~Prologue~

The elderly gentleman set his cup neatly in the matching saucer.   "So it is decided," he said.  His sharp brown eyes carefully studied the three gentlemen and two ladies surrounding the table.

The middle-aged woman to his left nodded in agreement. "The new Slayer will be sent to Sunnydale first thing in the morning."

A gentleman at the foot of the table hesitated to bring up one point, but knew it must be addressed. "What are we going to do about the old Slayer's friends?" he asked.

"I don't think we are going to make the same mistakes we did last time.  The new Slayer will have no association with them.  They are to be avoided at all costs," the elderly gentleman advised.

"Reports indicate that they currently patrol the Hellmouth for activity.  I doubt it will be possible to avoid contact."

"They will be taken care of," he replied firmly.
 

~Part 1~

Anya flipped the sign in the window and locked the door.  "They didn't even buy anything," she grumbled.

Xander gave his fiancée a sympathetic grin.  "Maybe next time, Honey," he said as he turned off the lights.  He waited for her by the door to the back room.

She pulled the cash drawer from the register and joined him.  "Maybe we should have a mandatory purchase policy.  You know like the club we went to last week."

"I don't think a two talisman minimum cover charge would go over very well," he teased as he draped his arm around her shoulder.

Anya leaned her head on his shoulder.  "There's just something wrong with going into a store and not purchase something."

"Well, our credit card statement shows you're ding your part to help the economy."  Together, they walked into the back room.

"Spike, if you patrol the park.  I'll take the cemetery tonight,"  Willow said as she gave Xander and Anya a wave.  "Did they finally leave?"

Anya set the cash drawer on her desk and began tallying the days totals.  "Without buying anything," she grumbled.

Xander pulled open the door on the antique armoire. He removed a box of stakes and a crossbow.  "Where do you want me to patrol tonight?" he asked Willow.

Willow placed a couple of stakes in her coat pocket as she looked at the map of Sunnydale taped to the table top.  "Why don't you and Anya take downtown?"

"Sounds good to me."

"What about me?" Dawn asked from her desk in the corner.

"What about you, little bit?" Spike asked.  He pushed away from the wall and slipped a couple of stakes into his pockets.

"What can I do?" she asked as she snapped her Calculus book closed and shoved it into her backpack.

Willow walked over to the sink and grabbed a bottle off the shelf.  "You can go home and go to bed.  You have school in the morning," she said as she filled three squirt guns with Holy water.

"Willow," Dawn whined.  "I want to help."

The red head handed two of the plastic guns to Xander and tucked the other one into the waistband of her jeans.  "You can help by getting a good nights sleep and acing that history test you have tomorrow."

"But, Willow..."

Spike knelt beside the young woman.  It still amazed him, how much she had grown in the past year and a half.  "Hey.  You don't want those hours I helped you studing to go to waste, do you?"

She smiled at the blonde vampire.  "You know I'll ace that test," she said.  "Willow, you know I'm almost eighteen."

"In another year and a half you'll be eighteen," Willow corrected.

The teenager rolled her eyes.  "Whatever.  When you were my age you had slain a ton of vamps and demons."

Spike watched the red head as she checked and double checked her supplies.  "That doesn't help your case, Bit."

Dawn stared at the woman who had been taking care of her since her sister died.  "You can't protect me forever," she said.

Willow finally looked her in the eye.  "No.  Not forever, but I will protect you for as long as I possibly can."

Spike picked up Dawn's backpack.  "Come on, Bit.  I'll take you home."  Reluctantly, the teenager followed Spike out the back door of the Magic Box.

****

Spike and Dawn pulled up in front of their house. While she slipped off the back of the motorcycle, Spike turned off the engine.  As she waited for him to dismount the bike, Dawn slipped her arm through the helmet strap.  "You'd let me, wouldn't you, Spike?" she asked.

"Let you do what?" he asked, escorting her to the door.

"Let me go on patrol."

He unlocked the front door and followed Dawn inside. "Dawn, come on.  We need to talk."  He lead her to the couch and sat on the coffee table.  "You have to understand.  Willow and I both promised Buffy we'd protect you if anything happened to her."

Having heard the lecture a thousand times, Dawn sighed and leaned back.

