Anne was too weak to fend of the demon's more savage influences. Instead the demon took control of her instead of the other way around.

Buffy was strong. Spike had faith that her demon would be forced to accept her human family as protected and cherished. A woman who loved so strongly, like Buffy, could make any demon submit to her will. It still amazed him that his own demon was as much in love with Buffy Summers as his inner poet was.

Buffy picked up Dawn's hand. She squeezed it gently. "Do you trust me, Dawnie?"

"With all my heart, Buffy." Dawn forced her voice not to quiver. She knew any sign of fear would give the demon within Buffy more power against her. Dawn wanted Buffy to know that she was willing to do whatever was necessary to stay with her sister. She didn't want to be parted from her again.

Buffy nodded to Spike. She was ready. She drew in an unneeded breath, and she shifted into her demon form.

Dawn gasped. After a few seconds her heart rate evened out. She tilted her head to the side in a very Spike-like fashion. "You're beautiful, Buffy." She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this. Buffy's ridges seemed smoother and her face softer that other vampires she'd seen. "You're eyes," Her grin widened, "They're silver instead of gold."

"They're silver?" Buffy directed the question to Spike. Without being able to look in a mirror, she just assumed she looked like every other vampire she'd seen.

Spike almost chuckled. If he hadn't known how sensitive Buffy was to everything right now, he probably would have. Her demon wasn't worried about eating Dawn. It was worried about how it looked. "Yes, pet. They are a lovely silver, flecked with your beautiful natural green color."

"Oh great," Buffy huffed. "Even among demons, I'm a freak!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. Buffy still held her hand, but Dawn pulled Buffy to her for a hug. "You aren't a freak. You are unique and beautiful."

Buffy returned the hug wholeheartedly. "Oh Dawnie ... I'm so sorry that I've been mean to you since I got back. It wasn't your fault."

Dawn closed her eyes as happy tears streaked down her face. "I'm sorry I didn't try to understand more why you were so upset. If I'd known you came from Heaven, I would have understood why you were so unhappy. I thought you just didn't love me anymore." Dawn moved back to look into Buffy's vampire face. "I was so happy to see you alive again. I didn't think about where you might have been before."

"I'm sorry too, Buffy." Tara walked down the stairs. "I should have made sure Willow did a dimensional locator spell." Her face darkened, "I thought she had."

Buffy turned to look at Tara. "It's done now, and we can't change the past." She smiled warmly at her friend. "I know how you feel about magic, and I know you wouldn't have done it if you didn't truly believe that I was in Hell."

"Thank you, Buffy. It means a lot to me that you don't hate me." Tara sighed in relief.

Buffy lifted Dawn's wrist to her mouth. "One more test, Dawnie, and then we can leave all this tension behind. Are you ready?"

Dawn nodded. She nibbled on her lower lip. She had a feeling that Buffy was going to bite her, and she was afraid that it would hurt too much.

Buffy kept her eyes locked with Spike's as she brought the wrist to her mouth. She licked and suckled at the vein there to bring it closer to the surface. At the right moment, she sliced her fangs into Dawn's skin and pulled once on her blood.

Dawn stiffened at the point of entry, and then she relaxed. It actually felt pretty good. 'That's strange.'

"Pet?" Spike felt the churning emotions from his Childe. Something was disturbing her in Dawn's blood. "What is it?"

Buffy's fangs retracted back, and she licked the wound closed. "Spike?" She looked up at Spike in confusion. "I know the monks made her from me, but she literally has Slayer blood in her." Her demon wanted to taste more Slayer blood, but it was satiated from the sense of family it felt in Dawn's blood instead.

"That's a twist. Guess you have a bit of the fighter in you, Bit. Always knew you were a spitfire." Spike chuckled. He wrapped one arm around Buffy and another around Dawn. "Let's go sit down, and have us a little chat."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel and Cordelia, along with Angel's son Connor, were on their way to Sunnydale a half hour after sunset. He drove the speed limit to avoid any delays by being pulled over. The closer he drove to the town, the more nervous he got.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Angel?" Cordelia cradled Connor in her arms. He was such a good baby. She was constantly amazed that a beautiful and well-mannered child like Connor had Darla and Angel for parents.

"No, I don't think this is a good idea, but I don't have much of a choice." Angel sighed. "Willow has no idea where Buffy is, and if Wolfram and Hart is involved it can't be good. We talked about this already." His patience was worn thin. He'd spent a couple hours just arguing with Wesley and Cordelia about why he should or shouldn't go to Sunnydale.

"Don't bite my head off, Mister "Broodier Than Usual"." Cordelia spent a large amount of time in her bedroom between Angel's announcement about heading to Sunnydale and their actual departure. During that time she was sent a vision by the powers. Wesley heard her scream of pain, but they agreed to keep the contents of her vision from Angel for now. If what she saw was true, it would change everything for everyone.

"Can we just not talk, Cordy?" Angel huffed. He needed more time to think. Something wasn't adding up in his head. He'd been so busy with Connor lately that nothing else penetrated his mind. Now, as he thought harder on the events of the past week, he felt a nagging sensation in his mind that he missed something important.

Cordelia watched Angel out of the corner of her eye. She knew when his thoughts turned in different directions. Something about Angel was easy for her to read, no matter that he kept the same expression on his face. It was like she felt his emotions at times. It always unnerved her.

Angel realized that part of the sensations he'd felt were due to the creation of another Aurelian Childe. He felt it when Dru turned Darla back into a vampire, but this had a slightly different edge to it. He would almost think that Spike created a Childe, but he knew about the government chip that kept him from harming humans. 'And I'd say turning a human into a vampire would be considered harming.' His thoughts continued to wrestle around within his head the whole way to Sunnydale without being able to nail them down.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Valerie scanned through all the information the Los Angeles office sent her on Angel. It seemed that Lindsey McDonald made it his goal to find out everything he could about Angel and attempt to destroy him. From the notations she read by the Senior Partners, Lindsey wasn't very successful overall.

Valerie's eyes bulged at one of the footnotes that led to another report in the file. She quickly flipped through the pages and read from top to bottom. "Oh my gosh." She tossed the other folders onto the coffee table.

"What is it?" Tara leaned close to Valerie to see what she was reading.

Valerie looked up at those gathered in the living room. "I don't see how this information is accurate," She passed the folder over to Spike and Buffy who sat on the opposite couch from her and Tara. "It has to be wrong."

"What has to be wrong?" Dawn's curiosity was piqued. She unrolled her legs out from underneath her. She sat on a chair in-between the two couches. Even though everything was going well with Buffy, Spike still made sure he was between her and Buffy in case he needed to protect Dawn.

Spike darkly laughed. "You're bloody right it has to be wrong. Vampires can't get people pregnant, and we certainly can't have babies!"

Buffy ripped the file from Spike's hands. "Darla? Darla was dust." She read on, "Valerie, I'm seriously worried about the firm you work for when they are able to bring back dusted vampires." She looked up at Valerie with a cold stare.

"Not all branches are like that Buffy." Valerie wanted to remain calm, but she felt the anger pulse from Buffy. "It seems that Lindsey McDonald and a couple associates worked to bring this about. It wasn't sanctioned by the Senior Partners directly."

"They tried to give him a happy, Val!" Buffy jumped up in anger. She growled. "Do you have any idea what happens when he gets a moment of perfect happiness?"

Spike stood up next to Buffy. He nuzzled his lips against his Sire marks on her neck. He whispered soothing words and sounds against her neck to help calm her.

Buffy panted, and her eyes closed. The touch was both arousing and calming. She felt her anger ebb itself away until she was much more calm. "I'm sorry, Val, but you have no idea the Hell I went through the last time his soul went on walkabout." She whimpered.

