Chapter 5

Spike stared at Rebecca stunned. His mind started to race over their life together and things started to click into place.

Rebecca step forward and placed an uncertain hand on his arm “William. I know I should have told you before....” Her voice faded away, she looked down, uncertain.

Spike slumped against a wall his voice shook as he spoke “How did you come back?” he had been so shocked when he had first seen his long dead wife the question had remained unspoken.

Rebecca looked up and shrugged “Willow’s spell.”

Spike’s shock turned to anger “Bloody Bint. Messing with things she doesn’t understand. Wait til I get my hands on her.” Spike stormed towards the door barely suppressing his rage at Willow’s meddling.

Rebecca rushed forward barring his way “William stop! It’s done, best we work our way forward now.”

Spike ran a hand through his hair “How?” he searched her eyes “Are there slayers rising from their graves all over the world now?” His thoughts turned momentarily to the two that had died by his hands.

“No, just me” Rebecca wrapped her arms around her body frightened of what his reaction would be to what she had yet to tell him.

Spike frowned “Why just you?”

Rebecca took a deep breathe “Because Buffy and I are related. We’re cousins of sorts. Mr Giles believes that a part of me was reincarnated into Buffy. That somehow during the resurrection spell we were separated again.”

Spike reeled backwards as though he had been struck.

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Buffy stared at the door to the training room. Maybe if she stared hard enough she would be able to work out what was going on between Spike and Rebecca.

Giles and Willow were busy pouring through books beside her. Tara was moving round the Magic box getting it set up to reopen.

Dawn and Xander came through the door arms laden with food for all. They started to hand items out to the gathered Scoobies.

Xander tried to hand Buffy a sandwich but she didn’t seem to see him. He glanced at Giles who shook his head slightly. Xander dropped the sandwich onto the table and moved over to the counter to stare worriedly at Buffy.

Giles cleared his throat “Willow and I have found some information that we believe may be pertinent to the situation at hand” he removed his glasses rubbing his eyes wearily. “Perhaps someone could see if Rebecca and Spike are able to rejoin us.”

Buffy sprung up charging towards the door “I’ll do it.” She clasped the door handle almost breaking it in her haste. She rushed through the door almost barrelling into Rebecca; she stopped herself before she made contact.

Buffy looked between the two, she secretly felt glad to find the two of them seemingly at odds. “Giles needs to speak to you two.” Her eyes darted between the pair.

Rebecca turned to look at the woman that her husband had told her he loved. She felt fear clutch at her heart. What if William decided that he held no love for her anymore and wanted Buffy instead? In her heart and mind they had only been separated for a few months to him it had been over a century and he had moved on. She still loved him fiercely, even after she had heard all the stories of his past.

Spike took this time to study them both. His eyes fell upon Buffy and he felt his heart constrict. God he loved her! He then turned to look at Rebecca and he felt the same sensation. He still loved her as much as when he had been a timid young poet whose heart had burned for his love. What was he going to do?

Buffy saw the softening in Spike’s eyes when he looked at Rebecca and pushed her tender feelings back down out of her heart. “It’s getting late” she snapped and turned on her heel to stomp back out.

Spike went to follow her out when Rebecca stilled him with a gentle touch “It’s ok William” Spike arched an eyebrow in question “If you don’t love me anymore, if you want to be with Buffy I understand.” she felt the tears well in her eyes

Spike gently brushed a stray tear away, “I do love Buffy, Becca,” he looked towards the doorway, “But she doesn’t love me, she won’t let herself. I’m just a dirty little secret that she keeps hidden away from those she does love.” He looked down, “I thought I could change that, but I know now that it’ll never happen. It’s over now and there’s no going back.”

Rebecca felt the pain well inside her, “I understand,” she didn’t really but she wanted William to be happy she started to walk away unhappily.

Spike sighed drawing her closer “The thing is luv. When I look at you I feel the same. I still love you Becca. Things are just.... complicated”

Rebecca looked up in hope a small smile on her face “Maybe we could take it slow, like when you were courting me.”

Spike chuckled “What I write you bloody awful poetry and you pretend to like it.”

“I loved your poetry William” she leaned in to give him a small kiss “It always made me feel special.”

Spike seemed to beam with pleasure at his words, then an evil glint appeared in his eyes “You know luv, courtin’s done a little differently these days” he ran his hand down her back to caress her backside.

Rebecca blushed and tried to bat his hand away “William!”

This only made Spike caress her more wantonly, grinning all the time

A matching grin spread across Rebecca’s face as she began to run her hands down Spikes chest and stomach and around to his backside giving it a firm squeeze. Spike moaned as she bought her mouth up and lightly ran her tongue across his lips “We can play later William.” With that she twisted from his embrace and ran towards the door.