Spike squeezed her knee to draw her attention. "Willow and I have lost a lot of friends over the years.  Loving Buffy was one of the most difficult to
get through.  If there is anything we can do to protect you, keep you from harm, we're going to do it.  Whether it puts us on the top of your shit list or not."

"And I understand that.  Honestly, I do.  It's just hard to hear all the stuff you guys deal with every day and not want to help," she explained.

Spike smiled at her .  "You do help, Bit.  You help Anya with the store after school.  You help Willow with the computer stuff.  You help with research. Hell, you're the one who keeps the house together when we're tied up with Slayer stuff."  He waited for her to absorb his words.  "Quite honestly I don't think the Scooby Gang would still be together after Buffy died if it wasn't for you."

Dawn gave him a doubtful look.  "That I don't believe.

"You think I would have stuck around if I didn't promise to take care of you?"

"I guess," she relented.  "But Willow and Xander..."

"Xander would have married Anya ages ago and moved away.  There was nothing keeping them here," he explained.  "Except you."

"Willow," she started.

He thought about the red head who took charge and forced everyone into action.  "Yeah, Red would have tried to control the Hellmouth by herself.  For a while.  But how much can one witch do?"

Dawn relented with a lop sided grin.  "I do all that, huh?"

"Yes, you do."  He glanced at the clock on the mantel. "I'd better go patrol the park before Red kicks my butt."  He stood and gave the girl a kiss on the forehead.

"Have fun."

"Don't I always, pet?"
 

~Part 2~

Willow wandered over to the far corner of the cemetery.  It had become her routine:  patrol and slay, then give her best friend the rundown.  "Hey,
Buffy," she greeted the marble headstone.  Kneeling beside the burial plot, she gave the marker a quick rub.  Her fingertips were beginning to smooth out the place where she rubbed.

"Tonight's score:  Willow two, vamps zero.  Not bad, huh?  Dawnie wanted to patrol again.  Of course I told her no, but it's getting harder.   She's stubborn like you.  I'm surprised she hasn't snuck out of the house and gone on patrol by herself.  She's grown into a beautiful young woman.  You'd be so proud of her, Buff.  Oh, did I tell you she's already been accepted to Stanford?  Full scholarship, too."  She smiled sadly.  "I hope she goes.  Get her out of this place anyway.  Xander and Anya's wedding is next month.  For a while we weren't sure if they'd ever tie the knot. What with all the crap that goes on around here."

With a sigh, she stretched out beside her friend. "They saved up enough money for their honeymoon to Hawaii.  I don't know why they'd go to paradise when they'll probably never leave their hotel room.  But at least they shouldn't be interrupted by some Zork demon or a nest of vamps.  It will just be me and Spike for two weeks.  I do not look forward to those two weeks. I promised Anya that I'd take care of the Magic Box for her."

Willow stroked the grass covering her friend.  "I'm so tired, Buffy."

"Then maybe it's time to go to bed."

She rolled over to see Spike standing behind her. "Spike!  What are you doing here?" she asked. Alarmed, she sat up.  "Dawn?"

"Dawn's fine," he reassured her.  He held out his hand.  When she placed her smaller hand in his, Spike pulled her to her feet.  "She's in bed sleeping.
Which is where you should be."

"Yeah, I know," she replied brushing the loose blades of grass from her butt.  "Have you ever been so tired you couldn't sleep?"

"More often than I care to admit," he answered.  He ran his fingers across the top of Buffy's headstone. "So does she have any words of wisdom to impart?"

"Not really.  It's usually a one sided conversation." She shrugged.  "It's stupid I know, but..."

Spike pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.  "It's not stupid.  Do it myself."

It made her feel a little better to know Spike still talked to Buffy.  They walked together in silence.  A couple of blocks from their house Spike broke the silence.  "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?" she asked.

"Not doing the spell."

She stopped and smiled. "You need to be more specific.  There are a lot of spells I changed my mind about."

"The spell to bring Buffy back."

Her smile fell and color drained from her face.  "You know about that?"

"You use the urn of Osiris to keep paper clips in."

Willow stared at her feet.  "No.  Yes.  Sometimes I regret it.  Things would be a lot easier with the Slayer on hand."  She was ashamed of her selfish
thoughts.  Another thought occurred to her.  "Does Dawn know?"

"I don't think so.  I do have one question for you."

She looked up into his blue eyes.  "What?"

"Why didn't you do it?  Didn't you think it would work?" he asked.