Spike caressed Buffy's back. "It's all right, pet. The papers say his soul is still in there."

"It's not all right, Spike." Buffy looked up into her Sire's eyes in pain. "Angel has a child, a real flesh and blood child, and that bitch Darla is the child's mother. He had sex with her! The file says that Angel protects and loves that child completely from all reports."

"Is that the problem then?" Spike growled. "You're all jealous that the bleeding poofter had sex with another woman?" He tried to cover up his aching heart with anger. He knew that Angel would ruin everything for him again. Here it was happening, and Angel hadn't even arrived in Sunnydale yet.

"No," Buffy hung her head. She realized her words caused Spike pain. "It is that he took the chance to lose his soul again after all of his lectures to me of how we couldn't be together anymore, blah blah blah. He is such a hypocrite." Tears rolled down her face at the memory of the pain she suffered after Angel left for L.A.

"Pet," Spike tipped Buffy's face up. He kissed each cheek's tears away tenderly. "His brooding self has played the martyr for decades. I don't know what happened with Darla, but the snobbish bitch was still family. She was also Angelus' Sire, and you know now just how strong that bond can be."

Buffy nodded slowly. "If she hadn't dusted herself, I'd go dust her myself now," She spat out in disgust. "Don't think Drusilla would miss my wrath either for turning Darla gain." She hoped Spike could understand why.

"If Drusilla, or anyone, tries to hurt you, I will dust them myself. Now that the chip doesn't work, I can take care of anyone that comes our way, human or demon."

"The chip doesn't work?" Buffy's eyes widened.

'Uh oh,' Spike cringed. He thought Buffy figured that fact out when she saw the rapist. "Did you think Tara picked up that bastard who hurt you and brought him home?"

"No ... I ... I really didn't think about it." Buffy's shoulders sagged. Dealing with the Scoobies would have been hard enough if Spike was still chipped. Now, what was she going to do?

"Do you want the stake now, Slayer?" Spike's tone was cold, and he bit back the pain he felt inside. He begged whatever higher power would listen to him to allow them to stay together.

Dawn jumped off her chair to Spike's defense. "Buffy, please ..."

Buffy held onto Dawn's arm to stop her. "I was just caught off guard." She turned back to look at Spike. "I can trust that you will not harm innocents?" Her eyes searched his gaze. She hoped to find the truth and trust in their depths that she needed.

Spike relaxed some. "Buffy, I promise that I will never do anything that you would have to stake me for. The chip's been gone for a couple days, and I haven't gone all massacre happy. I can control myself. I am not Angelus."

Buffy hugged Spike tightly. She buried her face in Spike's chest. She felt the reassurance of his love flow into her. She felt secure that he meant every word he said.

"Not to interrupt, but what are we going to do about Angel and the child?" Valerie queried. "What if he brings the child with him?"

"If he does, then we'll have ourselves a little family reunion." Spike grinned devilishly. He had no plans to harm the child, but the boy could be an ace in the hole to keep his Sire from staking Buffy. "Even Angelus keeps certain ties to family and blood. Sometimes his idea of taking care of the family is pretty sadistic, but blood means a lot to him."

"You think we can reach that part of him that still recognizes the claim of family to protect me?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, and if we have to, we can use the boy as a little persuasion."

Dawn gasped. "You wouldn't hurt him, would you?"

"No, Bit, but if we can make him realize the correlation between how he feels about his child, and how I feel about mine, maybe we can get through to him."

Valerie's cell phone went off. She pressed the talk button and listened to Agent Matthews report on Angel's arrival. "See if you can hear any of the conversation, but do not give away your presence." She closed the phone to end the call. "I hope you're right, Spike. Angel's here, and he brought the boy with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twists Of Fate - (8) Family Ties - Part 2
By Tasha and Stephanie
(Stephanie)

Chapter Summary: Angel is in town with Cordelia and Connor in tow.  Wesley stayed behind in Los Angeles.  Willow and Angel have a chat when he arrives, and she explains her woes to him.  Cordelia has another vision, and she goes out in search of some answers.  Buffy's getting a little bit antsy, and they decide to head out on a patrol.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow and Amy lounged on the new couch that Amy conjured up after looking through catalogues.  The old couch was simply not large enough for both of them to spread out on comfortably, and Willow wanted to be able to kick back and relax with Amy.

Willow was upset about Dawn being kidnapped and nervous about Angel's arrival.  So, Amy had offered to perform a quick relaxing spell.  Willow accepted, and the result was two very mellow witches.  To keep themselves occupied until Angel arrived, they decided to paint their nails.  A bottle of Violent Light nail polish for Willow and Pink Paradise for Amy levitated in the air while the brushes hovered over their toes, slowly stroking each nail in turn. 

Willow waved her fingers in the air, "How did we ever manage to paint our toes and fingers before this?"

Amy giggled, "Who knows.  After your friend arrives can we go back to Rack's?  Last night was a blast, but I need a recharge."

Willow's answer was cut off by a loud banging on the door.  With a quick wave of her hand, the nail polish vanished and their toes were magically dry.  She sighed and straightened up on the couch.  She didn't even bother to go to the door.  She called out, "Come in, Angel."

"That was a foolish thing to do, Willow."  Angel stomped into the living room with a scowl crossing his face.  He hated leaving Connor's side, even if Cordy was there to take care of him in the car.  He knew no one would protect Connor like he could, but the thoughts of trying to explain to everyone why he had a baby was too much to deal with right now.  He didn't want to explain Darla to anyone right now, much less admit what happened to Buffy or her friends.

"I was specific with the invite."  Willow huffed at Angel.  "Only you would have been able to come in with that offer.  I'm not stupid."

Angel ran his hand through his hair, careful not to mess up the gelled mass too much.  'Maybe not, but you can't find one teenager without calling me to Sunnydale to help you out,' He thought to himself.  'It's not like Dawn isn't in danger every other week.  Buffy always saves her.'  He frowned.  "It is better to be safe than sorry, Willow."

Willow rolled her eyes.  "Whatever.  I know what I'm doing."

'Is dragging me here some form of revenge?  Is Willow still that upset over her fish that she would do this to me on purpose?  Torment the vampire with what he can never have?'  Angel sighed audibly.

"You aren't here to give me a lecture on proper vampire procedures, Angel."  Willow started to get angry.  Angel had no right to tell her what to do.  She was a powerful witch now.  She didn't need his guidance.

"Right."  Angel clenched his hands into fists at his side.  He fought to keep down the anger at the redhead.  'They call me to come here and help out and protect them, then she has a hissy fit when I try to tell her to be careful.'  His anger increased the longer he stewed on it.

Amy cleared her throat beside Willow.  She wasn't about to get in the middle of a fight, but if this was the Angel that Willow had been waiting for, she wanted to get rid of him so they could head to Rack's.

Angel focused on the other girl on the couch.  "Hello ... Who are you again?"  He figured that she had to be one of the Scoobies he didn't remember or she wouldn't be in Buffy's house.

Willow answered Angel impatiently, "This is Amy.  Do you remember the burning at the stake incident and the turning into a rat problem we had?"  At Angel's blank stare she continued, "Never mind it's not important.  Amy is an old friend of ours from high school.  She is moving into Dawn's room now that Dawnie has moved out."

Angel stared at Willow.  She was making absolutely no sense again.  "I thought you said Dawn had been kidnapped.  Why are you moving people into her room, if she has been abducted?"  He paused a moment, "Why are you moving people in here at all without Buffy being here?"

"The state will probably take Dawn away from Buffy for real, anyway."  Willow shrugged and looked unconcerned. "The social worker really doesn't like Buffy.  It's not like Buffy is ever home anyways."  She complained, "No one has heard from her, except Dawn, for the last four days.  Not once has she bothered to call and check on me."  It didn't matter to Willow that if Buffy was gone she wouldn't know that Tara had left her.  She was just upset that Buffy hadn't coddled her.  'It's just like when Oz left all over again.'