Spike gave chase and they both tumbled through the door laughing. They stopped abruptly as they surveyed the scene before them.

The Scoobies were gathered around the research table. Dawn, Tara and Willow all smiled happily at them; however Xander, Giles and Buffy were staring at them in confusion, frustration and rage. Buffy stood with her arms crossed impatiently tapping her foot as she stared at the pair “If you’re quite ready”. She all but threw herself into an available chair.

Dawn rolled her eyes at her sister’s obvious tantrum and muttered “Gee jealous much.” Tara gave Dawn a matching grin and suppressed a small snicker at Buffy’s behaviour.

Willow looked at the pair in front of her ‘Wow’ she thought ‘Rebecca just glows when she’s with him’ She looked at Buffy who was still glaring at the couple. Willow noticed something in her eyes, it looked a little like pain ‘Maybe Buffy wasn’t as disgusted at Spike’s affection as she made out to be’ Willow remembered Tara alluding to that very fact a few times but she had been to caught up in her addiction to really care. Willow resolved to watch the situation more carefully.

Spike flopped into the last available chair pulling Rebecca onto his lap, she snuggled happily into his arms and a feeling of completeness settled over him. He had seen everyone’s reactions to their situation and had decided to only focus on those who were happy for them. He looked over to Giles “So watcher what’s the story”

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Giles stood up and started to pace “Willow and I believe we know why Rebecca was resurrected along with Buffy” everyone looked at him expectantly “We believe that when the Urn of Osiris was broken that it effectively split Buffy’s essence, returning the broken essence to their original vessels.”

Rebecca spoke up “But we already knew that”

“Yes quiet right Rebecca, however we believed there was a fault within the spell itself” Giles cast an apologetic glance at Willow “Now we know that it is directly linked to the urn. What we do not know however is what that means with regards to Buffy and Rebecca.”

Xander looked up at Giles confusion still evident upon his face “Huh?”

Willow now stood beside Giles “What it means Xander is that we don’t know if it is permanent”

Tara gasped when she realised what it meant, she looked worriedly from Rebecca to Buffy.

“Again I say Huh?”

Willow began to explain when Tara softly spoke up “What it means Xander is we don’t know how long this is going to last. If it’s not permanent the spell could fail and Buffy and Rebecca could both die again.”

Dawn gave a soft gasp and moved closer to Buffy clutching her hand. Spike tightened his grip on Rebecca pulling her close. “Not going to happen.” He couldn’t bear it if he lost both of them again.

Giles looked at Spike surprised by his reaction. “Willow and I have found a spell that will effectively anchor the girls to this existence.”

“Well let’s get on with it then watcher, what do you need? Spike moved to get up when Giles interrupted him.

“Yes, well the thing with the spell is” he removed his glasses and began to clean them “if we do the spell on the girls and their essences were already anchored then it would kill them”

No one liked that idea so it was agreed that they would have the spell prepared and then just waited to see if it would be needed. Giles and Willow decided that they needed to research the Urn more to see if they could get answers that way.

Rebecca spoke up for the first time since re-entering the room “Why don’t you get a member of the Osisians to research it from their end.”

The gang looked at her in confusion “Who are the Osisians” asked Dawn.

“Osisians!” Rebecca looked about her “You know Osisian Demons. Descended from Osiris.” She studied the blank faces of the Scoobies “Ancient craftsman, look human, live for hundreds of years, makers of the Urns of Osiris? How can you not know about Osisians?” She looked at Willow “Where on earth did you get your urn from then?”

Willow looked at Rebecca trying to process what she had just heard “Umm e- bay!”

Rebecca turned to Spike “What’s e-bay?”

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Spike began to explain the concept to Rebecca “Well luv it’s a bit like a market place, people buy and sell goods on the Internet”

Rebecca stared at him in confusion “What’s?”

Giles cut her off “Perhaps the explanation of today’s technology could wait until later. Have you actually met an Osisian Demon Rebecca?”

“Of course, a part of every slayers training is to be taken to the nearest peaceful demon community to learn about their history and culture.” Rebecca looked amazed that they were not aware of this.

Xander spoke up “But demons are evil, soulless monsters. Why would you go to train with them?”

Rebecca began to get agitated “Who has told you all this nonsense!” she jumped up and started to pace. “Dawn said the same thing, haven’t you read about this at all?”

Giles interjected “I have never read anything that indicated anything other Rebecca. What books are you speaking about?”

Rebecca paced in frustration “Watchers diaries, Slayer’s diaries, Council records.” She counted them off on her fingers.

Buffy broke in “The councils gonna read my diary!”

Giles gave her a ‘look’ and she closed her mouth and stayed quiet. She was so going to have to do some serious editing.