"I know it would have worked.  I was all set to do it.  Had everything ready.  I thought I could save Buffy from Hell.  Bring her back."  She started to shake from pent up emotions.  Tears filled her eyes.  "But then I thought ' what if Buffy isn't in Hell?  What if she's in Heaven or some place peaceful?'  I didn't want to rip her from that."  The tears and doubts began to overflow their boundaries.  "I had to choose.  I didn't know what to do.  Do I take a chance and save her from Hell or condemn her to Hell on earth?"

Spike wrapped his arms around the trembling woman. "Not an easy choice."

"What if I made the wrong choice, Spike?   What if she is in Hell?  What if she's eternally tormented because of me?"

"Shh," he whispered.  "Don't do this to yourself.  I don't think the Powers That Be would send their chosen savior to Hell."  He rubbed her back gently.  He had no idea she was carrying around all this guilt.  "Come on, Red.  Let's get you to bed.  You need some sleep."
 

~Part 3~

Willow entered the kitchen scratching her head.  She inhaled the scent of fresh coffee.  The rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

Dawn handed the still sleepy red head a steaming mug. "Morning, Willow."

"Hmm,"  she answered as she carefully sipped the black liquid.  "Morning, Dawn."

The teenager removed her bowl from the table, rinsed it under the faucet before setting it in the top rack of the dishwasher.  "So how was patrol?" she asked. She gathered the cereal box and milk carton from the counter and returned them to their places.

"Not too bad," she answered around a yawn.

"You know you could have slept in this morning."

Willow sat down at the table.  "I wish I could.  It's going to take me most of the day to de-bug that program.  I have to meet my deadline if I want to get paid."

Dawn grabbed her books off the counter and gave Willow a kiss on the forehead.  "I'm sorry about last night," she said quickly.

She had to smile at the girl who was trying to be a woman.  "It's okay.  Can't say I didn't do the same thing.  You're going to be late for school."

"I'll see you at the Magic Box?"

"I might be late, but I'll be there.  It's inventory night.  Anya would never let me 'borrow' supplies again if I didn't help," Willow replied with a sip of
her coffee.

"Okay," Dawn said as she opened the back door.  "Don't forget to take a shower," she reminded Willow.

****

Spike watched her study the screen intently.  She was absorbed in her work as usual.  *The Hellmouth could open and she probably wouldn't notice,* he mused.  The wall clock chimed the three o'clock hour.  He walked up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders.

At his touch Willow jumped.  "Spike, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" she asked.

He chuckled.  "No other way to get your attention.  A bomb would have to go off next to you and you still would only be annoyed."

"Got to pay those bills somehow.  What time is it?" she asked.

"Three o' clock.  Go grab a shower and I'll fix you something to eat," he said as he left her office.

****

Willow parked in the alley behind the Magic Box.  "All clear, Spike," she said as she grabbed her laptop case.

Spike pushed the blanket he used to shield himself form the sun to the floor.  He stepped out of the car and stood in the shadow cast by the buildings.  He opened the back door and waited for the red head. "How much more do you have to do with that program?" he asked.

"Not much," she answered entering the store.  "Just running it through a final test before I sign off on it.  I'll probably Fed Ex it off tomorrow."

Dawn smiled at her guardians when they entered the store front.  She finished arranging the display of African talismans that arrived that morning.

Spike picked up a strange looking statue and absently read the descriptions attached on a tag.   *"Virility idle.  Satisfaction guaranteed."  Like someone's going to return it and demand their money back because the blighter couldn't get it up,* he mused.

"I could let you borrow my store discount if you want to buy that," Dawn whispered in his ear.

Spike replaced the statue and gave her a glare. "Don't think so, pet.  Haven't had any complaints yet," he replied with a grin.  "So, Lil Bit, how did
that test go?"

"I'm sure I aced it.  I got my essay back on the social ramifications of World War II.   Ms.  Thompson said she was really impressed with it."

"I'll bet she was."

"Of course, I can't explain that most of my information came from a vampire who was actually there."

****

Anya tapped Willow on the shoulder.  "Um..." she hesitated.

Willow noticed the uncertainty and what looked almost like fear in her face.  "Anya, what is it?" she asked concerned.  "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine.  I wanted to ask you something."  She couldn't believe she was afraid.  After spending over a thousand years as a vengeance demon, Anya thought she wasn't afraid of anything, except bunnies."