"Buffy has been gone for over half the week, and you are just now contacting me?  Who has been patrolling for her?  She is the Chosen One, the Slayer."  Angel was flabbergasted.  It wasn't like Buffy to shirk her duties and responsibilities like this, not the Buffy he knew.  "She should be here guarding the Hellmouth.  What the hell has been going on since she got back?"

Willow was feeling annoyed, and she could feel the relaxing spell starting to wear off.  Her eyes started to darken, and she snapped at Angel.  "Look I told you on the phone that Buffy had disappeared, and Dawn was the only one who knew where she was.  You need to focus Angel."

Angel looked at the redhead and sat down in a chair.  'This could be a long night,' He thought to himself.  "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

"Beginning?  You've got to be joking."  Willow watched Angel for a moment before she realized he was serious.  She contemplated incinerating the vampire from the inside out, but she needed him to find Buffy and Dawn.  Wolfram and Hart have Dawn, Buffy is nowhere to be seen, I can't find her checkbook to pay the mortgage that the bank keeps calling me for, and Tara left me."  She spat out all in one breath. 

Angel inwardly rolled his eyes.  Did Willow even realize how she sounded to him?

"To top it off Giles is drunk, and Xander is off trying on tuxes for his wedding.  I have to help patrol, everything is falling apart, and I'm the only here trying to hold it all together.  So whatever the heck is bothering you I'm sorry, but hello, you need to help me deal with this now.  I don't have all night to hold your hand."  Willow finished her tirade of anger and complaining.

"What exactly do you want me to do about it all?  Most of that I can't do a thing about."  Angel was beyond annoyed.  For being Buffy's best friend, Willow seemed more concerned about her own personal problems than she was for Buffy's welfare.  He was very close to slapping Willow for her whining attitude.

Two hours later, an annoyed Cordelia stormed into the house with a crying baby and a small overnight bag.  She stomped over to Angel, and she thrust Connor into his father's arms.  "You take him.  He won't calm down for me anymore.  He can tell you're upset even from the car."

Cordelia plopped down in a chair.  She waved at the two women.  "Hey Willow.  Hey Amy.  Can we stay here tonight?"  She stretched her legs out in front of her.  She'd been cramped up in that car for far too long, and her legs hurt.  "I have a feeling this isn't going to be resolved any time soon, and I am really tired of sitting in the car, even if it is a nice one."  At Willow's nod, Cordy jumped up and grabbed her bag.  "Thanks, I am going to take a shower."

Willow just stared as her former high school nemesis dropped off a baby, which calmed immediately, and headed upstairs towards her bathroom.  "What the ..."

Angel grimaced, 'I guess I will have to explain now.  Couldn't Cordy have waited five more minutes?'  He sighed and began the story of Wolfram and Hart's meddling and how it had resulted in his miracle son. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cordelia waited until she got into the bathroom, and she had turned on the shower, before she started shaking.  She had fallen asleep in the car with Connor cuddled up to her chest.  During her rest she dreamt a truly bizarre dream.

Cordy still tried to make sense of what she had seen.  Some of it seemed like flashbacks to her vision from earlier.  Others were flashes of things that didn't quite make sense to her.  Was it precognition like her visions, or was her mind recreating the worst fears she'd dwelled on during the ride to Sunnydale.

Cordelia had clearly saw Buffy die in a cemetery from what looked like a gunshot wound.  Then, she saw Buffy being turned.  From the hair color of the head leaning over the dead Slayer, she placed her bets on Spike being Buffy's Sire.  The rest was a jumbled array of scenes.

In her dream, Cordy saw Spike and Buffy fighting demons, caring for Dawn and a couple of blond women that she didn't know but were at their side.  She saw Buffy fight Angel, who looked a lot like Angelus with all the leather and demon face, and Buffy crying over an unconscious Willow.  A vamped Slayer would be dangerous, but the thought of Angelus on the loose made her blood chill.

Were Buffy and Spike going to be their salvation, or did they help create the situation?  Was it their fault that Angelus got free?  Cordelia knew Wolfram and Hart was involved somehow from Angel's ramblings on the way from Los Angeles.  Could it have been they who took his soul?  Was it simply a dream she misunderstood or a vision gone wonky.

She decided to try and find out what was going on.  She slipped out of the shower and left in running.  She hoped the noise would mask her leaving for a while.  She quickly dressed into suitable fighting clothes.  She went to Buffy's room and slipped down the tree, much like Buffy did hundreds of times.  She hoped to find some answers to her questions by wandering into the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stared out into the night.  She waited until Dawn and Tara had dozed off before coming out to the porch to think.  Her thoughts were overwhelming at times.  She needed the space, for both her soul and her demon.   

Silently, Spike slipped out onto the porch.  Buffy smiled at her Sire.  Sometimes, he could be so sweet and gentle.  "Are you going to sit with me?"  She'd seen him be equally as protective, kind, and loving over the last couple days as he was hard and vengeful over what happened to her.

Spike nodded and moved over to the porch swing.  He sat down on the furthest side of the swing.  He felt Buffy's emotions running high, and he wasn't sure what was wrong.  So, he opened up his arms for her to slip into if she wanted to.

Buffy snuggled into Spike's arms and closed her eyes as Spike began to stroke her hair.  "What are you thinking luv?  I can hear the wheels turning."

Buffy squirmed around until her head rested in the nook of Spike's shoulder.  She took an unnecessary breath and sighed.  "You haven't even tried to touch me the whole time I've been here, not even when I rose."

Spike stilled.  He wasn't able to tell if Buffy was trying to convey his restraint as a good thing or a bad thing.  He had to choose his words carefully.  "Don't what to push you into anything, pet.  I read all those books that Tara picked up, and they all mentioned how it important it is not to push you into something you're not ready for."

"You actually know how to read?"  Buffy teased before she became silent for a few minutes.

Buffy's silence unnerved him.  So Spike continued to talk to her as he stroked her hair.  "Luv, you're so beautiful and strong.  I love you very much, and I want to be with you forever."  He lifted her chin up to look into her eyes.  "I want any joining we have to be something you choose, not something you do because I am your Sire or because you're suddenly a vampire."  He cupped her cheek.  "I can wait until you're ready to decide if I'm the one you want to be with.  Time is on our side now."

Buffy smiled and stretched up to kiss Spike on the cheek.  "Thank you."  She felt relieved and a strong sense of contentment.  Knowing that he was willing to wait for her was a relief.  She just needed some more time to get used to everything. 

After a while of sitting on the porch and cuddling close to each other, Buffy looked up at Spike.  "I think I might be ready to patrol.  I'm getting a bit restless about being cooped up.  Can you come with me?"

"Sure, luv.  A little patrol would go a long way to smoothing your demon's need for violence."  Spike held out his hand for Buffy to stand up with.  Hands still clasped, they slipped off into the night together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cordelia walked towards the cemetery she'd seen in her vision.  She had a few stakes on her, and she felt fairly prepared if she ran into any vamps.  She wasn't hunting for vampires however.  She wanted answers, and like everything strange in Sunnydale, the answers would most likely be found in the graveyard. 

Walking silently in the shadows, Cordelia observed the night around her.  The air felt heavy.  It was as if the night knew why she was there and wanted to stop her from finding out its secrets.  She quietly moved around the darkened corners and listened.  The crypt she saw in her vision was closer to the other side of this cemetery. 

Quietly, Cordy listened in on the conversation floating on the air.  She rolled her eyes.  'How do they ever manage to sneak up on vampires with the racket they are making?'  She ducked behind a crypt to keep from being seen.