“Rebecca I have never read anything like what you are referring too. Even your watchers and your own diaries made no mention of friendly demon communities.” Giles patiently tried to make her understand.

“What!” Rebecca seemed to be startled by that revelation “Do you have them here by chance?”

“Yes of course I bought them with us. I thought they may come in useful” Giles searched through the stack of books on the table and bought out five clad in black leather and one in red. He handed them to Rebecca.

“What are these?” she asked

“They are your diaries” Giles felt as though he was talking to a child.

Rebecca turned them over in her hands “No there not!”

“What do you mean there not” he picked up one from the pile and opened the front cover “It’s says right here Diary of Rupert Hoston. Watcher to Rebecca 1862 – 1875.” He closed the book satisfied.

Rebecca looked at him “It may say that, but I am telling you these are not our diaries.” She turned one over to show its spine “Firstly they are missing their insignia.”

Giles sighed “None of the books have an insignia Rebecca.”

“They did in my time, all watchers diaries were black leather with a gold insignia.” Rebecca frowned slightly as she tried to remember “It was a book with a sword laid on top of it. The slayers diary was red leather with a golden stake clasped in a fist on the spine.” Rebecca picked up another book and handed it to Spike “Secondly that” she pointed a finger to one of the pages “is not my uncles hand writing.”

Spike flipped through the pages “She’s right Rupes I know old Hoston's writing and this is not it.” He tossed the book back onto the table.

Giles madly flipped through the book “But that’s not possible”

Rebecca looked through one of the books “Here, where it talks about my battle with a Pelora demon it makes no mention of the Grishak who help me defeat it.”

The gang looked at her stunned “So what your saying is that someone has removed all mention of peaceful demons in order to what?” Buffy couldn’t understand what she was hearing.

Willow did however “Well we have been led to believe that all demons are evil and should be destroyed. What better way is there to eradicate a species or race without resistance?”

Xander tried to wrap his head around what was being said “So your saying is that someone has removed all mention of good demons” he made quote marks in the air as he said this “So the slayer will just kill them all of eventually.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense” Dawn now joined the conversation “There are too many demons for the slayer to get rid of them all.”

Spike thought for a moment “It does if you just want to get rid of the peaceful ones so you can take over the world.” Everyone looked at him in confusion. He sighed in frustration “Work with me people. Big evil demons want to take over the world. What stands in their way? Who stops them?”

Xander shoot his hand in the air “I know! The Slayer!”

Spike snorted at Xander's juvenile display “Well yes, but the slayer isn’t the only one strong enough to fight demons.” He looked at the others expectantly.

Rebecca broke in frustrated that it was taking the others so long to figure it out “Other Demons.”

Tara joined in “So if you’re an evil demon you have two main enemies, the slayer and the good demons that help the slayer.”

Willow got excited “So the easiest way to get rid of one enemy is to get the other enemy to do it for you.”

Giles walked over to the counter and retrieved a glass and some scotch, poring himself a large helping.

Rebecca looked puzzled “But why have all the councils records been changed”

Giles took a large gulp, spluttering slightly as it burned its way down his throat “Well it’s obvious that someone or thing infiltrated the council at some time and tampered with its entire historical library.”

Willow gasped “But how the library must be huge.”

The gang put their heads together trying to figure out how such a task could be accomplished. Spike stood and walked over to Giles and took a large swig from the bottle receiving a stern glare from Giles as he did.

The best suggestion they could come up with was some sort of spell to remove the entries. “I don’t think that would be possible” Tara mused “the mystical energies needed would be enormous”

Giles glasses were now being polished to within an inch of their life “Quite right a spell of that magnitude would have been detected by the council’s protection wards.”

Buffy stood and began to pace again “So what your saying is that at sometime someone, somehow managed to replace all the council records, without anyone within the council knowing, so that they could use the slayer as their own personal killing machine?” she didn’t like this at all.

“I don’t see how they could succeed at that though, the Demon council’s empath’s would have sensed their intent.”

Buffy looked at Rebecca “What is the Demon Council?”

Rebecca looked at Buffy in surprise “The Watchers Councils demon representatives. Each demon community would have several representatives that worked within the council.”

“No such thing exists nowadays” Giles looked at Buffy “I know how much you dislike the man Buffy, but I think that we should contact....”

Buffy cut him off “Travers!”

“Travers?” questioned Rebecca

“Quentin Travers, he’s the current head of the Watcher’s Council” Giles answered the question.

“QUENTIN TRAVERS IS THE HEAD OF THE COUNCIL” shouted Rebecca, she turned to Spike wide eyed “But he’s a Dretgo demon!” She looked back at the others “And they ARE evil!”

“I KNEW IT” exclaimed Buffy.

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