"What?"

"I was wondering if maybe you could...if you wanted that is...I will understand if you don't want to," she rambled.

The red head placed a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder.  "Spit it out, Anya."

"Would you be my maid of honor?" she asked in a rush.

Startled the red head blinked.  "You want me to be your maid of honor?"  She smiled  and blinked back the sudden tears in her eyes.

"Yes."

Willow wrapped her arms around Anya and hugged her tightly.  "I would love to," she answered.  She pulled back for a moment.  "As long as I don't have to wear an ugly taffeta butt bow," she qualified.

Anya smiled.  "I promise.  No butt bows.  Taffeta or other wise."

****

"Spike and I will do a quick patrol and come back to help finish inventory," Willow said.  Outside, she turned to the tall vampire.  "I'll take the park
tonight and I'll meet you in the cemetery."

"Sounds good."

Willow watched him walk away.  She didn't know what she would do without him.  After Buffy died it was difficult to hold everything together.  She had to help with Buffy's funeral, take care of Dawn, and the house.   Spike had always been there, giving her support when it was needed.  He was her silent pillar of support when Tara left.  Willow had tried to help him in his grief, but Spike wasn't one to let others help him.

The red head paused beside a park bench.  She realized somewhere along the line, she'd fallen in love with him.  She shook her head to clear the thoughts. *Focus on patrol now.  Worry about emotions later,* she reprimanded herself.

****

Spike sat on the head stone in front of Buffy's grave. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one up.  "Patrol was unusually quiet tonight. I don't like it," he said.  "Calm before the storm and all that garbage."

Something tickled the hairs on the back of his neck. He studied the area around him.  Everything was still, like a grave yard should be.  A quiet whistle  cut through the silence.  Spike stood and jerked forward as something hit him.  He glanced down and found a crossbow bolt sticking through his abdomen.  "Fuck!" he exclaimed as the pain flooded through his body.

Hearing another whistle he ducked behind the head stone just as the bolt flew over his head.  He realized if he had remained seated the wooden shaft would have pierced his heart.  He grasped the bloody shaft with one hand and attempted to pull it free. All he managed to do was twist the shaft and cause himself a lot of pain.

Hearing the rustle of fallen leaves Spike looked up. A girl stood over him with her crossbow armed and at the ready.  She couldn't have been more than sixteen. He saw a familiar glint in her almond shaped eyes. "The Slayer," he said.

"Got it in one," she said.  "Trust me.  I won't miss again."

With a trigger happy Slayer arming a wooden bolt at his hear, Spike found himself between a rock and a hard place.  *This is not good.*  A red sneakered foot kicked the crossbow to the ground.

Startled the new Slayer took a moment to size up her opponent.  The red head wasn't a vampire and appeared to be completely human.  Not that it mattered much when the woman interfered with her duties. She let loose with a punch.

Willow blocked the girl's jab and threw, with all her weight behind it, her own punch to the Slayer's stomach.  "We're on the same side, Slayer," she said. Her only response was a snap kick to her knee.  Willow cried out in pain as her knee hyper extended.  She fell to the ground clutching the injured joint.

"Kira," a voice called from the shadows of the cemetery.  "Pull back."

The Slayer collected her crossbow and gave the red head a kick to the mid section before retreating.

"Willow," Spike said as he crawled to her prone position.  "Are you okay?"

She had to fight back the pain.  "I don't think it's broken, but it hurts like a bitch."

Spike winced as the bolt shifted.  "Tell me about it. Well, I guess, Sunnyhell has a new Slayer."

She sat up carefully.  *The Slayer must have steel toed boots,* she thought as her stomach muscles protested the new position.  "Right now I'm routing for the demons," she said.  She placed a hand on his shoulder and grasped the shaft protruding from his chest.  She stared into him blue eyes and waited for his signal.  Spike braced himself and gave a quick nod.  Willow jerked the bolt as quickly as she could.

"Fucking bitch!" he roared as it pulled free.

"Sorry, Spike,' she apologized as she tossed the bloody weapon aside.

"Not you," he corrected.  "Her."   He slowly got to his feet and helped Willow to hers.  Blood spilled down his chest and back.  She hobbled on her right foot as she tried to keep her balance.  "Let's see if the others can patch us up."  Wrapping his right arm around her waist the two wounded warriors hobbled back to the Magic Box.
 