Giles and Xander lounged on tombstones discussing the whereabouts of the missing Slayer. 

"All I am saying Xander, is that Buffy really should have given us a way to contact her.  It was bloody irresponsible of her to run off like that."  Giles had been following the same rant for the last two days.  He was forced to cancel his flight back to England, and he was ticked off.  "I know that being pulled out of Heaven must have been hard on her, but it is time for her to act like an adult.  She needs to take responsibility for her self and for Dawn."

Cordelia stifled the gasp that wanted to escape.  'Buffy was resurrected from Heaven?  Oh my gosh!  No wonder she was so messed up when she came to LA.'  Her heart broke to think of how hard it must have been for Buffy to transition from Heaven back to the hell that was Sunnydale.

Giles continued his tirade.  "We can't always be here to clean up after her, take care of Dawn and patrol for her any time she decides to take off." 

Xander grimaced and attempted to soothe Giles' rant.  "Channeling the evil undead G-Man?  Buffy is going through a rough time right now.  She's easing back into things."  He sighed audibly.  He still had a hard time dealing with the fact that they had resurrected their friend out of a heavenly dimension.  "We ripped her out of Heaven.  The important thing is to help her through this transition."

"Didn't you say something like that last week when you thought she had been in Hell?"  Giles knew that he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't stop it all from coming out.

"It's still true, no matter if she came from Heaven or Hell.  I think coming from Heaven would be a lot worse of an adjustment than a hell dimension."

The conversation quickly spiraled into an argument over what Buffy really needed: time versus responsibility.  Each of them had a different opinion, but they both seemed to agree with the fact that they wished they knew where Buffy was.

Cordy shook her head.  'Those idiots tore Buffy out of Heaven, and they expect her to be all happy about it?'  It seemed that Xander was okay with allowing Buffy the time away to deal with it.  'What the hell is with Giles though?'

Finally a body rose from the grave and both men went into attack mode.  After they dusted the newly risen vampire they moved on to another part of the cemetery.

Cordy quietly snuck past them.  She finally reached her destination, the crypt she saw in her vision.  She tried to open the door silently, but she winced when it made an annoying creeping noise.  'God this is so like a cheesy movie.'  

All light thoughts fled when she saw the inside of the crypt.  The burial vault was covered in blood.  She covered her mouth and forced herself to walk in further.  Tears burned in her eyes.  She noticed a trail of blood and some half burned cigarettes on the floor.

Everything looked exactly like her vision.  She could almost picture a dying Buffy and a weeping Spike standing over her.  She bent down to touch the space on the ground that she imagined they rested against.  She'd seen enough to validate her worst fears.  She needed to get to Angel to have him verify if this was Buffy's blood or not.

Cordy turned and fled out into the night as quickly as she could.  She had to get away from that crypt fast, before she threw up.  She fled out past the crypt door, but her progress was stopped abruptly when she ran straight into the arms of a snarling vampire.  She screamed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel knocked on the bathroom door.  The shower had been running for over an hour now.  Although vampires were not sensitive to cold and hot, he still wanted to get some lukewarm water for his own shower.

"Come on Cordy, answer the door."  Angel knocked again.  He heard Willow and Amy leave the Summers' house about a half hour ago.  He didn't know where they were headed to, and he really couldn't bring himself to care.  Something about Willow seemed darker than before.  His demon seemed to lean towards her.  That was never a good thing.

Angel pounded on the door.  He didn't want to wake up Connor, but he wondered if something was wrong with Cordelia.  "Delia ..."  He knocked again.  "I'm coming in if you don't say something in the next five seconds."  He counted to five, and after no answer, he shouldered the door to the bathroom open.

Angel searched the bathroom for any sign of a struggle or trouble.  He reached into the empty shower and turned off the water.  "Strange."  He looked around the room again.  After a trek to Buffy's bedroom, and seeing that Cordy's clothes were strewn about, he assumed that she slipped out.  "What the heck does she think she's doing?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Twists Of Fate - (9) Snooping Around
(Tasha)

Chapter Summary: Angel, Cordelia and Connor arrived in Sunnydale.  After a chat with Willow and Amy, Cordelia snuck out of the Summers' house to search for the crypt from her vision.  She was caught coming out of the crypt, and those who found her now confront her.  Who caught her?  Will Angel find out about Buffy?  Is there someone lurking around the cemetery who will catch Spike and Buffy out on "patrol"?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What are you doing here?"  The vampire snarled at Cordelia.  "Come to make sure your work was complete?"  Spike, in full game face, gripped Cordelia's arms tightly.

Cordelia shook in the Master Vampire's arms.  Never had she seen such rage up close.  She knew this was Spike, and she was afraid that her next breath would be her last.

Buffy caught up to Spike.  He'd broke out into a run when he glimpsed a figure near the crypt they'd been in before.  She stopped Spike before he sank his fangs into Cordelia's neck.  "Spike, she isn't the one."

"Are you sure?"  Spike looked over Cordy's turned head at Buffy.  "She was snooping around in places that no human in their right mind should, unless they were looking for something in particular."

"Of course I'm sure.  The guy told me who his boss was."  Buffy reasoned with her Sire.  "This is Cordelia.  She probably came from L.A. with Angel."

Cordelia felt relief for a moment or two.  'Buffy kept Spike from killing me.'  So, if Buffy was a vampire, she reasoned that Buffy was a good one.  She tensed up in fear again after the mention of Angel caused Spike to growl deeply once more.

"Peaches doesn't even do his own investigating anymore?  He sends out his women?"  Spike rolled his eyes and let go of Cordy.  "Go tell the prat his interference isn't needed or wanted here in Sunnydale."

"First off, I'm not one of Angel's women."  Cordelia scooted back against the crypt door and pushed herself up.  "He ... He doesn't even know I'm out here.  Angel is at Buffy's house."

Buffy placed a calming hand on Spike's arm.  She tried to show Spike her support and assure him that he was the one she wished to stay with.  "Why are you out here, Cordelia?  You should know better than to travel in the cemetery at night in Sunnydale."

"I needed to find out if something was true, and I could only do that in this cemetery and at this crypt."  Cordelia answered honestly.  Whatever was going on wasn't as "evil" as she originally interpreted from her vision.  Apart from Spike's anger at finding her at the crypt, Spike was back in his human face and calmly waiting for her explanations.

Buffy listened to Cordelia talk.  She could smell Angel's scent on Cordy as well as a couple others mingled in.  One smell was oddly familiar to her.  "What are those smells Spike?"  She was still learning what each scent stood for.  Her Slayer senses were keen before, but now they were even more attuned to every underlying scent or touch.

Spike leaned in a little closer to Cordelia to get a good grasp of all the scents on her.  He loved Buffy's curiosity.  If they could get everything squared away with his Sire, he was going to enjoy showing and teaching Buffy everything he could.  "I'd say some of it is Peaches' scent.  Some of it belongs to the kid of his."  He inhaled again.  "The rest is a mixture of Willow and Willow's residual spell casting."

"So, Willow is doing enough magic in my house that a smell sticks to people who visit?"  Buffy's gaze wandered from Cordelia to Spike.

"The smell would be stronger the longer someone stayed and the more magic was casting within a certain amount of time."  Spike pulled a cigarette out of a pack in his duster.  He flicked open his lighter and lit the tip of the cigarette.  He enjoyed breathing, but he didn't want to smell Angel's scent.  The smoke would cover it up well enough for him to bear it.  "Why do you think there are ways to trace spells or magic used, pet?  Because all magic leaves a trail for a bit.  The stronger the magic, the stronger the trail."

Buffy leaned into Spike's side.  She rested her head with her cheek down on his shoulder.  "I'm so glad you got Dawn out of that house."  She sighed.  "I would have been so worried about her, if she was still there."

Cordelia listened to the conversation go back and forth between the two blondes.  She noticed how easily and comfortably they interacted with each other.  'This is not the same Spike who came to Los Angeles and tortured Angel.  Though he still seems to hate Angel.'  Many questions ran through her head to ask the pair, but her mind stopped wandering at the mention of Dawn's name.  "Dawn is safe?"

"Of course she is.  Definitely a hell of a lot safer than she was with Red."  Spike huffed.  "I took care of the bit for 147 days when Buffy was d ... dead.  Why would I let anything happen to her now?"

"Have you seen her in the last 12 hours?"  Cordy was more baffled than when she left L.A.  What was going on between everyone in Sunnydale?  Buffy was hanging out with Spike, Giles was all bad Buffy, and it seemed that no one knew what was going on with the others.

"We left her at our new home less than an hour ago, Cordy."  Buffy lifted her head off of Spike's shoulder and sighed.  Their house was already starting to feel like a home with Tara and Dawn there with them.  She felt like she was a part of a true family again.  "I'm afraid that someone jumped to the wrong conclusions when she called you here."

"We were told that Dawn was kidnapped, possibly by a branch of Wolfram and Hart."  Cordy watched Spike and Buffy's body language and facial expressions for any signs of insincerity.  It hadn't gone unnoticed that most of the time Buffy barely took a breath during the whole time they talked either.  "We've had dealings with Wolfram and Hart, and none of them have been good."

"I had a feeling that's what the bloody bitch told the poofter."  Spike spat out his words in anger.  "She didn't even bother to check the facts before she assumed the worst."

"Spike ..." Buffy cautioned Spike about his temper.  She cared deeply for him, whether she wanted to admit it fully or not, but his temper did frighten her.  He was a passionate person, and he felt everything deeply including his anger and love.  "She's still our friend.  Willow is just on the wrong track right now.  She could have been genuinely concerned about Dawn."

"From what I overheard of Willow's conversation with Angel, I don't think so."  Cordelia interjected her perspective. 

"Why should I believe what you say about Willow?"  Buffy asked the question in curiosity and not malice.  "It's no secret that you two haven't exactly gotten along since the whole kissing thing with Xander."

"Red kissing the Whelp?"  Spike raised an intrigued brow.  "Never would have figured that one to happen."

"Yeah well it was your fault."  Buffy slapped him upside the head.  "I never really slapped you for that one either."

"Oi, how was that my fault?"  Spike rubbed the back of his head.

"It was your oh so wonderful plan to lock my boyfriend and Willow in the factory," Cordelia grated her teeth together as she spoke.  "Oz and I found them snuggling and kissing on the bed you left them on when we went to rescue them."

"Oh."  Spike frowned.  "I just wanted her to do a spell for me, but the Whelp got in the way.  I couldn't leave him on the lab floor.  He'd have gone running to you all for sure."

"Spike it doesn't matter.  It's over and done with, but I will kick your ass if you kidnap my friends again."

"Yes Mistress Slayer."  Spike growled playfully.  He wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist and pulled her back against him.  "I promised you that I wouldn't harm innocents any longer, didn't I?"

"Yes you did."  Buffy closed her eyes to savor the feeling of being in Spike's arms.  She opened them again at the sound of Cordelia clearing her throat.

"Not to break up the oh so touching scene, but I believe we were talking about Willow."  Cordelia's hands were on her hips.  She rested her weight on her right leg.

"Sorry Cordelia," Buffy answered.

"Anyways, Willow seemed to want Angel to solve all her problems for her, including finding your checkbook.  She was hardly focused on Dawn at all."  Cordelia started to explain the conversation she walked in on again.  "Plus from what I saw it looked like she redecorated Dawn's room already.  She's probably going to have her friend Amy live there."

"Amy?"  Buffy blinked in surprise.  "When did she get de-ratted?"

"I don't know, but Amy was there.  Her and Willow were looking pretty cozy on what looked like a new couch."  Cordelia tilted her head to the side.  "It's a nice one.  When did you get it?"

"I swear I'll rip her limb from limb if she got rid of, or ruined, any of my family's things."  Buffy growled loudly.  She heard a yelp of surprise from Cordy, and she realized that she must have shifted faces.  "Sorry."  She lowered her head to hide her face.

Spike lifted Buffy's face to be level with his.  "Never be ashamed of your face, Buffy."  He smiled lovingly.  "You are beautiful no matter which face is forward."

Cordelia stared at Buffy.  Now that the shock was over, she smiled.  "Your eyes ... They're pretty.  I've never seen silver ones on a vampire before."

"You knew I was a vampire?"  Buffy was surprised that Cordelia wasn't freaking out a lot more.

"Yes, it was a part of the vision I had."  Cordelia motioned to the closed crypt door.  "That was why I was looking for this crypt."  She took in a deep breath while a shudder passed down her spine at the memory of her vision.  "I saw your death and then your turning."

"I see."  Buffy nodded.  That explained to her why Cordelia wasn't all wigged out.  "The eyes must be a part of the whole Slayer package: soul, silver eyes, no guilties."  She shrugged.  "More research for Giles to do if I ever get up enough gumption to see him again."

"If you aren't careful, you'll see him tonight."  Cordy remembered that she saw Giles and Xander earlier before she found the crypt.  "Xander and Giles are doing some sort of patrol in the cemetery.  A whole clan could walk up behind them with how loud they were."

Buffy's concern for her friends overrode her various qualms with her Watcher and one of her oldest friends.  "Do you think we should follow them?  Just in case they get into trouble?"

"I think they'll manage fine without us."  Spike wasn't ready for a confrontation with the Scoobies, and he doubted Buffy was either.  "We have to suss out what to do about Angelus first."

"Angelus?"  Cordelia gasped.  "No way.  He's definitely soulful right now.  He's brooding too much not to be."

"For now, but let's just say I had a little vision of my own."  Buffy frowned.  "It could have been a Slayer dream.  It sure felt like it."

"He's not making with the happies about being back in Sunnydale."  Cordelia was afraid to deal with Angelus again.  "He wants to avoid you if at all possible.  So no bump and grind for him to lose his soul with."

Spike snarled possessively.  He bared his teeth at the former cheerleader.  "He won't get a chance to get his mangy paws on my Mate.  I'll pull his undead heart out with my own hands if he even tries to get that close."

Buffy nuzzled her lips against Spike's neck.  She knew what being mated meant, and she was fairly certain that the term slipped out of Spike's mouth because he cared for her as a Mate and not just a Childe.  A year or two ago she would have been ticked at such a possessive tone, but right now she felt pretty good about it.  "I am yours, beloved Sire."  She purred softly and soothingly.  She turned Spike's head towards hers to share a brief but heartfelt kiss.

'This night just keeps getting more bizarre,' Cordelia thought.

Buffy looked at Cordelia after she was sure that Spike was calmer.  "My dream showed Angelus coming to the foreground when he realized my change.  I don't think the soul was gone.  It just wasn't in the driver's seat."

"That would be very bad."  Cordy contemplated what they could do to avoid a confrontation between Angel and Buffy and Spike.  "I can't get him to leave Sunnydale without some explanation as to how and why I know that Dawn is safe or that Wolfram and Hart aren't involved."

"We never said that the law firm wasn't involved."  Spike spoke evenly.

"You said Dawn wasn't kidnapped.  So, if she wasn't kidnapped, why would they be involved?"  Cordelia questioned in confusion.

"Not everything is in black and white."  Buffy explained.  "Just like not all humans are good, or all demons bad, not all at that law firm have evil purposes."