~Part 4~

Dawn sat in the backroom entering the inventory figures into the computer when the door opened.  "Boy, you guys, sure timed it right. We just finished..." she stopped talking when she noticed both Willow and Spike were covered in blood.  "Xander!  Anya!" she yelled as she jumped to her feet.

Willow helped Spike settle into a chair.  He looked more pale than normal.  "Dawn, grab the supply of blood from the fridge."

Xander and Anya rushed into the room at Dawn's call.   "Oh, my God. What happened?" Xander asked.  He grabbed Willow by the shoulders and
examined her for wounds.

"It's not mine, Xan.  Spike go shot with a cross bow," she said.

Spike leaned his head back.  He wanted to sleep and regain his strength.  Willow tried to push his duster off his shoulders causing him more pain.  He snarled and flashed his yellow eyes at her.

"Spike, we have to patch you up," she explained.  While he remained in game face, he sat forward so she could remove the heavy coat.

Anya noticed the wince of pain Willow gave as she moved around. "Xander, you help Spike and I'll check Willow," she ordered.

"I'm find," Willow protested.

"You are not.  That bitch hyperexended your knee," Spike contradicted.

Dawn carried a couple of large containers of pig's blood.  "Is this enough?" she asked.

"That's plenty.  Thank you, Bit," he sighed.  He pried the lid off one container and poured the contents down his throat.  In less than a minute he started to drink the second container, more slowly.

Anya grabbed a pair of sweats Willow kept at the store for just such occations.  "Go put thse on and we'll bandage up your knee," she said,
helping the red head to the bathroom.

While the vampire growled and snarled, Xander lifted the bloody tee shirt to examine the wound.  The new supply of blood kicked Spike's preternatural healing abilities inot gear.  The bleeding had slowed, but the wound still looked ugly.  "Who did this?" he asked.  He grabbed a gauze pad and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the first aid kit.

"Can you heat up a couple of pints for me, pet?" he asked Dawn in a tired voice.

She knew he wanted to get her out of the room, but complied since he was hurt.  "Sure thing."

Spike waited until the door closed.  "There's a new Slayer in town."

Xander measured the distance between the hole and Spike's heart as he cleaned it.  "Well, at least she's got lousy aim," he said.

"I got lucky and stood up before the arrow hit its mark," he said with a wince as the young man poured peroxide into the wound.  "I'm not likly to get an infection," he muttered.

Taping a bandage in place, he moved to the entrance wound.  "Better to be safe than sorry.  Obviously, she didn't know you're on the same side," he said bringing the conversation back to the Slayer.

Willow hobbled into the room wiht Anya's help.  "I don't think she cared who's side we're on," she said. Anya forced her into a chair and knelt before her.  Rolling up her pant leg, she gave it a quick once over.

Dawn re-entered the room quietly in case she could hear something useful.  She handed Spike the warm mug of blood.  "Here you go."

"Dawn, did you hear of any new students in school?" Willow asked.

The teenager shok her head.  "No, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open," she offered.

"You should see a doctor about this," the ex-demon said as she searched for an ace bandage and the knee brace they kept handy.

She looked at her throbbing joint.  It was turning a lovely shade of purlple and twice as big as her other knee.  "Just wrap it up tight," she said.  "We need to find the Slayer and have a chat with her Watcher."

"That won't be necessary," a new voice said from the back door.  "Since I've already found you."

"I've got a bone to pick wiht your girl," Spike said, trying to push himself out of the chair.   Xander held him in place so he could finish taping the bandage in place.

The tall woman appeard to be in her mid-forties.  She dressed in an upper management style suit, sharp and neat, yet still durable.  She stepped into the room.  "For trying to slay a vampire?" she asked.

"I bloody well expect that.  She hurt Willow."

"Unfortunately, Ms. Rosenberg interfered," she replied with no remorse.

"Obviously, you know who we are," Willow said.  "And that we are on the same side."

"That is what I'm here to discuss with you.  My name is Evelyn Birch. I am here on behalf of teh Watcher's Council."

"Where's Giles?" Xander asked.

She glared at the young man for interrupting her.  "Mr. Giles has been assigned to duties elsewhere.  As I was saying, the Council wishes to thank you for your assistance, but regrets to inform you that your services are no longer required," she said with a stiff smile.