"My lawyer, Valerie, works for them."  Spike further explained.  "She helped me get Dawn away from Willow's magic, and she had the firm's mages cast multitudes of protection spells and wards for our home."

Buffy nodded her agreement with what Spike was saying.  "Though I don't like what I saw in their files on Angel, Valerie has done nothing but be helpful."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."  Cordelia shook her head back and forth.  "If you knew what the firm in L.A. has done to use for the last couple years, you wouldn't believe them to be anything but evil."

"From what we read, a lot of that has to do with Lindsey MacDonald."  Buffy sneered.  "If I ever get my hands on him for finding a way to bring Darla back, I'll hurt him ... a LOT."

"You know about Darla?"

"And about Angel's child with her.  Yes."

"Valerie was quite shocked by that situation herself."  Spike rocked Buffy in his arms to comfort her.  He was starting to realize that her anger over the situation wasn't that Angel was with someone else.  She was mad that Darla returned, no one told her about it, and Angel risked his soul to be with anyone.

"It could all just be an act."  Cordelia countered.  "Angel is never gonna believe me without some kind of proof."

"We can have you meet with Dawn and Tara."  Buffy offered.  "Willow tried to brainwash Tara.  Her last attack was the reason we took Dawn out of my Mom's house."  She had been filled in on everything that happened in the couple days that she was resting before her awakening.

"Valerie can bring them somewhere safe.  So, you could talk to her as well."  Spike wanted to do whatever it took to get Angel and his group gone.  They had a lot of preparation to do for their future meetings with the Scoobies.  They couldn't hold off that meeting forever.  Every day that passed brought them that much closer to the inevitable encounter.

"I don't know if it will be enough, but it's a start."  Cordelia pulled a little notepad out of her back pocket.  "What is a number I can get a hold of you guys at?"  She looked up at Spike and Buffy.  "I have to figure out a way to do this without Angel's knowledge.  So, I'll have to call you later with a time."

"Fine."  Spike rattled off his and Buffy's cell phone numbers to Cordelia.  "We pick the place though.  We have to be sure it is warded against any magical attacks or interference."

"You're really serious about the magic, aren't you?"  Cordelia asked.  She'd noticed that something seemed to be off about Willow, but she assumed it was because Willow had grown up in the last couple years.

"Yes, we are.  She's tried to brainwash people and take away their will."  Buffy gripped her hands into fists.  "She tore me out of Heaven to resurrect me.  She uses magic without thought or care to the consequences, and she makes too many mistakes with it."

"Don't let Red know anything or she might try to swipe you too."  Spike cautioned.  "We can try to bring you protection if you are willing to trust us.  I hope you do."  He spoke honestly.  "I don't want anything to happen to Buffy or the Nibblet.  They are my life, and I love them both."

Cordelia nodded.  "For some insane reason, I believe you do love them.  Beyond that, I can't promise right now."  She looked back and forth over the tombstones at the eery night.  "I've been gone a long time.  I'd better get back.  I'll call you as soon as I can."

"Okay, Cordy.  Thanks for giving us a chance."  Buffy smiled.

Once Cordelia headed West back to the Summers' house, Buffy and Spike headed North for a quick patrol of the area.  They hoped to avoid Xander and Giles.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander sat flat on the ground.  He shook his head once, twice, and then he buried his head in his hands.  There was no way he just heard any of that between Cordy, Buffy and Spike.  'She seemed like Buffy, but that's impossible if she's a vampire.'

Xander waited for the trio to part ways before he walked to the crypt.  He held his hand on the door.  He was afraid to go inside to see any evidence to support what he'd just heard.  He opened the door and nearly passed out at the gore apparent from the violence that happened in the tomb.  Until he slipped on the bullet on the crypt floor, he was ready to assume that Spike attacked Buffy

'Spike wouldn't use a gun.  He can't.'  Xander remembered back to a time in his parent's basement when Spike tried to point a gun at him.  The chip fired even at that.  Xander stood there for a couple hours, cemented to the place where his life had changed again forever.  He shifted between tears of pain and disbelief and overwhelming joy that Buffy wasn't "dead" again.

Xander cursed himself for not following Giles out of the cemetery earlier.  If he hadn't decided to make one final sweep, he would have never known about his friend's turning.  He didn't know how he would survive this happening twice in his life.  From what he'd heard, he couldn't even talk to Willow about it.  He wasn't blinded by her forays into too many things of a magical nature.  He believed that what Buffy and Spike said could very well be true about Willow.

Xander didn't know which way to turn or who to turn to.  Life was getting more complicated by the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)
 

==========================================================

Twists Of Fate - (10) Seeking Answers
By Tasha and Athenewolfe
(Athenewolfe)

Chapter Summary: Cordy left the cemetery.  Xander overheard a decent portion of the conversation between Cordy, Spike, and Buffy.  He headed into the crypt to find out what was in there.  Angel is out looking for Cordy and the missing members of the Sunnydale gang.  Willow and Amy are at Rack's.  Spike and Buffy left Cordy to do a little patrol of their own before they headed back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander stood in the crypt trying to process everything he heard.  The bullet on the floor, and the blood splattered around the crypt, told him a story that he didn't want to accept.

Who would use a gun in a cemetery?  A gun wouldn't kill most demons.  So a demon must not have been the original target.  All of the vampires and demons he read about/encountered used brute strength, cunning or an occasionally flashy but effective sword or hammer.  A gun seemed to imply a human assailant seeking out a human victim.  Buffy was the Slayer.  A human couldn't possibly be responsible for her death or want her dead.

The overheard conversation kept replaying in Xander's mind.  Buffy said she had a soul.  She had been turned but retained her soul?  That couldn't be true!  A vampire always equaled evil and must be staked.  It was the way it always had been.  He staked Jesse when he was turned.  Even Angel, the original souled vampire, proved that vampires could never fully be trusted.  If vampires could be redeemed, then with the right sire and incentive could Jesse have been redeemed?  It was obvious that Spike was Buffy's Sire, and the bleached menace wasn't Xander's idea of the right kind of Sire.

All these thoughts ran through Xander's mind.  New ones kept popping up and Xander started to feel overwhelmed.  It was giving him a headache.  He closed his eyes tightly.

If by some miracle Buffy retained her soul, did that mean she could lose it like Angel did?  If she really had a soul, what was she doing with the evil undead?  Sure, he had to be her Sire, but why didn't Buffy stake him when she rose?  Why hadn't Buffy contacted Xander, or at the very least contacted Angel?  Wouldn't Buffy have sought solace with her friends?  Didn't she trust them?

With a guttural moan Xander turned and ran out of the crypt, not even bothering to slam the door shut behind him.  He ran until he was blinded with tears.  He had already pushed himself past the point of shooting chest pains and a lack of breath.  The world was spinning, and he was dangerously close to passing out.  Finally he collapsed on a park bench, tears streaming down his face.

Xander's world had been turned upside down.  If he was to believe what he overheard, then his best friend had spiraled out of control and was manipulating everyone around her.  His other best friend, Buffy, was dead.  The clear cut lines between good guys and bad guys was blurred.  He didn't like this strange new world he was in.  He needed answers, and he needed them now.

'Where should I go?  Who can I talk to?'  Giles was drunk, and he seemed to blame Buffy for disturbing his life.  Anya would have answers, but Xander wasn't sure if he really wanted her opinion on the matter before he was absolutely sure of the truth.  He loved Anya, but her views on the demon world and her past disturbed him.  If he was honest, he would have admitted that he was having as much of a problem with accepting Anya's past as he was his own.  He was terrified of turning into his father and of never measuring up to a "real man".  He knew they would have to work it out, but he couldn't deal with that tonight.

Running the options over in his grief-stricken mind, Xander dismissed everyone he knew from the equation.  Perhaps Cordy misunderstood what was happening at Buffy's house?  He should really talk to Willow before he made any decisions on who to trust.  After all, he owed his best friend the chance to defend herself.  Standing up, he got his bearings and then headed in the general direction of Buffy's house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow leaned back into the couch at Rack's and started at Amy.  The magical buzz she got from Rack completely restored her good mood.  She could barely remember why she was upset with Buffy.  Did it really matter if Buffy came home?  Well aside from still not knowing where the Slayer hid the checkbook that is.

Willow barely remembered her own name at this point.  The magic coursing through her veins was so intense, so primitive, and so primal.  It felt like molten chocolate was caressing every inch of her body.  She felt powerful and yummy.  Life was excellent, the magic was plentiful, and as soon as she found Tara ... Well Tara would come back to her.  She wouldn't have a choice.

In the meantime, Willow looked up at Amy, where had Amy picked up that shirt from?  It looked like dark crushed red velvet.  Willow ached to reach out and touch the material, as well as the girl who wore it.  Biting her lip, Willow tried to figure out if she could get away with having an affair with Amy.  After all Tara did break up with her, and while Willow would make sure Tara came back to her, she couldn't be faulted for having a little fun.

Tara would get used to having Amy around.  Amy had magicked the rest of her stuff into Dawn's room earlier.  So Tara would have to accept Amy in their lives.  If she was careful, Tara would never even know what had happened.  Besides, Amy was fire and lightning while Tara was soft and cuddly.  Who would blame her for being attracted to both of them.

Reaching over, Willow caressed Amy's arm.  Amy flinched and started to pull away from the other girl.  Then, Willow glanced over at Amy, soft black eyes meeting Amy's green.  "Come on Amy," She seductively purred.  "Don't you want to feel what I can do to you: all this energy, all this power, all this magic running through us.  "Don't you want to feel the power?"

Amy looked unsure until Willow sent a magical pulse of power into the reluctant girl.  The magical energy surrounded Amy, erasing the doubts from her mind and bringing her to orgasm.  Slowly Willow pushed Amy down on the couch.  The power swirled around them.  It caressed and melded the two bodies in a lover's dance.  Rack sat back and watched the pair with a leer of cynical delight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel paced all around Buffy's house.  He couldn't believe how irresponsible everyone seemed to be acting.  Willow practically begged him to come to Sunnydale and one he arrives she scampered off to go play with her new friend.  Buffy, the Chosen One and the protector of all that is good and pure, seemed to have run off for a vacation.  Wasn't being dead for a while enough of a vacation for her already?  Finally, the only person who knew where Buffy was had managed to get herself kidnapped.

It was simply amazing that these children hadn't been killed years ago.  How did they ever manage to defeat his alter-ego?  It astounded him.  He remembered that one reason Angelus was defeated all those years ago was because of his Childe, Spike.  Angel growled deeply at the thought of his oft time rebellious Childe.

Then there was his trusty seer.  Cordelia whined and complained all the way down from Los Angeles, and then she disappeared, leaving him stuck in the house with Connor.  Angel loved his son, but how was he supposed to take care of everyone and watch a baby at the same time?  Cordy should have known that she was needed to baby-sit while he went out to save the Sunnydale gang ... again.

After twenty minutes of pacing, brooding and the occasional swear word, Angel grabbed Connor and headed out into the night.  Perhaps he could find Giles or Xander to watch Connor for him.  They had to be good for something because obviously they were lost when it came to dealing with problems or their Slayer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Spike headed home to their new house.  Patrol was quiet.  All they saw were a few fledges that Giles and Xander had managed to miss and one ugly demon that came to Sunnydale to take on the Slayer.  Buffy briefly mused at how all the demons knew what she looked like.  She knew that vampires could sense her, but could demons feel her as well?  The world wasn't black and white, despite what the Council thought.

Speaking of the Council, she would have to find out if a new Slayer has been called when she died this time.  No one said anything to her about a new Slayer being called after the tower incident.  Were there three Slayers roaming around, or was her first death the only one that mattered?

Lost in her thoughts, Buffy never noticed when Spike put his arm around her.  Instinctively Buffy leaned into him as they passed by the brightly lit Magic Box.  Thankfully the sole occupant of the store was on the phone to the Council and not watching as they strolled by. 

Spike's vampire hearing picked up on the conversation inside, and he cringed.  He was grateful that Buffy was so lost in other thoughts, or she would have heard the conversation as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I don't care if Faith is still in jail.  We need a Slayer here, and Buffy seemed to think now was a good time for vacation."  Giles spoke harshly into the phone.  He seemed more upset with the person on the other end of the phone line.

"Of course she'll be back.  Her sister is still in Sunnydale."  Giles threw his glasses onto the counter near the register.  "However, she has been quite unsteady lately after her ..." He caught himself and quickly amended the end of his sentence. "... mother's death."

Giles listened to the other person talking for a brief moment before he interrupted again.  "The last time she left, she was gone for three months."  He looked at the ticket on the counter.  "I am leaving here in three days."

Giles held the phone away from his ear while the person on the other end yelled at him.  "Frankly I don't care."  He paused to take in a deep breath.  "You can choose to arrange Faith's release from jail or not.  The choice is up to you.  Buffy's been through enough.  It's time for Faith to do her REAL job."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow and Amy stumbled out of Rack's place.  The air surrounding them crackled with energy.  They walked along the sidewalk with their arms wrapped around each other.

An elderly man looked up and watched the two women stumble about.  'Damn shame it is how the kids these days act.  Two beautiful girls like that strung out on drugs already.'  Crossing the street he steered away from them.  He shook his head, and he quickly continued home.

Perhaps they were members of the famous PCP gang that frequently rampaged through Sunnydale.  They looked like addicts who would kill for their next dose, pimp themselves out for another hit or simply manage to kill themselves because their true pain would not register.  Nothing meant anything to him but their next fix and their desire for more.

Unknown to the little man, however, was the realization that it wasn't drugs that caused this dangerous high.  It was something even worse, the remnants of Rack's magical enhancements and Willow's blackest mojo were emerging.  Amy was hardly an innocent in the whole matter either.  She was spiraling out of control herself and would soon surpass her mother in magical abuse and addiction.  Seeing the look the man gave them as he passed made Amy briefly wonder if she was losing herself to the power.  With a caress of Willow’s hand, she quickly forgot her doubts.  The Bronze was waiting for them.

Xander halted his progression to Buffy's house when he spotted Willow and Amy.  "Willow, wait up!"  He broke out into a jog and quickly caught up to the two girls.

Willow turned around.  She was quite annoyed at being interrupted on her way to go dancing.  Seeing that it was Xander, her face softened, and she reached out to caress his cheek.  "Xander, you haven't called or come by for almost a week.  Don't you love us anymore?"

Xander blinked and stared at Willow.  She seemed off.  There was something her that was mesmerizing though.  Perhaps it was her eyes or the husky sound of her voice.  As she stared at him, he shivered.  For the first time in his life, he felt afraid of his best friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel was on his way to the Magic Box, when a strange scent floating past his nostrils.  Clutching Connor, his mind was focused on the scent, Connor began to squirm and then yell.  His father, however, didn’t notice as the baby began to wail his outrage that his father was holding him too tightly.

The vampire flashed into game face, and his pace picked up from a slight trot to an outright run.  He stopped paying attention to the boy in his arms or the area surrounding him.  He concentrated on the strangely familiar scent that seemed to hold him in thrall.

As Angel ran further into the cemetery the scent grew stronger.  He staked a couple vampires standing outside the door of an open crypt.  He snarled and ran into the open door of the crypt through the other vampire's dust.  Close his eyes, he breathed in deeply.  He remembered this scent.  It was the sweet smell of Slayer blood, and he could almost taste it.