"What?" Willow asked.

Spike glared at the woman.  "I believe we are being sacked, luv."

"I kind of figured that out, Spike.  My quesiton is how can they fire someone they never hired in the first place?" Willow asked.

"The Council does insist that you stop all Slayer related activities," Ms. Birch replied crossing her arms over her chest.

Willow, balanced on one foot, stared her down.  "And if we don't?"

Ms. Birch walked slowly around the office space.  "This is such a nice little shop.  It's such a shame the owner and her fiancee were arrested for running drugs out of it."

Anya's mouth dropped.  "We do not!" she protested.  No one threatened her store or her Xander.  Xander held her tight against the threat.

Dawn shivered as Ms. Birch's hand brushed her cheek.  "I'm sure your father will be able to find the best psychologist to help you come to terms with the abuse you suffered from your guardian," she said gently looking at Willow.

Spike pushed her away from Dawn and pulled the teenager to his other side.  "You know bloody well that none of that is true," he said tightly.

Willow limped over to the woman.  "The Council makes its own truth, doesn't it?" she said quietly.  "We've heard what you have to say.  Now I think it's time you leave, Ms. Bitch."

Knowing that her message had been received, she nodded and left quietly.

Dawn ran to Willow as soon as the door closed.  "She can't do that, can she?  She can't make you stop fighting evil."

Willow wrapped an arm around the teenager.  "It would seem like she can."

"They can't say those things about us, Xander," Anya said clutching his arm.  "I won't let them take you away from me."

He cupped her face in his hands.  "No one is going to separate us."  He kissed her lips gently.  "They tried this before.  Remember they were going to deport Giles.  We stopped them.  We'll do it again, right, Willow?"

The red head looked at her best friend since kindergarten.  "We didn't stop the Counsil from deporting Giles.  Buffy did," she said with a sigh.  "They needed her to stop Glory."

"Not to mention she was the Slayer," Spike added.

"They have a new Slayer now.  One that they control.  The Council has no use for us."  Willow gave Dawn a reassuring hug.  "Spike, are you okay to take Dawn home?"

"Yeah.  Get your stuff, Bit," he said.  He kept his eyes on the red head.  Her look of defeat worried him.  She never gave up on anything before, but this situation certainly looked hopeless.

"What about you, Willow?" Dawn asked.  "How are you going to get home?"

"We'll finish up here," Xander said.  "And drop her off when we're done."

****

Spike sat on the back steps.  He pulled a drag off his cigarette.  The events of the last few hours still rolled around in his mind.  The new Slayer got lucky wiht her shot.  He didn't think he'd have much of a problem fighting her, but the others wouldn't be so lucky against the Council.  Especially Dawn.  *Poor kid.  Taking Red away from her is the last thing she needs,* he thought.

He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the door open.  "Hey," he said.  He watched her limp to the steps and lower herself beside him. "How's the knee?" he asked.

"it's down to a roaring throb," she answered.  She picked up his lighter and struck the flame.

"Want a cigarette?" he asked.

She thought about it for a while.  "Nah.  I'd probably hack up a lung or something," she said with a laugh.

He noticed the laugh sounded a bit forced.  he stared out into the night.  "you guys finish the inventory okay?" he asked.

She nodded as she brushed her fingertips through the flame.  "Dawn get to bed okay?"

"As well as to be expected."  They sat in silence for a few minutes. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know," she sighed.  "I've spent the last six years fighting the monsters of the world.  I used to dream of going back to a normal life."  She flipped the top back on the lighter, extinguishing the flame.  "But now..."

"Now fighting the monsters is a normal life?" he asked.

"Something like that.  But no one is going to threaten my friends, especially Dawn.  She's been through so much."

Spike crushed his cigarette out in the ash tray and drapped his arm around her slumped shoulders.  "We've all been through a lot," he said.

She leaned into his strong shoulder.  "What about you?  What are you going to do?"

Spike knew she was expecting him to leave Sunnyhell.  And he probably should, but he wasn't going to abandon his girls until he knew they were okay.  "Think I'll just wait and see what happens.  Maybe we'll get lucky and some fledgling will kill the bitch for us."

"But we'd still have to get rid of the Slayer," she reminded him.

Spike laughed as he gave her a squeeze.
 

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