A fledgling growled at Angel from his spot on the floor.  He looked up at the elder vampire and growled again his warning to back off on his find.  The vampire's face was covered in the remains of the blood that hadn't dried yet and what he licked off the cement floor of the crypt.

With one hand wrapped around Connor, Angel swiftly dusted the irreverent fledgling.  No matter who found what first, he was the elder.  His rights should have been respected. 

Memories of his teeth buried in Buffy's neck made him grow hard, and he growled in frustration and anger.  Who dared to take the Slayer into this dank hole?  He smelled the perfumed scent of blood, sex and death.  It permeated the air, even though he knew that this scene was several days old.

Angel felt Angelus clawing at the surface of his brain to be let free.  He snarled into Angel's ear, 'Who would dare touch what belongs to us?'

Angel inhaled more deeply.  There were faint traces of leather and smoke.  'No, Spike wouldn't be that stupid, would he?'

Angelus roared in anger.  'That Childe has gone too far this time.  He must pay.'

Angel snarled and stormed out of the crypt.  He slammed the door shut.  He knew the Slayer lost too much blood in that place to have walked out of there alive.  'Somehow Spike must have hired a human to help him kill Buffy.'

'You really are an idiot, Angel.'  Angelus mentally slapped his souled counterpart.  'You know what happened here.  You felt it a couple days ago.'

'No, no, that can't be.'  Angel leaned against the side of the crypt.  There was no way he was ready to face the possibility that Spike found a way to Sire Buffy.

'Be denial boy all you want, but you know it's true.'  Angelus delighted in the thought that Buffy was now a vampire.  Now he would have no reason to hate her.  He wanted to give the soul a moment of happiness to go bye bye and claim her.  His Childe would be no match for him if challenged.

'You aren't going anywhere, monster.'  Angel chastised the beast within him.  No matter how close to the surface Angelus was, he refused to acknowledge that the two parts of him were really one.  He headed out of the cemetery and back to his original destination, the Magic Box.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow felt the power still surrounding her.  There was nothing that she felt she couldn't do.  She could tell that she made Xander uncomfortable.  Raising an eyebrow at him, she upgraded her assessment incorrectly to him being aroused.  She chuckled in an amused way to herself.  She always knew that Xander had a desire for powerful women, demons, and the unattainable.

Willow still remembered Xander's myriad of rejections throughout high school.  She lusted over the boy for years, and he had only desired her once someone else laid claim to her heart.  He never wanted her, just plain Willow.  He had wanted Oz's Willow.  Then once they were caught kissing, it was over again.  He only wanted what he couldn't have, again.

Just look at Xander's history ... first and always foremost was the unattainable Buffy.  Then there was the Queen Bitch of them all, Cordy.  After using and using and disregarding her own self, there was the slutty Slayer Faith.  Lastly, but not least, he moved on to a former vengeance demon.  Sure Anya was easy to obtain in the beginning, but did anyone actually think he could keep a woman like that?  It was so obvious that he was perpetually challenged to find what he couldn't have.

Willow couldn't think of a better revenge for his callous treatment of her pre-witchy self.  Of course, now that she was in control, he wanted her.  She could tell by his obvious discomfort around her.  Standing there, shifting from one foot to another while avoiding looking at her.  What else could cause his uneasiness.  He was so obvious to her.

Willow grinned devilishly and slid up next to Xander.  She leaned close and practically purred into his ear, "Now, now Xander.  What are you doing running around at this time of night without one of us to protect you?  If you're not careful, you could attract another demon.  Don't you remember how much of a demon magnet you are?  Why even Cordy is part demon now."

"Of course it could be fun."  Willow leaned even closer to Xander so that as she whispered to him, her lips would caress his ear.  She ran her hands down his front, pausing to cup his covered cock.  "I still remember all the naughty things that my vampire double whispered to me."  She licked the edge of Xander's ear lobe.

"She told me how the two of you used to paint the town red with blood, and then fucked in it until dawn."  Xander shivered, and Willow took that as a good sign.  "She told me how she took you and made you beg for mercy before draining your life blood.  You begged her to take you, to turn you and to fuck you forever Xander.  You begged her for forever with her!"

Willow let go of his cock and stepped back.  She sneered at him, "Now you have your little vengeance demon, and you can't even keep her happy."  She waved her hand in the air with indifference.  "I heard about what the two of you sang during Sweet's visit.  So pathetic!  You'll never be man enough for any woman."  She blew Xander a kiss, turned, and walked away from him.

Xander stood there and gaped in shock while Amy and Willow walked away.  What the hell happened to Willow?  Cordy, Buffy and Spike were right.  How the hell did he not notice that transformation?  He staggered down the road on autopilot towards home.  There was only one person he could trust.  He might not like what she would tell him, but at least Anya was always honest.  Right now, she seemed must less scary than the Willow he'd just met.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sighed in contentment when they reached their house.  She hadn't realized how nervous and tense she was until she spotted the familiar and welcomed structure.  Home was her safe haven.  It was her reclusive place away from a strange and hostile world.

It was strange that even as a vampire, she felt right slaying evil.  Buffy briefly thought about using her "death" as a perfect excuse to retire from being the Slayer.  She wanted to be able to run away and try her hand at becoming a "normal girl", well as normal as a Slayer turned vampire could be. 

Who was she kidding though?  She was Buffy the Vampire Slayer who just happened to be a souled vampire with a mystical key for a sister.  She was pretty sure that she was falling in love with Spike, a vampire without a soul and her Sire.  It was enough to make her head hurt.

Becoming a vampire hadn't seemed to change her very much.  If anything it seemed to make Buffy a better Slayer.  Tonight, while patrolling, she noticed that her senses were stronger, her actions were quicker, and she practically craved the violence of the fight more than before.  She couldn't imagine not slaying.

Buffy led Spike over to the porch swing and sat down with him.  She needed to rest and decide what to do about her friends.  Now that Cordy knew she was a vampire, she would have to think about how to tell her friends.  Everyone was going to find out.  It would be better to tell them on her terms then deal with the aftermath of them finding out on their own.  Of course that did mean figuring out what to do about Willow.  They'd have to block her magic somehow.

Buffy snuggled into Spike's arms and then froze.  She hadn't realized that she was this close to Spike on the swing until now.  Earlier, she rejoiced in the feel of his arms, but that was when they were out in the cemetery.  They were surrounded by people, demons, fledges and eventually Cordy.  At home they were alone.  Everyone else had fallen asleep a long time ago.

Buffy felt the outline of Spike's body pressed next to her and his cool breath on her neck.  She closed her eyes and let out a ragged breath.  She fought the urge to flee, and she willed her body to calm down.  She was in Spike's arms, and this Spike would never hurt her.

Finally Buffy looked up and met the worried gaze of her Sire.  "Spike?  I know you said you would be patient with me, but can I kiss you?"  She hurried on before he answered, "Nothing else ... Just kiss you?"

Spike nodded his agreement.  He couldn't trust his voice not to squeak when he spoke.  He vowed not to move or press Buffy for more.  He would accept what she was offering, and he wouldn't try to pressure her into anything she wasn't ready for.

Spike's demon raged inside of him.  It demanded that he take her, claim her, and mate with her.  It was more than dominance.  The demon wanted to offer Buffy the comfort that their mated bond would bring.

Spike knew that he could take the pain away with the bonding between their demons, but he knew she wasn't ready for that yet.  He would not take the risk of further traumatizing Buffy.  He read enough of the stupid books to know that she needed to be in control of things for a while.  So, he waited, staring into Buffy's beautiful emerald eyes.

Buffy leaned closer to Spike for a kiss.  She hesitated for a moment, and then pressed her lips against his.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

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